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Grace ignored a twinge at the not-so-subtle dig.
“I can’t get ahold of Nathan and the first tour is in three days. How on earth will I deal with my injuries and not worry about the business if you don’t get help soon.”
Pile on the guilt trip, Mama.
“Let’s discuss this later.”
“Why? We’ll still come to the same conclusion.”
“I need to check his references first.”
“Hire him now, check them later. If they don’t pan out, you can fire him then, but for goodness’ sake, don’t let him slip through your fingers. We need him.”
This was exactly why Grace had left Golden and the family company.
Turning from Mr. Matthews’s curious expression, Grace closed her eyes and counted to ten. “I’ll see you later,” she said, ending the conversation.
Straightening her shoulders, she faced the man she was going to have to work with in the near future. “You’re hired.”
A smile broke the serious expression on his face. At the sight of his dimples, her breath stalled in her chest.
“That wasn’t so hard.”
Of all the... One, two, three...
“When do I start?”
“How about tomorrow? Nine in the morning.”
“Works for me.”
“Make sure you’re on time,” she said, rounding the desk as the phone started to ring again. As she reached for it, the front door closed behind her. Thankfully, she’d be heading back to her old life in a month. Then the family business, and all it entailed, was someone else’s problem.
* * *
TAKING A SIP of hot coffee as he exited Sit a Spell Coffee Shop, Deke Matthews struggled to hold back a satisfied grin. Step number one taken care of. He’d landed a job and now had a cover story to justify hanging around Golden. Pleased with his progress, he pulled his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans and hit speed dial.
“Deke, any success?” his brother Dylan promptly asked when he picked up.
“I got a job.”
“That was fast.”
“You know I always take care of matters in a timely manner.”
“A trait I appreciate. Especially now.”
Deke heard a rustling on the other end, then, “So what’s your new profession?”
“Outdoor tour guide. Leading tourists up mountain trails, boating on the lake, that sort of thing.”
“Sounds more like fun than work.”
“Someone has to do it.” Deke took another sip of the tasty almond-flavored coffee, swallowed, then asked, “Is Mom still in the dark?”
“Yes. And I plan on keeping it that way.”
“Agreed.”
“Derrick and Dante are on the same page, too.”
“Still, this is Mom we’re talking about. She has no clue?”
“No. James Tate has totally duped her.”
Deke frowned. He hadn’t met his mother’s boyfriend yet. In fact, none of her boys had had the pleasure. That made him very wary of the guy. Along with the fact that his mother and Dylan lived in Florida, it made a quick pop-in to scope out the situation almost impossible. But their mother’s recent behavior had set all the brothers into a tailspin.
First of all, this was their mother. She didn’t date. Or at least hadn’t, not since their father had died. In the years after Daryl Matthews’s passing, she’d never once gone out with a man. Friend, romantic interest or otherwise. This Tate guy must have sold her an attractive story for her to finally move on from their father’s cherished memory and try to hide it from her sons.
“Is she still giving you the runaround?”
“Every day.”
At the frustrated tone of his brother’s voice, Deke grinned. It took a lot to throw his brother Dylan off task, but Jasmine Matthews was good. Very good.
So were her sons. They’d learned from the best.
“I thought you had plans to run into them while they were on a date?” Deke reminded his brother.
“She caught wind of it and moved the location.”
“Classic Mom.”
Dylan let out a short laugh.
If there was one thing their mother was good at, it was bending her sons’ wills to do her bidding. Not in an evil-queen kind of way. More like she’d mastered the art of manipulation after raising four boys. He guessed it was a survival tactic. But the Matthews boys loved their mother and would do anything to keep her safe. Even if it meant Deke detouring to Golden to follow a lead they’d uncovered about their mother’s boyfriend.
At least that’s what he told himself. Escaping from Atlanta had been the primary goal because the truth was much more complicated.
“Did you find the store yet?”
“I’ll be passing it any minute.”
At the intersection, Deke looked both ways before striding to the opposite side of the downtown street. A mix of busy storefronts and specialty boutiques lined each side of the avenue. As casually as possible, he stopped at the front window of a store named Blue Ridge Cottage. Shoppers milled about inside, but he couldn’t see the store owner.
“It’s just like the intel promised,” Deke conveyed.
“Do you have a visual on the target?”
“No.” As two older women exited the store, he nodded and moved on. “Give me time and I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“Are you sure you’re up to this?”
Here it comes. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because you escaped to the mountains.”
“And that’s a crime?”
Dylan’s voice went tight. “That’s what you do, Deke. Withdraw when you should be with people.”
“I don’t want to discuss this.”
“You never do. Hiding away instead of confronting your past isn’t good for you. You can’t keep closing yourself off.”
“Why not? It works for me.” Deke shut his eyes and counted to ten. “Look, I told you I’d find something out about this mystery woman and I will.”
“And then you’ll deal?”
“Don’t push me.”
Deke went silent, pinching the bridge of his nose. Tired of the same refrain. He hated when his brothers pushed him to be social when he was better off with his own company.
“Listen, Deke. We’re counting on you.”
“No pressure, huh?”
“Never, brother. Gotta run.”
Dylan ended the call and Deke replaced his phone in his back pocket. He walked over to a bench and lowered his lanky frame to the wooden seat.
Once Dylan had discovered their mother was dating, the brothers had decided to stick their noses in where they didn’t belong. It was only fair play. Their mother would certainly do the same to them. Had done the same at one time or another in their relationships. She’d made it clear she wanted daughters and in order for that to happen, her sons needed to marry. They’d all disappointed her, she’d complained. Hadn’t she set up impromptu meetings with single women or invited the “perfect” woman to dinner if one of his brothers planned to stop by her condo? It was a little trickier since he and Derrick lived in different states. Dylan and Dante had finally met their matches, but was his mother so lonely herself that she’d fallen for a guy no one knew anything about?
Deke loved his mother. Had felt helpless over the grief she’d tried to hide after their father’s death. He wouldn’t let some guy swoop in and take advantage of her. They also wouldn’t violate any protocols and use their law enforcement jobs to do an extensive background check on the man just because they didn’t trust him. When asked, Deke had gladly stepped in to try to find some easy answers.
The first break had come when James offered to do some work around their mother’s condo. Curious, Dylan called the company James claimed he worked for. Turned out the place had never heard of him. After a little digging, Dylan suspected James Tate was not who he claimed to be, sending up huge red flags. Dylan laid it out for their mother, but she refused to heed his warning. She trusted James, she’d argued. He would never hurt her. There were things Dylan didn’t know. And with that, she shut down further conversation on the subject.
More determined than ever to find out who this man really was, their younger brother, Dante, had pulled his new girlfriend into the loop. Eloise called in a favor and unearthed information they could actually use. They’d learned James regularly called a number here in Golden, which they traced to Blue Ridge Cottage. A young woman owned the shop. So who was she, exactly? And why did James call her? Since Deke was already up this way to hike the Appalachian Trail, once he was in range signal, Dylan had called and asked him to conduct the second part of their investigation. He was on leave of absence from his job, giving him the time to follow through on this lead.
Arriving in Golden, Deke wasn’t sure what kind of job he’d find here. It wasn’t a matter of being picky, but he did want something that would immerse him in the town so when he met the target it would seem natural. To her anyway. Working in a restaurant wasn’t at the top of his list, so when he happened upon the help-wanted sign in the front window of Put Your Feet Up, his gut urged him to go in and inquire about the job.
Not only would being a guide be the perfect cover, he also enjoyed working outdoors. In many ways, he hoped this job would distract him from the recent events that had changed his life.
Across the street he could just see into the window of the Put Your Feet Up office. Miss Harper walked past the window, the sun lighting on her chin-length, blunt-cut blond hair. Clearly she’d hired him because she was desperate, not because of his witty repartee. The tourist season was upon them, which worked to his advantage, and since she couldn’t be the guide and run the office at the same time, she was stuck with him. He took another sip of his coffee and savored the rich taste. Yeah, she hadn’t been charmed by him—not that charm was his strong suit, he’d been told more than once—but he had to admit, when she’d mentioned she was a criminal lawyer, it was all he could do not to walk out the door. Probably would have, if this entire mission didn’t focus on his mother.
A ding sounded from his pocket. He extracted his phone to find a text from his oldest brother, Derrick. Heard you got a job. Fast work.
What, had Dylan sent out a memo right away?
Another ding. Let me know if this is too much.
Deke clenched his jaw. He loved his brothers, but their concern smothered him. He liked being alone. What was the big deal?
He typed, I can handle it.
While he waited for a response—because Derrick was not the kind to leave well enough alone—he pulled up his photo gallery. Scrolled through until he found a recent picture of his friend Brittany, with her husband and two young sons.
His hand trembled as her sunny smile tore at his heart.
It wasn’t your fault, his inner voice asserted.
His chest squeezed tight and he could barely breathe.
A ding jarred his guilty memories. Call me if you need me, Derrick texted.
Deke didn’t need his brother’s, or anyone else’s, help. He was dealing with the tragedy and he’d be fine. In time.
The idea of swallowing another mouthful of coffee made his stomach sour. He tossed the cup at the nearby trash can. It hit the edge, then tottered inside. Not a slam dunk, but then Deke wasn’t exactly proficient in sports, even if he did excel in competition with his brothers. He’d do fine leading outdoor tours for the time being before deciding what to do with the next stage of his life, because going back to analyzing crime scenes when his investigation had put a good friend in a deadly situation wasn’t an option right now. Sighing, he stretched his arms along the back of the hard bench, the warm sunshine beating down on him as he watched the happenings of Golden, Georgia.
He’d done his research before arriving in town. His brothers always razzed him about his geeky tendencies, but who did they come to first when they needed information about one thing or another in their lives? That’s right. Him.
The town had been established around 1835 after a gold vein was discovered in the surrounding mountains about five years earlier. Folks had trekked to this beautiful spot of land, hoping to make a fortune. Gold mines popped up, much like the historical structure Deke had passed when he first drove into town. The US Mint built a branch in a neighboring town and produced gold coins. Eventually the rush slowed and those with gold fever moved on to California. From the signs posted on the curvy roads in the mountainous area, gold panning was a popular tourist attraction. He supposed he’d have to check it out before he left.
Golden’s greater downtown consisted of six blocks of tree-lined sidewalks built on an increasing incline. There were gift shops, restaurants, lodging and a few professional offices. The buildings were painted in vivid colors. Old-fashioned, ornate cast-iron lampposts lined the main street, supporting large planters overflowing with bright marigolds.
Once off the main street, there were further blocks of housing in all directions, but then the lots grew larger and farther apart as the thick woods and the slopes of the mountains took over the surrounding areas. Golden Lake was situated north of town, a popular tourist destination.
The pace was slow, the town folk friendly. Cars moved down the street in a leisurely fashion, unlike the massive traffic tangles he dealt with daily in Atlanta. He didn’t miss the job, the place or the memories one little bit, but he couldn’t stay away forever. At some point he’d have to return to the job. He’d need to give his superiors an answer on whether he wanted to continue working for the bureau or not, and as of right now, he couldn’t truthfully say.
He wasn’t posturing when he told Miss Harper working outdoors would be a good fit for him. He needed space from the events that had caused him to question not only his line of work, but life in general. Thinking about the tragedy left him with lots of questions and zero answers. Being outside in the fresh air and sunshine might help him discover what step to take next. If not...well, he’d deal with that later.
Miss Harper moved before the window again, this time stopping to gaze outside. He couldn’t see her well from here, but he’d cataloged her details right after meeting her. Sparkling green eyes. Milky complexion. Probably only five and a half feet to his nearly six. Spunk, and plenty of it.
An attorney. What were the odds?
He’d freely admit he was biased when it came to his current personal struggle. She might be a criminal attorney, but that didn’t mean she found ways to let killers go free. He knew he needed to work on the anger and yes, deep down, the guilt.
His new boss must have noticed him. She waved, then disappeared.
Yes, he’d make himself work with Miss Harper because this entire mission was about getting the truth for his mother. There was no way he’d let a criminal, if James Tate was indeed one, destroy another person he loved.
CHAPTER TWO (#u814b1cb9-63d4-557d-b6b7-6bf353ac817e)
“MAMA, HOW MANY times do I have to tell you to stay put? Bagsy will be fine.”
“Not if I don’t feed him,” her mother argued, hobbling with her wrapped ankle and cane across the scuffed linoleum flooring to the pantry. There was no stopping the woman when she worried about her fluffy, white feline companion. “He’s all I’ve got.”
How many times had Grace heard this refrain? She really thought she’d gotten past Mama’s guilt trip, but apparently not. Her heart squeezed at the sight of the woman, face drawn and skin sallow, looking smaller than the last time Grace had seen her, if that was possible. Her mother was on the petite side, but in the last week she’d lost weight, concerning Grace even more.
