A few weeks later…
We’d had a super slow day at Scents & Scentsability and decided to close early. Ezra had called earlier in the day and told me he had some news he said he wanted to tell me in person. So, closing early worked for me. It would give me time to shave my legs and chill a bottle of wine before Ezra got to my place.
Halfway through our final clean up and front of house inventory, Gilly had gotten a call. She’d taken her phone back to her massage room and closed the door. The pitch of her voice, even though we couldn’t make out the words, ranged from surprised to excited.
“Who is she talking to?” I asked Pippa.
Pippa shrugged. “Maybe Scott.” A blond lock of hair escaped her ponytail, and she tucked it behind her ear.
“The two of them are really great together,” I said.
Pippa smiled. “They’re so adorable.”
Scott had confessed his love to Gilly at the Murder High, and she’d been walking on cloud nine since. I was ecstatic she finally found a guy who treated her with kindness and respect, and the sizzling chemistry between them was undeniable. “Maybe they’re having phone sex,” I teased.
Pippa appeared satisfyingly scandalized. “No,” she said. “She wouldn’t….”
I shrugged. “Wouldn’t she?” I grabbed a box of lavender and bergamot pillow spray. Lavender was great for sleep and headaches, and the bergamot added a warm note of citrus that aided in relaxation. I had several customers who tended to buy out my supplies monthly.
A peel of laughter from the spa area made us both raise our brows.
“I’ve never laughed that hard when it comes to sex,” I commented
“Yeah,” Pippa agreed. “That kind of laughing is usually a boner killer.”
I choked. “Talking from experience, huh?”
She grinned and shook her head. “Not recent experience.”
I finished restocking sprays. “I’m sure Jordy’s glad to hear that.”
“Har har,” Pippa countered.
“I’m so glad you called,” Gilly said as she came around the corner from the massage. She had a grin on her face that brightened her brown eyes. “I’m looking forward to Monday.” She gave Pippa and me a quick nod. “All right,” she finished up. “I’ll see you soon.” She took the phone away from her ear and tapped the screen. After a brief pause, she turned to us and squealed. “I’m going to be an actor!”
“What in the world?” Pippa asked.
“School’s Out For Murder, Incorporated,” she said as an explanation. “That was Tony Morton. We’ve been texting since that weekend. He and Tina are going to continue the business.”
“That’s great,” I said. “I’m glad they aren’t giving up on their dream.”
Ezra had been tracking the progress on the investigation. He’d told me a few days ago that Tim Dean confessed to killing Leah’s first husband when he was her student, and he’s willing to testify that she coerced him. Apparently, she was pulling the same game on Sawyer that she had Tim. I shivered just thinking about Leah’s twisted mind. Both men in her life had been vulnerable, and she’d taken advantage of her position over them. Her relationships with both of them were more about power than anything close to love.
“And they want you to be one of the actors?” Pippa asked.
Gilly’s shoulders practically raised to her ears as she nodded. “Tony asked me if I wanted a part.”
“And you said yes?” Pippa frowned, and I could see the worry on her face. “What about your clients?”
“It’s only a trial run,” Gilly said. “And I only have to go over to Button Falls a couple of times a week, and then on weekends.”
Gilly sounded enthusiastic about the prospect of acting. Maybe it was the idea of doing something new with her life, and why shouldn’t she? After all, I’d started over, and that hadn’t turned out bad at all.
“Cool,” I said to her. “It sounds like a lot of fun.”
“What about Scott?” Pippa asked. “It’s going to cut down on the time you get to spend with him.”
Ezra had been gone undercover for a few weeks, and I’d missed him to the extreme. Even so, I’d have never stood in his way.
Gilly put her hand on Pippa’s and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not going to live my life trying to please someone else, especially if it means I have to give up a little of my own happiness.” She smiled. “Not anymore. I love him, and I don’t want to lose him,” she said. “But I’m not going to make decisions out of fear.”
I studied my BFF for a moment, amazed at her strength and conviction. She was choosing herself for the first time ever, and I was completely on board for it. “I see a lot of trips to Button Falls in the good doctor’s future.”
She gave me a hopeful smile. “I’ll have my own private room.”
“I guess there’s only one thing to say.” Pippa glanced at me, and I caught her meaning.
In unison, we both said, “Break a leg.”
Gilly’s lower lip jutted in a cute pout. “You guuuys.” She held out her arms. “Group hug.”
She didn’t have to ask us twice as we all huddled in.
Later that evening…
After the buzzing stopped, the resulting silence only increased my anticipation. “Come on,” I whined. My impatience was getting the better of me. “I want to see.”
I heard a chuckle from the bathroom, and a tremor of excitement ran through me.
Ezra, without fanfare, walked into the bedroom, patting his face with a towel. When he took the towel away, his clean-shaven appearance stole my breath.
I gave a slow whistle and he rewarded me with a smile. It was the first time since his return home that I’d seen his cute dimples. He rubbed his angular, kissable jaw with the back of his fingers, and asked, “Better?”
“God, I’ve missed that face,” I replied. The news was that he’d finally been given the greenlight from the taskforce commander that he could ditch the face-fur. I’d insisted on making it an event.
Ezra knelt on the floor in front of me and nudged his hips between my knees. He kissed my neck. “How much did you miss this face?”
I giggled. “Put it this way, I won’t miss the beard burn on more sensitive areas.”
Ezra grinned at me and waggled his brow. “I think we should take the new face for a test drive.”
“I love a good joy ride.”
He slid his arms around my waist as he got to his feet. I squealed with delight as he lifted me farther onto the bed. “Buckle up.” His lips pressed against mine as he finished with, “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
I slung my arms around his neck and laughed. This. The two of us together. I couldn’t remember ever being so happy.
The End…for now