Hidden Secrets

by Jannine Gallant

  “No, just pissed off. After I dealt with a pushy customer who came in while I was chasing after the jerk, I called nine-one-one to report the break-in or whatever you want to call it. The door wasn’t locked when he entered.”

  “Keep the rear of the shop locked, even during business hours.” Chris paused on his way toward the front of the store. “I’ll let you know if anything turns up, and don’t hesitate to call me directly if you get any strangers in the store who make you feel uneasy. If this was the same person Quentin caught a glimpse of the last time, he may try the direct approach next.”

  “I hope there isn’t a next time. This sucks. I don’t like feeling afraid.”

  “And I don’t like that we don’t know what the hell he’s after. Maybe you have his granny’s diamond ring hidden in a vase, or his grandpa’s journal with a murder confession.” Quentin followed Chris through the shop to the door. “You sure you don’t have any leads?”

  “I’m afraid not.” He looked over at Paige. “Just take precautions to minimize your risk, and we’ll keep a close eye on the shop for any suspicious activity.”

  She gripped the edge of the counter. “I’ll stay alert. Thanks for coming so quickly today.”

  “You bet.”

  After Chris left the store, Quentin pulled her into his arms. “Are you okay?”

  She leaned against his chest. “Yes, just angry and frustrated and a little scared. Next time I won’t be so quick to send Leo off with someone else.”

  “Why’d you put him upstairs after Nina returned him?”

  “He was growling at Chris. He obviously sensed I was upset and frightened, and he didn’t want to let the man get near me.”

  “Good for Leo. I knew he’d be an excellent protector.” Quentin stepped away from her as two women entered the store. “I’ll bring him back down before I leave. I need to get some work done this afternoon, but I can bring my laptop here to plan menus.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter, for heaven’s sake.”

  “You said Mindy isn’t coming in today, and I don’t want you left alone. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Okay.”

  After Paige went to help her customers, Quentin ran up the stairs and entered her apartment. Leo shook the dreadlocks out of his eyes and gave him a cool look, but at least he came when Quentin called him. The dog followed him downstairs and into the back room. He even lay down on his blanket when Quentin pointed at it.

  “Good boy.”

  “Oh, my God, he’s so cute.”

  Quentin spun around. The younger of the two women who’d entered the shop stood behind him. She was in her twenties, pretty, with waist-length dark-brown hair. She blinked long lashes at him and smiled.

  “Cute isn’t exactly the word I’d use.”

  She gave Quentin a lingering glance. “He’s adorable. I’m Clea, by the way. You look familiar.”

  Quentin shook the hand she held out. When she didn’t release him right away, he gave a gentle tug. “Quentin Radcliff. I don’t remember seeing you around town, but I only recently moved back to Siren Cove to open the Poseidon Grill.”

  “My aunt said the restaurant had a new owner. We didn’t meet here. I was eating out with friends in Seattle, at The Zephyr, I think. You stopped by our table to ask how everything was. I remember thinking your eyes were a really unusual shade of blue. Striking.”

  He forced a smile, feeling a little uncomfortable as she took a step closer. A subtle scent of something flowery perfumed the air. “The Zephyr is another of my restaurants. I hope you enjoyed your meal.”

  “Oh, I did, but then I always have a good time everywhere I go. I’m in the area through the holidays, staying with my aunt and uncle before I head to Europe in January. Maybe we could get together.”

  “I’m sure you’d be a lot of fun to hang out with, Clea, but I’m dating someone.”

  She gave him a half-smile. “Oh, well. Your loss.” When a woman’s voice called her name, she touched his arm. “Nice running into you again. Maybe our paths will cross in the future.”

  “You never know.”

  As the woman strolled away, he had a feeling she knew just how terrific she looked in the tight jeans that made the most of her assets. He let out a breath and decided it was a good thing he’d committed to a relationship with Paige since he was pretty certain Clea would be more than he could handle.

  The bells over the door jangled as the customers left, and a few seconds later Paige appeared around the end of the aisle.

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my goodness, you surprised me. I thought you left a while ago.”

  “I brought Leo down then talked to one of those women for a few minutes.”

  “Ruth Merrick’s niece. Ruth is a regular customer. She just bought a gorgeous mirror for her entry and asked about antique ornaments.” Paige squeezed past him and bent to stroke Leo’s head. “I need to pick up a small tree for the shop before this weekend, so I can display my Christmas decorations. With the influx of tourists for the Winter Ball, ornaments will be hot sellers.”

  “Maybe we can get a permit and go cut down a tree tomorrow, or do you have to work in the shop all day?”

  “Mindy will be here, so I can take a few hours off.” Her smile brightened her eyes. “That sounds like fun. An old-fashioned tree-hunting mission.”

  Reaching out, he pulled her against his chest and dropped a kiss on her upturned lips. “Then, it’s a date.”

  * * *

  “That looks like a good one.” Quentin leaned his head back to eye the eight-foot-tall Sitka spruce squeezed between a couple of giants.

  Paige turned to stare at him. “What part of small don’t you understand? I want something about three feet high to put on a table in my shop.”

  “I meant for your apartment.” He strolled around the tree, avoiding Leo, who was sniffing a nearby manzanita bush. “This baby is a beauty. Maybe it isn’t perfectly symmetrical, but it has character. I don’t like cookie-cutter trees.”

  As a cold wind whistled through the forest, she stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket and shivered. “I don’t usually bother to put up a tree in my apartment since I’m too busy during the holidays to enjoy it. Anyway, my parents are arriving home from their trip back East in a couple of days. I’ll spend Christmas with them.”

  “Oh.”

  She joined him on the far side of the tree, where they stood knee-deep in ferns. “When I talked to my mom last, which was before we, uh . . .”

  He turned to face her and grinned. “Did the deed?” “Not exactly the way I would have phrased it, but yes. Anyway, I told her you’d probably be joining us for dinner. I hope that’s okay?”

  He slid his arm around her waist. “Of course. I don’t want to go back to Seattle for the holidays. I’d rather spend them with you.”

  Warmth filled her, taking away the chill. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Usually Leah and Nina and I spend Christmas Eve together. Now that they’re both married, I imagine they’ll want to do their own thing.”

  “I don’t see why old and new traditions can’t be combined. We’ll cut down this baby, put it up in my house, and invite the group over for a low-key party. What do you think?”

  “Sounds like an awesome plan.” She tilted her head to stare up at the tree. “Will that thing even fit in your living room?”

  “Sure. The ceilings are ten feet high. It’s lucky we borrowed Teague’s truck, though, since it would never have fit into your van.”

  Quentin picked up the saw he’d laid on the ground and went to work cutting down the spruce. Minutes later, the tree toppled over with a soft swoosh.

  “Sweet. I’ll take the top, and you can carry the trunk.” Paige reached between the branches to get a good grip. She’d probably be covered in pitch, but she didn’t care. Having a real tree for a change filled her with the spirit of the season. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Together, they carried the spruce back through the woo
ds, following the dog who set a leisurely pace. Her sore ankle was starting to ache a little before they finally reached the dirt road where they’d parked. Bracing her legs and straining to hold up her end, Paige helped load it into the bed of the pickup.

  Quentin wiped his hands down the legs of his jeans. “Good work. Now we need to find one for your shop.”

  “The Doug firs are thick down near the creek. I bet we can find a small one if we beat our way through the bushes. This area is pretty open and picked over already.”

  He glanced at her across the tree in the back of the truck. “How’s your ankle feeling?”

  “It still twinges now and then, but I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? I can—”

  “I don’t want to miss out on the fun. Anyway—” She paused. “Did you hear that? Sounded like a car engine.”

  “Someone else must be up here tree hunting.”

  A minute later an old pickup that looked vaguely familiar rounded the bend in the road and stopped behind them. When the engine cut off and doors opened, Leo growled low in his throat.

  Paige laid a calming hand on his head and smiled when Zeb Stillwater climbed out of the passenger side. His grandson slammed the other door. The sharp click echoed through the forest.

  “Well, hello there, Miss Paige. Fancy meeting you up here in the boonies.”

  “It’s good to see you again, Zeb.” She tightened her grip on Leo’s collar. “Hush, baby. You don’t need to growl at them.”

  “What a handsome boy.” The older man approached and held out a hand. Leo sniffed it and stopped growling.

  Paige touched Quentin’s arm when he walked around the truck to her side. “Zeb, meet my friend, Quentin Radcliff. He just bought the Poseidon Grill and is in the middle of renovations. Quentin, this is Zeb Stillwater and his grandson, Justin.”

  Quentin shook hands with Zeb. “I’ve seen you around town a time or two.”

  Justin’s blue eyes narrowed, and he pushed a strand of long brown hair that had escaped its leather tie off his face with an irritated gesture. “Probably.”

  When he didn’t say anything further, Zeb rushed to fill the silence. “I see you already found yourselves a tree. We’re hunting for a big one for the farmhouse, the same as we do every year.”

  “What a nice tradition.” Paige smiled at him. “We still need to look for a small tree for my shop.”

  Justin lifted a hatchet out of the bed of his pickup and rested it on his shoulder. “We won’t keep you, then. Come on, Grandpa. Let’s go do this. I’ve got plans for this evening.”

  Zeb nodded. “Nice running into you, Paige. You have yourself a merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too, Zeb.”

  After the two walked away, Quentin put a hand at her back and headed in the direction of the creek. “He seems like a nice old guy.”

  “Zeb is a sweetheart. I bought quite a few antiques from him not long ago. Actually, the day you arrived in Siren Cove. But his grandsons complained that I ripped him off, which I didn’t.” She scowled. “At any rate, he’s not selling anything else. At least not to me.”

  “That’s too bad. The man with him didn’t have a whole lot to say.”

  “Justin’s the sullen type. His brother, Jonas, is an even bigger jerk. From what I could tell, the only thing the two have in common is attitude.”

  “Unfortunate for Zeb.” Quentin lifted a tree branch out of the way and ducked under it as they headed in the direction of the creek. “This area is pretty dense. What’s Leo doing?”

  The dog stood beside a manzanita bush and barked, tail wagging.

  “I think a squirrel just ran in front of him. Hey, look at that little fir over there.” She pointed past the dog’s upended rump. “It’s the perfect size.”

  “I don’t know. Looks kind of scraggly.”

  “There’ll be plenty of room to hang all my ornaments. Once I get the tree decorated, it’ll look great.”

  “I’m sure it will.” He edged around the dog. “Move it Leo. That squirrel is long gone.”

  It only took a minute to cut down the small fir. Paige pushed her way through the dense underbrush to follow the dog down to the creek. She stopped on the bank to enjoy the sound of water rushing through the rocks below, while Leo stood belly deep in the current to get a drink.

  “Pretty spot.”

  She smiled at Quentin when he reached her side. “Yeah, it is. Do you remember picnicking with our families in the woods when we were kids?”

  “Fun times. I recall a water snake that swam over your foot while we were wading in the creek. You screamed bloody murder.”

  Paige shuddered. “I still hate snakes.”

  “Maybe we could make a day of it when I’m in town next summer.” He gave her a nudge with his elbow. “We could find a private spot and go skinny-dipping.”

  The stark reality that he wouldn’t be living in Siren Cove for more than a couple more months hit hard. Heaviness weighed on her chest. Of course she’d known his move here was temporary, and at least he intended to visit her, but still—

  “There’s some sort of chain caught on that branch.” Quentin pointed toward a moss-covered log half submerged in the water beyond the dog.

  Paige squinted as rays of sunlight broke through the cloud cover to gleam off dull metal. “Maybe a bracelet or necklace someone lost?”

  “Hold this, and I’ll go see.”

  She took the handle of the saw he held out and waited while he picked his way down the bank. When he bent over the log, Leo strolled over to investigate. It seemed the dog was getting over his initial wariness of Quentin.

  “It’s a necklace with a heart.” He waved the chain over his head. “I’m coming back up.”

  Leo scrambled behind him and shook when he reached the top of the bank. Droplets of water flew everywhere.

  “Ugh. Just what I needed, a shower.” She held out her hand. “Let’s see what you found.”

  Quentin laid the necklace in her palm. A blackened silver chain curled around a flat heart-shaped pendant.

  Paige flipped it over. “There are initials etched on the back, but it’s hard to tell what they are. They should be clearer once I clean off the tarnish.”

  “The necklace looks old. Maybe you can sell it in your shop if it’s valuable.”

  “No, this is a modern piece. It only looks like an antique because it’s so dirty. It’s probably sterling silver, and the pendant has some weight to it, so the necklace wasn’t cheap. Once I figure out the initials, maybe we can find the rightful owner. My guess is it belonged to someone who lives—or at least used to live—in town.”

  Quentin glanced skyward as the shadows streaking the ground completely disappeared. “Those look like rainclouds to me. Let’s grab your tree and head back.”

  “I’m ready to go.” She slid the chain into her jacket pocket and tucked her hand through his arm. “This was fun.”

  He smiled down at her before bending to press a kiss to her lips. “Yes, it was. But, then, we always have a terrific time together.”

  “Yes, we do.” She didn’t say anything else until they reached the tree Quentin had cut for her shop. “Do you need some help?”

  “No, I’ve got this.” He swung it up and balanced the fir over his shoulder. “Lead the way.”

  She followed Leo back toward the dirt track, thinking the dog had more sense than Quentin. What she really wanted to do was point out the obvious. If they enjoyed each other so much, why was he hell bent on leaving once the Poseidon Grill was up and running? Instead, she bit back the words. She wouldn’t cling or push. Needy women irritated her, and she was determined not to be one.

  If Quentin couldn’t figure out what was in his own best interest, she wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Paige looked up from her work bench when the bells jingled in the front of the shop.

  “Hi, Leah. I haven’t seen you around lately.” Mindy’s gr
eeting rang with enthusiasm.

  “Ryan and I have been out of town,” her friend answered. “Is Paige here?”

  “She’s working in the back, but I’m sure she’d love to see you. Go on through.”

  Paige pulled off her gloves and rose from her stool. Beside her, Leo stood up and shook. She laid a hand on his head. “Sorry, boy, but it isn’t our walk time yet.”

  “Oh, my God. You got a dog!”

  Paige gave Leah a hug when she entered the storage room. “I told you about the creep who broke into my store. Quentin was worried about my safety, so he adopted Leo for me.”

  “Hey, there, Leo.” Leah scratched his ears. “He’s sweet. By the way, I ran into Nina at the grocery store earlier. Seems the dog isn’t your only big news.”

  “I take it she mentioned Quentin and I are sort of a thing now.”

  Leah frowned. “A thing? You’ve finally gotten together with the one man you’ve loved forever, and you’re calling it a thing?”

  “We agreed to give a real relationship a try.” Paige’s stomach knotted. “I hope we can work out the kinks. He still plans to move back to Seattle after he gets the Poseidon Grill up and running. Not to mention his track record with women sucks.”

  “But this is you, not some random woman. Give him credit for caring a whole lot more about you than a one-night-stand he met in a bar. Your friendship with Quentin has been going strong for the last thirty plus years, despite living in different states, so I feel pretty optimistic about this.”

  “I’m trying to keep a positive attitude and not overload him with expectations. How was your trip to Sisters?” she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

  “Terrific. Ryan got his rock climbing fix, which made him happy, and I always enjoy spending time at his cabin away from the fog. By the way, we made having homes in two different locations work for us.”

  “That’s because Ryan is flat-out awesome.”

  “True.” Leah stepped closer to the work bench. “What have you got there?”

  “Quentin and I found a necklace caught on a log in Stoney Creek when we were out cutting a Christmas tree yesterday. I’d just finished cleaning the tarnish off when you strolled in.”