Make-Believe Honeymoon Read online

  “Well, I just want it on the record that I think you need a break. You’re starting to look a bit haggard.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  Tim laughed. “You’re welcome. Hey, I’ll be joining you with that haggard look soon enough, though.”

  Callum’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Tim straightened and tossed the sponge he was wiping down his bike with into the bucket with a splash. “I’ve wanted to tell you for ages, but Molly wouldn’t let me. We’re expecting!”

  Callum’s eyes widened. “Wow! Congratulations, man!” He stood, threw his arms around his friend and whacked him on the back. “You’re gonna be a dad – that’s amazing. I’m happy for you both.”

  Tim smiled, his eyes gleaming. “Thanks. We’re really excited about it. Actually, I can’t wait. I might have to get rid of this beauty …” He looked at the Hog wistfully. “… and get a minivan or something like that, but I don’t care. It’s worth it.”

  Callum chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d get rid of your Harley.”

  Tim shook his head. “Me neither.”

  “You know, I might have an idea about a vacation …”

  Tim cocked his head. “Oh yeah?”

  “Well, it would be a working vacation, but it’s a Caribbean cruise, so it almost counts, right?”

  Tim laughed. “Seriously? Okay, I’ll give you that one. Are you gonna do it?”

  “Well, there’s a catch – it’s a couples-only cruise, for newlyweds. So I can’t get a ticket.” He rubbed his chin, suddenly recalling he hadn’t shaved that day. Or the day before.

  Tim crossed his arms. “You’re always saying you need help, you’re so busy. Maybe now’s the time to find someone. You could hire another investigator to go with you and pose as your wife. It’d help you get on this cruise, and if you like her, you could see if she’d go in with you for a long-term arrangement, give you some flexibility in the long run.” He picked up a dry cloth that was draped over the cycle’s handlebars and began polishing its black paintwork.

  Callum frowned and ground his teeth. It wasn’t a bad idea – he did need to bring someone onto his team, had needed to for a long time now. And he’d had plenty of jobs where working with a woman would’ve been a big help. It could be a kind of audition, an extended job interview. The only problem was, he couldn’t think of any female PI in the Atlanta metro area who fit the bill. He’d need to do some research – and quickly with the cruise only five days away.

  2

  Jessie Arwens glanced in the rear view mirror, smacking her gum softly, and frowned. Scott stared out the window, a soccer ball held to his side like a teddy bear. She remembered his teddy bear Ed like it was yesterday. He took that thing everywhere with him, dragging it along behind him on the kitchen tiles, one soft arm clenched in his fist.

  She swallowed the pain of nostalgia and smacked her gum again with a sigh. Looking back hurt too much. She had to keep her eyes focused on what was ahead, keep moving forward.

  “You excited about the first day of school, buddy?” she asked, glancing again at her son’s sweet face. He’d had rounder cheeks when he was six. Something had happened when he turned seven – he became a boy on his way to manhood, not the small creature she’d taught how to walk, or whose hand snuck into hers whenever they went anywhere together. He was growing up.

  He shook his head. “Nope. I don’t want to go to a new school. I miss my old friends and Mrs. Thomas. Why couldn’t we stay in Chicago, Mom?”

  His eyes misted over as he spoke and she swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. “I know it’s hard, buddy, but I promise it’s going to be okay. Before you know it, this school won’t be new anymore. You’ll make friends and have fun – it’ll be great.” She wasn’t sure of that at all, she only hoped. Hope was all she had anymore, and not much of that.

  “What if everyone hates me?”

  “They could never hate you. And it’s only second grade, buddy. I think everyone’s looking for a friend in second grade. If all else fails, just play with your soccer ball – those things attract little boys like flowers do bees.” She chuckled to herself, grateful she had a son. Friendships between boys were so simple – take a ball, kick it, another boy joins in, ba-da-boom, you’ve got yourself a friend. Girls were another matter entirely.

  “Okay, Mom.” He stared out the window again, his brown eyes and blonde hair reminding her of his dad.

  She swallowed again and shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about him today. Today was the start of their new life together in the Atlanta suburbs. No looking back. “I’ll take you in to get started this morning, bud. Then I’ll be back to pick you up when school’s over, okay? We can talk about taking the bus when you’ve gotten used to things.”

  He nodded silently.

  She frowned. He’d retreated so far into himself since the accident, she sometimes wondered if he’d ever be the carefree, bubbly little chatterbox she remembered.

  The sky was overcast and the clouds had a greenish hue she didn’t like. It looked like snow. It even smelled like snow. Of course, before they left the house that morning her mother had shaken her head and declared it wouldn’t snow. She always said that when snow threatened, almost as if she were willing the weather to behave. Still, she should’ve shoved some snow chains into the trunk before she left.

  Did her mother even own snow chains? Jessie certainly hadn’t bought any since they moved in with her. She was regretting the oversight now as she stared up into the threatening sky. “Are you warm enough?” she asked Scott, her brow furrowed.

  Scott nodded. “Yes, Momma.”

  He only called her that when he was scared. She bit her lip. “You’re gonna be fine, buddy. Just fine.”

  She parked her green Toyota Corolla in the school lot and walked him inside. It didn’t take long to deal with the paperwork and soon she was kissing him goodbye as his smiling teacher led him to a desk. She walked back to her car, smoothing her neon pink skirt against her legs, and silently prayed: please, God, let him settle in and make friends. If he was okay, she’d be okay.

  She tugged her cell phone from her purse and dialed. A gruff voice answered. “Cummings Investigations.”

  “Hi, Jack, it’s Jessie.”

  “Jessie, my girl – so good to hear your voice! How’d it go with Scott?”

  She smiled and leaned her head back against the headrest. “He was so brave – he’s in class now. I’m sure he’ll love it here. At least, I hope so, or I just spent a lot of money moving from Chicago for no reason.” She laughed, but her throat hurt.

  “He’s gonna be just fine. Hey, are you coming to see me today like you promised?”

  “I’m on my way to your office now.”

  “You know, it could be your office too. Just say the word.”

  She frowned. “I couldn’t do that – it’d be too much of an imposition.”

  Jack grunted. “Your dad and I were partners on the force for fifteen years, kid. You’re always welcome, and it’s no imposition. In fact, I’d love the company – it gets lonely here when Helen’s not in the office.”

  Jessie smiled. “Well, I’ll think about it. I’ll see you soon – we can grab a coffee or something.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  She hung up the phone and started the car. It’d grown cold in the Corolla while she was inside the school, and she blew on her hands and rubbed them together as heat surged through the vents. Her orange-stockinged legs felt almost numb and the warm air from the heater helped her shivering subside. Her mind wandered back to Chicago, back to when life had been simple. When Paul was still alive. When she didn’t know about the women he’d loved while she wore his ring on her finger. Back when she was naïve, and ignorance was bliss.

  Jessie sighed and inched the car out of the lot. She had to keep moving forward.

  Jack Cummings was a PI and Jessie’s plan was to become one as well. She’d left a long-standing po
sition as a beat cop in Chicago only a few months earlier. She’d worked hard for eight years, aiming for a promotion to detective that never came. Still, she thought she’d never leave the force, or Chicago for that matter. She’d thought a lot of things.

  She pushed open the door and a bell chimed above her head. The office was small, with a vacant reception desk outside a single office. Jack poked his head through the doorway with a smile. “Welcome! Come on in.” He strode toward her, embraced her, then set his hands on his hips. “It’s good to see you. You look exactly the same.”

  She laughed. “You too.” Jack still looked, sounded, even smelled like a Southern police detective, right down to the thin cloud of Marlboro smoke that hovered around him.

  “How long’s it been?”

  “Only a couple of years, though it seems longer. The last time I was here was for Dad’s funeral. A lot has happened since then.” She sighed and frowned – she had to change the subject. “So what have you been working on?”

  His face brightened. “Aw, nothing interesting. But I got a call a little earlier from a colleague of mine.”

  “Oh?”

  “Come in, sit down. I think I’ve got a job for you.”

  “You got me a job already?” Jessie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that. She knew it’d be hard to break into the PI world, especially in a city where she had no contacts or experience. But having Jack in her corner would help.

  Jack laughed. “If you want it. My friend Callum’s looking for a female PI to help him out with a case. He didn’t know anyone suited, and called to ask if I did. I thought of you right away.”

  “Sign me up. I need all the help I can get establishing a network in Atlanta.”

  “Great. I’ll let him know. He said something about a cruise …”

  Her nose wrinkled. “A what?”

  “Hold on, let me check my notes here.” He put on a pair of reading glasses squinted through them as he shuffled Post-Its. “Ah, here it is. He’s following a target and needs to book on a cruise that’s leaving for the Caribbean in four days.”

  “The Caribbean? For how long?” Her heart pounded. She couldn’t go on a cruise – she’d just arrived, and Scott was at his first day of school. She couldn’t leave him, not yet.

  “Ten days, I think.”

  “Oh.” She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “I’m gonna have to say no to that one. I can’t leave Scott for that long. We’ve only been in Marietta a few weeks …”

  “I know the timing isn’t great, but it’s a job. If you can get in with Callum McKenzie, trust me, you’ll have more work than you can handle. He’s a good PI and he’s got his finger on the pulse of the area – just the kind of contact you need to get established here. I’ll help you as much as I can, of course, but I’m nearing retirement and winding down my practice. Callum’s young, connected and in demand.” He shook his head and folded his hands on his desk. “Just think about it.”

  She closed her eyes and rubbed them. She had to take this job – she needed the contacts. She couldn’t say no with everything going on in her life. But how could she leave now? “I don’t know, Jack …”

  “It’s up to you, hon, but I think your mom and Scott can manage without you for a few days. Of course, if you don’t think it’s a good idea …”

  She frowned and bit her lip. That was true – one of the reasons she’d moved to Atlanta was to be closer to her mom, to support her, and for her to help with Scott. In Chicago, they didn’t have anyone. It had been too hard, holding down a demanding job and raising a child alone. So when her mother suggested the move, she decided it was the best thing for all of them. With Dad gone and Paul as well, it made sense for the three of them to live together.

  Jessie sighed and nodded. “You’re right, I do need this job. I’ll talk to Mom and Scott, and if they’re both okay with it … then I guess I’ll do it. And thank you, Jack – I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity.”

  He nodded and smiled. “I’ll give you Callum’s number. He’s expecting your call.”

  After spending an hour with Jack, sipping coffee and reminiscing, Jessie headed back to her car. Something cold and wet landed on her face and she grimaced at the sky. Snow. Wrinkling her nose, she hurriedly climbed inside, out of the cold.

  She switched on the radio and browsed the channels. All anyone was talking about was the snow – it hadn’t snowed all winter in Atlanta and now it was coming down in the first week of March. She shook her head and backed out of the parking lot, deciding to stop at the store and get a few groceries on her way home.

  She hadn’t thought to reckon with the tendency of Southerners to panic at the sight of snow – her mind was still in Chicago. Despite most of the snow melting as soon as it hit the ground, the Kroger parking lot was almost full. She nabbed the last parking space, climbed out and hurried across the lot, her boots slipping in the slush. Inside, people were lined up twelve-deep at the registers.

  She walked down the bread aisle and found it almost empty – her best option was a loaf of rye that looked as if it had been squashed on its journey to the store. There were only a few gallons of milk left in the refrigerated section. She grabbed some vegetables – no rush on those – and got in one of the ridiculous lines.

  A half-hour later, she piled her purchases into the trunk of the Corolla and climbed in, wishing she’d thought to wear gloves and a scarf that morning. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home, her thoughts returning to the Caribbean cruise. It wasn’t a bad idea. It could’ve been worse – her first job as a PI and she’d be cruising on a luxury liner through paradise. She never got assignments like that on the force.

  Jessie smiled. She should take it – if Mom and Scott could manage without her.

  “Mom, do you have snow chains?” Jessie called from the bathroom, her toothbrush still wedged into one cheek as she brushed frantically at the knots in Scott’s hair.

  He grimaced, then groaned, “Mom, stop … it hurts.”

  “Sorry, bud. They just don’t want to come out.”

  Downstairs she heard her mother in the kitchen. “Did you need somethin’, hon?”

  She frowned and handed the hairbrush to Scott to put away. “Make sure your lunchbox is in your backpack, and don’t forget a water bottle.” He trotted off and she spat in the sink, rinsed her toothbrush and set it in the cup beside the faucet. She sighed at her reflection – no time to do hair or makeup. They’d be late for school.

  She found her mother in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich for Scott’s lunchbox. “Did you say something, hon? It’s hard to hear you from the kitchen.”

  Jessie kissed her mom on the cheek, then sat on a barstool at the counter. “Just wondering where the snow chains are – I have to get Scott to school and it was a bit hairy yesterday.”

  Her mom shook her head. “I don’t have any, hon – sorry. But don’t worry about it – I’m sure it’s fine out there today. The snow never sticks long ‘round here.”

  Jessie frowned, poured herself a bowl of Cheerios and added milk. “Okay. Well, thanks anyway. I guess we’ll be fine.”

  Just as she took her first bite of cereal, Scott wandered into the kitchen, his hair already mussed again. Jessie’s nostrils flared as she swallowed. “Sweetheart, did you crawl under the bed or something?”

  He nodded. “I was looking for my baseball mitt.”

  “Did you find it?”

  “Yep.” He waved it at her – the Starlin Castro model Paul had bought him well before he was big enough to wear it – then tossed a baseball in the air and caught it in the glove, his tongue protruding from the corner of his mouth.

  She smiled. “We’ve got to get moving. Have some cereal, then we’re heading out.”

  “Do we have to? I don’t want to go to school today. I think my throat hurts. I should really stay home and rest.” He coughed softly to illustrate his point, then continued tossing the ball into his mitt.

  She shook he
r head. “Sorry, sweetheart – you’ve got to go to school today. It’ll be fine – you did so well yesterday. It’s just going to take time to feel like it’s normal.”

  He groaned and sat beside her, reaching for the Cheerios. “It’s not fair. You don’t have to go to school. Grandma gets to stay home too. Why am I the only one who has to go? I can read and write – what’s left to learn?”

  Jessie and her mom exchanged a glance. “Hon,” her mom replied, “you’ll be learnin’ new things forever – that’s the way life is. School’s just one of those things everyone has to do – and you got years of it ahead of you. Then you’ll get a job and you’ll do that every day …”

  “Thanks, Mom,” interrupted Jessie. “I think he gets the idea.” Her mother stuck her tongue out at her, and Jessie grinned. “We’ll talk about it more in the car, sweetheart, but it’s time to go. Brush your teeth and I’ll meet you out there.”

  Scott wandered off as slowly as he could possibly move.

  Jessie sighed. “Sometimes it feels like I’m pushing a rock uphill.”

  “That’s parentin’.” Her mom laughed and rolled her eyes. “And you were the most stubborn child of them all when it came to gettin’ ready for school.”

  Jessie cocked her head, trying not to grin. “You’re such a ray of sunshine this morning, Mom.”

  Her mother leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “You betcha. Now off you go and have a nice day, honey.”

  Jessie kissed her back, grabbed Scott’s forgotten lunchbox from the counter and hurried to the garage. They’d sold her dad’s truck months earlier, leaving room for her to park beside her mother’s black Cadillac. Everything else of his still lined the garage walls, a reminder of times past. His workbench, hammers, screwdrivers, a saw and a battery-operated drill all sat or hung neatly in their designated spaces across the back wall. Lawn tools filled one corner, and his collection of baseball cards and other memorabilia were stacked in boxes near the kitchen door.