The Scent of Lies: A Paradise Valley Mystery (18 page)

He rang the doorbell again.

Swinging the door open wide, she noticed his eyes light up when he saw her.

“Hello, Colin. Come on in,” she invited.

“You look stunning, Emily.” Colin stepped inside.

“Thank you, so do you—handsome, I mean.” She cleared her throat and felt her face flush. It felt awkward starting to date again. She had looked forward to this evening, as she dressed and did her make-up and hair. It reminded her of the first time she went out with Evan. Unexpectedly a prick of guilt jabbed at her, making her wonder if it was too soon to begin dating again.
Too late now, my date is here.

“Let me grab my purse from the bedroom and I’ll be ready to go.” She left him standing in the living room.

“Don’t forget your shoes,” he called after her.

“What?” She turned around.

“Your shoes,” he repeated, pointing toward her feet.

She looked down and saw her bare feet. “Oh, my,” she gasped in embarrassment, and darted into her bedroom.

“Mind if I get a glass of water?” he asked.

“Help yourself,” she called from down the hall.

Emily arrived at the kitchen as Colin held the old photo of Evan and the unknown woman. It had been on her dining table. He was looking at it, but he switched his gaze to Emily when she walked in.

“Who’s this?” he asked innocently.

“My late husband,” she snipped, plucking the photo from his hand and tossing it in a drawer. “I’m ready.” She was sure her face no longer held the glow it had when Colin had arrived.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” he apologized.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go,” she answered as she headed to the front door, hoping to avoid having to explain her brusque reaction.

“It didn’t seem like nothing,” he replied, following close behind.

“Please drop it, Colin,” Emily implored as she turned before opening the door. “I want to have dinner with you and enjoy myself tonight. I’m afraid dredging up the past will put a damper on our evening. I don’t want to do that.”

“I get it,” he said, looking down into her eyes, “but I hope you’ll trust me enough one day to open up and share your past with me.”

Returning his gaze, she almost wanted to leap into his arms and tell him everything she was going through—everything she was fearing, thinking, and suspecting—just not tonight. This was their first date and she didn’t want to screw it up. She wanted it to be memorable because something deep in her heart was telling her this relationship might lead somewhere special.

“Someday I will,” she nodded, “someday.”

* * *

Colin pulled his red Jeep Cherokee to the curb outside of DaVinci’s Italian Restaurant in the heart of Paradise Valley. His co-workers had recommended it as a local favorite. It was located in an old brick bank building from the late 1800s, one of the first buildings to be constructed in downtown Paradise Valley.

“Good evening. Table for two?” the young hostess asked.

“Yes,” Colin answered. “I made reservations. Andrews for six-thirty.”

“Yes, I see it,” she noted as she crossed through his name. “You’re a little early, so it will be a few minutes before your table is ready. Would you like to wait in the bar?”

“Sure,” Colin said, looking at Emily. She nodded.

The hostess motioned to the bar area. Colin put his hand lightly at Emily’s waist as they turned and stepped through the nearby doorway. The place was outfitted with a long hand-cut wooden bar with what appeared to be its original brass foot railing. They stopped briefly to read a yellowed newspaper article with a grainy photo that was framed and hanging on the wall, telling how the antique bar had been rescued from an old saloon as it was being demolished in Old Boise.

Colin and Emily barely had time to find a seat at the bar before the hostess called his name. She escorted them through the dining room, which was decorated with Italian plastered walls, low-light Tuscan wall sconces, and plush, richly colored padded booths. The vase of fresh flowers and flickering candlelight added to the intimate ambience at their cozy table.

“Your waiter will be right with you. I hope you enjoy your evening,” she said, leaving them to peruse the menu.

“I hope you like this place,” Colin said. “Ernie and Stella recommended it.”

“Ernie and Stella?”

“Ernie’s a police officer at my station, an old friend of my dad’s, and—”

“Old friend of your dad’s? Is he the one you said told you about the job in Paradise Valley?”

“Yes, that’s him, and Stella is an admin that works in the office. They’ve both been around here a long time, so I figured they’d know the best places.”

“They were right. DaVinci’s is one of my favorites.” She smiled at him then looked down at her menu. “Wasn’t Ernie one of the cops at Delia’s house the night Ricardo was killed?”

“Yes, he was.”

“So—”

Colin cut her off. “Let’s not talk shop tonight, okay?” He looked at her for a moment then he returned to reading the menu.

She thought back to the recent incident at her house when he’d asked her about the photo, he clearly saw how quickly she could turn and wanted to stay away from any conversation that might ruin their evening.

“You’re right,” she agreed, flashing him a quick smile.

Their waiter appeared and took their orders.

“I think I’ll have the Veal Parmigiana,” she decided, laying her menu down.

“That sounds good,” he said, following suit.

Before long, their food arrived and they took pleasure in every bite. The conversation was kept light and near the surface, tiptoeing around topics that might change the enchanting mood.

“I seem to recall there was a small dance floor in the bar area.” He tilted his head, listening to the music playing. “Would you like to dance?” He stood up and put out his hand to her. She took it and he led her back into the bar.

Soft, slow music was playing through the sound system, and he pulled her into his arms. They swayed to the beat, her body melting against his. She rested her head against his chest and noticed he inhaled deeply. She made a mental note that he seemed to like the sweet scent of rose and vanilla she wore.

When the song ended, he didn’t let go of her, although she did let go of him then took the smallest step back. “Why don’t we get out of here?” she proposed.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Why don’t we go to my house for dessert?” she suggested.

“Really?” he said, raising his eyebrows in question, as if he was not sure what she was getting at.

“Really. I have some rich Pecan Praline ice cream in the freezer. Then we can sit and talk.”

“Oh, okay,” he agreed. “Pecan Praline.”

“Yes, what did you think I meant?”

Chapter 16

Emily and Colin walked up the steps to her charming bungalow. Her home looked cozy and inviting with the lights casting a warm glow from inside. She unlocked the door and they went in.

She kicked off her high heels, just inside the door, and walked barefoot toward the kitchen with Colin right behind her.

“If you’ll grab a couple of little bowls out of the cupboard, I’ll get the ice cream and scoop.”

“Got it,” he laughed. “Do you always go around barefoot?”

“I’m just a country girl at heart. Those high heels might look pretty but they’re murder on the feet.”

“A country girl?” He seemed amused.

“Yes, I grew up in Virginia on a small farm.” She scooped the ice cream into the bowls. “Why don’t we go in the living room? It’s much more comfortable on the couch.”

As they sat on the sofa and ate, she told him a bit about her experience living on a small farm and going to school in town.

“What about you?” She took another spoonful, letting the rich creamy dessert melt on her tongue.

“I grew up in Central California, in Modesto. My folks didn’t have much money and couldn’t afford to send me to college, so I decided to go into the military and go to school on the GI Bill. I spent four years in the Marines—saw some action in the Middle East—then I went to the university in Sacramento when I got out.”

“You were in the war?” She imagined him in all his gear, scouring the harsh desert countryside for the Taliban.

“Yes, for a while. Then after I graduated from college, I was hired by the San Francisco Police Department, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“So why did you decide to leave San Francisco?”

His face turned pensive and he stared at his bowl for a long time before speaking. “I needed to get away from there and make a fresh start.”

Between the look on his face and the way his Adam’s apple shifted when he swallowed hard, she could tell it affected him deeply. She probably should have left it alone, but curiosity won out. “Get away from what?”

His eyes glistened with unshed tears and he looked away, feigning a cough.

“I’m sorry. I knew I should have left it alone.”

“No.” His hand snaked out to touch hers. He held it there and didn’t let go. “It’s all right. You might as well know.”

Her spoon hung suspended between her fingers as her gaze remained riveted on his face, his lips, waiting. What could it be?

“I was engaged to a girl. Her name was Miranda. She was a rookie cop at the time.” He drew a deep breath and looked away. “She was killed in the line of duty.”

“Oh, Colin.” Emily dropped her spoon into the bowl with a
clink
so she could place her other hand on top of their entwined ones. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged halfheartedly, a melancholy look on his face. “I tried to stay on the job, but everywhere I looked, something reminded me of her. Sometimes I could swear I saw her, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. That’s how I felt for the first few months after Evan was killed.” She squeezed his hand and then awkwardly released it, feeling suddenly conscious of the fact that he was sitting in a spot that Evan had occupied so many times himself. “How long ago did Miranda die?”

“Over a year ago. At first I worked every shift I could get, trying to fill up my hours so I wouldn’t miss her so much, but I was burning out. Then I took a leave of absence for a few months. I stayed at my uncle’s cabin in the mountains of Northern California, hunting and fishing, reading and writing. After awhile I started going stir-crazy for civilization, so I went back to San Francisco and back to work.”

“Was it better? I mean, after you returned?”

“Some,” he nodded. “Time seems to help.” He set his half-eaten bowl of ice cream on the coffee table and leaned back, putting an arm on the back of the sofa.

“Time does help.” She picked up her ice cream and finished the last of it. She needed a distraction from her mixed-up emotions.

“My folks encouraged me to find a job somewhere else—to get away from all the places Miranda and I went together. So, when Ernie told my dad about the opening in Paradise Valley, they pushed me to apply for it.”

“So it wasn’t your idea to come?”

“Well, I’m not really a small-town kind of guy. You could say I needed a gentle nudge to make the decision.”

“Gentle nudge?”

“Well, okay, more like a kick in the pants.” He laughed.

Emily was glad to see him lighten up. It helped her push her thoughts of Evan aside. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and looked up into his face. Emily had forgotten how good it felt to be close to a man, to nestle in the strength of his arms.

“I’m glad you came to Paradise Valley.” Her words were soft and genuine.

“Me too.” He caressed her face, lifting her chin ever so slightly then kissed her sweetly, before she even had time to think about it.

He leaned back and gazed into her eyes as if he was trying to read her thoughts, and Emily wondered if he could see that she didn’t want him to stop. He must have, because he covered her lips fully with his and kissed her so deeply that she thought she could feel it down to her bare toes. Then, with his arms wrapped tightly around her, he pulled her in closer and she floated into his embrace.

It had been a very long time since she had been kissed like that and she relished the sensations awakening within her. When Colin finally released her, she sighed contentedly and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying the intimate nearness of him, breathing in his masculine scent.

They were completely symbiotic as they sat on the sofa, snuggling for a long time without speaking, simply clinging to each other. It had been six months for Emily and even longer for him. They shared an unspoken connection, suffered a similar loss, and Emily thought it was time they both put their losses behind them, moved on with their lives.

Colin’s phone began to buzz in his pocket. Unwinding from their embrace, he pulled it out. “It’s a call from New York,” he said to Emily as he answered it. “Hello, this is Colin Andrews.”

Emily sat up on the edge of the sofa and listened.

“Hey, Joey, what do you have for me?” Colin asked.