Hidden Charm

by Jill Sanders

  She decided to wear her new sundress and braided her hair to one side for the boat ride back to the mainland.

  It was funny, when she thought about the boat trip, she no longer felt fear.

  JT had promised her that he’d start teaching her how to swim the following day, since he’d finished his book, Flip Side, late last night.

  As she walked downstairs, Bo rushed past her and almost caused her to topple down the stairs. She reached for the railing, only to have strong hands grab her waist.

  “Damn it, Bo,” JT said from behind her. “I told you that dog needed…” His words fell away when she turned towards him, a smile pasted on her lips.

  “It wasn’t his fault. I should have made sure he went down first,” she said.

  She felt his hands tighten briefly on her waist, then he let her go and took a step back. His eyes ran over her and a slow smile formed on his lips.

  “One of the dresses from Serenity’s?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Yes.” She did a little spin, sending the flowing skirt twirling around her. “Do you like it?”

  “Like isn’t a strong enough word,” he said softly. “You look amazing.”

  She felt her knees go weak from the heat behind his eyes as he looked at her. Her eyes traveled over him. He’d dressed in a newer pair of slacks with a button-up shirt. His hair had been greased back from his face and tied in a band at the nape of his neck. He looked sexy as hell.

  Just then, Bo let out a low whine downstairs.

  “He probably needs to go out.” JT stepped around her and raced down the stairs.

  She was halfway down the stairs when she heard JT groan. “No.”

  Rushing into the kitchen, she held her nose at the mess Bo had just made by the back door.

  “Don’t come in here, he’s sick.” JT held up his hand.

  “Oh, no, poor baby.” She watched as Bo threw up again.

  JT opened the door and the dog rushed out and threw up again on the back deck.

  “No wonder he was in a hurry to get down the stairs,” she said, moving into the room. “I’ll help you clean up.”

  “No.” JT shook his head, his eyes traveling over her. “I don’t want you to get messed up. I can do it.” He walked over to the pantry and took out a broom and a dustpan and began shoveling the mess up. “This looks like steak,” he said, frowning down at the chunks. “Raw steak. Where did he get…” JT grew silent.

  “What?” she asked.

  “That’s how they got onto the island.” He turned around and dumped the mess into a trash can.

  “That was days ago. Bo would have gotten sick earlier.”

  “Not if they came back last night.”

  Emma shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. “Last night?”

  He turned to her. “I was going to say something to you, but…” He shook his head. “I called Brock.”

  “What happened?” she asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

  “Nothing big. I thought I saw a boat leave the island when I took a break from writing and went on a short walk last night.”

  “You were working most of the night.” He’d made her promise to lock the door behind him and she’d heard him come in around one in the morning. She’d asked him to poke his head in her door when he returned, no matter how late. Of course, he’d let Bo out for a quick break and the dog had come back in and jumped up on the bed with her.

  “Yeah, I took a break around eleven. Short walks usually clear any blocks I have. I walked to the beach and back and thought I heard a motor and saw a light traveling away from the island.”

  “Nothing was touched?”

  He shook his head. “But, Bo was with you,” he said as he mopped the floor.

  “I let him out around ten. I stayed up reading… I let Bo back in shortly after and went up to bed around ten thirty.”

  “How long was he out?” he asked.

  She thought about it. “Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty tops.”

  JT turned to the door and whistled. Bo instantly came running back in, looking like he was feeling much better.

  “You okay?” she asked, kneeling down and rubbing Bo’s head. The dog sat and gave her his paw and then laid his head on her lap.

  “We can take him with us,” JT said, finishing up with the mop and taking the trash bag out of the trash can. “I’ll take this out and give Kayla a call and let her know. They have a little dog, Blue. Bo and she get along great,” JT added.

  The moment Bo heard Blue’s name, he started running in circles.

  “Yeah, buddy, you want to go see Blue?” JT laughed when the dog barked. “Spoiled dog.” He chuckled as he took the trash bag outside.

  It was quite entertaining to see Bo stand at the front of the boat, his tongue out and ears flying in the wind as they made their way to the mainland.

  The sun was just setting and Emma wondered how they’d find their way back to the island in the dark. When the motor died, she watched JT tie up the boat to the slip and asked him.

  “I have GPS, but I could probably get us there with my eyes closed.” He helped her out of the boat. He snapped his fingers and Bo jumped onto the dock. “Are you going to be a good boy?” he asked the dog, who quickly sat on his butt and smiled up at him.

  “Who says dogs don’t smile,” JT said under his breath, causing her to laugh.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  “Come on, Rowan’s picking us up at the end of the dock.” He nodded to an old truck waiting for them.

  Whatever Emma had expected of Rowan, her imagination had come up short. She’d enjoyed her time with Kayla the other day at Serenity’s Attic and had talked plenty about her soon-to-be-husband.

  The man was one of the sexiest men she’d seen in years, second only to JT. Like JT, he was tall and blond, with blue eyes, but unlike JT, his hair was cut short. His jaw was less chiseled, and his chest and arms were slightly smaller than JT’s. He reminded her of a young Brad Pitt.

  She watched the pair of them as they shook hands and did the short little man-hug thing all men seemed to do. Then Rowan glanced over at her.

  “Kayla told me you were in town.” Rowan held out his hand. “I’m Rowan.”

  “Emma.” She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Rowan shook his head. “It’s not every day we get someone as famous as you in town.”

  “I’m not…” She stopped herself and, instead of denying her fame, simply smiled.

  JT noticed and chuckled. When she turned towards him, he quickly snapped his fingers and Bo jumped into the back of the truck. He picked up a leash that was bolted to the middle of the bed and snapped Bo in.

  “Does he jump out?” she asked.

  “I don’t plan on finding out.”

  “We spent a weekend trying to figure out how to keep that dog in the bed of the truck.” Rowan shook his head. “I told JT he could ride in the front with us.”

  “Trust me, when Bo decides to jump in the water before jumping in the truck, you won’t want him up front with us.”

  “Wet dog smell?” she asked.

  “The worst.” JT jumped out of the bed of the truck and shut the gate.

  Emma watched the small town go by outside the truck window as JT and Rowan talked.

  The truck stopped in front of a massive two-story house that looked directly off the cover of a magazine. The flowers and bushes out front were perfectly groomed. Its large front porch looked welcoming.

  “Nice place,” she said as they stood on the sidewalk while JT unhooked Bo.

  “Thanks, it’s been in my family for a few generations.” He nodded across the street. “That’s my aunt’s place, Holley Hall. That’s the real family gem.”

  The size of the house sitting across the street made her blink. Holley Hall took up the entire block. The massive three-story colonial home was more beautiful than any home she’d seen in California.

  “Wow.” She smiled over at Rowan.


  “Yeah, we get that a lot.” He chuckled.

  They made their way up the sidewalk and stepped onto the large front porch, just as Kayla opened the door and a small white and black blur raced past Bo, who immediately took off after him.

  “They love each other.” Kayla laughed. “She’s been driving me nuts for the past half hour. It’s all your fault.” She pointed to Rowan. “You told her you were going to get Bo, and she’s been waiting ever since.”

  Rowan laughed. “Smart dog.”

  Kayla pulled the door open further, and Emma saw a towheaded boy of around four standing behind Kayla’s legs. He was holding onto her skirts and peeking out from behind his mother.

  “This must be Connor James?” Emma smiled at the boy who was the spitting image of JT, minus the long hair.

  “Yes.” Kayla reached around and picked up her son. “Connor, this is Emma Wilder.” She leaned close and whispered something in her son’s ear.

  “Nice to meet you,” Connor said, holding out his little hand for a handshake.

  Emma held in a chuckle as she shook the boy’s hand.

  “We’re having chicken,” the boy blurted out.

  “Good, I like chicken.”

  “That dress looks wonderful on you.” Kayla nodded to the sundress she had purchased at the store the other day with her help.

  “I’m thinking of coming back and buying more.” She ran her hand down the soft material. “Who did you say makes these?”

  “A friend of my aunt,” Rowan chimed in. “She’s been making these dresses for my mother’s store for as long as I can remember.”

  “The only place you can get them is at Serenity’s Attic.” Kayla motioned for her to come into the house. “Would you like a drink before dinner?”

  “I’d love one.” She looked around the house. “You have a beautiful home,” she said as they walked to the kitchen area.

  “It’s not…” Kayla stopped herself and took a deep breath. “I just moved in a few months ago. Rowan’s responsible for all the decorating.”

  “You added that.” Rowan nodded to a large painting hanging on the wall near the stairs.

  “Yes, but you were with me when I found it.” Kayla set Connor down in a chair at the table, then pulled down a couple glasses.

  “Red or white?” She nodded to a stand of wine bottles.

  “Whatever you’re having.” She smiled and sat down next to JT at the bar area.

  “I’ll take a beer,” JT added. Rowan tossed him one, then grabbed one for himself.

  “So, JT hasn’t told us much about you.” Rowan took a drink of his beer. “Actually, JT doesn’t say much about anything.” Rowan chuckled.

  “He talks to me.” Kayla set a glass of red wine down in front of her, then continued getting dinner ready.

  “Did he tell you about Emma?” Rowan asked, then nodded when Kayla frowned over at him. “See, doesn’t talk much. Not since…” Rowan dropped off and sipped his beer.

  “Go ahead,” JT suggested. “Since when?”

  “Lori,” Kayla answered for Rowan. “We all changed after that. The whole town changed.” Kayla pulled a pan of chicken from the oven and set in on the countertop.

  “Things would have been different if they’d found out who did it. Or even if they had a clue.” Rowan shook his head. “For a murder to go unsolved this long… well, it makes you not have trust in your fellow townsmen.”

  “They never caught her killer?” Emma asked, a little shocked. Suddenly, she understood what had caused JT to mistrust everyone and move onto his own island.

  “No, they didn’t even come close,” JT said.

  “They must have had a clue?” Emma said. She sipped her wine.

  “There for a while, I was suspected,” Rowan said, shocking Emma.

  “You?” She set her glass down and looked across at the man.

  “I had been dating her. The night of her murder, my sixteenth birthday party, I broke things off with her.”

  “Because she had been cheating on you from day one,” Kayla added.

  “Still, if more than a dozen people hadn’t been at my party to corroborate my whereabouts, I would have ended up in jail.”

  “I never thought you had anything to do with it,” JT said clearly.

  The look in Rowan’s eyes told Emma that he’d never said those words to his friend before.

  “A lot of people did.” Rowan set the chicken on the table.

  “Those same people thought I killed her,” JT admitted.

  “What?” Kayla had been chopping carrots for the salad and jerked the knife.

  “Easy.” Rowan reached over and took the knife from her.

  “You?” Kayla walked over to her brother. “Why would they think you had anything to do with it?”

  “I left Rowan’s party early.” JT and Rowan glanced over at each other.

  “You followed Lori and Craig Tyler to a hotel,” Rowan added.

  “Craig was Lori’s teacher. They had been…” JT struggled with the rest.

  “Having an affair,” Kayla finished, her arms crossing over her chest. “That doesn’t mean you had anything to do with her murder. Actually, now that we know who was with her that night…”

  “I’ve been looking into it,” JT added. “So far, there is nothing that ties Craig Tyler to anything other than being with her at the hotel that night. And, since Lori was found almost twenty miles away…”

  “Craig is out of prison. He posted bond after confessing to stealing the two grand from the store.” Kayla set the salad on the table then looked up at Emma. “I had found more than twenty grand missing when Crystal hired me to look into her business finances. Craig had found the computer unlocked one night after walking out of the back room from his massage. He admitted to setting up a direct transfer to his account, since someone had left the account information open while they went downstairs. He got away with doing small transfers several times over the past few years.” She shook her head. “Since I’ve taken over as manager of the store, things are a lot more secure.”

  Rowan walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Dinner’s ready.” He kissed Kayla lightly.

  “If it wasn’t Lori’s teacher,” Emma started when they all were seated around the table, “who would be next on the list?”

  “Owen Bernard, Mason Holt, Luke Stevens, or Jeff Miller,” JT added as he dished up his salad.

  “None of them even cared that she cheated, since they were cheating with her in the first place,” Kayla said as she cut up Connor’s chicken into smaller bites.

  Emma smiled at the soft voice Kayla used now that she was closer to her son.

  “Then who?” Rowan asked.

  JT looked across the table and waited until Kayla looked in his direction. “Have you thought about the possibility that it was our father?”

  Chapter 11

  He hated that there wasn’t a hint of surprise in his sister’s eyes, which assured JT that Kayla had thought about the possibility at least once over the years.

  The room was silent with the exception of CJ eating his chicken noisily.

  “Your dad left…” Rowan started and JT could tell he was trying to tie it all together.

  “The week after we buried Lori,” Kayla finished.

  “Kayla had just left for her first day back at school. He didn’t even have the balls to tell us he was leaving,” JT added.

  Kayla nodded in agreement.

  “I didn’t realize he wasn’t home that evening until Mom said something at dinner.” Kayla finished.

  “It looked very suspicious, especially since they had no clue as to who had murdered Lori.” Rowan added, continuing to pass the food around the table. “Did the police look into his disappearance?”

  “He didn’t disappear,” Kayla supplied. “He left mom a note, along with divorce papers and instructions on where Mom could send them to his lawyer.”

  “That was it,” JT agreed. “No goodbye, n
o explanation of why, just divorce papers and his lawyer’s address.” The lack of anything further still made his skin crawl to this day. How could a man leave his family after almost twenty years without a single personal word?

  “Still, leaving town shortly after your daughter is murdered,” Emma said. “Do either of you know where he’s at?”

  His eyes locked with his sister’s.

  They spoke at the same time. Kayla’s answer was no, while he answered yes.

  “You know where Dad is?” Kayla’s voice rose.

  “Yes,” he said again. His sister’s eyes narrowed.

  “How long have you known?” she asked. He could see the hurt behind her gaze.

  “Since shortly after I published my first book.”

  “Where is he?” His sister’s question came out more softly.

  “Do you really want to know?” He sighed and set his fork down. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry.

  “No,” she said after a moment. “Yes.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know.” Then her eyes snapped open and worry flooded them. “Have you told Mom?”

  “No, she’s been through enough.” He finished his beer and walked to the fridge for another. “Anyone need more while I’m up?” He glanced back.

  “I’ll have more wine.” Kayla held up her almost empty glass. “I think after this news, I deserve more.”

  “More!” CJ held up his milk cup, causing JT to laugh.

  “Round two is on me.” He brought the wine and milk to the table along with two more bottles of beer, one for him and another for Rowan.

  When he sat back down, Kayla jumped in.

  “Okay, tell me. Where is he?”

  He took a drink of his beer first. “He’s in Columbus. He works as a truck driver. He’s remarried and has a kid.”

  “Did he contact you because he needed money?” Emma asked after everyone was silent.

  JT looked over at her. “Have you had family come out of the woodwork asking you for money?”

  Emma sighed. “My second cousin once removed, who I’ve never heard of, found me and tried to get a few thousand. And someone who claimed to be an aunt, a long-lost grandmother, and the list goes on.”