Chapter Fourteen #2
“A bit?” Jake parroted with a scoff, setting a small plate of cheeses, crackers, and fruit on the table. He looked at me with a smile and jerked his head to Dominic. “If the opportunity presented itself, this man would take over the world.”
“It would certainly operate better under my supervision,” Dominic said, clicking his tongue and writing something down.
Ash’s hand dropped to the small of my back, his lips finding my ear. “Please sit and eat, beautiful. If not for you, then for me.”
A chill ran down my spine, his facial hair tickling my skin. I gave him a small nod and took a seat. I’d never actually sat in here before, and I found myself looking around the table, wondering which seat I would like the best.
“Is something wrong?” Ash asked.
“What? Oh. No. I just…” I cleared my throat. “I’ve never actually sat at this table before.”
He raised a brow, and I could feel Dominic studying my profile. “You haven’t?”
I shook my head.
Ash was studying me, frozen, and there was a flash of sadness in his eyes. “Is it new?” he murmured.
“No, I purchased it a week after I moved in.”
The sadness glimmering in his pupils transformed into something stranger, darker, and my heart raced.
Had I done something wrong? Had I said the wrong thing?
I glanced over to Dominic, but his head was bent again.
Ash leaned over, pressing another hard kiss to my forehead, holding himself there for a few moments.
As he pulled away, Jake came back in, my favorite teacup cradled in his hands.
“I put the kettle on when you were upstairs. Margo texted and said you were a tea person.”
I blinked, staring at the red tea steaming from the cup. It was my rose energy blend. “You…you know how to make tea.”
Jake shrugged his shoulder. “I dabble in tea creation every now and then.”
“Translation: he knows how to make tea because six winters ago, he got so sick with the flu that he spent nearly forty-eight hours in the kitchen, playing apothecary, looking for a cure,” Dominic drawled, not looking up from his work.
Ash took a seat beside me, his arm resting on the back of my chair. “He also spent hundreds of dollars on different tea blends and then proceeded to spill half of them all over Hayes’ office when he was trying to show them off.”
I stifled a laugh, pressing my lips together. They were trying to distract me, and I was grateful.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but his office smelled amazing for weeks.”
Dominic hummed. “Which is probably why he didn’t fire you.”
“You only live once. It’s okay to spill things every now and again.”
A silence settled over the table then. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and there was nothing we could do to avoid what needed to come after it.
With my cup suspended in the air, resting against my chin, I asked the painful question swimming in my mind. “Did they get Felix off the beach?”
Jake rested his forearms on the back of his chair, his face solemn. “Yeah, they did,” he answered softly.
“Are they going to perform an autopsy?” I set my cup down on the saucer, the muted clink of the porcelain sounding like thunder.
“We don’t know,” Dominic replied. “Right now, the county office is wanting to rule it as a suicide.”
“Felix didn’t want to die,” I said, my voice firm as I looked at Ash for support. “I told Ash that he didn’t want to die. He was planning on leaving the restaurant to go find himself.” He craved life so badly that he was willing to give up everything he had for it. “He found a new dream to chase.”
“Did Felix tell you this?” Dominic pressed gently.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“You need to tell all of this to Humbly. Then he’ll order the autopsy.”
“Where is he?”
Ash’s fingers brushed the back of my neck. “He’s down at Margie’s Place.”
I jerked back. “Please don’t tell me he went there alone.”
Oh god, what will everyone do?
“No, Hayes and Gray went with him. He wanted to be the one to deliver the news. He’s known her since he was a boy, Angel.” Ash pushed the plate of food closer to me. “When he is done, he’ll be back, ready to take your statement. Until then, please eat and check your sugar.”
A single tear escaped, but I swiped it away before it could fall down my cheek.
I was tired of crying, but if I imagined Marg hearing the news, more tears would come.
My imagination had always been wild when my emotions were high, my brain conjuring up the worst images, causing me to spiral even lower.
So I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on the food.
It was difficult, but I managed to eat all of it while the guys quietly worked around me.
When I was done, Ash kissed my temple, muttered a thank-you, and took my dishes into the kitchen.
A second later, I heard the water running.
“Ash washing dishes,” Dominic murmured to himself. “What a day.”
Jake grunted in agreement, his finger flying across the keyboard.
I looked at my lap, watching my knee bounce as my hands itched to do something.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, rising from my seat.
I padded down the hall, past the kitchen, and stopped in front of the door at the back of the staircase, just across from the back door.
This door was heavy, antique carved wood that would remain with this house long after I left it.
There was a brass lock and a knob with a lighthouse etched into the metal, the groove smooth and round after over a century of use.
“Angel?” Ash called at the front of the hall.
I stuck my head around the corner. “Hello.”
His head snapped to me, his eyes alert, jaw tight. “What are you doing?”
“I need to grab something.”
Part of me expected him to come down the hall with heavy footfalls and a demanding curiosity.
That’s the kind of man I pictured him to be when we first met.
An overprotective man who hovered a little too much because his love consumed him.
Instead, I watched with bated breath as his shoulders relaxed.
“Okay, beautiful. I’ll be in the dining room. ”
“Okay.”
He gave me a smile and disappeared.
“How strange,” I whispered, pulling the old brass key out of the pocket of my sweatpants.
It was heavy, its weight providing comfort I never would’ve guessed I would need almost daily when I moved into the place.
I inserted it into the lock and turned until I heard a soft click.
My heart hummed, knowing what was inside.
I had to give the door a good yank or two to open it.
When it did, the squeak echoed through the halls.
The smell of lavender and lemon grass hit me as I put the key back into my pocket, wrapping my hand around it.
I squeezed, imprinting its shape into my palm as I stepped into my favorite spot in the world.
I moved to the small desk on the far wall, bending over so I wouldn’t hit my head.
I grabbed my diary and plucked my fountain pen out of its case.
Then I headed back into the living room, ready to give Felix’s memory a chance at forever.