“I’m sorry to hear that.” She stepped into his place, remembering the last time she’d been here. Remembering the jolt of panic she’d felt when she found Ty lying on the floor unresponsive.
“Can I get you something?” He paused and waited for Cassidy’s response.
“Nope,” she said. “I just came to check on you.”
The corner of his lip pulled down in a frown. “You saw Renee leave?”
“Sure did.” She glanced at the kitchen counter and saw the engagement ring there.
So she’d left it this time . . . interesting.
He sighed and sat down on the couch, a little harder than usual. Cassidy sat across from him and waited, giving him all the time he needed to formulate his thoughts. She could only guess the not-great mood was a direct result of the whole Renee situation.
“You know I tried to tell her how I was feeling, right?” he finally started.
“Right.”
“And I was trying to be kind since she did come all the way out to Lantern Beach.”
“I know.”
“So she insisted on driving me home,” Ty said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt. Maybe once we were here we could sit down for a heart–to-heart, and I wasn’t going to end the conversation until I was certain she understood that we were over.”
“Okay.” Cassidy tried not to show how anxious she was to hear where this story was going.
“After we got back, she started looking around the house. She found a picture of Kujo.”
Cassidy swallowed hard, realizing this wasn’t going to be good.
“She said she couldn’t wait to meet him.” Ty shook his head. “I don’t know what happened, but I almost lost it. Not in a violent way, but in a brutally honest way. Unfortunately, that’s what it took to get through to her.”
“What did you say?”
“I guess I was holding onto to some repressed bitterness about the way she left things,” he said. “I told her she wasn’t getting anywhere near Kujo after the stunt she pulled with Ranger.”
Every time Cassidy thought about how Renee had given his dog away to someone else while Ty was stationed overseas—without his permission—her blood boiled. And then Renee had picked up and left as well.
What kind of person did that?
It was all in very poor taste, especially considering how much Ty adored his canine friends.
“She looked all innocent, like she had no idea what I was talking about,” Ty continued. “She told me she’d loved Ranger and giving him away had broken her heart.”
Uh-oh. This couldn’t go anywhere good.
“I told her she could have left him with one of my friends. She could have told me what was going on.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she was terribly confused and that her grief over missing me caused her to think and act in irrational ways. Then I asked her why she never returned any of my phone calls afterward. She said it was too hard.”
It sounded like one difficult but very needed conversation. “I see.”
“As we kept talking, it came out that she met someone else.” Ty shook his head. “I figured that from the moment she showed up here. They broke up two weeks ago, and that made her realize how much she’d lost with me. She had a lot of nerve.”
Cassidy couldn’t argue with that. “She looked pretty upset.”
“Well, I was the one who ended up apologizing before she left. I hate seeing women cry. I really hate being the one who makes them cry.”
“But it sounded like you said things that needed to be said. Maybe you finally have some closure.”
He nodded, but his shoulders still looked hunched and burdened. “I guess so. I just feel like the bad guy right now, and I’m not sure why. It’s a horrible feeling.”
“That’s your compassion speaking. It’s not a bad thing to feel horrible after breaking someone’s heart.”
His gaze met hers, and Cassidy could see the gratitude there.
“I’m glad you came by.” He shifted and rolled his good shoulder back. “Listen, can you stick around for a few minutes? I need to hop in the shower, but I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”
“You’re not ready for me to?” Her tone was inquisitive and teasing.
He shrugged. “I’ve missed hanging out with you. Just . . . stay, okay? I won’t be long.”
She smiled, secretly delighted to spend more time with him. “Sure thing.”
Mac stopped by to drop off Kujo while Ty was in the shower. Which worked out perfectly since Cassidy had some questions for him.
Right after she gave Kujo a little bit of loving, of course.
“Did you look into Smith Anderson?” She’d called Mac earlier and asked him to do some research. His connections in town were far greater than hers.
“I did talk to a few people. I found out some things that you’ll find very interesting, I think.”
“Please share.”
“You were right, he is trying to bypass some town statutes and build a hotel here. He has a plan all worked out.”
“Is he using drug money to fund it?”
A knot formed between Mac’s eyes. “Drug money? No, it’s a well-known fact that his family is loaded. I’m sure he hasn’t had any trouble getting the funding.”
Okay, so there went that theory. “Well, do you know when he got into town?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” He crossed his arms and propped his hip against the counter. “He arrived two days ago on his first vacation in six years.”
“First vacation in six years?” That couldn’t be right.
“He’s been on the news five nights a week for the past six years.”
That was quite the alibi. He probably hadn’t had time to travel to an island and oversee a human trafficking operation.
“Is he working with Niles, by chance, to get this hotel approved?”
Mac’s eyes morphed from matter-of-fact to impressed. “How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.”
He gave her a look. “Care to explain your line of reasoning?”
Cassidy scrambled for an excuse and finally settled on, “Just some things I overheard while I was on my route. You know me and my curiosity.”
The look in his eyes told her he didn’t buy the excuse. “I have a feeling you’re tapping into that hidden talent you have for nosing out trouble. Just be careful. People don’t take kindly to people digging into their business.”
Didn’t she know. Didn’t she ever know.
Chapter 19
Cassidy sucked in a breath when Ty emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later. His hair glistened, and his skin looked clean and dewy. Plus, the scent of some kind of spicy shampoo surrounded him.
Kujo took off down the hallway toward him. Cassidy smiled as she watched their reunion. Ty looked as happy to see his dog as the dog did to see him.
“Mac stopped by, I see?” Ty said.
“He sure did.”
“I feel a little better now.” He stepped toward her and ran his hand down his freshly shaven jaw. “Thanks for waiting.”
Her throat suddenly felt tight, and she had to look away. She nodded toward the kitchen instead. “It’s no problem. Do you want me to fix you something to eat?”
“You’d do that?”
Cassidy quickly moved herself into the kitchen, separating herself from Ty with the breakfast bar counter. “Though the thought of watching you go hungry is so tempting, I suppose I could manage to scrounge you up something.”
Humor. She hadn’t realized how great it was when it came to diversion tactics until she arrived on the island. Now that she was away from everyone’s expectations of her, she seemed to be discovering who she really was.
Ty smiled and propped his hip against the counter. “And there’s that sarcasm I’ve missed so much.”
Funny, Cassidy had never been especially sarcastic before she came here. But now she found herself teasing and laughing and enjoying qu
iet time. Had it taken her life being completely shaken to realize the person who’d been buried deep down inside her?
“What would you like?” she asked, feeling unwelcome emotions rising up inside. Undeniable attraction. Longing for more than friendship. A hunger for something deeper than life as she’d known it.
“I’ve been dying for something other than the food at the clinic.” Ty walked past her and pulled out a stainless-steel pan. “Do you know how to make tuna?”
“It’s easy. You just open the top of the can and—”
He tilted his head, his eyes sparkling. “Fresh tuna. Tuna steak?”
She shrugged and edged away from him. “No idea. But I’m a fast learner. Look how quickly I learned to be the ice cream lady.”
He smiled. “Amazingly fast. Now, how about if I help you make dinner—with one arm?”
“Don’t you need to rest?” Distance would be good right now, even though her heart might disagree.
“I think I’ll be okay supervising in the kitchen.” He opened the fridge and pulled out something wrapped in white paper. “Austin dropped these by earlier. Are you hungry too?”
“I could probably eat.”
Cassidy’s mind went back to the women at her house. They’d be okay there for a little while. She’d left them food. They were tired, and just seemed to want to relax, to recover, to gain their strength for whatever happened next. And there was nothing else Cassidy could do for them tonight. And Ty could use a hand . . .
He directed her on what oil to use, how to season the tuna, and when to put it into the pan. Cassidy totally felt like she was in over her head. Or maybe it was just Ty that was making her feel this way because suddenly she felt jittery and self-conscious. Especially when Ty ended up behind her with one arm snaked around her waist as he helped her manage everything on the stove.
It would be so easy to just turn around and . . .
Her breath caught.
No, Cassidy couldn’t let herself think like that. Starting a relationship with Ty would just be complicated. Too complicated. And when he discovered who she was . . . that she’d been lying to him . . . that she wasn’t who she claimed . . . she had no idea how he would react.
She managed to cook the rest of the meal without incident.
When they sat down to eat, Cassidy had some questions begging to be asked. Conversations needing to be had. She’d never been one to believe in putting off the inevitable.
She laid her fork back on her plate and cleared her throat. “Ty, I wish you’d told me about your surgery. I know we started to talk about this at the clinic, but I could tell you were exhausted. You told me that you had to take care of some things for Hope House.”
He frowned, lowering his fork also. “I was, in a way. I knew I needed this surgery before I could continue making plans. I’d be no good to anyone if I couldn’t use my shoulder like I needed to. I’d been delaying the inevitable.”
“But it was more than that,” she prodded, not letting him off the hook that easily. “This was a big deal, and you closed me—I mean, your friends—you closed me and your other friends out.”
That had been a slip. There was nothing between them—just because they’d kissed didn’t mean she deserved any special treatment.
Ty shrugged, and his gaze latched onto hers. “I suppose I didn’t want to swallow my pride, Cassidy. No guy wants to think of himself as weak.”
“Surgery would make you weak?”
He let out a sigh and looked out the window a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “I guess I’m a better warrior than I am patient.”
“That’s no surprise.” It wasn’t. He was trained to keep going, to complete the mission, to not let anything stop him.
She got that. Yet there were times when a person had to ask for help. The key was knowing when.
Cassidy supposed that advice could be applied to herself, as well.
“I thought I’d just get the surgery out of the way, spend a little time in rehab, and come back to resume life here as if nothing had happened.”
She raised an eyebrow and began eating again. “That sounds awfully optimistic of you.”
“True, and strange because I’m not usually an optimist. And, if anything, this further proves that I should not become one.”
“I’m glad I found you when I did.” Cassidy’s throat tightened at her words. What if she hadn’t? What if . . . No, she couldn’t let herself go there.
“I know.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Believe me, I know.”
If she hadn’t, things would be different right now. And Cassidy would have lost a man who was perhaps the best person she’d ever known.
After dinner, Ty had started a fire that warmed them. It wasn’t particularly cold outside, but the nights did have a slight chill to them. Kujo lay near the crackling blaze. The smell of sautéed vegetables still lingered in the air. And the night outside the windows was inky and alluring.
Then he excused himself to the couch. The way he cringed and rolled his shoulder made it clear he wasn’t comfortable. “Since the surgery, my muscles have been unbearably tight.”
Cassidy watched as he struggled to reach his back and rub out the kinks.
She hesitated a moment, contemplating the wisdom of her choices. Then she sighed and stood from her chair.
“I can’t watch this anymore,” she said. “Scoot up.”
“What?” His eyebrows knit together in confusion.
“You heard me,” she said. “Scoot up. I’ll rub your back for you.”
“I wasn’t hinting.” His hand dropped back into his lap. “I promise.”
She didn’t believe him, and she quirked an eyebrow to let him know. “Don’t make me rescind my offer.”
His eyes glimmered with amusement. “Fine then. If you insist.”
Oh, sure. She was insisting.
She sat behind Ty on the couch and started working the muscles on his good shoulder. They were incredibly tight. And incredibly impressive.
Not that she noticed.
Except she did.
“You’re pretty good at this,” he said, his muscles relaxing beneath her fingers.
“Yeah, well, I did play soft—” Cassidy stopped cold. She’d been about to say softball. What was she thinking? That was her old life. Not her right now life.
“You played what?”
Cassidy swallowed hard but massaged even harder, hoping to distract him. It didn’t work. Ty didn’t complain or flinch once.
It couldn’t hurt to tell Ty that she’d been a softball player once upon a time. He wouldn’t be able to connect that detail with her old life back in Seattle. Of all the things about herself that Cassidy needed to keep a secret, her athleticism wasn’t at the top of her list.
“I used to play softball.” Despite Cassidy’s reasoning only seconds ago, her throat tightened as she said the words, as if her body knew she was entering dangerous territory.
“Did you just share something about your past? I like this.” The amusement remained in his voice, but this time it mingled with a touch of sincerity.
Another wave of apprehension swept over Cassidy. She feared making that one fatal mistake—the one she couldn’t make right and that proved she was a fraud.
Now more than ever it felt entirely too important that she keep up her carefully crafted identity. “I did.”
“Oh, yeah. Were you any good at the sport?”
“I like to think so.” Cassidy had been offered scholarships to play in college, but she’d rejected those offers, as well as her father’s encouragement that she go to business school. Instead, she’d become a police officer.
“I like hearing about you, Cassidy.” Ty’s voice sounded as smooth as butter—butter mixed with sugar.
A sad smile pulled at Cassidy’s lips. If only she could tell him the truth. If she could tell someone. Anyone. Silence was an isolation lonelier than a deserted island.
Her competing desires play
ed a fierce game of tug-of-war inside her.
Instead, Cassidy concentrated on continuing to work Ty’s muscles and enjoying the quiet of the house.
“You’ve got a gift,” Ty muttered, rolling his neck. “Thank you for sharing.”
“Anytime.” Well, not anytime. That had just slipped out.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” His voice curled with satisfaction.
Of course Ty wouldn’t let that go. Cassidy ended her little therapy session with a friendly pat on the back. “Hopefully, that helps some.”
“Oh, it does.”
Before she could stand and put the proper distance between herself and Ty, he leaned back. Somehow, he managed to reach around her, grab her arm, and slide it around his chest.
“Smooth move,” she muttered with a laugh.
“It was, wasn’t it?” Ty settled back, resting his head and back against her.
The smell of his leathery aftershave, mixed with the spicy aura of his shampoo, filled her senses. Made her close her eyes and inhale long, deep breaths.
This should feel weird. But it didn’t.
“Please tell me how this is going to help your shoulder,” she said, ignoring the unmistakable pleasure that filled her.
“It helps me relax.” He paused and let out a contented sigh. “You smell good.”
“Do I?” Surprising delight rippled through her, but she quickly snapped from her stupor. Get a handle on your emotions, Cassidy. “Well, I’m going to hurt your shoulder.”
“Nah. Just don’t touch it.”
It was kind of hard not to touch it when he was leaning against her. He was so relaxed that it seemed as if they’d done this before. They hadn’t.
Ty let out another contented sigh. “This is perfect.”
“What’s perfect?” Cassidy needed clarification, just for her own sanity.
“The quiet. Being out of the clinic. Kujo. You and me.”
Her throat went dry. You and me? There shouldn’t be any Cassidy and Ty. Yet why did it feel like life kept drawing them together?
Cassidy wanted to argue. She should argue.
But she didn’t.
Instead, her fingers tightened against Ty’s chest. His defined chest. She decided to just enjoy the moment as well and melted into him.
Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set Page 48
