Tidal Falls (Wounded Hearts Book 1) (17 page)

“So then what happened? Did you meet some guy at the party and have wild monkey sex w
ith him?” Sara teased, and then seeing the look on Annie’s expressive face, “oh, you did meet someone. Was he hot? Was it bad, what?”

“
He was hotter than sin and it was the most enchanting night of my life. Everything I always knew it would be.”

“Oh
, my God. You nailed him, your friend. That’s who you ended up with?” Sara half-laughed in amazement.

“I’m
still not sure how it happened. One minute we were talking and laughing about the evening and the next minute he had me pinned up against the back door of this very store. Both of us drank too much, but no, we weren’t drunk by then, that wasn’t why. I know, because I’ve gone over it at least a thousand times since then. He, of course knew I was still working here, and asked if I had a key, so we could rest a bit before finishing the trip, even though it’s only five blocks, but hey, I was more than willing.” She stopped for a moment, lost to nostalgia.

“It was perfect. H
e was perfect, and even though he was gone the next day, without a word, I can’t be sorry because he left me with a very precious gift.” They both swiped a few tears, as they watched their bundles of joy arguing about whose go it was to turn on the colored picture from their game.

Shaking her head, Sara had to smile at the paths that had led them to this moment, so different, yet so much the same. Her cell began to sing
“Sweet Home Alabama” from the front pocket of her pants and she pulled it out to see Nick’s name lighting up the screen, a beacon calling her to him, as sure as if he were standing right there in front of her.

Determined t
o keep her personal feelings hidden, she answered with a calmness she was far from feeling. “Nick, I’m kind of busy at the moment, what do you need?”

Her heart went skittering when
he sighed softly in her ear. “I miss you, Sara. Is it so wrong to want to talk to you? Don’t shut me out, okay? Anyway, that’s not why I’m calling, I’ll save that conversation for face to face. The guys and I were heading to Grace’s for breakfast and thought you might like to join us. Come on, Jared’s buying, and that only happens once in a millennium, so we should make it count, right?”

She smiled at
the boyish delight lighting his voice. Maybe they could at least come out of this as friends. The thought of losing him completely made a hard fist twist in her stomach. “I am kind of hungry this morning, and Grace’s does sound good.” Sara watched as Annie turned away to begin the cleanup process from their spur-of-the-moment party. “I need to finish up here and then I’ll meet you, say fifteen minutes?”

The relief was evident in Nic
k’s warm tenor, “Okay good, I’ll see you then, and Sara—”

Her hand
tightened its grip on the cell held to her ear, “Nick—” she breathed.

“Don’t forget to order big.” H
e clicked off, leaving her smiling. She was coming to the realization that the heart wanted what it wanted and her head was only along as mediator.

“So, that was Nick on the phone,” and at Annie’s knowing smirk, “he wants me to join him and h
is friends for breakfast at Grace’s. Why don’t we bundle up the rug-rats and all go?”

“Oh no you don’t
, missy, you are not going to put me in the middle of your lovers spat, no, no, no. You go, show him that you’re no pushover and the kids and I will stay right here doing what we do best, making a mess.” Annie looked amused at Sara’s obvious discomfort. “You’ll be fine, honey. Give yourself a little time to process, and then put it behind you. Life is too damn short to stay mad or hurt, ask someone who knows. If you get a second chance then for God’s sake, take it. He’s a good man, Sara. Maybe he did screw up, but then, don’t we all? None of us are perfect, my friend, well except for those two.” She waved her slim hand at the kids as they went zooming by on scooters, one blue, one red, laughing like banshees.

Sara’s heart
swelled as she watched the uncomplicated joy the children exhibited. She’d never had that as a child and it had hurt unbearably to see the light dying in Jessica’s eyes the longer Tom forced them to stay. She was fiercely glad they had found this town full of kind, caring people and she vowed to do whatever necessary to ensure her daughter continued to thrive and grow here.

She agreed with Annie, life
was
too short to waste, and as soon as this situation with Tom was over, she would sit down with herself and figure out exactly what she wanted to do about Nick. For right now though, she had a date with a trio of gorgeous, sexy men for breakfast. A girl had to do what a girl had to do.

“Okay I’m going. I
f you need me for anything I’ll have my cell on me at all times, and Annie, thanks for everything.” She leaned in and gave her friend a long hug, soaking up the scents of citrus, sunshine and the faint sugary sweetness from the donuts, which were as much a part of Annie as her smile.

“Jessica,” Sara called, trying to be heard above the whirr of the scooter wheels, and the ooga-ooga of the attached horns as the kids raced towards them, looks of determinatio
n lighting their cherubic faces. “Jess, stop for a minute, I need to talk to you.”

With a satisfying squeal of rubber, Jess
ica came to a sudden halt right in front of her Mom. “Did you see us? We were flying like the wind, right Mom?”

“You sure were
, honey. Listen, I’m going to leave now,” at her daughter’s moan of sadness, “not you, you can stay for a few days and keep Chris company, how does that sound?”

“Wow, really? B
ut who’s going to take care of Jake?” She had a good point, in all the upheaval of the last forty-eight hours Sara had forgotten all about the poor dog.

“Listen, we have plent
y of room at our house for Jake. Why don’t you run home, grab him and bring him back here? The kids will love it. It’ll give Fitzroy some company too.”

“Fitzroy’s our cat; he’s old
now so all he does is sleep.” Chris informed her in his solemn little voice. “I bet Jake and him will be friends, like me and you.” He said as he looked to Jessica.

“I
’ll see what Nick says, it’s his dog after all. Annie, I don’t know what to say, except thank-you so much, I owe you.”

“You’re welcome, that’s what friends are for.”

“Don’t forget Jake’s leash, it’s hanging on the peg by the door, like you told me to do. Organization is very important, Chris, a place for everything and everything in its place.” The two women burst out laughing at this piece of sage advice, the storage room looking as if a tornado had recently gone through.

“Thanks o’
wise one. Okay, I’m off then, give me a hug.” As her daughter raced into her arms, Sara’s closed around her protectively, tears springing up. The next few days she would once again be apart from the most important person in her life. It wouldn’t be safe for her to come over or even to call after they put into motion their plans. She knew Tom would do everything in his considerable power to stop her, including using his own daughter to achieve it.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jared pushed the car door open and
hopped out the moment Frank pulled up in front of Grits and Grace, his lanky legs carrying him to the glass doors.

“Hey man, where’s the fire? Don’t worry, Grace has plenty of food, you don’t have to race us for it.
” Nick joked through the open passenger window, shooting a look sideways to the chief, only to notice he wasn’t getting out as he stared somberly out the window after his friend.

“Um, am I missing something here
?” Silence. He decided to try again. “Frank, you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I thin
k you’re about to find out.”

Jared sent them a what
-the-hell’s-taking-you-so-long look, coupled with a distinct plea for support that had the two men scrambling to catch up. Nick didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on but if his buddy needed him, he was there.

They waited as
Jared drank in a deep breath, let it whoosh out, squared his shoulders and stepped through the doors. The first thing to hit them were the smells, maple from the bacon and the ham, rosemary and sage from the turkey that had more than likely been cooking for a couple of hours, the rich beefy smell of gravy, and the aroma of fresh brewed coffee mixed with the tang of orange juice. There was a cacophony of noise, jukebox playing Hank Jones, the rise and fall of conversations from the nearly full breakfast crowd, and servers calling out orders to the kitchen.

“There she is
, out from the back to schmooze the customers, her favorite part of the job she always said. Keep ‘em happy and they’ll come back.” Jared’s tone was a complicated mix of love and frustration. Nick, who was standing close because of the small entry, could feel the shiver of shock run through Jared’s body. She flirted her way from table to table, with a kind word here, pat on the shoulder there, and then there she was, standing in front of them about to ask where they would like to be seated when she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and actually looked, as if sensing his turmoil.

“Hi
, Momma.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock, and her green eyes just like Jared’s, welled up with happy tears.
“Oh my good Lord. Jared.” She brought shaking fingers up and hesitantly set them against his lean cheek. “Well, would you look at you? You grew into a fine looking young man. I always knew you would though, good genes.”

At his shaky laugh, Gr
ace held up her soft arms and he wrapped his own arms around her rotund figure and lifted her right off her feet, swinging her around in a King Kong hug before setting her down.

Blushing at
all the amused looks, some that knew him, some not, Grace grabbed up his calloused, scarred hand, kissing it as if it were sacred, and lifted her voice to be heard above the din. “Hey all, this is my handsome boy. He’s come home to see his momma,” ending on an almost whisper, “he’s home.”

Everyone whistled and clapped as Jared wiped
the wetness from her still soft, rosy cheeks, and forced words past an obvious baseball-sized lump in his throat. “I missed you, Mom, every God-damn day, I missed you.”

“Oh son, you could have come home anytime, if you weren’t so dang stubborn,
just like your Pops, but enough, let’s save that talk for later. I want to soak up the joy of having you here, it’s been far too long. Come on now, let’s get you fed.” She retained a death grip on his hand as she led them to a man-sized booth for six set near the back, close to the kitchen, as if she was afraid to let him out of sight.

“Momma
, I’d like you to meet some good friends of mine. Chief, this is the woman who I judge all others by, which is why I’m still single.” He laughed as he turned to Nick, “Nick, I want you to meet the best cook to ever grace, pun intended, God’s green earth.”

“Well, if that isn’t the nicest introduction a girl could ever receive. I’ve
already met the very charming Nickolaus Kelley. He’s one of my regulars.” Grace grinned. “Chief, huh? I’m guessing that to mean you were my son’s superior officer.” At Frank’s slight nod, she reached over the table and gave him a swift peck on his bristly jaw. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for keeping my boy safe.”

After a round-the-
table chorus of throat clearing, she said, “Okay, enough of the sappy stuff, let’s get you fed. I know what Jared likes, so what can I get you, boys? We have on special a Meat lover’s Omelet filled with ham, bacon, sausage, and Monterey Jack cheese, or we have an eight-ounce sirloin steak and three eggs, any style. What’s it going to be, fellas?”

“A steak sounds just about perfect, thank-you ma’am, and please, call me Frank.”

“Well Frank, I can do that if you’ll drop the Ma’am, which makes me feel about a billion years old, and call me Grace.” Winking she turned to Nick, “Okay honey, what about you, and where’s my Sara Sunshine?”

“She’s on the way. The
omelet sounds fine to me, Grace, and about a gallon of coffee, please. Have you given any more thought to leaving this place and running away with me to Vegas to get married?” He teased.

“Go on now; you wouldn’t know what to do with me if you had me.” She ch
uckled as she called out to Susan, “Sue, look who’s here. Grab ‘em some coffee, would ya? I have to head back and whip my boy up a welcome home meal.” With a swift hug and a lingering kiss on one cheek while she patted the other, Grace bestowed a watery smile on Jared before turning into the kitchen where they could hear her giving orders left and right, as good as any drill sergeant they’d ever had.

“So, I didn’t see that one coming, though I probably should have. You look like her.”

“Well if you think I’m calling you dad, forget it.” Jared replied, “What are you doing hitting on my momma anyway? How many women do you need, Kelley?”

“Hey don’t blame me, blame
my stomach. That woman can cook.” Nick grinned appreciatively.

“
Yeah well, since you tried picking her up I think the bill should be yours…Pops.”

“I told you it wouldn’t
be so bad. Family is everything, Jare. I love you like a brother but I was about ready to kick your ass if you hadn’t decided to mend your fences.” Frank rumbled from the corner as a thin as a rail woman came barreling up to their table, mugs in one hand, coffee pot in the other.

“Well
, if it isn’t the prodigal son returned, and looking about a million bucks.” She slammed the cups and pot on the table and threw herself into Jared’s arms, narrowly missing taking out an eye from the pen she had tucked into her salt and pepper beehive hairdo. “Your mom missed you so bad, sugar. Welcome home.”

“Sue, I can’t believe some handsome guy hasn’t swept you off to a land of leisure yet. You look the same.”

She hooted, her eyes glued on Jared as she poured out the three coffees, barely watching what she was doing. “I told you a long time ago, honey, you spoiled me for any other man.”

Interesting as this was, Nick had been keeping a close eye on the door every time it opened, and then suddenly, there she was. The sun coming through the open doorway behind her created a nimbus over her head as she hesitated for a moment, letting her eyes accustom to the dim
setting as she searched the room for him. She had a pair of dark trousers on that highlighted her slim thighs and mile-long legs. Over that, she had put some kind of silvery diaphanous top that flowed around her body from the outside breeze, creating an almost otherworldly look, especially with her golden eyes catching the light.

As s
he moved toward him, almost seeming to float among the sun’s rays, Nick wanted her with a fierceness he was beyond hiding. There had to be a way to convince her he hadn’t withheld from her to purposely deceive her. She arrived at the table, and after glancing for a long moment at the empty spot beside him, chose to instead slide in beside Jared. Ouch.

“Good morning
, beautiful, where’ve you been all my life?” He slung an arm over her shoulders and gave a squeeze, and swear-to-God, Nick was going to punch his nose in if he kept that crap up for long.

“Morning yourself, sounds as if you got plenty of sleep last night. That’s good, because after today I think we’re all going to be running on nerves
. In case I forget to say it, thank-you again for agreeing to come and help me with this, I can never repay you enough.”

“Don’t even think about it, we’re happy to help. I needed to get Jared out of Vegas for a while anyway, before he wrecked the whole damn city.” Frank clapped his friend over the shoulder, causing a hard grunt as Jared bore the impact.

Jared raised an eyebrow, “I wouldn’t have shut down the entire strip, just the places that pissed me off.”

Nick wasn’t
sure if he was kidding or not, the boy was seriously wacko. But then they say that’s the flipside of being a genius.

Sue stopped by to r
efill cups and get Sara’s order. “Just coffee for me thanks, I’ve had breakfast already.”

“Sure honey, no worries.
Jared, your momma says to tell you it’s coming right up. We got hit with a bit of a rush so she’s backed up in there for a few.”

“Tell her to leave us for last
, Susan. We’re good, especially since a sweet server I know is keeping us happy with plenty of strong black coffee.”

Sue giggled like a fifteen-year-
old as she moved on to the next table, fluffing her hair up with her pen as she gazed adoringly at Jared.

“Another conq
uest for your little black book?” Nick said, and ducked the creamer missile hurled at his head.

Sara stared at Jared,
“Your Mom? Is Grace really your mother, Jared?”

“Well, you don’t have to sound quite so shocked about it. Is it so hard to believe she might have raised a hooligan like me?” Jared only half jested.

“Of course not, it just caught me by surprise. Wow, talk about a small world. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Her and Tess have done so much to make Jessica and I feel at home here. I count her as a very dear friend.” Sara smiled warmly at him and even though Nick knew it was platonic, he still had to clench his hands in his lap, because he wanted those smiles.

He needed to put an end to this
whole Sheridan business so maybe Sara and he could finally talk. Right now, with it hanging over their heads reminding her of what she thought he’d done, there was no chance.

“I
f you two are done with the mutual admiration party, think we can get down to business? I want to make sure we’re prepared for anything before we bring Sheridan anywhere near here.” he growled.

Sara regarded him as if he had a screw loose before repl
ying to the table in general, “He’s expecting Nick to take me back today, so I think the first thing we have to do is call him, let him know there’s a change of plans. He thinks Nick’s working for him, so why don’t we continue to let him think that?”

At his immediate move to object, Sara turned those lasers on him, the hurt and betrayal he could see swimming in their beautiful depths, cutting him to t
he bone. “You owe me this, you know I’m right. The only way he’s going to give us the time we need to get the DEA here is if he believes you’ll be watching me.”

Turning back to Frank
, Sara asked, “How much time do you think it will take them to come? We have to hurry; I’m scared of what he might do to Fiona.”

“
I agree, time is of the essence. Which is why I phoned Agent Holt as soon as I woke this morning. They’re on a plane headed this way even as we speak.”

“That’s perfect
then, we can all coordinate together.”

“Their plane is scheduled to land in Seattle at one, so Jared and I will leave from here to go pick them up. You
two can head back to the house…Sara’s?” At her nod. “We’ll meet up there around three, then you can make your call. I need you to make a list and keep to it. Do not let him change anything. You have to be the one in charge. Nick can help you get prepared. If Sheridan senses for one moment that something isn’t right we’ll lose him, so your preparation for this is critical, you get me?” He gave Nick a hard stare over Sara’s down-bent head.

Oh yeah, Nick
got the message, loud and clear. Keep the personal issues out until they had this thing wrapped up. He could do that, he didn’t have to like it, but he would do it. It was far more crucial right now to keep the focus on the case, he knew that. The most important thing was to keep Jessica and Sara safe, the rest could come later. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to take her in his arms so bad it hurt. She had to be freaking out at the thought of both the phone call and then ultimately Sheridan arriving here in a few short days. It must be messing with her head. It sure as hell was messing with his.

Grace came bustling out of the kitchen, big platters of piping hot food hel
d in her capable hands. “There you are, Sara. Have you met my boy? Look at him, isn’t he the most handsome man you ever set eyes on? He’s single…you are single, aren’t you?” Jared looked slightly dazed as he nodded dutifully. “He’s a good man, my baby. He would make a great father.”

“Mama, s
ettle down, I only just arrived. I’m not looking to hook up…Ouch!” as both Grace and Frank clobbered him. “Sorry, I’m not looking to date right now. Besides, she’s with Nick.”