The Yellow Submarine had been a town favorite since Shauna was a kid. The small café’s signature meal was grilled clam toasts with lemon and green olives served with a side of Italian roasted potatoes. Shauna caught Felicia’s dubious glance at the dishes in front of them and smiled. “You’ll be addicted with one bite. It’s better than it looks.”
Felicia, dressed in jeans and a blue T-shirt, seemed unaware that she had the attention of every male in the café. Most of the women were looking her way too, but their faces lacked the appreciation in the male glances.
She picked up a wedge of toast and took a bite. “Delicious! Thanks for bringing me. I came once by myself but didn’t know what to order. The woman who waited on me just seemed to want me to leave and didn’t have any suggestions.”
“I’ll introduce you to some people when we’re done.” Shauna straightened when she recognized a wide set of shoulders outside the display windows. “There’s Zach.”
She started to wave, but he walked on past the door and crossed the street to intercept his copilot, Valerie. The blonde looked stunning this morning with her hair in a messy bun. Had there ever been anything between the two of them?
She forced her attention back to Felicia, who was looking at her with a knowing glance. “What?”
Felicia’s smile widened. “You’re in love with him.”
“Of course not. He’s just been a friend forever.”
“Girlfriend, I recognize that lovesick expression so you might as well quit covering it. He’s nuts about you too, so you don’t have to be afraid.”
Heat washed up Shauna’s face. “You’re mistaken on both counts.”
Amusement lit Felicia’s dark eyes. “I’m never wrong about these things. I realize you’re in the middle of trying to figure out a murder, but I’d be using this time at his house to see where your relationship might go.”
“We have no relationship! I mean, not that kind.” Her tongue tripped over itself, and she reached for a piece of toast to cover her confusion.
“What’s the problem, anyway? He loves you and you love him. Is it your son?”
“No, Alex loves Zach and Zach loves him.” Shauna wanted to plant her face in her hands. “Zach was my husband’s best friend. It would be disloyal to Jack.”
Felicia nibbled at a triangle of toast. “So your husband was a jerk who would want you to be unhappy the rest of your life?”
“Jack was a wonderful man! He only wanted the best for us.”
“Then why would you think loving Zach would be disloyal? If Jack was so wonderful, he’d want you with a man he loved and trusted, wouldn’t he? I heard that video too. He told you to turn to Zach if he died. So why are you running away?”
She’s right. Shauna sat back in her chair and exhaled.
Felicia took another bite. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a coward either, but you’re sure acting like one. Hiding away in your house, afraid to move on and be happy again. What kind of life is that for you or for Alex? You’re only in your early thirties. Do you plan to spend the next fifty years alone? Alex will grow up and move out before you can blink.”
Good grief, the woman was blunt. Shauna wiped her fingers on her napkin. “You’re practically a kid yourself. How do you know so much about life?”
Felicia’s smile was sad. “I’ve had to become a student of men and what makes them tick since I was fourteen. I was on my own by sixteen and swimming with the sharks of the world. When I met Everett, I knew I would be safe. He saw me for who I am and not for just what I looked like. Zach looks at you that way too.”
“Zach and I share a common history built around love for Jack. I’m not sure how to even get past having Jack at the center of everything.” Shauna heard the tremble in her voice and swallowed it down. “I mean, I’m not sure how to do it. He’s part of who I am.”
“Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting Jack. He’ll always be part of you. Our experiences, good and bad, shape us and form us. That’s all part of our growth. I wouldn’t be who I am without having spent some time in a foster home or without those nights crying alone in my hotel room. My foster parents were great, by the way. The nights in the hotel room weren’t.”
Maybe she wouldn’t be giving up Jack if she moved on with her life. She’d gotten a little caught up in what people would think, which was silly when she stopped to think about it.
Felicia devoured another wedge of clam toast. “You were right—this stuff is pretty good,” she mumbled with a full mouth. “So what’s it going to take for you to move on? I can see you’re still hesitant.”
Shauna’s attention went out to where Zach still stood talking to Valerie. “Maybe once the murders are solved, I can think about it.”
“What if they’re never solved? Life doesn’t always fit into our neat boxes.”
“I have to find justice for Jack. Lucy, Clarence, and Darla too.”
“Have the courage to admit you want justice for you, not for them. Justice this side of heaven is a myth. It’s not our job anyway. Real justice belongs to God.”
Shauna held up her hands. “Okay, okay, I give.”
Zach turned and headed back toward the restaurant. Her cheeks went hot when he yanked open the door and stepped inside. Felicia was right. Shauna loved him, and she couldn’t deny it. The smile that lifted his lips when he saw her made her pulse leap.
When the trembling started, she thought at first it was because the revelation was so earth-shattering. Then glass began to break around her, and someone screamed out, “Earthquake!”
It was only after she was crouching under the table with her hands over her head that she realized the screaming was coming from her.
The earthquake threw Zach down, and every time he tried to get up, he hit the floor again. When the earth steadied, dust and debris littered the space. The café’s ceiling was mostly gone. He scrambled up and headed the direction where he’d last seen Shauna.
Screams and cries blasted him from everywhere, but he had to reach Shauna. He climbed over the debris to where she crouched with Felicia under a table. Shauna’s eyes were clamped shut, and she rocked back and forth as she continued to cry out. She didn’t appear injured. At least, there was no blood.
Broken glass bit into his knees as he got close enough to pull her into his arms. “It’s okay, Flygirl. You’re safe. It was a small one.” He guessed the earthquake had been under seven but more than five since it had caused the ceiling to fall and glass to break. “I’ve got you. Look at me.”
She cracked open one eye, and the wailing stopped. “Cowboy?” Her voice trembled.
The old nickname meant more to him than he’d ever let on. He pulled her close. “It’s over. There might be an aftershock, but we’re okay.”
Both green eyes popped open. “Alex!”
“He’s at school, and it’s a concrete building. I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll call now and check.” He pulled out his phone but got an out-of-service message. “The cell tower must be down. We’re only four blocks away. We can go right over and check on him.” He moved out from under the table and held her hand to help her up. “Careful of the glass.”
People were crying around them as they picked themselves up from the floor, but he didn’t see anything more than a few cuts and scratches.
Felicia looked a little dazed too. She had a cut on her hand oozing a little blood. “Wow, that was intense. I’d better go find Everett and see if he needs any help.” She stood and brushed debris from her jeans. “You okay, Shauna?”
Shauna’s face was as pale as the fallen plaster. “I’m terrified of earthquakes, but I’ll be okay. I have to make sure Alex isn’t hurt. I’ll call you later.” She clung to Zach’s hand and pulled him toward the door.
He went willingly, but turned her away from her truck. “The traffic is already bad, and the lights are out. It will be faster if we walk.”
She nodded and took off to the north at a run. Praying for the safety of the children as he ran, he jogged beside her as they jogged around debris on the sidewalk. It was only a few minutes before he saw the school. “Looks intact.” He pointed. “Look, the kids are all outside in the soccer field.”
“There’s Alex!” She waved and called her son’s name.
Alex turned and ran to meet them. “Mommy, did you feel the earthquake? It was so cool!” He leaped into her arms.
She hugged him to her, and her gaze locked with Zach’s over Alex’s shoulder. The naked fear on her face made him step forward and encircle them both with his arms.
“We’re all okay. Let’s make sure everyone is all right, and we’ll go home and check on things.”
She nodded and stepped back, then took Alex’s hand. “Was anyone hurt at school?”
“No, we were outside for recess. The teachers wouldn’t let us go back inside.” He sounded disappointed. “I wanted to see if any ceilings came down.” He stared up at his mother. “You’ve got white stuff in your hair.”
She brushed at her long, dark hair. “The ceiling came down at The Yellow Submarine.”
Alex frowned. “Did you get hurt?”
“No, no, I’m fine.”
She waved to the teacher and mouthed that she was taking her son. The teacher nodded.
Zach wanted to see if he was needed in town, and Alex was never going to keep up. Zach stopped and held out his arms. “How about a piggyback ride?”
“Yay!”
Zach lifted him and set the boy on his shoulders. “Hang on to my hair, kiddo. We need to move along.”
Alex’s small fingers were quickly entangled in his hair, and Zach set off at a faster pace.
Shauna jogged alongside them. A bit of color was coming back to her face. After what she’d gone through as a kid, he didn’t blame her for that meltdown. Her concern for Alex had quickly gripped her enough to push away her fear. As they neared the town center, he saw Felicia tending to small cuts in a triage line with a couple of nurses. Everett and his deputies scurried from building to building making sure everyone was out and accounted for.
Zach lifted Alex from his shoulders. “Stay here with your mom a minute.”
Everett saw him coming. “Shauna doing okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine. The kids at the school were all out for recess so no injuries there. The school looked in good shape.”
“Good, good.” Everett looked past Zach’s shoulder. “No fires as far as I can see. You might be on the lookout as you take them home. I’m telling everyone to go to their homes and check for gas and water leaks. I think we’re okay, though. It could have been worse.”
“I thought for a minute the big one they’ve been talking about might have started.”
“Yeah, well, today is not that day, thank the good Lord.” Everett clapped him on the shoulder and turned away.
Zach rejoined Alex and Shauna. “The sheriff wants everyone to go home and check for damage. Let’s take your truck. Mine is blocked in by emergency vehicles.”
She nodded and fished her keys from her pocket. “I’ll let you drive.”
He opened the back door and she climbed in the back with Alex. She wasn’t going to let him be far from her. It took half an hour to navigate through vehicles parked in the streets, and he found his gaze straying to her in the backseat as she kept up a happy chatter with Alex. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, though, and Zach knew the trauma of the day would hit her hard after Alex settled in for the night.
Zach planned to be there for her, no matter what she needed.