The phone rang and Karissa snatched it up, half of her attention still on the hunt being broadcast through her radio. “Dispatch, this is Karissa.”
“Hey, it’s me,” Marsh’s voice came on the line. “How is it going?”
Karissa wanted desperately to tell him about the search for Rex but didn’t want to speak before things were finalized. For all she knew they were just bringing him in for questioning. Did they have anything concrete on Rex or just what Gavin said? “Things are fine here. A little busier than usual but not too crazy. Have you been up talking to your parents for all of this time?”
“Yeah. I get the feeling my mom was more upset than she let on to everyone else. She said she had a good discussion with you last night though. What exactly did you tell her about us?”
Karissa flushed and was glad he wasn’t there to see it. “She asked about our dates and if you were being a gentleman.” She really hoped he didn’t ask for a play-by-play of the conversation.
“She pried, in other words. I’m sorry.”
“Not too much, actually. And I didn’t answer all of her questions as fully as she would have liked.” She kept one ear on the radio as different groups checked in with the command center, making sure no one radioed to her.
“Good. If you’re going to keep me guessing about us, it might as well be the same for her.”
“Marsh.” Karissa felt her stomach clench at his reference.
“Sorry, that wasn’t fair. This isn’t the right way for us to discuss our relationship, and I barely slept last night, so I’m tired and cranky. I know you have to work again tomorrow night, but can we get together before that, talk about things?”
Though she wanted to get through the discussion and have it over with, now was definitely not the time. “Tomorrow, four o’clock?”
“Works for me. Meet at my place and we’ll talk before dinner.”
Before dinner. Did that mean he didn’t want to feed her before he broke up with her? She pushed that thought away, reasoning that four was too early to eat and she had to be to work by six, so she shouldn’t read things into his comment. “See you tomorrow.”
They said goodbye and she hung up, leaving her hand on the receiver for a moment as she steadied her nerves. Had she screwed up everything?
***
It was nearly two a.m. before the detective cornered Rex in someone’s barn, and it took deploying a beanbag round before they were able to bring the man into custody. Karissa watched through the windows between dispatch and the booking area of the jail as they brought him in and began processing him.
Trent came in a few minutes later and crossed to dispatch to speak with her. Karissa opened the door for him and gestured to a chair.
“Sounds like you’ve had quite a night,” she said.
“I don’t plan to have this much excitement again anytime soon.” He all but melted into the fake leather and let out a little groan of appreciation.
“What are the official charges?” Karissa asked carefully. She didn’t want to ask him anything that might get him into trouble, but that question should be safe enough.
“At the moment, resisting arrest and arguing with a peace officer.” He kicked his feet out and crossed them at the ankles. “More are sure to follow.” Trent paused for a moment then nodded. “We found evidence on him and things we could see through his living room window that indicate he was really responsible for everything. Along with Gavin’s testimony, I expect your boyfriend should be off the hook in the next few days. Unless something more comes up.”
Relief poured through Karissa and she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. “I’m so glad. Thanks for telling me.”
They talked for a few more minutes about some unrelated things that had happened during the search and then Trent excused himself. “I have paperwork to finish up, and then I’m headed home to bed. My next shift starts in four hours.”
“Good luck with that. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun for you.”
Trent chuckled and headed out for the night.
Karissa waffled about telling Marsh anything and finally sent him a text message before she went to bed so when he woke up he’d know what was going on.
***
Marsh fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow, but his dreams were full of scenes where he told Karissa he loved her and she said they could never be together. He woke late in the morning, still feeling groggy and not sure what he was going to do about their relationship.
He couldn’t be pushing things along. If she wasn’t ready to get serious yet, then maybe he needed to back off. And if she could think he would ever hurt his boys then they didn’t know each other as well as he’d thought.
He picked up his phone from the bathroom counter after he dragged himself out of bed. The text from Karissa caught his attention immediately.
They arrested Rex tonight. The detective thinks he’s responsible for everything. They’re still gathering evidence. Thank Chris if you see him.
Thank Chris? What was that all about?
***
Early that afternoon Marsh’s phone rang; it was Bruce, his attorney. “Marsh, I just heard from the prosecuting attorney. They have everything they need to convict Rex. And one of your neighbors came forward and mentioned they’d seen him entering your place hours before they found the drugs at your house and that he’d been carrying a plastic bag. One of the other boys also stepped up and said it was Rex. Since the JV coach corroborated your story about tossing the bag those water bottles came in, you’re clear. The charges against you have been dropped.”
Marsh slumped into a nearby chair, his relief palpable. “Really?”
“Yes, really. You’ll have to check with the school and see what it’ll take to clear you to go back to work, but it’s the last day of school before Christmas break anyway, so I imagine that’ll all be settled before school starts again.”
Marsh wasn’t sure if it would really be that easy, but he was willing to give it a try. He called the school to see if he could get an appointment with the principal, though it was nearly the end of the day.
An hour before school ended, he took a seat across the oak desk from Principal Harmer. “Thanks for seeing me. I know you must be busy.”
“Yes. I’ll be leaving with the boys’ team in,” he checked his watch, “fifteen minutes. I’m stepping in as coach until we can get things settled.”
“Because you don’t have enough on your plate?” Marsh asked, smiling, though he was anxious about what that meant. The man hadn’t said when Marsh was reinstituted, just when things were settled, which could mean all kinds of things. Just because he had been cleared of charges didn’t mean that the community would accept him back. He’d heard of careers being ruined over less than this.
Harmer chuckled and stood, coming around the desk. “I’ve coached a little basketball in my time, if you recall. Taking over for a week or so won’t hurt me. I have faith that you’ll be right back in your old position before school starts again.” He slapped Marsh on the arm in the familiar manner of solidarity that he hadn’t shown since before the whole fiasco started.
Marsh felt one more worry lift from his shoulders; the school board still had to clear it, but at least one more person believed in him. “Thank you. I know you’ll take good care of my boys. If you don’t mind telling them that I’ll be following the game and rooting for them, I’d appreciate it. They’re good kids; they just need to keep their heads in the game.”
“I agree.” Principal Harmer extended a hand to Marsh. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
On the way back out to his truck, Marsh detoured past the basketball court and ran across Chris as the boy exited the gym, his bag slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, Coach, good to see you out and about.” Chris walked over and accepted Marsh’s handshake.
“I hear rumors that you’re partly responsible for the fact that everything’s cleared up,” Marsh said with a smile. “You want to tell me how that happened?”
Chris briefly related about Karissa coming to practice and appealing to the boys for help, calling her, and the trip to speak with the detective. “So, are you off the hook, then?” he asked.
Marsh nodded. “Looks like. With any luck, I’ll be back to coaching by January second.” He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his jacket. “Thanks for coming forward. I doubt this would have gotten straightened out so quickly without your help.”
“No problem, Coach.” Chris blushed a little, or maybe it was just the cold air. “I’ll be glad to have you back. Speaking of,” he glanced behind him to where the other boys were loading onto the bus, “I better get moving. We have a game tonight.”
“You do. Good luck. You guys are better than you think. Just keep pushing, and I’ll be listening to the game.”
Chris waved goodbye and Marsh turned back to his truck. Just one more thing to settle—his relationship with Karissa.
***
Karissa had been up for nearly an hour. She fussed with her appearance, worried over her mom, spent time playing cars with her son on the living room rug, and watched the clock until the time she would meet up with Marsh, not sure if she was ready for the discussion.
As she pulled on her coat about half past three, she turned to her mom. “Relationships suck, you know that?”
Beth chuckled. “They can, but when you’ve found the right man, all of the good far outweighs the bad.”
“But how do I know if he’s the right man?” Karissa leaned back against the counter. “I don’t want to make a mistake, Mom. Not again.”
“You won’t. Just focus on the important things. I know Marsh loves you and your son. How do you feel about him? Is he the kind of man you could be happy with? Does he make your life better, and can you imagine your life without him? You’re the only one who can make that decision.” Beth kissed her daughter’s cheek. “But I know you can make it. Just listen to your heart, honey.”
That didn’t help at all, but Karissa smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
She grabbed her keys and the book she’d started at work the previous night. Maybe the drive into Juniper Ridge would help clear her head before she met with Marsh.
***
Karissa had been a little too hopeful. Driving didn’t help—fifteen minutes hadn’t been nearly enough. When she walked up Marsh’s long sidewalk and onto his porch, she was still no closer to knowing what she wanted than before, other than being sure that she was mixed up and stupid.
Marsh opened the door before she could knock. “Hey, I saw your car pull up. Come on in.” He gestured her into the room, which had a few extra homey touches she hadn’t seen before, most likely a remnant of Marsh’s mother’s touch before both of his parents had headed back to Virginia that afternoon. “I know I said we’d talk first,” he said, “but I skipped lunch. I ordered Chinese and they delivered a couple of minutes ago. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” Though Karissa didn’t know if she’d be able to eat anything. She let him help with her coat and took the seat across from him at the dining room table. The room itself had been stripped of wallpaper and had a few spackle spots on it where he’d done repairs. She looked around at it for a moment. “Always something new going on here.”
“It’s a work in progress. Someday I’ll finish it.”
“And then find something else to do?” she teased as she started scooping sweet and sour chicken onto her plate.
He shrugged a little, not looking as unconcerned as he probably wanted to. “It’s kind of like a relationship that way. Always in need of adjustments and repairs to get through everyday life.” He passed over a set of chopsticks. “I spoke to Chris and he told me you went to practice looking for some way to help me.”
Karissa paused for a moment then set down the food. “I’m really sorry I doubted you, even for a moment.”
He nodded. “I’m trying to understand and accept. It helps, knowing you stepped out to help me like that. I think my mind understands, but my heart is struggling.”
She smiled at the irony. “It’s the opposite for me. My heart believed you, but my mind fought it.”
Marsh’s fingers slid over hers. “I have to wonder if I’ve been pushing you too hard, too fast. I don’t want to be that guy: the one who doesn’t put the woman he loves first. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. Hank kept telling me I was pushing too hard and that it was going to blow up in my face. I don’t ever want you to feel pressured. I’m going to try to understand if you need your space, need more time to get through things, over things, and move on.” He sucked in a deep breath and set his face with determination. “I’m putting you in the driver’s seat now. Not me. So it’s all up to you.”
Karissa felt her throat choke up, making it hard to respond. She swallowed half of the glass of water he’d set out for her. What did he want from her? She decided to just ask. “So you want me to feel in control. I’m in the driver’s seat. Where would you like the vehicle to end up?” She had the sick feeling that it wouldn’t be them together. That he was trying to assuage her feelings, slow things down before breaking up with her down the road. Flashes of memory filled her head, scenes with Dennis telling her she wasn’t enough for him, that he’d had to go elsewhere to find what he wanted in a wife.
She pushed that away. Marsh wasn’t Dennis and he would never act like that. He was twice the man Dennis was. He was strong and honest, straightforward and hardworking. He cared about the kids on his team not just as their coach, but as a mentor, and it was clear he was totally taken with Paul. He was exactly the kind of man she wanted. She realized more strongly than ever that she didn’t want to live without him.
“I told you that I've always had feelings for you.” He waited for her to nod before he continued, “The way I feel about you has only gotten stronger in the past few months. Every morning when I wake up, I’m thinking of you, of when I’ll see you again, or of calling you. When I finish this house,” he glanced around at the walls, “I see us, together, living here with Paul and talking over dinner. I see us snuggled on the sofa with a new baby, cooing at it and making up stories about his or her future.” His fingers tangled with hers and he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I see us sitting on the porch swing watching the grandkids play in the yard or lighting sparklers for them at the Fourth of July.”
His gaze never left hers. “I see us, together forever, Karissa. Always.” He stopped and swallowed. “But you’re the driver. So you get to decide where we go and whether or not I have to get off before we reach the destination I see when I look at you.”
Karissa felt her heart fluttering against her ribs with the speed of hummingbird wings. Now when her throat choked, it was with hope. She struggled to breathe, to put words together in her head.
“Karissa?” Marsh asked. Half a minute had passed and she hadn’t spoken yet.
She stood abruptly and came around the table to him. At first he looked alarmed, then hopeful when she took his hand. “I want that too, Marsh. Definitely, and with you. Only you. You weren’t pushing too hard, I was dragging behind, afraid to tell you. But when I look ahead, I see you too. You and Paul, and two or three other kids who all call you Dad. I love you.”
Marsh stood and scooped her into his arms as tears rose to her eyes, and this time when they leaked out, she didn’t feel like a baby and wasn’t embarrassed about him seeing her cry.
“I can have the house livable for three by April,” he said.
“I like the sound of that.” And when they kissed, Karissa could swear she heard laughter and happiness echoing back to them from the future.