Washed Up (A Gracie Andersen Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

the menu from her, handing it to the harried, curly-haired waiter.
    “Gracie, I want to apologize for how your vacation has gone. The drug case that I’ve been working on is suddenly hot and heavy. I talked with the lieutenant today. It’s going to be tough to do everything I want to do while you’re here. I’m really sorry. Every chance I can, I’ll break away. We’ll squeeze in some fun, I promise.”
    Gracie looked into his earnest and enticing eyes, feeling like things might be taking a turn for the better. She knew he was really trying to make everything work.
    “That’s great. I was beginning to think that my timing was horrible.”
    “No. Crime has bad timing. The drug cartels are a challenge. It’s a complex case that we finally got a break on this week. The missing kids appear to be part of the case. However, the DEA gave us some extra manpower today, so I’m officially at your disposal tonight. No calls and hurried lunches like today.” He settled back against the chair. “So, what do you think of Arizona?”
    “It’s beautiful, but way different from Deer Creek. The mountains are unbelievable.” She looked back toward the highest mountain in the range. The sun had almost disappeared, shadows filling the canyons to the foothills. The air was definitely cooler and she took a deep breath, enjoying the lingering scent of rain.
    Marc smiled, resting his arm on the table. “I feel the same about the mountains. Max and I have worked in several different areas in the county. Each one has its own beauty. But the woman across the table from me is the real beauty.”
    Gracie felt her face flush. “Why thank you, sir.”
    “I know we’ve had a rocky start all the way around, but I really want to talk to you about where we’re headed,” Marc said.
    “Rocky describes it well,” she agreed.
    This was a conversation that she was desperate to have and dreaded to some extent. For all the conversations they’d had on Face Time before the trip and her confidence that she was ready for a serious relationship, Gracie’s few days of vacation had her back on the fence. Smiling, Gracie brushed back a tendril of auburn hair that the warm evening breeze nudged across her eyes.
    “I was looking at this trip as a fresh start to figure out where we’re going—if anywhere.”
    Marc’s eyes flickered with concern. “I hope we’re going somewhere. This is the place for making a new life. It’s big out here—you can be absolutely independent. I can feel it.” He made a sweeping gesture with his arm toward the mountains. “It’s been that way for me so far. I didn’t realize what a rut I was in back in New York. The opportunities in law enforcement here are outstanding, and I’m considering a change myself. Once Max and I are trained in El Paso, I think there’s a good possibility that this could be home.”
    Gracie gasped. “You don’t want to come back to Wyoming County?”
    She pushed back from the table, her stomach flip-flopping. “I don’t understand. The Arizona assignment was a temporary thing. You mentioned the drug dog training in Texas, but somehow I missed the ‘not coming back to New York’ part.”
    The server appeared with hot bread and an antipasto tray. Gracie pulled the small loaf apart, dipping a piece into a dish of olive oil. The smell of fresh bread made her suddenly ravenous.
    “That’s what I want to explain.” Marc popped a small mozzarella ball into his mouth. “You talked a lot about your new life without Michael. How you felt your family was too close—that everything was too much the same.”
    Her brows furrowed, remembering the most recent conversation with Marc. She had been on a bit of a rant about her family and everyone in town knowing about her personal life. Then there was Isabelle, her thorn-in-the-side cousin, who kept her on her toes. Whether it was a painful social function or wildly concocted gossip, Izzy made living in Deer Creek a misery some days.
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