Summer stood on the patio of Nan’s house surveying the small group gathered in the backyard. Mary was lounging in a chair drinking a virgin margarita while her husband, Jack, set the table. Owen and Faith were taking turns flipping burgers on the grill. She glanced around wondering where Nan was when she appeared from behind her and slipped an arm around her waist.
“You can quit calling it ‘Nan’s house.’”
“You really shouldn’t read people’s thoughts without their permission.”
“Let me know when you figure out how to tune out the people you love.”
“Point taken.” At that moment, Owen looked up from the grill and waved. Summer waved back, thinking no one on earth looked as cute in an apron as her girlfriend.
“She’s special,” Nan said. “Like Charlie special.”
The statement made Summer go all misty-eyed. “You’re right about that.”
“I’m right about a lot of things, and one of them is this house. That high-rise of hers sounds nice, but you both will always be welcome here, and when I’m gone, this place will be yours. Charlie and I discussed it. Besides, I’m counting on you to keep this garden in tip-top shape.”
Summer spent a moment imagining Owen and Faith grilling burgers on the weekends, and the three of them hanging out in the backyard until the sun went down. Okay, chances were good that the moment Faith became a teenager she’d want nothing to do with either of them, but there was no harm in dreaming.
“Dinner’s ready,” Owen called out, waving a spatula in the air.
After they’d dug into the burgers, fresh grilled corn, and Charlie’s favorite potato salad, Nan asked for a rundown of the case. “I read the article in the paper three times and I’m still not entirely sure what happened.” She pointed at Summer. “This one told me you’d fill me in.”
Mary threw her hands up. “Don’t ask me. I wasn’t in the room when these two decided to take down the bad guy. Owen?”
“I showed up just as the dust settled. Summer, it’s all you.”
Summer laughed. “Fine, but feel free to chime in. About six months ago, Commissioner Adams discovered there was a major structural issue with the Trinity River Project. A large part of the roadway planned for the development was going to be situated in a flood plain. If the information became public, investors would pull their funding and the project would fail.”
“Couldn’t they just put the road in somewhere else?” Faith asked.
“Not without chopping up the lots they had designated for the luxury condos both he and Mayor Heller were funding.”
“Ah,” Jack said. “Money—the quintessential motivator.”
“It was for Heller, but Adams actually has a conscience. He made the mistake of telling Heller he was going to go to the city council with the report. Heller’s entire candidacy was wrapped up in getting this project rammed through, and if it failed, his reelection prospects and future political prospects in general were dim.” Summer nudged Owen. “Your turn.”
“Heller hatched a plan to get Adams to keep his mouth shut,” Owen said. “Heller has this guy who works for him, Daniels. He’s a fixer. He found Fuentes, a guy with prior burglary convictions and dying of cancer. He pays Fuentes to break into the Adamses’ house, but Fuentes was only supposed to scare Mrs. Adams, to send a message to the commissioner that he should back off any ideas he had about exposing the flaw in the project. But Fuentes isn’t great with guns, and when Carrie Adams put up a fight, the gun went off and he panicked and shot her twice more.”
“Here’s what I don’t get,” Nan said, “Why didn’t Adams go to the cops right then?”
“Heller told him Fuentes was fully prepared to tell the police that he’d been hired by Adams to kill his wife,” Owen said. “Adams had no way of knowing that wasn’t true, and Heller and the police chief are golf buddies. Adams has a lot of pull in the county, but when it comes to city politics and the police department, Heller had him on a string. Plus, Daniels, at the mayor’s instruction, threatened Fuentes. He wouldn’t let Fuentes take a plea, in order to keep Adams under his thumb for as long as possible. If Fuentes spoke out at all, his family wouldn’t see a dime of the money he’d been promised.”
“I hope they’re all going to jail,” Faith said.
“That’s the plan,” Owen said. “After your mom and Commissioner Adams apprehended Daniels in my office, he started telling us everything he knows about Heller’s shady deals. I expect the white-collar crime unit will be busy for a while unraveling it all.”
Nan stood and started collecting empty plates. “Exciting stuff. Owen, I can’t wait to hear what you’re working on next.”
Summer exchanged looks with Owen. “Should we tell them?”
Owen slid an arm around her waist. “It’s your news to tell.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense,” Mary said.
“Mia offered me a permanent position at the DA’s office. ‘Officially,’ I’ll be a jury consultant. Unofficially, I’ll be your resident psychic medium.”
Owen led a toast, and everyone raised a glass and called out congratulations to Summer’s new job.
Later, after Mary and Jack left, and Faith was in bed, and Nan was in her room watching Grey’s Anatomy reruns, Summer asked Owen to join her back out on the patio.
“I’d like to think you brought me out here so we could kiss under the stars,” Owen said, “But I have a feeling it’s something else. How are my mind-reading skills?”
Summer pulled her close. “Your mind-reading skills are spot-on, although I do want the kissing part too.”
“What’s up?”
“Mia did offer me the job, but I haven’t given her an answer yet.”
“Really? I figured it was a done deal.”
“I want to make sure you won’t mind having me around at work and at home. I know I can be a lot. Me, Nan, Faith, and the spirits—we’re a package deal. If it’s too much, I completely understand.”
Summer locked eyes with Owen, ready for whatever answer she gave and confident they would find a way to work it out. She didn’t have to wait long. Owen slid her arms around her waist, pulled her tight, and whispered in her ear, “I want you completely—home, work, wherever. I love Nan, Faith, and even the spirits, but you, Summer Byrne? I love you most of all.”