Chapter 67

ONE YEAR LATER

Benchmark was not having their retreat in Kauai this year.

But Maddie had returned.

Things in one year could change so much. Coming here felt cathartic.

She checked herself one more time in the mirror. The lovely peacock-blue sundress she wore fit her in all the right places. She smoothed her hand down the skirt before giving herself an approving nod in the mirror.

Then she left her room and started outside for the beach. A rainstorm had just passed through a few minutes ago, but now the sun peeked out.

All too well, she recalled being here a year ago and all the horrible things that had happened.

She'd tried to put most of those behind her.

Just as she'd wanted to do, she quit her job with the charity and went back to being an investigator with social services. She'd decided not to stay in New York, but she hadn't moved quite yet. She was still trying to figure out where exactly she wanted to put down roots.

She was open to almost anywhere—other than the big city.

Josh still hadn't been found, a fact that bothered her. It meant she had no closure.

But maybe the ocean truly had pulled him into its depths never to emerge again.

Adrienne had been sent to jail and now faced many charges, including murder. Her trial would start in a few months, and Maddie would be one of the witnesses.

Though she didn't want to rehash all that had happened, she would.

Adrienne needed to pay for everything she'd done. She needed justice.

From what Maddie understood, the woman really had been Garrick Sr.'s biological daughter. Those parts of the story had been true.

Adrienne had been dealt a bad hand in life. But that didn't justify everything she had done. The police had retrieved Maddie's engagement ring.

She'd sold it and given the money to the charity she worked for right before she quit.

Last Maddie had heard, Nico had taken over Benchmark. He'd put the long-lasting battery on the back shelf until they worked out more issues, and it still hadn't been released. But from what Maddie understood, the company was still doing well.

Fowler had finally been located. Bree was with him. They'd been working together to steal information from Benchmark.

Fowler had gotten his hands on the last piece of information and had tried to flee.

When he'd climbed that ridge to go to the bathroom, he'd kept walking. When search parties had come near, he'd hidden. Then he'd continued his trek through the mountains.

When the coast was clear, so to speak, Bree had rented a car and gone to pick him up. The two were going to wait things out, and when everyone with the retreat left, then they'd planned to return to the continental United States.

The money they'd get as a payout from Blue would have been enough to start a new life under new identities. Part of Maddie wished they had given those plans to Blue, and that Blue had rushed to make a faulty battery. It would have served them right.

Thankfully, the two of them had been caught, and they were also facing serious charges.

Maddie paused at the beach, her thoughts going back to that dreadful day when she'd seen Jared calling for help in the waves.

Little did she know when she'd tried to save him that it would set in motion a deadly chain of events.

"Hey, you," someone with a deep Texas drawl said behind her.

She grinned as she turned around and saw Brody standing there.

He looked as handsome as ever, and his grin, as always, was enough to knock her socks off.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. He didn't let go as they faced each other.

For the past year, they'd been keeping in touch with each other, talking via phone and text. They'd met for dinner a few times.

They'd both agreed that they needed time, and that jumping into things too quickly would be a mistake.

But now, a year later, Maddie felt as strongly about the man as ever.

"You look gorgeous," he murmured.

"You don't look too bad yourself." She stepped closer and straightened the collar of his white button-up shirt. Not that it needed to be straightened. Maddie just wanted another excuse to touch him.

"I had a brief fear you wouldn't show up," he said.

"I've been counting down the days."

They shared a grin.

With one more glance at each other, they both turned to face the ocean. Brody put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Maddie let out a gasp as she looked out.

"What is it?" he asked, concern filling his gaze.

She couldn't blame him after everything that had happened.

She pointed at the sky. "Look. It's a rainbow. I searched everywhere trying to see one of those the last time I was here. I never did, and I couldn't help but think that was a sign—not that I really believe in signs. But the idea did seem rather poetic."

"I agree. The rainbow in the Bible was a sign of brighter days to come. Maybe this rainbow can be the same thing for you. For us ."

Maddie turned toward him and, when Brody wrapped his arms around her waist, she didn't hesitate to rest her hands on his chest. "I like that. I like it a lot."

As the breeze swept over them, their gazes locked. He leaned closer as if he might kiss her.

But before their lips met, the sound of nearby laughter pulled them from the moment.

They glanced over as two couples walked down the beach toward them.

Maddie's throat tightened when she saw them.

They looked so nice, like her kind of people in their casual outfits and with their hair flying unpretentiously in the wind.

Brody pulled her closer. "What do you think? You want to make some vacation friends?"

She groaned and closed her eyes shut as she remembered how excited she'd been to meet everyone on her last trip here.

But she already knew the answer to that question.

It was a definite no.

She didn't need to make new friends here.

She was perfectly content just to hang out with Brody . . . not just now, but hopefully for far into the future.