Page 27 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets

FIFTEEN

J ade watched Bryce’s taillights disappear around the curve in the long driveway, her thoughts on that kiss. Kind of surprised she could think. Because it had been a really good, mind-blowing kiss. Her heart still pounded, and she let out what little breath was in her lungs.

Wow.

Just…wow.

The connection they’d discovered that day at the college wasn’t a fluke, and she found herself wanting to explore the possibilities of it more and more each time she saw him.

But…while he was obviously attracted to her—and had definitely enjoyed the kiss—something was still eating at him, holding him back emotionally.

The fact that she was the mother of his child? Or something else? Or a combination of the two?

Whatever it was, she needed to figure it out—or simply ask him—before things progressed, because she was on the cusp of falling in love with him.

Okay, it was too late. She was already there.

The admission shook her, and she decided she needed to talk things over with someone.

Usually, that someone would be Heather, but would that be completely insensitive, to talk to her friend when she’d just had her own happily-ever-after smashed to smithereens?

Or would it be a small slice of old normal in the midst of Heather’s new normal?

“Ahhh! Too much thinking, Jade. Just go over there and play it by ear. See what feels right.” The short pep talk helped.

Her phone buzzed. A text message from one of the detectives involved in the questioning of the four people arrested with the drug ring.

In spite of some pretty compelling incentives to roll over on their buddies—especially the one after Jade—none of the four prisoners had anything. And she believed they were telling the truth.

Which left Jade terribly confused.

Are you sure? she texted.

Not a hundred percent, of course, but it’s my gut feeling.

A gut Jade was inclined to trust. She sighed, grabbed a to-go coffee cup and filled it with the hot brew. She added two sugars and one cream and walked outside. Tom Williams leaned against his cruiser, tapping his phone screen. He looked up as she approached. “Tom, how are you this morning?”

“I’m all right. How are you feeling?”

“Beat up and very sore.”

He quirked a small smile of compassion at her. “Sorry about that, but it could be worse.”

“Much.” She handed him the cup of coffee. “How are the kids?”

He smiled. “They’re great.” He waved the phone at her. “Just letting my wife know I won’t be home for lunch. Darryl plans to take over around two for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry you’re having to change your plans for me.”

“It’s okay. It happens.”

“I know that for sure. So… I need to go see Heather. I’m worried about her.”

He opened the driver’s door. “And I get to be your escort.”

“More like my chauffeur, if you don’t mind. I could drive my car, but if you’ll just take me, I won’t worry about it.”

“Happy to do it.” He lifted the cup of coffee. “I take bribes.”

“Be careful where you say those words.”

“Aw, you know I’m kidding.”

“I know. I’ll be ready in about ten minutes.”

“I’ll be here.”

True to his word, when she walked out ten minutes later, he was waiting. She climbed into the passenger seat and kept a watch on the mirrors while he drove.

“That’s crazy about Dylan, huh?”

“Yeah.” She really didn’t want to talk about it.

“I never would have suspected it.”

“I know. Me either.”

“Are they any closer to figuring out what happened to Heather’s fiancé?”

Another topic she didn’t want to discuss. “No, not yet. I know they’re interrogating the people from the drug ring that Dylan was involved with, but so far, no one seems to know anything—and if they do, they’re not saying.”

“Yeah.” He fell silent. “I knew Frank a little.”

“When’d you meet him?”

“At the precinct picnic back in September. Seemed like a really nice guy.”

“He was.”

She fell silent, remembering the afternoon he was referring to. It had been a hot day with lots of food and laughter. She’d only been with the force for about six months at that point. About as long as Heather and Frank had been engaged.

“You went to high school with him?”

“Frank, Bryce, Heather and I were all best friends. We did everything together. People thought we were couples, but we weren’t. We just enjoyed hanging out.”

“I was a couple of years ahead of you guys.”

She remembered Tom from the football team and had always thought he was a handsome guy, but he’d been surrounded by cheerleaders and the popular kids. She was surprised he even knew who she was—other than being on the police force with him.

Tom pulled to a stop in front of Heather’s house, and she blinked out of the memories. The windows and front door were open and Jade frowned. Then realized Heather had to be painting. But with what?

She opened the car door.

“I’ll be waiting,” Tom said.

Jade hesitated. “I can get Heather to run me home so you don’t have to miss lunch with your family.”

“And leave you unprotected?”

Jade laughed. “I’m a cop and so is Heather. With her watching my back, I’ll be fine.” And it would be incentive to get Heather out of the house. “Seriously. I’ll just tell her she has protective duty.”

He still seemed unsure.

“Or stay here,” she said. “It never hurts to have another pair of eyes.”

He nodded. “I’ll just stick around.”

“Fine.” Jade climbed from the vehicle and shut the door. She took a deep breath and headed for Heather’s open front door.

* * *

Bryce pulled into the parking lot of the gas station where they’d agreed to meet.

The place was a beehive of activity, but he spotted Lisa parked to the side out of the way of the gas trucks and the traffic coming and going from the store.

Sasha sat in the back, her head resting on Bryce’s shoulder.

When he slowed, she lay down on the back seat, her eyes watchful and curious.

“Stay here, girl. I’ll just be a few minutes. ”

He got out of his truck and walked toward Lisa, catching a glimpse of her through the driver’s window. Three steps closer and he could see she was holding something and crying. Two more steps and he could see the item was a small book. Frank’s journal, no doubt.

He rapped on the glass and she opened the door to step out. “I got to thinking about what you said. That Frank may have left some kind of a clue about what he was investigating. I read a little more. He not only wanted to call of the wedding, he was concerned about Heather’s mental state.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently when he told her he wanted to postpone the wedding, she went crazy. Yelled at him that he’d never loved her and that this was just the first step in backing out of the wedding.

He wrote that he really hadn’t meant it to come across that way, but once she verbalized it, it hit him that she was right. ”

“But why?”

Lisa shook her head and swiped a stray tear. “I haven’t gotten to that part—if he even put it in there.” She sniffed and handed him the book. “Maybe you can figure it out. I can’t read anymore. I wish I hadn’t read that. I’m sorry I’m such a wimp.”

Bryce sighed and pulled her into a hug for a moment. “It’s okay, Lisa. Really. I’ll take it from here.”

She nodded and scrubbed her palms under her eyes. “I need to visit my friend, then get back home. I left the kids with a neighbor who’ll probably be ready to give them back by the time I’m finished.”

“They’re great kids.”

She smiled. “And you’re a great friend. Thank you. For everything.”

“Of course.” He hesitated. “Do you want me to tell you anything I find out in here?”

“Only if you think it will help for me to know it.”

“Okay. Sounds fair.”

Once he’d seen Lisa back into her car and on the road toward home, Bryce climbed back into his driver’s seat and buckled up. He dialed Jade’s number and let it ring while he opened the little black journal that held his friend’s last thoughts.