12

Lucas lifted the curtain.

Nikki sat in her car, not moving, an expression of pain on her beautiful face.

What a fool he’d been to listen to his father. Why hadn’t he stood up for Nikki—for both of them? They could have made each other so happy. Life could have been so different if only…no use thinking about that. That was then and this was now.

Obviously, Nikki didn’t have the same fondness for this place as he did. What was going on in her mind?

The lake house. The words had fallen out of his mouth so casually. Now that he’d had time to think about it, this probably wasn’t the best place to have a talk. But remembering the good times could be healing for Nikki and for himself. They’d certainly had a lot of them up here. Sometimes just the two of them, but more often with their friends. Cookouts. Swimming. And just hanging around, before his father decided Nikki wasn’t the right kind of girl for a McMann.

Before they’d given him an ultimatum right after graduation night—Nikki or his inheritance. Graduation night—the night Nikki had given in to him and given him her most precious gift. And he’d repaid it by turning his back on her instead of fighting for her. And today she hadn’t hesitated to go chasing down a man with a gun to protect him. She certainly was the right kind of woman for any man. Why hadn’t he seen that back then?

He’d learned to live with his choice, but now he had a chance to fix it. If nothing else, he needed her to know how sorry he was for the way things ended. If he had made her feel anything less than the truly amazing person she was then and still was now, he was even more sorry.

A part of him wanted to go to her, wrap her in his arms, and take away all the hurt. The hurt he’d caused. But that couldn’t happen, so he’d settle for them being friends. If that was even possible.

Nikki opened the car door and stepped out. The sun shimmered on her blonde hair.

Lucas stood at the door and waved. “Hey, Nikki.”

“I forgot how long of a drive it is out to here. I thought it was closer. Sorry I’m late.”

“You call five minutes late?” He held the door open and motioned her in.

“Late is late. I happen to believe in punctuality.”

“You’d do well in politics with that attitude. I brought us some supper.”

“This is not a social engagement, Lucas.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the view and some good food while we talk.” He smiled. “Life is meant to be enjoyed.”

“I enjoy my life just fine. It seems to me you should be more concerned about that gunman than how I live my life.”

“I am and you’ll probably be even more worried after—”

“After what?”

“After what I have to tell you.” Lucas slid the deck door open and stood there. “But I’m sitting out here and eating a bite while we discuss the situation. I hope you’ll join me.” He sat down at the wooden patio table.

“Fine. You’re the client.”

He handed her a plate. “So what did you do with the rest of your day?”

“Let’s cut the small talk.” Sitting down, she picked up a chicken leg. After taking a bite, she nodded. “Not bad. I have two questions.”

“Mama has a cook come in three days a week. Lucky for us, this was her day to work. I’m not much of a cook myself. Hot dogs and TV dinners are my usual.” He filled his plate.

“You’re supposed to ask me what my two questions are.”

“Let’s eat first and then talk.”

“Are you intentionally trying to irritate me?”

“I’m trying to have a nice dinner.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll play along.”

They chatted about nothing in particular as they ate. He put down his fork, and before he could change his mind, he said, “You don’t know how much I regret the way I acted. If I could go back and change it, I would.”

“But you can’t.” Her eyes misted over.

“And I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the pain I caused you. I was young and stupid. I should never have listened to my father.”

“You weren’t in any position not to listen to him.”

“You are the only woman I’ve ever fallen in love with.”

“I doubt that very much. What about Victoria? And after her, between your good looks and your money, I’m sure you had more than your fair share of women.”

“You think I’m good looking.”

“No comment.”

He gazed into her emerald-green eyes. “Seriously, Nikki. I am so sorry for what happened.” He reached across and touched her cheek. “You are my biggest regret.”

****

It was her turn. She needed to say the words—to forgive him and move on. She wasn’t sure she could breathe, let alone talk. Her heart softened for a moment. But she was the only woman he’d ever fallen in love with? Did he really think a few sweet words could undo the harm he’d done? How much he’d hurt her? And how that had led to so many bad decisions? No, she wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily. How was she supposed to forgive him with so much pent-up anger? Please help me, God.

Lucas must think she was acting strangely.

Suddenly, the anger melted and she giggled. “Sorry.”

He smiled back at her. “For what?”

“You gave me this wonderful heartfelt apology, and all I did was stuff some potato salad in my mouth.”

“Well, it’s very good potato salad.” He picked up his fork. “Mmm. Good!”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Me? You’re the one with potato salad on your face.”

She reached for her napkin.

“Just kidding.”

“I…I…” Say the words, Nikki. Be done with the past—with all the old hurt. “I accept your apology.” She hadn’t actually said the word forgiveness. But it was implied.

“Thank you. That’s not exactly forgiveness, but—”

“It’s all I can do right now.”

“And it’s much more than I deserve. Remember the last time you were here?”

As if she could forget.

The two of them had met here one last time after both sets of parents made it clear the relationship wasn’t to continue. And the only time their emotions had let them get too carried away.

“I’m not going down memory lane with you, Lucas.” She stood up. “And I won’t be part of whatever agenda you’ve decided on. I’m done. I came out here to discuss your problem. If that isn’t what we will be talking about, I’m leaving.”

“OK, OK. Let’s talk.”

She sat back down.

“Did you ever listen to the voice mail I left you?”

She nodded. “But it didn’t really tell me much.”

“I received an email the other night after I left your office. It was a picture of the two of us standing outside your office. And they sent a message with it. It said, ‘Someone will die if you repeat the same mistake twice.’”

“You didn’t think this was important enough for me to know?”

“Of course I did. I haven’t had a chance to tell you. You didn’t return my call and—”

“I think you could have found a way. We ate lunch together, remember?” She stopped. “Now I get it. That’s why you fired me. You thought it might be too dangerous. You wanted to keep me safe.”

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

“Just don’t treat me like a helpless girl. I can take care of myself.” She was touched by his concern.

“Yeah, Stanley and I both found that out.”

“And don’t forget it. So am I hired?”

“That’s up to you, Nikki. But I really don’t want to put you in harm’s way. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt.”

She ignored that comment. It probably came from guilt about what happened to his wife. “What do you think they were talking about? What mistake?”

“I have no idea. I thought it was about hiring you but that doesn’t make sense. I’ve never hired you or any private investigator before, so…”

“So that can’t be the mistake they’re talking about. Did you make someone angry with something you did or didn’t do?”

“Of course. No matter what politicians do, we make someone mad.”

“Mad enough to kill you? You need to bring in the FBI or whoever it is that protects you people.”

“The FBI didn’t take me seriously.”

“Maybe they’ll take it more seriously now.”

“As far as I can see, nothing’s changed to make my safety any more of a priority than it was before. We still don’t have any concrete proof. If the guy had taken a shot at us, that might make a difference.”

She picked up a chocolate cupcake mounded high with chocolate frosting. “This looks great. Let’s assume it wasn’t a gun for a moment. Then why did the guy run when I chased him?” She took a bite. The chocolate swirled on her tongue. It had been a long time since she’d had homemade chocolate frosting.

“If he’s part of the stalking, he wouldn’t want to be caught, right? That could explain why he ran. Or it could be because you chased him.”

“True, but if there is some sort of organized stalking going on, it’s hard to imagine they ended up here in Maiden. After all, it’s been months since you were here, and no one knew you were coming, right? They would have no reason to believe you would even be in Maiden.”

“But they shouldn’t have known I went to see you either. And someone showed up at your office. So what are you saying? You don’t think the guy had a gun at all? It was just some guy taking my picture?”

Maybe it was the person responsible for the VidLife posting. One more thing she needed to tell Lucas about. “And was as harmless as the guy inside the diner. That’s what I’m saying. It’s possible I misjudged the situation.”

“You? Misjudge? Is that even possible?” He grinned.

“It happens from time to time.” She licked the frosting off her fingers. “On the other hand, if it was a gun, all bets are off.”

“Well, was it a gun or not?”

She closed her eyes, thinking back to that afternoon. She opened them and stared into his blue eyes. “I can’t be sure now, but I was positive it was a gun at the time.”

“So what should I do? What’s the plan? Should I resume my duties in DC with you following me as we originally planned? Or what?”

“I guess so, since I don’t have a better idea. But if you have one, I’m all—”

A car backfired and Nikki fell backwards. A sharp pain in her arm suddenly spiked through her skin. She looked down at the spreading wet spot that turned one side of her shirt red.

“Nikki,” Lucas yelled from somewhere—it sounded very far away.

Why was she lying on the deck?

Another explosion. Not a car backfiring—they were too far out to hear cars. A gunshot.

“Get down, Lucas. Someone’s shooting at us.”

Another bullet whizzed through the air.

The deck rattled as Lucas fell.