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Jadyn was in Mildred’s office, filling her and Helena in on Tyler’s arrest when Maryse burst into the office, panting.
Mildred jumped out of her chair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Maryse said. “Everything’s right. Zach is awake!”
Maryse threw her arms around Mildred and twirled the hotel owner around in the tight space until the two were stumbling. Jadyn felt the last of the weight she’d been carrying dissolve away and smiled as Helena laughed and clapped. Finally, Maryse released the hotel owner and they stared at each other, huge smiles on their faces.
“Well, don’t just stand there grinning like idiots,” Helena said. “Give us the details.”
“I don’t know a lot,” Maryse said, “but Raissa called to say that Zach was out of the coma and doesn’t appear to have any damage. They’ll run tests, of course, but oh my God, isn’t that great news?”
“The best,” Jadyn agreed.
“And when I think about how it all went down and how badly it could have turned out,” Maryse said, “it’s just a miracle.”
Mildred nodded. “Definitely a miracle.”
Maryse looked over at Helena. “And you—if you’re going to be of any use, you’re going to have to be more accurate.”
Helena crossed her arms across her chest and slumped down in the chair. “How was I supposed to know the importance of Ross saying ‘the’ boss instead of ‘my’ boss? I thought he was talking to someone at the FBI, not some Mafia guy. You would have thought the same thing.”
“Maybe,” Maryse said, “but if I’d repeated those exact words to Jadyn or Colt, they might have clued in to what was really going on and we wouldn’t have been ambushed. I know everything turned out all right…well, not for Ross, but who cares…but I’d like to avoid a repeat. So, accuracy is king.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Helena waved a hand in dismissal. “You’ve turned into such a nag.”
Maryse rolled her eyes and looked at Jadyn. “What’s up with Tyler?”
“Colt arrested him this morning. He didn’t resist, which made it easier on all of us. Bart offered to pay for his attorney. I guess we’ll see if Tyler smartens up enough to accept.”
“What a stupid thing for him to do,” Maryse said. “I know shrimping doesn’t pay all that well lately, but there’s other ways Tyler could have made some extra money.”
Mildred sighed. “My guess is he wanted the easiest route to Bart’s lifestyle. It’s all a shame, really. If he’d bothered to talk to Bart, he probably would have been able to get back into construction. Even if he was never as good as Bart, Tyler would have made far more money welding than he did shrimping.”
“Pride often leads to foolish decisions,” Jadyn agreed. “Have you told Luc the details of last night yet?” Luc was out of town for another day, but Jadyn knew Maryse planned on telling her husband what had happened before news of the events made it through the law enforcement community.
“I called him when I got home last night,” Maryse said. “There was a lot of cussing and quite a few exclamations of disbelief, but overall, I got off easy. I think he’s just happy that it’s over.”
“And the other situation?” Jadyn asked.
Maryse frowned. “Still unresolved. I’m landlocked until further notice.”
“I’m sure it will all work out soon,” Mildred said, obviously trying to cheer Maryse up.
Helena perked up. “Since you can’t go out and pick stinkweed, will you take me to New Orleans to see Hank?”
“I may as well,” Maryse said. “Let me call and see what time is good for them. With Lila due next month, I’m sure she has doctor’s appointments and all sorts of other preparations going on.”
Helena nodded. “I can’t wait to see my grandbaby! I bet he’s going to be beautiful.”
Jadyn smiled. Helena’s enthusiasm for her unborn grandson was infectious and kinda sweet.
“Make sure we go when Hank’s not working,” Helena said. “I know he’s been putting in a lot of hours.”
“I’ll get a hold of him today,” Maryse said, “and call Mildred with a time. Well, I’ve got to go talk to Frank about my hutch. I’ll check in later.”
And with that, Maryse sped out of the hotel as quickly as she’d arrived. Jadyn couldn’t help but envy her cousin’s energy.
“I best get going, too,” Jadyn said. “I want to check in with Colt and see if there’s anything I can help him with.”
“Be sure and let him know the good news about Zach,” Mildred said.
“It will be the first thing out of my mouth.”
Jadyn left the hotel and strolled down the sidewalk. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun seemed to shine brighter. The breeze seemed cooler. But Jadyn knew it was all because things were right again in Mudbug.
Shirley greeted her with a huge smile when she walked into the sheriff’s office. Colt emerged from his office, and his scowl turned to a grin as she told them about Zach’s recovery.
Shirley grabbed a tissue and dabbed her eyes. “That’s such good news.”
Colt nodded. “The best news we’ve had all day. Do you know when he can have visitors?”
“No, but I’ll let you know as soon as Maryse finds out. I have a feeling he’s going to be a very popular patient.”
“I’m sure of it,” Colt agreed. “If you have some time, I have an update on the Pickett situation.”
“Absolutely,” Jadyn said and followed him back to his office.
Colt shut the door behind them but instead of sitting in his office chair like he usually did, he leaned against the side of the desk right next to the chair she sat in. Jadyn tried not to read anything into the fact that he hadn’t placed the large bit of furniture in between them. It was clear by his relaxed posture that Colt was in good spirits. It might be as simple as that.
“After he saw the video, Pickett sang like a bird,” Colt said. “He gave up the other crew and the New Orleans police have already picked them up. They’ll get mug shots to Raissa, and now Zach, and I anticipate the whole thing will wrap up very nicely.”
“It’s incredible, the way everything turned out. It’s what I hoped for, but so much better than what I expected.”
Colt nodded. “From the beginning, I was afraid of how badly this could end. All indications led in the opposite direction of a positive outcome. This has been the biggest and most pleasant surprise of my entire law enforcement career.”
“Well, let’s just hope nothing ever tops it. I don’t think I have the nerve to handle it.”
Colt smiled. “You’ve got the nerve to handle damn near anything. That shot you made was nothing short of amazing.” He extended his hand. “I haven’t thanked you properly for saving my life.”
She placed her hand in his, expecting to shake, but instead he tugged and she rose out of the chair to stand only inches in front of him.
“Thank you for saving my life,” he said, his voice low.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked at him. “You’re welcome.”
He lowered his lips to her in a feathery kiss, then wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips harder against hers, increasing the intensity.
Jadyn leaned into him and ran her hands up his strong back.
She had no idea what the future held, but at the moment, it looked promising.
The End