to do. Having another three hours of blissful ignorance of the latest happenings in Cook County, Illinois, wouldn’t change Holly’s life in the long run. And it would give Alex a little more time to figure out how to break the news that this new life they’d set up for her might all be tumbling down.
While he thought about what he was going to say, Alex scanned the large room that made up the main dining area of The Bistro. He wondered how Holly went to work here every day. The place was designed for couples to sit at the tufted leather booths, leaning over flickering candlelight. At some of the larger tables there were family groups, or bunches of friends, all of whom would have reminded him on a daily basis of what he was missing as a single adult. And Holly wasn’t single by choice.
Kevin Douglas should still be doing his job on the force, coming home at night to his pretty wife and active kids. They had twins, didn’t they? It was what Alex remembered, and he struggled to recall how old the boys would be now. Old enough to realize that their daddy wasn’t coming back, that was for sure. And old enough to realize something was up when he came home with their mother tonight. Alex hoped they’d be tucked into bed before he went home with Holly. That way there would be one less scene in the course of the evening.
“Tell Jon-Paul that his salad was superb. Almost as good as his steak,” Alex said two hours later as he stretched his legs out under the table.
“I will. Does all this praise mean you don’t have any room for a piece of apple pie?”
“Nobody ever said that. Think you could swing a scoop of ice cream on top, too?”
“Sure. We even have homemade cinnamon ice cream. I know it’s not the traditional vanilla, but you have to let Jon-Paul have his flourish someplace, don’t you? He gets cranky if all his artful touches are denied.”
“Cinnamon ice cream I can handle. Especially after he went to all the trouble to make the rest of the meal as fuss free as possible.”
“Coffee? For most folks I’d suggest decaf this late at night, but I don’t suppose you’re interested.”
“High-test or nothing,” Alex informed her. “And yes, I’d take a cup. Please.” His manners were awful. Maybe he just wasn’t used to dining anywhere as pleasant as The Bistro. He’d better get used to it, he thought. It was probably going to be his home away from home for a few days, or maybe even weeks.
Holly came back with the pie and coffee, setting them down in front of him. “Okay, the worst of the rush is over. I need to know what this visit is all about.”
His heart sank. She looked so happy. But he couldn’t put his news off much longer. It would be nice to try, though. “How about I tell you at home?”
Her look went from serious to stern. “I don’t remember inviting you home with me.”
Here it went. There was no putting things off any longer. “When I’m done talking, I’ll be inviting myself home if you don’t do it. Our friend Rico Salazar is out on the street. A combination of a good lawyer and a bad ruling. By the time we could convince the judge that he really, really shouldn’t be released no matter what the bail, he’d slipped through our fingers.”
He watched Holly’s face pale to the color of the walls around him at the knowledge that her husband’s killer was free. Lower lip trembling, she fled, leaving him to contemplate his melting ice cream and cooling coffee. His appetite for either wasn’t very high right now.
Before he could decide what to do, the young woman who had seated him when he came in was standing before him, and she looked very angry. “All right, what did you say to her? Holly’s crying. And Holly never cries. Even the night when we got the whole table of jerks from Milwaukee, who had too much to drink, Holly didn’t cry. Not even when Jon-Paul threw them all out personally after they said those mean things to her. So what did you do?” His accuser waved a long finger in his face, curls bouncing around her glowing face. What could he tell this baby virago?
She wasn’t going to take silence as an answer. Wild curls still bouncing, foot tapping in impatience, she stayed planted right in front of him. “Well? You looked okay, and I was glad to see somebody that Holly knew for a change, but I’m beginning to change my mind. Should I have Jon-Paul out here? He played pro ball for a little while before he opened the restaurant. Does all the bouncer work around here himself.” She narrowed her eyes in determination, and Alex knew he had to talk fast.
“No, really, things aren’t that bad. I had to give Holly a bit of bad news. But I’m on her side, honest.”
“It sure didn’t look that way when she came back in the kitchen just now.” This young woman still needed some convincing. “She looked upset. And like I said before, she never gets that upset over anything.”
“Felicity? Are you looking out for me?” A trembly voice came from behind Alex’s tormentor. “That is so sweet, but really I’m okay. And Alex is all right. Just barely, but it isn’t his fault that I’m acting like this.” Felicity turned toward Holly and put her hands on Holly’s shoulders.
“You sure? Because we can have Jon-Paul take care of him.” Her tone of voice told Alex it would be no trouble, either. He made a mental note to stay on this young woman’s good side whenever possible.
“I’m sure. And he’s more dangerous than he looks, Felicity. But at least he’s one of the good guys. He used to work with my husband, and he’s here to look after me.”
Alex was surprised to hear Holly admit to that much. He was pretty sure that nobody in this little Wisconsin town knew much about Holly’s past. With every word she spoke she looked more composed. She used one slender hand to push an escaped lock of her dark hair away from her face, and perhaps remove the last traces of tears from her cheek. “Besides, Alex won’t be a problem for much longer. I’m back out here to thank him for his concern and send him back to Chicago where he belongs.”
So that was what she was up to. Well, Holly Douglas had more than one surprise coming tonight. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, Holly. But maybe we can discuss it in a less public environment. We’ll have the time, because I’m not leaving town before our mutual friend is back in police custody.”
Alex didn’t know which expression he liked least on the lovely faces in front of him. From his limited experience he would have said Felicity would be more trouble in the short run, with her amazement and anger blending. However, he’d known Holly quite a bit longer, and so knew her a little bit better. And he knew just enough to tell that in the long run, the look of determination narrowing her eyes and drawing tight lines in her face was going to mean much more trouble for him.
It was going to be a long night. He prayed it wasn’t going to be the first of quite a few. Maybe luck would be on his side for a change and they’d have Rico back in the fold soon. Right. And maybe they’d solve all the world’s problems while they were at it and he could get a great job teaching third grade because nobody would need the services of a cop with a law degree anymore.
Meanwhile he was stuck here in Safe Harbor, Wisconsin, with a woman who didn’t want to be looked after, a cold cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie floating in melted ice cream. As he’d said before, it was going to be a long night.
So what could she do with this guy? Holly paced the kitchen of The Bistro, trying to decide how to gather her thoughts, and what to tell her boss and Felicity. They had both been so kind to her for all these months. They deserved some kind of explanation for her behavior. They also deserved some more information about
