Kathleen Brooks - Secrets Collide

“What the hell did you do to her?” Cy yelled. She looked up and found him shooting daggers at his brother.

“Oh, Cy.” Gemma jumped up, pushing Cade out of the way, and leaped onto Cy. Gemma pressed herself against him as she hugged him tight.

“I’ll come back,” Cade said as he started for the door.

“No. I’m okay. Tell him what we found.” Gemma laughed as she dried her tears. Cy’s confused expression was just as funny as Cade’s had been.

“We read through all the notes on the flash drive and there was this one phrase toward the end that read Sarah is the key. Gemma thinks this blonde woman is Sarah. The question remains—who is she?”

“Wait,” Gemma said, “that club in the background. I know that club. It’s in L.A. and I happen to know the bouncer.”

“Do you think he’ll know her?” Cy asked as he looked at the picture again.

“I bet he does. She looks wealthy and if you and I both think she looks familiar, she has to be on the party scene. I’ll call him tonight before the club opens. With the time difference, he’s probably sleeping and waking him will not entice him to help. But we did it. We have our first real lead.”

Gemma sat down in the chair Cy held out for her at the café and picked up the menu. This time the moment of silence when they entered only lasted a couple of seconds. She was growing on them. And they were growing on her, too. The town was cute and the gossip that was being traded at every table was friendly. Not the career-or-relationship-ending kind she normally dealt with.

“I’ll have the chicken salad. Thank you, Miss Daisy.” Gemma waited for Cy to place his order before she talked to him. “This is a good idea. If we hadn’t come, I would've been pacing while I waited to call Joe at the club.”

“Any time I get to spend with you is good. Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party tomorrow with me.”

Gemma looked at him skeptically. “Will it end with high-speed chases and someone dying?”

“No. It'll end with eating cake and opening baby gifts.”

“Then it sounds perfect.”

The café went quiet and then started whispering again when the newest couple came in. “This is big. That’s Henry Rooney; he’s our town’s only defense attorney. He’s been dating Neely Grace for a while now.”

“Why is that big?” Gemma asked.

“Because Henry is famous for his bad pick-up lines. I heard they fell in love over a battle of bad one-liners at my parents’ house one night. That and Neely Grace is smart, good-looking, and also a lawyer. We all thought Henry would end up marrying someone he met on the Internet who didn’t speak English.”

Henry and Neely Grace stopped at the table on the way to theirs. “Cy. It’s good to see you again. Have you met Neely Grace?”

“Of course I have. It’s been a long time, though, Neely Grace.”

“Since high school,” Neely Grace told them.

“And this is my girlfriend, Gemma Perry. Gemma, Neely Grace and Henry Rooney.”

“Nice to meet you,” Henry said during a full body scan.  Neely Grace rolled her eyes and smacked Henry prompting him to say, “What?”

“He’s learning,” Neely Grace said with an apologetic grin that told Gemma she was enjoying teaching him. Gemma giggled and gave Neely Grace an understanding look. She’d dated a couple of guys like that, too.

Gemma and Cy enjoyed dinner and he told her about the fight at the peewee football game, which had her laughing so hard a couple people turned to look at them. She met some more of the townsfolk and before long she looked at her watch and jumped up.

“It’s time to call Joe. I almost missed it because I was having such a nice time.”

“Come on. You can call him while we walk back to Miss Lily’s.”

Cy paid the check and Gemma went outside to call the club. She waited impatiently as the phone rang over and over again. “Hello. Can I talk to Joe?” she asked when the phone was picked up.

It took a couple minutes, but Joe finally came to the phone. “This is Joe.”

“Joe, Gemma Perry.”

“Hey, Gemma. What can I do for you? Do you need to be on the VIP list tonight?”

“No, I need to send you a picture and have you identify a woman for me. It’s really important.”

“Sure.” Joe rattled off his cell number and Gemma sent the picture to him. “Okay, I got it. Damn, this is bothering me. She looks so familiar, but I can’t place her. There are just too many bottle blondes with big tits to keep them straight. But Nick at the bar should know. Tonight’s his night off. Can I give you a call tomorrow?”

“That would be great. Thanks, Joe.” Gemma hung up the phone and turned to Cy. “Tomorrow. We’ll know tomorrow.”

Gemma stood proudly at Cy’s arm as they followed the pink and blue balloons to the back of the biggest mansion she’d ever seen. A large white silk tent was in the backyard, filled with tables. Each table had a huge arrangement of pink and blue hydrangeas and little wooden alphabet blocks as napkin holders.

“This is amazing. Do they do this for every party?” Gemma asked as they nodded their hellos to some people standing in a group near the tent.

“I don’t think so. I’m not here much, but from what I understand they’re very laid back. All of this is because the King and Queen of Rahmi are here. And here are our hosts. Hi, Mo. Dani, you’re glowing,” Cy said as he gave Dani a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s called sweat, but I like the way you say it much better,” Dani laughed. “But now I'm going to steal Gemma away and introduce her around so you men can complain about being dragged to a baby shower.”

Gemma waved goodbye as Dani linked her arm in hers and started walking toward their friends. “I wanted a small party with my girlfriends and this is the compromise we came to with my father-in-law. I need to get better at negotiating,” Dani teased.

“Gemma, I’m so glad you’re here. Tell us everything about the ball,” Paige practically screamed. Gemma tried hard not to blush. While many things happened that night, it was what happened after she got home that she remembered the most.

“It was wonderful. Even if I’m not a great dancer.”

“Was it romantic?” Tammy asked, her eyes big with anticipation.

“It was. Until we had to chase down the bad guy.”

“If it’s one thing I know, it’s action. That can be the best kind of foreplay,” Annie said with her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“You know a lot about action, huh?” Morgan teased.

“Not that kind of action.”

“Poor Cade,” Katelyn laughed.

“Y’all suck,” Annie joked.

“Oh no,” Dani said sadly.

“Are you okay?” Kenna asked, concerned.

“Yes, it’s just my brother and sister-in-law are here, too, and no one is talking to them.” Gemma glanced to the elegantly dressed couple standing uncomfortably alone a short distance away. “I’m going to bring her over here. She needs some girl time.”

A couple minutes later Dani returned with a regal, yet somewhat shy, woman. Her dark hair was hidden under a beautiful scarf that complemented her suit to perfection.

“Girls, this is my sister-in-law, Ameera.” Ameera’s brown eyes widened and Dani patted her hand. “When he’s not around, we go by our first names,” she said with a wink.

Gemma smiled at the woman when they were introduced and saw she was concerned for her husband. “Don’t worry. The guys sneaked him out. I’m sure they’re doing something manly,” Gemma said, trying to comfort her.

“Oh good,” Ameera said with relief. “He has not left my side in the month we have been in the United States. Don’t eat this, don’t drink that—it’s not good for the baby.”

“You’re pregnant?” they all asked at once.

“No, that is the problem. We are undergoing treatments to try to get pregnant.” Ameera then looked nervously to Dani’s rounded belly.

“I certainly hope that it works. You find out in a couple weeks if the first treatment works, right?” Dani asked.

“Yes. But, did you say you hope it works?”

“Of course I want it to work. I want to raise any children I have in Keeneston. I give His Highness enough problems just as a princess. Can you imagine me having to be the mother of the future king if we have a boy? It would be horrible.”

Ameera smiled. “Yes, it would be very trying for His Highness. See, I've been raised since birth to be a queen and to raise the future king. I feel like such a failure that I cannot do the job I was raised to perform.”

“Oh, sweetie. I understand. You know it wasn’t easy for Mo and me either, but we’re both here for you.”

“And so are we. You’re always welcome to Keeneston if you all need a place to relax,” Paige offered.

“Thank you, that is so kind. We have really enjoyed our time here and I hope we have time to meet again before we all leave to go to Rahmi. Look, here come the men.”

Gemma looked toward the entrance of the tent and saw the Davies brothers along with Mo, his brother, Will, and Cole all walking into the tent. They were all smiling and fixing their ties. If she were a betting woman, she would say they had a couple of drinks and tossed a football around behind the tent.

A mousy woman stopped Cy and when he looked up, he signaled Gemma to come join them. She made her excuses and headed his way.

“Sweetheart, this is Marianne. She owns the Keeneston Journal, our local weekly paper.”

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Perry. Cy was just telling me you worked for Inside Peek. I love that magazine,” Marianne pushed up her glasses and looked slightly embarrassed.