Good Girls Do (36 page)

Walt looked like he might pass out.

“Great,” Julia muttered. “Now everyone will know. The media trucks are probably already on the way.”

Edith stepped forward. “On the contrary. We do know how to keep a secret here in Serenity Falls.” “We’re like Las Vegas that way,” Mabel agreed. “What goes on here, stays here.”

 

 

Angel softly closed the door to Toni’s bedroom, relieved that the little girl had gone to sleep for an unexpected nap. Angel could use one of those, too. She’d been working long hours at the pancake house all week and then there had been that little jaunt into Philadelphia to see Adam the other day.

She hadn’t had time to think lately, let alone to fully complete her usual meditation routine. Her chakras needed balance, and she needed sleep. But when Skye had phoned her and asked her to baby-sit this one rare afternoon she had off, Angel hadn’t been able to refuse.

Skye seemed to be settling in well here in Rock Creek. That was a relief. At least one of the Wright women was happy.

Not that Julia didn’t seem happy with Luke. But the tarot cards indicated trouble looming ahead for them.

Angel picked up the pink and lime green scarf she was knitting. Her hats and scarves were selling well at the store in Serenity Falls. In fact, she had a backlog of special orders, one of which she was trying to complete now.

The click of the knitting needles was reassuring to her. The pounding on the door wasn’t. She opened it.

“Tyler.” Angel was surprised to see him here at Skye’s apartment. “How did you know I was here?”

“You weren’t at Julia’s so she suggested I come here. You still owe me a massage,” he said abruptly.

“Oh.” Angel blinked. “Well, you’re right. I do. Do you want me to give you a massage now?”

“I want you to stop dating Phil. Are you in love with him?” Tyler demanded.

Angel shook her head, too stunned to reply verbally.

“Then ditch him. And ditch the khaki pants and severe clothes. I want the
real
Angel back with bells on your toes and laughter in your eyes. And I’ve wanted to do this from the very first moment I saw you . . .” Putting his hands on her shoulders, Tyler gently tugged her to him and kissed her.

Angel melted. This was her karma, her destiny, her cosmic soul mate. The radiant core of love that resided in the center of her personal consciousness responded. Her femininity bonded with his masculinity.

The feel of his mouth on hers was awesome. Well worth waiting for. She hadn’t felt this way since she was a teenager, wild and free. But she wasn’t a teenager any longer. She was a mother. A grandmother. Out to prove she was responsible.

“Wait.” She took a step back. “We shouldn’t.”

“Why not? Are you interested in picking things up with Kemp again?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Some people might think so.”

“Some people might think I’m not normal, either,” Angel pointed out.

“You’re not normal. You’re
superlative
. Magical.”

She blushed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll stop seeing Phil.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I care about you. I’ve fought it. But it’s no use.”

“I’ve fought it, too,” she whispered. “But I’ve just repaired the bridges with Julia, and I don’t want to do anything that will rock the boat again.”

“I understand.”

“I know you do.” She touched his cheek.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to fight for you, because I am.”

“Oh Tyler . . .” She leaned forward to kiss him. The second time was even better than the first.

“Wait.” This time he was the one who pulled away. “Before you make up your mind, it’s only fair to tell you the truth. You deserve to know what you’re getting into if you hook up with me.”

Her heart sank. “You’re married.”

“No, of course not. Divorced, but that was a long time ago.”

She resumed breathing. “Then what?”

“I haven’t always been a handyman.”

“Or an insomniac Rollerblader?”

“That either. In my prior life I was a prosecutor in Chicago.”

“So that’s why you told the town council that they had legal irregularities in their procedures. I heard the rumors even though I wasn’t there myself.”

“Did you also hear how everyone came to your defense, saying how much they loved your yoga lessons and what a difference they made?”

Angel nodded. “Julia told me about that, yes.”

“Anyway, I was on the fast track to success, totally wrapped up in my work. Until that last case. The guy claimed he was innocent, but I’d heard that before. I was sure we had the right guy. Totally positive, without a doubt. But while he was in jail awaiting trial, a new piece of evidence turned up, exonerating him of the crime.”

“So you made a mistake. You’re only human.”

“It was more than a mistake.” Tyler’s words were gritty with emotion. “The night before, the guy hung himself in his jail cell.”

“Oh Tyler . . .” She put her arms around him, offering him comfort and sanctuary.

“I walked away. Left that life behind.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“You should.” His voice was muffled against the top of her head. “Someone should blame me for that innocent man’s life.”

“You’re already blaming yourself, and have been for a long time. No, I’m not going to blame you. Instead, I’m going to love you.”

 

 

“Thanks for coming so quickly, Algee.” Julia welcomed the reinforcement she’d called in for assistance. After thinking things through, she knew what she had to do. She needed to figure this out because something didn’t make sense to her. Why had Luke come to Philadelphia to get her if he planned on dumping her? He never had answered that question. “Adam, this is Algee. A friend of Luke’s. Algee, this is my father. Adam Kemp.”

“The rich guy?”

Julia nodded. “That’s right.”

“Is your father?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m sure. Heard there were protesters here earlier today.”

“There were, but that’s not why I called you over here. I wanted to talk to you about Luke. You’ve seen the For Sale sign in front of Maguire’s, right?”

Algee nodded cautiously. “Right.”

“Did he tell you he was going to put the place on the market?”

“No. But then he doesn’t tell me his plans.”

“But you’re friends.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So you know him better than most people.”

“So do you.”

“I thought I did,” she muttered.

“I warned the dude that you were his weakness. His kryptonite.”

“Do you think that’s why he dumped me?” Julia asked.

Algee was vehement. “No way!”

“Way. He dumped me two days ago.”

“No, I’m saying no way he’d dump you for that. Being his kryptonite, I mean.”

“Maybe it had something to do with his FBI background,” Adam suggested.

“What?” Algee and Julia said in stunned unison.

“He didn’t tell you about that either, right?”

Julia shook her head. “Let me guess. You had him investigated.”

“Naturally. Any man who’s interested in my daughter has to pass certain criteria.”

“You had no right trying to bribe him,” Julia belatedly reprimanded her father. “Try that again, and there will be consequences.”

“My man Luke was with the FBI?” Algee said.

Adam nodded. “For almost a decade. Apparently, he did a lot of undercover work for much of that time. I couldn’t get any details on that, naturally. I did discover he had a gambling problem resulting in a large debt just recently paid off. No indication of continued gambling. I could show you the file if you like.”

Julia shook her head. She wasn’t going to invade Luke’s privacy. “I love him. And I’m not going to sit here crying without fighting to keep him. I’ve got to take action,” Julia stated.

“Luke is a man who understands action more than words,” Algee agreed.

“I was impressed with the guy when I first met him,” Adam said. “After turning down my offer of the money, he threatened to kick my butt if I hurt you.”

Julia’s heart melted. “He did?”

Adam nodded, his smile rueful. “It was a memorable moment. I haven’t had anyone speak to me that way for some time now.”

Julia remembered the grand gesture Luke had made on Valentine’s Day, creating a magical prom experience for her. Maybe he didn’t love her. Maybe he was no good at relationship stuff. Maybe he wanted to be alone. Or maybe not. His words didn’t match his actions.

A good girl would meekly walk away.

Julia refused to do that.

“The bottom line is that I liked the guy,” Adam was saying.

“Then pull up a chair and help us strategize,” Algee said.

Julia nodded. “We need a plan.”

“Remember, always bargain from a position of strength,” Adam told her.

“And remember that Luke is a man who understands action more than words,” Algee added.

“I’m not punching him again,” Julia said, just in case he got any ideas.

“You don’t have to. Not with boxing gloves. But with your feminine wiles . . .”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’ll leave that to you.” Algee grinned. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something . . .”

Luke couldn’t believe it. Someone had stolen his Harley! And on a Sunday night, too. Right there from the alley behind Maguire’s. Serenity Falls had a thief in its midst.

He was mad as hell. It wasn’t enough that he’d lost Julia, now he’d lost his sweet set of wheels as well!

He ran up the stairs for the cell phone he’d left there. The door banged against the wall as he stormed in . . . and stopped in his tracks.

There was his Harley.

In the middle of the living room.

With Julia draped across it.

Wearing very little.

Luke’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and all the blood rushed from his head to his crotch. The combination of both conditions left him temporarily unable to speak.

Finally he managed to get out a few gruff words. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t that usually my line?” she replied in a husky, phone-sex kind of voice.

He couldn’t tear his eyes from the racy red lace bikini panties she wore beneath a cropped top football jersey of his favorite team—the Steelers. Her bare midriff and bare legs showed plenty of creamy skin. And the red stilettoes were a total turn-on.

Noticing his attention to her attire, she tugged at the jersey, lifting it to show even more. “I know how much you like football.”

He remained speechless.

“And I know how much you
love
your Harley.” She stroked the machine the way a lover would.

Luke just about went ballistic as her fingers caressed the chrome. He wanted her so badly he could hardly see straight.

“But I don’t know why you think you can get rid of me this easily.” She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“What?” he croaked.

“I think you’re trying to be noble.”

That got his attention. “I don’t have a noble bone in my body.”

“Of course you do. Don’t even bother trying to tell me how bad you are. I’ve heard it all before from the people in this town.”

“They’re right.”

“No, they’re not. You gave me a prom. You warned my billionaire father not to hurt me or you’d kick his butt.”

“So?”

“So Algee told me I was your kryptonite. Your weakness.”

“And you’re here to test that theory?”

“No, I’m here because I don’t want to be your weakness. I want to be your strength. The way you’re my strength.”

With a groan, Luke yanked her into his arms. He was only human after all.

She completed him.

“I kept thinking I’d get over you once I got you in my bed,” he muttered in between kisses. “When that didn’t happen, I got worried.”

She smiled. “So you tried seducing me on the pool table, the dining room chair, the shower—”

“And I still never got over you. I never will.”

“I hope not. If you’re leaving Serenity Falls, I’m going with you.”

“I don’t deserve you.” His voice was rough with emotion.

“Maybe not, but you’re stuck with me,” she retorted with bad-girl sauciness.

He scooped her into his arms. “Have you ever made love on the back of a Harley?”

“No.”

Luke flashed that bad-boy grin at her. “Are you ready for the ride of your life?”

Julia grinned right back. “Are you?” she countered.

“Let’s find out . . .” he murmured against her mouth.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Angel assured Julia as she gave her a big hug. “I’ll take good care of your house while you’re on the road.”

“And I’ll take care of Maguire’s. With help from Tyler,” Adele told Luke as he revved up the Harley, clearly eager to get going.

“And I’ll take care of the rest of the town,” the newly selected town council member Algee stated.

“And Julia, a job at the library is yours whenever you return,” Frasier stated.

“I’m going to miss you.” Pam gave her a final good-bye hug.

Julia swung her denim-covered leg over the Harley’s seat with newfound confidence. Her roots were still here. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t take off and fly every once and a while.

Most of the town had turned out to see them off, including Walt, who was busy on his cell phone. “Listen up, folks!” he suddenly shouted excitedly. “We got it! Serenity Falls is on the top ten list of America’s Best Small Towns. We’re number nine, which leaves us room for improvement next year.”

Julia didn’t know what the next year would bring, but she knew she’d be spending it with the man she loved, the man who loved her, and that was enough for her. More than enough!