Maple Hills Mystery Box Set 3 Read online

  “Please, can you just ask him? Everyone can be in the room. I just want to apologize,” Andrew pleaded. Hawk reassured Nikki he would be there.

  Nikki agreed and went to look for Seth. She found him talking to an FBI agent.

  “Hey, Mom, I was just telling this agent about grandpa,” Seth said. Nikki smiled. Her father had worked for the FBI. Nikki had attended the academy until she and Andrew had gotten married.

  “Seth, your father wants to talk to you.”

  “I don’t want to talk to him,” Seth replied with a frown.

  “I understand. I need you to know that Hawk and I will be in the room with you. You don’t have to talk to him, but I think it might be a good idea. If you feel uncomfortable or want to leave, that’s fine. I will not keep you there.”

  “Okay. I’ll go, but if he says one bad thing about you, I am out of there.”

  “If he says one bad thing about us, you’ll probably have to hold Hawk back,” Nikki said and laughed. Seth laughed with her. They walked back to the chief’s office. The chief was at his desk.

  “Hawk took Andrew to interrogation room one,” he informed Nikki. “He said you could meet them there.”

  “Thank you, Chief.”

  Nikki and Seth walked to the interrogation room. Hawk was standing, and Andrew was sitting. Nikki motioned to the seat across from Andrew, and Seth sat down. Nikki walked over to Hawk and leaned on him. He put his arm around her, and they listened to Andrew.

  Andrew had tears in his eyes. “Seth, you have grown up to become a wonderful man,” he said. Andrew continued, “I am so proud of you. Your mother has done a fine job raising you despite my actions. I wanted you to know that I’m sorry. What I did was wrong and unforgivable. I love you, Seth, and I want only good things for you.”

  Seth kept quiet while Andrew talked. He stared at Andrew. When he was sure Andrew was done, he said, “I forgive you, Dad, but I never want to see you again.” He looked at Nikki. She nodded. He got up and walked out. Andrew had tears running down his face. He wiped them off and turned to Nikki.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Hawk, could you ask the FBI agent to come in? I’m ready to leave now.” Hawk looked at Nikki, and she nodded. He opened the door and stuck his head out and asked the officer to come in.

  Meanwhile, Andrew spoke to Nikki. “I am so sorry for everything I have done. I never should have walked out on you. I was and am a coward.”

  Nikki looked at him. “What you’re doing right now is brave,” she reassured him. “You’re leaving to protect your son.”

  Andrew thanked her and told the FBI agent he was ready to go. As he walked by Hawk, Andrew thanked him and said he was confident Hawk would keep Nikki and Seth safe before he left with the agent.

  Hawk held Nikki close. She felt tired suddenly and said she needed to sit down. Hawk helped her to the chair and pulled the other one around across from her. He held her hands in his.

  “Nikki, let’s go out to dinner tonight. I think we have both earned a nice night out on the town. What do you think?”

  Nikki smiled. It wasn’t often that Hawk suggested dinner out. Usually he cooked for her. She thought about it and said she wanted to check with Seth first. Hawk left her there and found Seth. Nikki told Seth that Hawk wanted to take her out to dinner.

  “I know this has been a rough day. If you want, I’ll stay at home with you tonight,” Nikki said.

  “Thank you, Mom, but you should go out. You and Hawk deserve a nice night out. Tori offered to make me dinner. She wants to stay at her place and play some games and just be together. I told her I would if you didn’t need me.”

  Nikki laughed. Seth was a wonderful son. “Thank you, but I should be fine with Hawk.”

  “Okay,” said Seth. “Tori will be happy.” Seth smiled and bounded away. Hawk helped Nikki up.

  “Let me take you home, and you can get a shower and get changed,” Hawk suggested.

  “That sounds like a plan,” said Nikki. She was looking forward to a hot shower and a nice dinner out. She hugged and kissed Hawk. “What would I do without you?” she asked.

  “You’d be just fine. You are one tough lady.” Hawk smiled at Nikki and took her hand. “I will drop you by the house and pick you up by six. How does that sound?”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Nikki said. She smiled, and they walked together to Hawk’s truck.

  13

  Nikki got into the shower. It felt good to wash the day off. She flinched as the water hit her face and head. She didn’t feel dizzy or nauseous anymore, and the medicine the doctor had given her had taken away her headache. She got out of the shower, and she looked in her closet. She picked out a red dress. It was short and sleeveless. She put on some red pumps and gently applied her makeup. She heard Hawk downstairs and quickly put on some earrings. As she walked down the steps, Hawk whistled.

  “You look stunning,” he said. He helped her with her shawl. Nikki took his arm, and Hawk led her to his truck.

  “Where are we going?” Nikki asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” said Hawk.

  “A surprise?” asked Nikki.

  “Yes.”

  “Can I guess?” she asked.

  “No,” Hawk said. Nikki knew Hawk was no good at keeping secrets. She knew if she asked him questions she would figure out where they were going. She decided not to pester him that night, so she stretched and relaxed in her seat. Hawk smiled. They drove into town, and Hawk parked by the only gourmet restaurant in Maple Hills.

  “Wow, what’s the occasion?” Nikki asked.

  “Why do I need an occasion to take you out to dinner?” Hawk asked as he helped her down from the truck. He pulled her close and kissed her. “My occasion is that I have a beautiful woman on my arm. I want to show you off,” he said. Nikki laughed. She walked with him into the restaurant. I suppose surviving the world’s worst encounter with your girlfriend’s ex is worth celebrating, Nikki mused. They were seated immediately. The waiter brought over some wine. Nikki smiled as the waiter uncorked it at the table.

  “Did you order this?” Nikki asked Hawk.

  “Yes, I did,” he said, smiling.

  Nikki smiled. Hawk was usually a beer kind of guy, but he enjoyed a good wine, too. She sipped from the glass the waiter handed her. It was delicious.

  “You have good taste,” Nikki told Hawk.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he replied, still smiling at her.

  The waiter came over with a cheese platter. “Did you order that, too?” Nikki asked Hawk.

  “Yep. Your dinner is taken care of tonight,” Hawk said. Nikki was excited. She could not wait to see what was coming next.

  “You were very brave today,” Hawk said, taking Nikki’s hand.

  “Thank you, but I could not have done it without you,” she said.

  “We make a good team.”

  “Yes, we do,” Nikki agreed.

  The next course was a spring greens salad with homemade dressing. Nikki ate it all, enjoying the spiciness of the greens and the sweetness of the dressing. After the salad came the main course. Hawk had ordered lobster risotto for both of them. It was rich and creamy. Nikki savored every bite.

  “I’m full,” she told Hawk.

  “I hope not,” he said.

  Just then the waiter appeared with dessert.

  “This is a special dessert we made for the happy couple,” the waiter said. Nikki looked at Hawk. He smiled. The dessert was strawberries and cracked black pepper in a champagne flute. Hawk pierced a strawberry and fed it to Nikki.

  “Yum,” she said. “That is incredible.”

  They enjoyed their dessert. After dinner, Hawk suggested they walk to the park.

  “That is a great idea,” said Nikki. “I have to walk off this rich food.”

  “You don’t have to walk anything off,” Hawk said, looking her up and down. Nikki laughed. They walked hand-in-hand slowly to the gazebo. There was a bench in the gazebo, and Hawk suggested they sit down. Nikki agree
d. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Nikki was enjoying the fresh air. It was a bit nippy, but with Hawk beside her, Nikki was comfortable.

  “We’ve been through a lot together,” said Hawk.

  “Yes, we have,” said Nikki. “And, that was just one day.” She laughed.

  Hawk put his hand gently on Nikki’s cheek. She turned her head towards him, and he leaned in and kissed her. She smiled. I feel so safe with Hawk, she thought.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Hawk said.

  “What is that?” asked Nikki.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about something, but the time has just never been right. Sitting here tonight, I realized it may never be right. Trouble seems to follow us around.”

  Nikki started to feel worried. “Yeah, but we have had fun, too,” she said.

  Hawk agreed. “You’re right. We have had a lot of fun together. Nikki.” He paused and looked at her. “I have something to ask you.”

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Hawk turned his body toward her and dropped to one knee in front of her. Nikki gasped.

  “Nikki, I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. Sure, we’ve seen our share of trouble, but we’ve also survived. We’ve survived together. I’m happy because of you, and I want to be happy with you forever. Nikki, will you marry me?”

  Nikki was crying by that point. Hawk let go of her hand and brought out a small box. He placed it in her hands. Nikki opened it. The ring was sapphire and emerald.

  “This is gorgeous,” she said to Hawk. She flung her arms around him, and he lifted her off the bench.

  “Yes, yes, yes, I will marry you,” Nikki nearly shouted. Hawk kissed her. He put the ring on her finger.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “But, this was my mother’s wedding ring. When I told the chief that I was going to propose, he gave it to me. He said it brought him and my mom many years of happiness, and he hoped it would do the same for us.”

  “It is perfect,” sighed Nikki. She kissed Hawk again. I’m getting married, she thought giddily. Nikki could not stop smiling.

  “I have to call Seth. He’ll want to know about this,” Nikki insisted.

  “You don’t have to call him,” Hawk said.

  “Oh, but I want to. I want him to be the first to hear about this.”

  “He is,” said Hawk.

  Nikki looked at him quizzically. Suddenly Seth was there. Nikki started crying again. Seth, Tori, Lidia and her husband, and the chief were all at the gazebo. Lidia had a bottle of champagne, and her husband had the glasses. Hawk popped the cork, and they all cheered. Lidia’s husband passed champagne around to everyone. Nikki looked at Seth.

  “You knew about this?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Seth said. “Hawk asked me if he could marry you the other day when we went out to lunch. Of course, I said yes.”

  Nikki smiled. She didn’t think she would ever stop smiling. That was so nice of Hawk to ask Seth, she thought.

  “You are such a gentleman,” she said to Hawk. He blushed.

  Nikki turned to the chief. “Thank you for the beautiful ring,” she said.

  “You are welcome, Nikki. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have it. You have made my son so happy. Thank you,” the chief replied. Nikki smiled. Lidia and Tori came over and hugged her.

  “We’re so happy for you,” Lidia said.

  “Did you know about this?” asked Nikki.

  “Oh, totally, but Seth has known a lot longer than the rest of us,” Tori told Nikki. Nikki thanked Lidia’s husband and hugged Tori and Lidia again. She hugged Seth tight.

  “Thank you for being such a wonderful human being,” she said.

  “Thank you for being the best mom ever,” he returned. Nikki turned to Hawk.

  “I cannot believe you pulled this off,” she said.

  “Some secrets are worth keeping,” he replied. He grabbed Nikki and swung her gently around the gazebo. Nikki felt the breeze and danced with Hawk around and around. They stayed that way for a while, and then, as the others left, Nikki thanked them for being a part of her memorable night. She felt a bit let down as the tiredness took over. Hawk told her to sit down. He brought out a thermos. It was filled with hot coffee, just the way Nikki liked it. He produced two mugs and poured each of them a mug full. Hawk held up his mug in a toast gesture.

  “Here’s to us,” he said. Nikki touched his mug with hers.

  “Here’s to us,” she replied. They sat and sipped their coffee, looking at the stars.

  “Are you done with your coffee yet?” Hawk asked.

  “Yes, I am. Why? Is it time to go home?”

  “Not quite,” said Hawk, taking her hand and guiding her off her seat.

  “What’s going on?” asked Nikki.

  “You’ll see,” said Hawk. He led her to his truck and helped her in. He got in beside her and started the engine.

  “I’ve had this whole proposal planned for a while now,” Hawk said as he steered his truck out of the town. “If I had known today was going to happen, I probably would have planned something different.”

  “What was wrong with the proposal?” Nikki asked. “I thought it was beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you liked that part. The next part maybe not so much. I talked to Seth, and he reassured me you would like it. So, I hope you like it and I apologize in advance.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nikki’s curiosity was piqued.

  “You’ll see,” said Hawk, driving down a windy road. He drove for about fifteen more minutes and then put his turn signal on. Nikki looked where he was turning. It was dark and overgrown.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Someplace I think you will like,” replied Hawk. “I promise if you don’t I will take you home.”

  “Okay,” said Nikki. She trusted Hawk. This time when they turned off the road the trail they followed was not bumpy. It was smooth dirt and the trees filled in around it. It was a well-traveled trail, and Hawk seemed confident driving Nikki to their destination.

  “Close your eyes,” Hawk said after a few minutes.

  “Okay,” said Nikki. She closed her eyes. After a minute, Hawk stopped the truck.

  “You can open your eyes now.”

  Nikki gasped in amazement. In front of her was a gorgeous log cabin. There were white lights strung in the trees, and she could see a lamp on inside.

  “It is beautiful,” she cried.

  “Come with me,” Hawk said. He had gotten out of the truck and opened Nikki’s door. She walked next to him holding his hand. They walked to the front door of the cabin, and Hawk opened the door. The interior was something out of a magazine. The logs were exposed, and the wooden floor was finished and clean. There was a full kitchen and a large living area on the first floor.

  “There are three bedrooms upstairs,” Hawk told Nikki.

  “I didn’t bring any change of clothes,” she said.

  “Seth and Tori took care of that. Tori even packed your bathing suit.”

  “Why would I need a bathing suit?” Nikki asked.

  “For this,” Hawk said as he opened up the back door. The back door led to a patio. It was large and there were steps leading down the other end. There were tall plants around the steps blocking off the view. Hawk took Nikki down the steps and she gasped. The steps led to the lake. There was a sandy shore and a boat launch. Beside the boat launch was a canoe. Nikki could not believe how beautiful it was. She was stunned.

  “I love it,” she said.

  “I thought it would be nice to spend an evening by the lake. In fact, you and I are not due back in town for the rest of the week. Before you protest, I cleared this with Lidia. She said the timing was perfect. She was going to suggest closing the store for the week and re-opening it on Monday with its new features.”

  “New features?” Nikki asked.

  “Yes,” said Hawk. “Lidia and Tori were able to get everything you neede
d to open up the milkshake fountain. You will be serving milkshakes, egg creams, root beer floats, and homemade ice cream.”

  “Who’s going to be making the ice cream if I’m here with you?” she asked Hawk.

  “Tori and Seth are. Seth remembered your peach ice cream recipe. He called down to Atlanta the day you thought about this and ordered some local peaches. They arrived yesterday. Tori has been keeping them at her house. Seth made a batch of ice cream and brought it up to the cabin. Would you like to try some?”

  Nikki was astounded. She could not believe her friends had pulled this off. She started to cry.

  “Oh, I’m sure the ice cream is good,” said Hawk. “If that’s what you’re worried about.” He pulled Nikki into his arms. She felt safe and warm. He let her cry until she was done.

  “You are one of the sweetest men I have ever met,” she said to Hawk. “Yes, I would love to try Seth’s ice cream. And then we can take a dip in the lake. I’m sure the water is cold, but I think it is just what I need.”

  “I will start a fire while we eat our ice cream so we can warm up when we get done swimming,” Hawk suggested. Nikki loved the idea. She thought about her day and about Andrew. She thought about Seth, Tori, and Lidia. It was nice to be able to close one door and open another one in her life. She was happy and content in Maple Hills. She knew a life with Hawk would be fun and exciting, but she also knew she could count on him to make sure they had some quiet times like tonight. He knows me so well, she thought. She looked at the ring on her finger. Nikki took Hawk’s hand in hers. She pulled him close and kissed him for a long time.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “For being one of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest human beings I know,” she said. “I love you, Hawk, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “I love you, too, Nikki. And I plan to be with you forever,” Hawk replied, pulling her close. Their lips met again, and Nikki sighed. She knew she had finally found a man that truly made her happy. She smiled and pulled away.

  “Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg,” she said, bounding away. Hawk laughed and followed her up the steps. The frogs around the lake serenaded their run, and the lake remained calm while the night owls screeched their hellos.