Chapter Thirteen: "Decisions for a Lifetime"
It was good to see us all together again: Me, Ami, Quinn, and Iris. There was some other type of celebration going on in the restaurant and seating was limited, but Mr. Morretti made an exception for us, or so he'd told us. Our table was free and he'd stop by to visit as soon as he could.
"Siamo occupati! Sarò presto con te!"
We all settled into our usual seats and I smiled at Ami, reaching for her hand underneath the table. This is the part of my job I enjoyed the most, but tonight was extra special. We had a secret to share but wanted to wait for the right time. Perhaps before dessert. I winked at her and then looked at Quinn.
I hadn't had time to speak to Quinn about everything that happened yet. The FBI had questioned us both and Quinn went with some of them back to Fort Bracken. He had just gotten back in town right before our dinner.
"You gave Iris quite the scare, Quinn," I told him. "After a couple of days of not being able to reach you, she got a little worried."
"You're such a liar," Iris told me while throwing her napkin at my face. I caught it and tossed it right back.
Ami's smile was sweet. "Seriously, we were all concerned, Mr. Quinn. Especially when we thought you had switched sides."
Quinn chuckled and reached for a breadstick. "When you two showed up on the beach, I wasn't sure what to do."
"Sorry about that," I told him, seeing we loused up his investigation.
Quinn shook his head. "It's my fault. I should've stayed in contact with Ben, but every time I tried to get away, Asa caught me. She was already suspicious, and I couldn't risk making a phone call. I'd heard rumors in town of several visitors who had suddenly disappeared, and then Abernathy had his own ideas, of course. I hadn't been able to find any evidence though, and in order to put her away for good, I needed something concrete. That's when Ben got captured."
"Leave it to me," I chuckled, even though I wasn't entirely joking. Between the two of us, I tended to be the one who made the most mistakes.
"Without you, we wouldn't have had a case against her," Quinn explained. "I needed proof that she and her followers were performing satanic rituals such as human sacrifices. I had to wait and see how far she'd go. All I'd witnessed so far was the death of two pigeons and one goat."
"And neither one was against the law." Iris clarified.
"It should've been."
I knew witnessing the killing of that goat had bothered her. She'd talked about it for two days.
"Well, the FBI is handling it now," Quinn continued. "I showed them her fortress and a locked door I suspected may lead to important evidence. I was right. Hidden behind it was a tomb so-to-speak, and it held the bodily remains of every missing person from that area during the past five years, as well as at least a dozen more. They'll be busy for quite a while."
"She was a monster," Ami spoke softly.
There was a lull in conversation that provided the opportunity I was waiting for. I wanted to do this right and stood up from my seat and tapped on my glass with a spoon.
"I have an announcement to make," I said proudly. "Ami Berrie has agreed to marry me. We're officially engaged."
I hadn't meant for my voice to carry so far, but diners from several tables nearby all began to clap. Soon, everyone in the restaurant joined in, even the ones who had no idea what was going on.
"Congratulations you two!" Iris was on her feet in a flash and hugged Ami first and then me. "You'd better treat her right," she whispered in my ear. "Or I'll kick your ass!"
I believed her and didn't argue. Then I shook Quinn's hand before he placed a kiss on Ami's cheek.
"I'm pleased for you both," he said while sitting back down. "When's the big occasion?"
"Oh, well... I mean, we..." I stammered. Ami and I actually hadn't gotten that far into the conversation.
"We're not in a rush," she took up where I'd left off. "I've got classes to take and Ben still has an important decision to make."
Iris looked baffled. "You still haven't decided whether to take Doyle's offer? How long are you going to make him wait?"
"That's also something I wished to talk about." I hadn't even spoken to Ami about this. Surely, she'd be okay with it. She looked concerned though when she shouldn't be, so I hurried on.
"I've decided I have everything I need right here. I'm not going to waste my time chasing more money or a reputation. I'm happy and I'm staying put."
"Are you sure?" Ami asked me.
I wondered if she was worried about the increased income I had just given up. My decision was made and I'd just have to convince her to see things the way I now did. More money wouldn't provide either of us more happiness.
"I'm actually pleased to hear you say that," Quinn announced before reaching into his pocket. Whatever he had retrieved, he tossed across the table toward me.
I looked down to see something I recognized. It was the key to his office as well as the key to the company car. I wasn't sure what his gesture meant, however.
"Why..." again I had no idea what to say.
"I'm retiring," Quinn announced. "Effective immediately. I'll clear my things out of the office on Monday, but after that, the agency is all yours, Ben."
"What?" I uttered in disbelief.
"Consider it an early wedding present. Looks like I caught the fishing bug. I'm going to move to the coast and Bill and I are going to spend the latter years of our lives catching some big ones."
"Are you sure?"
The big man leaned onto the table and looked at me squarely. "I wouldn't put this business in anyone else's hands but yours."
I stared at the keys for a few seconds and his offer finally began to sink in. Did he realize what this meant? It meant I could afford to marry Ami a lot sooner than expected, and maybe even buy her a house!
"I don't know what to say."
"Perhaps you should thank the man, stupid."
Leave it to Iris to state the obvious so delicately.
"Thank you, Quinn."
"Yes, thank you," Ami added.
Usually, our dinners at Morretti's Italian Ristorante marked an ending. Tonight's however, marked a beginning for not only myself and Ami, but for Quinn as well.
"A toast," I announced, lifting my glass. "To new beginnings."
Once the toast was complete, Ami leaned toward me and we shared a quick kiss. The sparkle was back in her eye, which confirmed that this moment - this moment right here was possibly the best one of my entire life.
How could life get any better than this?
