Page 23 of Justice Denied

He wanted to flash her a quick grin, but this wasn’t about impressing a young woman. It was about finding out the truth about the embezzlement accusations levied at her late father. “All sent. I’ll let you know what she says.”

“I appreciate your help.” Her voice trembled a bit and she broke eye contact with him.

He put his phone away, not sure what to say or do. He neatly put the papers back into the envelope. “We’ll figure this out. May I make a copy of these papers?”

He had trouble catching his breath at the hurt in her beautiful eyes. The urge to draw her into his arms nearly overwhelmed him, but a lifetime of not pushing physical contact on anyone held him still.

“Would you make two copies?”

“Sure. I can do that at work in the morning, then drop them by later tomorrow.”

She sniffed, then gestured to the plate. “You’d better take those with you, or I’ll eat all of them tonight.”

“I’ll leave you some if you’d like.”

“Sure.” She led the way back into the kitchen and opened a drawer, then fished out a plastic zipper-top bag. After plopping a couple of brownies into the bag, she gestured toward the plate. “Plenty left for you.”

“I’ll have to hide them from my roommates, or they’ll be gone by morning.”

That brought a hint of a smile to her lips. “I forget how much guys can eat without packing on the pounds.”

His chest tightened as unwanted memories of what people said to him about his weight pummeled his mind. He was not that four-hundred-pound teenager anymore. He didn’t use food to escape his reality. Several years of counseling with a food addiction specialist, coupled with weight training, had helped him identify his triggers and work through a lot of his painful childhood. But offhanded remarks like this could drag him back into the mire again.

“Seth?”

He shook himself like a dog getting rid of water. “Sorry, lost in thought.” He drew in a breath. Her expression showed she wasn’t quite buying his explanation, so he added, “Trying to figure out where to hide the brownies.”

That smoothed out her features, making his heart light. “Now I’d better go, as I have an early morning photo shoot with some fisherman trying to catch an elusive channel catfish in Burke Lake.”

“Sounds exciting.” She walked him to the door.

“This is take two, as last week, the rain and fog made any chance at a photo to document the catch impossible. Tomorrow’s weather looks clear.” He paused on the front stoop. “Thanks for the delicious dinner.”

Their eyes locked, the tension building slow and easy like a spider spinning a web. Again, that tug toward her, the desire to brush his fingers across her cheek to see if the skin was as smooth as it appeared. He forced himself to step back, breaking the gossamer thread. “Please use my backyard as much as you need to with Bingley.”

“What?” She blinked, as if coming back from the same dream he’d been caught up in. “Oh, right. Will do.”

A strand of auburn hair fell across her cheek. He curbed the impulse to tuck it behind her ear. “See you later.”

An emotion he couldn’t decipher flickered in her eyes as she repeated his goodbye, then closed the door with a soft click. He strode across the lawn to his front door, frustration nipping at his heels. He entered the house, glad his housemates weren’t in the common areas, although he could hear Wade’s music blaring from his bedroom. He headed for his own room, taking the plate of brownies with him and quietly closing the door so as not to alert Wade to his presence. While he often enjoyed his company, he didn’t want to be grilled about where he’d been.

Flopping onto his bed, Seth stared at the ceiling fan as he reviewed the evening’s ending. Was she disappointed he hadn’t offered to comfort her with a hug? Or was she relieved he hadn’t presumed such intimacy? Questions that wouldn’t be answered tonight, but perhaps, if he studied really hard, he might be able to figure out the correct answers before they solved her father’s case and Jetta returned to her life in Chicago.

ChapterNine

As darkness fell outside, Emily settled back against the pillows. More details from the days leading up to the arrest and Jay’s heart attack had been filling her mind. Fresh grief over her husband’s untimely death assailed her, coupled with a determination to take a clear-eyed view of those events.

When Jay finally told her what had been worrying him for weeks, she had been horrified. It explained his long hours and haggard appearance in the days before the arrest, which led credence to his fatal heart attack. As sleep continued to elude her, she relived the memories playing like a movie across her mind’s eye. Putting aside her own reactions and emotions as best she could, Emily concentrated on seeing everything as unambiguously as possible.

* * *

Fifteen years ago

Emily pouredtwo cups of coffee, delighted Jay hadn’t rushed off to work this Saturday morning as he’d done the past couple of months. While she understood his concern about who had embezzled the money, she hoped he wouldn’t have to go into the office today. She stirred a dollop of cream into his, adding sugar and cream to her mug. Then she pulled the pan of homemade cinnamon rolls from the oven, the aroma of sugar and spices filling the kitchen.

“Smells good in here.” Jay crossed the room dressed in jeans and an old college sweatshirt, the lettering no longer readable. Instead of reaching for a roll, he wrapped his arms around her. Nuzzling her neck, he said, “I’m yours for the entire day. What shall we do?”

Delight zinged through her at the unexpected gift of time with her husband. “Jetta spent the night at a friend’s and they have plans for a zoo trip this morning. I was going to check out the ‘Murder is Her Hobby’ exhibit at the Renwick Gallery. Want to come along?”

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