The Birthday List(84)

When Cole returned, he brought all of our clothes with him, and I smiled as he dumped them into the hamper instead of on the floor of the walk-in closet. I kept my smile as he climbed into bed and tucked me against his naked chest.

“Do you want to tell me why you picked a fight with me tonight?”

I snuggled deeper. “My day went downhill after I left you at the courthouse.”

“I gathered that. What happened?”

As much as I hated to talk about other people while we were in bed, I also didn’t want to shut Cole out. I didn’t want him to think that he was the cause of my frustration, so I sighed and admitted why I’d been so upset. “Me and Molly kind of got into a fight.”

“Why?”

“Because I said something stupid. And because she and Finn aren’t getting back together.”

“Did you think they were?”

I nodded. “I had hope. Now it’s gone.”

“Sorry, beautiful.” He kissed my hair. “But don’t give up hope. They were right for one another at the time. They’ve got two awesome kids to prove it. It’s just, maybe the person they’ll be right for in the future is still to come.”

I closed my eyes and let out a breath as I contemplated his words.

Cole might be the most insightful person I’d ever met. It made him a great cop. A good man. The perfect one for me. And he was right. Just because Finn and Molly weren’t together, didn’t mean they wouldn’t find happiness with someone new. A happiness that would be the lasting kind, this time around.

Just like the kind of happiness I’d found with Cole.

I hadn’t understood it earlier at the restaurant—I’d been too upset to see things from Finn’s perspective—but now I understood why my brother wanted to date again. He knew he’d never get over Molly’s affair, and he didn’t want to spend his life alone.

He wanted to find love again too.

I snaked my arm across Cole’s waist and hugged him tight, breathing in the smell of his skin. “I’m glad you like to cuddle.”

“I don’t.”

I shot off his chest as my chin fell open. “What?”

“I don’t like to cuddle. Never have, not even with my mom when I was a kid.” He smiled at my wide eyes, then tugged me back down. “But I do like to cuddle with you.”

I collapsed back onto his chest. “Tonight has been . . . informative. Is there anything else I should know besides the gum smacking and cuddling?”

“I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thanks, Detective.” I patted his stomach, then began playing with the hairs on his chest. “How was your day?”

“Long,” he sighed, drawing circles on my hip. “But good.”

Cole had been working so hard lately. He’d get up just as early as I would and head into work while I went to the restaurant to bake before six. He was swamped with the drug task force and the other cases he had on his plate. But in these recent months, I’d avoided asking him about Jamie’s murder case.

I didn’t want him to think I didn’t have faith in his investigative skills. I didn’t want him to think I had false hope. But I was curious. I’d spent years getting updates from Detective Simmons—albeit the same update—every month. And though I trusted Cole to tell me if he’d learned anything, tonight, curiosity beat out patience.

“Have you, um, made any progress on the murder case?” I tensed as I waited for his response.

Cole’s hand on my hip froze. “There isn’t much I can share, but we’re doing our best. And we are working on it.”

“Okay.” His limited update was enough. “I’ve been thinking about something for a couple of weeks. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. A police kind of favor.”

“Okay,” he drawled.

“I want you to find the daughter of the woman that was killed with Jamie. The cashier.”

“Poppy—”

I lifted my head and cut him off. “I just want to know if she’s okay. I don’t need details or anything like that. Just a yes or no that she’s okay.”

His hand came to my face. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I’ve thought about her from time to time over the years. I’ve wondered where she was and how she dealt with the loss of her mother. I guess finishing Jamie’s list, letting go and getting on with my life has made me wonder if she’s found some closure too. I don’t have any power to find the man who killed them and make him pay, but I can at least make sure that her life hasn’t been ruined. Would you help me check on her?”

His thumb stroked my cheek. “In a heartbeat.”





“You two kiss like teenagers.”

I scowled at Molly from behind the office desk. “We do not.”

“Really?” She leaned a hip against the doorframe. “Then why are you always putting on lip balm? Your lips are chapped because you’re always making out with your hot cop boyfriend. Not that I blame you. If he were mine, I’d kiss him all the time too.”

Cole had just left the restaurant after coming here for lunch, and just like he always did when he visited, he’d given me a long kiss when he’d arrived and another before he’d left. And twice in between, just because.