Along Came a Husband (13 page)

Ever since he’d shared the truth about his childhood, he’d felt raw, like one big bullet wound. Now he was the one avoiding her. Memories of her, old and new, flooded in, and his anger, at her and himself, built.
Dammit!
He wanted to punch his fist through the wall. He should’ve never come here. Never. He’d thought he’d be safe with her. If only for a few weeks. His body might be healing, but it felt as if his heart was breaking all over again.

But that couldn’t be. His heart wasn’t—couldn’t be—involved in this. He wouldn’t let it come to that.

Work. That would distract him. There had to be something he could do. Keeping his fingers crossed that Reynolds had made some headway, Jonas dialed the agent’s cell phone.

“Special Agent Reynolds.”

“It’s Abel. What do you know?”

“I’ll make this quick. It appears your undercover op with Stein is not entirely legit.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means Paul Kensington was so disgusted with the lack of progress on this assignment that he was about to shut you, Matthews and Stein down.”

“That’s bullshit! I’ve been filing weekly reports since this whole thing started.” With the Bureau’s attention turning away from drug trafficking and toward counter-terrorism since 9/11, the fact that things had fallen through the cracks on this case didn’t surprise Jonas. That could mean only one thing.

“It looks like this thing is dead. Kensington wants you to come in.”

“No.” Jonas squeezed his eyes shut, trying to make sense of this. “Either Stein or Kensington, maybe both, are dirty.”

“It’s not Kensington. He’s got too much to lose. Word is he might be up for director in a couple of years. Stein, on the other hand, just went through a nasty divorce.”

Reynolds was only confirming what Jonas knew in his gut. “I’m not letting this go. I’ve got enough evidence here to bust this operation wide-open.”

Reynolds said nothing.

“Don’t you get it? Someone was using me and Matthews to gather evidence. Now they’re going to sell it to Delgado.”

“That’s possible,” Reynolds said, but there was something else. The concern in his voice was unmistakable.

“What’s going on, Louis? What else did you find?”

“A half a million dollars wired into an offshore account. In your name.”

“Son of a bitch.” Jonas ran his hand through his hair. Most likely they were trying to discredit Jonas in order to buy some time. Why? What if Delgado’s deal was still on? But where? When? “If this was my baby why would I call you? They’re setting me up.”

“That was my guess, too, but Kensington isn’t convinced.”

“You already briefed Kensington?”

“I had to, Jonas. This is too big. Turns out he already had his eye on Stein.”

Jonas had had enough of sitting around picking lint out of his belly button. Time to put this to bed. “I’m going after Stein.”

“No, Jonas. That’s an order from above. You are to remain where you are. Stay put. Let us work it out from this end.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You don’t have a choice. If you’re going to do anything at all, send in the evidence you’ve accumulated these past two years on this drug cartel. Prove to everyone you’re clean.”

Jonas mulled that possibility over. It would take Reynolds some time to put all this evidence together for the appropriate warrants, but this was the only hope Jonas had of busting Delgado. And Stein. “All right. I’ll overnight my files to you. Louis, be very careful.”

The moment Jonas hung up the phone he copied every piece of data from his memory stick onto another one. Then he went to the village and mailed off all his files to Reynolds with a prayer that sacrificing the past four years of his life hadn’t been for nothing.

He went outside, breathed in a lungful of fresh air, trying to clear his thoughts. It wasn’t enough. Needing to be amidst people, even if they were strangers, he walked through town and ended up in front of the marina watching a charter boat returning. Excited tourists hopped onto the dock and posed for pictures with their catches of salmon and lake trout. They were joking around and generally enjoying their vacations.

Some guys had all the luck. He spun away from them and walked farther down Main. The sound of laughter and the smell of homemade fudge permeated the air as Reynolds’s words echoed in his mind.

Your undercover op with Stein is not entirely legit.

He’d been living a damned lie in more ways than one and had given up on Missy all those years ago for no good reason. What was a man supposed to believe in?

He ran his hands over his face and caught his reflection in the front windows of Duffy’s Pub. He’d lost everything he’d ever valued for this job and where had it gotten him? And where the hell did he go from here?

The old-fashioned red, white and blue pole outside the barbershop on the side street caught his eye. Immediately, he headed toward it. He could start by putting himself right again.

“Missy, I know this is quite out of the ordinary,” Barbara said, looking more than a little sheepish. “I apologize for not giving you notice, but this is the way Jessica wanted to meet you. Out of the blue. In your element, if you will.”

Tell her. Tell her the truth about Jonas right now. There’s no point in drawing this out.

The explanation formed in Missy’s brain, but the words wouldn’t come. As she glanced into the eyes of the clearly pregnant woman who’d come in with Barbara all thoughts of the truth flew her mind. An instant connection seemed to form between her and both the young woman and her unborn baby. This was meant to be. Missy could feel it as sure as she could feel her own heart beat.

“Missy, this is Jessica. Jessica this is Missy Charms.”

“Hi,” Jessica said.

“Hello, Jessica. Welcome to Mirabelle.” Missy ached inside at the uncertainty she saw in those blue eyes. Nothing less than fate had brought her to Missy, but why? It didn’t make sense. This adoption was bound to fall apart as soon as she told Barbara the truth about Jonas.

“So this is your gift shop, huh?” Jessica glanced around.

“This is Whimsy. Walk around, if you want.”

Jessica took her time checking out one aisle after another. Missy gauged she couldn’t be older than sixteen. With waist-length, straight brown hair and a loose-fitting peasant-type blouse, she looked like a throwback to the 1960s. Only the tiny gemstone piercing her nostril and the tattoo on her neck indicated she was a twenty-first century teen.

Barbara leaned toward Missy and whispered, “Normally, I wouldn’t accommodate Jessica’s request to visit unannounced, but she was insistent. I knew you’d do whatever it might take. Was I wrong?”

“No, you were right,” Missy whispered back. “Jessica has every right to be careful. And I will do whatever it takes.” She hadn’t yet copped to Jonas’s existence, had she? Even now, the lie weighed heavily on her mind.

“She’s asked about your financial situation.” Barbara continued to whisper. “But all we’ve told her is that you own your own home and business.”

“I appreciate that,” Missy said.

Jessica poked her head out from the end of an aisle. “What’s fair trade?”

Missy explained that the profits from the merchandise she purchased went directly into the hands of the makers of the goods, rather than through intermediary wholesalers. “Cutting out the middleman helps a lot of mothers in poorer countries.”

“Tight.” She studied Missy.

Missy held her searching gaze. It was all she could do not to reach out and place her hand on Jessica’s bulging stomach. How amazing it must be to feel a baby growing inside, to feel her come to life, kicking, or hiccupping. Though she understood Jessica’s decision, she imagined there were a few conflicting emotions going on inside the young woman.

Suddenly, back from her lunch break, Gaia burst into the shop. “Hey, Missy! Brought you back some pasta.”

“Thank you.” Missy took the take-out container. “Gaia, this is Jessica and Barbara.”

Gaia’s eyes widened. She’d worked for Missy long enough to recognize the name of her adoption representative.

“Hi.” Jessica studied Gaia, took in her dreadlocks and the tiny hoops, but exactly what she was thinking wasn’t immediately apparent. “Do you work for Missy?”

“My third summer.” Gaia nodded.

“So you like working here?” Barbara asked.

“Like?” Gaia chuckled. “Missy’s the best boss ever. I’m not sure I want to move on after college.”

“Gaia, there’s no need to embellish,” Missy said, feeling uncomfortable.

“Well, it’s true.”

Suddenly embarrassed, Missy asked, “Would you like to go somewhere we can talk, get something to eat?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Barbara said.

“I’ve got the store covered,” Gaia announced with a smile.

Missy nervously stepped out onto the sidewalk. “There’s a café by the marina that has wonderful salads.”

“Can we see your house first?” Jessica asked.

Missy’s heart felt as though it’d skipped a beat. If Jonas was in her home, this meeting would fall apart in seconds. She glanced at Barbara hoping the woman would give her an out, but the older woman only shrugged. There was no way out.

“Sure. Let’s go.” Missy led the way up the hill, saying one prayer after another.

“You didn’t grow up here, right?” Jessica asked as they walked.

“I was raised out east. Long Island.” By the time they’d reached her stone fence, she’d answered several more simple informational type questions. “Here we are.”

Jessica glanced up and smiled. “This is your house? It’s so pretty.”

“Thanks.” Missy was rather partial to it, as well. She unlocked the front door and breathed a sigh of relief that Jonas didn’t appear to be around. Clutter was everywhere, as usual, but at least the place was relatively clean. “I’m sorry things are kind of cluttered.”

She picked up a stack of mail on the counter and put it on top of her desk by the phone. Grabbed a couple of dishes and put them in the sink.

“Don’t, Missy,” Jessica said. “This doesn’t look any messier than my own bedroom. You have a home. Not just a house.” She walked around, taking in pictures and photos, the titles of books in her bookshelf.

“This is about it. My bedroom’s in back.”

Jessica went toward the hall. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

Barbara patted her shoulder. “You’re doing great.”

“Can I go upstairs?” Jessica asked.

“Um…it’s…” Missy hesitated.

“Well, maybe it’s time to get something to eat,” Barbara said, coming to Missy’s rescue. “We can visit better if we’re sitting at a table.”

Jessica looked around as if she wasn’t yet ready to go, as if she might be trying to imagine how a baby might fit into the mix. Where would the highchair go? The crib? The toys? Would a baby living in this home be loved and cherished?

Yes, Missy’s heart whispered.
Oh, yes.
“You ready, Jessica?” she asked, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by emotion.

“I think so.” She turned and smiled at Missy. “Please call me Jessie.”

My God, it’s Jonas.

He’d not only had his long hair buzzed off, he’d gotten every single whisker shaved off his cheeks and chin. As she moved closer Missy lost her breath. Those lips. Without the stubble on his cheeks, the lush fullness of his mouth became immediately apparent. Aside from the graying at his temples that was now visible with the shorter cut, this looked like the Jonas she’d fallen in love with. The Jonas who had broken her heart.

He noticed her immediately, and his eyes narrowed. “Missy.”

“You shaved. Cut your hair. You look…”

“The way you remember me?” She would’ve expected for him to express some form of triumph, especially after the way she’d melted in his arms the other night, but the tone of his voice was as unreadable as ever. “I’ve always detested that long hair and beard,” he explained. “Besides, my cover was blown.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off his face. “What are you doing downtown?”

“I called Reynolds. I needed to get out of your house.”

“And?”

“It’s getting messy. Now I’m being framed.”

That didn’t sound good, and while part of her wanted to dig into the details she wouldn’t let herself get drawn in to his life. There was only one part of this new development that impacted her. “So you still can’t leave Mirabelle?”

“Not yet.” His gaze, holding a hint of regret, lingered on her face for a moment, and for a moment Missy spotted the old Jonas hidden deep under this man’s protective layers. This man standing before her didn’t merely look like the old Jonas. The old Jonas was truly there, under his skin.

God help her, but she wanted to touch his smooth face, urge that old Jonas to resurface.
We could start over. You and me. Adopt Jessie’s baby and build a family, a life, here on Mirabelle. Maybe this time it would work.

And maybe this time her heart would not only break, it would shatter into a million pieces. Instinctively, she reached for the crystals around her neck and found instead the Chinese coin pendant Sarah had given her for her last birthday.

She was on her own.