We arrived at the campus at ten-thirty in the morning. Classes were in full swing as students prepared for finals week. Parker took my hand as we entered the GED center.
“I’m all right,” I said.
“I know.” The soft swoop of his eyelashes made my stomach flutter. “I just want to hold your hand, okay?”
“Okay.” Walking down the hall toward Ms. Lovell’s room, my pulse quickened with my breath. My legs felt like two lead weights that I had to drag along. I caught a look in Parker’s eyes that threatened he would scoop me up and carry me if I didn’t hold it together.
Ms. Lovell had a message board outside her office door where she’d posted scores revealed by the last four digits of the students’ social security numbers. I stopped and sat down on a cushioned bench in the corridor.
“Are you feeling all right? You’re not light-headed, are you? The doctor warned that could happen today.”
I shook my head. “Nothing like that.” I leaned the back of my head against the cool concrete wall. “Can you go look? I don’t think I can do it.” Not finishing high school had been a huge regret in my life, and this exam had taken on an overwhelming importance.
“Are you sure you want me to do it?”
“Good or bad news, I’ll see it on your face. Then we can get out of here.”
Parker, his brow furrowed, narrowed his gaze at me. “What’s your number?”
“Six four three eight.”
He strolled to the board, his expression all business as he scanned the exam scores. Unfortunately, his expression never changed, so when he looked at me, I said again, “Six four three eight.”
“I got it the first time,” he said.
“Is it not up there? Oh my gosh, I did so bad I didn’t even earn a score?”
His eyes sparkled. “You passed. According to the bottom of the paper, your official results will be mailed to you.”
“Did you say I passed?”
“Yep.” A smile lit up his face. “Congratulations, graduate.”
I leapt from the bench and wrapped my arms around Parker. Then I started sobbing.
He froze in place for a moment then stroked my hair in a soothing gesture. “I told you. You’re awesome.”
I pulled my face back from his shirt before I snotted all over him. “That was weird. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Because you’re happy,” Parker said. “You conquered a big goal, and now, we celebrate. Where do you want to eat? We can do someplace in town, or we can drive to Cape Girardeau. Whatever you want, Ms. GED Smasher.”
“I did smash it,” I said. I saw Ms. Lovell go inside her office. “I’m going to go thank my teacher.” I sniffled. “She really got me through the course.” Plus, I needed tissue. Lots of tissue. “I’ll be right back.”
I could hear Ms. Lovell talking to someone as I approached the room. Mr. Kirkshaw.
I’d only watched the first few minutes of the video, but I wasn’t keen to hear them finish what had been started on there. Mostly, it wasn’t my business.
But then I heard Mr. Kirkshaw say, “It’s too late, Sally. The police have the drive that Donnie used to blackmail me. It’s only a matter of time before they find out about the money we took. We have to go before the police come for us.”
Oh, my Goddess! Kirkshaw knew about the memory stick, and he and Ms. Lovell were stealing money.
“Where would we go, John? You gave that kid half our money. Besides, who will take care of Anthony and Cleopatra?”
“For heaven’s sake, Sally. I’ll buy you new plants.”
“You bought those jasmine plants for me two years ago. I just gave them their spring pruning.” I could hear the catch of despair in her voice.
“Where it blooms wild,” Kirkshaw said softly. “Like our love.”
“What are you doing?” I jumped at Parker’s voice in my ear. He’d snuck up on me while I was eavesdropping.
I put my fingers to my lips. “Shhh. I’m listening,” I whispered.
Ms. Lovell said, “I thought you had a plan to get the money back?”
“I found the receipt in Doyle’s drawer for the collar with the memory stick, but I couldn’t get that damned box open at the kennel.”
I turned to Parker, my eyes wide. “Kirkshaw is the one who tried to break into the shelter,” I said with quiet shock. “You better call the police.”
“And tell them what? That you overhead something through a metal door that no normal human could hear?”
I grimaced. He had a fair point. I backed Parker away from the door as we were starting to draw stares from students passing by. “Kirkshaw has been in Doyle’s house. He saw a receipt for the dog collar Tino wore. I’m not sure how he was stealing money, but he’s the head of financial aid. I’m sure he figured out a way.”
I pulled out my phone and called Nadine. “You need to come to the college,” I told her. “I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered Donnie’s killers.”
Parker and I sat on the bench, waiting for Nadine to arrive. Nadine told me that they’d discovered an incriminating conversation between Kirkshaw and Lovell about the embezzlement on the video driver, and that the sheriff had been on the phone with a judge to issue a warrant for the couple’s arrest. She’d also told me not to stick around, of course, but I figured I was safe enough with Parker there. Besides, I had a perfectly legitimate reason for being out in the hall. I was one of Ms. Lovell’s success stories. All this was how I’d rationalized staying with Parker.
“You know…” he said, “…you snore almost as loud as Smooshie.”
“Is this your idea of small talk?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I don’t snore.”
“Elvis and I beg to differ. Once you snored so loud, you almost woke yourself up.”
I raised my brow at him. “I don’t know whether it’s sweet or creepy that you were watching me sleep.”
He tilted his head toward me. “Let’s go with sweet.”
The door opened to Ms. Lovell’s room. Her face was red with worry and registered surprise when she saw Parker and me sitting across the hall. “Lily,” she said. “What are you doing here?” Mr. Kirkshaw stood behind her. He looked like a man who could use a good laxative. Super constipated.
“Getting my test results,” I said.
“Oh, yes, that’s right,” Ms. Lovell said. “How did you do? We get numbers, not names.”
I grinned. “I passed.”
She strode across the hall to me and clasped my hand. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful. I knew you could do it.”
Aww. My heart clenched. I didn’t want Ms. Lovell to be the killer. I really liked her. “All thanks to your great tutoring skills.”
“You’re going to make an excellent college student. An asset to Two Hills.”
Gosh. I’d never felt so conflicted. Was it bad that I wanted to give Ms. Lovell a head start? No. Nope. It didn’t matter how nice she was, she and Mr. Kirkshaw had been stealing from the college, or maybe even the students themselves. Being nice didn’t make what they did right. And Donnie, no matter what he’d done, didn’t deserve to be killed to keep their secrets.
“We need to go, Sally,” Mr. Kirkshaw said. He put his hand on her hip and guided her away from me.
“Wait,” I said. “Uhm, Mr. Kirkshaw, when should I come in to fill out financial aid forms for the fall semester?” I’d already filled them out on the FAFSA website back in February on Ms. Lovell’s advice, but he didn’t have to know that.
“As soon as possible. Cut off for the fall is May twenty-fifth.” He took a step away from Parker and me. “Now we really have to go.”
“When is your office open?” I asked. “I mean, is it open today? Can I go fill out the paperwork now?”
“Yes, yes,” he said, annoyed, his veiny nose turning even redder. “Now, I’m sorry to cut this short but—”
“Are you heading there now? Can I just follow you?”
“No, Ms. Mason, you may not follow us!” His eyes widened, and I could see a tinge of yellow. Most likely he suffered from cirrhosis of the liver. I don’t know what Ms. Lovell saw in this guy. She could certainly do better.
Note to self: don’t play matchmaker with a killer.
“But—”
“No,” he said. “No more. Come on, Sally.”
Nadine and Bobby barreled down the hallway toward us. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“John Kirkshaw,” Bobby said as he put the man in cuffs. “You are under arrest for embezzlement and conspiracy to commit fraud.”
Nadine had said the same thing to Ms. Lovell, and the couple was read their rights. Students gathered in the hallway watching the scene as if they were on their own episode of Live PD.
“What’s going on?” Ms. Lovell asked. “What is going on? John? You can fix this, right?”
“Don’t say anything, Sally,” he said, struggling as Bobby ushered down the hall. “Just keep quiet. I’ll take care of this. I promise!”
After they left, I looked at Parker. “That was interesting.”
“Life around you is always interesting.” He put his arm around my shoulder. “I think I promised you a celebration.”
“I could really go for some more of that spaghetti of yours.”
He gave me a new look, one that involved heat and promise. “So, back to my place then?”
A shiver of excitement ran through me. “We never did get to have our date.”
“Then we’re due.”
I sat at the kitchen table, sipping lemonade, while Parker pulled ingredients from the cupboard. The view from my vantage point was pretty spectacular.
“Are you staring at my butt?” Parker asked.
I grinned. “Maybe.”
He struck an awkward pose that gave me an even better view. I snorted lemonade through my nose. “Ouch,” I said, still laughing as the citrus drink burned my nostrils.
Parker brought me a paper towel. I stood up as he wiped my face. “First time drinking?” he asked. Then he kissed me in a way that stole my breath. One of his hands cupped the back of my neck while the other encircled my waist and pulled me close.
The scent of honey and mint surrounded me. Parker drew back from the kiss and held me to his chest. “Goddess, I love the way you smell.”
Parker sniffed my hair. “And you smell like dessert. How is that possible? You used my shampoo this morning.”
“I don’t know how, but I’m happy I do.”
His fingers laced my hair as he drew back to look down at my face. “What do you mean?”
“There is something about Shifters that I didn’t tell you.” Well, in all honesty, there was a lot about Shifters that I hadn’t told him. “When we find the perfect mate, something happens to our body chemistry that causes the mate to have a very distinct scent. It usually only happens between Shifters and Shifters, or Shifters and witches. Shifters can’t develop a mate bond with a human.” I blinked up at him as he listened. “This must all sound crazy to you.”
“I know you’re real, Lily. I have no reason to not believe you.” He caressed my face. “Only, if you can’t have that bond with a human, then how do you explain us? Because I’ve been smelling this scent since we first ran into each other at that four-way stop.”
“Well, there’s something else about me that I haven’t mentioned.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I have a feeling I could spend the rest of my life with you and never know everything about you.”
“Would that bother you?”
“If I got to spend the rest of my life with you, I would die a happy man.” He kissed me softly. “I don’t care about the rest.”
“Then you won’t be too surprised when I tell you that my great-grandmother was a witch, and that because of that witch, I have a little magic in me.”
“Nope, that would surprise me.” He chuckled. “What kind of magic?”
I glanced away. “You know how people always seem to tell me their secrets?”
“It does happen a lot.”
“That’s the power. I’m like a walking, talking lie detector. I get a weird tingle when someone lies, or they aren’t telling the whole truth. But unless someone seriously doesn’t want to tell me something or they’re a sociopath, they generally just tell me the truth.”
“So you think being part witch might be making the difference in the whole mate-scent thing?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. But I’m going to consult with my friend back home. She might be able to get me answers. Because you shouldn’t be able to smell the mate scent. Not as a human, but you do, so it has to be possible. I’d been thinking of my witch magic as a curse, but now—”
“Does it work on me? Can you tell if I’m lying?”
It hadn’t ever registered with Parker before, so I wasn’t sure. “Have you lied to me?”
“No.”
I touched his chin. “We can test it. Tell me a lie.”
“I don’t love you.”
My stomach pinched. It didn’t register as a lie. “I hope that wasn’t the truth.”
“I guess we know your stuff doesn’t work on me then, because even a blind man can see I’m in love with you, Lily Mason.” He kissed me again as I stumbled back, hitting my heel on the dining room chair.
“Ow,” I muttered, then planted my lips against his before he could stop to ask me if I was okay. I’d waited a lifetime for a man like Parker. Someone honest, kind, and loving, and it didn’t hurt that he was ruggedly handsome.
His hands began to roam my body as I pressed myself against his chest, trying to get as much of me touching as much of him.
His eyes were wild as he lifted me onto the drainboard and placed his hips between my thighs. “I love you, Lily. I love you so much. I was a fool to not tell you sooner. To not act sooner. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly. “I love you too.”
He kissed me again, which made my head spin.
Without warning, Parker lost his footing, his forehead hit mine, and the back of my head hit the cabinet handle behind me.
“Christ,” he said, holding me as he stabilized himself.
I rubbed the back of my head as Smooshie put her paws up on the counter next to me, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. I swear she was laughing.
I knew immediately what had happened. “What did I tell you about putting your nose up people’s butts?”
Parker rubbed my forehead with his. “She’s got lousy timing.”
“Your bedroom door shuts, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” Parker said quickly. I squealed with pleasure as Parker scooped me up into his arms and carried me out of the kitchen and down the hall.