Gypsy king

I laughed, taking a cookie. “We can’t have that.”

The first cookie was inhaled, followed quickly by a second. After the third, we each gulped some milk, then looked at one another and smiled.

Maybe she seemed familiar because she was so welcoming. So friendly. She’d brought me into her home, shared a piece of her mother and trusted me to take care of it. Naïve? Yes, slightly. Or she wasn’t jaded to the world. She didn’t expect people to lie, cheat and steal.

I envied her.

“God, these are good.” I took a fourth cookie.

“Right? I don’t know where she got this recipe but it’s the only one I’ll ever use.”

“I might have to steal it from you.”

“If I give it to you, will you put it in your story? I think Mom would have liked sharing that one with the world.”

My hand went to my heart. “It would be my pleasure.”

Genevieve’s eyes drifted past my shoulder, staring blankly into her living room behind us. “Mom and I didn’t get to see each other much. Not after she took that job in Bozeman and moved to Montana.”

“Did you grow up in Denver?”

“I did. We lived about five miles from here. I went to the high school you probably passed on your way in.”

A sprawling red brick building five times the size of my high school. “Is that why she moved to Bozeman? Her job?”

“Yeah. Mom worked for a plumbing supply company. They were expanding and started an office in Bozeman. She volunteered to go. But you probably already knew all of that.”

“Only the name.” The internet could tell me all about the company, its branch offices and its products. But it didn’t tell me about Amina. The internet couldn’t tell me about the person she’d been. “Was she good at her job?”

“She was,” Genevieve said with pride. “She worked for that company from the begi

My heart squeezed. I couldn’t imagine having to plan my mother’s funeral. “Sounds like she was the type of person who made close, lifetime friendships.”

“She loved. People were drawn to her for it. It was hard being a single mom. My grandparents passed before I was born so she did it all by herself. She never complained. She never treated me like a burden. She just built this life for us. A happy one.”

Genevieve dropped her chin, sniffling. I stayed quiet, the emotion clogging my throat, as she wiped her eyes dry. When she looked up, she forced a smile.

“I should have called,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’m here, surprising you. I should have called first.” Goddamn it. Draven had been right about that, hadn’t he?

I’d let the weeks of silence from Dash irritate me. And now I was here bothering a young woman who’d lost the most important person in her life.

“No, I’m glad you’re here.” Genevieve took another cookie. “I haven’t talked about Mom in a couple of weeks. It was a flurry after she was . . . you know. Everyone was so shocked and I was so busy getting her memorial arranged. People talked about her then. But after it was over, it got quiet. People went back to their lives.”

“And you’re here.”

“I’m here. Heartbroken.” She took a bite and chewed it with a quivering chin. “But it’s nice to talk about how wonderful she was. And not about how she died. The only person who’s talked to me about her this week is the prosecutor in Clifton Forge and that’s only because I want to keep tabs on the trial.”

“It’s not scheduled yet.”

“I know. I want him locked up. I want him off the streets and away from the world. Maybe then I can forget. I get so angry and . . .” As she trailed off, her free hand fisted on the table, her knuckles white. “I want to see her grave. Did you know we buried Mom in Montana?”

“Um, no. I didn’t.” I hadn’t kept up on Amina’s funeral arrangements. The obituary I’d included in the paper had been vague on the topic, stating the family was having private services in Denver. I’d assumed those services had included the burial.

“She wanted to be buried in Clifton Forge. Let me tell you, that was a shock to learn from her will. But I think she wanted to be by her parents again.”

“So you were in Clifton Forge?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t go. I wasn’t ready to face it yet. I went to Montana to pack up her personal items and get her house on the market. But that was as close as I could get. I wasn’t ready to be in that town where she was . . . you know. But I’m going there next week.”

“You’re coming to Clifton Forge?” My eyes widened.

She nodded. “I want to see it for myself. The funeral home sent me a picture of her gravesite and the mockup of her tombstone but it’s not the same. So I’m making a fast trip out of it next Sunday. Get in and get out. I don’t want to risk ru

Yes, seeing Draven would be bad. “If you need company, I’d be happy to go with you.”

“Thanks, Bryce.” She looked at me with her kind, brown eyes and that pang of familiarity hit again. “I might take you up on that.”

“Please do.” In our short time together, I’d become strangely loyal to Genevieve. If I could help by standing at her side while she visited her mother’s grave, I would.

Not for my story. For this woman who already felt like a friend.

I’d meant what I’d told Genevieve. I’d write something special for Amina. I’d include the cookie recipe. Maybe that would appease some guilt for unexpectedly showing up at her doorstep.

Genevieve took her empty glass to the sink to rinse it out. I stood and brought mine over too, handing it to her. “Can I ask you another question?”

“Sure.” She laughed. “For a reporter, you haven’t asked many.”

“I was just warming up.” I winked. “Did your mom have anyone else she was close to? A best friend? Or a boyfriend? Others who’d want to talk about her for the story.”

She blew out a long breath. “Mom was dating a guy. Lee.”

I froze, ready to soak up every word about the boyfriend. “Lee.”

“Lee.” She said his name with a curled lip. “In all my life, Mom didn’t date. Not once. But she was different lately. Quieter. And I can’t help but think it was because of him.”

“Were they serious?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the crazy part. She acted differently but never talked about him. The only reason I even knew about him was because I flew to Bozeman to surprise her one weekend and she had to call Lee and cancel plans. Whenever I’d ask about him, she’d brush it off. Say it was casual. But if you knew Mom, you’d know nothing about her was casual. She held people tight. Her friendships lasted decades.”

“So you didn’t know him?”

She shook her head. “No, we never met. I didn’t even know his last name.”

And there went my lead. “Maybe she was worried you wouldn’t like him.”

“Yeah. That’s what I think too. It was weird for me, her having another person in her life. Mom was good at sensing when I was uncomfortable. I just couldn’t picture her with a boyfriend.” She looked over her shoulder from the sink. The light from the window caught in her eyes, making them glow.

Gah! What was it about her eyes?

“What else can you tell me about her?” I asked. “Something nice you’d like to have other people know.”

“Her smile was always full on. All wide, white teeth. It was like she didn’t know how to give a half smile.” The pain in Genevieve’s smile came back along with a sheen of tears. “She was beautiful.”