Catherine Nelson - Zoe Grey 02 - The Trouble with Theft (34 page)

Ellmann
rose, put some cash on the table, then followed me out.

“You’re
kind of scary, you know that?” Dix said as we walked back to the truck.

“And
you’re quite the runner,” I said.

He beamed.
“Regional track champion all four years of high school. I’ve thought about
training for the Olympics.”

“You
should. I think you have a real shot.”

Plus, it
wouldn’t hurt him to be doing something productive with his life, something
that might keep him out of trouble in the future.

“You
think? Really?”

“Yeah,
really. You should do it.”

“Yeah,” he
said, puffing his chest out a little bit. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

“Say,
Cory, maybe it’s none of my business, but I’m curious why you were sneaking
into the ladies room to meet someone when you have a girlfriend.”

He sighed
and hung his head.

“She broke
up with me. After you came to her apartment, she freaked out. She said her dad
had been right about me all along.”

“Was he?”

“No! Not
even close. No, I just did one stupid thing, on a dare, and it got out of
control. It was a mistake, and I regret it. I’m not what he says.”

“Then you
need to get her back,” I said. “Go show her what kind of guy you really are.”

“Think
so?”

“She stood
up to her dad for you for a long time. She wants to be right about you. Show
her that she is.”

Dix seemed
in pretty high spirits when we dropped him off at the jail. And I was ecstatic
when I finally had my body receipt. Had there been anyone in the office, I
would have driven straight there.

One week later, I was standing on
the balcony of our room in Malibu, leaning against the railing, looking out at
the beach. The sun was setting, burning orange and red in the sky just above
the waterline. A light breeze pulled at the palm trees and my dress.

The wedding had been
three days ago; Susan and Vince were so excited they were like giddy teenagers.
No expense spared, it had gone off without a hitch. And in the end, Ellmann was
glad he’d come.

Things were still
tense between him and his father, and Vince still wasn’t really speaking to me,
but he did appear to be making an effort. He seemed to have realized Susan was
dead serious about leaving him if he continued behaving as he had been, and no
matter what he felt about me, he truly loved Susan. I learned some time ago the
road to forgiveness is a long one—something Ellmann and Vince now appreciate,
too—but we are all doing our best.

I will admit, my
motivations for this trip were selfish. I was not so much interested in the
wedding as I was in taking Ellmann up on his offer of a vacation. Our
relationship had started under stressful circumstances, and we’d had plenty of
stress since then. It was nice to spend time together, just the two of us, and
relax.

After the
bride and groom were off on their honeymoon and the guests had all gone home,
Ellmann and I remained. We’d been snorkeling and scuba diving and boating. One
day, we’d lain on lounge chairs under umbrellas all day. Today, we’d rented
bikes and ridden up and down the beach.

Tonight,
we had dinner reservations at a place Ellmann had been talking about since we’d
arrived. Tomorrow, we’d take a drive and visit the town he grew up in, see some
of his old friends. We were supposed to fly home in two days, but I wasn’t in
any hurry.

I leaned
on my elbows, watching the busyness of the beach below: people in the water,
people walking or riding by, people spread out over the sand for miles in both
directions. Overall, I thought it was a great place—a lot like a paradise.
There were lots of rich people, and I could do without them, but it wasn’t too
bad.

I felt
like I was being watched and turned to see Ellmann leaning against the doorjamb
of the open balcony door. His perpetual tan was deeper after only a few days in
the sun, and it was even more noticeable tonight against the white of his
shirt. He was smiling, and I wondered how long he’d been standing there. I also
wondered what was going on with him. Ever since we’d arrived, there had been
moments when I’d find him simply looking at me, watching me. He clearly had
something on his mind.

“How long
have you been there?” I asked, turning to face him.

He
shrugged and stood up from the jamb, walking out onto the balcony with me.

“A few
minutes.”

“You’ve
been doing that a lot lately.”

“Have I?”

I nodded.
“Yeah. So what’s going on with you?”

He smiled.

“I was
just thinking,” he said. “There’s something I’d like to tell you.”

“Okay,
sure.”

He gently
touched my cheek then lowered his head and kissed me.

When he
straightened up, my brain was spinning. I worked to get it focused again as he
started talking.

“I’ve been
waiting, but I can’t wait anymore. I almost told you when I found you at Lyle’s
house, when I saw you were alive. But I thought it might be too soon and was worried
you’d think I was just saying it because you almost died.”

“Geez,
Ellmann, what is it?” I asked, laughing.

This whole
confession setup was strange, and I wondered if I should worry. I had no idea
what he was talking about.

“Zoe, I’m
in love with you.”

I’m pretty
sure my mouth dropped open.

“Sorry,” I
said, my mouth suddenly dry. “What?”

“I love
you, Zoe.”

Uh oh.

Catherine Nelson is a Colorado native.
Fort Collins is home to her, and a perfect setting for her novels. To learn
more about her and her books, visit her website at
www.CatherineNelsonBooks.com
or
follow her on Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/CatherineNelsonBooks
.