Page 88 of Love Overboard
Jon’s abdomen trembled from trying not to laugh. He wished Detective Collins had half this lady’s gumption. “Thank you, Emily.” He managed to say it without even a hint of laughter. “I appreciate your help. But I have to get going. I’ve got a—”
“Wait.” She lifted an authoritative hand. “While I’ve got you here, allow me to unburden my mind.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jon sat a little straighter.
“I’m serious. No one is happier than I am that you and Lacey found each other, but you’d better be careful. She may appear strong and resilient and, yes, a little prickly …”
He pinched two fingers close together. “A little.”
Emily laid her hand on his. “But her heart is fragile. It doesn’t take a lot to chip it.”
Jon placed his free hand over hers. “I’ll treat it with care.”
“Do you love her?” The faded blue eyes studied him.
“Since the moment she told me to pick up a piece of trash that wasn’t mine.”
“That’s my girl.” She bent forward. “You hurt Lacey, and there’s not a ship in the ocean you can hide on.” Her eyebrows climbed higher, and her chin puckered as she stared him down.
Jon leaned over and kissed her tissue-paper-soft cheek. She smelled of hair spray and butterscotch candy.
“You’re a marvel, Emily Windsor.”
“Pish-tosh.” She pushed him back.
Jon stood and winked at her. “I’ll save a front pew for the Shippers at the wedding.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled as he walked away.
Emily admired Jon like a doting grandmother might. When he was out of sight, she soaked in the sunshine and the lazy clouds floating overhead. “Lord, you did good work with that one.”
“Emily!” Gerry bustled up and dropped onto the chair beside her. “Carl emailed me.”
“Hmm?” Emily refocused on her friend. “Who?”
“Carl Paroo, my cousin, the detective.” Gerry waved a small stack of papers. “He plugged in the new information we sent him and hit pay dirt.”
Emily took the stack from Gerry. A picture of Jon in a graduation cap caught her attention first. Her smile disappeared as she read the words printed underneath. She glanced at Gerry, and her hands clenched. The paper crackled. “Is he sure about this?”
Gerry nodded. “I called him myself when I read his report.”
Emily shot to her feet. “This is bad.”
The ex-librarian’s lips sloped in a frown, and she nodded. “Lacey won’t like it. She’ll feel betrayed.”
“I can understand why.” Emily rubbed her fingers against her chest. “It … this is …” She balled up a fist and thumped it on her leg. “Things were going so well.”
Gerry pressed her forehead. “What do we do now?”
Emily dug her walkie-talkie from her purse and pushed the button. “Mayday. Mayday. All Shippers gather at HQ. And, Althea, if you’re in the bingo hall, you’d better get your behind to my cabin in five minutes. This is serious!”
Twenty minutes later, she was explaining the urgency of the situation to the cranky Shipper who had to leave her card behind when it was almost complete.
“I don’t get what the problem is,” Althea said. “The man has a buttload of money. What’s wrong with that?”
“The problem is”—Gerry’s hand had barely left her head since she learned the news—“he didn’t tell Lacey.” She massaged her right temple with her fingers. “You know she’ll hate it.”
“He must have his reasons.” Daisy sat on the edge of the couch, her posture ramrod straight. “People with money are still people.”
