She’d long ago given up telling him to stop being so stubborn where Allie was concerned. Every time she’d seen Allie with Josh, seen the way the pair had grown closer, especially after her mother’s death, Hayley had wanted to yell at Gavin to do something about it before it was too late.
Well, he’d certainly done something about it now. She just wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish. He had his life in Alaska, a life she couldn’t imagine her friend giving up, and Allie had always been dead set on staying close to her family in Promise Harbor.
“I know,” Gavin finally said, then sighed. “I didn’t want to hear about Allie. It hurt too much.”
“Ugh.” She’d give anything to help her best friend find a way to work things out with Allie. “I knew about it for five months, Gav. It was killing me not to tell you, but I knew you’d freak. And then I finally couldn’t take it anymore. But you weren’t calling me back and I didn’t know if you’d gotten the message or what. I knew you were going to freak,” she said again.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say you were right on that one.”
She smiled, deciding not to mention the other times she’d been right too. Like the time she’d talked him out of following the Mohawk trend. “So, she’s in Bend with you?” Hayley guessed.
“Yep.”
Propping her elbows on her desk, she pounded him with questions. “Does she like it? Is she staying? Is this for good? Are you going to get married?” If he was crazy enough to burst into a church for Allie, she couldn’t put a Vegas-like wedding past him.
Gavin laughed, but it didn’t quite mask how tired he sounded. “She’s been in bed since we got here.”
“Good for you.”
He laughed harder, and her stomach warmed hearing some of the tension leave his voice. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but it’s not like that.” He sighed. “She’s exhausted. And sick.”
“But she wants to be there. I think that’s a good thing,” Hayley offered. And he was no doubt doing his damnedest to look after her. But who was looking out for him?
Losing him to Alaska had been a much harder adjustment than she’d anticipated, but she knew he had needed to leave. She should be used to letting go of the people she loved by now. She certainly had enough practice with it.
Too much.
First with her dad, then her best friend and soon Gramps. She squeezed the phone until her fingers hurt, anything to keep the tears she refused to shed at bay. Gramps wasn’t gone yet, she reminded herself.
All of which made it even more important not to let Jackson get under her skin. She couldn’t afford to count on another person who wouldn’t be sticking around.
Ignoring the familiar gut twisting that always signaled the much despised pity-party for one, Hayley pushed around the stack of files on her desk.
“I think she needs to be here,” Gavin said. “She needs someone to take care of her for a change. She needs to be far away so that they can’t need her.”
“I hope it works out this time, Gav.” She wanted him and Allie to work it out. They belonged together, and now that her stubborn ass of a friend realized what Hayley had known for months, maybe he could find a way to make Allie see it too.
“Thanks. I need you to be sure everyone knows she’s okay. She’s here with me and she’s staying. Just make sure no one’s freaking out. Like Owen,” Gavin added. “Or Sophie.”
“Or Josh?” Not that Gavin was worried about the groom left behind.
“Yeah, you can tell Josh that he’s lucky I don’t come back there and kick his ass for letting Allie get this stressed and sick.”
Definitely not worried at all. “Couldn’t tell him even if I wanted to. He took off.” She grinned into the phone, knowing full well what Gavin would think of that unexpected development.
Gavin paused. “What do you mean?”
“He left.”
“Left?”
“Went to Greenbush Island.”
“Why there?”
She waited until Gauthier walked past before she finished. “All I know is that he’d booked the honeymoon suite at the Oceanside Inn there.”
“So he went on the honeymoon?” Gavin prompted, knowing her well enough to guess there was more to it than that if she’d brought it up.
“Technically he went to look for Allie.”
“Allie’s not on Greenbush Island.”
She rolled her eyes, wondering how long he’d gone without getting any sleep. “I know.”
“You lied to him?”
Although Gavin was her best friend and she’d do anything to protect him, she was relieved it hadn’t come to that. Being a cop left her with far fewer options than when they were teenagers. “Didn’t have to. He didn’t ask me.”
“Convenient.”
“Everyone knows we’re close, but maybe Allie didn’t tell him we still keep in touch. Whatever he didn’t know before the wedding, I’m sure his mother filled him in on.”
Jackson had certainly remembered her antics, but Josh had been a year ahead of them and off to college before they’d really hit their stride when it came to the parties, minor vandalism, and joyriding in borrowed vehicles.
“Well, maybe looking for her is just his excuse to go off by himself and lick his wounds,” Gavin said.
Hayley certainly wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. “Oh, he didn’t go alone,” she added, maybe a little too brightly. “He took Devon Grant.”
“He took another woman?” Gavin barely got the words out, clearly stunned that Josh had done something that unpredictable. It had taken Hayley by surprise, but she’d been a bit too distracted by Jackson’s hands at the time to spare the development more than a second thought until now.
“You remember Devon?”
“Sure,” Gavin agreed. “She and Allie were tight in high school.”
“Right.” She gave her friend a second to let it sink in.
“Josh took off on his honeymoon with Allie’s best friend?”
“Ex-best friend.” And if they hadn’t had a falling out a long time ago, they undoubtedly would now. “Josh and Devon were really serious for a while after college.” She remembered hearing that from her mother when Josh moved back to Promise Harbor, but it hadn’t seemed important enough to pass it on to Gavin during his post-Allie phase.
“No way.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s awesome. Good for him.”
She snorted. “You don’t care about Josh.” She tried not to laugh, and failed horribly. “You’re just glad that this means he and Allie won’t be getting back together.”
“He and Allie won’t be getting back together.”
“I’m not the one you have to convince.” He may have gotten Allie to Alaska, but keeping her there with him wouldn’t be nearly as easy.
“Yeah, I know.”
Her hand tightened around the phone. “Keep me informed, okay?”
“Definitely.”
“And Gav,” she began, wanting to talk to him about Jackson, about renovating the house or about how sick her gramps was. Wanting to talk about anything for just a minute longer, but he had enough on his mind.
“Yeah?”
“Take care of yourself. And maybe stick around long enough to at least have a drink with me next time, okay?”
“Promise.”
Jackson set his paintbrush down at the sound of the front door opening. He’d been watching the clock for the better part of two hours, wondering how much longer Hayley was going to avoid him.
She’d been damn good at it for the last day and a half. After their scene at Barney’s, Hayley had made sure to steer clear of him, had even left before he arrived for his first day of work this morning.
He’d been almost grateful at the time. He hadn’t slept great and didn’t like that dreams of hockey and Hayley had kept him tossing and turning all night. Bad mood or not, he’d shown up and decided on his own to start with painting the two front rooms.
Busting his a
ss all day managed to make him forget about his restless night, but only made him want to hang around a little longer to wait for her.
Part of him wanted to see her reaction to the work she’d probably doubted would happen. In truth he’d surprised himself by sticking with it and not calling it a day at lunch and heading to Stone’s. More surprising was how much he’d enjoyed giving both rooms a face-lift and feeling so damn good about the finished product.
The other part of him wanted far more than to impress a stubborn cop he was determined to make like him. He wanted her against him, beneath him, wrapped all the way around him. Every sweet inch of her.
And there would be hell to pay for it.
Matt would have his ass. A fact Jackson had conveniently forgotten when they’d been in the kitchen the other night. Maybe his friend could handle a little flirtation and a kiss or two for the sake of convincing others they were together, but that would be it.
Jackson’s piss-poor attitude after the accident had bothered Matt more than his friend let on until Josh’s would-be wedding day, and Jackson would be stupid to do anything that might sabotage their friendship.
So why did knowing that do nothing to stop him from imagining his hands fisted in Hayley’s blonde hair, her naked body warm and damp against his skin, her hips arching off the mattress to meet him?
Christ.
He snagged a beer from the fridge, returning to the doorway just as Hayley walked into the room from the other end.
She surveyed the room, and just when he decided she hadn’t noticed him, she spoke. “Who knew your painting skills would be as good as your slap shot.”
“Try not to sound so surprised.”
“It’s not often people catch me off guard.”
“Maybe that’s because you try to figure them out too soon.” He’d made that mistake with her in the past. Dismissing the quiet, defiant teen when he should have tried harder to see past the rough edges to the girl who would grow up to be so determined to take care of everyone.
Her gramps. Matt. The kids she helped coach. Even Gavin.
“With most people, what you see is what you get.” Hayley checked the paint on the window ledge.
He whistled. “Still haven’t quite lost that jaded edge, huh?”
“I’m not jaded.”
Who did she think she was kidding? He wanted to place a lot of the blame for that squarely on Eric Thorton’s shoulders, but the bastard hadn’t paid her any attention in high school as far as Jackson knew.
No, her cynical attitude back then had been driven by something else altogether, and she hadn’t entirely outgrown it.
“I’ll be done in a few minutes—”
“I can finish things off.”
That wasn’t what he’d been about to suggest, not even close. He wasn’t done showing her that she didn’t have him completely figured out. A more intensive undertaking than he’d realized. And it probably didn’t help his cause that he couldn’t stop staring at her mouth even when she looked completely worn out.
She paused at the door. “I’m going to change into a pair of shorts and be back.”
Unfortunately, the only thing she should be changing for was bed. As much as he wanted to prove he had plenty of redeeming qualities, Hayley needed sleep more than he did, if the circles under her eyes were any indication. She’d probably spent half the night removing the rest of the cupboard doors he’d found resting against the wall in the kitchen this morning.
Thankfully, he wasn’t stupid enough to comment on her exhausted state. Her Taser could be within reach for all he knew.
After a long drink, he set his beer aside and picked up the paintbrush he was using to apply the second coat of paint on the window trim. If he finished quickly, there wouldn’t be any more painting to do tonight. Convincing her of that, however, might be tricky.
“Jackson?”
“Hmmm?” He turned around, almost annoyed by how tired and vulnerable she looked, resting against the doorjamb.
“Thanks.” She was gone before he could respond.
He worked as fast as he could without getting sloppy, expecting her to return any second. Only when he finished the last section of trim did he realize more time had passed than it took to change clothes.
Leaving the brush on the paint can lid, he washed his hands and jogged up the stairs. He found her in the small bedroom at the end of the hall, fading sunlight spilling across the bed where she’d fallen asleep.
He groaned at the sight of her in just panties and a T-shirt, her shorts still lying at the end of the bed like she’d decided to rest her eyes for a second before changing.
Looking everywhere else in the room rather than directly at her, Jackson crossed to the window. Hayley kept the room tidy, only her discarded jeans on the floor. The dresser next to the window was a different story. Girly stuff littered the top of it—hair ties, makeup, a ring and a chain with locket.
The teddy bear in the hockey jersey from his team surprised him. As did the hockey puck sitting next to a half-empty glass of water.
Interesting.
The bear and the puck didn’t strike him as necessities amid her other, more essential items. She hadn’t even bothered to fully unpack the duffel bag on the floor. A pile of her clothes were still folded inside.
He picked up the puck, recognizing the state championship symbol printed on the other side of it.
Had Coach given it to her or had she been there? Jackson had been so focused on the game, on the win, and on taking down any dickhead stupid enough to throw a fist in his direction, it didn’t surprise him that he couldn’t remember Hayley being there. Still, he found himself wishing he could place her in the stands that day.
He closed his hand around the puck. Hayley wasn’t the only one who’d been caught off guard.
Careful not to disturb her more than he had to, he grabbed the corner of the quilt on the bed and dragged it up to her waist.
She stirred, but her eyes remained closed, her face relaxed. Peaceful. No narrowed eyes, flushed cheeks from him pushing her buttons or even that slow, sexy smile that seemed to precede every other witty comeback.
So why was he still so turned on? And why was the urge to slip his fingers beneath those panties so at war with a strong need to crawl beneath the covers and pull her into his arms?
Downstairs, Jackson took his time cleaning up and washing out his brushes for the next day. He left only the kitchen light on, and headed out to the dock, where he sat, removed his sandals and plunked his feet in the cool water.
The puck lay next to him, and he flipped it around in his hand, listening to the occasional owl across the lake for longer than he planned.
For the first time in years, it felt good to be back in Promise Harbor.
Before his accident he’d always been too focused on making the playoffs or waiting for the next hockey season to start to appreciate coming home. It had been easier to get his parents to visit him, and for a while there he’d gotten a little caught up in showing off the new life he’d built to both his parents and his friends from the harbor.
Maturity and the accident had given him some much-needed perspective on that front, but he’d still avoided returning to the harbor.
Sitting on Coach’s dock, his feet in the cool, dark water and a beautiful, clear night settling in around him, he couldn’t quite remember why it had been so important not to come back.
He didn’t turn around when footsteps padded down the dock behind him.
“Have you always been so stubborn?” He watched Hayley sit next to him, following the long line of her legs as she curled one beneath her and slid her other foot into the water.
If she understood he was talking about her getting up when she clearly needed the sleep, she only shrugged, then nodded to the puck in his hand. “Still stealing? Getting tased really made an impression on you, I see.”
“Why do you have it?”
“It was a memorable game.” She reached for it, but she was
n’t fast enough.
He held it out of her reach. “And you cart it around with you?”
“We all have our good luck charms.”
Jackson wasn’t buying it. “A rabbit’s foot and four-leaf clover are good luck charms.”
“Tell that to every hockey player who stops shaving during Stanley Cup playoffs.”
“Not luck,” he corrected. “Tradition. Really, what’s with the puck?” he pressed.
Gaze trained on the lake, she kicked at the water. “It was the last thing my dad gave me.”
As far as sad subjects went, she had his beat flat out. Jackson offered the unopened beer he’d brought with him. She took it, twisted off the cap and made him grin at the long drink she chugged.
Atta girl.
“It was a great game, even if the ref did have his head up his ass for most of it.”
“Coach made you leave.” The memory came out of nowhere. “You kept screaming at the ref.” How had he forgotten that?
“The ref was an idiot and wouldn’t have known the difference between an icing call and an ice cream sundae if people were throwing peanuts at him.” She took another drink. “And Gramps didn’t make me leave. I just wasn’t allowed to be within shouting distance of the players’ bench.”
He shook his head. “How did you end up going from that rebellious girl to a straitlaced cop?”
“Straitlaced? Forget about the tasing the other night already?” She laughed. “Not everyone would share the opinion of my being straitlaced.” She took another drink. “My mother, for example,” she added, when he threw her a questioning look.
Jackson remembered how much tougher Mrs. Stone had been compared to his mother growing up. There was never any pulling the wool over her eyes, and Hayley probably knew that better than anyone. “I can’t imagine she’d be easy to impress.”
She shrugged. “I gave up on that when I was a teenager, but at least we can talk now without arguing.”
Remembering the tension between the women at Barney’s, he could only imagine how intense it had been when Hayley was at her troublemaking peak. “She must have been relieved when you became a cop.”
Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) Page 13
