Chapter Twenty-Six
Dan hugged Jenna. “It’s over, Jenna. It’s done. I feel like I can exhale and reclaim my life. We can get on with our lives.” Dan turned to Marta Roseland and the senator who stood watching the cars drive away. “I know you need a minute to recover from all of this, but you might want to call your lawyer now and get him or her involved. You will get her necklace back, but special provisions need to be made to secure the necklace. I wouldn’t want the five-million-dollar necklace thrown into an evidence box at the police station. In situations like this, special precautions must be made.”
Marta’s hand went instinctively to her neck. “Yes, oh my yes, call David.”
The senator nodded and again put his arm around his wife. “Don’t worry, after all of this, no one is getting their hands on your necklace for too long. And as for the two of you, I don’t know quite what to say. You have gone above and beyond for Marta and me, and neither of us will ever forget you. I hope you both decide to make Savannah your permanent home. Marta has told me about your connection here and how much you love it. You both have a standing invitation to visit us here and in Washington.”
“You most certainly do.” Marta nodded. “And, Jenna, I’d love to hear more about your plans, if you care to share. If you will be around here for a while, call me, and we can chat over lunch. I will ask Kerri to send you my private cell number.”
“That’s very kind, Marta, and I’d love to meet you for lunch. We both wish you well. And hey, guard that necklace.”
“Oh, you can bet I will. We will have new security precautions both here and in Washington now.”
As the couples went their separate ways, Jenna was struck again by the closeness of the senator and his wife. They were a real team. Jenna missed it. She glanced at Dan as they left, wondering if she could be so lucky.
The next few days were a blur as Dan and Jenna gave statements to the local police, the FBI, and the GBI, and they dodged the local press.
The senator asked them to stay around and help him with his prep for addressing the public about the incident. He paid them each a nice bonus for their work on the case, which surprised them both.
Jenna saw Marta’s hand there.
The senator made a big deal about how much Dan and Jenna helped when he made his speech to the staff, which was also covered by the press.
They didn’t know whether to be grateful or afraid. This put them both in the spotlight, and neither wanted to be in it—ever. As soon as it was over, they both left with a promise to the Roselands to stay in touch.
As they crossed the bridge going back into the city, Dan sat back and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “We did it, Jenn. We got the bad guys and helped the good guys, and here we are to tell the tale. Luck was on our side.”
“It might be selfish to say, but I think we deserved a bit of good luck. But I, for one, won’t be in a hurry to go to any more political events. I like the Roselands, though, especially Marta. She’s an honest and good person underneath all the political shine. I think they both mean well, and Georgia is lucky to have them.”
Dan laughed. “Don’t say that to Marta, or she will have you working on their campaign.”
Jenna shook her head. “Too late now, it’s all over but the voting. You know all of this will come out in the papers, all the ugly details, but I don’t think it will hurt the senator, at all. But it could have gone down badly if Harper and Gail were not caught, and not to mention Sal Amato who was running loose. Or I should say if you didn’t catch them, Dan. Give yourself a bit of credit for the result.”
“I would, except to be honest, I was here for me, and well, for you, too. I wanted to catch them before they set us up. So, it turned out well, but I started it for me, not them and their necklace. I can’t in good conscience take too many bows. I’m no one’s hero, Jenn.”
Jenna blew him a kiss. “You’ll always be a hero to me.”
“I’ll try to live up to that, but the truth is, and this might shock you, grilling and making bread sounds more my speed now. I’m tired of risk-taking, international thieves, and trying to stay alive, Jenn. Does the new me disappoint you too much?”
“Are you kidding? Keep baking, hot stuff. Though if you do, then I’ll have to double up on my running.”
“Speaking of grilling, I wonder if the grill will come with the house. Remind me to ask.”
“Hmm, and those watercolors prints in the dining area. You will call him as soon as we get to the house, right?” Jenna gave him her best flirty smile.
“Do I have a choice?” Dan pressed his lips tight.
Jenna sat back in the car, watching her much-loved city come into view, and she daydreamed about how she would decorate the townhouse she didn’t even own—yet. But she had great faith in Dan’s ability to sway his friend to sell it.
She knew Dan was still wary of how sincere she was about giving up her life in New York…and with good reason. Dan seemed to want to steer clear of the topic recently. Jenna knew he was giving her time to process all that had happened—and not the least of which was his reappearance in her life. She worried about it, too, though she believed him when he said he loved her and why he had done what he had. Still, a lesson learned. One should not put all of one’s dreams on one thing or one person, but rather figure out what is most important, work on that dream, and know one’s own worth.
At thirty-eight years old, she had learned a lot about people, and she knew it was inevitable people would let you down and you will let others down. But honesty and kindness could go a long way, she decided. These were the things she remembered from living in Savannah before and what she still saw. It was a community of people who reminded her so much of her beloved grandmother and her values.
As Jenna continued to walk around Savannah, she had fallen in love with it again and back in love with Dan, if she had ever fallen out of love. She wasn’t sure she ever stopped loving him. She was also in love with the townhouse, and she was sure about it. Her reservations had fallen by the wayside, and those little fears and the what-ifs had ceased to matter as much as they had before. Maybe having a gun in her back made her think deeper about life, its value, and how she wanted to live it.
One more thing was on her agenda, and the item was one of the most important things. Jenna needed to make sure Dan was feeling the same things she was. She thought he was, but the only way to know was to ask him. He didn’t ask her again when she planned to return to New York, or what she had decided about the house, and she wasn’t sure why. Was he waiting on her? The time to find out where he stood on everything was now. The time had arrived to get on with her life and make the changes she knew she could make. She didn’t want to do it without Dan, but she knew she could if she must, as difficult as it was to consider.
Over dinner, Jenna decided to do it, to ask all the questions, but first, she wanted to acknowledge what they had been through, and most importantly, to let him know he was appreciated. Jenna looked at Dan now, who seemed quiet and distracted, and smiled. “Dan, you saved a lot of people a lot of money and anguish. No one else could have done what you did or could have known what these particular thieves were thinking, not even the FBI or Interpol.”
Dan leaned across the table. “It takes a thief to catch a thief, remember.” He sat straight and looked her in the eye. “Maybe we should open our own investigation firm. You sell your magazine and give up your New York City job and all that traffic and noise, and we could buy this townhouse you love. We can search for office space downtown, become legit, and start getting into the business of everyone else’s business in this town.” His blue eyes stared. “How about it?”
Jenna sat back and looked at him, deciding if he was even halfway serious. “One thing about you, Dan, you do dream vividly. You know, though I might not agree to this plan merely to please you, a chance exists I could be persuaded to stay in Savannah since I love this house.”
Her heart rate ticked up. Was he answering all of her questions before she asked them?
Dan was grinning now and staring.
The gesture made her uneasy about what was coming next.
“Oh, so sorry, it’s not just the house, and there is no negotiation. Didn’t I mention the fine print? I come with the house. In fact, I will tell my dear friend who owns this house it’s a stipulation in any agreement the two of you work out. You see, it pays to have friends who owe you favors. You get to collect from time to time.”
“You were always a step ahead of me, and still are it seems. I should have known. I suppose I could tolerate you in order to have this house and get to live in Savannah again.” Jenna batted her eyelashes. “A high price, though, so I might resort to charming you to see things my way.”
“Good to know I come in second to this house. I suppose I can live with it, but I need to know one thing, though, before we can go forward.”
Jenna smiled, tiny shivers trailing up her spine as she tried to figure out what he was up to. “Oh, only one thing?”
Dan’s pacing had stopped, and he walked toward Jenna. “Yes, the most important thing—you said I owed you something, and I needed to figure out what that was before you’d truly forgive me for what I did, right?”
“I’m impressed you remember.”
“I remember everything you have ever said, Jenna. But this one thing, yeah, I think I figured it out.”
“Okay, let’s hear it. And I hope you are right.”
“I believe I am. I made a promise that I was—am, late in keeping. But I’m keeping it now.” Dan pulled a small blue box from his jacket. “Your ring, as promised five years ago, the one to match your bracelet. Sorry to be five years late.”
Jenna’s hand shook as she took the box, and she held it for a few seconds before she lifted the lid, holding her breath.
Dan stared. “Well, did I get it right?”
The tears ran down her face. Yes, it was a diamond-and-emerald engagement ring that matched her emerald earrings and the bracelet he had given her before.
“You remembered. Yes, you got it right,” she whispered.
Dan got down on his knees beside her chair. “Well, am I forgiven?”
Jenna brushed the tears away, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Yes, you are forgiven. I forgave you weeks ago, but I’m glad I held out for the ring to make it official. It’s official this time, right? You’re not running off to Paris or parts unknown?”
“No more running. I will ask again just for the record while I am down here on my knees. Jenna Myers, will you marry me?”
Jenna looked down at her ring. “Hmm, sounds kind of official, so I don’t know. I might need to think about it. You are not the most dependable guy.”
“Jenna!”
“Well, okay, you were pretty impressive these past few days, and you do come with the house I love, and you are damn sexy in that apron. And now you can even cook, and well, this ring…so, yes, I guess I will marry you.”
Dan smiled and pointed at the apron. “I knew that apron would win you over. But seriously, Jenna, I will try to make you happy.”
“If you promise me no more jewel thief cases, I might be open to the private eye idea.” Jenna handed Dan the ring. “Here, you put the ring on my finger.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, as the tears ran down her cheeks. “Kelly and Kelly Detective Agency.” She slipped on the ring.”
Dan held her hand and looked at the ring. “A perfect fit. And yeah, Kelly and Kelly sounds right. And there’ll be no fighting about whose name would come first on the door sign.”
“You can get off your knees now.”
“Okay, thanks. I’m pushing forty all too soon, and it’s getting more difficult to be on my knees. What do you say we take a bottle of wine upstairs and celebrate?”
“Yes, and we can talk about the wedding, our new house, new town, new business, and one other thing you should know, Dan. I think I do hear my biological clock beginning to tick.”
Dan picked up a bottle of wine and two glasses. “I can help with that. I love you, Jenna. Let’s go up and have a glass of this great wine, and take a minute to discuss our future since we have covered the past in great detail these last few days.”
“You lead, and I’ll follow.”
“The truth is, Jenn, I’ve always known my future would be bleak without you. I got to see just how bleak these last few years. Having you back in my life is more than I deserve.”
Jenna put a hand on his face. “Well, Dan, my goodness, you are unusually romantic tonight. I like it.”
Dan laughed. “It’s the Savannah heat.”