Tori rested casually on the bench and watched as he slowed and pulled back on the throttle and approached the lift. She smiled, happy that she finally was able to see him.
She’d been planning her return for over a month, having sold her condo in New York and arranging to rent a small house in Manchester. On a weekly basis she checked in with Cal about how Braddock was progressing and to, “Make sure he doesn’t find another girl before I get back there.”
“I’ll see to it that he doesn’t,” Cal responded. “But Victoria, don’t wait too much longer. There are plenty of single ladies around here just dying to help him get back on his feet.”
Braddock looked really good she thought, albeit a little thinner. He was rocking a ruggedly handsome look in his red patterned unbuttoned flannel shirt and black t-shirt, his flowing black hair windswept and his eyes hidden behind a classic pair of Ray-Bans. He gazed upon her as he slowly pulled straight ahead and into the boatlift, taking a last sip of his beer, a little smirky smile creasing his face.
He was happy to see her, she could tell.
As he pulled the boat onto the lift, he killed the motor and once the boat had stopped, used the remote for the lift to elevate the boat out of the water.
Tori stood up. She was casually dressed in a white North Face down vest, a white tight-fitting long sleeve crewneck t-shirt, faded blue jeans and gray suede knee-high boots. Her hair was longer and a lighter shade of auburn now and flowing well off her shoulders.
Braddock stepped off the boat onto the dock and took off his sunglasses but didn’t say anything.
The first move was hers to make.
Tori slipped off her sunglasses and looked out to the lake, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. “I’d forgotten just how beautiful it could be on the lake at this time of year.” She turned back to him, opening her eyes, “I guess I’d forgotten a lot of things about this place.”
“You look good, Tori,” Will said and after a moment he observed, “You look different, though.”
“I know. The clothes, the hair, I’ve kind of given myself a makeover and…”
“That’s not what I mean,” Will replied with a light shake of his head but then smiled. “Although you look…gorgeous.”
She smiled.
“But more than that, you just seem so relaxed. The way you’re smiling and standing, you look so—content.”
“I am, I feel really good,” Tori answered, nodding, smiling. “I quit my job.”
Braddock was surprised. “Really? Why?”
“A lot of reasons, I suppose. I’d done all I could do. I’d sacrificed enough. I decided that I just didn’t want that life anymore. I took the advice of a very wise man and decided I needed to live a little.”
Will smiled at that. “Is that what has you looking so happy?”
“That, and some long hours of work with a very good doctor friend of mine.”
“That takes courage to do that.”
She nodded. “It was long overdue. We spent a lot of time talking about everything. My sister, my father, Manchester, the investigation, Katy, being in that room with Warner and finding Jessie. We talked about all of that, got it all out there and dealt with it. And,” she shook her head, “it was…freeing. It’s like I wasn’t carrying it all anymore, you know?”
“I think I can understand that.”
She exhaled and looked him in the eye. “It also made me realize how much of life I’d been missing out on. So much so that I decided that I wanted to come back here.”
“To visit?”
Tori shook her head. “To live.”
“To live?”
“Yeah. I rented myself a little house right in Manchester. I’m going to look after Gail Anderson. I’ll eventually take a job, but mostly, I want to make up for lost time. And then, of course, there was this guy I met back here.”
“I see.”
“So, I came out here to tell you that I’m going to be around from now on. In fact, I know this is very last minute and all, but I was kind of wondering what you were doing tonight. I hear there’s a big football game.”
“There is,” Will replied with a grin. “And you know, funny that you mention it…I was going solo, to the tailgate even, where a bunch of your old friends might be. So, you know, if you were maybe interested in going…”
“I am,” Tori replied eagerly, stepping to him and reaching for his right hand, interlocking her fingers with his. She took a deep breath. “I walked away three months ago, and I hope you can understand why I did. Back then I wouldn’t have been good for you or Quinn. I wasn’t ready.”
“No, I understood.”
“Yeah?”
“You needed to heal, Tori. I knew that. And I hoped you would.”
Tori looked up to him, gazing into his deep blue eyes, smiling. “I’m ready now.”
Will smiled, nodded and stepped into Tori, wrapping her in his arms, leaning down to kiss her. “I’m ready, too.”
Tori wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a beaming and relaxed smile. She was home.
ALSO BY ROGER STELLJES
THE MCRYAN MYSTERY SERIES
First Case: Murder Alley
The St. Paul Conspiracy
Deadly Stillwater
Electing To Murder
Fatally Bound
Blood Silence
Next Girl On The List
Fireball
Short Stories
Stakeout: A Case From The Dick Files
Boxsets
First Deadly Conspiracy - Books 1-3
Mysteries Thrillers and Killers - Books 4-6
Silenced Girls
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger Stelljes is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the McRyan Mystery Series and The Detective Hunter Series. His books have been downloaded and enjoyed by millions worldwide. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including: The Midwest Book Awards – Genre Fiction, a Merit Award Winner for Commercial Fiction (MIPA), as well as a Minnesota Book Awards Nominee.
Author website and new release alerts: www.RogerStelljes.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Dedication
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Also by Roger Stelljes
About the Author