Monk fought a smile at her possessive statement. From any other woman, he would have hated it, but an odd sense of pride rolled up in a warm hug wrapped around him at her words.
“She also implied that you were having a threesome with me and Monk,” Dulcie added.
Helia choked on her coffee. “That bitch!”
Gretchen cackled, Monk chuckled. Dulcie always did have the ears of a bat. That fucker could hear a sand snake slithering across a dune from half a mile away.
“I hope you weren’t friends,” Monk said.
Helia narrowed her eyes. “We didn’t get together and braid each other’s hair, but we were friendly acquaintances. You know how small the valley is for us business owners. And it’s notthat I have anything against people who do that—so long as it’s consensual—but implying that about me to someone she doesn’t know? And during a professional visit? What if you’d been a conservative client? She could have cost me business.”
“Well, you’re better off without her as far as I’m concerned,” Gretchen said. “Never did like her. She and Roger were friendly—not inthatsense, but as if they had a secret club only the cool kids got invited to. I tried to change over to Neil Vonhersh for our marketing—you know him?” she asked, looking at Helia, who nodded. “Well, Roger wasn’t having any of that.”
“You have my permission to switch,” Monk said. “But let’s change the login and password to the site. I want her locked out before she learns her services are no longer required.”
“Give me five minutes and it will be done,” Gretchen said.
“In the meantime, I need to head home,” Helia said. “We have an event tonight and two tomorrow.” She paused, a flicker of a smile appearing. “And then we shut down for two weeks.”
“You don’t host New Year’s events?” Monk asked, somewhat surprised.
She shook her head. “They can be profitable, but they are also a huge hassle. People drink too much, do stupid things. We decided a few years ago that they weren’t worth it.”
Visions of taking her to Mystery Lake danced in his head like the proverbial sugarplums, but he shut the thoughts down. She wouldn’t want to leave her family for the holidays.
“I’ll drive you home,” he said, rising from his seat as Gretchen typed away.
“Why don’t I do that, and you can stay and talk with Gretchen,” Dulcie offered. “You probably have a few things to catch up on.”
Monk caught and held Dulcie’s eye. He hadn’t missed Gretchen’s comments about Kelly. Was she the woman Kendall heard talking the day Roger died? If she and Roger were as closeas Gretchen suggested, she would have had plenty of time to poison him. Which meant Monk needed to take a closer look at her.
“My car is here, remember,” Helia said. “My coat’s upstairs, though.”
“I’d rather Dulcie drive you. Then he can walk back,” Monk replied. Her eyes held his, bounced to Dulcie, then landed back on him. Slowly, she nodded.
He let out a breath and set a hand on her hip. “I’ll head up with you. I want to grab something warmer, too.” He didn’t, but he wanted time alone with her before she disappeared for the day.
Dulcie shook his head and grinned at his less-than-subtle subterfuge. Even Gretchen’s lips tweaked into a tiny smile. He ignored them both and ushered Helia out. He didn’t know what he wanted to say or why it felt important to have a few minutes with her, but none of that mattered when he closed the bedroom door and a beat later found his back against it and Helia’s body pressed to his.
“I wish I didn’t have to go to work today,” she said, her hands on his chest.
He speared his fingers through her hair, resting the pads of his palms against her jaw. He wished she didn’t have to go, too. “Will you come back tonight?” he asked.
“That depends,” she said.
“On?” he asked, his eyes locked on her hazel ones, now more green than brown.
“Give me a good reason.”
He didn’t pretend not to know what she meant, and the conflict that roared to life inside him would have brought him to his knees had he not been pressed against the door.
Did he want to kiss her? Desperately. Did it terrify him? Completely. Not because he hadn’t kissed other women, butbecause this was Helia. And because he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go again if he did. Visions of a life with her, one filled with laughter and love and, most of all, trust, teased his heart and mind. In the deepest, darkest parts of him, he wanted it all. He wanted it all and more. But the boy he’d never been able to truly leave behind—the one who’d been used, abused, and betrayed—still whispered in his ear. Still told him there was much to be afraid of.
“Collin?”
His gaze had drifted to the floor, and he looked up.
“Kiss me,” she said. He hesitated. A look of understanding flashed in her eyes. He thought she might step away, and panic had him tightening his hold on her. Her eyes softened. “Take the leap, Collin. It’s just you and me, and you know I’m not going to let you fall. Not alone, anyway.”
