by Ruth Langan
Carrie nodded. “It was a sweet dream. Until reality set in.” She turned to Emily. “Speaking of dreams, Jenny said her class was invited to tour your clinic just before school let out for the summer. She came home filled with thoughts of becoming a doctor.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I was hoping that little tour might take some of the mystery out of medicine for the students. If it serves as an inspiration for future careers, that’s all the better.” Emily looked up to see that the others were watching and listening.
Her grandmother fixed her with a look. “Does this mean you’ve decided to stay on in town, Emily?”
Emily could feel Jason’s dark look pinning her and was relieved when the head of catering approached and asked the guest of honor to lead her table toward the buffet line. As they shoved back their chairs and began to follow, Emily felt Jason’s hand on her arm. There it was again. That quick rush of heat that was nearly overpowering.
He leaned close. “Do you have any plans for tonight?”
She shrugged. “I’ve scheduled a few patients.”
“What time will they be gone?”
“Around seven.”
“Good. Have dinner with me.” He hated the urgency in his tone. It wasn’t so much an invitation as a plea.
It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse. They’d said everything they had to say to each other last night. Nothing had changed between them. He was still as secretive as ever, refusing to give her any reason for his abrupt departure from the town and from her life. Besides, she reminded herself, she was still raw from that shattering kiss.
Maybe it was because of that kiss that her heart answered instead of her head. “Make it seven-thirty.”
He smiled and pressed a hand to her shoulder.
It occurred to Emily that she was inviting trouble. But then, that was nothing new. She’d been in trouble from the first moment she’d heard that Jason Cooper was back in Devil’s Cove.
Chapter 5
“Thanks, Mel.” Emily set aside the phone and turned to the anxious couple seated across from her desk in the conference room. “Dorothy, you have an appointment for a CAT Scan at ten Tuesday morning at University Hospital. That was the earliest they could see you.” She turned to the woman’s husband. “Victor, you’ll want to leave around seven. That way you can avoid traffic, and take the time to get there without any stress.” She smiled gently. “There’s been enough of that in your lives.”
The gray-haired man drew an arm around his wife’s shoulders as she got weakly to her feet. Before they reached the door Emily was there, holding it open.
She was startled to see Jason standing in the outer office, chatting with Melissa. He looked up and for one brief moment she felt her heart hitch at the look in his eyes. Then she returned her attention to the elderly couple beside her.
“Don’t be anxious about the scan, Dorothy. It’s noninvasive. It won’t hurt.”
“That’s good to know. Thank you, Dr. Brennan.”
Her husband nodded. “Dorothy and I appreciate all you’ve done.” He added with a sigh, “I wish you were coming with us.”
Emily laid a hand over his. “Don’t let the size of the place overwhelm you. University Hospital is big but not impersonal. I know Doctor Liu. He’s one of the best. He’ll take really good care of Dorothy.”
When they were gone, Emily’s assistant snatched up her purse and started toward the door. “I’m late. Ben phoned to say he has supper waiting. I’ll see you Monday.” She dimpled at the man across the room. “Nice seeing you, Jason.”
“You, too, Mel.”
When she was gone Emily glanced at the clock. “Sorry. I thought I’d be finished an hour ago.” She began unbuttoning her lab coat. “I can be changed in minutes.”
“Take your time.” Jason nodded toward the door. “Maybe I’ll poke my head in the kitchen and say hi to Trudy.”
That had Emily grinning. “Who do you think you’re fooling? You’re just hoping to find a plate of chocolate chip cookies, aren’t you?”
“Guilty.” He winked, and she felt her heart do a series of somersaults as she started away.
As Jason made his way along the hall toward the kitchen, it warmed him to see that little had changed. The same decorative tiles that had reminded him as a boy of Aztec art he’d seen in a history class. The same cherry cabinets, polished to a high shine, some with leaded glass fronts showing off fine china and crystal. Hardwood floors gleaming in the last rays of sunlight streaming through arched cathedral windows. To one side, on a Turkish rug of gold-and-green and ivory stood an enormous trestle table, its only adornment a simple bowl of apples. Across from the sink was a work island topped with a slab of gold-and-green-veined marble.
Trudy was lifting something from the oven when she caught sight of him. For an instant she merely stared. Then the smile came. First to her eyes, and then to her mouth.
“Well, aren’t you a sight. Mrs. B. told me you were back, Jason.”
He glanced at the tray of cookies in her hands. “Did you bake those for me?”
“Don’t you wish?” She gave a rusty laugh. “The judge still has to feed his sweet tooth every night.”
“I’m surprised Mrs. B. allows it.”
“She pretends not to know.” The old woman set down the plate and gave him a long steady look. “You’ve been missed.”
“By you, Trudy?”
“Me and…” She merely shrugged. “…others.”
He was across the room in quick strides and brushed a kiss over her wrinkled cheek. “Thanks.”
“For what?” As he straightened she touched a hand to the spot, as if to hold the warmth of it.
“For not changing.” He picked up a cookie and broke it in half, watching the chocolate ooze.
“That’s what you think. Change is good.” She studied him as he took his first bite. “Maybe I haven’t changed, but you have.”
“How?”
“I’ve followed your success. We all have. It looks good on you.”
“Thanks. And you think that’s changed me?”
She shook her head. “You got yourself some polish.”
At that he managed a deep-throated laugh. “Much needed, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know.” She sank down onto a cushioned armchair at the head of the table. “I always thought all those rough edges looked good on you.”
“Careful, Trudy.” He finished the last bite and gave her a dangerous smile. “I could lose my heart to a woman who not only bakes my favorite cookies, but gives compliments in the bargain.” He got down on one knee in front of her. “Will you marry me?”
She slapped his arm. “You were always crazy.”
“Crazy about you.” He met her steady gaze. “It felt strange coming back.”
She leaned forward. “Good strange or bad strange?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Her tone lowered. Softened. “Been by your old house yet?”
“No need.” He got to his feet and, restless, began to prowl the kitchen. “Strangers are living there now. I hope they’re happier than I was.”
He knelt to pet the cat that dozed on a corner of the rug. “One of Emily’s strays?”
Trudy nodded. “Some things never change. If it were up to her we’d be running a zoo. I always figured she’d doctor animals instead of people.” She watched him resume his pacing. “I heard your ma passed away.”
“More than a year ago.”
“Where’d she go after leaving Devil’s Cove?”
Jason paused at the French doors, hands clasped behind his back. “Chicago. She had a sister there.”
“Did she know about your success?”
He made a sound that was not quite a laugh. “She never said.” He pointed to a sailboat dancing along the shoreline. “Look at that, Trudy. Now there’s something I never got tired of seeing when I was a kid.”
She got slowly to her feet and crossed the room to stand beside
him. “Probably heading up to Mackinac Island.”
He hooked a thumb in his back pocket and rocked back on his heels. “Did you ever just want to climb aboard one of those and leave the world behind?”
“Don’t like water.” Trudy shivered. “Especially big lakes. I like to see what kind of slimy things are swimming under my feet.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?”
She chuckled. “It went the way of my waistline.”
As she stood watching the sailboat skim out of sight she realized Jason Cooper hadn’t changed as much as she’d first thought. Even as a boy he’d been very good at deflecting attention away from himself with a simple question, a diversion. Whatever it took. Hadn’t he just done it again?
Before she could ask him anything more, Emily stepped into the kitchen, and the atmosphere in the room was suddenly charged with electricity. The housekeeper looked from Jason to Emily, seeing the nerves just beneath the careful smiles.
He eyed the pale linen slacks and the silk blouse the color of watermelon. “That didn’t take you long.”
“I told you I’d only be a few minutes.” Emily spotted the plate of cookies. “Good timing. How many did you manage to eat?”
“Just one.” Jason winked at Trudy before crossing to take Emily’s arm. “If the judge leaves any, I might have a nightcap later.”
“My advice is to take all you want now.” Emily shared a laugh with the housekeeper. “If Bert leaves Poppie alone for even a few minutes, that plate will be empty.”
Trudy nodded. “Emily’s not kidding. The judge has been known to eat an entire batch at one sitting.”
“Then I’ll leave him to it.” Jason paused. “Thanks for the sweets, Trudy. Maybe I’ll see you later in the week. I’m hoping for a nice, long visit with Mrs. B. before I head back.”
“I’ll look for you.” She was already fumbling for the pack of cigarettes she kept in her pocket.
As soon as Jason and Emily were gone, the old woman stepped out onto the patio and lit up, inhaling deeply. She knew it irritated Dr. Emily to see her smoking, just the way it had irritated the elder Dr. Brennan. Trudy had endured all their lectures and had quietly gone about doing what she always did. Whatever the consequences of her actions, she’d face them when the time came.
She heard the purr of a car engine, and listened as it moved down the long curving driveway. In the silence that followed she caught sight of another sailboat far out on the lake and found herself thinking about what Jason had said.
To a boy who’d endured hell, she supposed a boat to anywhere would have seemed heaven-sent. Still, now that he’d finally achieved his freedom, he’d returned.
It would take a powerful need to bring him back to a place with such unhappy memories. Was it a need to pay tribute to his old teacher? she wondered. She exhaled a wreath of smoke and watched as it dissipated into the air. Or was she right in thinking it had nothing whatever to do with Mrs. B. and everything to do with Emily?
Old Dr. B. would turn over in his grave.
“Where are we going?” Emily studied Jason’s hands on the wheel of the rented Porsche. Such big hands. They suited him. Strong. Capable. With enough strength to snap her bones if he chose. And yet she could still recall them holding her with such tenderness.
“I made a reservation at the Pier.”
“They don’t take reservations except for parties of six or more.”
“Really?” She saw his lips curve into a smile. “They didn’t tell me a thing about that. Just took my name and said they’d hold a table.”
“Must be nice to have that kind of clout.”
“It has its moments.”
She studied his profile in silence.
He glanced over. “Do you always keep such late office hours?”
“This was an exception. One of those medical mysteries that will require endless tests before we know what we’re dealing with.”
“Your patient looked scared.”
Emily nodded. “She has a right to be. Actually, Dorothy seems resigned to whatever the tests find. I think she’s anticipating the worst. It’s her husband I’m worried about. Victor is expecting a miracle.”
“Then I hope he gets it.”
Emily sighed. “I hope so, too. But I don’t like the odds.”
They drove through the heart of downtown, where throngs of pedestrians browsed the antique and gift shops and spilled out into every available space in the restaurants and outdoor cafés.
Jason’s voice was warm with humor. “I hope the businessmen of Devil’s Cove remember to thank your grandmother for luring all her old students back. Or is business always this good?”
Emily laughed. “Devil’s Cove is thriving, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. But I’ve never seen this many people in town at one time.”
He found a parking space and maneuvered the little sports car to the curb before rounding the hood and holding her door. As they crossed the street and headed toward the pier that jutted into Lake Michigan he caught her hand. A simple gesture, but she couldn’t ignore the quick rush of heat as their fingers linked.
At the far end of the pier was a converted warehouse that was now one of the town’s most fashionable restaurants. People crowded the wooden benches on either side of the front door. Inside Emily and Jason had to wade through even more people who milled about the bar area, awaiting their tables. There was a festive atmosphere, and nobody seemed to mind the wait, as drinks flowed and voices were raised in laughter.
The minute Jason gave his name to the hostess she picked up two menus and led them to a private booth at the window, overlooking the water.
Emily felt Jason’s hand skim her back as he held her chair. Again, just a touch, but it was enough to have her tingling from the contact.
He took the seat across from her and smiled at the waitress who hurried over to take their drink orders. Minutes later he was drinking iced tea while Emily sipped cool, pale chardonnay and waited for her heartbeat to settle.
Jason glanced at the ball of orange sun that seemed to be riding the crest of waves far out on the horizon. “I’ve never forgotten these sunsets.”
“You mean you don’t have something even more spectacular in Malibu?”
He smiled. “We probably do. I just never take the time to notice.”
“I guess a career like yours would keep you awfully busy.”
“No more than yours.” He gave her a long, steady look. “Your dad must have been proud.”
She flushed. “I suppose. He never said.”
“He didn’t need to. You came back and took care of him after his stroke, didn’t you? And when he asked you to stay on, you did.” His tone deepened. “I’m not surprised, Em. For all your rebellion, you were your father’s daughter.”
“Really?” She gave a short laugh. “I wish you’d told me that years ago. It would have spared me a lot of energy I spent on rebellious mistakes.”
“A wise person once told me there aren’t any mistakes. Every choice we make is just another lesson to be learned. Every step, no matter how faltering, brings us closer to our ultimate goal.”
She worried the rim of her wineglass, running her index finger around and around. “Then I’ve had more than my share of lessons and steps.”
“I know what you mean.” He caught her hand, stilling the movement. “I’m an expert on the high cost of learning.”
This time as they looked at each other across the table, their smiles came easily.
“Tell me about the places you’ve been and the things you’ve done, Jase.”
He looked down at her hand in his. “I don’t think we have enough time to cover all of it. Let’s just say I saw most of the country, and I’ve tried my hand at just about everything from shoveling manure to rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.”
“And now you’re one of them.”
He gave a grunt of laughter.
“Did you have a goal, or were you just running?”
> “Running. As far and as fast as I could.”
“But you ended up writing.” Her voice took on a dreamy note. “Bert always said you would. She and I have devoured all your books.”
He wasn’t prepared for the little jolt of pleasure her words brought. “That’s nice to hear. I’m glad, Em.”
When their waitress appeared to take their order, Emily withdrew her hand and picked up the menu, scanning and ordering quickly. Jason did the same.
When they were alone again Emily sipped her wine. “There’s a lot of darkness in your books.”
“There was a lot of darkness in my life.” He grinned suddenly. “I guess they’ll never be mistaken for romances.”
They shared an easy laugh.
“The murders in this latest book are pretty brutal.” Emily paused a heartbeat before adding, “There’s a rumor going around town that the setting is a thinly-disguised Devil’s Cove.”
For a moment she thought he might not respond. She saw his quick frown before he shrugged. “This town was always good at rumors. But…” Before he could say more, a shadow fell over their table.
“I heard you were back, Cooper.”
They both looked up at the stocky man who stood, legs apart, hands clenched at his sides, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.
“Boyd.” It took Jason no more than a moment to place the former classmate who had once been an all-state quarterback on their high-school football team. Now the lean face had filled out and gone to jowls. The athlete’s body had thickened around the middle.
Jason started to shove back his chair, but a beefy hand on his shoulder stopped him. “You come back here to gloat, Cooper?”
Jason shrugged aside the hand and got to his feet so that his eyes were level with the intruder’s. “I came back to thank a teacher who made a difference in my life.” He took a long look at the police uniform and the badge pinned to the man’s chest. “I see it’s Chief Thompson now. You took up where your father left off, did you, Boyd?”
“You got that right. And I don’t like anybody suggesting he didn’t do his job.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
