Tax Cut (21 page)

It was also revealed to me that the police would have saved me sooner, but Dingo’s personal mob office, which
was where I was taken to, was bugged and valuable evidence was being gathered through the conversation I had with Dingo. Charges for murder, attempted murder, bribery, money laundering, arson, and racketeering, in addition to kidnapping, would likely be easier to prove the way Dingo incriminated himself unknowingly.

Arrests were made—the mobsters, the politicians, the planning board members. Bail was denied for a few of the bigger criminals.
The others were bonded out, and awaiting the day they’d get to “tell it to the judge,” so to speak.

Lastly, I realized that Bryce wasn’t who he said he was.
Bryce was an undercover officer, not a tax assessor, although he had the training as an assessor in preparation for his assignment. He had been working to get enough proof about the bribery and money laundering scandal. He already knew some of what I knew. I wasn’t sure what was going on before I started working for Coral Beach that caused the police to put an undercover officer in that position, but perhaps they were onto Dingo and were waiting for a way to prove he was involved in the corruption somehow.

Chapter
21

The goldfinches sang beautifully outside my window.
It was April and spring was here. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel stressed about what had happened to me. Instead, I felt strong. I had survived. I had my life, my daughter, my family, and my dog. I was determined not to let anything get in my way of living life to its fullest, beginning with being home to watch my daughter grow up. I still had enough savings to make do for a few years until she started school.

Kris had been calling me daily for the past week.
I loved hearing his voice on the phone every day. It was what I had wanted for months. He called early on this particular morning.

“Hey!” he said.

“Hey, yourself!”

“What are you up to tonight?”

“Oh, I have a hot date with my DVR.”

“Well, how would you like to have your date at my place?
I’m sure I can find something interesting for you to watch on TV.”

“Well, if you insist…”

“Kris, Jr. is going to his grandparents’ house for the evening. Come over at seven. Come hungry.”

“Well
, alrighty, then!”

We hung up the phone.
I had all day to spend with my beautiful Mandy. I realized it was opening day at the amusement park in Coral Beach. Left unscathed by the fire, I decided to take Mandy. Lines this time of year were minimal. The forecast was in the seventies and sunny. It was the perfect day for an outdoor adventure.

I fed Mandy breakfast, then got her dressed.
I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and grabbed our jackets. I buckled Mandy into her car seat and took off for the park. After arriving, we paid for admission and headed inside the gates. Mandy’s eyes were wide with excitement. Mandy hadn’t yet been able to ride on any kiddie rides. She had grown tall enough over the winter to meet the thirty-six-inch height requirement, so she could ride to her little heart’s content…or until she wore me out, whichever came first.

The airplane ride was her first.
She giggled and shrieked, “
Wheee
!” the whole ride. The teacups, the kiddie cars, the elephant ride, the dragon, and the choo choo train followed. We ate chicken nuggets and French fries for lunch. Mandy pulled my arm over to the arcade, where we played skeeball and won a stuffed giraffe from a claw machine. I promised her a vanilla ice cream cone, but the soft-serve machine at the park was broken. Mandy looked up at me with her big eyes and said, “Eyes cream, pees!”
How could I resist that sweet little face?

“C’mon
, Mandy, let’s drive over to the ice cream place near Grandmom’s and Grandpop’s house,” I said. I walked Mandy in her stroller, back to the car, then loaded her in. As I drove through Coral Beach on my way into Sunshine, I purposely avoided the fire-ravaged area. It was too depressing and I had worked hard over the past week to forget everything that had happened. Driving past that area would have evoked more pain than I wanted to deal with.

I pulled up into a parking space along the curb, almost directly in front of the ice cream shop.
I pulled Mandy out of her car seat, and held her hand as we walked together through the front door. Mandy ordered a vanilla cone with sprinkles and I ordered a small frozen yogurt in a cup. I grabbed a handful of extra napkins and we sat on a bench outside to enjoy our treats. Mandy looked up at me again.

“Yum,” she said.

“Yum,” I said.

“I wuv you, Mommy,” Mandy said.

My heart melted. “I love you too, Mandy.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped away the vanilla drips down her chin. I was startled by a voice.

“Hi.”

I turned around and saw a familiar face. “Hi, Bryce. How are you?”

“It seems that I should be asking you that question.”

“Hi,” Mandy said with a wave of her small hand.

“Well, hello there. And what is your name?”

“Mandy.”

“Well, aren’t you a beautiful little lady. Can I taste that ice cream cone?”

“No!” Mandy said sharply.

“No?
Should I go get my own?”

“Go!” Mandy said, pointing to the door of the ice cream parlor.

“Well, then, I’ll go,” he said. Bryce stepped inside and returned five minutes later with a chocolate cone and a stuffed cow.

“This little guy needs a home.
Do you think you want to take him with you?” he said to Mandy.

“Uh huh,” Mandy said. I smiled.
Bryce was charming…even with kids.

“May I join you?” Bryce asked me.

“Sure,” I said.

He took a seat on the bench, next to Mandy.

“I see your tire’s all fixed,” he said.

“Yup. They were able to fix it without me having to buy a new one.”

“I’m sorry I had to lie to you about who I really was
.”

“Is your name really Bryce?”

“Yes,” he said.

“How could you keep your name if you were undercover?”

“My last name is Kelly, not Coach.”

“Oh,” I said.

I’m not exactly sure why, but it seemed like you could cut through the air with a knife, the tension was so thick. I wasn’t sure if it was me. Perhaps Bryce was a reminder of what had happened to me. Or a reminder that I had worked at yet another job from hell. But at the same time, I was drawn to him. However, that complicated things for me. I was with Kris. Kris was calling me every day. Bryce hadn’t called me at all.

“I was worried about you,” Bryce said.

“Oh? I hadn’t noticed,” I said with a hint of sarcasm.

“I would have gotten in touch with you
. I just wasn’t sure if I should.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I wasn’t sure if you were recovering from your ordeal. Or if you were mad at me for having to lie to you.”

“I’m not mad.
You were just doing your job.”

“So how are you doing, really?”

I pondered the question for a moment, thinking of the day I had with my daughter and the date I had scheduled for tonight and I smiled. “I’m actually doing great, considering...” I said.

“C’mon, Mandy. Time to say bye-bye.”
I looked at Bryce. “Sorry, we’re running late.”

“No problem.
It was great to see you.”

“Nice to see you too,” I said as I picked
up Mandy and placed her back into the car. I started the engine and drove away. I looked into the rear view mirror as I left, and I saw Bryce had watched us drive away. I sort of wanted to stop and say something more to him, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. I felt like I was leaving something good behind.

I brushed it off and continued to my parents’ house.
They were beyond thrilled that I was out and about. I think they thought I’d curl up into a deep depression, as I had been known to do in the past. But I wasn’t going to do that ever again. I felt stronger than I ever had before in my life. I was a survivor and I was going to take every special moment that happened and savor it. I learned that life could be cut short at any given moment and I wasn’t about to waste another minute of my life taking things for granted.

“What time is your date?” my mom asked.

“It’s at seven.”

“Do you want to eat dinner
, then? We have plenty.”

“No, that’s okay.
I have to go home and get changed now and Kris said to come over hungry, so I’m assuming dinner is included in my date tonight.”

I rushed home in order to get ready.
I was extremely excited. The last time I saw Kris, he kissed me so passionately it made my knees go weak. The thought of his kiss and what it did to me…I almost embarrassed myself thinking about it.

I grabbed a quick shower, then dried my hair, parting it to one side.
I put on a full face of makeup, which was unusual for me. I was normally a minimalist when it came to makeup—concealer, blush, and eyeliner was my typical look. Tonight was going to be special, so I added pink lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow color to the regimen. I wiggled into a little black dress. Silver jewelry, slate-gray heels, and a matching purse completed my look.

I gave myself a once-over in the mirror.
This was what Bonnie meant when she said I should be a sex kitten. She couldn’t accuse me of being a mouse tonight—I cleaned up well. I locked up the house, got into my car, and plugged Kris’ address in to the GPS. He was a twenty-minute drive away.

I arrived at
Kris’ house at seven, as requested. His house was fairly large. A newer four-bedroom colonial, with beige vinyl siding and a pitched asphalt shingle roof. I parked in the driveway and made my way across the path leading to the covered front porch. I walked up the three steps to the porch and rang the doorbell.

“Come on in,” Kris said from behind the door.

I turned the knob and opened the door slowly. I entered a living room, which was dimly lit. The smell of something delicious permeated my nostrils, making my mouth water and my stomach growl.
Ah! He cooks too!
Mental head-slap. Of course he cooked; he owned a restaurant.
Duh!

“I’m in the kitchen.”

I took off my jacket and threw it over the couch before I headed into the kitchen.

“Hi,” I said.

Kris looked me up and down.

“You look great!” he said as he wrapped both of his arms around me, giving me a strong hug. He held me in his arms for a long time.

“I’m so happy you’re here and that you’re okay,” he said.

“I’m happy to be here. What smells so good?
”

“Me,” he said with a giggle.
I couldn’t deny that. He did smell good. A touch of cologne mixed with that
I just got out of the shower
smell.

“You do smell good, but I was referring to the food.”

“I hope you like
coq au vin
.”

He poured me a glass of pinot noir, then poured another for himself.

“You’re not planning on getting me drunk, are you?” I said playfully.

“I already know you can’t handle your alcohol,” he said with a giggle. I had almost forgotten that I feigned sick after two beers
on our St. Patty’s Day date.

“I have a confession to make,” I proclaimed.
Kris looked at me, rather confused.

“I pretended I drank too much on our St. Patty’s Day date.”
Kris stopped stirring his masterpiece and waited intently for me to continue talking. “It’s just that I wanted to kiss you so badly and well, I was waiting for you to make a move and you had told me I was in the way of the car door. I was embarrassed.”

Kris blushed.
“Um, I did that?”

“Yeah,” I said as I took another sip of wine.

“I’m an idiot,” he said as he put down his spoon from the sauce he was stirring and turned off the stove. He walked over to where I was standing, wrapped his arms around me again, and kissed me. “I guess I need to make up for lost time,” he whispered. His words made my heart flutter. He returned to the stove and removed the chicken from the oven. “Dinner’s ready.”

He plated several chicken pieces and vegetables and spooned the sauce over everything.
He placed the dishes at the candlelit table and returned to the kitchen for the wine bottle.

“Can I ask you why it took you so long to kiss me?
I don’t buy your shy act.”

Kris shrugged.
“I guess I’m kind of an old-fashioned guy.”

“But you had already kissed me the first time I ever met you—at midnight on New Year’s.”

“I didn’t forget; I wanted to be a gentleman.”

“I was afraid you only saw me as a friend.”

Kris returned to the dining room with the wine bottle in an ice-filled bucket. He placed the bucket on the table, and positioned himself close to me. He lifted my chin with his hand, forcing me to stare into his eyes. “I’m crazy about you, Chelsey Alton. I think you like me too. Make no mistake—I don’t want to be just friends.” He kissed me again. I was truly happy.

We sat and ate dinner
; we laughed and talked for several hours. I looked at my watch. It was time for me to get Mandy. I hated to go, but I had to. He snuggled me in his arms for what seemed to be an eternity, then we finally said goodnight.

I drove to my parents’ and picked up Mandy, who was already asleep.
I buckled her into the car and headed for home. She stayed asleep the whole way. I pulled up into my driveway and got out of the car.

“Hi!” a voice said.
I jumped out of my skin.

“Nero!
You scared the life out of me,” I said with a hint of anger in my voice.

“Sorry.
I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see how you were doing. We haven’t seen each other or talked since the night you were kidnapped.”