Chapter Twenty-Seven
While Arden spent her New Year’s Eve as planned, Dubecki studied his new ID. The forger had price gouged him, no question, but he’d delivered.
Once he was good and settled with Arden in The Retreat, he’d find the best way to sell his mother’s big fat diamond engagement ring. It would more than make up for it.
He’d check out of this dump of a motel in the morning, and Samuel Robert Lewis would check into a decent hotel. And, according to his calculations and route, would book another in Boise. He’d take a day to fix his accounts, two at the most, then head west again.
He should arrive, flush with money, and in his newly painted classy blue Mercedes by January fifth, maybe the sixth.
It couldn’t take a day or two more to retrieve—he liked that word, retrieve—Arden. A few hours later, they’d be at The Retreat, where they’d snuggle right in for the rest of the winter while she learned her lesson.
By spring, she’d be tamed—another word he liked—and they’d be the happiest couple on the planet.
He picked up her photo, gave it a kiss.
“It’ll take some work, but I don’t mind. In fact, I’m going to enjoy it.”
He picked up the newly purchased handcuffs. He’d gone with gunmetal gray instead of shiny silver. More, to his mind, dignified.
“We’re going to have some fun with these.”
As he’d worked until nearly three a.m., Gideon slept in. Arden started the New Year with a workout, and feeling righteous, considered seeing if she could give her stalled story a kick in the ass.
Before she could, her phone signaled a FaceTime request from Jen.
“Hey! Happy New Year, and safe travels.”
“Happy New Year. We decided not to fly home today after all.”
“Can’t get enough of those California Pacific views?”
“It’s spectacular.” Travis angled his head in.
“Agreed,” Jen said. “But we’re actually driving back into Oregon.
A house we liked where we liked just dropped the asking price.
Doug thinks it’s a sign. So we’re all driving up to take another look.
Zoey, Boone, and the girls are driving down.
We hoped you would, too. If nothing else, we’ll have a big family lunch somewhere and say goodbye in person again. ”
Arden decided she’d kick-start the story later.
“Text me the address, and I’ll be there. It’s the one in Myrtle Creek, isn’t it?”
“That’s the one.” Now Doug stuck his head in. “Needs a little work, but a guy’s got to keep busy.”
“Then I’ll see you in a couple hours.”
“Gideon’s welcome.”
“The chief didn’t get to bed until nearly four. I’ll leave him a note.”
She wrote out a note, added the time she left, then with Zorro headed out.
Gideon woke shortly after ten, and took a moment to wish Arden still slept beside him. They’d barely exchanged words the night before—make that this morning.
He’d crashed about thirty seconds after he hit the sheets.
He took a long, hot shower to help revive. He thought he might find her in her office, maybe in the library. But he didn’t find her or the dog.
The unease hit hard even as he assured himself he’d have heard any sort of a break-in. His mind and body relaxed when he found her note in the kitchen.
Didn’t want to text and wake you after the night you put in.
I’m driving to Myrtle Creek to meet the family—all of them.
Uncle Doug and Aunt Jen delayed their flight home to take another look at a house they liked.
Price drop. Leaving just before nine, should be back by three-ish. Take it easy today, Chief. I love you.
He said, “Huh.” Calculated she’d be halfway there.
He made coffee, scrambled some eggs. Then decided what the hell, he’d take it easy for a few hours in Pop’s workshop.
“Where’s your girl?”
“Driving down to Myrtle Creek to meet the family. Doug and Jen are looking at a house.”
“How about that?” Joe and Elvis walked out to the workshop with Gideon. “I thought that was happening about a year from now.”
“Something set them off.”
“I’d say that might be two more grandkids coming, plus the prospect of a wedding.”
Gideon walked into the shop, drew in the scent. “I just moved in over there. That needs to settle in.”
“Uh-huh. Since you were born, and that’s literal, you’ve known what you want. When you know what you want, you aim to get it. Work toward it, and get it.”
“So, say this is the work-toward-it stage.”
“Uh-huh,” Joe said again. “What’re you going to make?”
“She’s doing that basement, and she’s already looking at furniture. She’s got these nesting tables in her file. I can make them.”
“Uh-huh. I can give you a hand with that. I need to get something from the house first.”
Gideon considered his choices of wood. He wanted round, made up of four triangles, different tones. He could make them look rustic, but not too, give her serviceable and sturdy.
Since he’d already drawn them out, he chose his wood.
“I’m going with walnut,” he said when Joe came back.
“Good choice. Here. When you finish working for it, give her this.”
“Pop.”
“In your own time, Giddyup.” He opened the ring box.
Inside him, a fist squeezed over his heart. “That’s Nan’s ring.”
“That’s right. You may need to have it sized.
It’s not flashy, but it’s damn pretty, and God knows it’s good luck.
She’d have loved that girl, Gideon. She and I want her to have this, if she wants it.
I think I know she’d understand its value’s not in the diamonds but the history and the sentiment. ”
They’d call it vintage, Gideon supposed, with the center diamond flanked by the tiny chips. No, not flashy, but simple. And he realized as he looked at it, if he’d gone out to buy one, he’d have gravitated to this style.
“She’d take it off and put it in that little dish when she made bread, so the dough wouldn’t gunk it up when she kneaded it. Otherwise, she always wore it. Hell.”
Gideon wrapped Joe in a hard hug. “Thanks, Pop. You’re right, she’ll know what it means. I’ll give it to her when she’s ready.”
“Good enough for me. Well, let’s get to work.”
He got home minutes before she did, and stepped outside when she drove up.
“How’d it go?”
“First, hello!”
She threw her arms around him, kissed him. “First real kiss of a New Year. And I think I got my mojo back.”
“What mojo is that?”
“Working out, on that really nice drive, why my book stalled. Tomorrow, we roll. As for the house? Big and sprawling so downsizing be damned. It’s a good area for them, and has what they’re looking for.”
Zorro followed them in, went straight to the fire Gideon had started, and sighed as he plopped down.
Gideon thought while the dog looked tired out, Arden looked energized.
“So, yeah, the house is bigger than they’d talked about before, but—”
“Soon to be six grandkids.”
“Exactly. And they’re hoping we can all do a family dinner there every couple months, which could involve a stay over, so bigger. It looked good to me, but Uncle Doug says it needs work, so it must.”
“And he likes that idea.”
“Yes, he does. Aunt Jen made noises about paint colors and so on. They made an offer, and wow.” She snapped her fingers. “Bought a house.”
“Fast work. Wine?”
“Why not? I think they gave this house a lot of thought over these past weeks, and when the price dropped? They’re going back tomorrow, putting their house on the market.
Lots of things to tie up, but they hope to be here, moved in, by summer.
Way ahead of schedule. They’re really excited.
So.” She lifted her glass. “Here’s to that. ”
“Happy looks good on you.”
“Feels good, too. The holidays made me realize how much I missed having them in the same time zone. Now, what’ve you been up to today?”
“Went over to Pop’s, working on a project.”
“I thought you’d sprawl out and watch—there are games on today, right?”
“I liked this better. I dealt with plenty of games half the night.”
“I bet. Drunks, punks, and lunks.”
Since he’d encountered plenty of all of those, he had to smile. “Good one.”
“Why don’t we sprawl out and you can give me the highlights?”
“A lot of lowlights mixed in.”
They sprawled out in the living room and he told her about the drunks, the reckless, the giddy, the entertaining, and the belligerent.
“Kind of stupid to get mouthy with the man with the badge.”
“You need people with badges because plenty get stupid. And plenty of them woke up today with hangovers, regretting the stupid.
“Did you follow through on the movie marathon?”
“I did, and enjoyed every minute. But before that I had a picnic right over there with Jamie, who brought hot chocolate laced with peppermint schnapps and a basket of delectables—of which I saved you some. Because I’m a very good girlfriend.”
“You’re not bad at all.”
“And I agreed to pose for him.”
“Pose?”
“Not naked—I can see your mind went there, and so did mine. And not just me. He wants Zoey and Tessa and me. As the Three Fates. They’re—”
“I know who the Three Fates are, Legs.”
“Of course you do. He wants a modern take,” she said, and ran it through for him.
“Zoey said yes, too, so he’ll do some sketches of us, separately, together.
It feels weird but fun. I said I’d give him some time, once I pushed through the stall.
All in all I had a good end to one year and a happy start to the next.
Since you love your work, and love working in the shop, I’d say you did, too. ”
“You’re not wrong. But since I missed you, this rounds out the start just fine.”
With the story open for her again, Arden rolled right through, only stopping when Zorro nudged his head under her arm.
“Come on, go lie down. I’m cooking here.”
When he made a sad sound, she glanced over, saw the time.
“Oh, wow, sorry! Lost track.”
He raced down ahead of her and straight to the door—and zoomed out when she opened it.
Meanwhile, she went in, grabbed a tangerine, toasted the second half of the bagel she’d had that morning, and rewarded her productive day so far with a Pepsi.