Present Day
Mo had gone home and slept for two hours. He needed eight, but he wanted to be able to sleep tonight. He showered, ate a sandwich, and settled in to work on what he could from his home office since he wouldn’t get access to Bronwyn’s computer until later.
His first order of business, after his deep dive into William Pierce, was to dig into the background info for Bronwyn’s security team. He was an hour into the work when Meredith came in without knocking.
When he, Cal, and Meredith had moved back to Gossamer Falls, they’d built what soon became known as the tiny house compound on the edge of their property. Last year, Cal had moved out of his place and into his forever home with Landry. Meredith still lived in her house, but she’d be gone soon. But she’d be back. Her land was beside his, and when she and Gray nailed down what they wanted for their forever house, she’d be next door once more.
But until then? The compound would be lonely.
Meredith came up behind him and draped her arms around his neck. “Hey.”
He patted her hand, then went back to work. “Hey.”
She was quiet for maybe ten seconds before she said, “We wentto see Cassie and then I helped Bronwyn pack up her desk. We took everything back to her place.”
“Good.”
“She told me what that movie star wanted.”
“Yeah?” He was listening. But he could listen and, at the same time, scan files for the telltale signs he was particularly good at finding.
“She wants to get married at The Haven.”
“Have they ever done a wedding?”
“No. They’ve allowed people to book out the whole place before, but there’s never been a wedding.”
“Did Bronwyn say yes?”
“She told her she’d see if she could devise a plan to satisfy all parties. But she’s not sure the wedding will happen. That woman’s been engaged to at least three different men.”
Mo snorted. “She’d hate to do all that work for nothing.”
“That’s what she said!” Meredith straightened behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Are you okay, Mo?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You’ve had a lot of Bronwyn time lately. And sometimes, after you’re around her, you get sulky.”
“I do no such thing.”
Meredith’s silence was her response.
He knew this tactic. It didn’t matter if he didn’t want to discuss it. Meredith would wait him out. He gave in. “I keep thinking she’ll speak to me. And she continues not to. It’s ridiculous.”
“I think she keeps thinking it needs to mean something.”
Mo stopped and turned so he could see Meredith. “What does that even mean?”
“It’s a big deal, Mo. She’s frozen you out for years, and now, I think she feels like just talking to you, without a big production of some sort, would somehow cheapen all of it.”
Mo turned back to his computer. “I’d rather she just said, ‘Hey, Mo’ so we can move on. There are no words for how much I do not want to rehash the past. Not now. Not ever.”
“I don’t know.” Meredith’s words held a musing quality. “Sometimes you have to put the past to rest and only then can you move forward.”
“Our past is nuclear.”
“Not all of it.”
