She shook her head, her gaze turning faraway. "It was stupid."

"Yes, killing Jalinda was stupid," I spat to gauge her reaction.

Her head flipped toward me, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened a fraction of an inch in shock. Not what I expected.

"I didn't kill Jalinda. You can't possibly believe that. Do you?"

I tilted my head to the side to indicate I absolutely did. "The letter?"

"I was nervous. It was a mistake, but I wrote the letter late one night right after taking the job in California. It's a big move, you know? Everyone and everything I've ever known is here in Maine."

I nodded, and her eyes grew weepy.

"You probably don't understand, but as a kid, I had my life planned out in my head. I'd be married and have a few kids by now. I certainly wouldn't be packing up everything I own as a single woman and making a new life in California. Alone."

Her voice cracked at the same time as my heart. I understood more than she realized. I might not have visioned the same future for myself, but my idea of how things looked right now differed widely from what I believed less than a year ago.

Things never turned out like you planned. I assumed by now I'd be dating Broadrick while he went off to save the world overseas and I tracked murderers here in Pelican Bay. I'd be working for Ridge to earn my PI license and planning a life for what came next. Instead, I had Mick as my PI mentor, actively avoided Broadrick, and hadn't solved a single murder.

Also, from the sickening way I actually believed Ashley's story, I wouldn't be solving Jalinda's tonight, either.

"You aren't having an affair with Jimmy?"

Ashley snorted. "Hell no. He loves Jalinda. I know that. My fear of moving had me reminiscing one night after too much wine. They say every woman has the 'one who got away' and I guess I thought that was Jimmy."

My heart ached for her. Broadrick would always be the one who got away from me. Even if we weren't meant to be together.

"I sent the letter but called and apologized the next day. They hadn't even received it yet. I asked Jimmy not to open it because I felt so stupid with my childish behavior."

Her words rang true, but so did something else. "Did you send Jalinda any apology chocolates?"

Ashley clamped her teeth together. "I did not kill Jalinda. I didn't send a gift but apologized to her. We had a laugh, and she promised me I'd meet some super sexy surfer in California. I'm hoping she was right."

I hated to admit it, but I believed her, damn it.

"Why were you at the funeral today?" She'd been hanging over Jimmy.

Ashley's eyes grew hazy again, as if lost in thought. She sniffled and rubbed at her nose. "My mother and I went together. It's such a tragedy. Jimmy and Jalinda had a lifetime to be together, and someone snuffed out that chance. Jimmy will never get over it."

"One rarely does," I returned.

There wasn't anything else for Ashley to tell me. I asked her a few more simple questions and then let myself out of her home as the movers loaded up the last remaining boxes and she worked to blow up an air mattress to sleep on before they left the next morning at ten.

With my gut screaming she wasn't the killer, I sulked to my car, outlining my next attack. I needed to dig up more suspects.

Bushes moved, and I darted on high alert, giving my best karate pose. My heart beat hard, and I tried not to breathe until I saw who planned to attack me openly in the streets.

Broadrick stepped out from the shadows, but I didn't relax from the fighting pose I'd immediately taken.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" I screeched.

He had to stop sneaking up on people and waiting around in shadows. That shit was suspicious.

He leaned his upper body against my car, kicked his legs out, and resumed the position he had against the wall at the funeral. "Waiting for you to figure out Ashley didn't kill your victim."

I narrowed my eyes and approached with a finger sticking out so it hit him in the chest as I closed the distance. "Stop following me."

He pushed off my car, leaning into my finger. "Stop rushing into dangerous situations without thinking about them and stay away from that bounty hunter. He's nothing but trouble."

I pushed my finger even harder until his layers of clothing were the only thing stopping my fingernail from cutting into his skin. "I don't need a babysitter."

Broadrick smirked and grabbed my hand, putting my chilled fingers against his gloves. Heat radiated from them. He had to have a heat pack in there because it was unnatural to be so warm in the winter.

The warmth seeped its way into my bones and I relaxed for a second too long. Broadrick noticed, and that irritating smirk of his flickered back into existence.

"Ugh." I pulled my hand from his and resumed poking him in the chest. "I have bones to pick with you."

Broadrick didn't even blink, but in one second he had his back against my car and in the next we'd switched positions and he boxed me against the black vehicle. "So pick."

I glanced around, trying to replay his speed in my mind. "Dude, you have to teach me that move."

Hell, I couldn't even be mad at him. It was sweet.

From the way his stupid smirk fell into a tight scowl, he didn't agree. "You don't ever need to tag someone against a wall."

"You are so annoying. And another thi-" my words faltered as his index finger traced a line across my jaw. I tried to smack it away, but my arms revolted. They'd recently joined Team Heart.

Traitors.

"Why are you out alone in the dark?" he asked, grasping my chin until we made eye contact.

My whereabouts were none of his business, but his were definitely mine.

"Are you following me?" I tried to cross my arms, but he was too close. His body heat pushing against me, so the traitorous arms wrapped around his waist instead. I mean, really, there was nowhere else for them to go.

Broadrick shrugged. "It's a small town." He kissed me on the tip of my ear and I trembled.

Damn him.

He knew that was my spot. The ears were off limits.

I closed my eyes as his warm breath swept across my chilled skin. Broadrick wasn't fighting fair.

His mouth moved to my neck, and I laid my head against his shoulder. "No one believes you exist." The comment tumbled out of me like waves against the sand on a calm day. I wasn't aware I'd spoken until I heard them myself.

Broadrick tensed against me, holding on tightly. "You want me to meet your friends?"

I felt his chuckle more than heard it. "Not like that!" I pushed against him, but it did no good. Plus, I didn't push all that hard.

Damn arms took up forces with my hands.

His lips pressed against mine, stealing not only my breath but the bitter chill he made me forget as we stood outside in the ever-present evening. I grabbed on to Broadrick's waist harder, worried I'd fall over if I let go. The world swirled around us and memories assailed me as much as he did.

Except the memories reminded my heart how much he'd hurt me. Even as we kissed, embraced within one another, my heart bled. The streets flowed with my heartache. Once Broadrick was everything to me, and he ripped our future apart. If I let him back in now, I had no collateral that he wouldn't do it again.

Broadrick pulled back, and I rested my head against him-not ready to leave but also not willing to continue. He sighed and squeezed me tightly, as if our closeness allowed him to feel my pain, but he'd never understand it completely.

Our relationship was never conventional. We kept everything friends online while we chatted originally, but eventually curiosity got to me. I'd had feelings since day one, but never gave any indication for more. I didn't think it was possible.

At twenty, after two years of talking online, I visited Fleet Week in New York to meet him. We stayed together in a borrowed hotel room watching Ghostbusters on the television where he promised me the world and we started our relationship. He pinky promised he'd always love me. We wrapped our digits around one another and uttered the words to one another.

Broadrick broke a pinky promise.

The heartache gave me the strength to push him away. I slipped underneath his arms and put distance between us. "You lied."

Broadrick shook his head. "I've never lied to you."

He was such a liar, liar, pants on fire.

I stomped my foot, ready to argue it out, but a flash of brown flew past us in the corner of my eye. I whipped in that direction and caught a brown tail slipping between two pine trees.

"Brent!" I screamed and took after the missing dog.

Broadrick followed, two steps behind as we crashed through the trees. "Vonnie, wait!"