Fiona.
His heart stopped. She stood there on the doorstep, her mass of hair illuminated by the porch light, her beautiful face upturned toward the door.
He opened it, trying to keep his delight to a minimum in case he misunderstood the situation. And as he looked out, he was glad he had—for a shadow moved behind her, stepping onto the porch, and metamorphosing into her shop-smurf Carl.
“Hello Gideon,” she said, smiling, but tentative in her look. “Are you…busy? It looks like you might have company, and I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s just my grandfather and Iva,” he explained, looking at Carl, wondering what this meant.
“Oh. Good.” Obvious relief broke out over her face. “I knew I was taking a chance in coming here, but…I….” she trailed off, and shot a glance at Carl, who stood leaning against the porch column, arms crossed over his abdomen.
“I guess you don’t need me any more, hmm?” he asked, glancing at Gideon, and pushing away from his relaxed stance. “Is it all right if I take off now? Mission accomplished.”
She looked back at Gideon, and warmth flooded him at the blatant uncertainty in her eyes. “Of course. Fiona, you’re always welcome here,” he said, trying to keep the emotion from gushing in his voice.
No sooner had the door closed behind Carl and the chilly October air than Gideon pulled Fiona into his arms and, jamming his hands into her hair, pushed her up against the door to kiss the life out of her.
“You’re here,” he murmured.
“Mmm,” she sighed against his mouth, and he felt her lips curl in a soft smile.
“Gideon, who is—oh.”
They broke apart and Fiona shifted to see Iva standing there with a pleased smile on her face. “So you did come, after all.”
“Yes.” She looked up at Gideon. “Yes, I did.”
Then, noticing for the first time how the older lady was dressed, Fiona clapped her hands together. “Oh, Iva, I love your outfit! You look so bright and happy.”
Iva slipped her hand through Fiona’s arm and tugged her toward the living room. “I just have to show you this deck of Tarot cards I bought tonight. At leastyouwill appreciate them. They’re all angels!”
“Tarot cards? Do you read them?” Fiona asked curiously as she sat on the floor next to the ottoman. “Didn’t your friend Jean read them too? The woman who died last summer?”
“She was murdered,” Iva replied calmly. “And she used her cards to help Diana and Ethan to find the killer.”
Gideon looked at her. “What did you just say?” He blinked, then looked at his grandfather.
Gideon Senior harrumphed a little. “Yes, well, she’s right,” he said. “Jean’s—well, you tell it, Iva. I can see that my grandson won’t believe me.”
“Jean came back as a ghost at her lake house—the one Diana Iverson, Ethan’s girlfriend—inherited, and she used her Tarot cards and some otheractivity,” Iva said with a smile, “to give them messages that helped them find the killer.”
Gideon sank onto the sofa. He felt as if he were in some sort of alternate reality. “Really.”
“It’s true,” Fiona said, giving him a bright grin. “Ethan told me all about it.” She seemed to revel in the fact that he was stunned and confused and completely upended.
“All right.” What else could he say? The rest of them—even his very staid, grounded grandfather—seemed completely okay with the direction this conversation was going.
Fiona grinned at Gideon’s obvious confusion and skepticism, and turned her attention to his grandfather. “Hello Mr. Nath. It’s so good to see you again.”
“Nice of you to stop by here,” he smiled down at her, where she’d settled on the floor among Iva’s bags and purchases. “Poor Gideon didn’t know what to do with himself tonight before you came around.”
“Grandfather—” Gideon started, but Iva interrupted smoothly, “Have you ever seen such beautiful cards? They’re all angels—did I mention that? Archangels, and…”
Fiona turned her attention to the items scattered all over the ottoman just as Gideon Senior pulled a large, folded piece of paper from the pile.
“What’s this? A map of your foot?” He glared at Iva, but, to Fiona’s delight, she merely smiled at him. “What the hell do you need a map of a foot for?”
“It’s a reflexology map,” Iva told him calmly, taking the paper from him. As she began to gather up the rest of her items, dropping them back into two large shopping bags, she said, “Now, dearest, it’s time we got on our way and let these two have some time together.”
