Twenty

 

 

AFTER NEARLY THREE YEARS, Braden was free of all responsibilities concerning the De La Costa Norte case. The information was passed to him by his lieutenant, the DA, and the FBI agent assigned to him. But would he ever truly be free of the drug cartel? The drug cartel had countless loyal members and any one of them could be searching for him. Moving on with his life was all he’d thought about for almost a year—since he’d been shot—and now that the time had come, the urge to look over his shoulder persisted. He told himself his reaction was normal and the paranoia would lessen over time, but for now, he couldn’t help remaining on his guard. To help himself cope, Braden began focusing solely on the future instead of the past. The parts of his life he had any control over were where his mind needed to stay centered. Work, health, and relationships were within his grasp.

Figuring out his job situation sat at the top of his priorities. The conference call with the sergeant and lieutenant in Florida presented new opportunities for career advancement. He’d have to consider the offer carefully before making any final decisions. But a move across country didn’t appeal to him no matter how he looked at the offer, and he knew exactly the reason why. Melanie.

There was unfinished business between them. The more he thought about their summer together, the more he realized he needed a resolution. How he would gain the answers he wanted from her depended on multiple scenarios. What he’d figured out about Melanie was that she continually asked for space and time. As much as he loved being with her, he could give her what she wanted. The need for solitude and introspection had been so deeply rooted in him that after leaving the Coast Guard that privacy and limited isolation had been the most appealing part of being a Game Warden. Working alone in a fulfilling career altered his state-of-mind for the better. He’d had years of figuring out what he wanted and didn’t want in life, but Melanie had none. There was no question that he wanted to move forward with Melanie, but she would have to set the timeframe. If she chose to let him go, then he’d live with that decision. He’d done it before, hadn’t he? Life continued on whether you wanted it to or not.

Until she came around and pulled her head out of her backside, he would tidy up loose ends regarding his job, his shoulder, and his living situation. Their time apart would either bring them back together, closer than they had been before, or they would move on in separate directions. He hoped she wouldn’t take another ten years to figure it out.

As for Braden keeping the momentum moving forward, the next thing on his checklist was to call his brother.

 

* * *

 

Melanie’s fingers shook as she dialed Braden’s number. Her nerves jangled and her heart beat like a jackhammer resided inside her chest. The phone went immediately to voice mail. After leaving a voicemail, she hung up and couldn’t recall exactly what she’d said. She prayed it was coherent. Braden didn’t return her call. She waited a day, but still he didn’t reply. Melanie let another twenty-four hours pass before sending Braden a picture of Tweeny digging a hole under the fence. Granite Lake shimmered in the background. Melanie typed a text message to go with the picture then erased the message and typed a new one. She erased that message and finally ended up sending: Tweeny's thrilled that Justin doesn’t do fence repair. The text message disappeared into the vast network of cell communication and Melanie gulped hard. Braden probably hated her guts and wished for the return of Romany upon her doorstep. She didn’t actually think he’d wish Romany back into her life, but she was less sure about his new-found dislike of her.

Melanie returned to work. She had a few lessons to make up from her days off but the rec center employed a substitute coach to fill in for her, so she wasn’t terribly behind. Sienna returned home on Friday and before Melanie knew it, almost another week had passed without speaking to Braden. By day six after committing herself to correcting things between them, she was certain he had moved on with his life. With her selfishness and disregard toward his feelings, she didn’t blame him, but the misery over the new realizations was worse than any emotions that preceded them. Pretending everything was okay in front of Sienna added bonus layers of wretchedness.

To compound Melanie’s gloomy attitude, Sienna returned with glorious amounts of pre-teen hormones and threw herself a welcome home pity party. She cried as soon as they were in the car together. It took Melanie fifteen minutes to decipher what the tears were even being shed for. When she heard the name Jaxson, Sienna’s garbled sentences began to make more sense. Barely.

“Jax is going to find a new girlfriend. I know it. He’s like my soul mate, Mom,” Sienna whine-cried. Melanie adored her daughter, but the tone of her voice as she complained about the injustices of living so far away from her “soul mate” made her wince in agony.

“You’re too young for a boyfriend. Can we call him your friend instead?” she asked.

“You so don’t get it. I’ve never wanted to be around someone as much as I want to hang with Jaxson. And we never fight or even disagree. It’s like we’re made to be together.”

Melanie’s preparedness for this conversation was exactly nil. The urge to roll her eyes and tell her daughter she was being overdramatic must remain contained. Didn’t she also have a dramatic meltdown over a member of the opposite sex recently? The irony of the situation didn’t escape her notice. The fleeting thought of the universe messing with her resided in the forefront of her thoughts.

“Maybe you are meant to be together. I don’t know. Only you know the extent of your feelings, Sienna. Now you have to be strong and patient. If you and Jaxson are as close as you say you are—even though you’ve only known him a month and a half—then your friendship will continue no matter what state he lives in. Does that make sense?” There. She’d done it. She gave advice she wouldn’t have otherwise given if not for her own summer experience with Braden. And who knew? Even though her skepticism over her tween-aged daughter’s first boyfriend wouldn’t cease to exist, maybe Sienna’s soul recognized Jaxson as more than a seasonal friendship.

Tweeny yapped and danced with joy at Sienna’s homecoming. The three of them fell into their normal routine—with the added pining over Jaxson. Treasure called and announced she would be moving back to Granite Lake permanently and had been hired on at their local EMS department. Melanie had the perfect housewarming gift for Treasure and couldn’t wait to surprise her friend with it. Life continued on and Melanie should have been content, but she couldn’t move forward until she knew whether or not there was any future with Braden.

Doing a little bit of investigating wasn’t out of her wheelhouse. She often felt like a private investigator when she was on the hunt for antique furniture and bits of hardware and other odds and ends that she used in her projects. But Melanie had never looked for a person before. In truth, there wasn’t much investigating to be done. She had Zion Weatherton’s wife’s phone number, which is where she started and finished her search. As she always told Sienna, honesty is the foundation of communication. She didn’t give Kellie all the details, but she was honest enough. Kellie told her she would find out what she could and get back to Melanie as soon as possible. Kellie Weatherton was more than helpful and Melanie began making a plan.

Emmeline, Carson, and their boys arrived at the lake house for a weekend getaway. School would be starting again soon, and it would be good for Sienna to spend time with her cousins, aunt, and uncle. Melanie packed an overnight bag. She was determined to see Braden face to face and apologize.

Braden was staying at the Royal Suites in Sacramento. Kellie informed her that Zion would call ahead and attain her security clearance to visit Braden. During the two-and-a-half hour drive, Melanie must have said a hundred prayers that Zion was able to pull this off and she would soon see Braden.

Her prayers must not have made it out of the car because she arrived and found out, after an eye-opening experience of dealing with security measures, that Braden was no longer under Federal protection. Melanie was escorted from the hotel and seen safely to her car by a polite man who had the build and personality of a block of concrete. The idea that she’d been played for a fool, and Braden was inside his suite staring down at the parking lot, plagued her.

Melanie sat in her car in front of her local natural grocer. Two bags of fresh produce, fruit, and gluten free snacks sat on the back seat. She hadn’t had it in her to call Emmeline and tell her she failed, but she did have enough forethought to buy groceries to see her and her family through the weekend. Before turning her engine on, the phone rang. Emmeline’s face appeared on the screen.

“I don’t have anything good to tell you. Nothing worked out the way I hoped. I’ll be home in about ten minutes,” she said instead of the usual greeting.

“Well, I don’t have anything good to tell you, either. Except I’m glad you’re nearby. We got locked out of the house. Sienna said she knew how to get in through the shop window, so I let her. But, of course, we forgot about the security alarm. We’re locked out and the alarm is going off. We’re standing in the yard. Can you hear the house alarm?”

“Yeah, I hear it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Melanie made it home in six minutes. The flashing lights from the cop cars clashed against the warm tones of the evening light. A customer service representative from her security company had called immediately following Emmeline’s call so the screaming siren had already been turned off via remote access.

The distraction of having her nephews, daughter, sister, brother-in-law, and two officers waiting for her in the driveway didn’t overshadow the presence of Braden standing in her front yard. In uniform. His arms were crossed over his chest as he discussed something with Chief Shaw. Tweeny sat near his boots staring at her one true love. Melanie didn’t know whether she should be irritated with the dog’s disloyalty or line up beside her. Sienna and Emmeline spoke with the other officer while her brother-in-law appeared to be keeping the boys busy by having a look at the police cruiser. She made a mental note to bake a pie to give the officers for their continued trouble with her security alarm.

Melanie parked, jumped out, and began crisis management. Sienna hurried over and began explaining how she was responsible for locking everyone out and how she set the alarm off when she tried getting inside through the shop window. She was really sorry and swore to the officers she wouldn’t do it again. Chief Shaw and Officer Kilpatrick recounted the incident and confirmed the details with her and Emmeline. Meanwhile, Braden disappeared with the evening light without speaking to her. She thought he returned next door, but she was slightly distracted by the chaos. The officers wanted to have a look around the property before leaving and Melanie agreed it was for the best. Police visits were turning into a new weekly routine, she thought as she grabbed her bags from the car.

By the time the officers left, everyone had settled down, and Melanie began putting away groceries. The kids asked for dinner, and Melanie and Emmeline pulled out the needed ingredients. While they cooked, Melanie filled Emmeline and Carson in on her road trip gone awry.

“But he’s here now,” Emmeline said as she chopped lettuce for tacos.

“Did you speak to him?” Melanie asked.

“Only to tell him why the alarm was going off. He showed up just before the cops. Then you arrived and you know the rest.”

“Hmm,” Melanie said, wishing for more answers than she had.

Emmeline turned to her husband. “Will you and the boys set the table?”

“You got it, babe,” Carson said. He called over to Melanie’s nephews, who were preoccupied with a game of battling superheroes in the living room. “Time to wash up and help me set the table.”

“Oh, man. Do we have to?” the older of the two whined.

“No fair. Iron Man is finally kicking Batman’s butt,” her other nephew said.

“Right now,” Carson said.

The boys abandoned their toys and ran for the hall bathroom.

Melanie set her gaze on her brother-in-law. “While the boys are busy, I’d like to ask if you prefer a verbal or physical slap upside the head?”

“Pardon?” Carson asked with a smile, not realizing that Melanie wasn’t joking around.

“You owe me big time for giving Romany my address.”

“Oh...that. Yeah, sorry. I’ll take the physical slap.”

“Well, I don’t believe in abuse, so I suppose you lucked out,” Melanie said, being a person who couldn’t hold a grudge for long.

“Carson meant well, didn’t you, sweets?” Emme said.

“I did. And I learned my lesson, Mel. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what made me get involved in the first place. Except you know...” Carson shifted his gaze to Emmeline in a look that suggested Emme was behind the set-up all along. “My wife may have been somewhat persuasive.”

“Carson!” Emme exclaimed.

He winked at his wife and pinched her butt.

“You’re not out of the doghouse either.” Melanie gave her sister her best death ray stare, but it was mostly in jest. She suspected from the first mention of Romany that the date had been Emme’s idea.

The boys ran into the kitchen. “Where are the plates, Aunt Melanie?”

Carson opened the cabinet with the dishes and gave directions to his sons on how to help with the table.

“I admit. I was wrong and I’m sorry,” Emme said, holding her hands up in surrender. “I mistakenly thought going out with a handsome, professional man would be good for you, but apparently what you needed was right next door. Speaking of Braden, you should drop in and ask him to join us for dinner.” Emmeline expertly turned the focus of the conversation from her error back to the more important topic of Melanie’s hot uniformed neighbor.

“I wouldn’t feel right,” Melanie said and stirred the refried beans in the pan.

“It’s your choice,” Emmeline said. “But you did drive almost six hours today just to have a talk with him. He’s right next door and the way your day has been going, he may not be there tomorrow.”

Melanie considered, and Emmeline was correct. With her luck, Braden would be gone by the time she rallied the courage to confront him again. “It’s been a long day, Emme. I’m too tired to think clearly. Speaking of not thinking, have you seen Tweeny?”

“No, I haven’t. Where’s Sienna?”

 

* * *

 

Braden opened the front door and found Sienna staring up at him.

“Hi. Is Tweeny here?”

“I, uh... I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her.”

“Well, I was next door and saw her sneak under the fence and run over here,” Sienna said.

Braden stepped outside. “Let’s go look in the back. That’s where she usually is when she comes to visit.” He stepped around Sienna and off the front stoop.

Sienna followed him around the side of the house, keeping up the chatter. “Why does she always come over here? Are you sneaking her treats or something?”

“I admit that I was giving her treats while you were gone, but I haven’t been living here for the past few weeks. I’m not sure if my brother continued to feed her or not.”

“That explains it. Tweeny is totally food crazy and if you don’t put your trash in the garbage can, she’ll eat it, too.”

“She usually leaves my trashcan alone after I sprayed it with some repellant, but thanks for the warning,” Braden said, thinking his young neighbor had a way of inflecting her voice that was almost identical to her mom’s. “Look who we’ve found,” he said as they walked up the steps of the back deck.

Tweeny lay on the deck near the barbecue grill. The grill scraping tool was pinned between her forepaws and receiving a thorough tongue cleaning. Specks of charcoal and burnt food were stuck to the fur around the dog’s mouth. A greasy streak gave Tweeny the look of wearing half a mustache.

“Tweeny, no!” Sienna hurried to take the utensil away. She held it out to Braden. He grabbed it by the handle, avoiding the slobber.

“She is so naughty. We can’t get her to stop chewing everything or digging up the yard. My mom’s fit to be tied. Are you dating my mother?”

Braden had turned to set the grill tool down, but Sienna’s question spun him right back around. She stood with Tweeny in her arms, staring at him expectantly. Tweeny looked huge in comparison to the young girl, and the dog squirmed to be released. Sienna held tight to the dog and openly stared at him.

“That’s probably a question for your mother,” he said diplomatically.

“I wanted to ask you. My mom will just give me some long speech about adult relationships or something boring like that. I figure you’ll tell me the truth. I mean, you did fly with her to Ohio when I was in the hospital. That’s like something a nice boyfriend would do. My boyfriend came and saw me after I left the hospital. I call Jax my boyfriend even though my mom says I’m too young to have a boyfriend.”

Braden wanted to laugh about the assumed speech Melanie would offer Sienna if she asked her mother about their friendship. He held in his amusement.

“I still think it’s best for you to ask her,” he said.

Sienna wrinkled up her face with disappointment. “Mom is too strict. My dad is way easier to get information from.”

“Sienna! Tweeny!” someone called from a distance.

They turned their attention toward the call.

“Sounds like your mom is looking for the two of you,” Braden said.

“Uh-oh,” Sienna said, as if anticipating trouble. She moved toward the steps. Tweeny’s ears perked at the sound of her name. She wriggled until Sienna had no choice but to set the dog down. They heard their names being called again and Tweeny barked once before tearing down the steps and across the yard.

“If you are dating my mom,” Sienna said as she made her way down the deck stairs, “I wanted to tell you I think it’s cool. My dad has a new wife, and I have a boyfriend, and I think my mom needs someone her age to do stuff with. She’d never tell me, but hanging out with a kid all the time can’t be very fun for her.” She stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned to watch him again. Sienna had her mother’s eye color and shape to her face, but her hair was a lighter brown and straight.

“Sounds like you’ve put some thought into this,” Braden said.

“Yep, I have. And I like you. You should ask Mom out to dinner or a movie or something.”

“Thanks for the suggestion,” he said, feeling rather amused by Sienna’s forthrightness.

“Sienna? What are you doing?” Melanie asked.

Melanie approached from halfway across the yard and gave the two of them a questioning look.

“I came over to get Tweeny. My silly dog loves it here. She was chewing on the barbecue scraper.”

“Oh no,” Melanie said. “Is she okay?”

“I think so. She ran off when she heard you calling her.”

“Of course she did,” Melanie said, and sighed. “Dinner’s done. Please go wash up. The table’s set and Aunt Emme, Uncle Carson, and I have been looking for you. You can’t leave the house without telling someone.”

“I was just getting the dog. You don’t want Tweeny in the street, do you?” Sienna’s teen attitude peeked out as she began arguing with her mom.

Melanie and Sienna stood near the deck and had apparently forgotten Braden’s presence. He observed and learned.

“Sienna,” Melanie said the single name as an all-encompassing sentence, part warning, question, and direct order.

“Fine,” Sienna knew what the tone meant. “Sorry for not telling anyone I went to find Tweeny. But I knew she’d be here,” she added at the last second before jogging to the house.

Braden waited until Sienna was out of earshot. “She’s a cute kid.”

“Yes. That’s one way to describe her.”

“I enjoyed talking with her.”

“Not sure if I even want to ask,” Melanie said.

“Not going to tell you anyway,” he said.

“Great. Now I really have to know.” Melanie didn’t look amused at his denial to share the conversation he’d had with Sienna.

“I’ll probably tell you some day, but you can ask her if you need to know sooner. That look is very telling, Mel.”

She composed herself and cleared the suspicion from her piercing blue eyes. “Okay, then, I’ll ask her. Any other reason why you’re avoiding me?” she asked.

Like mother, like daughter. Melanie cut to the quick. Braden hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “I’m not avoiding you.” He turned and walked into the house through the back door.

Whether or not she would follow was her choice, but he left the door open. The sound of her footsteps on the deck preceded her entrance.

“What is going on?”

“I don’t know. I thought perhaps you were about to have dinner with your family,” he said.

“I am. I was. I mean, I need to speak to you.”

“Go ahead. To dinner,” he gestured in the direction of her house. “Or speaking your mind. You do you, Melanie.”

“You’re acting strange,” she said.

“Am I?” He walked into the newly remodeled kitchen and peered into the cooler, still being used as a mini fridge. Justin left four bottles of beer and two cans of soda swimming in melted ice. The new refrigerator and appliances would be delivered the following week, and they couldn’t come soon enough. “Excuse me a minute, would you?” he asked.

“Now you’re leaving? I—” She stumbled over her words.

“Don’t leave. Just give me a minute,” he said before she read too much into his aloofness and ran for home.

He went to the room where his bags and luggage were located and changed into jeans and a T-shirt.

“Why were you in your uniform?” she asked as he reentered the living room.

“I met with my sergeant. I can’t have alcohol when I’m on duty. If I’m dressed in uniform, I’m officially working.” He pulled a bottle of beer from the cooler and looked for the bottle opener. “Want a beer?”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were back to work already,” she said and paused. “And no, thank you.”

“I’m not back to work, but I was at a meeting earlier.”

“I drove to Sacramento today,” she said.

Melanie hovered near the back door and appeared more out of sorts than he’d ever seen her before. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but held back.

“Yeah. How was traffic?”

“Terrible. That’s not the point,” she said.

“What is?” he asked and took a long swallow of lukewarm beer.

“I went to see you,” she said.

“How did you know where to find me?” he asked, intrigued.

“Kellie Weatherton and Zion told me.”

“Huh. They didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“Well, you weren’t there, so it makes little difference now.” She leaned against the wall and tucked her hands behind her back.

Braden was struck with a memory of Melanie standing in the exact same position when they were teens. She stood like that when she waited for him one day after school. He was finishing his trigonometry homework and she was being impatient about going swimming before the sun was down. That must have been shortly before they graduated, he realized. How she could tolerate the freezing temperature of the water in springtime baffled him. Of course, he swam with her. He never could pass up the opportunity to see her in her swimsuit.

“I was released last night from all responsibilities concerning the trial. I left the hotel at six this morning for my meeting. Sorry I missed you.”

“Me, too.” Melanie bit her lip and stared outside for a moment before continuing. “Have you been avoiding me, Braden?”

“No.”

“Did you get my message?”

“Yes.”

“That was a couple weeks ago.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy to call or text?” she said as a statement and a question.

He took another drink. “You made yourself pretty clear that you needed some time to yourself. I gave it to you.”

“I’m sorry,” she said and leaned away from the wall. She clasped her hands and stood tall in her sandals. “You’re right. I did say I was taking the summer to do some soul searching. I haven’t been very fair to you, and I’m sorry for acting selfishly.” She hesitated, then bee-lined for the door. “I need to get to dinner.”

“Melanie, stop.” He had her hand in his before she could escape down the deck stairs. “Don’t go.”

“Why? I’ve embarrassed myself and I don’t want to stand here like an idiot.”

“Why are you embarrassed?” He held her hand and wouldn’t let go.

“I don’t like making mistakes.”

She dragged them back inside. He assumed it was because she didn’t want her family seeing them on the deck.

“What? You’re not a human? We all make mistakes, Mel. I made one when I went after my brother instead of finding you. Taking time for yourself is not a mistake. There’s no reason to apologize for that.”

“I—” She sucked in a deep breath. “Thank you for understanding. Braden, I missed you. I wanted to tell you in person. I should have told you that you moving to Florida is too far away. That I’m not going to date anyone else, but I’m not sure how often I will be able to spend time with you if you’re on the opposite side of the country. But I want to try and make things work between us.”

“I’m not moving to Florida,” he said and smiled at her. He’d been aching to share the news but wanted to do it at the right moment. He took her other hand and they stood face to face.

“You’re not? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. My appointment this morning was a job interview. I’m staying in California.”

She blinked at him, then blinked again.

“Mom, where are you?”

Melanie dropped his hands and jumped toward the door. “In here. Everything okay?”

“Aunt Emmeline wants to know if I can have s’mores with everyone else.”

Melanie walked out onto the deck. “Are they the right kind of graham crackers?”

Braden listened to Sienna but couldn’t see her.

“I checked and they’re the same kind you buy. No gluten. Nut free factory. Marshmallows and chocolate are the same brands you buy, too.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“Can I have a soda, too?” Sienna asked.

“Not on your life,” Melanie called back.

“Darn. Aren’t you coming back? Uncle Carson says if you don’t want your share of the tacos, he’s going to eat them all. I think he’s joking though.”

“Tell him to eat what he wants. I’ll be right over,” Melanie said and turned back to Braden. “Sorry. I need to go home. Would you like to join us for dinner and s’mores?”

“No, I’m good. I should take care of a few things over here.”

Melanie walked into the house and stopped a couple inches in front of him. “Are you going to be here later? Like maybe after Sienna goes to bed?”

“I think so,” he said, enjoying the inquisitive shine that suddenly glowed around Melanie.

“I’d like to hear more about your job interview and why you’re back in your brother’s house.”

“It’s actually my house now,” he said, watching her reaction.

Her eyebrows reached for her hairline. “Sounds intriguing. Will you tell me more later?”

“Anything you want,” he said.

A pretty shade of rose flushed her cheeks. “See you in a couple hours.” She smiled and headed outside.

He could hardly wait for her return.