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“We certainly have work ahead of us. It’s five to five now. Talk to those people or leave this for the weekend and pick up on Monday?”
She hated taking days off in the middle of an open investigation. As it was, she would be stepping back on Sunday for a gathering at her parents’ to celebrate Zoe’s birthday with family, since she was in Florida when it actually hit.
But she’d already been on the job for the past three days when she was originally scheduled to be off. While overtime pay was monitored closely and often frowned upon, she was more concerned about displeasing Logan and Zoe.
Thinking about it strictly from the standpoint of Felicity Kelley’s case, some separation might do the investigation good and insert objectivity. It might save her and Trent from spinning and using up time that could be better spent in other ways. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but let’s take the weekend. But first thing Monday morning, we’ll pick it up from here—unless we think up another avenue we’d be better off pursuing.”
“All right. I’ll help you get these files sorted away and then head out.”
And that’s what she and Trent did. A half an hour later, she was headed home, the fresh summer breeze blowing over her face as she drove with the windows down. She felt free and unencumbered, even though Felicity Kelley and Naomi Chapman weighed on the back of her mind.
“Mandy!” Zoe ran through the patio door, through the house, to the front door to greet Amanda. The girl wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight.
Amanda laughed. “Happy to see you too.”
“I thought you were going to work forever.” Zoe backed up and looked at Amanda with widened blue eyes.
Logan came out from the side hallway and hugged and kissed Amanda in greeting. “This is a nice surprise.”
She’d certainly made the right decision to cut out for the weekend. Zoe’s words sliced deep and stung, and she was happy to prove the girl wrong. In this moment, Amanda felt so incredibly blessed. After she lost Kevin and Lindsey, she didn’t think she’d ever find happiness, let alone have a family again. But then came Logan and Zoe. Both had wormed their way into her heart. She loved and cherished this gift, but there were times when it also scared her to death. It was never far from her mind how fragile life was. Here one minute, gone the next. A macabre viewpoint she came by honestly.
“I was playing in the garden. Come outside.” Zoe tugged Amanda’s hand.
“Just let me get changed, and I’ll be right there.” She could hardly wait to exchange the dress pants for cotton shorts and the collared shirt for a tee.
“Yeah.” Zoe clapped her hands and ran off into the backyard.
Amanda turned to Logan. “Playing in the garden?”
“Libby and Penny stopped by around lunch and dropped off Zoe’s birthday gift.”
Libby Dewinter’s relationship with Zoe predated Amanda. Libby had been a family friend of Zoe’s parents, adopted aunt and godmother to Zoe. Penny Anderson was Libby’s life partner. “That was nice, but they know we’re doing a celebration at Mom and Dad’s on Sunday. They were invited.”
“Guess something came up, and they’re off for the weekend. A last-minute getaway.”
“Nice for them.” It must have been something special to yank Libby away from Zoe. Hopefully not couple problems. “And I take it this gift has something to do with why Zoe is playing in the garden?”
“Yep. Just be happy she didn’t plant any seedlings yet.”
“What?” Amanda was grinning, just at the thought of Zoe’s little fingers digging in the earth. She would probably be a terrific gardener as she had more patience than was to be expected for a girl her age. She was also very understanding and sympathetic—two additional qualities that would come in handy for growing plants to maturity.
Logan was smiling. “They got her a gardening kit for kids. It has a little shovel, trowel, who knows what else. I’ll confess, I don’t have a green thumb.”
Amanda laughed. “Neither do I, so Zoe’s on her own. Poor girl, and the dark fate of her plants. Speaking of, flowers or—”
“Vegetables.”
“Huh. She’ll be putting food on the table for us before long. Or does that smack too close to child labor?” She winked at Logan and slipped out of her shoes.
“By the way…” Logan pulled her in for another hug. “If you didn’t figure it out, I’m happy to see you. Does this mean you’re home for the weekend?” His voice held a hesitancy as if he didn’t quite want to give himself over to believing that.
“That’s the plan.” She tapped a kiss on his lips, but he extended it. She didn’t resist.
After they parted, she walked down the hall with lightened steps and did a quick wardrobe change.
By the time she got to the backyard, Zoe was seated cross-legged in front of the garden bed that traveled the fence line. Her fingers were in the dirt, and she was singing away, some cheery tune with words Amanda didn’t recognize. It could have been one she’d learned from her parents, but Amanda wouldn’t put it past Zoe to have come up with it on her own. The older Zoe got, the more aspects of her zany personality came to light. She’d randomly burst into song or make strange noises, sometimes in imitation of animals, other times, who knew what. Amanda had to wonder if that was something she had witnessed her mother or father do when she was younger, or if she came by this on her own. The best person to ask would be Libby. But for right now, Amanda was just going to soak in the rest of the day’s sun with her family.
THIRTY-FIVE
