He frowned again but didn’t argue. “If you’re in any sort of danger, you’d be safer with me in the car with you so you got a deal. The dog can sit on my lap.”
She sailed down the hall again with both Leo and Jake on her tail, intent on giving the chief the list, when she heard him speaking to a woman. Haley stood near the entrance dressed in tight black workout clothes, baseball cap, and sneakers. Lily stopped short, forcing Jake to bump into her. Even with her feet braced on the floor, her top half knocked over. She reached out her hand toward the wall to break her fall. Jake’s right arm swooped around her waist and scooped her against his warm hard chest. He held her steady.
“Geez, warn a guy next time. I almost made you a pancake. What’s up?”
“Haley!” Lily said. “I didn’t expect you here this early.”
Haley ran over to her. Jake put his other arm around Lily, sheathing her in his protective embrace. At first Lily was surprised, but Jake didn’t know who Haley was. Was he trying to protect her from Haley? Lily tapped Jake’s arm as a signal to let her go and squirmed out of his arms.
“I was out for a run and saw the police here! I’m sorry about the break-in and OMG—your ex-fiancé,” Haley shrieked into Lily’s hair as she embraced her. “The chief told me everything.”
Lily looked up at the chief, and he shook his head in denial, mouthing, “Not everything.”
Lily pulled away first. “Jake, this is Haley, my assistant. Haley, meet Jake. He rented the shop next door.”
“Oh!” Haley studied him, confusion swirling in her dark eyes.
Jake reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She returned the handshake, then drew Lily back into another awkward, lengthy hug. “Who would do such a thing?” Haley said, her voice tense, strangled.
When she finally released Lily, tears shone in Haley’s eyes. Strange. Haley didn’t know Sam and barely knew Lily.
Haley clasped Lily’s hands in her own. “The chief told me you saw the intruder.”
Lily claimed her hands back with some effort. “Yes, I walked in on Sam’s murderer.”
Haley’s hands flew to her face. “OMG! You could have been killed! What happened? Who was it?”
Lily squinted at Haley’s reaction. “I don’t know who he was.” She couldn’t put her finger on why she found Haley’s sentiments peculiar, but Haley seemed overly invested in her safety.
The chief cut in. “I’ll be asking all of the employees to come down to the station. Just routine. I could take your statement right here as well.”
“Oh, sure,” Haley said.
“Lily, do you mind if we use your office?”
“No problem, Chief. But before you do . . . Haley, the alarm was off when I came in this morning. Did you set it after closing last night?”
Haley’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I must have forgotten to! I had this feeling I forgot to do something.”
“This is the second time in two weeks. You forgot last Wednesday night too.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She turned to the chief. “I’m originally from South Dakota. We don’t have alarms. We don’t even lock our doors. It won’t happen again, Lily. Please don’t be mad.”
Lily didn’t know what to say. Sam was murdered in her shop. She had no idea what he was doing there, but maybe he wouldn’t have gotten killed if the alarm was on. She studied Haley’s makeup-free face. Haley blinked several times in a nervous gesture. How could she be mad when Haley had made an innocent mistake? But that mistake may have contributed to Sam’s death.
“We can talk later. Why don’t you go with the chief? I’m going home to call and cancel our appointments today.” How am I going to make this up to them? I’m nervous about calling Giselle.
“I can make the calls,” Haley offered.
Under the latest circumstances, Lily didn’t think that was such a great idea, but she didn’t want to further upset Haley. “No, that’s okay.” She lifted the appointment book from her bag. “I already have the book with me. You should talk to the chief.”
She clicked on Leo’s leash, signaling to Haley that was the end of the discussion, and headed toward the front entrance. “Chief, please call me when you’re finished here.”
On the way out of her shop, she shuddered at the thought of them taking Sam out in a body bag. She couldn’t bear to see that. Even though he had broken her heart and caused her the worst humiliation, she had loved him once. The idea that someone killed him was incredible to her. No one deserved that. Not even Sam.
Chapter 5
Jake examined Lily’s home as she zipped into the short driveway. At one time, the family must have added a second level to the former typical Cape Cod style house, which sported a warm gray exterior with white shutters and trim. The house had yet to be raised on pilings like most of the neighborhood homes or renovated with the newest vinyl siding. His mother and sister would have called the place charming and the autumn colored sea-shelled wreath on the front door, sweet.
“Hold on. Denis is calling me.” Lily’s finger swiped across her cell phone. “You heard? Yes, yes, I’m fine. Yes, I’m here. See you in a bit.”
Jake was curious to meet Denis. “Never heard of a guy working in a bridal shop,” he muttered into Leo’s ears.
Jake unclipped his seatbelt. As directed, he had held Leo on his lap. The dog had taken to Jake immediately. Most dogs did. They seemed to have a sixth sense recognizing animal lovers, even though he had never had a dog of his own.
Growing up, both his parents worked long hours. His father retired recently, but his mother now worked at his sister’s salon. When Jake moved out of his parents’ house a few years ago, he never had time to take care of a pet.
The opening of a bait and tackle store, he and his father’s ‘plan’, wasn’t completely fabricated. They had pictured fishing for recreation. To relax. Like taking up golf. But Jake couldn’t afford that kind of free time now. He hadn’t planned on being injured on the job. Now he had to be resourceful and make a living another way. Disability payments helped, but he was too young to sit around doing nothing while collecting a fixed income.
“You getting out?”
Lily’s words shook him back to reality. He nodded. “Sure.”
“Easy now, boy,” he said outside of the car and holding Leo’s leash. Leo sniffed at the light and dark-gray pavers that filled her driveway. A simple, contrasting pattern led up to the front steps.
Lily waved to an elderly woman next door sitting on a white Adirondack chair on her front porch. She sipped out of a coffee mug. Jake smiled at the housecoat she wore painted with splashes of pink, blue, green, and yellow flowers. She had a knitted white thing wrapped across her shoulders. He remembered his grandmother always wearing a similar one.
“Aunt Bee, we agreed it’s too cold out here this morning. You should drink your tea inside.”
The old woman waved her arm shooing the idea away. “Nonsense. My shawl keeps me warm. Weatherman says it’s going to be a beautiful day. Who’s your young man?”
Lily looked at Jake and grinned an apology. “He’s not my young man, Aunt Bee. This is Jake Ward. He leased the empty store next to my shop. Jake, Mrs. Bailey.”
The old woman put her mug down on the steel table next to her chair. “What in the world are you bringing him here for? Doesn’t he know he stole that place right out from under you and your sisters?”
Feisty. He would have never guessed that from the sweet-faced, tea-drinking, housecoat-wearing granny image. He raised a brow at Lily. At first Lily opened her mouth to say something, but then she clamped her beautiful lips shut and shrugged. Did she believe what the old lady said?
“Mrs. Bailey, I didn’t steal it from them. I rented the place. Didn’t even know they were interested in it when I leased it.”<
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The old lady shook a crooked finger at him. “Wasn’t right, boy. Those girls have been through enough and wanted that store so they could expand their business.” She picked up her mug again. “I hear you came in and gave cash up front for a year’s lease with an option to buy. Offered more than the asking price. These girls were trying to get the money together before you swooped in. Not right. You girls should have let me help you. Now look.” Tea sloshed over the tip of the mug as she brought the cup to her lips.
Jake tried to think of something to say in his defense, but Lily cut him off.
“I’ll check in on you later, Aunt Bee. Go on in. Brr, too cold.” Lily took Leo’s leash from Jake, leaving Mrs. Bailey murmuring under her breath.
Inside, the house had an L-shaped living and dining room area. Painted beige. Hardwood flooring. Rugs scattered here and there.
“I’m going to let Leo out in the yard.”
Jake followed her past a brown couch and through the dining area with an oval wood table and fancy chairs. Baby grand piano in the corner of the living room. Impressive. Pictures of Lily and two other girls smiled at him. Her sisters. No denying the resemblance. More family pictures with an older couple adorned the walls. A silver frame displayed on an end table held his attention. He lifted the picture off a lacy round cloth.
“Those are my parents and sisters.”
Jake studied the photo. The candid shot was taken in the summer on a deck. Her dad focused at the grill, her mom serving lemonade to her sisters sitting at a picnic table. Lily peered up at her dad and was laughing at something he had said.
“The chief took that a few years ago in our backyard.”
“Nice place,” he said. The residence had an odd mix of old-fashioned décor like his grandmother’s and more of an eighties or nineties feel like his parents’. Welcoming. Unlike the old lady next door. “And nice neighbors,” he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he put the picture back.
Lily chuckled. Jake couldn’t help but smile as he followed her into the bright kitchen. He liked the sound of her laughter. He swallowed down the guilty lump forming in his throat. There were a lot of things he was starting to like about her. Things he should ignore before he dug himself into a hole.
“Sorry about Aunt Bee. She is protective of my sisters and me.”
“I get that. To be clear, about the bait and tackle shop, I didn’t know there were other offers on the property.” He leaned against a gray Formica kitchen countertop. No fancy granite here. Not like his ex, Sophia, had to have in their apartment. They searched for weeks for a place that had the perfect shade. At the time, he would have done anything to make her happy. Two years later, he learned he could never make her happy.
“If you say so.” Lily stopped to gaze up at him while she changed the water in Leo’s dish.
Jake leaned his head against the white cabinets and gritted his teeth. He turned away from the mistrust in her eyes and rubbed his head. He shouldn’t feel guilty about renting the tackle shop. In fact, he didn’t.
Jake rotated back to face her. “No one from the estate told me anyone else was interested. I was doing my part to boost the economy. The place had been vacant for years,” he challenged.
He recalled Mrs. Bailey’s accusing tone, which got to him. Maybe she reminded him a little too much of his grandmother. His grandmother always knew how to keep him on the straight and narrow. He never got into too much trouble under her watchful eye.
Beach glass sparkled in two jars on the counter and Jake picked up the larger container to admire the miniature light blue, green, and clear stones.
Lily reclaimed the jar from his grasp, surprising him. “My dad collected those.” She placed her father’s treasures back to their rightful spot and handed him the smaller one. “These are mine.”
So Mrs. Bailey wasn’t the only one who was protective of Lily’s family. Lily grew defensive of her parents’ former possessions. Interesting. He noted her assortment had dark blues, oranges, and even some reds mixed in with lighter colors.
“Whenever dad found rare ones, he’d give them to me.” With no apology or further explanation she continued, “Robert knew that we were trying to get the financing together. I guess your offer was too tempting. We’re not giving up. If you’re interested in buying the place when your lease is done, we plan to better your offer. Fair warning.”
Lily opened a back door and Leo ran across the deck and down a short set of stairs into a fenced-in yard. Jake peeked out the window and hid a smile at the determination in her voice. Hopefully, he’d have his business wrapped up soon and be on his way. She and her sisters could have the place then. Meanwhile he would have to make the job look legitimate so the contractors’ “work” would need to begin. But since the bait and tackle shop was a ruse, he was moving slowly on dealing with renovations. Real contractors would go to the township to get real permits. Maybe he could get a couple of his buddies to play the role.
He continued to stare out back, checking the surrounding area. A patio made with the same gray pavers as the driveway and light-gray gravel covered most of the yard. A barn-style shed off far to the left stood opposite a detached garage. Lily’s house had twice the property of most of her neighbors. Further proof her family had been here for generations. From what he glimpsed, most of the lots in town had been subdivided.
“I need to get those boxes from my van. I also have a couple of dresses in the back. They need to come out too.”
“Let me help you with those.” He turned around and followed her out. Mrs. Bailey sat on the porch sipping her tea. He gave her a nod. She gave back a steely stare as she held a large cordless phone to her ear.
“Hold out your arms please,” Lily directed as she opened the back of the van.
At first, he didn’t know what she meant. Then she reached for his hands and showed him how to hold the hanger with one hand and support the long dress with the other so the material didn’t touch the ground.
He must have looked ridiculous, but surprisingly, he didn’t mind. She wasn’t demanding, even though she dished out orders. Lily manipulated his hands and arms to hold the dresses the way she wanted. He enjoyed how she wrinkled her nose and licked her top lip with light pressure as she struggled to get him to carry the dress.
The muscles in his lower region tightened. Thankfully, her concentration on the merchandise blocked her from noticing his reaction and the dress hid the evidence.
She reached for a dress. “Okay. Follow me.”
“Right behind you, boss.”
She spun around and gave him a sharp glance. When he winked back, she wrinkled her forehead and shook her head.
With both of them holding gowns, opening the front door proved a challenge. Lily succeeded on the second try. “I should have locked it open. I will on the way out.”
Finding their way to a downstairs bedroom converted into a sewing room, she swung around to the back of the door and hung the dresses on a long hook that swiveled out. Hustling back to the front of the house, he followed on her heels, acting just like Leo. If any of his buddies would have told him a year ago he’d be following some beautiful woman, carrying bridal gowns, and have his tail wagging like a puppy, he would have decked him. But that’s exactly what was happening.
Lily’s long blond hair danced across her slim back as she bounced down the outside stairs. Jake could do without all the wedding stuff, but he really didn’t mind watching over Lily. He should have been pretending to deal with contractors and applying for permits in order to renovate his shop, but he much preferred being here, protecting her. If he had back his NYPD badge, the scenario would have been perfect. His jaw clenched with futile regret. That part of his life was over, but he still hadn’t come to terms with the loss.
Lily left the front door open, and he didn’t doubt Mrs. Bailey wou
ld raise holy hell if she spotted an unknown intruder approaching Lily’s house. He knew the type. Quick to call the cops if she viewed anything suspicious. A regular old watchdog in a housecoat.
“I was going to donate those two dresses,” Lily said over her shoulder. “We have an organization in town that helps out our military veterans. Twice a year we go through our inventory and pull gowns for military brides. I put them in the van yesterday to deliver them today. That’ll have to wait. Giselle will get first dibs at them. Since the dress she wanted isn’t, um, available, maybe she’ll like one of these.”
As he held out his arms like a pro, a red minivan rolled up. Leo ran around from the back and started barking through the chain-link gate. Mrs. Bailey’s sharp eyes didn’t waver from the car as she spoke into the phone. The minivan sported a few scratches and dents and spewed out three screeching ladies. The high-pitched laugh came from the youngest one with olive skin. Her long dark and wavy hair flew around her shoulders with each hit of the ocean breeze as she ran up to them.
Lily held out her arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best staff ever for coming here early!”
Leo yelped with excitement. Lily laughed as he jumped up and down on his hind legs.
Again, something stirred inside Jake at her contagious laugh. Everyone joined in the reunion. Even Mrs. Bailey waved with recognition and grinned like a school girl.
Lily hugged the other two women and introduced her seamstresses to Jake, the two older women were sisters, Jillian and Mary Beth, the young one’s name was Brooke, Mary Beth’s daughter.
“Ladies, this is Jake Ward,” Lily said.
A breeze picked up and the chill from the wind partnered with icy glares from the ladies, blew through his T-shirt. Goose flesh formed on his biceps. Damn. He should have grabbed his sweatshirt from his truck.
Forever Hold Your Piece (The Becker Sisters Bridal Series Book 1) Page 5
