Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest)

Fifteen



After the scene at the Marsdens’, Cara wanted to go straight home and talk to Mike, but she’d promised a coworker she’d cover his shift. Since she sensed Mike needed time alone, she figured it was just as well. Besides, she had no desire to get into a discussion of when he’d leave Serendipity. It was enough that she knew the time was imminent and she could prepare herself emotionally. No long, drawn-out conversation would make the inevitable any easier.

Because it was nighttime, she was partnered with Dare, which she enjoyed. They joked around and talked about Tess and his brothers’ babies. She didn’t forget about her problems, but between work and Dare, she found a much-needed distraction.

When dispatch radioed about an unwanted intruder at 111 Elm Street, home of Judge Marshall Baine, every one of Cara’s nerves prickled in alarm.

“Ten-four. Car number seven en route,” Dare replied, hitting the siren and turning toward the judge’s house.

Cara wanted to give him a full rundown, but unless they found Rex, she didn’t want to spill Marsden family secrets.

She prayed she was wrong.

She wasn’t. They arrived to find Mrs. Blaine wearing a bathrobe, arguing with Rex on the front lawn, while the judge paced behind her, muttering to himself.

Cara shook her head and climbed out of the car. “Something wrong?” she asked Mrs. Baine.

“This man is harassing my husband.” Mrs. Baine waved a hand at Rex. “He’s ill and he can’t handle stress well, as you know.” She shot a pleading glance Cara’s way.

“Come on,” Dare said, approaching Rex. “The occupants of the house asked you to leave.”

“And I’m not leaving until I get what I came for. I need to know if he’s got something of mine. Something nobody wants to see the light of day,” Rex said, eyeing Cara warily.

She sighed. “I think you need to accept that you’ve worn out your welcome in Serendipity, Mr. Bransom. Whatever happened in the past, you’re the one stirring it up now. If you persist in continuing this, you’re going to implicate yourself in something that was buried a long time ago.”

“You know this man?” Dare asked.

“This is Rex Bransom. He’s Mike’s biological father.”

Dare blinked in surprise. “Does Mike know he’s around?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Dare turned to the judge’s wife. “Mrs. Baine, would you like to press charges?”

She folded her arms across her chest. “My husband has given the police chief all the information he has on the past. What happens is up to him. In the meantime, if Mr. Bransom leaves now, I’ll forget this incident ever happened.”

“Nobody can find out about this!” Judge Baine suddenly yelled, turning on Rex at a full run.

“He’s attacking me!” Rex held his hands up to protect himself, but Dare stepped between the men and as gently as possible subdued the judge.

“Relax,” Cara muttered to Rex. “You’ve shown up and agitated everyone imaginable. Now are you going to leave quietly, or am I going to have to arrest you?”

He scowled. “I’m going. But you tell that son of mine that if he knows what’s good for his father, he’ll bury that journal where no one can find it.”

Cara narrowed her gaze. Having not been welcomed, he’d decided to ruin Simon’s reputation instead. “Haven’t you realized? Mike’s not like you. He’ll do the right thing even if someone gets hurt.”

“Even Saint Simon?” Rex spat with disdain, making his point before ambling toward his car like he hadn’t a care in the world.

And he didn’t. As a cop, Rex knew the same thing Cara knew. The statute of limitations on evidence tampering was ten years, and really, unless they were talking murder, the statute would have run out on any number of crimes with which Rex could be charged. Nobody in Serendipity wanted him here, so his reputation couldn’t get any worse. But Simon’s could, and clearly that was Rex’s goal.

Cara’s chest tightened at the thought of the man she respected as her boss and as Mike’s father suffering for bailing Rex out and doing right by Ella. Rex Bransom was a loose cannon for the entire Marsden family and the life they enjoyed here in Serendipity.

Cara watched until he’d climbed into his rental and driven away before refocusing on the scene behind her.

“Can I call an ambulance?” Dare asked Mrs. Baine. “Perhaps they can give him a sedative?”

She shook her head. “I’ll call Dr. Al,” she said of Dr. Alan Collins, Alexa’s father. “He’ll come over and tell me what’s needed.”

Dare nodded. “Okay. Need help getting him back into the house?”

Mrs. Baine shook her head. “Once everyone’s gone, he’ll calm down and go back inside.”

Cara swallowed hard. “If you have any trouble, let us know?” She felt sorry for Mrs. Baine and the difficult life she now shared with the man she loved.

“I will. Thank you.” She wrapped an arm around her husband and whispered calming words.

Cara and Dare headed for the squad car.

“Care to share what’s going on?” he asked her.

She bit the inside of her cheek. “Umm…not really? It’s not my story to tell. It’s up to Sam and Mike,” she said.

“Understood. We Barron brothers have had so many secrets, I’m not going to judge others.”

“Thanks,” she said with a grim smile.

“Think he’ll leave town?”

Cara knew Dare referred to Rex. She thought for a moment and sighed. “I don’t know. He’s not welcome here. I’d say it was sad if he hadn’t caused the hard feelings all on his own—and how he’s behaving now isn’t exactly encouraging anyone to think differently, you know?”

Dare nodded. “When Ethan came back, he wanted to make amends. Nash and I didn’t want anything to do with him, but he dug in his heels—and everything he did showed us he’d changed, even before we were ready to admit or accept it.”

“Not Rex. He showed up at the Marsdens’ claiming it was because he’d heard Simon was sick, but when he wasn’t greeted with open arms, he began issuing subtle threats.”

Dare swore under his breath. “How’s the family taking it?”

Cara stared at the long stretch of dark road in front of them as Dare drove. “They banded together. It was really nice to see.”

Even she’d felt the us-against-the-world vibe that Simon had put up against Rex. He’d enveloped Mike in complete acceptance, and everything inside Cara warmed at the sight. She knew how badly Mike had needed that sign of belonging, and Simon had given it to him.

He could take that knowledge with him when he left and know that he had his family waiting for him when he returned. He deserved that, she thought, knowing how elusive he’d found it to begin with.

When their shift finally ended, Cara headed home and slept for a solid six hours. She woke to her alarm and a message from Daniella, whom Cara immediately called back. She learned that the young woman had moved in with Bev, who’d been like a mom to her, something Daniella needed since her own mom lived out of state. Bev’s only daughter had moved across the country with her husband, so they each fulfilled a mutual need for the other. With Bev’s support and guidance, Daniella had enrolled in online classes and was continuing her work at McDonald’s. And so far, no word from Bob, who it seemed was respecting the restraining order.

Though it was afternoon, Cara needed coffee and breakfast, since the night shift always put her off schedule with the rest of the world. She stopped at Cuppa Café, where she ran into Kelly Barron, Nash’s wife, double stroller and twin boys with her, and Annie Kane, Joe’s fiancée. Cara joined the women for a little while, listening to Annie’s wedding talk with a surprising sense of envy.

Cara wasn’t the jealous type, unless she counted thinking about Mike with other women. She was genuinely happy for Annie, and yet a part of her couldn’t help but yearn for what the other women both had. A man they could count on in their lives. Cara swallowed hard, forcing down the sense of disappointment that Mike couldn’t be that guy for her. Instead she continued to smile at all the appropriate places in the conversation until she could gracefully make an escape.

Then, knowing Mike would want details about the incident with his father, she headed over to the station. The squad room was fairly empty, a few people bent over desks typing up reports, so Cara walked directly back to Mike’s office.

She knocked and waited until he gave her permission to enter. Given their relationship outside work, the formality here always made her smile. She’d really miss knowing he was the one filling up this office with his larger-than-life presence.

“Come on in,” he called out.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

He glanced up and his eyes widened. He was obviously surprised to see her. But not upset because his lips curved upward in a pleased grin.

“I didn’t expect you to be up and around,” he said.

“I slept, but I thought you might want to hear what happened with Rex last night.” And she really believed he deserved to have her tell him things beyond the basics in the report she’d filled out.

His jaw clenched at the mention of his biological father’s name. “I read the paperwork.”

“But I thought you might be curious.”

Mike remained behind his desk, the air around them having chilled with the topic. “I appreciate that you left out any details of what Rex really wanted at the judge’s house.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t pertinent to the report. He created a nuisance; the Baines declined to press charges. Dare and I agreed that was that.” Cara watched Mike for signs that he was upset, but all she saw right now was his professional demeanor.

“What does Dare know?” Mike asked.

“That Rex brought up a whole host of personal family issues and that’s it. He respects your privacy,” Cara said softly. “Dare knows what it’s like to have the past come back and bite him.”

Mike nodded. “Okay. Did he say where he’s staying?”

She knew Mike meant Rex. “No. Since we didn’t arrest him and he left somewhat peacefully, we didn’t ask.” She drew a deep breath before continuing. “But he knows you have the book with the information. That’s why he came to the Baines’ house in the first place. I guess he thought he could see if the judge had kept any documentation of his involvement.”

“Who told him I had it?”

“The judge’s wife.”

“Did Rex say why he wanted it?” Mike asked.

Cara bit the inside of her lip. “He said if you know what’s good for your family, you’ll bury the information. I told him that unlike him, you’d do the right thing even if someone gets hurt. And he said…” She trailed off.

“Go on.” His eyes flashed fire.

“He said, ‘Even Saint Simon?’ Mike, he’s looking to hurt him.”

Mike expelled a long breath. “Yeah, I got that impression,” he said through gritted teeth.

Cara’s heart went out to him. “And? What’s your plan?”

“I’ve done nothing but think about what to do. We both know the legalities. That’s not what this is about. Rex came here wanting to pick up where he left off. When he wasn’t accepted, he decided to do the most damage.”

She nodded. “My thoughts exactly. But Simon’s reputation is at stake.”

“I know. If this gets out, people may not look at him the same way.” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I hate this,” he muttered.

“So…what will you tell the mayor?” Cara asked, which she knew was the crux of his problem.

“Some version of the truth. I just haven’t decided how to phrase it to do the least amount of damage. And now I’m finished talking about this.” He walked out from behind the desk and headed toward her. “Lock the door,” he said, surprising her.

His voice, deep and full of longing, found an answering pull inside her. “But we’re at work.”

His eyes darkened. “I’m at work. You’re off duty. And I don’t want to be interrupted.”

She locked the door to his windowless office and turned back to find him right beside her. He braced his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head until his mouth captured hers. Cara moaned and leaned into him, needing everything he had to offer because she knew he would soon be gone.

He swept his tongue over her lips and she parted them, letting him inside. Mike wasn’t gentle. He plundered, devouring her with a kiss that stole her breath, buckled her knees, and had her arching her hips into his. He twisted his hand in her ponytail and tugged, shifting her head so he could deepen his possession.

She let him, wanting nothing more than to crawl into him and stay there forever, hating herself for needing him so badly and unable to do anything about it.

He broke the kiss and groaned. “I needed that,” he said as he pulled her close, suddenly connecting them in a more emotional way.

Cara understood how confused he was, not knowing how much to make public about Rex and Simon. “Are you okay?”

His laugh wasn’t all that dark or painful. “Yeah, I am. Yesterday I saw my place in the family for the first time, and I’m grateful,” he admitted.

She smiled at the insight she’d had all along. “You’re the only one who doubted it.”

He separated them, keeping his hand at her waist as he gazed into her eyes. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re brilliant?”

She smiled. “No but I’ll take the compliment.”

“You should.” He walked back around to his desk, gathering papers as he spoke. “I need to leave for a little bit. I want to go talk to my parents.”

“Something I said?” she asked, curious.

“Yeah. It was. But I can’t explain it. Not until I verbalize it to them. I just know I have unfinished business to wrap up there. Not only discussing what has to happen next with Simon, but laying the past to rest once and for all.”

“I get it,” she murmured. “I really do.”

“You do know that you’ve been instrumental in helping me get through this, and I’m grateful.”

Gratitude wasn’t the emotion she wanted from him, but it was all she’d get. “Well then, my work here is done. I’m going to head home and get some more sleep.”

“You do that.”

He eyed her with that hot, steady gaze, and she wished he could join her. “Say hi to your parents for me.” And ask when Simon plans to return, she thought, but didn’t give voice to the words.

“Will do.” He winked and turned back to his desk, obviously needing to finish up a few things before he could leave.

“Oh! Before I forget, I heard from Daniella,” she told him.

He glanced up. “How’s she doing?”

“She sounded…at peace.” Cara nodded, knowing that was the right description. “She has a plan and someone in her corner. She’s good.” She smiled at the thought.

“I know how much she means to you. I’m glad things are working out for her. Erin said her ex was assigned a stupid prick of a public defender as his lawyer. Maybe that won’t work in his favor when he goes to trial.”

“Or maybe he’ll cut a deal and disappear for good,” Cara said, wishing for just that.

“We can hope,” Mike muttered. “I have late-afternoon appointments and a dinner meeting, so I’ll call you later?”

Not see her.

Well, that was for the best, she knew. “Sure. I have dinner plans tomorrow night. Catch you at Joe’s on Wednesday?” she asked casually.

He glanced up from the papers on his desk, hesitating as if he wanted to say something important. “Sure thing,” he said instead.

Disappointed and not wanting to delve deeply into why, Cara smiled and walked out the door.

Mike had an hour to head over to his parents’ and talk before his crazy afternoon began with regularly scheduled meetings. He also needed to hash out what he planned to say to the mayor. The sooner he made an appointment with her, the sooner he could wash his hands of the whole mess, Rex included.

Or should he say, Rex especially.

Since his almost-arrest, he’d gone into hiding, but Mike didn’t kid himself that the man had left Serendipity. There was an egocentric part of Rex that was still looking for validation here. From Mike, Simon, or Ella—Mike couldn’t be sure. If he didn’t get what he came for, Mike wondered how far he’d go in retaliation.

Mike approached Simon, hoping maybe Simon, who’d once known the man best, had a clue. Simon sat behind his desk doing some paperwork in the family room. “Hey,” Mike said, making his presence known.

“Hey, yourself.” Simon looked up from his desk. “What brings you here midday? They not keeping you busy enough at the station?”

Mike shook his head. “For a small town, they keep me busy enough. Meetings and more meetings.”

Simon laughed. “Which brings me to my point.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “You have a point?”

“I do. Sit.” Simon gestured to the sofa.

Mike acted on instinct, listening to Simon and lowering himself into the seat. “Dad—”

“Me first.”

Mike clenched his jaw. He wanted to have his say, but the old Simon was back and he intended to go first. “What?”

“Maybe I should have done more…I always realized you kept yourself apart from me, from the family. That you didn’t feel like you belonged, but I didn’t know what else to do—”

“Dad!” Mike jumped up from his seat. “You couldn’t have done more. Hell, you probably should have done less.” He paused, being more honest than he’d ever been. “But I’m glad you didn’t. Even if I was a pain in the ass.”

Simon grinned. “I wouldn’t have wanted you any other way. You challenged me, son. Nothing wrong with that. I’m just sorry you held yourself down to that man’s standards and not up to your own.”

Mike dipped his head, thinking about what Simon said. “I thought everything I did wrong was about me. It was about him, wasn’t it?”

Simon stared in silence. Mike knew the drill. Simon liked to let his kids figure things out for themselves. It might have taken Mike almost thirty years, but he’d finally figured out that Rex’s problems had nothing to do with his own. That didn’t mean Mike didn’t have his own issues, however.

“Whoever you are, whatever you do, you make your choices, Michael. It’s not because Rex is your biological father.”

“I’m beginning to prefer the term sperm donor,” Mike muttered.

To his credit, Simon laughed.

“Can I ask you a question?”

The man who’d raised him and denied him nothing nodded. “Did you do the right thing with the money and marrying Mom—and fall in love later? Or—”

“No or about it. I loved your mom from the day I laid eyes on her. Everything I did was for her.”

“At great risk to your own career and freedom,” Ella said, surprising Mike by walking into the room.

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” Mike said, hoping his burning cheeks weren’t bright red.

Ella sat down next to Simon. “I’m glad I did because I think this talk is long overdue. You need to know—I loved Simon even back then. I may not have realized just how much or what kind of enduring love we’d share, but I did love him.”

“And Rex?”

“Lust, Michael.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” He turned his head, unable to look his mom in the eye.

But Ella wasn’t deterred or finished. “As for Simon, maybe it started different, softer, but it was always much more real.”

Watching them over the years and even now, as they held hands, united as they discussed the past, Mike couldn’t help but believe.

“And yes, I was grateful Simon offered me a future. What pregnant single woman wouldn’t be? But once I was with Simon, I never wished Rex had stepped up—except for your sake.”

Mike nodded in understanding, as Ella smiled gently at him. “You’re entitled to have questions about us. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if your views on relationships weren’t skewed by things you wondered about but didn’t ask.” She eyed him with those wise, brown eyes, making him squirm.

He didn’t know what she meant and, given the fact that she wanted him to discuss his love life, he didn’t plan to ask. But that wouldn’t stop her from continuing.

“You say you don’t want a serious relationship. In fact, you believe you aren’t capable of one because that would mean staying in one place, correct?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she rolled up a magazine and smacked his leg.

“Hey!”

“Answer me,” she said, a twinkle lighting her gaze.

“Why bother? You already think you know the answer!”

Simon snickered. “Haven’t you learned by now? Humor her, son.”

“You’re right. I’ve never stayed in one place or with one woman very long. I don’t think I can.”

“Bullshit,” his very proper mother said.

Mike blinked in surprise.

“You’ve been in Manhattan for a long time, haven’t you?”

He nodded.

“That’s commitment. You came here when your father needed you? Also commitment. As for women, did you ever think you just hadn’t met the right woman?”

Simon patted his wife’s hand. “She’s got a point. I wouldn’t have stepped up to marry and love just any pregnant woman.”

Mike’s head was spinning, not just with all the emotional shit they were throwing at him, but really, who wanted to hear about his parents’ sex life? No matter how far in the past? They’d given him plenty to think about, but it was past time to change the subject.

“When your mother was with Rex, I sowed my share of wild oats. I never thought I’d settle down with one woman,” Simon said.

“Okay, enough. I appreciate the truth and the talk. I do. But I need time to digest it all, okay?”

“Fair enough.” Simon swept his hand through the air, cutting off any further discussion. “Any thoughts on what you’re going to do with the cold case?”

The older man didn’t pull any punches, with anything. It was as if being given a clean bill of health from his cancer scare had brought the old Simon back, and for that Mike was grateful.

“Yeah, I’ve done nothing but think about what to tell the mayor.” He ran a hand through his hair and met his father’s gaze. “Listen, legally you should be fine. The statute of limitations on any past crime has run out. Nobody’s going to prosecute, so a full reveal wouldn’t jeopardize your freedom.”

Simon’s reputation? That was another story and explained why Mike was sick to his stomach over his alternatives. Because telling the truth was the only out that Mike could see that would put this whole damn thing behind the family once and for all.

“Before you say anything else, I need you to know something,” Simon said.

Mike swallowed hard. “Go on.”

“I’d never ask you to bury the truth to protect me. From the time I made the choice to replace the money, I knew there was a chance of being found out. I’ve lived with the knowledge that I did something I wasn’t proud of. More than losing my job, I dreaded you kids finding out.”

Mike shook his head, not wanting his father to feel bad. “Want to know one more thing? Honestly?”

Simon nodded. “Always.”

“It’s good to know you’re not perfect after all.”

His father burst out laughing, as did Ella.

“Oh, son. If I ever made you feel like I was—”

“You didn’t. That was all me, living in Rex’s shadow and comparing myself to you, Erin, and Sam.” It felt damn good admitting that out loud, and it helped shed some of the weight he’d carried around with him for most of his life.

“Michael…” Ella’s voice trailed off.

“It’s okay. I’m fine. We’re fine,” he said to his mother.

Simon cleared his throat. “One last thing. Don’t you worry about telling the mayor what you need to. I can handle it.”

Mike already knew that now. Not that he liked what he had to do worth a damn. “What about your job? She might ask you not to come back.”

The thought of Simon, the town’s beloved police chief, stepping down for good, in possible disgrace, turned Mike’s stomach. “Maybe she’d let you walk away without stating why.” Mike would lean hard on the woman to give Simon at least that much dignity.

“Funny you should mention his job,” Ella said. “Your father and I have been talking, and with his illness and everything, we realize that life’s short and fragile.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“That it is,” Mike said, having confronted his father’s mortality this year.

“We want to spend more time together,” Simon said. “Make the most of these years.”

“I’ve always wanted to travel,” his mother said.

Mike wasn’t following. “Wait. What are you saying?”

“I’m thinking of retiring anyway,” Simon said, the bombshell detonating in Mike’s brain.

“I did not see this coming,” he muttered, more to himself than to them.

“Be happy for us, though.” His mother smiled, and Mike couldn’t do anything less.

He inclined his head. “Whatever you decide, of course I support you.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind my recommending that you be given the job beyond the temporary position? You’ve already made changes that have improved the department. Everyone’s pleased with you—”

Mike’s breath caught in his throat. “How would you know?” he asked, unable to broach the other subject—of him permanently taking on the job.

“I have visitors. I get phone calls. I’m damned proud of the work you’re doing, son. You’re bringing Serendipity into this century and though I might’ve fought it in here”—he tapped his heart—“I applaud it here.” His finger went to his head. “I like the old ways, but I’m smart enough to know things need to progress.”

“And there are plenty of people who could handle the force and continue to modernize.” Suddenly unable to breathe, Mike rose from his seat.

“But the men and women already respect you,” Simon said. “Just think about it.”

He was thinking.

Take the chief of police job permanently?

Settle in Serendipity?

For all his thoughts about enjoying things here, until now, Mike had always had his safety net. Simon would return and life would go back to normal. Okay, so things here had begun to feel almost normal, he silently admitted…but how long until the feeling of being strangled returned? Until he grew antsy? Bored? Resentful? Given the way he was itching inside himself, with just the mention of him taking over for good, Mike figured not long.

“And think of how happy Cara would be if you stayed,” his mother added.

Cara. At the thought of her, Mike’s chest constricted painfully. How long before he broke her heart? “I have meetings,” he choked out.

Ella rose, concern in her gaze as she reached for him. “Michael, please relax and just think things through. You’re reacting on instinct, not reality.”

Oh, shit. Mike wasn’t ready for this. His mother was right. He needed to think.

Hell, who was he kidding? He needed to breathe.