“A needle in a haystack mostly.” Greg leaned back in his chair and stretched his long arms over his head. I thought he might tip the chair over. As he righted himself, he shrugged. “Look, I’ve got a lot to get through today. What do you want?”
I could have been offended, but I knew he didn’t mean the words in a cruel way. “We have practice at the winery tonight at seven. And Murder Mystery Theater is back on for next Friday. Darla’s already printed out the posters.”
“Terrific. I’d planned on a night at the apartment with a beer, in my gym shorts, watching the Lakers on my big screen.” He rolled his shoulders. “Okay if we meet there? I’ll probably work up until then.”
“If you make sure to eat, sure.” I stood. “The nights have been warm, so I’ll probably walk up to the winery. Can you drop me home?”
“Do you have any of Sadie’s apple pie?” His eyes twinkled.
“Sorry, big boy, I’ve finished that off.” I laughed when I heard his groan. “Although I might just have something else.”
“You know I’d drive you home for a cookie.” He stood and pulled me close. “We’ll go away for a weekend just as soon as this case is wrapped. You want to go north or south?”
I thought about our options. We’d been talking about a short Mexican resort stay, just to see if we liked the area. “South, definitely. I’ll pull up some choices, and we can talk about them over dinner this weekend.”
“Don’t forget fishing on Sunday.” Greg kissed me, then sat back down and opened a file.
I headed to the door. “Can’t wait,” I said drily.
I heard his chuckle as I returned to the empty reception area. Esmeralda had put a sign on her desk. “On break, back in fifteen minutes,” I read aloud.
I opened the outside door and took a deep breath of the salty air. The breeze was coming from the west and directly off the ocean. The smell centered me, and I made a decision. No matter what Pat said, or Sherry did, Greg and I were a couple until we weren’t. And no one was going to change that. I’d just have to trust in us.
My steps were lighter as I strolled the rest of the way through town and back to my house. The sun was shining, my work for the day was complete, and I had a date with Greg tonight. What could go wrong?
CHAPTER 17
After running with Emma that afternoon, I’d spent the rest of my day reading. I kept ignoring the notebook lying on the kitchen table, a list of Kent’s conquests still listed in Jackie’s easy handwriting. After the run-in with Evelyn Baker, I was done with assumptions. Besides, Greg seemed like he had a handle on the case. I grilled a piece of cod, served it on top of a salad, and added a glass of white wine for dinner.
Then I went upstairs to shower and get ready. Instead of my usual outfit of jeans and a boy band or rock legend tee, I slipped on a favorite sundress Greg liked. I took clips and swept up the front of my hair away from my face, applied blusher, mascara, and lip gloss, and I was ready.
The best thing about California casual? You could find appropriate flip-flops for all occasions. I grabbed my jewel-bedazzled pair and went downstairs to put Emma out in the backyard. She hadn’t eaten any of my designer throw pillows lately, but I didn’t want to tempt fate.
I was almost into town when I realized I hadn’t checked to see if Esmeralda wanted to walk in with me. So much for trying to be friendly. I made a commitment to talk to her at the play practice.
Diamond Lille’s was packed with regulars, and through the window, I saw Carrie, my favorite waitress, carrying a loaded tray. Thoughts of Friday’s fish and chips special filled my mind as I continued to walk to the winery. Loud voices broke my concentration.
“You know I can’t do that. Nick is still at home. He needs me.” Sadie’s voice sounded less angry and more frustrated. I scanned the area for my friend. My gaze stopped in front of Dustin Austin’s bike rental shop. Sadie stood in the open doorway, her back to the street.
I crossed the empty road and stood at the edge of the sidewalk. I didn’t want to pry, but Sadie seemed upset. I was close enough to hear Austin’s next words.
“I guess I know where I stand in your life. Thanks for making that clear before I made a huge mistake.” He paused. “Good-bye Sadie.”
At that, Sadie burst into tears and turned to flee. She didn’t even see me before she was on top of me. “Hey, it’s okay.” I put my arm around her and led her away.
Sadie’s body hitched. “It’s not okay. I don’t know what I was thinking. No one will come between me and my son. Not now, not ever.” Her bravado broke into more tears. I led her away from the bike shop and toward the coffee shop.
“You just need to calm down. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, we all say things we don’t mean.” I took a peek into the shop, but it appeared empty so I opened the door and led her to the couch in the bookstore area. “You sit here. I’ll get you a cup of hot coffee.”