“AUNT CLAIRE?”
Claire struggled to clear away the cotton around her brain. Opening her eyes with an effort, she saw Nick standing in the doorway of her room.
Her nephew cleared his throat. “How are you feeling?”
How was she feeling? Why would Nick ask her that?
Claire struggled to sit up and smacked herself with a cast. She looked down at her arm, confused. Then the events of the day before slid into her memory.
Joiner. Andrea Vernon. Her arm.
Tucker and Nick racing to her rescue.
She clutched the blanket and looked around the room, happiness blossoming inside her. Last night, Tucker said he would stay with her.
He was nowhere in sight.
She swung her legs onto the floor. Her arm screamed in protest, but the pain in her heart was far worse.
“Aunt Claire?” Nick’s forehead creased with a worried frown. “Are you all right?”
“My arm is a little sore,” she told him. Her smile wobbled. “And banging myself with this cast didn’t help.”
Nick relaxed. “Coach said I should make you breakfast in bed.”
“He did?” She straightened, wild hope coursing through her.
Nick nodded. “He left a couple of hours ago.” Nick paused and his chest seemed to swell. “He said I’d take good care of you. So, do you want breakfast in bed?”
“I’d rather come downstairs,” she said. “Was Tucker here all night?”
“Yeah.” Nick gave her an uncertain look. “I told him I’d stay with you, but he said that I needed to get some sleep so I could take care of you today.”
Disappointment that he hadn’t stayed sliced through her. She told herself he’d needed to get some sleep, but her throat swelled with tears as she blindly reached for her robe.
“Is it okay that I let him stay all night?” Nick asked, uncertainty in his voice.
“Of course, Nick,” she answered, hugging him. Instead of pulling away, he gave her a fierce hug in return.
“I, ah, thought it would be okay. Since you kissed him and everything.” Nick’s face turned red.
His words pinched her heart. “You did just the right thing,” she managed to say.
As they headed downstairs, Nick chattered about the many people who’d called to check on her. Then his face turned red again. “Mrs. Burns and Caitlyn came by. She said they’d come back later.”
“That was thoughtful of Molly.” She remembered seeing Nick talking to Caitlyn the day before. “Maybe you can help me straighten up the house before they come back.”
“Sure.”
Nick sat at the table and watched her as she ate, jumping up to refill her coffee whenever she took a sip. Clearly Tucker had told him exactly what to do to help her. Her heart swelled with love for both the men in her life.
“Thanks, Nick,” she said, reaching for his hand. “You’re pampering me.” Who would have thought, a couple of months ago, that Nick making her breakfast would make her feel as if she’d won the lottery.
Nick shrugged, but his eyes lit up. “Coach and me talked about what you’d need. He helped me make the coffee.” He shot her a sidelong glance. “He said he figured you’d need coffee this morning.”
“I guess he knows me pretty well,” she said, giving Nick a smile as her eyes filled with tears. Tucker knew Nick pretty well, too. He knew her nephew needed to feel useful, needed to take care of her.
The doorbell rang and her pulse quickened. Was it Tucker?
Moments later, Seth Broderick walked into the kitchen. Claire forced down the disappointment.
“Good morning, Seth,” she said.
He took her hand, studied her. “Hey, Claire. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Sore but very lucky,” she said. “I’m glad you got there when you did.”
The police chief smiled. “It looked like you had things under control.”
He dragged the chair closer to the table, fixed her with his penetrating gaze. “Do you feel up to giving me your statement?”
For the next half hour, she described what happened the day before. After she finished, he began asking questions, writing her answers in a notebook.
“That should do it,” Seth said, snapping shut his notebook. “I’ll call if I have any other questions. And I’ll have this typed up and bring it by to have you sign it.”
He leaned forward, watching her steadily. “Derek Joiner is in the county lockup. He’s saying that you misunderstood him, that he only wanted to visit the place Janice died because he missed her and knew you missed her, too.” He snorted. “He’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Fred Denton is singing at the top of his lungs, and when he’s finished, we’ll have more than enough to convict Joiner of your sister’s murder. And his kidnapping and attempted murder of you.”
Claire searched Seth’s eyes. “Did Fred Denton help kill Janice?”
“Hard to say,” Seth answered. “I don’t think so, but we’re still talking to him.” His mouth hardened. “Even if he didn’t kill her, I suspect he knew that Joiner had. He’s in trouble, too, Claire.”
She looked away. She’d thought she would enjoy seeing Fred Denton shamed and humiliated, but the taste of satisfaction was bitter on her tongue. “You were right, you know,” she said. “Monroe is different now. Or maybe I am. I don’t need to see Fred punished for what he did in the past.”
“The past has nothing to do with it,” Seth answered. “He conspired to cheat the citizens of Monroe out of the tax revenue they’d get if a shopping center was built. I think Denton’s days as mayor are over.”
“What about Andrea?” Claire asked. “Is she all right?” The memory of the bruises on Andrea’s face was still vivid in Claire’s mind.
Seth smiled. “Andrea is in the domestic abuse shelter. Joiner is the one who punched her in the face yesterday, but Andrea has agreed to press charges against Vernon for his past abuse.” He took her hand. “Thank you for reaching out to her,” he said quietly. “My officer said you’d told Andrea about your experiences with Vernon. That took a lot of courage.”
“I’ve made some bad decisions when it comes to men,” she said. “I hope Andrea makes better ones.”
“You’ve given her a chance,” Seth answered. He looked up and smiled as Nick came into the room. “This kid of yours did all the right things yesterday. He realized you were missing and raised the alarm. You should be proud of him.”
Claire looked up at Nick, squeezed his arm. “I am proud of him. This kid of mine is something special.”
Nick rolled his eyes and Seth grinned. “I hope you don’t let her talk like that in front of the other guys on the football team.”
“Nah,” Nick said, to Claire’s surprise. “Aunt Claire is pretty cool.”
Claire stood up and hugged her nephew, and Nick hugged her back. Then, clearing his throat, he left the room in a hurry. Her gaze lingered on him as he disappeared.
“Call me if you need anything,” Seth said.
“Thanks for coming by,” she answered. “I was going to come down to the station later.”
“I wouldn’t make you do that. We take care of people here in Monroe,” he said quietly.
She watched him leave, then waited by the window, hoping to see Tucker’s truck appear. Finally she turned away, disgusted with herself.
“He said he wasn’t going anywhere,” she reminded herself. “He’ll be back.”
She hoped. Nothing had really changed between them since she’d walked away from him. Last night he’d told her he’d stay, but she’d been injured and afraid. She couldn’t hold him to a promise made under those circumstances.
It was time to get dressed and face the day. Dressing herself was awkward and uncomfortable and her arm ached by the time she was finished. She began to leave the room, then spotted Tucker’s shirt lying on the chair. It was the shirt he’d used as a sling the day before.
Impulsively she pulled it on, wrapping herself in the soft flannel that was permeated with Tucker’s scent. She closed her eyes as she drew in a deep, comforting breath.
Restless and dispirited, she headed back downstairs. Her job had seemed all-important to her just a couple short months ago. It had been the focus of her life.
But it wasn’t going to keep her warm at night or make her laugh during the day. The existence that had once seemed perfect now felt as dull and lifeless as a stone.
But she still had responsibilities. And there were still decisions to be made about the business. She reached for the telephone.
“Thanks, Ken,” she said at the end of the conversation. “Get me those estimates as soon as possible. I’ll be back to check on them as soon as I can.”
As she set the phone back in its cradle, she heard Nick shuffling his feet behind her. “Aunt Claire?”
“Hi, Nick,” she said. “The house looks great.” He’d been cleaning furiously in anticipation of Caitlyn’s visit.
“Thanks,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?” She leaned back in her chair.
“About my father. I don’t care that it was all a lie.”
Her heart swelled with compassion as she took his hand. “I’m sorry, Nick. Sorry that you got your hopes up, sorry that you were hurt.”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t have wanted to live with him, anyway.” His gaze slid away. “I want to stay with you when you move back to Chicago.”
Her throat squeezed shut and her eyes burned. “You don’t know how much that means to me, Nick, that you want to stay with me. I want you to stay with me, too. But we’re not moving back to Chicago. We’re staying in Monroe.”
He scowled. “I heard you on the phone just now. You were talking about your job and going back to Chicago.”
She replayed the conversation in her head, wondering what he’d heard. When she realized, she smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m going back to Chicago so I can move the business to Monroe. This is the right place for both of us,” she said. “Our friends are here. Our home is here. I don’t want to leave.”
“Really?” His face lit up, then the smile slowly faded. “But your condo is in Chicago. You talked about it a lot.” His mouth wobbled a little. “I know you want to go back there.”
“My condo is just a place to live. Monroe is my home.” The rightness of the decision settled over her. “I can work from Monroe almost as easily as from Chicago. I’ve been doing just fine for the past couple of months.”
“Awesome!” Nick jumped up. “Can I go tell Booger? He’s been really bummed about me leaving.”
“Of course. Tell his mom that I’ll call her later.”
Nick raced out the door. Moments later he stuck his head back in. “You sure it’s okay if I leave? Coach told me to take care of you.”
“You’ve done a great job,” she assured him. “There’s nothing I need right now. Go on over to Booger’s.”
“Okay.” The door slammed again and she heard his footsteps racing down the porch stairs.
Claire struggled to her feet, pain slicing through her broken arm. Her eyes went automatically to the window and the street in front of the house. There was no sign of Tucker’s truck.
Maybe he wasn’t coming back.
She should have listened to his explanation two nights ago. She shouldn’t have condemned him because he hadn’t told her all his secrets.
He’d never pressed her to reveal herself—he’d given her all the time she needed. She should have given him just as much freedom. Instead, she’d pushed him to reveal things about himself that he wasn’t ready to reveal.
If she wanted to see Tucker, she would have to go to him.
And there was no way she could drive with a cast on her arm.
She kicked at one of Nick’s shoes on the floor, watching as it skidded across the room. Scowling, she bent to retrieve it. “Now that was mature,” she muttered to herself.
Sunlight poured through the door, and she stepped out into it. The walls of the house were closing in on her, suffocating her with memories. She needed to be outside, needed to keep herself busy.
The sun was warm on her back and the scent of the mums filled her head. Kneeling in the dirt, she concentrated on pulling out the thistles that had sprouted around the flowers. She wished all the ugliness with Tucker could be cleaned away as easily.
“I turn my back for a few hours and look what happens. That’s the last time I’m leaving Nick in charge.”
Tucker’s voice curled around her like a warm embrace, and she swung around so quickly that she tumbled backward. He stooped close to help her rise. “I can’t trust you to behave yourself, can I?”
She searched Tucker’s face but couldn’t read his expression. Suddenly nervous, she wiped her hands on her pants. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I need to talk to you.”
Her heart plummeted at the serious look on his face.