“Are you nuts? I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me a lifetime, thank you very much.”
“Then how do you feel about running away with me For a couple of days?”
Her entire expression lit up, as if he’d given her a huge, gaily wrapped present. “Running away sounds lovely.” A frown tugged at her brows, ruining her delight. “Can we do that? I mean, just take off and leave For a couple of days?”
He knew what she was asking, and sought to reassure her. He wanted this weekend to be all pleasure, with little or no thought about the case. “I’ve already talked to Reynolds about it, and as long as I’m somewhere he can get in touch with me, we’re free to go We’ll be back by tomorrow evening.” He stopped for a moment to encourage her to eat more muffin, which she did. “I figure you can call Pam and have her handle the boutique while you’re gone, and we can stop by the shop on our way out of town so you can pack a few changes of clothes.”
She looked impressed, and relieved. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“Without a doubt.” She smiled around a bite of muf-. fin, then took a drink of coffee. “So, where are we go- ing?”
Her easy acceptance brought him a measure of satisfaction. “It’s a surprise, but I guarantee that the food is fabulous, and the atmosphere is total relaxation.”
Her eyes rolled back. “God, I’d be a fool to refuse such an invitation.”
“I couldn’t have said that better myself.” She sho him an indignant look for that insult, but he merely grinned. Standing, he set both of their coffee cups or the nightstand and offered her his hand for a boost up “Come on, lazybones,” he teased, feeling more optimistic by the minute. “Let’s get you up and dressed so we can blow this joint.”
Anticipation touched her features, and she placed he hand in his. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
8
PAIGE GUESSED where they were going before they arrived at their destination. He’d taken Interstate 95 north, through Fort Lauderdale, past Palm Beach, to the small town of Jupiter, where his parents had retired. The familiar, scenic ride only took a little over an hour, but as the vehicle ate up each mile away from Miami, the stress of the past few weeks gradually disappeared. It was as though Josh was taking her to another world and she was leaving behind the corruption that had touched her life.
He’d known just what she’d needed.
She glanced over at him where he sat in the driver’s seat navigating the road, her gaze skimming his strong profile. “We’re going to your parents’, aren’t we?”
“Yeah.” A rakish grin tipped his mouth, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Josh’s lighthearted mood reminded her of simpler times, before her life, her marriage, had started to unravel. “That okay with you?”
She flashed him a reassuring smile. “More than okay.” She looked forward to seeing the older couple who reminded her so much of her own parents, whom she missed terribly.
The last time she’d seen Josh’s parents had been at Anthony’s funeral, hardly a festive occasion, but they’d come out of respect, and she’d been grateful for their support. Anna and Nick Marchiano had attended her wedding to Anthony, too, and that’s where she’d learned that the Marchianos had accepted her husband as one of their own, since Anthony had no family left and Josh had become such a good friend to him. And once she was married to Anthony, Josh’s family had welcomed her with the same warmth and kindness they’d instilled in their son. She’d often thought of them as the in-laws she’d never had.
During her first year of marriage to Anthony they’d spent many Sundays and holidays at the Marchianos’ for dinner, along with Josh and whoever of his four siblings could attend the gathering. The Marchiano family, she’d discovered, was a large, close-knit, loving Italian family, and she adored every one of them, including Josh’s eight little nieces and nephews, who’d automatically given her the honorary title of Aunt Paige.
The second and third year there hadn’t been as many visits, and the few she’d managed were without her husband. She’d made excuses for his absence, but she suspected Anna knew something was wrong from the few reproachful comments Paige had overheard Anna making to Josh about Anthony exerting more of an effort to accompany his wife. The other woman’s perceptiveness had been startling, though Paige never discussed her marital problems with her.
“How are your parents doing, anyway?” she asked, dragging her thoughts back to a more pleasant topic.
“Okay, I guess.” He glanced her way for a moment, and though he wore dark sunglasses, she could feel the warmth of his gaze. “With everything going on the past few months, I’ve only seen them twice since Christmas.” Regret tinged his deep voice.
Knowing that Josh tried to make an effort to have dinner with his parents at least twice a month, Paige understood that he’d been bogged down on the Carranza case. “I bet your mother loves your father being retired, and having so much time to spend with him.”
His smile conveyed wry humor. “Mom used to complain that he spent too much time at the station, but she’s let a few comments slip about how he’s driving her crazy being at home.”
Paige laughed. “I’m sure she means it in the most affectionate way possible.”
“Probably,” he agreed. “But when Dad threatens to go back to the department on a part-time basis, just so he doesn’t have to listen to her nag, my mother threatens to divorce him.” He shook his head at the incongruity of the situation. “Poor guy can’t win.”
“It’s not easy being married to someone in law enforcement.” The defensive statement slipped out before she could think better of it.
He glanced her way. “No, I don’t suppose it would be.” His response was slow and deliberate, as if he chose his words carefully. “But my mother knew what my dad did for a living before she married him and has lived with it for over forty years.”
Feeling an argument rising, Paige declined to comment. Josh certainly knew her feelings on the matter, and she didn’t want to rehash issues that neither of them could agree upon.
As she stared out the window and watched the scenery pass, Paige wondered how Anna dealt with the men in her life putting their jobs before family, and decided the woman was a saint to tolerate the stress and worry. She had a husband who’d been with the Fort Lauderdale police department, and her eldest son, Vince, who was married with three children and one on the way, worked for the Jupiter police department. Though Jupiter was a relatively low-crime community, two years ago he’d been shot in the arm during a convenience-store robbery. The wound hadn’t been life-threatening, but Paige clearly remembered how frantic Audrey, Vince’s wife, had been over the incident She also recalled thinking that their three adorable little girls had come too close to losing their daddy.
And then there was Josh, a homicide detective who worked long hours investigating crime scenes and tracing leads, and sacrificed family gatherings for the sake of the job. He didn’t put himself in the direct line of fire, not intentionally, but the danger was always there.
The only Marchiano male who hadn’t opted for a career in law enforcement was twenty-nine-year-old JoeL He was the smart one, Paige decided-he’d gone into business with a friend and chartered sailboats in St. Lucie. The family affectionately called him the beach bum, and he joked that, with his laid-back life-style, he was going to outlive them all.
Josh’s older sister, Tyne, had married a conservative accountant and lived in Orlando with her husband and five children, and Gina, the baby of the family, was still single and working in Tampa as an ad executive. At least Anna didn’t have to worry much about her daughters’ welfare.
“So, do your mom and dad know we’re coming?” she asked curiously.
Josh exited off Interstate 95 and headed east on Indiantown Road to a more remote part of Jupiter. “No. I thought I’d surprise them.”
More quietly, she asked, “Do they know about Anthony and this case?”
“Dad does. I told him the last time I came up to visit. I also asked him not to tell Mom.” He reached across the console and rested his hand on her thigh. His touch burned through the material of the casual dress she’d donned at
