Hot Water (29 page)

Check on Wyatt, for starters. She nodded at her dad and reached for her crutches. “Something quick to eat would be great. I want to get on the road to Savannah as soon as possible.”

“About that.” Her father waved her back into her chair and took a deep breath. “Wyatt’s been moved to north Georgia. His brother called to say he’d been airlifted again.”

The calm she’d begun to feel vaporized. A cackling marsh hen pierced the air, the harsh sound drumming in Laurie Ann’s head. Her hand tried to slow her racing heart. Failed. “Why? Is he worse? Is there a brain bleed? What happened?”

“He’s fine. They released him to his family’s care, and his aunt had that chopper at her disposal so there was no medical urgency. Head injuries are tricky though. They’ll need to watch him closely.”

“Does he have a concussion?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Her dad flashed a smile. “When I heard what happened to you two, it shaved fifteen years off my life, and I don’t have that many to spare.”

Laurie Ann glanced around the yard and over at the marsh. Seemed like any old day. But without the lure of seeing Wyatt, she didn’t want to do anything or see anybody. A great weariness settled on her shoulders. She yawned. “I think I’d like to go back to bed, Dad.”

“Eat first. I have more news.”

“What now?” she snapped, annoyed. What was
wrong
with her?

He smiled and his face looked less pinched. “This is good news. You’re going to Key West.”

“What?”

Her dad beamed. “The mayor offered his place down there, and the department chipped in to help with the fuel cost. My pilot friend Neve will meet us at the Brunswick airport tomorrow at noon and fly you down there. Donna cruised through the island boutiques and bought you some clothes and a sack of books to take along.”

Laurie Ann didn’t know what to say. That her friends, her community, would do so much for her, stole her breath away.

“Oh, God.” She tried to blink away the tears but they came in a fresh torrent.

Her dad moved over to stand behind her chair, his hands resting on her shoulders. She rubbed her cheek against his hand. When she finally could speak again, she said, “It’s too much.”

“They love you, hon. Same as I do. You’re a vital member of our community. Accept it as the love offering it is.”

Overwhelmed, she could only nod her acceptance.

“Good girl. I’ll be right back with your dinner. Got all your favorites, too. Noreen’s fried chicken. Jeanie’s macaroni and cheese. Glennis’ butterbeans. Rudell’s Waldorf salad. Some of Miss Mary’s cola cake. Enough food here to feed a small army.”

With that, he hurried inside. Moss swayed in the oaks overhead as the breeze stirred. Laurie Ann stared at her empty hands. Time away. She hadn’t had a real vacation since her senior year of high school when she and Donna spent a week in Daytona.

Would she even know what to do with herself?

She’d rather spend the time with Wyatt. But he was with his family. Seeing how shaken her father was, she understood how his family felt. How much they needed the physical reassurance he was still there.

He’d gotten his serial arsonist. She’d solved her homicide.

Win-win for both of them.

So why did she feel empty?

Chapter 55

Neve landed at Key West International, bought Laurie Ann groceries, and settled her into the mayor’s vacation home before he took off again.

Laurie Ann set her bag on the floor and checked her new cell phone for messages. Nothing. No voice mails either.

She couldn’t wait any longer. She punched up Wyatt’s number with trembling fingers. Voice mail. Rats.

“Wyatt, hi. Laurie Ann. Listen. I had to take two weeks off. The town sent me to—get this—Key West. If you can get away, I’d love to have you join me. The house where I’m staying is nice, and there’s a pool. Call me.”

Sinking into the butter yellow sofa, she listened to the quiet. Nobody here but her. No killers. No arsonists or cousins run amuck. What better time to curl up with a book?

She dumped out the bag of books. The mysteries looked interesting. Maybe a romance later in the week. She opened a paperback and started reading.

By dinner time, she couldn’t stand the solitude. Gathering her crutches, she made her way down to the Captain’s Roost and gorged on fish and chips. She checked the phone again after dinner. No calls.

Wyatt’s number went to voicemail again. She gritted her teeth until she heard the beep. “Hey, Wyatt. Hope you’re feeling better and hope you don’t have much of a headache. I wanted to let you know that I’m thinking of you and I miss you. Please call me as soon as you can. I-I-I need to hear your voice.”

She stared at the phone after she hung up, her stomach knotted. Why was Wyatt ducking her calls? Now that they’d caught his arsonist, had she fallen off his priority list?

****

By noon the next day, Laurie Ann couldn’t sit still. All attempts at quieting her mind failed. She threw two romance books in the trash because she couldn’t stand to read about anyone’s happy ending right now.

Why didn’t Wyatt call?

For the kazillionth time she kicked herself for not getting another phone number for his family. She could go through police channels and request their cells or unlisted numbers, but she didn’t want to seem desperate.

What was the deal?

Scenarios circled viciously in her head. Health crisis. Work. Family. Change of heart. What was it?

Not knowing was killing her.

She needed information to make a good decision.

She could call him again.

Would that be considered stalking? He’d ignored two messages already. Could she let it go? Forget about him and get on with her life?

No way. He was worth fighting for. They were worth fighting for.

She called him. The phone went to voicemail. She swiped away tears of frustration. As she waited for the beep, an incoming call signalled. Wyatt’s number.

Her heart thundered. “Hello.”

“Hey, Laurie Ann, this is Virgil. I heard the phone ringing and picked up. How are you? How’s Key West?”

“Key West is great.” Small talk. She couldn’t do it. Where was Wyatt? “Is everything all right up there?”

“Sure, sure. Everything’s fine. Give me a minute to find Wyatt. He’s in another room.”

Everything was fine? Then why hadn’t he called? Why hadn’t he responded to her invitation to join her in Key West? As the seconds ticked by, she felt less sure of herself, of them. Her interest level hadn’t changed. If anything, being away from Wyatt made her yearn for him.

Finally, Wyatt came on the line. “Hey.”

His voice. She rejoiced to hear it. “Hey, yourself. How’s the head?”

“Better.”

One-word answers. What did that mean? “Are you taking some time off?”

“I am. I need it. These last few years… I focused on finding the arsonist. Some things got away.”

She chewed her lip, wishing she could see him, wishing she could hold him in her arms. “I understand. Family is important.”

“It is.”

His voice sounded off. Less like the Wyatt she knew. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I have a headache. It hurts.”

Her pulse jumped. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Thanks.” His pause felt like forever. “I’ve been thinking…”

She held her breath. “Yes?”

“About us. Things moved quick.”

Oh, no. She didn’t like the way this was going. He was dumping her. The bright sunshine outside her window paled. “Yeah, they did.” She scowled, unsure of his intent. Was this a full rejection or a maybe? Damn. No way could she blurt out her feelings if he was dumping her. She had her pride.

“I need a few days. To get things straight, you know? Is that okay?”

He wanted to try on his old life. The life without her. “Sure. Fine.”

“Good.”

She wouldn’t beg. She wouldn’t call again. She dug deep to sound normal. “Take care of yourself, Wyatt.”

The call ended. She braced her hands on the kitchen counter, blinked back tears. He needed time. And space. She understood that.

But his intentions… Obviously, he didn’t have any.

She wanted everything with him—a future, marriage, babies. He’d seemed like The One. She rubbed her face, her fingers catching in her snarled hair. The sharp pain mirrored the ache in her heart.

If only she could separate her emotions out of the picture. Her street smarts and cop instincts couldn’t make sense of him. Her feelings were all over the place.

She wanted him so much she couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t want her.

Uncle Buford was right.

Love hurt.

****

Ten days later, Laurie Ann dangled her tanned feet in the tranquil pool. She’d hobbled through every souvenir shop in Key West, bought trinkets for everyone back home. Eaten at every restaurant and dive. Drank her way through a boatload of margaritas.

She’d carried her phone everywhere, even into bathrooms, not wanting to miss any calls. But Wyatt didn’t call.

Damn him.

She’d given her heart to him. Though they’d only been together eight days, she still reached for him in the night. She missed him so much it hurt.

She couldn’t say his name without blubbering.

They should have had more time.

She kicked the water, hard, with her good leg. Time had been against them from the start. No matter how physically attracted people were, in the end, attraction wasn’t lasting.

She had her life in Mossy Bog.

He had his with the state arson office in Atlanta.

She had to accept that Wyatt North was part of her past.

Like Lester.

And her house.

Her home.

Her dad had phoned yesterday, said he’d spoken with their insurance agent. Checks for her house and contents, along with his boat, were in the mail. She could rebuild if she wanted, or buy a new place and start fresh.

A fresh start.

She didn’t want to start from scratch. She wanted her familiar routine. She missed it terribly. She’d still have her job with the Mossy Bog PD—that was a comfort. The detective exam was still out there on the horizon. She’d get to that.

Her phone chimed.

She grabbed it.

Another text message from Donna.

Margarita time?

Those things are killers
she texted back.
Lounging by the pool instead.

I’ll drink yours. Miss me?

She did. She missed Donna, and the chief, and her dad, and Jeanie, and Roxie. Everyone. She missed every last person in Mossy Bog. Her pets. Would Gabby and Pumpkin even recognize her when she returned?

Miss you like crazy
she replied.

You’ll be home in time for supper tomorrow
.

She could face her family and friends now. She wouldn’t dissolve in a puddle of tears every time someone pitied her. During her time alone in Key West, she’d come to terms with who she was.

A damned fine cop.

A beloved daughter.

A valued member of her police force and her community.

Her people. Her place. Her life.

Whatever life held for her, she could face it.

Without Wyatt.

She understood what her dad meant about letting the emotion out now. She’d cried for Wyatt. For the
them
that never was. But the ache hadn’t lessened. She would carry it to her grave.

She’d also shed tears for her dead cousin, tears she didn’t want anyone to know about. Lester had lost his way. He’d hurt people and paid a terrible price for his crimes—his life.

She wasn’t defined by her failure to see through Lester. He’d deceived everyone. She wasn’t defined by Wyatt’s lack of interest. He’d missed the opportunity of his lifetime.

As for her housing situation, she had to make a decision. She studied magazines of house plans, trying to decide what she liked, but she liked the look of her old house best. Would it be possible to rebuild? Would the insurance settlement be enough money?

Maybe if she didn’t buy any furniture.

She snorted at the thought of sleeping on the floor.
Not!

****

Neve was full of small talk on the flight home. “Rudell and Noreen set a date for their wedding. Sloan’s officially opened a branch of Team Six Security in Mossy Bog. Your dad’s been helping out on the festival committee. Jeanie’s kids were sick again. Ear infections this time.”

Laurie Ann grinned. “Same old, same old, eh?”

“Yeah. A whole lotta nothing going on.”

“Not by a longshot. It’s home, and I missed every single person.” She needed that connection to her community; she needed to feel a part of something bigger than herself.

She needed it to live life to the fullest without the man she loved.

She was living proof you didn’t die from a broken heart. You grieved, then you pulled yourself together and put one foot in front of the other.

“We missed you,” Neve said, his weathered face beaming. “That Calucci fella’s gonna drive you home. I’ve got errands to run in Brunswick.”

Not her dad as she’d hoped, but a ride was a ride.

Despite the dull ache in her heart, she felt rested. Ready to get back to work. Ready to take on the world. She owed everyone for such a lovely time of rest and relaxation.

At the airport, Josh Calucci finally looked comfortable in city cop blue. Hat in hand, he nodded politely at her. “Welcome home. We missed you.” He reached for her bag and the crutches she no longer needed.

“I missed y’all. How’s my dad?”

“He’s good. He couldn’t get away this afternoon, but he said he’d see you back at the house.”

She’d have to see about a rental. She couldn’t bunk with her dad indefinitely, and no telling how long it would take to rebuild her home. But for now, her dad’s place was where she wanted to be.

“Anything happening at work?” she asked after they were on the road.

“Been interviewing for a cop to replace Harlow.”

“Can’t say as I’ll miss him,” Laurie Ann said. “But I missed rolling through the streets of town. How’s Chief Tyler?”