The Deep End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 2) (18 page)

“But are they good-looking?” Charlotte asked. “It’s less interesting when they’re unattractive.”

“They’re positively stunning,” Rebecca replied with a smile. Maybe her sister still had a bit more growing up to do after all.

Rebecca rode serenely along a dirt path, despite the brisk weather. Now that she and Charlotte were back in Oak Lodge, Rebecca was taking full advantage of the amenities on offer, including her bicycle, before she returned to New York for medical school.

As she crossed over the footbridge, the twisted tree seemed to beckon to her. She decided to stop for a moment to admire it before continuing. Reflexively, she turned to look at the tall and straight tree favored by Jake and gasped. Jake Krieg was standing on the bridge, in the flesh.

“I was told I might find you here,” Jake said.

Rebecca wheeled her bike over to him. He was the picture of autumn, wrapped in his grey marl coat and burnt orange scarf.

“Jake, you’re the last person I’d expect to see here.” Then she remembered Kristy and the will and steeled herself against his charming appearance.

“You’re here to collect the inheritance,” she said in a dull, flat tone.

“I had to sign off on some paperwork,” he admitted, “but I didn’t need to come in person.”

“Then why did you?” Her tone was sharper than she’d intended.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, unable to drum up a suitable answer.

Sensing his nervousness, Rebecca felt a pang of guilt. “So how are you?”

“Good, very good. I’ve decided to start my own business.”

Rebecca raised her eyebrows. “That’s great news. It’s not in the Canary Islands, is it?” She tried to imagine Jake and Brendan as business partners and quickly dismissed the notion.

He gave her a blank look. “Uh no. As nice as that sounds, I’m afraid it isn’t.”

She sucked in a breath. “And how is Kristy?”

Jake's brow furrowed. “Kristy? She’s well. Have you heard she’s married?”

Already? Rebecca laughed coolly. “That’s an interesting way of putting it.”

“Is it? I thought that was the only way of putting it.”

“Where did you go on your honeymoon?” she asked. She tried not to picture him in a bathing suit, but the appealing image fought its way through.

“My honeymoon?” He broke into a grin. “Ah, the Westdale gossip train has ground to a halt, I see. There must be more interesting tales to tell with murderers afoot. Kristy is married, you see, but not to me.”

Rebecca blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“Kristy Farewell is a consummate liar. You can only get away with that type of behavior for so long, as any soap opera worth its salt has shown us. She was stringing me along, waiting to see if I would end up inheriting the…your estate. Apparently, she also had an investment banker on the hook in New York. May the best horse win,” he said bitterly. “I didn’t even know I was in a competition.”

“It’s her mother I feel sorry for,” Rebecca said. “It seems Kristy was stringing her along, too. Letting her search the country for eligible young men while Kristy already had two in her pocket.”

Jake chuckled. “Don’t waste any pity on Mrs. Farewell. If you met her, you’d understand how Kristy came to be. When news broke that your father’s will was fraudulent, she wasted no time in breaking up with me and rushing off to marry the banker. But Rebecca, I need to explain to you…”

Rebecca attempted to wave him off — she didn’t want his apology, but he implored her.

“Please, I owe you that much. As you’ve probably gleaned, the Krieg family life was nonexistent. Jasmine abandoned the idea of a real family all together, whereas I held out hope. I always felt that I would make a good husband and father one day, even without a role model.” He cleared his throat.

“And Kristy appealed to that part of you,” Rebecca guessed.

Jake nodded. “She seemed to want everything I wanted. Of course, she wanted the fancier version of it and I wanted to give it to her if only because she wanted it.” He hesitated. “Then I came here and met you.”

When his eyes fixed on her face, Rebecca’s pulse quickened. He seemed to be looking straight through her and into her soul. She tried to resist her feelings, but they rushed to the surface, overwhelming her.

“But you loved Kristy,” Rebecca said.

“I thought so.” He pressed his palms against the side of the bridge, bracing himself. “I didn’t really know what love felt like, though. I certainly hadn’t seen it between my parents. Jasmine and I didn’t have a loving relationship. The truth is, when Kristy broke up with me, I was relieved.”

Rebecca balked. She’d not been expecting that admission. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t love her, of course. My feelings became very clear when I fell in love with you.”

Tears stung Rebecca’s eyes. Jake was in love with her?

“I should have been honest with you from the beginning. I never meant for things to spiral out of control. Jasmine’s murder was hard on me. I was so confused about what to do next. The fact that I was a suspect didn’t help my mental state. Then I kept talking to Kristy about you. That’s why she came to your Monte Carlo evening. I guess she sensed that I was…Oh, I swear that this went more smoothly in my head.”

Rebecca laid a hand on his arm. “I understand, Jake. I do. You don’t need to tell me any more.”

“But I want to,” he insisted. “I want to say the words out loud. I came here to tell you that I have rejected the money from your father’s will. I don’t want any negative feelings between us. I haven’t been able to put you out of my mind. I love you and want to spend every possible moment with you. The ones where you’re not dissecting cadavers and putting brains in jars, that is. I’d prefer not to spend those moments with you.” He shuddered, prompting a smile from Rebecca.

“I’m going to be a doctor, not a mad scientist.”

They stood on the bridge, gazing into each other’s eyes, as a boat full of rowers passed beneath them.

“Kiss her,” the coxswain yelled, his hands cupped in front of his mouth.

“Kiss her,” the rest of the oarsmen cried in unison.

Jake shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve never been one to argue with a boat full of rugged young men.”

He stepped forward and kissed her gently on the mouth. It was the sweetest kiss Rebecca had ever experienced. She sighed in contentment, oblivious to the cheers from the fading oarsmen.

Kit stood in front of the mirror, applying a coat of plum lipstick and admiring the effect. It was her mother’s favorite shade so Kit considered it a subtle peace offering of sorts. She dreaded the moment that she and Romeo entered Greyabbey as a couple. Heloise would see it as yet another act of defiance in a long line of rebellious acts. Kit knew in her heart it was nothing of the kind. She genuinely cared for Romeo. Then again, her mother wasn’t usually interested in Kit’s motivation. If the end result clashed with Heloise’s position, then it was sedition and punitive action was sure to follow. Like Kit’s move to Los Angeles, the decision that cost Kit her trust fund. Kit didn’t embark on an acting career to annoy her mother. She did it because her father had encouraged her to pursue her dreams. When he died, she decided to honor that sentiment. None of that mattered to Heloise, though. She’d told Kit that acting was beneath her and that she needed to pursue a more acceptable path. She’d only been back in Westdale a couple of months and here she was, ready to disappoint her mother again.

The doorbell rang and Kit did a little dance of joy. They were officially an item. She steadied her breath and took her time down the staircase, not wanting him to think she was too eager.

Kit pulled open the door and was surprised to see Thora and Phyllis, in her electric scooter, at the bottom of the steps. “Not now, you two.”

“Wow, she really cleans up,” Thora said to Phyllis. “I told you it wasn’t all television lighting and makeup artists.”

Phyllis shrugged. “What’s the occasion? We were coming to see if you want to go to Butter Beans with us. I’m out of tea.”

A likely story. Kit eyed them suspiciously. “Do you need someone to drive you?”

The ladies lowered their eyes, suddenly finding the cracks in the concrete fascinating.

“Maybe,” Thora murmured.

“But you both drive,” Kit said.

“There’s no room on that scooter for me,” Thora complained. “And I don’t drive after dusk.”

“She’s like a vehicular vampire,” Phyllis added.

“That would be someone who only drives after dark,” Kit pointed out.

The sound of a motor grabbed her attention and she nearly cheered when Romeo’s black car pulled into the driveway. She grabbed her purse from the table beside the door and fished out her key to lock the door.

“Oh, now I understand,” Thora said, her wrinkled eyes lingering on Romeo’s broad physique as he stepped out of the car.

“Yes, she’s one of those girls who drops her friends the minute she lands a new man,” Phyllis said.

Kit groaned. “We already had plans.”

Thora gave Phyllis a knowing look. “See? They’re a ‘we’ already.”

“Good evening, ladies,” Romeo greeted them.

Kit thought he looked exceptionally handsome in a charcoal sweater and dark jeans.

“Nice to see you again, Detective Moretti,” Thora said. “Working another case together?”

“A dead hooker?” Phyllis speculated, eyeing Kit’s formfitting dress. Kit tapped her lightly on the top of the head.

Romeo’s dark eyes glinted in the front porch light. “All right, you two. You’ve had your fun.” His gaze rested on Kit and a slow smile formed on his lips. “Miss Wilder, you are a vision.”

He took Kit’s hand and she stepped between Thora and Phyllis to follow him to the car.

“Don’t wait up,” Kit called over her shoulder.

“All I do is wait up,” Thora shot back. “That’s what happens when you hit fifty.”

“Fifty?” Kit repeated incredulously and had a reply ready when Romeo ushered her into the car and quickly shut the door.

“Sharpen your claws for your mother, not your meddling neighbors,” he advised, sliding into the driver’s seat.

Kit gave the ladies a taunting wave as Romeo backed out of the driveway. Thora returned the wave with an unladylike gesture.

“My mother did complain that I moved to the unseemly part of town,” Kit laughed.

Romeo kept his eyes on the road ahead. “She’ll be complaining about more than that after tonight.”

Kit placed a reassuring hand on his thigh. “I can handle it.”

“I know,” he replied, giving her hand a squeeze. “But it’ll be a lot more fun if we handle it together.”

Thank you for reading
The Deep End
! I hope you enjoyed the second book in the Saints & Strangers cozy mystery series. If so, please help other readers find this book ~

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten