Tin Angel (22 page)

“How are things going with Jack?”

“Last night we…well, let’s just say we had a wonderful night together. He stayed over.” Her cheeks warmed with the memory.

“Did you tell him?”

She bit her bottom lip.

“When are you going to?” The angel floated nearer. “You’re running out of time.”

Alice wrung her hands. “I know. I know… I keep trying, and I keep chickening out.”

“You need to find the strength, or it will be too late, and then it won’t matter what happened to your jewelry, will it?”

Fear at what fate had in store shook her. “I don’t need to be reminded that I’ll be dead soon.”

The angel’s usually cheery face darkened. “I’m afraid you do.”

Alice sank onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. “What should I do?”

“Take a leap of faith.”

She spread her fingers out and looked straight into the angel’s eyes. “I’ll tell him today. After the rummage sale.”

Golden curls danced around the tin angel’s shoulders as she swirled through the air. “I hope so. You have to trust…in yourself, and in others. Especially Jack. That’s if you want to find love.”

“You know I do.” But she spoke to herself. The tin angel had disappeared.

She slipped on her earrings and checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before the doorbell rang. Butterflies churned in her stomach, not only in anticipation of seeing Jack again, but of going to the rummage sale and facing all those people who would question her about Alice. This charade had really taken its toll on her.

When she opened the door and saw Jack’s smiling face, her worries began to evaporate, and when he took her in his arms, everything in the world seemed right again.

“Ready to go?” he asked, his warm breath caressing her cheek.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She turned off the foyer light and then was pulled back into his arms. He covered her mouth with his, and what she thought would be a quick peck turned into a long, smoldering kiss. Maybe they wouldn’t make the rummage sale after all.

He must have had the same thought, because he ended their kiss and said, “If we don’t go now, we won’t go at all.” With his arm around her shoulders, he led her out the door.

When they reached the car, Alice noticed the engine running. She slid onto the heated leather seat and was struck by the fact that Jack had prewarmed it for her. He was the most thoughtful man she’d ever known. Aside from Tom. For a moment, she was taken back in time, and a feeling of melancholy took hold, but she pushed it aside and brought her thoughts back to the present and to the man she’d come to love. Jack slid onto the seat beside her, reached over and took hold of her hand, then backed the car out of the driveway.

A few minutes later they pulled into the nearly full church parking lot. As Jack drove around looking for a space, her nerves kicked into overdrive. Her clammy hands and racing heart were signs that she needed to go home, but she couldn’t… What in the world would she say to Jack? No, she had to be brave and deal with her anxiety. Besides, maybe the day wouldn’t turn out as bad as she anticipated.

* * *

Daryn watched Cassie leave the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her skin still dewy from the shower, her hair wet and slicked back from her face. He adjusted his pants to make room for his arousal. It took all his self-control to keep from yanking that towel off her and making love to her, but he had to get her in a taxi and safely on her way to his cousin’s place before he could head over to Ally’s to find that safe. Both she and Jack would be at the rummage sale. In and out. That was his plan, then he could join Cassie in Jersey, and they could start fresh.

She sashayed across the hotel room, her hips swaying as they always did when she walked; then she sat in the straight-backed chair in front of the desk, pointing to the purple shadows beneath her eyes. “See these. They’re your fault.”

“Here we go. I know I get blamed for everything, but how is it my fault that you have dark rings? Last night was one of the rare occasions when I didn’t keep you up.”

She snorted and began to comb through her hair. “Sex isn’t the only reason you’re able to keep me from sleeping. I’m worried sick about today.”

“Why?” He walked up behind her and began to rub her shoulders. “I’ll be fine.”

She shook her head. “I have a bad feeling. I don’t like that you’re doing this heist alone. You need me.”

“You’re right, I do.” He bent down and kissed the side of her neck. “I need you to be safe.”

“I’m safe with you.”

He turned her toward him and cupped her chin in his hand so that she looked him straight in the eyes. “Babe, I’m not going to argue with you. This is a done deal. You’re going to Jersey this morning.”

“But—”

He silenced her words with a kiss. When their lips parted, he said, “You’re too damn distracting. When you’re around, I have trouble concentrating, for more reasons than one.”

She glared at him. “What other reasons?”

“Well, this habit, for example.” He reached across the desk and picked up the necklace and ring she’d stolen from Ally.

“You’re kidding, right? This is what we do. We steal.” She took the ring from him and slipped it on her finger, then reached for the necklace, but he fastened it around her neck instead.

“Yeah, baby, but you take things that we haven’t planned on taking, and it puts us in greater jeopardy. That’s exactly why you’re leaving town. So hurry up. Get dressed.” He walked over to the bed and tossed the clothes that she had laid out at her. She was silent as she dressed, a sure sign she was angry, but better upset with him and safe than making a mistake that could land them both in jail.

A short while later, they were both packed and ready to go. Cassie still wasn’t speaking to him when he ushered her into a taxi and gave the driver instructions on where to take her. He kissed her good-bye, unfazed at her lack of response. He had to do what was best for them. She would come to realize that. Besides, his cousin’s wife would keep Cassie occupied until he arrived. She loved shopping almost as much as Cass did.

He watched the cab drive away until it disappeared from sight; then he walked to the parking garage, suitcase in hand, and quickly found his Beemer. He tossed his bag in the trunk, slid into the soft leather seat, and started the engine. An unexpected twang tugged at his heart as he drove down Main Street and toward Ally’s old Victorian house. He missed Cassie already.

* * *

As the taxi sped along the highway, Cassandra had a hard time relaxing. That unsettled feeling was back and stronger than ever. She knew it was a mistake for Daryn to be at Ally’s alone. Who would be his lookout? What if Ally came home while he was still in her house? A number of terrible scenes flooded her mind. Her life wouldn’t be worth living if Daryn wasn’t in it, and he wouldn’t be if he was serving time in jail. As she thought, she drummed her nails on the taxi’s armrest. She needed to do something. Daryn was wrong to send her away. He wasn’t protecting her. He was ruining their lives. In that instant, she knew what she had to do.

“Driver,” she said through the plexiglass partition, “take me back.”

“What?” He turned the knob on the radio to lower the blasting music. “What you say?”

“I need to go back to Silvercreek. Take me to 117 Main Street.” She could see his startled expression in the rearview mirror.

“But the mister, he already paid for the trip to Jersey.”

“That’s okay. You can keep the money. Just take me back and quickly.”

He chewed his bottom lip as he debated what to do. “I don’t know, miss.”

She clenched her hands in her lap. “There’s a big tip for you, if you do as I ask.”

The driver got off the next exit, then got back on the highway headed north. Daryn would be furious at her for coming back, and she started to doubt her decision, but she pushed those thoughts away, knowing she was doing what was best for them.

As the taxi drove through the narrow streets of Silvercreek, she took some money from her wallet, ready to tip the driver, then send him away before Daryn knew that she’d returned. When the driver pulled the cab in front of the old Victorian, she handed him the money, grabbed her suitcase, opened the door, and jumped out.

Daryn’s black BMW was parked a few houses down. She raced over to it, tossed her suitcase onto the backseat, then surveyed the area, making sure no nosy neighbors saw her approach the old Victorian. She hesitated at the front door, her fingers resting on the knob while she fought back the nervous butterflies in her stomach. You’re doing the right thing, she told herself as she opened the door. She listened for a sound to indicate where Daryn was, but only silence greeted her. She took a few careful steps across the foyer, when her heart nearly stopped beating.

A hand covered her mouth, while an arm clamped around her waist. “What are you doing here?” Daryn’s voice was cold as ice. “Are you out of your mind?”

His hold on her relaxed, and she wriggled free. “That’s not exactly the reception I’d hoped for.”

“What did you expect? I sent you away for a reason,” he snapped.

“And I came back for a reason—to keep you out of jail.”

“You think being here in Ally’s house, arguing with me, will do that? You must have lost your mind.”

“I didn’t come here to argue with you. I came here to do what I do best—be your partner.”

“I sure hope we don’t live to regret it, Cass.”

She kissed the side of his cheek. “Lighten up, hon. How are things going? Find any money?”

He shook his head. “I checked under the mattress. Nothing. I thought for sure that’s where she’d have stashed it. I was just about to do another check of the rest of the house when you snuck in and nearly scared the shit out of me.”

“You did a pretty good job of that on me.”

“Well, babe, you deserved it.”

“What now?” she asked, ignoring his jabs.

“I thought I’d do a quick search of her closet again.”

Cassie settled into an armchair by the front window. “I’ll keep watch.”

Daryn kissed the top of her head. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re back.”

Alice wanted to hide under the folding table. Every time someone stopped to look at the lace doilies or purchase a potholder, she held her breath, afraid they might ask her about Alice. She hated the phony smiles and made-up stories. These ten days were supposed to be life’s best. What they’d become were the most stressful.

A glance at the wall clock across the room indicated she had more than an hour left to go. She leaned back in the chair and hoped the time would go by quickly.

The room was getting stuffy. More people kept parading down the stairs to the basement, where the church held its many functions.

“Look here, Mom, maybe I can find a tablecloth.” A petite young woman with spiky red hair and a booming voice pulled the older woman alongside her through the crowd to get to Alice’s table. She rifled through the piles Alice had so neatly arranged, putting everything into disarray.

“See anything you like?” Alice smiled sweetly, while inwardly she seethed.

“No, nothing seems to match my room.” She jerked her head around looking for another table to ransack. “Ooo, oh, Mom, over here.” She grabbed the woman’s arm and dragged her away.

As Alice began to straighten up the mess, she noticed Jack grinning at her from his table across the room.