Silent night shadows, p.16
Silent Night Shadows, page 16
And for this one evening, he was going to let himself ignore all the reasons that wasn’t true.
She moved to the kitchen, which was empty, and started setting out plates for them.
“Where are Gemma and Matt? You’re not alone, right?” Panic started to creep over him, but it disappeared as soon as she shook her head.
“No, they’re just upstairs watching a movie.”
Nate frowned. Not a lot better. He would rather have had someone physically by Claire’s side the entire time he’d been gone.
“It’s fine, Nate,” she said in response to his expression, which he hadn’t realized she’d be able to read. Surely he hadn’t gotten that transparent—talk about something that was a disadvantage in undercover work. But how could she read him so well?
“You were shot at today,” he said.
“And I’m fine.”
“But—”
She handed him a plate with a couple of delicious-looking cookies on it and a mug of coffee. “Here, let’s sit down and eat. How did it go with the police?”
“It went well. Really well.” They settled down on the couch together.
“Claire...after tomorrow morning, the Treasure Point Police Department is going to take over your protective detail for the time being.”
So much for being a normal guy for the evening. He’d brought up work after less than five minutes.
She turned toward him. Was that hurt in her eyes? Confusion? Nate saw something but couldn’t quite identify it.
“Okay.”
“You don’t want to know why?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure you have your reasons. So what’s next for you after this?” Claire shifted on the couch to face him. “I know you’re hoping this case will wrap up soon.”
“I don’t know.” And he didn’t. The last time he’d heard from Wade, his boss had hinted at another deep cover assignment possibility. A big one. Usually that would have piqued Nate’s interest, but now...
His heart wasn’t in it. But how could he not do it? This was the job he’d always wanted. It was why he woke up every morning and faced life without his sister.
Finding justice was his purpose. He couldn’t even picture God having another one for him. But admittedly... Nate had never asked.
“I’m not sure exactly,” he started again. “Something back in Atlanta.”
“Do you miss the city?”
He studied Claire’s face. She was too cheery, like she was holding back how she really felt, trying to mask emotions she didn’t want him to see.
Nate shrugged. “It’s okay. Your town has its charms.”
“Yeah...” Her voice trailed off. She looked uncertain.
“Do you think you’ll stay in Treasure Point forever?” Nate asked to turn the focus off himself.
“Probably.”
“But is that really what you want?”
Claire frowned. “I’m...not sure.”
If he guessed right, Claire was afraid to leave Treasure Point. It was so closely tied to her hesitancy to be the real Claire rather than this version of herself the town seemed to expect that Nate wasn’t sure he could untangle her motivations enough to figure out which was which.
“You’d be fine leaving or staying, Claire. You’re an amazing woman.” All of it true. All of it also designed to push this conversation about jobs, moving and the case back, leave reality for another night. They’d had enough of reality in the form of flying bullets today. This wasn’t what they needed tonight, and Nate could feel the tension building enough to know that if he didn’t redirect this conversation soon, tonight wasn’t going to end well.
As it was, she accepted the redirection. “Want to watch a movie down here?”
“Sure. Something Christmassy,” he said, surprising himself.
She came back with a movie, handed him the case while she put the DVD in.
“John Wayne?” Nate asked, laughing. “John Wayne has a Christmas movie?”
“Donovan’s Reef is technically a Christmas movie. It takes place at Christmas and it has one of the most meaningful Christmas plays I’ve ever seen.”
“I guess I’m going to have to watch it to believe it.”
Claire sat down beside him, and Nate lifted an arm to the back of the couch. She snuggled into his side, eventually laying her head against his shoulder as they watched the movie until later in the night.
Nate soaked in every minute of it. He felt almost like tonight was a pleasant break, the eye of the storm.
The whole case, her safety, everything could very well explode tomorrow. He didn’t know. There were no guarantees. But for tonight, he’d sit here with her, watching this Christmas movie, and be thankful for whatever short time they had.
Before tomorrow came and Nate started putting distance between them again. Distance they both needed if they were going to move on in their lives the way they’d planned.
* * *
“Can I come in?” Gemma’s soft knock on Claire’s door after they’d all gone to bed surprised her, so she wasted no time in getting up and opening the door.
“Is everything okay?” Claire asked.
Her sister stood in her pj’s and a bathrobe. “Everything’s as okay as it’s been, I guess. I just... Every time there’s been another attack and I’ve come so close to losing you, I think about all the things I wish I’d done differently, all the ways we could have been closer.” Gemma shrugged. “You were there for me when I went through everything earlier this year, even when I didn’t really want you to be.” She made a face. “But I don’t feel like I’ve been there for you.”
“You’ve got Matt now. I know you’re busy and have a lot on your mind. Your husband, the museum...and...unless I miss my guess...”
Her eyes dropped to her sister’s stomach.
Gemma’s eyes widened. “How did you...?”
“You haven’t had coffee in the last week, even though you’ve poured it for me. I’ve been wrapped up in my own life, too, sis, but I’m not dumb.”
Gemma smiled. “It’s really early. Matt’s the only one who knows.”
“I’m so excited for you.” And she was.
But the tangles in her mind just grew tighter, and Claire started to doubt even more whether she could figure this all out. The irony made Claire smile a little. Gemma had always referred to Claire as the perfect sister. Yet here they were, and Gemma had a perfect little family, a job she loved, a home...
Claire had a shop that didn’t truly fulfill her—and that had been all but destroyed through the attacks—and a crush on a man who could never possibly return the feelings.
“So are you going to tell me why you look so serious?” Gemma asked. “Something besides the case is bothering you, isn’t it?
Claire thought about brushing Gemma off, keeping the focus on her sister. But... Gemma had shared with her. Maybe Claire should take the next step to making the two of them close again, like they’d been before.
“It’s Nate. It’s...complicated. And I told myself not to let my heart get involved, but...”
“Really? You’ve known him for a week.”
Claire shook her head, watched Gemma’s eyes widen. “What?” Gemma asked.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about when I was in college.”
“What does that have to do with Nate?”
Claire told her the details she didn’t know about Justin—Gemma had known she’d had a boyfriend, just not the specifics—Nate and Katie, about the things they’d done together, the adventures they’d had. She told Gemma the truth, that she’d been drawn only to Justin, but that Nate had been a good friend.
“Justin...when he went to grad school and our relationship became long-distance, I started to feel like I was losing him. I went up to visit, found him out with another girl. It was pretty much exactly what I’d been worried about—that I was too small-town for him, not exciting or glamorous enough to hold his attention. He promised it wouldn’t happen again, it was just a mistake, so I gave him another chance and tried to come up more on the weekends to spend time with him.
“Things seemed okay for a month or two. We were spending a lot of time rock climbing...but then Justin chose a place to climb that was beyond our skill level. At first I said no, but when I saw how disappointed he was, I changed my mind. I didn’t want him to think that I was holding him back. So I went anyway. And...and he died.”
“I remember when that happened. I just didn’t know you were with him when he fell. That was your junior year?”
Claire nodded. “My grades took a hit—it was hard to concentrate in class after that. I pulled it back together for senior year, but by then I mostly just wanted to be done with classes so I could come home.”
“So you came back to town, went back to your fallback plan in your mind, and stopped taking chances. Am I right?” Gemma read the situation well.
“Yes.”
“And Nate is the only one who knows both versions of Claire. The one who does love Treasure Point, but also the one who longs for adventure.”
Claire nodded slowly, glad it was so clear to her sister.
“So...maybe this is something you should give a chance. He knows you, Claire. And you don’t let very many people get to know you that way. Nate must be special.”
“He can’t stay here in Treasure Point, Gemma. And I’ve tried long-distance before. It doesn’t work, not for me.”
“Could you go to Atlanta? Sell the coffee shop building to someone here in town once it’s repaired and use the money to get yourself started, maybe check out the Atlanta art scene, sell some paintings? You do have an unused art minor just collecting dust, if I’m not mistaken.”
“I don’t know.” Claire dropped her head into her hands. Another thing that needed to factor into Claire’s decision was Gemma’s baby. Claire’s roots here in Treasure Point would be spreading even wider and deeper once Gemma started her family. Could she really leave her little niece or nephew?
Her mind kept going in circles. She shook her head, hoping somehow that the physical motion could clear the imaginary webs inside it.
“Have you talked to God about this at all, Claire?”
The words fell on her mind with a thud, accompanied by an empty feeling in her stomach as Claire tried to remember the last time she’d asked God anything...
Even this entire Christmas season, she’d been too busy for Him. Before the threats against her had started she’d been busy with her shop, with her plans for the season. And since her life had been in danger, Claire was pretty sure she’d sent up a few prayers begging for safety, or for wisdom in figuring out who was behind everything.
But actually talked to God, like she expected Him to listen? Spend time with Him? Spend this season celebrating His birth and what it meant for her life, maybe ask Him what it did mean for her life, how He wanted her to use the years she’d been given by Him?
Not even once.
God, I am so sorry. Forgive me for so completely cutting You out of my life. Is it too late to ask what You want for me? Too late to tell You that I want to have a real relationship with You?
“It’s late. I’m going to head back to bed.” Gemma reached out for a hug. “But I love you. I’m sorry we’ve drifted apart a little. We won’t let that happen again.”
It seemed Claire had a habit of letting relationships lapse like that. She was thankful for her sister’s willingness to do better, thankful for God’s grace to allow her to start fresh.
She hugged her sister back, then shut the door behind her.
Claire climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and smiled a little as she drifted off to sleep.
Here’s to new beginnings...
SIXTEEN
Claire had slept better than expected after the events of the day before. When she went down the stairs the next morning, her sister had coffee going already. Except now she had another pot—Claire assumed decaf, now that her secret was out and she wasn’t giving herself away.
“Good morning. Merry Christmas Eve.” Claire offered Gemma a smile.
“Morning and Merry Christmas Eve to you, too. I’m sorry everything’s so crazy in your life around the holidays. I know how much you love Christmas.”
Claire shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s showing me what’s important, I guess. Being alive and having people I care about.”
“That’s a good response, I think. What are you doing today?”
“I don’t know.” Claire sighed. “Nate is coming by this morning. I think he’s saying goodbye, essentially.”
“What do you mean?”
“He needs to focus on the case, and babysitting me is getting in the way of that. I get the impression he thinks he has enough to wrap it up soon. The chief will be sending an officer over to keep an eye on me. So Nate and I are spending the morning together, sort of a ‘farewell to an old friend’ thing, and then he’s gone.”
“But not gone from town.”
“Not yet. But he will be as soon as he gets the drug smugglers in jail.”
Neither sister said anything. Claire appreciated Gemma’s silence. The ache in her heart at going back to life without Nate...it wasn’t something she’d expected. She didn’t understand it. And she definitely didn’t want to talk about it.
“I have an idea for what you can do, if you want to hear about it,” Gemma said a minute later.
“Sure.”
There was a knock on the door just then. “I guess he’s coming earlier than I thought,” Claire said.
Gemma moved toward it, but Claire held up a hand to stop her. “I’ll get it. Don’t you need to sit down or something?”
Gemma laughed. “I’m not expecting the baby to come today, Claire. I’m not an invalid yet.” But she made no move to stop Claire from heading to the entryway.
Claire opened the door, looking up at Nate, who was somehow more handsome today than yesterday. His attire was the same, all black, but something about his face was lighter today. Maybe it was his eyes.
And the smile lines around them—he seemed less like he was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, more like he had hope for this case, for all the others.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning. Is there an extra cup of coffee around here?” he asked as Claire stepped aside to let him in the house.
“I think we could find one,” Claire teased. She could hear Gemma pouring it in the kitchen right now. “Especially since my sister’s not drinking real coffee anymore.”
“What?”
Claire glanced over at Gemma, who nodded her permission.
“She’s going to have a baby.”
He looked over at Gemma, who Claire thought looked even more glowing today than yesterday, and smiled at her. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you.” Gemma rested one hand on her still-flat stomach. “We’re really excited.” She handed Nate the coffee and he took it, glancing over at Claire as he took a sip.
“I was just telling Claire that I had an idea for what you could do this morning if you don’t have plans.”
“I don’t have plans for this morning,” Nate confirmed.
“And this afternoon?”
“I’m going to be working on the case, trying to connect the dots, see if I can figure out where the group’s headquarters is and take them all into custody.”
Claire hadn’t thought of them having a headquarters, beyond the boats where they’d apparently had several meetings. But if they were manufacturing the drug, then Nate did have a point. There had to be some kind of headquarters around Treasure Point. Where, though? Claire felt like she should be able to come up with the answer, point him in the right direction. After all, she knew this place like the back of her hand, or better than that. She knew it like her cinnamon roll recipe. Like her paint box.
But the answer seemed just out of reach.
“Well, my idea,” Gemma continued, “was for you to come to work with me today.”
“To the museum?” Claire couldn’t imagine what they would do there since it was still under construction and not set to open for another few months. Her sister was in charge of marketing, publicity, and some other details of the museum. Her job had expanded since she’d taken it because she was so good at what she did.
“Yeah, we’ve gotten a couple of exhibits set up. The main ones are still being worked on, of course, but like I said, we have a couple that are interesting, and I thought Nate might enjoy seeing them.” She gave a pointed look to Claire. “It’s important to understand history, you know. People’s roots?”
Yes, yes, she understood the double meaning there. What was it about sisters that made them lose the ability to be subtle?
She looked over at Nate. “What do you think?”
To her surprise, he was nodding. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Really?”
“Learning more about the area can only be a good thing.” He looked over at Gemma. “Thanks for the invitation. Should we meet you there, or...?”
Gemma glanced at her watch. “I’m going to leave in about half an hour. Why don’t you plan to meet me about a half an hour later, around nine?”
“We’ll be there.”
Gemma left the room, and Claire and Nate were alone.
They drank their coffee mostly in silence, each of them stealing glances at the other occasionally and then looking down at their coffee when they were caught. Gemma headed out, reminding them to follow her in half an hour.
