Chapter 25 #2
Walter shakes his head, and Vivienne hides a laugh with her hand. “Amaretto ice cream with gummy bears and strawberries is a very sophisticated palate choice. I hope you can handle it.”
“Oh I think I can handle it just fine.” My cocky grin spreads across my face as she begins breaking her cone off into a few smaller pieces before taking the first bite.
“Mmmmm,” she moans. “I needed this more than I realized. Delicious as always.”
She didn’t just need ice cream. The relief she’s feeling is also from knowing Jackson can’t hurt her anymore.
“Thank you, Ms. Vivienne,” he replies politely. “And for the gentleman, am I giving your cone the same upside-down treatment?”
“You might as well, so I get the full experience,” I answer.
Walter flips my cone, hands it to me, and chuckles. “You kids have a great rest of your day and come back to see me soon.”
“You know I will,” Vivienne says, waving goodbye.
We will, I think, emphasizing the we.
We walk outside, and Vivienne leads me down a winding sidewalk to a small hidden lake sprinkled with wooden benches, tall trees, and gorgeous views. “Wow.” I whistle in awe of the simple beauty.
“Is that wow this ice cream is amazing, or wow the lake is so pretty?” she teases.
“Both,” I confess. “Who knew gummy bears and ice cream would taste so good?”
“Right!” She beams with pride.
“It’s also, wow, where has this girl been hiding?” I flash her a flirty smirk.
She blushes. “I’ve been right here in Colorado the whole time.”
I steal a glance at her. She’s looking out over the lake, despite the closure Jackson’s death is bringing, she still looks sad. “It’s going to be okay,” I offer in cryptic reassurance.
She nods with the same glazed-over expression. “I hope so.”
“What you need is to get away and take your mind off things for a little while.” I place my hand on her thigh, leaning into the softness of her body. “Come with me.”
Vivienne tenses. “Cas, I—“ Her voice trails off.
“It’s okay. I know it’s a lot to think about. Just consider it. You can answer me later.” I stand and offer to take her empty ice cream cup. There’s a trash can a few feet away. I toss them both. “Are you ready to go back?”
She swallows hard, doing her best to stay calm. “Yeah. Let’s get it over with.”
In the car, I keep my hand on her leg, trying to keep her grounded in the silence between us.
She was right about traffic on the way back.
When we pull into her neighborhood, there are flashing lights everywhere.
There’s still no power, and men in hard hats and trucks are walking around.
The closer we get to her street, the more lights there are.
Even though we are on the opposite end of the road, the police still have it blocked off.
We roll to a stop as a police officer approaches. “What do we do?” she hisses in a panic.
“I’ve got this. Don’t say anything. Let me do the talking.” I give her a reassuring squeeze as she rolls down the window.
“Hey, folks, this road is closed. You’ll need to find another way around,” the officer says.
“We actually live on this street. Is it possible for us to get home?” I ask politely.
“What’s your address?” he asks.
I rattle it off, which earns me a side-eye from Vivienne.
“Yeah. I can get you home. Pull around here,” he says, pointing.
“I’ll let one of my officers know you guys are home so they can get a statement from you.
An electrical box blew in a pretty gnarly accident.
It knocked out everything on the power grid.
We’re just trying to piece information together. ”
“Thank you,” I say, waving as he steps aside for us to pass.
Vivienne visually deflates as she navigates her way back to the house.
She pulls into the garage. Inside, I kiss her on the forehead, pulling her into me.
She breaks. Every piece of her that was holding it together crumbles as she sobs into my chest. No words are needed.
She just needs to feel safe. I squeeze her tighter, rubbing her back in comforting circles.
We stay like this until a knock on the door interrupts.
I kiss her. “Go get in the shower, and I’ll meet you in bed.”
Vivienne nods, tears running in streaks across her cheeks. I watch as she heads upstairs, disappearing from sight before I go to the door. “Evening,” I say, swinging it open and stepping outside.
The officer explains everything they’re investigating.
I do my best to nod along and react appropriately, even though I already know exactly what happened.
When he finally stops talking, I ask, “By chance, is this a van, or were rental car plates recovered? When we got here, my rental car was gone, and since I didn’t want to cause more chaos, I figured I’d report it missing once someone came by. ”
The officer’s jaw drops open. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but it could be a van. It’s hard to know since it’s torched.”
“Fuck!” I swear. “My agent’s going to be so pissed.”
He studies me closely for a second. “Shit! You’re Cas Wilder. Man, I’m a big fan.”
I smile and hold my finger to my lips. “I am. My girl’s been trying to get a restraining order against a psycho ex. She was attacked at an event in Texas, and I wanted to be sure to meet her here as soon as she landed. I can’t imagine anything happening to her, and I’ve been worried sick.”
I pretend like I’m doing him some kind of favor telling him about my life, but really I planted all the right seeds.
I’m here because she was being violated.
She’s trying to get a restraining order.
She was attacked. Now my car’s been stolen.
We look like the victims, and he looks like an ex who finally snapped.
This sucker eats it up as I spoon-feed him everything he needs to rule us off the suspect list.
He clears his throat. “I’m real sorry I even have to ask, Mr. Wilder, but where were you guys today?”
“No worries. You have a job to do. I don’t mind at all.
We had breakfast and watched cartoons. She had groceries delivered, and someone came by to serve her papers for the restraining order hearing.
After that, she was really upset, so I did the best thing a fiance does.
I took her to get ice cream. Except she had to drive me.
My driving glasses are back in Chicago. I totally forgot them.
” It doesn’t matter that she’s not my fiancee. By the end of the year, she will be.
“Do you happen to have a receipt or anything for the ice cream?” he asks.
“No, sorry. We paid cash, and the card machine was down. The owner’s name is Walter. It’s not far from here.” I offer in place of a receipt.
“Best damn ice cream in town. What did ya think?”
“Five stars. I think I might go back tomorrow before I leave. Speaking of, she’s really upset about everything that’s been happening on top of wedding planning.
” I glance at his hand to see if he has a ring.
“You’re married. You know what that was like.
Anyway, can I leave you my number to be the point of contact for all this? ” I wave my hand around.
“Of course. Women and wedding planning. I know your pain, man. Let me notate all this in my report, and I’ll grab your contact information. Did you want me to also go ahead and get that stolen vehicle report while I’m here?”
“Yes, please. I can email you a copy of my rental agreement as well if you have a card,” I reply, waiting for him to ask for more than just a formality signature for the report.
We complete all the paperwork, and sure enough, before he leaves, he asks for an autograph. With the police handled and wrapped around my finger, I lock up then climb the stairs to hold Vivienne, knowing the entire situation is under control.