Читать книгу Dead Ringer - Sharon Dunn - Страница 10

Eli’s heart kicked into overdrive as he brought his car to a stop outside of Lucy’s duplex. He was probably the last person Lucy wanted to see right now. If the department wasn’t going to spring for the manpower to keep an eye on her, he would do it on his own time. Besides, his solution solved two problems. Two days in a motel was two days too many, and she had a duplex for rent.

In her front yard, three teenagers lined up, all holding fly rods. Lucy moved from one student to the next, adjusting their grip on the rod handle or demonstrating the casting.

Her long, dark hair cascaded down to the middle of her back. The vest with all the pockets, a T-shirt and khaki pants was probably the official uniform of fly fishers everywhere. Her cheeks were sun-tinged. Even in the bulky clothes, her narrow waist and the soft curve of her hips were evident. He liked the way the students seemed responsive to her instruction, remaining quiet and focusing on her while she talked.

Part of solid police work involved not jumping to conclusions. He could be wrong about Lucy being the next victim, but he didn’t want to take a chance with her life. How many dark-haired, blue-eyed women could there be in an area that probably had more cows and sheep than people?

The three teenagers held their poles midair and stared when Eli pulled into the gravel driveway.

Part of the profile of the killer was that the dark hair and blue eyes were symbolic in some way. The other aspect of his personality was that he probably traveled for his job or had enough time and money to cover the area where the killings had taken place. On the online sign-up forms, there was an option that allowed an applicant to restrict match choices to a geographic region.

Eli and the other officers had joked as they looked at the matchmaking Web site for “investigative purposes.” They all agreed that a guy would have to be pretty desperate to sign up for something like that. He noticed though that the number of single guys on the force who mentioned having dates seemed to go up quite a bit after that.

William had even signed Eli up, but he’d missed the only two dates he’d agreed to because of work. He’d been twenty-six when he had caught the Spokane killer; now at thirty, his life was his work and that was fine with him. He couldn’t imagine a woman who would put up with the kind of hours he kept. He had nieces and nephews and mentored kids through the church youth group. He never sat at home, twiddling his thumbs and thinking about taking up watercolor painting.

Eli got out of his car and sauntered toward Lucy.

Her granite gaze told him all he needed to know. After a few words of instruction to the kids, she walked over to him. “The guy who called asking about the rental didn’t sound like you on the phone.”

“I had my partner call in and ask about it when I saw the newspaper ad.” She probably would have hung up on him. “I do need a place to live.”

Her chin jerked up slightly. “Wouldn’t you rather get a place closer to town?”

He had counted on meeting some resistance. “It’s not like there are a ton of rental choices. I like how quiet it is out here.”

She studied him for a moment. Her expression softened. “That much is true.” She kept her voice level, completely neutral. “It’s been vacant for a couple of months, and I really do need the income.”

If it was about money to her, fine. He’d stay close any way he could.

She stepped onto the wraparound porch, pulled a key from her pocket and opened the door. The house was clean and airy. Like her place, it had a loft. He would have taken it if it had been a dump.

“It’s nice. I like that it’s a furnished place. I didn’t bring a whole lot with me from Spokane,” he said. “I like being out in the country, but still minutes from town.”

“I like it, too. I’m close to the river, close to my work.” Lucy’s voice lilted slightly when she spoke about the river.

Eli wandered through the house, opened and closed the bathroom door. He had to at least look as if he was considering. He pointed at another door.

“That leads to a half basement—sump pump and hot-water tank are down there,” Lucy offered.

After a cursory glance into the bedroom, he opened the back door and stepped out on the porch.

“Be careful.” Her voice grew closer. “The floorboards on that side are old.”

Eli pressed his boot against a board that bowed from his weight. Several of the planks were broken and there were some gaps where wood should have been. He lifted his head. The air smelled of pine. The breeze brushed his cheeks. A guy could get used to this. “I definitely want to take it.”

Lucy came to the open door. “I’m glad to hear that.” She pointed to a hole in the porch. “My friend Nelson is coming this afternoon to help me fix this. I do upkeep as I get the funds.”

“The porch is not really what you notice when you step out here.” He pointed to the view of the open field and the surrounding evergreens.

“It’s the reason I stay.” A faint smile graced her lips.

Ah, so the way to this woman’s heart is to mention the beautiful landscape.

“I have rental forms for you to fill out. The lease is month-to-month.” She stood, twisting the knob. “Does that sound good to you, Detective Hawkins?”

Obviously, her name choice indicated she wanted the relationship to be about business. It would be nice though if she would call him by his first name. “I did a little digging into your robbery.”

“I did some work, too. I wrote out a description of what was taken. There wasn’t anything else missing from the room besides the jewelry and the fishing rod.” She stepped out on the porch and stood three feet from him. “What did you find out?”

“Couple down the road had a laptop and money taken a few weeks ago.”

She crossed her arms. The breeze stirred the wispy hair around her face. She gazed at him with wide, round eyes—blue eyes, just like the other victims.

“I don’t know if this is important or not, but I wasn’t supposed to be home the night of the robbery. I delayed a fly fishing clinic because of the storm. It rains a lot in May.”

“Who would have known you were gone?”

Lucy let out a gust of air. “Everyone.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I forgot, small town.”

She stepped away from him and stared out at the forest that surrounded her property. “What made you want to leave the city? I’m sure work in Spokane was more exciting.”

He chose his answer with care, not wanting to reveal more than he had to. “Change of pace.” He pressed on a weak floorboard with his foot. “So, the robber might have been surprised when you came down those stairs?”

“I hadn’t told anyone other than the clients that I decided to cancel.”

He hadn’t seen any sign of forced entry. “Your doors were unlocked?”

“I never had a reason to lock them…until now. I’m looking into getting a security latch for the window, too.”

Eli recalled the layout of Lucy’s house. “The thief could have entered from either door?”

Lucy shaded her eyes from the sun as she stepped farther out on the porch. “He probably entered from this side, the back side. There is a road beyond that forest where he could have parked his car.”

“So he entered by the door that led into the kitchen and left by the bedroom window.” If he had come up on the front side, neighbors might have seen his car. There had been some premeditation to the whole thing. Somehow, it just didn’t feel like some kid wandering the neighborhood looking for unlocked doors.

One of the teenage students, a girl with hunched shoulders and chubby cheeks, peeked around to the back side of the house. “Miss Kimbol, Tyler got his line snagged on a bush.”

“I’ll be there, Marnie.” She turned toward Eli after jumping off the porch. “Rent is due on the first, and there is a three-hundred-dollar deposit.”

She disappeared around the corner of the house.

Eli leaned against a porch post. That had gone better than he had hoped. She hadn’t been warm, but she hadn’t been hostile, either. He’d have to find a way to change that. It would be easier to protect her if she trusted him.

Solving her robbery and recovering the stolen items would go a long way toward rebuilding her confidence in the police. Finding out why her trust had been broken in the first place would help even more.

Shortly after a parent came for the last student, Lucy heard Nelson’s truck pull up and she bounded out onto the porch. Even before she had made her way to the truck, Lucy heard Eli’s tenor voice behind her.

“I could help out. I worked construction during college.”

She whirled around to face him. Eli’s hands hung at his sides. He squared his shoulders like a soldier waiting inspection.

Why was he being so nice? “I know I said I didn’t like the police. Believe me, I have my reasons. Are you offering to do repairs to prove to me that cops are okay?” If that was why he wanted to help, he would want to hear the whole story and she had no desire to revisit that part of her past. “Don’t feel like you have to be the police ambassador for Mountain Springs.”

Eli’s shoulders slumped. “I’m just trying to be a good neighbor.” He offered her a megawatt smile. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

She tilted her head skyward. Partly to show exasperation and partly so she didn’t have to look at him. There was something puppy-dog cute about him that she didn’t want to give in to. “Don’t you have moving in to do, Mr. Hawkins?”

He held his hands up, palms to the sky. “All done.”

Eli had a certain charm, but something about him didn’t ring true. What kind of a person gets moved into a place in less than an hour? He must have brought the stuff with him, which meant he had intended to move in regardless of what the rental looked like. Suspicion sparked in her heart. She took a step back.

As if he had read her mind, he said, “The move was kind of fast. I heard at the last minute that I had the job. So I just threw everything in my car and drove from Washington.”

She hadn’t thought her apprehension was noticeable. He sure was good at reading her signals. While Eli wasn’t at the top of her list for renters, she had been grateful when he’d shown up. Since the robbery, she’d been jumpy, uncomfortable in her own home. Having a close neighbor might make her feel safer. Now she wasn’t so sure if Eli was the right choice.

Nelson got out of the truck and ambled toward Eli and Lucy. Nelson was one of those men who showed up well groomed even for something like fixing a porch. He’d gelled his hair. His jeans and work shirt looked pressed. When they had known each other in high school, Lucy had joked that he was the kind of guy who dressed up to go to the Laundromat.

Eli held out a hand. “I’m Eli Hawkins. Lucy’s new renter.”

Nelson nodded. “Nelson Thane. I am an old friend of Lucy’s.”

Lucy placed a hand on Nelson’s shoulder. “We lost touch when Nelson got a job out of state after high school graduation.”

“I missed Mountain Springs and the people.” Nelson lifted some boards out of the back of his truck. “So now I’m back, teaching English to high school students.”

Eli lifted a can of stain from the back of the truck. “I’d love to give you a hand.”

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Nelson responded. “Jump in. The more hands, the faster it goes. Right, Lucy?”

Eli offered Lucy a victorious lift of his eyebrow in response to her scowl.

Talk about pushy. Lucy pressed her lips together, but resisted rolling her eyes. “You’re probably right,” she relented.

They moved the supplies to the back of the house and started by tearing up floorboards. Eli worked at an impressive pace, stopping only when Lucy offered him a drink of water.

Sweat glistened on his forehead as he gulped from the glass.

“So would this repair work have anything to do with your date?” Nelson gathered the damaged wood and placed it in a pile.

Lucy put her hand on her hips. “You’ve been talking to Heather. She says I need to give Greg more of a chance. Fixing the porch isn’t to impress him. We made plans to go into town.”

Eli cleared his throat.

Nelson hammered on a warped board with a vicious intensity. He stopped to catch his breath, waving the hammer in the air. “I don’t know if online is the best place to find true love anyway.”

“I’m just doing this as a favor to Heather.”

Eli handed the glass back to Lucy. “Is this the guy you were in the café with the other day?”

Lucy met Eli’s gaze. A hint of anxiety lay beneath his question despite his attempt at casualness. “Yes, Eli, it is. He’s a nice guy.”

“I’m with Nelson. I don’t think an online service is the best way to go. It’s too easy for people, especially guys, to be deceptive.”

Lucy’s spine stiffened. What business was it of his who she dated? If anyone knew about being deceptive, it was him. He was the one who had moved into his place with almost nothing and had decided to take it before he’d even seen it. What was he up to, anyway?

She tried to keep her tone friendly. “Really, guys, I appreciate the feedback. I can take care of myself.” She was just doing this to prove to Heather that no matter how much of a chance she gave Greg, nothing would spark between them. If she went on one more date with Greg and there was still nothing but friendly feelings, maybe Heather would quit matchmaking altogether.

Besides, Greg was a sweet man, and she wanted to find a way to tell him she wasn’t interested without hurting his feelings. As Lucy placed the claw end of her hammer under a nail and rocked it back and forth, her irritation grew. Why was everyone trying to run her love life?

She pulled out several nails and tossed them in the coffee can they were using for waste. Then she pounded on the rotted boards to break them up and loosen them.

When she looked up, breathless from the exertion, both men were staring at her. She readjusted the baseball hat she’d been using to hold her hair out of her eyes. “What?”

Eli grinned. “I would hate to be one of those boards.”

When he smiled, his eyes sparkled. A laugh escaped her lips. She’d let herself get way too worked up. “Guess I was being a little mean to the wood.”

Eli surveyed the area around her house. “Where are the tools to cut and place the new boards?”

Lucy sat up straight and massaged the small of her back. “Over in the shed. Why don’t you guys go get them, since I’ve been doing all the hard work?” she joked.

Eli glanced back at Lucy as he and Nelson walked toward the shed. She had taken the baseball cap off to wipe her brow. The thought of her being alone with Greg terrified him. The more time she spent with him, the more danger she might be in. Was it worth blowing the secrecy of the investigation to tell her that Greg was a suspect? Given her distrust of cops, she probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Nelson opened the shed door and clicked on the light. The shed had a concrete floor. A kayak and a variety of fishing poles lined one wall. Saws, drills and other assorted tools cluttered a table in a far corner.

Dust danced in the cylinders of light created by two small windows. Eli’s eyes adjusted to the dimness. He whistled. “Lucy has some pretty nice tools.”

“I think she got most of these from her brother.” Nelson grabbed a piece of plywood leaning against a wall.

“Her brother?”

The scraping of wood against concrete drowned out Eli’s question. Nelson pointed toward a corner of the shed. “If you want to grab the sawhorses, we can set up the tables.”

Eli picked up a sawhorse in each hand. “So you don’t like the idea of Lucy doing this online thing?” Maybe he could get Nelson to talk Lucy out of seeing Greg.

Nelson shrugged. “Lucy does what Lucy wants to do. I don’t think we have much to worry about. After a few dates, she’ll just decide she wants to be friends. That’s her usual pattern. It started with me in high school.”

“You dated Lucy?”

“All water under the bridge. She became a Christian a little before her mom died. We didn’t share the same faith. She didn’t want to date anymore.”

Eli detected just a hint of hurt in Nelson’s comments. They stepped back out into the sunlight. Lucy had gathered the rotting wood into a pile and was in the process of backing Nelson’s truck up to it.

They worked through the afternoon. Lucy loaded the old wood to be hauled away. Nelson cut and measured boards. Lucy brought the boards to Eli and helped put them in place so he could drive the nails in.

It was late in the day when they all stood back to admire their handiwork.

“You guys did a good job.” As she stood between them, Lucy wrapped an arm around each man. “I’ll just have to stain it tomorrow.”

Eli’s cell rang. William’s voice came on the other end of the line. “Hawkins, I got a little info you might be interested in.”

“Just a second.” Eli stepped away so Lucy and Nelson wouldn’t be able to hear the call. He ambled toward his side of the duplex. “Whatcha got?”

“The other day in the café, Greg Jackson mentioned the name of the small town where he grew up in Colorado. I remembered I had a P.I. buddy down there who owed me a favor. He tracked down a childhood friend of Jackson’s.”

Eli tensed. “Is the probing going to get back to Jackson? That could blow everything.” The last thing they needed was for any of the suspects to know they were looking into their lives.

“Relax, this isn’t my first day at camp. The friend hasn’t had contact with Greg in years. They were in the same FFA club in high school. My detective friend didn’t put up any flags. He just followed the guy into a bar and struck up a conversation with him. We are being very careful.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you.” If there was anyone he trusted to maintain the integrity of the investigation, it was William. Lucy’s resistance to his advice about Greg had made him tense. “What did you find out?”

“Greg had a troubled childhood. Mom was repeatedly treated for ‘injuries’ until she finally divorced Dad. As we already knew, most of Greg’s crimes fall into the under-eighteen sealed category, except for that one assault charge when he was nineteen. The high school friend said that after that, Greg supposedly found God and got his life straightened out.”

Eli turned to watch as Lucy hugged Nelson goodbye. Nelson climbed into his truck. He waved at Eli and drove around to the other side of the house. “People do find healing in their faith, William.”

“And sometimes that stuff lies just beneath the surface waiting to erupt.”

He couldn’t argue with that. Christ could transform lives, but religion could also mask unresolved issues. “Is there anything else?”

“While I was briefing all the small police departments who are going to help us, one of the highway patrol officers recognized Jackson’s picture. Couple of weeks back, Jackson had a little bit of a run-in with this highway patrol officer for speeding.”

“Who hasn’t?”

“The officer was female, and he put his hands on her neck. A court date is pending.”

A shiver ran down Eli’s back. Lucy stopped picking up debris and tools long enough to shade her eyes and look in Eli’s direction. He had to keep her away from Greg.

“Eli, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

Eli’s pulse rate skyrocketed. He watched Lucy gather the lighter tools. He fought to maintain the objectivity required of his job, to keep his emotions at bay. Where Lucy’s safety was concerned, that was hard to do.

William broke into his thoughts. “We are still trying to dig stuff up on the other three suspects. See you tonight for the surveillance in Three Dot.”

“Keep me posted.” Eli clicked off his phone and strode over to where Lucy was attempting to lift the heavy saw. “Let me help you with that.”

She set the saw back down and faced him. “Long phone call.”

She was close enough for him to smell the floral scent of her perfume. Even in a ratty T-shirt and jeans, she looked radiant. “Yeah.”

“Not going to tell me more?” She picked up a bucket of nails.

“Just some police stuff.” He bent over and lifted the saw. He carried the saw while she trailed behind with the bucket.

They entered the shed. He heaved the saw onto a counter. He had to try one more time.

“Listen, Lucy, I know you have the right to make your own choices, but I got a creepy vibe from Greg Jackson when we were in the restaurant the other day.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “I know you don’t like people interfering. I grew up with two sisters, and I had like a ninety-percent success rate with predicting when a guy was bad news.”

Her expression hardened, and he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

“We have to get the rest of these tools put away.” She stalked toward the door. “By the way, if you are trying to succeed on your mission to convince me that cops are okay, this hyperprotective thing is not how to do it.”

He darted toward her and grabbed her arm. “Please Lucy, I am just asking you to trust me. I can’t explain why, but please just trust me.”

She studied him for a moment. “You barely know me. I don’t understand why you would even care.”

“It’s in my cop DNA. Though my partner says I have an overdeveloped need to protect people.”

“Your partner might be right.” The resolve he saw in her eyes was unwavering.

He let go of her arm. “I had a good time this afternoon helping you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” It was the truest thing he could say to her.

Her stiff posture softened. “I had a good time, too.” She patted him on the arm. “We make a good team.” She checked her watch. “I have to get cleaned up for my date.” She walked out of the shed.

As he followed her outside, panic spread through him. A lump swelled in his throat. He steadied his voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interfere. Your business is your business.”

She lifted her chin. Her skin looked translucent in the early evening sun. “Thank you. I think we will get along fine if you keep that in mind.”

He wanted to know if she was going to be alone with Jackson. Would she be in a safe place, a public place? But it was obvious that probing her about the date would be fruitless.

Eli said goodbye and went back into his house. He showered, unpacked his minimal belongings and then spent some time making a list of what he needed to get in town for his new home. He flipped open his laptop and opened the investigation folder. Some surveillance photos and reports were already coming in.

He came across a photo of a woman with dark hair leaving a movie theater with suspect number two. His stomach tightened. He couldn’t leave Lucy alone with Greg. He had to do something.

He checked the schedule for where he had put his surveillance team. None were assigned to keep an eye on Jackson, and he was supposed to drive out to a small town called Three Dot, where an undercover female officer had set up a date with one of the other suspects.

Even as he dialed William’s cell, he kept one ear tuned to the road, waiting to hear Greg Jackson’s approaching car.

“Yup.” William answered on the fourth ring. “Calling back so soon?”

Eli moved the curtain back from the window, thinking he had heard something. The only vehicles in the driveway were his own and Lucy’s. “Listen, I was looking at the schedule. We don’t have anyone on Jackson tonight.” The silence on the other end of the line told him that William was probably clenching his jaw.

“It was your idea that with the limited manpower the rotating surveillance was what would work best.”

Eli pressed the phone harder against his ear. “I just found out Jackson has a date tonight.”

“It didn’t come up on the phone taps or through e-mail. He must have made the date in person.”

“I know we can’t be everywhere at once, but—” Even as he spoke, he knew that what he was suggesting was unrealistic. “I’m just concerned about Lucy.”

“Lucy isn’t the only potential victim. We got a undercover female officer who has made contact with two of the other suspects.”

Eli closed his eyes. William was right. From an investigative standpoint, they were more likely to get information that could lead to warrants and arrests from a trained officer probing the suspect than from watching a suspect on a date. “It’s just that Lucy looks so much like the others. I’m afraid for her.”

“I don’t want to risk another life, either.”

Eli paced through the bare kitchen of his new home, his resolve growing. “O’Bannon and Peterson here in Mountain Springs don’t have lots of surveillance experience. I could use this as a training exercise.”

On the other end of the line papers fluttered. William must have been looking through notes. “We do have an officer in Three Dot who’s been briefed and is dying to learn. I could pull him in.”

“Thanks, Springer.”

“If we catch this guy, we don’t have to worry about anyone dying.”

“Five women have lost their lives already.” Eli pressed the phone a little harder against his ear. “I just don’t want anyone to die on my watch.”

Eli hung up the phone and stared out the window, rubbing his chin. Now he just needed to keep Lucy safe tonight.

Lucy took out her agitation on the vegetables she was chopping for salad. Eli Hawkins was nosy. What business of his was it where she was going and who she was dating? Who appointed him the goodwill ambassador for all cops?

She placed the tomatoes she had been chopping into the plastic container she planned on taking to her picnic with Greg. Heather was right. She did turn potential suitors into friends pretty quickly. At the same time, it was wrong to lead men on. If there was no chemistry, there was no chemistry.

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a cucumber. Her hair was still wet from her shower, and she needed to put some makeup on.

There was a park in Mountain Springs that had several gazebos where they could eat their picnic. It wouldn’t be too crowded this time of night. Lucy peeled the cucumber.

Maybe it was a good thing that she rented the duplex month-to-month. If Eli continued to be such a pain, she would have to tell him to find a different place.

She smiled. It had been nice of him to help with the deck repairs, she did need the money from rent and having someone next door did make her feel safer.

She brought the knife down on the cucumber and sliced through. The blade hit the cutting board with a regular rhythm.

She had no desire to explain to Eli why there was antagonism between her and the local police. He’d probably take their side anyway. Cops always stuck together, always defended each other.

As much as she appreciated Eli’s help this afternoon, the best arrangement would be for him to keep his distance. There was no law that said neighbors had to be friends; they just had to be cordial.

Lucy pulled two bottled iced teas from the refrigerator, as well as the containers that held the sandwiches she had made earlier. She placed everything in a picnic basket and then went into her bedroom to change into the sundress she had picked out.

She ran a comb through her hair and put on some liner and lipstick. She glanced at herself in the mirror. The cornflower-blue sundress made her eyes look even bluer. Maybe she should change into something dowdier. If this was the date where she told Greg she just wanted to be friends, maybe she shouldn’t overdo it with dressing up. She opted to keep the dress on, but toned down her makeup.

Once back in the living room, Lucy grabbed her cell phone off the counter to check the time. Ten more minutes until Greg got here. Heather had sent her a text message: U promised.

Lucy shook her head. What were best friends for but to turn your plans upside down? Heather was doing this because she cared. Her perceptive friend saw something lacking in Lucy’s life. She would give Greg another chance.

She dug through her living-room closet in search of something that would work for a light summer cover-up. Maybe that magic electrical attraction thing happened after you’d known each other awhile. She laughed. And maybe it was just something people read about in books.

She pulled a silk wrap off a hanger. What did she know about serious relationships anyway? She and Nelson had been pretty serious in high school, but she had only been seventeen. The only other serious relationship had been with Matthew. She’d broken off her engagement with him when her brother, Dawson, had his accident and she’d had to put her energy into caring for him. After that, she had lost all interest in dating.

Lucy flung the wrap over her shoulder and peered out the window. No sign of Greg. She hadn’t thought about Matthew in years. Matthew had been a sweet, supportive man. She had taken a premarriage class at church and, along with the other students, had come up with a list of character qualities they’d wanted in a mate. Matthew had fit the criteria. In retrospect, she hadn’t really loved him.

Lucy stroked the smooth silk of the wrap where it rested on her arms. Somehow she didn’t think that love should be as clinical as a checklist. Sure, she’d had friends act on their emotions and end up in bad marriages, but it shouldn’t be like choosing a health insurance plan, either.

She wandered over to the picnic basket. She rearranged what she had packed and decided to grab some cookies out of the cookie jar. She opened a cupboard, searching for a container for the cookies.

Maybe that was the problem with this online dating thing. You gave a list of the criteria you thought you wanted in a mate, but none of that factored in attraction. Sometimes people could be attracted to someone who didn’t meet any of their criteria. Sometimes, what you thought you wanted wasn’t what you needed.

Lucy pulled out a container. Really, it was possible to like someone who was so obviously wrong for you. Someone like Eli Hawkins, for instance. She shook her head as she stacked the containers on top of each other. What on earth had made her think of that?

She placed the cookies in the container and slammed on the lid.

Outside, tires crunched on gravel.

Lucy walked the few steps to look out the window. Greg had just gotten out of his car. He was holding a large bouquet of tulips. How sweet. There was something poignant about the look of hopeful expectation on his face.

Lucy drew back from the window. Heather was right. She needed to open her heart up to the possibility that there could be something between them.