Page 39 of One Cry Too Loud (Coastal Crime Unit #9)
“ H ow are you holding up?” I asked, looking over at Holly with a drink in my hand.
It had been a little over two weeks since that awful day in Dorset, and in that time, I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Holly about everything that had happened.
So much had gone down since Cindy was kidnapped.
It had realistically upended all of our lives, and it had taken a few weeks to get everything back on track.
That was where we were today; at an impromptu beachside gathering to celebrate the fact that-after everything, we were all still okay, all still together.
“I’m alright,” the woman said, though there was a wistfulness in her voice that told me the truth was somewhat grayer.
How could it not be after everything she had gone through?
Those few days had seen her learn of the death of her father, the betrayal of her mother and mentor, and the death of her first love at the hands of the woman who gave her life.
All that, and she met the daughter she gave up for adoption, the most important person in the world to her.
If her head wasn’t spinning, she wouldn’t be human.
“I’m always here if you need to talk,” I said. “Or, if you need something a bit more formal, Kyle is-”
“I don’t need therapy, Jack,” she answered.
“I don’t know that I need anything honestly.
It’s been a lot. I can’t lie to you and say it hasn't, but the truth is, I think I’m okay.
I spent so many years regretting so much about my life, about the choices I made and the way everything worked out.
There was something about this, though-about seeing everything laid bare, that brought me some peace.
Cindy is okay. She has a mother who loves her and a life that she can be happy in.
I even talked to Alice. She told me that, if I ever wanted to see Cindy, the door was always open. ”
“That’s fantastic,” I said.
“That’s not all, though,” Holly lamented.
“There was something else, something about seeing what my mother did, the way that she thought. It forced me to come to terms with who she really is. She’s a monster, Jack.
I see that now, and I can let it go. I don’t have to wonder whether or not the things I did were the reason I don’t have a relationship with the woman.
The truth is that there’s nothing I could have ever done to have made things okay.
I don’t want a relationship with that woman.
She doesn’t deserve to know me, and that’s just fine. ”
“I get that,” I said, raising my bottle to her. “I am sorry about Joe, though.”
“I am too,” she said. “We had a complicated relationship, right until the very end. I’ll tell our daughter about him, though. I’ll tell her how he saved both our lives.”
“All things considered, that’s a hell of a legacy,” I replied.
“Look at you two,” a voice sounded from behind me. I turned to find Tag walking in our direction. He had a fruity drink, something with an umbrella and a pineapple, in his hand. He smiled smugly as he settled in front of us. “Don’t you guys make a cozy looking couple.”
“We’re not a couple,” Holly said. Her eyes flickered to me for just a moment, and then they returned to the sand.
“Whatever. I was just trying to make small talk,” the younger man said.
“You did a hell of a job back in England,” I said.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Tag muttered. “Your boss is practically salivating to put me on the payroll. He offered me some very hefty financial incentives.”
“Really?” I asked. “What did you tell him?”
“That I already have a team.” Tag shrugged.
“And that we’re still government funded.
Financial incentives might be good, but I’ll take a government pension anyday.
Besides, where the hell am I gonna get decent gumbo over here.
It’s a travesty. Still, I told him to keep my card. I’m always a phone call away.”
“That’s very nice of you,” I said.
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m a saint,” Tag said, looking past me and directing his question to Holly. “I gotta know something, though. If our positions were switched, how long would it have taken you to break through Nefarious’ firewalls? Half the time?”
She winked at him. “Less.”
“Damn. I gotta sharpen up my skillset.” He lifted his fruity drink to us.
“Until next time, other Coastal Crime Unit.” He turned and started down the beach.
As he did, I caught sight of Kat walking toward us.
The wind had taken her hair, blowing it around her striking face. I smiled a bit, despite myself.
I caught Holly looking at me as she took another sip of her drink. “I guess I know what’s next for you.”
“Me?” I asked, looking back at the woman coming toward us. “I've got a date to keep.”