Chapter 20
ISABEL
The phone call came just after ten.
Isabel was sitting at her small kitchen table, still in sleep-tousled hair and yesterday’s T-shirt, scrolling through local listings for private investigator positions.
Most wanted years of experience in the private sector, but she’d applied to one anyway — a small agency called Ridgeview Investigations — on a whim the night before.
When her phone rang, she barely glanced at the number before answering. “Isabel Torres.”
“Good morning, Ms. Torres! This is Dana Cooper from Ridgeview Investigations. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time?”
Isabel blinked, sitting up straighter. “No, not at all. Hi, Ms. Cooper.”
“Please, call me Dana,” the woman said, her tone bright and friendly. “I’m calling because we received your application last night and, well, I won’t beat around the bush — we’d like to offer you the position.”
Isabel froze. “Wait—offer? As in, the job?”
“That’s right,” Dana said cheerfully. “Normally, we’d do a formal interview, but frankly, we already know who you are.
We heard about your work on the Harper kidnapping case — your instincts, your handling of the evidence, the whole thing.
Your name came up from two different law enforcement contacts.
We’d be crazy not to snap you up before someone else does. ”
For a second, Isabel couldn’t find words. She had braced herself for months of applications, interviews, rejections — the usual uphill grind. Instead, here was someone offering her a new beginning, no questions asked.
“I… don’t even know what to say,” she admitted, a stunned laugh escaping her.
“How about ‘yes’?” Dana teased.
Isabel grinned. “Yes. Definitely yes.”
“Wonderful. I’ll send over the paperwork this afternoon. Full-time position, flexible hours, and from what I’ve seen, you’ll have plenty of freedom to run your own investigations once you’re settled in.”
“That sounds perfect,” Isabel said. And she meant it.
“Great! Welcome aboard, Isabel. We’re thrilled to have you.”
When the call ended, Isabel sat there for a moment staring at nothing, the phone still pressed to her ear. Then she let out a long breath and laughed — bright, breathless, and real.
She’d done it. She had a new job. A new life.
The tension that had lived in her shoulders for months began to ease, replaced by something lighter — excitement, maybe even pride. She was staying in Phoenix Ridge. And this time, it wasn’t because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. It was because she wanted to stay.
She reached for her phone again before she could talk herself out of it and scrolled to Victoria’s name.
When she hit call, it only rang twice before that deep, familiar voice answered. “Langley.”
Isabel smiled instantly. “You know, you could try ‘hello’ like a normal person once in a while.”
A soft chuckle came through the line. “Old habits.”
“Well, break one for me tonight,” Isabel said. “You free?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. I was thinking I could take you out. An actual date — no explosions, no stakeouts, no kidnapping victims in the back seat.”
She could hear Victoria’s amusement even through the phone. “An official date?”
“Official as it gets,” Isabel said, grinning.
There was a pause, then Victoria’s voice softened. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Then it’s a date,” Isabel said, trying and failing to keep the excitement out of her voice. “I’ll text you the details. And don’t worry — I’ll even let you pick dessert.”
Victoria laughed quietly. “Dangerous offer, Torres.”
“I can handle it.”
When she hung up, Isabel caught her reflection in the window — her hair messy, her smile wide, and her eyes brighter than they’d been in months.
She was staying in Phoenix Ridge.
And tonight, she was taking the woman she’d fallen for on their first real date.
For the first time in a long, long while, everything felt exactly where it should be.
Isabel leaned against the rental car as she waited outside of Victoria’s town house.
She had told Victoria to be ready for 7 p.m. and it was already 7:05.
Being late was not something Captain Langley would ever do, but Isabel smirked thinking about Victoria trying to gussy up for the date and losing track of time.
Isabel had never been one for fancy restaurants.
Too many sharp edges, too many watchful eyes.
But as she stood waiting for Victoria, her legs crossed against the passenger door and her heart beating a little too fast, she thought maybe she could get used to it—at least for tonight.
At the sound of the door unlocking, Isabel’s head snapped up.
Victoria stepped outside, the dim amber light glancing off the deep green of her dress — a soft, elegant wrap that hugged her figure before falling in effortless lines.
Isabel froze for half a second, her breath catching in her throat.
She’d only ever seen Victoria in crisp suits, every line sharp enough to cut.
Tonight, though, she looked softer. Human. Devastating.
“Wow,” Isabel managed, trying not to sound as breathless as she felt.
Victoria smirked, the faintest color rising in her cheeks. “You said to dress nice.”
“Yeah,” Isabel said quietly. “I sure did.”
Victoria shifted nervously, the blush deepening as it crept down from her cheeks to her neck and chest. Isabel knew she should do something, say something, but all her heart was hammering in her ears, and she was still searching for a deep breath as she wondered How did I get this lucky?
“Um… So…” Victoria stammered, “Are you going to take me out on a date or not?”
Isabel laughed as she surged into action, opening the passenger door and gesturing for Victoria to get in.
“Yes. Of course. I’ve got some great plans for tonight.”
Once Isabel had rounded the car and settled into the driver’s seat, she simply buckled up and started driving. She turned her head as she heard Victoria giggle under her breath. Isabel raised an eyebrow sarcastically questioning silently, waiting for Victoria to crack.
“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?” Victoria finally asked.
Isabel’s smirk widened as she replied, “Nope.”
The two laughed as Isabel made her way across the city, the streets kissed by the last rays of sun as it set across the sea.
Isabel couldn’t stop smiling as she guided Victoria through the heavy double doors of the restaurant.
They were led to a table by the window, where candles flickered against the glass and the ocean breeze carried faint hints of salt and jasmine from the nearby coast. Isabel couldn’t stop stealing glances as they sat down — the way the light touched Victoria’s hair, the rare curve of her smile.
Dinner felt like exhaling after holding their breath for months.
The conversation was easy, their laughter soft and genuine.
Isabel told stories from her first few months in Phoenix Ridge, how out of place she’d felt at first, and Victoria admitted that she’d thought Isabel would quit within a week.
When dessert time came, Isabel handed over the menu with a grin. “You pick.”
Victoria gave her a look that said she was up to something but played along. Minutes later, a molten chocolate cake arrived, rich and indulgent, paired with two spoons.
“I should’ve known you’d go straight for the classic,” Isabel teased.
Victoria arched a brow, her eyes glinting. “Some things are classic for a reason.”
They shared the dessert, their spoons clinking softly and laughter punctuating the quiet moments. But beneath the easy rhythm of conversation, Isabel’s heart beat too fast. Her secret pressed against her ribs, and when she finally set down her spoon, she knew she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I have something to tell you,” she said, and her tone immediately made Victoria’s posture shift — alert and cautious.
“Should I be worried?”
Isabel laughed. “No. Definitely not.” She hesitated, then leaned forward, the candlelight catching in her eyes. “I got a call this morning. From Ridgeview Investigations.”
Victoria frowned. “You just applied yesterday.”
“I know.” Isabel’s smile widened, full of disbelief and delight. “They said they heard about the Harper case. Said they didn’t need an interview — they just wanted me on their team.”
For a heartbeat, Victoria just stared at her. Then her face softened in a way Isabel had never quite seen before. “You’re staying,” she said quietly.
“I’m staying,” Isabel said, voice trembling just a little. “I wasn’t sure at first, but…it feels right. Phoenix Ridge feels right.” She swallowed. “You feel right.”
Victoria’s hand reached across the table, her fingers brushing Isabel’s. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”
Isabel felt warmth bloom through her chest, deep and steady. “Good,” she murmured, her thumb stroking the back of Victoria’s hand. “Then I guess dinner was a good idea after all.”
“More than good,” Victoria said softly.
The world around them dimmed until it felt as if only the two of them existed — the low hum of music, the flicker of candlelight, and the unspoken understanding that something between them had shifted for good.
When they finally left the restaurant, the night air was cool and gentle, the streetlamps glimmering off the quiet waves beyond the boardwalk.
“So,” Isabel said, tilting her head toward Victoria with a grin, “you want to go to your place or mine?”
Victoria’s answering smile was slow and certain. “Mine.”
Isabel’s pulse skipped. “Perfect.”
Later, when the city fell quiet and the world seemed to shrink to the sound of their breathing and the touch of skin on skin, they celebrated without words — letting every kiss, every whisper, every heartbeat say what neither had dared to before.