So my girl made this surprise her mission, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed Kate won’t shut the door in our faces.
The damn cake is the only contribution I was allowed to make, and now it sounds like I may have fallen down on the job.
Sawyer glances up, a doubtful look on her face.
“Really? Forty-one candles? What were you thinking? You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t put them out on your face. No woman wants a visual reminder of her age.”
I’m not sure what it says about me that I need to be schooled on women by my sixteen-year-old daughter.
“Can you pull them out?” I ask, leaning over to check the cake which has forty-one tiny white candles perfectly spaced over the iced top of the triple-layer Black Forrest cake I picked.
“No,” is the immediate response. “It’ll ruin the icing.”
I practice apologies in my head the rest of the drive to Kate’s place while Sawyer messes with her phone. She doesn’t look up until I pull into the driveway.
“Oh my God, that’s so pretty!”
I smile at the Christmas lights wrapped around the porch and following the roofline of Kate’s farmhouse.
Sawyer’s right, it does look pretty. Homey.
Welcoming.
I hope that’s still true when she opens the door and finds both of us on her doorstep.
Sawyer grabs the presents and the balloons, leaving me to carry the cake. The door opens shortly after I knock. The expression on Kate’s face is one of shock.
“Happy birthday!” my daughter squeals.
Then a smile breaks through. A genuine one, thank God.
“Oh wow, what a lovely surprise.”
She shoots a grateful look my way but I cock my thumb at my girl.
“It was all her.”
It’s the last word I get for a while as Kate hustles a chatting Sawyer through to the kitchen. I close the front door and head after them.
“Your house is so cute,” I hear my daughter gush.
I wince when I look around and see two settings on the table and candles lit all over the house. Clearly the plan was an evening for two.
When I glance at her she’s smiling, giving her head a slight shake when she catches on I notice. I watch as she surreptitiously turns off the oven before grabbing an extra plate from the cupboard, while Sawyer explores the main floor, providing nonstop commentary.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Dad? Is the car unlocked?”
“It is.”
“Awesome, I’ll go grab dinner.”
She dumps the gifts on the table and lets the balloons drift to the ceiling.
“You brought dinner?” Kate asks, looking at my daughter.
“Hope you like lasagna. I made it myself.”
No lack of confidence for my girl. Guess that’s not a bad thing.
“My favorite comfort food.”
“Good,” Sawyer says, pointing at the box in my hands. “Dad brought dessert.”
Then she adds in a stage-whisper, “Forgive him. He knows not what he’s doing,” before sashaying down the hall.
“What was that all about?” Kate wants to know.
Instead of answering, I open the box and turn it toward her. She may as well see for herself.
“Oh my,” she says softly as her eyes fill with tears.
“Shit.” I slide the cake box on the counter and cup her face in my hands. “Sawyer warned me I missed the boat. All I can say is it was well-intended. I asked them to put on those candles, one for each birthday I missed, plus today’s.”
She shakes her head, smiling through the tears on her face.
“The last time I had a cake for my birthday was when I turned eight. I helped my mom bake it and my brother put the candles on. I’d almost forgotten it. Thank you for reminding me.”
“So these are good tears?” I want to assure myself.
But before she can answer, Sawyer walks in, carrying the large lasagna pan that could probably feed a family of ten.
“It’s still hot, we should eat it now,” she announces, sliding the pan on the stove before turning around.
One look at Kate’s face and my daughter immediately aims a glare at me as she points an accusing finger.
“See? I knew those candles were a bad idea. You made her cry.”
Kate starts laughing and turns to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I love all forty-one of them. I love you.”
EPILOGUE
Opal
“It’s Matt.”
I groan as he rolls off me and swings his leg over the edge of the bed to take the call.
I’m blissfully tender everywhere.
I was never a morning person, but in the last few weeks—since Mitch started with GEM and ends up spending a lot of nights at my place—they’ve become my favorite time of day.
“Yeah, she’s here. I’ll put you on speaker.”
I automatically scoot up in bed and pull the sheet up to my chin. Not that he can see I’m naked, but it seems wrong.
“I wanted to tell you both myself. Douglas Melnyk and Russel Germain were taken into FBI custody this morning on a slew of charges. The ones that will interest you most are federal charges of sexual exploitation of children, rape, and sexual abuse of a minor. SAC Walker personally slapped the cuffs on the congressman.”
I’m sure the smile on my face matches the massive one Mitch is wearing as he looks at me.
“Fuck, that’s great news,” he says.
“Yes, it is,” Matt agrees. “But there’s still a long road ahead and these two are well connected and have substantial resources. I don’t think they’ll go down without a fight. Walker is not letting up either though. He says this will remain an ongoing investigation until a conviction is in.”
As we drive to the office, the news is all over the media already.
Raj is waiting, waving us into the conference room as soon as we walk in.
“Jacob is on the line and we’re waiting for Janey to call in.”
Now that Mitch is part of the team and signed that non-disclosure agreement as part of his employment contract, he knows everyone’s real names.
I don’t even have a chance to ask if Raj heard the news when Janey’s disembodied voice chirps from the speaker in the middle of the table.
“I’m here!”
My eyes shoot to Raj who looks as puzzled as I feel.
Janey doesn’t chirp. Ever.
“Everything all right, Pearl?” Jacob—sticking to code names—inquires.
“I’m great,” is the response.
Something’s definitely up with her.
“All right. First things first.”
Jacob shares the news of Melnyk and Germain, which apparently is news only to Janey, who is back in the Caymans.
“Do you have anything new for us, Pearl?”
“Do I ever,” she answers. “I found him.”
“Please tell me you’re talking about Jesper Olson,” Mitch pleads.
“That would be him.”
“Can you give us a little more?”
“Goes by the name Martin Duyvenvoorde now.”
“Where did you find him?” Raj wants to know.
“At the Battleground Gym in West Bay.”
“And you are positive?”