Authors: Lily Harper Hart
Grave Misgivings
Grave Misgivings
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Book Four
Lily Harper Hart
Text copyright © 2015 Lily Harper Hart
All Rights Reserved
“Marco.”
“Polo.”
Nick Winters smiled when he heard the melodic sound of his girlfriend’s voice. He shifted quickly, his eyes scanning the dark field for a glimpse of honey-colored hair. He exhaled shallowly as he tried to keep his exact position something of a mystery and listened for the telltale snap of a branch that would hint at Maddie’s location.
Summer was officially here, and even though northern Lower Michigan wasn’t mired in a heat wave, the nights were pleasant enough to enjoy a moonlit picnic. This was Nick’s favorite time of year, and the fact that he was spending his summer (finally!) with the love of his life made things even more special.
Now he just had to find her.
After June kicked off with a heat wave, temperatures settled into a more normal pattern. Three months of sun, fun, and love were ahead of him, and Nick didn’t want to miss a second of it. That’s why he suggested a romantic picnic with his best-friend-turned-girlfriend, Maddie Graves.
Her house was currently undergoing construction, an apartment for her elderly grandmother, Maude, being erected in the spot where the garage used to be. In addition to the apartment, the master suite on the second floor was undergoing a spruce so Nick could move into the house with Maddie in a few weeks. They spent every night together as it was, but they would be officially cohabitating in a month. He couldn’t wait.
“Marco,” he sang out, tilting his head to the side so he could listen closer.
Maddie didn’t immediately reply, which made Nick think his comely girlfriend was closer than she wanted to let on. His picnic turned into some heavy petting, which of course, meant Maddie wanted to torture him. They’d played this game so many times as kids he’d lost count. When she suggested playing it as adults – for clothes – Nick jumped at the chance. Now he just wanted to find her.
“You have to play the game right, Maddie,” Nick chided, shifting to his right when he thought he heard something behind him. The woods to the north of Maddie’s house were dark, but he knew them well enough not to fear tripping over a branch or getting lost. This was their safe haven. This was where they fell in love – even though they were both too young, and scared, to admit it. This would be where they spent their forever.
He just had to win the game first.
“Marco.”
The bushes behind Nick exploded as Maddie stepped out. He was in the middle of a heart attack when she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his cheek. “Polo. I win.”
Nick couldn’t hide his grin as he turned, drawing her lithe frame into his arms and giving her a warm hug. “Are you going to think less of me as a man if I admit you just scared the crap out of me?”
“Nothing will make me think less of you as a man,” Maddie murmured, lifting her mouth so she could accept his welcoming kiss.
As emotions go, love is a funny one, Nick internally mused. He’d loved Maddie for as long as he could remember, but ten years apart – and a lot of rage – had not diminished the feelings he tried so hard to bury. The second she walked back into his life he’d known nothing had changed. He knew she was his destiny.
Sure, they had a few obstacles to overcome first. There was that pesky little girlfriend problem he had, and the big secret she was hiding. It turned out Maddie didn’t run away from Nick after graduation because she didn’t love him. No, Maddie ran because she was psychic and could see ghosts – and she misguidedly thought that would disgust him and make him turn on her.
Their past was littered with mistakes, but Nick was convinced their future was rosy and bright. He had everything he’d ever wanted. He was never going to let her go.
“I think you cheated,” Nick said, panting slightly as he pulled away from their needy kiss.
“How did I cheat?” Maddie asked, her sea-blue eyes sparkling under the moonlight. “We both started the game at the same time. It’s not my fault you’re a poor tracker.”
Nick snorted. “I’m the best tracker in the world, love,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I let you win.”
“So, wait … first I cheated, and now you let me win? Methinks your ego is taking a beating,” she teased, her heart-shaped face splitting with a wide grin. “You lost to a girl. Admit it.”
“Fine,” Nick said. “I lost to a girl. It’s not the first thing I’ve lost to you.”
“I told you I misplaced your Detroit Lions sweatshirt years ago,” Maddie said. “I’ll buy you a new one. I really don’t have it anymore.”
“I was talking about my heart, Mad,” Nick said, tugging on a strand of her blonde hair.
“Oh,” she said, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. He couldn’t see her blushing in the limited light, but he knew her well enough to know that was exactly what she was doing.
“It’s a good thing you’re smoking hot,” Nick said, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “You’re slow on the uptake sometimes. I’ve told you I love you so many times I’ve lost count – and yet you still seem surprised when I say it. We need to work on that.”
“I’m not surprised you love me,” Maddie corrected. “Well … maybe a little. I’m just so in love with you that it warms my heart – and face, apparently – when you say it out loud.”
“Then I guess I’m just going to have to keep saying it to you for the rest of our lives,” Nick said, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her so her feet left the ground. “I always want your heart warm.”
Maddie giggled, and after a few more minutes of canoodling, Nick led her back to the blanket they’d spread out in the adjacent field and settled her between his legs so they could cuddle in comfort.
“I love this time of year,” Maddie said, leaning her head back against his chest. “When I was down in the city it was hard to get a good look at the moon. It was always loud … and bright … and lonely … but I feel so happy here with you.”
“I always want you to be happy, Mad,” Nick said, nuzzling her neck. “This is my favorite time of year, too.”
“The Fourth of July is coming up on Monday,” Maddie said. “That means we have an extended weekend. I was thinking of closing the shop up tomorrow and Friday and clearing my schedule.”
Nick moved his hands up to her neck and mindlessly started massaging it. Now that she’d brought up the holiday weekend, he had a little subject of his own to broach – and he wasn’t sure how she would take it.
“Do you not want to spend the weekend with me?” Maddie asked, causing Nick to realize he’d left her hanging. “Do you have to work, or … do you have other plans?”
She was feeling insecure, and Nick internally cursed himself for letting it happen. She was much more comfortable with their relationship these days, and she had faith he would always be there for her, but he forgot that she still worried from time to time. She couldn’t see inside his heart. She couldn’t see she was all he thought about … or wanted. He still had to take the time to tell her.
“Maddie, I want to spend every weekend with you for the rest of our lives,” Nick said, pausing from his neck ministrations to lower his mouth and kiss the tender slope that led to her ear. “I’m actually thrilled that you cleared your schedule. I have the whole weekend off, too.”
“You do?”
“I put in for it right after we got together,” he said. “I thought there were about a hundred different ways we could light off some fireworks – and I didn’t want to miss any of them.”
Maddie poked his ribs, rolling her eyes as she shifted her face in his direction. “You have a one-track mind.”
“And you’re the track,” Nick said.
“So, what do you want to do? It’s too bad Granny’s apartment isn’t finished yet. We’re not going to find a lot of privacy in the big house. We can stay out at your house, though. You don’t have a lot of time left to enjoy it before we move in together.”
“Well, actually … .”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Maddie asked, her brow furrowing. “You’re making me nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about, love,” Nick said. “I just … do you know what else is going on this weekend?”
“There’s a fair downtown.”
“There’s always a fair downtown,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “It’s Blackstone Bay. If it’s summer and there’s not a fair it’s only because someone hasn’t figured out what to celebrate yet. That’s not what I was talking about, though.”
Maddie waited.
“It’s our high school reunion, Mad,” Nick prodded. “Everyone is getting together Monday at the pavilion to hang out.”
“Oh,” Maddie said, stiffening in his arms. “I forgot all about that.”
Nick snuggled her closer, trying to push the negative emotions rolling off of her away. “I know you don’t have the best memories of high school, Mad, but things will be different now.”
“I have horrible memories of high school,” Maddie corrected. “Horrible.”
“Love, not all your memories of that time can be bad,” Nick said. “We were together then. We had a lot of fun.”
“You and I did, yes,” Maddie said. “I don’t care about any of those other people.”
“What about Christy?” Nick asked, referring to Maddie’s boisterous friend. “She’ll be there.”
“I … I see her all the time,” Maddie said. “I don’t need to see her when those other people are around.”
“Mad,” Nick groaned. “It’s been ten years. High school is rough on a lot of people. When you grow up things change. I promise things will be better. Don’t you want to go to the reunion?”
“No.”
Nick cocked his head to the side, trying to determine the best way to approach the situation. Maddie had a right to her feelings, and her high school existence had been plagued by horrors of the teenage girl persuasion. Mean girls exist in every time and every school, and Maddie was a regular target for a specific group of girls. Still … . “Mad, Marla Proctor was the one who tortured you in high school,” he said. “You’ve already seen her – numerous times, mind you – since you’ve been back.”
“I … .”
“Shh,” Nick admonished her. “Marla is a horrible person. She wants to make others unhappy because she’s unhappy. You can’t change that. She’s the exception, not the rule.”
“You want to go,” Maddie said, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“I do.”
“I … you can go without me.”
“I’m not doing that,” Nick said, his voice firm. “If you don’t want to go then I’m not going to go.”
“Oh, that’s not fair,” Maddie protested. “You’re putting this all on me. Now I’m going to be the reason you don’t go. That’s just so … mean.”
“I know,” Nick said. “It’s the way of the world, though, Mad. You’re my girlfriend. I’ve finally managed to snag you. I want to show you off in front of the guys, and I want you on my arm when they see you in a nice dress and are green with envy because I’m clearly the one who ended up with the happiest life.”
“Oh, good grief,” Maddie grumbled.
“Come on, Mad,” Nick prodded. “I promise, if you’re uncomfortable, I’ll take you home. I won’t make you stay. You know I’ll be right there with you.”
“Fine.” Maddie gave in. His pleading face was too much for her to deny. “You can’t leave me alone, though.”
“I never want to leave you alone, love.” He kissed her softly.
“Are you happy?”
“Almost,” Nick said. “That was just the first thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh, this is going to be bad,” Maddie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You just suckered me in and now you’re going to drop the hammer on me.”
“What hammer?”
Maddie narrowed her eyes.
Nick sighed, tamping down his frustration. “Do you remember Aaron Denton?”
“The rich kid who lived in the Denton mansion on the north side of town? Yeah, I remember him. I always wanted to see his house. I heard it has a cemetery and mausoleum on the grounds, and the river supposedly runs right up to the back patio.”
“It does. It’s a cool place.”
Maddie made a face. “I was never invited to his house because I was unpopular.”
“You were invited to his house because he wanted to hit on you,” Nick countered. “Don’t even pretend otherwise. You just refused to go because you were so unsure of yourself back then. I was there. Don’t bother lying to me.”
“Whatever.”
Nick rested his chin on her shoulder. “The good news is that you have a chance to see the house now,” he said.
“I do?”
“We’ve been invited to spend the weekend out there,” Nick said. “It’s going to be like a big party. There’s going to be a handful of people from our graduating class staying there. They’ve even got a bunch of maids and cooks … so it will be like staying in a hotel.”
“I don’t know … .”
“Mad, it will be good for you,” Nick said. “It will give us a chance to get away from Maude for the weekend. The river is right there so we can get some fishing and kayaking in. There will be other people there to hang out with if we want … and if we want to be alone, the house is set on a hundred acres of property. We won’t have to see people if we don’t feel like it.”
“You really want to go, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t mind hanging out with some of the guys from high school,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully. “I want to be with you regardless, though. Going to the reunion is enough. If this is too much for you … .”