Chapter 6
S he pulled into her townhouse with two minutes to spare. Michelle had just changed into her sweats when her doorbell rang. She opened the door to three sad faces.
“I’m fine,” she said, receiving one-arm hugs from each as they entered. Renae had a giant bottle of wine. Julie carried a Tupperware container, most likely some baked goods. And Liz, also called Doc by her husband, held a take-and-bake pizza.
“We all can use some girl time.” Liz set the pizza on the counter and turned on the oven. “Don’t worry. I left a meat lovers at home for Jim.”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Wow, you’re nice. I left Matt at home with our three kids. He’ll figure it out.”
“I’d put money on Greg ordering a pizza. He has many talents, but cooking isn’t one of them.” Renae popped the cork from the wine.
“Thanks, guys, but really. I’m fine,” Michelle said while pulling down four wine glasses. Turning to face her sisters- and sister-in-law, she froze. All three stared at her, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape.
“That’s two uses of the word fine in less than five minutes. What would you advise, Doctor Garcia?” Julie asked. The seal popped as she opened the container.
Cupcakes. Yes. Michelle licked her lips .
“I would say she’s in denial and needs wine and sugar STAT.” The oven buzzed and Liz slid the pizza inside.
Renae handed out wine glasses, starting with Michelle. “See? Doctor’s orders.”
“You stumbled over your words on the phone. I could hear the tears in your voice.” Julie’s voice rang with motherly concern.
“Not tears. No.” She took a large gulp. The spiciness tickled her throat on the way down. “Okay, I may have been a little shocked to learn Nick has a daughter.”
Three pairs of eyes locked on her, waiting.
She swallowed another gulp. “Fine. Ugh. Yes, I was in shock. I may have mumbled and fled like a gang member when the patrol car cruises by.”
“Honey, it’s only natural that you would be surprised. It’s not like you two kept in touch.” Julie slipped a cupcake with bits of crushed peppermint candies in front of her.
“Not to mention you were planning a family with him from the age of fourteen. Ouch!” Renae rubbed her calf. No doubt, from Julie kicking her.
“Guys. That was twenty years ago. He lived his life, and I lived mine.” Too bad hers didn’t include a husband and children.
The look on the faces around the room had her kicking her own leg. “No. Don’t feel sorry for me. I love my life. Besides, I can barely keep my cat alive. How could I handle kids?”
“You’re fantastic with kids,” Julie said.
“Ditto.” Renae slipped an arm around Michelle, then smiled. “You’re the best aunty ever.”
“Hey!”
Renae shrugged. “What! I’m not here to cheer you up. When it’s your turn, you can be the best aunt. ”
“I love this family.” Liz laughed. “Michelle, the next time you see Nick’s child, will you run away?”
“No. Maybe? No. Definitely no.” She hoped.
“Of course you won’t. We all have times when our reactions aren’t what we want, but you handled it the best you could in the moment. Now, how do you feel about having to see Nick on this case?”
Michelle exhaled. “It’s not too bad. If working with him will get the case closed sooner, then I’m fine with it.”
“Working? I thought you only had to question him.” Renae pulled the paper off her cupcake.
“Yeah, about that. He sort of insinuated himself into the case. We’re partnering until they get the sleigh back.”
“Until the case is closed, you mean?” Liz pursed her lips. Crap, she was thinking, and it probably wasn’t good for Michelle.
“He has resources and is motivated to get the sleigh back by the festival.”
“By the festival.” Julie did a sign of the cross.
Renae chuckled and cake crumbles flew from her mouth. “Sorry. But does he know that the police move at a snail’s pace? He’d have better luck bribing the commissioner to get it back.”
“Have you two talked about your past?” Liz’s concerned gaze searched, most likely analyzing Michelle’s body language.
She snorted. It touched the back of her nasal passages. “That would be a big fat no. Revisiting the past isn’t high on our list. Hell, it’s right below catching up, which is about five items below actually talking to each other about anything but the case.”
“But he introduced you to his daughter,” Liz said.
“That wasn’t planned. I only know about his wife because I asked for his alibi. The meet-the-kids moment was a surprise for both of us. ”
The oven timer buzzed. Michelle took it as her escape sign. She slipped into the kitchen. A minute later, her sister-in-law came in. Liz took the cutter from her and started slicing the pizza. “For what it’s worth, my professional opinion is you’ll be just fine.” A bright smile lit her beautiful face.
“Smart ass.” Michelle pulled the plates from the cupboard and set them on the counter. “I can see why my brother loves you.”
Liz topped off her wine, then Michelle’s. After a sip, she said, “You’re very much like him. Smart, tough, and have the gooiest insides full of love.”
A sting in the back of Michelle’s eyes had her blinking. “I love you, too.”
Liz pulled her into a hug.
“Hey, you didn’t tell us it was hug time. Group hug.” Renae slipped her arms around Michelle and Liz.
A second later, Michelle felt another set of arms—Julie.
Tears slipped from her eyes. She was right. All she needed was some sister time.
***
“Five… Four… Three…” Nick stood at the bottom of the stairs, his keys in his one hand and his daughter’s coat in the other.
“I’m coming. I had to feed Bandit and Snowball.” Ava bounced down the stairs and slipped her arms into the purple sleeves.
“Did you remember to latch the cage door?” Last time she fed them, she forgot and the furry little guys were curled up on her bed. That was after they destroyed her room. Nick was thankful they didn’t have run of the whole house .
“Yes.” The word slipped out before he’d finished his question. She paused, tipped her head up, and locked eyes with him. “I better go check.”
The patter of her feet racing up the stairs made him smile. Having a pet was a big responsibility for an eight-year-old, but after two months of mourning her mother’s death, she lit like a Christmas tree when she saw the ferrets in the pet store window. He couldn’t refuse.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She skipped down the stairs.
“Hmm, was it shut?” The blush on her face said it all. “Doesn’t matter. It is now. Come on.”
On the drive to school, she sang along to a Disney song on the radio. Ugh. It would play on the loop in his head for the rest of the day.
Nick remembered the exact day he lost control over the radio. A rock and roll artist wailed away one second, and the next, Ava asked what the “C” word meant. Yup, parenting fail number one. He changed the station, and that was the death of his youth.
He conceded on the music, but no way he was driving a minivan. He flipped the truck into four high and plowed through the drift at the end of the block. Four inches of the white stuff fell last night. To Ava’s disappointment, it wasn’t enough for the school to call for a digital learning day.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the drop-off line. They inched up. Two vehicles from the front, he grabbed her backpack and handed it to her. “Your shoes are in the bag. Don’t forget to change out of your boots when you get into the classroom.”
“Yes, Dad.” She rolled her eyes as she slung the strap of the backpack over her shoulder.
“Have a good day. I’ll pick you up after school.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
“Okay. Bye, Dad. ”
His heart skipped at her grown-up tone. She had come into her own in the three and a half months she’d been in Ashwood. The first day of school, she was a ball of nerves and tears, but now, she all but flew from the truck.
He watched as she skipped and kicked at the snow. Her friends ran up to her. Was this what parenthood was? Getting attached then masking the pain of your heart tearing apart as they move on?
Just as he put the truck in gear, she reached the double doors. She turned, a wide smile on her face, and waved to him.
Nick waved back. Then she was gone. Swallowed up by the building and the other students.
Suck it up. She’s only eight. He’d been doing this full-time parenting thing for almost a year, and he still didn’t know what he was doing most of the time. One minute, she was his cute little baby. The next, she was an independent girl with friends and opinions, and he had no idea how to be her dad and mom. Lord help him when she got her female stuff.
Shit. That could be as soon as two years.
His gut clenched. Nick couldn’t think about that. Not yet.
On his drive across town, he shoved all thoughts of grown-up Ava aside and focused on the bigger issue at the moment… the sleigh. Or who killed Staniski? And where was Garmen?
His gut tightened. Cliff could be as dead as Jonny… or?
No, he wouldn’t make assumptions. When he got to work, he’d see if he could talk HR into giving him Jonny and Cliff’s files, including the pre-employment background checks. If not, he had friends who could dig up anything. Maybe not as fast, but it was an option.
The walkways were quiet. The mall didn’t open for another hour. He rounded the corner to the hallway leading to his office and stopped.
“Morning.” Michelle leaned against his door, a phone in her hand .
“Hey.” Yesterday ended with an awkward moment when Ava ran up to him. Would Michelle act like she hadn’t run away, or would they talk about it? No talk, please. He waited for a sign.
She pushed off the wall. “I have some info about Staniski.”
Ignore it is.
“First…”
Fuck. Here comes the awkwardness.
“Sorry. I was surprised by your daughter. My only excuse is it had been a long day.”
He nodded. “I hadn’t planned on introducing you to her.” Well, shit. He could see the question circling in Mickey’s eyes. “…at that time.”
She tipped her chin up. “I get it. You don’t need to share your personal life with me. It’s not like I shared any offspring with you.”
“Do you?”
“What?”
“Have offspring?”
She dropped her gaze.
An uncomfortable itch settled between his shoulder blades.
“Nope.” She kicked the paver with her toe. “Oh… Kay. Enough personal chat before my coffee. About the case.”
That was his Mickey. Choke down the personal stuff, then on to business. He always admired her for that.
He moved past her and unlocked the door. A few escaped hairs fluttered in the breeze. Nick flexed his fingers. Don’t do it. She was here about the case, not because she missed him.
A few more strands slipped from her braid.
No touching. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shouldered open the door .
The moment he walked into the office the other day and saw Mickey talking to his father, it pulled deep in his chest.
But she wasn’t his Mickey anymore. She was an officer of the law, an independent woman who didn’t need him, didn’t want him. Not now, not twenty years ago… not enough, anyway.
“I have some info.” She followed him in and dropped a file on his desk.
Nick hung his coat on the rack, then picked up the file. “Backgrounds? Just in time. I was going to sweet talk Bunny in HR for their employment records.”
Her brow shot up. “Bunny?” She did a little hip swivel.
He winced. “God, no. She’s not a stripper. She’s eighty if she’s a day. I’m not sure why she hasn’t retired yet.”
Michelle dropped to the edge of his desk. “Bummer for Bunny. You probably would have made her day.”
“Or gave her a heart attack.”
Michelle’s face flushed. No doubt, she was remembering how he used to persuade her to sneak out at night. Nick bit his cheek. Those were the days.
She cleared her throat. “Anyway, according to the file, both Garmen and Staniski were in Stillwater Correctional at the same time. Garmen got out three years ago, and Staniski six months later.”
Nick flipped through the pages. A name snagged his attention. “Staniski worked for HighTower Development?”
“Does that mean something?”
“Yes.” Nick rubbed his chin as he thought about the possibilities.
“Outside voice.”
Nick looked up. She used to say that to him all the time. “They’re one of the developers who are trying to buy the mall.”
“Do you think they would sabotage the festival? ”
“Not sure.”
“But…”
“But the land the mall sits on is worth a fortune for a builder who wants to put up river view condos.”
“I did a search of white panel van registrations. Nothing popped for Garmen or Staniski, but I’ll have to double check the list for this builder.”
He nodded.
She slid off the desk and paced. “I need to check out this HighTower Development.”
He picked up his coat.
“No, I don’t think you should come on this one. Besides, I doubt I will be able to walk in without an appointment. I have a better chance if I go alone.”
Nick didn’t like it, but he agreed. No way the head of a company who wanted to buy the mall would talk if he was there. “I’ll go through the file you brought and see if I can piece anything together.”
She raised her hand to her temple and gave a mock salute. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck.”
The smile that spread across her face was worth all the things he didn’t say. She didn’t need luck. Mickey was the ballsiest girl in town back in the day. She could handle some corporate suits. Nick just wished he could be there to watch.