“One major crisis solved, the next one takes its place.”
“Yeah. It’s good being a cop. It has a nice permanence to it. Will you go back to being a Boston cop?” Paul asked, curious.
“Don’t quite know yet. Nor have Shannon and I sorted things out.”
Paul grinned. “She’s sorted you out. I notice every time I talk to her, it’s Matthew this, and Matthew that. She’s not looking anywhere else.”
“Shannon and Becky have decided between them that since Shannon isn’t going to date this year, she will instead just hang out with me.”
Paul laughed.
“I’m not minding it,” Matthew admitted.
Shannon joined them. “Not minding what?”
“Having a camera in my face every time I turn around,” Matthew replied smoothly.
“Photos from one sailing trip,” she countered. “Which turned out to be mostly your sunglasses and your hat when you look at the photos, so don’t think I’m not going to try again one day. I promised Becky an interesting photo of you before the summer’s over.”
Black wandered over to lean into Shannon’s knee. She bent down to pet him.
“I saw Ellie’s invitation for the gallery show,” Paul mentioned. “Congratulations on that, Shannon.”
“Thanks. It’s pretty satisfying, seeing my name on the formal invitation. Ellie’s putting on sale five hundred photos from the ones she bought from me. I hope they sell for her or I’m going to feel awful for taking her money.”
“Ellie rarely makes a mistake pricing art,” Paul reassured.
“I saw some of the paintings around your place,” Shannon said. “You’ve been seriously collecting for years.”
“I have. And I’ll be at the show with an eye to buy,” Paul added.
Shannon grinned. “You can say you knew me when . . .”
Paul laughed and made room for Ann. His wife acquired his glass to eat some of the ice. “We women are picking up Cindy and Ashley in about an hour and going shopping,” Ann announced, “so if you guys have any plans for today, you’ll have a few hours without us.”
Matthew looked over at Bryce, who had joined them. “Darts and lasagna?”
“Sure beats running five miles.”
“You could do both,” Shannon suggested. “Matthew needs to get back to training,” she told Paul. “I want him to run his tenth Boston Marathon so I can get some good photos.”
“You do?” Matthew said. This was the first he was hearing about it.
Shannon gave him a nod. “If asked next year why you aren’t running, is your answer going to be that you’re too old?”
“A person can use that argument only a few times and have it still be effective,” he said, not rising to the bait. She’d been tackling their age difference with good humor and routinely giving him back that answer. Bottom line, he wasn’t going to get away with not asking her out on an official date next year because he was “too old” for her.
“I suppose you could switch over and take up swimming,” she suggested, “because I’m never going to be much of a runner.”
Three phones chimed at nearly the same instant, and Charlotte got hers out first. “Ellie’s found her wedding dress!” she called out, excited. “Come on, Ann, Shannon. This we have got to see.” Charlotte paused to kiss her husband. “We’ll probably be late,” she said, and headed into the house, telling Ellie at the other end of the line, “Stay where you are—we’re coming to see it.” John trailed behind the women with a nod to Bryce. John would make sure security was with the group.
Matthew looked around the table at Bryce and Paul. “Why do I get the feeling the best part of our lives just disappeared together?”
Bryce chuckled. “You do get used to them being around. So . . . how many miles do you need to run to train for a marathon?”
Matthew felt the blisters already forming. “Start at a hundred miles a week if you don’t want to be gasping for air like a fish out of water around mile seventeen. I’m going to end up running this marathon just so Shannon can cheer me on and take pictures.”
Paul pushed the relish tray back over to him. “Yep.”
“Sounds about right,” Bryce agreed. “So, darts and lasagna, and we say we discussed his training schedule? Or do we actually go find the appropriate shoes and run?”
“We’re not that old yet,” Paul said. “Five miles?”
“What was your best marathon time?” Bryce asked.
Matthew could see where this was heading. “I’m not answering that, and five miles sounds fine to me—if you two can do it without puffing.”
Bryce shared a look with Paul. “He’s the one who’ll be puffing before we let him off the track today.”
“I do believe he will,” Paul said. “We’re both runners, Matthew. Bryce because Charlotte likes to run with him, and I’ve got a reputation at the office to maintain.” He pushed back his chair. “Shall we meet at the track in about forty minutes?”
Matthew got up with them, good-natured about what was coming. “You two do realize that I’ve done nine marathons and more than ten thousand miles of training runs over the last decade? We could call it a warm-up run and save ourselves some aching muscles.”
“What would be the fun in that?” Paul said. “Come on, old man.”
Matthew sighed and let himself settle to the fact he would be running his tenth Boston Marathon in the spring. He’d run it for Shannon. Becky could get him a shirt made with Boston Marathon #10 printed on it. Maybe when the marathon was over he’d wash and press the shirt, frame it, and hang it on the wall—a nice marker for a chapter in his life—and maybe hang up his running shoes beside the shirt. Then he’d take up swimming, as it was easier on the knees. The idea of vacations for the next twenty years spent near a beach, so he could share a swim with Shannon had some definite appeal. And who had just planted that idea in his head?
“Why the smile?” Bryce asked.
“I just realized Shannon was planning ahead again,” Matthew replied. She’d invited him to share her love of the water, had slipped in the invitation without him knowing it. He wondered how far ahead she was planning. Three kids. That he would like too. But soon, since he didn’t want to be seventy and watching a son’s high school graduation.
Matthew huffed out a small laugh and went to find his gym bag. If Shannon chose him, they were going to have a very nice life together. He’d let her plan, and then he’d do the asking when the time was right. He’d find out what that fifth item on her list was—about Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. He knew a good thing when it came and found him.
Dee Henderson is the author of numerous novels, including Undetected, Unspoken, Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story, Full Disclosure, and the acclaimed O’MALLEY series. Her books have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, and the ECPA Gold Medallion. Dee is a lifelong resident of Illinois. Learn more at DeeHenderson.com or facebook.com/DeeHendersonBooks.
Books by Dee Henderson
Danger in the Shadows
The Negotiator
The Guardian
The Truth Seeker
The Protector
The Healer
The Rescuer
True Devotion
True Valor
True Honor
Kidnapped
Before I Wake
The Witness
God’s Gift
The Marriage Wish
Full Disclosure
Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story
Unspoken
Undetected
Taken
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Dee Henderson, Taken
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