DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, any recognizable dialogue, and the canon events of their storyline belong to Rob Thomas.
A/N:
Thanks for reading this continuing series. And special thanks to the dozens of readers who followed me when Part 1 ended … you made my day!
This picks up right where Stall (Along the Road – part 1) left off.
Chapter 1, 2, & 3 = modified version of summer (covered in #2.1 "Normal Is the Watchword")
Chapter 1
Overall, I guess it was a good summer – with sprinkles of bad … and showers of odd and disturbing. Forecast: cloudy with a chance of chaos. Suffice to say, I've got plenty of material for any back-to-school "what I did last summer" essay I'm asked to write.
It should have been an indication of what the coming school year would be like. But after solving Lilly's murder, I didn't want to dwell on the past or dread the future.
I was trying to choose to enjoy the present.
I was trying to resist the urge to track down the answer to everything that made me curious.
As intrigue swirled around me, I stood in the eye of the storm, where it could be deceptively calm.
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The day after school let out, I was at the office helping Dad close out a few cases, get info to clients, file what we needed to keep for our records. Weevil showed up, asking if I had dinner plans. Apparently, his grandma was tired of hearing reasons why I hadn't been over for dinner yet.
He didn't tell me that until we got to his house.
"Hope you brought your appetite, V, 'cause I promised her I'd finally bring you over." Walking toward the porch, he said, "At some point, you'll have to come over when everyone's here – the whole family, all the cousins. But tonight, it's just us." As he stepped over the threshold, he called out, "We're here." But he didn't need to.
Letty had heard the door and was already coming toward us. After wiping her hands on her apron, she reached out for mine. She was as giddy as a schoolgirl as she said, "Veronica, it is so good to see you again. Come in the kitchen. We can talk while I finish dinner."
He kissed me on the cheek, saying, "I'll be back in a minute." He indicated the helmets in his hands.
She led me to a chair in the kitchen. I offered to help, but she insisted that I was a guest – tonight, at least.
Once Weevil rejoined us, she began to ask me a series of questions. She wanted to know how we got together. She had heard his version, but she wanted to hear mine. Even though I seemed to be a good influence on her grandson, she was still protective of him. And apparently, I was going to have to pass her test.
So I told her about the first favor I did for him – the Sac-N-Pac video. Well, sort of. I steered clear of most details. Just told her that a couple of the PCHers had gotten into trouble, they blamed it on a friend of mine, and I asked Weevil to leave my friend alone if I could make their problem go away. "That worked out nicely for both of us. After a few more favors, I started tutoring him and we started spending time together."
"Wait. The credit card situation … with Chardo … that wasn't the first time you helped him?"
"No." I watched as she nodded, taking in the information and trying to piece together a timeline. I continued, "It took me a little while to figure out why he was being so protective of me. But after we finally talked about it … and then, um, the first time he kissed me …" I sighed and felt myself blush.
"And your father … what did he say?"
"They apparently had a talk the morning after Mr. Echolls was arrested. I don't know what got said, but they have some kind of agreement."
She gave him a long look that seemed to be saying: 'Don't screw this up.'
He got up to set the table. I got up to look over her shoulder as she finished cooking. I asked questions about her recipes. Everything smelled delicious. She rattled off the names of the dishes and some of the ingredients. I tried to remember everything she said.
While we ate and during cleanup, the two of them shifted effortlessly between languages. My Spanish was pretty good, but as I sat there, I realized being in his home would force me to improve my communication skills.
"Oh, Veronica, I'm sorry. We're being rude," she said.
"No need to apologize, Mrs. Navarro," I said.
"Well, I don't know about that. But there's certainly no need to be so formal. Please, call me Letty."
"Letty. Not to worry. Entiendo lo que están diciendo."
"Ah! You understand."
"Much of the time, anyway."
We chatted some more while we finished the dishes. Then, we sat in the living room watching tv with her. When she nodded off for the fifth time, Weevil had to encourage her to go to bed.
After she had closed her bedroom door, he told me that she had been really tired lately. He continued to talk about the fact that she worked too hard, tried to do too many things, take care of too many people. I could tell he was concerned. Unsure what to say, I just listened as I lightly rubbed circles on the back of his hand with my thumb.
Without any warning, he stood up and started walking toward the hallway. He looked over his shoulder to see if I was following him.
Leaning against the doorframe, I watched him move around his room, gathering clothes.
"Can I help?"
"No. Just gonna put a load in the washer." Seeing my surprise, he added, "Like I said, she works too hard."
After he got the washer started, he went back into his room and absentmindedly started picking things up.
Walking over to him, I took his hands in mine. "Why don't you sit down?" I walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Pointing at the floor between my feet, I said, "Let me give you a backrub."
He didn't even try to argue. About half an hour passed as I rubbed his shoulders. The only sounds in the room were the happy little sighs and moans that escaped his mouth.
Finally, I leaned forward, draping my arms around his shoulders. My hands were resting on his chest as I kissed him on the cheek and asked, "Better?"
Leaning into my left leg and resting his head on my thigh, he said, "Yeah. Thanks."
"When do you need to be home?"
I became aware of our surroundings: alone in his room, no one around to walk in on us. Glancing at my watch, I answered, "I don't exactly have a curfew, but I should let Dad know where I am, especially since I left my car at the office." After Dad's reply came, I said to Weevil, "He asked that I try to be home by midnight. He wants to update me on a case before he goes to bed."
"So … we've got some time."
"Yeah," I said, unsure what he was thinking.
I watched as he set his alarm clock for about an hour from now. Then, he climbed onto the bed.
"Come 'ere," he said as he reached for me.
The simplest things with him felt intimate. Being in his arms just felt right. Being in his bed was something I could get used to.
When his alarm went off, he hit the button and groaned. After several kisses – or one long kiss, depending on how you look at it – he got up to move his clothes from the washer to the dryer. As he went through motions that would be natural to me, I watched in near fascination.
Then, he led me to the kitchen. He pulled out some leftovers.
"How can you be hungry again?" I asked.
He just shrugged. "You want anything?"
Shaking my head, I watched him begin to eat right out of the container so he didn't dirty another dish.
"Dryer should be done soon. Then, we can get going … if you want."
"That's fine. Whenever."
As if he felt the need to explain, he said, "She doesn't like to leave appliances running if no one's around. I think she's paranoid about bad wiring ... starting a fire. Anyway, since she's sleeping, I should wait."
He took the now-empty container to the sink and wiped his mouth on a paper towel. Walking back to the table, he pulled me out of my chair and into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on my chest.
I didn't mean to, but I let out a small laugh.
"What's so funny, V?"
"I guess I never thought of you as the cuddly type."
"You complaining?"
"No. Just surprised … of the 'pleasantly' variety."
After a few moments, he said softly, "It's just that … when I hold you, it feels like everything … will be okay."
"Everything? Other than you being concerned about your grandma, what's going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"You'll tell me … when or if I need to worry about it?"
He looked up at me. "Yes."
And there it was. The silent agreement of our relationship in a nutshell: we both did what we needed to do and didn't let the other in on all the details until it was absolutely necessary. We both had complicated lives – even more so, now that we were together. And we both seemed to feel we needed to protect the other from our personal chaos.
The dryer buzzed and he wordlessly got up to get our helmets.
As we rode back to the office for me to get my car, I leaned into his back. I thought about how easy it was to be with him, whether in conversation or silence. Other than my dad, I'm not sure I'd ever felt this comfortable with anyone. No need to prove myself or be something I'm not. No need to put up walls or deflect with attitude or humor. What I liked most was that he seemed to feel the same way.
When we pulled up in front of dad's office building, he pulled off his helmet.
"You guys are still working that missing person case, right?"
"Well, 'working' would be a strong word. We don't have any leads right now, but yes, it's an open case. Why?"
"Is he having you work on it at all?"
"Why do you ask?"
"V, just answer me." He wasn't annoyed, just insistent.
"Honestly, I don't know. I'm sure it won't be anything big … after what happened the night I went to the club alone. Why?"
"Just some stuff I've been hearing about the Fitzpatricks. I'd rather you not cross paths with them."
"Me, too."
"Glad to hear that. You start working at Java the Hut soon, right?"
"Why all the questions?"
"V."
"Yes, I start in a few days."
"I'm gonna have one of the guys follow you home, just to be on the safe side."
"I don't think that's necessary."
"At least, when you work at night. Please, don't argue with me about this. I'm too tired to go ten rounds with you."
"Okay. When I work nights."
"You'll make sure that I have your schedule?" He put an index finger under my chin to make me look at him. "You'll tell me if you see anything or anyone. And if you need help, you call me or Felix right away. Got it?"
I nodded as I said, "Yeah. I will. Any chance you're gonna tell me what's got you so worried?"
"Nothing you need to worry about right now."
"You said that earlier. But after everything you just said, I'm really not supposed to worry?"
"It's probably nothing. Just being cautious."
A long, passionate kiss put an end to the conversation. He was still sitting on his motorcycle; I was standing next to it, leaning against him.
Placing a kiss just in front of my ear, he whispered, "Ya te extraño."
"Me, too." Each time we parted, I missed him the moment we started to say goodbye.
As I started to walk to my car, he said, "I'll follow you."
He didn't need to say it. I already knew that he would be behind me until I got home.
[
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Although she had been trying to hide it for a while, Weevil's grandmother was having health problems. He began to notice it about the time the school year was ending. It took him a couple weeks to convince her to go to the doctor. She finally agreed when he reminded her that she had insurance at her new job.
Not long after she lost her job at the Echolls house, she was hired as the newest member of the cleaning staff at Kane Software, where she got better benefits than she expected. Apparently, Lynn didn't feel bad enough to hire her back, but she did give her a glowing recommendation.
With Letty running back and forth to all her doctor appointments and getting tests done, it was no surprise to me that Weevil made a conscious choice to do whatever he could to help out. He and Felix worked out a co-leader arrangement. Essentially, Felix would handle day-to-day PCH business and check in with Weevil, who was now functioning as the head of his household.
He told me he was picking up as many hours as he could at his uncle's auto body shop. It seemed he was busy all the time. Most days, he barely had time for a phone conversation, but we tried to at least talk at bedtime.
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Dad had insisted that I get a normal job like a normal teenager. I was now putting my fantastic people skills to work as a hostess at Java the Hut.
Duncan became a regular fixture at The Hut. I tried not to read too much into it, but my gut told me to not be too friendly with him. He broke up with Meg a week or so after school let out. I was surprised when I found out, because they had been dating since the Valentine's dance and things had been going well. Much as I wanted to think it was coincidence that he kept showing up, the fact that he started requesting my section was an undeniable red flag.
On rare occasions, Weevil stopped by to see me at work. He did not like that Duncan was hanging around. I told him I had no interest in Duncan. He believed me, but he didn't like that Duncan had the free time to see me when he was so busy right now. In fact, he mentioned that Thumper had told him that Duncan was there all the time.
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Weevil wanted me to have backup until we were finished with the Angela Roman case. Since his schedule was full and he would not always be able to fill that role himself, he delegated to his co-leader Felix. On nights that I went straight home from Java the Hut, Felix delegated the task – usually to Thumper.
Thumper didn't seem too happy about this. At first, he didn't say anything to me, but his body language screamed his displeasure. One night after work, I found him next to my car.
"Wish I understood why I keep getting stuck with babysitting duty. I've got better things to do."
"I didn't ask for this."
Getting in my face, he said in a menacing tone, "Doesn't seem to matter. Your boyfriend gave an order to keep you safe."
The way he said the word safe sent a chill down my spine. Not only did he show no interest in keeping me safe, he didn't seem to care if I was safe or not.
Disengaging from his icy stare, I got in my car to drive home. Thumper followed me all the way to my parking space, pulling away after I walked up the stairs.
Once I let myself into the apartment and said a quick 'hello' to Dad, I went back into my bedroom to make a phone call. I considered calling Weevil, but he had delegated the task of watching me to Felix, who was directly responsible for Thumper.
I texted Felix and asked him to call me when he could talk privately.
A few minutes later, he called me. "What's up?"
"Something odd happened tonight."
"What did Thumper do?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Am I wrong?" Felix asked.
"No."
"Tell me what happened."
I explained the brief exchange at my car, stressing that it made me feel anything but safe.
Then, Felix told me that Thumper had been grumbling lately – not just about having to follow me, but also complaining about Weevil's leadership. "I'll deal with it. But he might still be the one following you sometimes. Let me know if there's a problem in the future."
"So, I was right to call you?"
"Yeah. No point bothering Weevil with this right now."
Although I felt a bit better about things, there was something I just couldn't shake. What was going on in the ecosystem of the PCH Bike Club? Why was Felix not surprised that Thumper was the reason I called him? Why didn't he want to bother Weevil right now? I knew why I didn't want to bother him and I wanted to believe that Felix's reason was the same.
I was going to choose to trust Felix as much as Weevil did. But I was having trouble turning off my inner investigator.
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At the beginning of the summer, Dad seemed to be okay with the fact that Weevil and I were dating – well, as much as we could date when his schedule was so funtastic and my work schedule conflicted with his free time.
When we were together, we were inseparable. Literally. With Duncan, it wasn't that we didn't ever touch (because we did), but it was a little less intimate and not quite as constant as this. Not complaining. Just saying, it was different.
Although there was less contact when we were at my apartment or the office, apparently Dad noticed the difference, too. He didn't say much about it, but it was clear that he was uncomfortable with my boyfriend showing affection.
We didn't often go out on actual dates and when we did, they were low-budget activities like going to the beach or doing dinner and a movie at his house or mine. Sometimes, we included Wallace and Mac. I think it surprised all three of them how well they got along. When Wallace suggested that we play video games sometime, Weevil nodded with a competitive twinkle in his eyes.
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Dad had made a little headway on the Angela Roman case, but then, things went cold. He asked me to check in the apartment building across the street from Club Mojo to see if there were any windows in public areas from which I could safely take surveillance photos. When I was there location scouting, a sweet old lady named Myrtle came down the hallway carrying multiple grocery bags. I offered her my assistance and then asked her a few questions about the club and how she felt about it being across from where she lived. She didn't like the noise or the problems that seemed to come with the clientele. Handing her one of Dad's business cards, I explained that I worked for him and that she might see me around taking pictures. She had always liked my father, thought he was a good man. I think she may have thought he was still Sheriff.
When I told Dad about my visit to the building, I mentioned that the window in the third floor hallway would give us a great view.
When I told Weevil, he wasn't thrilled. But at least, I should be out of harm's way. He strongly suggested that I park a few blocks away and enter the apartment building from the other side so that no one at the club would see me coming and going while I was watching them coming and going. I told him that I planned to always bring a few groceries for Myrtle so I could claim I was doing errands for her if I needed a cover story.
He stressed that I should only talk to him and Felix about this. No one else. And on nights I was doing surveillance, it would be one of them to follow me.
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Mac found herself in need of a little bodywork – well, not her, her car. Weevil offered to do it for nearly nothing, but she wanted to return the favor. He had heard me complain that my computer needed a bit of an upgrade. He told Mac if she really wanted to do something for him, she could take care of what I needed.
Since Dad started working as a P.I., I had learned a lot about photography. I'd also exhausted the capabilities of my photo software. Mac found me some new software that was a significant upgrade from what I'd been working with. She even gave me a little guided tour, showing me around its more advanced features. My laptop now possessed mad skills in cleaning up, enhancing, sharpening, and recovering details in my own photos as well as any I might come across in an investigation.
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It had been a couple weeks since Thumper had been the one to follow me home from work. As my shift was ending, I checked my phone and found a text message from Felix letting me know that Hector had a family thing to take care of … and unfortunately, Thumper was the only one available on short notice.
I sent a quick reply: thanks for letting me know.
Walking toward my car, I could see he was leaning against the driver's side door. For someone who didn't want to deal with me, he sure had gone out of his way to ensure that we would have to talk.
With one hand holding my keys and the other in the pocket of my messenger bag (on my taser), I approached the car and said casually, "Good evening, Thumper."
"I wouldn't say it's good. I've got better things to do."
"Well, let's get going. Don't want to take up any more of your valuable time."
Although I had hoped this would get him to move, he didn't budge.
"I guess I can see why Weevil keeps you around. If your reputation is true …" He licked his lips. "How long were you meeting in secret? I didn't know he was that territorial." He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze. "Must have been really jealous that night he had us follow you to that club … because you went out looking … the way you did. Probably looking to find some company. I get it. You have needs." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as he whispered a few inches from my face, "If you're that unsatisfied … if Weevil can't meet your needs …"
My eyes went wide as he let the unfinished indecent proposal hang between us. I heard someone coming out the back door. It was the owner.
"Veronica, what are you still doing here? I thought everyone was gone." Then, he seemed to notice the situation. "Everything alright?"
"I was just getting in my car to head home." I gave a pointed look at Thumper, who finally moved to the side to let me get in my car. "Goodnight, Travis," I said, waving to him as I opened the door.
Thumper prevented me from shutting my door as he said, "Don't bother telling Weevil about this. He won't believe you. But I've told him plenty about Duncan and the others who come sniffing around when you're working. That's probably the real reason he has us watching you. Can't trust a whore like you."
During the drive home, I called Felix and put my phone on speaker.
Before the first ring even finished, he answered. "Hey, Veronica."
"You told me to let you know if there was another problem."
"Where are you now?"
"On the way home. He's behind me."
"What happened?"
After giving him the short version, I asked, "Any chance you can meet me at my apartment building? I don't want to be alone with him again."
He said he'd be there in ten minutes. I tried to time my drive to get there at the same time. Looking around the parking lot as I pulled in, I didn't see him. So, I pretended to be doing something in my car until I saw Felix pull up next to Thumper.
Getting out of my car, I walked toward them. "I get two guardians tonight?"
"No. Just needed to talk to you," Felix's tone implied that I was in trouble about something. He turned to Thumper, nodding to dismiss him.
Felix took me by the elbow and led me up the stairs toward my apartment. When we could no longer hear Thumper's bike, he released his hold on my arm. His concern was obvious when he spoke.
"Can we talk inside?"
Unlocking the door, I said, "Yeah. Sure."
Dropping my things just inside the door, I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. After I offered him something, we sat down in the living room.
He looked me in the eye and said, "Now, tell me again. And don't leave anything out."
When I had finished, he looked at the ground and shook his head. "You need to tell him."
"We've talked about it. He knows I'm not encouraging anything. He knows about Duncan and Logan coming in. I'm not sure who else Thumper was talking about, unless he was implying something about Wallace."
"Not what I meant. You need to tell Weevil about this stuff with Thumper." He looked up at me. "I've told him what Thumper's been saying to me, but he needs the big picture. Thumper's becoming a problem for all of us."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll let him tell you," he said as he pulled out his phone. He paced over by the front door while he made the call. "Hey. Need to meet … yeah, soon as you can … no, man, not there. Veronica's." He turned to face me as he listened to Weevil's response. "You need to hear this in person … yeah, okay." As he closed his phone, he walked over to sit down again. "He'll be here in about twenty minutes."
Pointing at the remote on the table, I said, "Watch whatever you want. I'm gonna go take a shower and change."
As I closed the door to my bedroom, I heard the tv turn on. I was dreading the upcoming conversation. Even a shower couldn't relieve the stress I felt. But at least I didn't smell like work and my clothes were more comfortable.
I opened my bedroom door and walked out to the living room just as Weevil knocked on the front door. Felix turned off the tv and moved from the couch to the chair. When Weevil stepped in, he gave me a hug and shot a look at Felix.
Walking over to the couch, he said, "Which one of you is gonna tell me what's going on?"
I sat down next to him on the couch as I looked at Felix, who indicated that I should start. Sighing, I looked down at my hands. "I didn't want to bother you with this. So the first time, I called Felix to let him know. But when I called him tonight, he said it was time to tell you."
"One of you better tell me. Now."
"I'm trying to. This isn't easy for me." I tried to tell him how Thumper had made me feel, while dancing around what he had actually said. I could see him glancing over at Felix, as if he knew I was leaving things out.
Felix prompted me to add a few things that he thought Weevil should know.
Weevil was predictably upset. "This just happened?"
"Less than an hour ago," I replied.
The two of them just stared at each other – like they were communicating telepathically.
Finally, Weevil spoke. "He's clearly trying to drive a wedge between the three of us. I'm just not sure why."
"Obviously, I'm missing something. Am I allowed to ask?" I looked back and forth between them.
"He's been running his mouth to me about you."
"You mentioned that he said something a while—" I started.
"It wasn't a one-time thing," Weevil cut me off. "And he's been telling me that he thought is was a mistake to put Felix in charge."
"And telling me that he didn't think Weevil could handle being our leader anymore," Felix finished.
"So this wasn't just about intimidating me … or propositioning me." Seeing both of them nod, I added, "I'm not sure if that's better or worse."
"I'm not sure either," said Weevil.
"The good thing is that we've been talking to each other. His plan didn't work," Felix said.
"But maybe we don't want to let him know that just yet," Weevil said.
"You don't mean that you're putting him back on …" I started to ask.
Taking my hand, Weevil shook his head. "No. Tonight was a last minute switch. Probably why he stepped it up, took advantage of the opportunity." He looked over at Felix as he continued, "But that doesn't mean that he won't be watching you, hoping he'll see something he can use."
Weevil leaned over to place a kiss at my temple. "I'm gonna walk out with him. I'll be right back."
"Okay." Turning to Felix, I said, "Thank you. For tonight, for … everything."
"No problem." His reply was punctuated with a chin lift.
A few minutes later, Weevil was back at my side on the couch.
"Until we figure out what Thumper's up to, we need to let him think he's winning whatever game he's playing. We're gonna need to find someplace we can meet without him knowing. If you think of anyplace, let me know."
As I leaned into him, he put his arm around me. I was glad to have some time alone with him, but I didn't like that it took a situation like tonight to make that happen.
"I should have asked earlier, but are you okay?"
"I've been harassed before, had my reputation thrown in my face, but not like that."
After a few minutes of silence, he said, "I know you're gonna want to try to solve this puzzle, but I need you to just …try to stay out of it. It's safer for you that way. But if you see something we need to know about, tell one of us. Right away. And no matter what you see and hear, I promise you that the three of us are on the same side. Got it?"
Even though I didn't like what he was telling me, I understood his reasoning.
He stayed for another half hour before we finally kissed goodnight at the door. With his forehead against mine, he whispered, "Que tengas dulces sueños," before leaving.
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Almost immediately after Aaron Echolls was arrested, Dad was in demand for interviews and had an offer for a book deal. Apparently, the same people who were so eager to read about how he allegedly screwed up the original investigation were now equally eager to set aside their false assumptions and read about how he had solved the Lilly Kane murder. He had been on the fence about doing the book for a few reasons, but it could help in any number of ways – pay for college or get nicer office space or we could move into a house with a yard again. The list of possibilities seemed endless.
At first, he only agreed to interviews that were vague on the details of how he solved the case. The discussion focused on him being ousted and the fact that when Koontz was arrested, he did not believe they had the right man. The obvious spin was: Compelled partly by a desire for justice, but partly by a need to know if he was right, he had continued until he uncovered the truth.
Dad did finally decide to work on the book with a crime reporter from San Diego. He provided all the information to the reporter and read the later drafts to make sure he was comfortable attaching his name to the project.
During the process, the reporter suggested that maybe one of the chapters should be from my point of view. In the end, we decided against it. Dad felt that it was enough that my name was in the articles about Aaron's arrest. This was likely to follow me around the rest of my life. If I contributed to the book, it would further ensure that Lilly's murder was the top result when my name was typed into any search engine.
The book's publication was a rush job, in order to capitalize on the media hype. With Dad's book tour was quickly approaching, I could tell that he was less happy about time that I spent with Weevil. Or should I say, the time I would be able to spend with Weevil when Dad would be doing out of town interviews. I shouldn't have been surprised that when he negotiated his contract, it included a paid internship for me. It was a thinly veiled attempt at putting some space between Weevil and me. Basically, I would be travelling as Dad's assistant. His explanation: I would be doing many of the same things I normally did for him and we'd have built in daddy-daughter time.
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There was an upcoming weekend trip to do signings at a few bookstores in Boston. Although it meant he wouldn't be with me on my birthday, Dad decided to take Alicia with him. They would be leaving that Thursday and return late Sunday. He and I would indulge in pre-birthday festivities the day before they left.
That Wednesday night, we had a very special daddy-daughter night. We went to Luigi's, where he accused me of eating my weight in manicotti. Then, we walked along the boardwalk, played a few games, and listened to live music by a local singer-songwriter.
Our last stop of the night was a local diner to have waffles and ice cream, rather than birthday cake. While we were there, he gave me a gift and a card with a long sappy handwritten note. I could not help but cry as I opened the small gift box. It was a ring that matched the necklace Lilly had given me. It was the perfect gift to symbolize the closure I felt. Every time I saw it on my hand, it would remind me that we had solved Lilly's murder and also that my dad and I made a pretty terrific team.
During the drive home, it occurred to me that he had not brought up Weevil at all during the evening. If I were paranoid, I'd say he had intentionally omitted any reference to my boyfriend from our daddy-daughter birthday extravaganza. I didn't mind the reminder that Dad would always hold the title of First Man I Ever Loved, but it concerned me that he might have a problem with Weevil, even if he wasn't coming right out and saying it.
As wonderful as my night out with Dad was, my official birthday had not happened yet. I assumed I would see Mac and Wallace at some point, but we had no definite plans. And I had no idea what Weevil had planned, but he told me to take Saturday off.
I doubted that I'd be getting my long-wished-for pony. But there would be more gifts, more food, and more fun. Of this I was certain: it would be better than last year.
A/N:
Regarding occasional use of Spanish dialogue: Although I know some Spanish, I am far from fluent. I am relying on a friend to help me [translations will be in the A/Ns at the end of the chapter]. With her help, I am trying to word things the way I think each character would. I welcome feedback from those of you who speak Spanish.
Current outline for Part 2 is eighteen chapters. I've already written the ultimate ending, which will be the last chapter of Part 5. I reread it the other day – and I'm so in love with where this lands and the twists it takes along the way that I wish I could write night and day to get the whole story to you now. Unfortunately, there's real life to contend with.
But you will get Chapters 2 & 3 in the next few weeks.
Thanks for reading! Until next time …
~Jen
Entiendo lo que están diciendo. = I understand what you're saying
Ya te extraño. = I miss you already
Que tengas dulces sueños. = sweet dreams