Lily bounced toward him with a blanket and a loaded canvas bag. She had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. She reached for his hand and smiled.
“Come on. Let’s grab a spot by the bonfire.”
His sneakers sank in the sand as she led him to a flat area away from rocks that jutted from the earth. She started to pull out blankets and a stiff straw mat. The mat went down first, and then one of the blankets. Before he could offer to help, she was smoothing out the bumps in the coverage.
“What’s in here?” He peeked into the bag.
“Subs and drinks Denis picked up from Mike’s, extra water and snacks, and the ingredients for s’mores.”
Jake noted two subs and drinks. Manners prevented him from stating the obvious. Three’s a crowd. “Where is Denis?” He looked around at the people staking their spots near them. “Where’s your crew?”
“Denis and the rest of my staff took the van and went back to the shop to unload the stuff.” Lily sank down and sat cross-legged. She let out a long sigh. “Feels great to relax.”
“They coming back?”
She handed him a sub. “I doubt it. The ladies were exhausted and have families to tend to and Brooke had a hot date.”
“Denis?”
“He said, and I quote, ‘If Jake’s going to watch over you, I have a date with a bubble bath, a glass of Pinot, and a DVR loaded to binge watch my favorite shows.’”
Jake smiled at her impression of Denis as he joined her on the blanket. “Guess it’s you and me then.” He dug into the sub. “Good.”
“The band’s about to play. Later, we can roast marshmallows. They have the bonfire cordoned off right now, but then they let the fire burn almost out, just enough for supervised roasting. Mostly for the kids. You in?” She peeked over at him, almost challenging him.
“Sure, why not? Sounds fun.” He studied the band as they set up on a makeshift stage. A large wooden platform a few inches off the sandy ground protected the band members’ equipment. Lights on tall poles lit up the area, enough that he could see the edge of the water hitting the surf with each slight wave. The biggest reflection of light came from the lighthouse itself. Beams of brightness hit the ocean’s calm waters. He breathed in deep. The combination of the salty air, the rhythm of the sea, and the company of the beautiful woman next to him brought on an instant sensation of peacefulness.
Not that he was fooled into a sense of unrealistic security with a killer out there. The slaughterer might be at the event, camouflaged by groups of friends drinking hot cocoa, roasting marshmallows, laughing.
Lily shivered and reached for the extra blanket. “We’re lucky the weather’s mild tonight. Otherwise, I’d be thinking that Denis’s evening plans of a bubble bath sounded appealing.”
Jake draped the blanket over her shoulders and tucked the ends around her legs. If they were more than acquaintances, he would have squeezed in tight underneath the blanket with her. An image of her in a bath rushed to his mind. He’d prefer that to freezing his butt off too, especially if she asked him to join her.
A bunch of teenagers ran past them and kicked up the sand. Nothing like the slap of cold hard grit to shake him back to his senses.
“Last one to the top buys popcorn at the movies tonight!” one of the boys shouted.
Lily laughed as she shook sand from the blanket. “Lighthouse night climb. Are you up for it later?”
“Absolutely,” he spilled out before he processed the question. His back hurt like hell. Should have been home resting and, once again, that bath sounded more like a beacon of welcome than the lighthouse. He shifted his position on the sand and rubbed his hands together.
“You must be freezing too. Here, let’s share the blanket. Scoot over.” She offered him half.
He shifted toward her and tucked the warm blanket around his back. He sighed with relief. The heat from her and the soft material encouraged him to move in even closer until their bodies touched and, without reservation, he wrapped the blanket in tight to create a cocoon. The picnic-style dinner on the beach, the moon shining down on the water, a band about to play—he could have imagined he was out on a date with a beautiful woman. But he wasn’t. And surprisingly, that disappointed him. Not for the first time, he found himself wishing he had met her under different circumstances and not for the first time did he have to stamp down the idea that she was the perfect woman for him.
He stole a glance at her, and she was staring at him. “What?”
She licked at her lips. “Comfy?”
“Never better.”
She lifted her eyebrows, and he knew she had more on her mind, but all that she revealed was, “Good.”
They sat in silence for a moment, then the band started their set with an old Johnny Cash song.
“I love this music.” In her excitement, her hand brushed against his thigh, and when she moved away, embarrassed at the intimate touch, he reached for her hand again and caressed her palm.
She peeked up at him, questioning the gesture, and he smiled. Maybe they could be more than acquaintances when his case was over. “You’re right. The band’s good.”
They sat like that through the band’s first set, like they were on a date. For the first time in a long time, he was enjoying himself. The smell of the sea, singing along with the music, watching people make their way to climb the lighthouse, all persuaded him to relax and his back thanked him.
At times, Lily would escape from their blanket cocoon to dig through the canvas bag and pull out a treat or drink for them both and then snuggle back in.
As the evening wore on, and the band played their last set, people began to gather around and stake their claim next to where they were, which offered an ideal location to watch the fireworks.
“If you want to climb the lighthouse, we should do it now before the fireworks starts. We could watch them from up there or hurry back to catch them here from our spot. Up to you. I think the view is better here though.”
“Here it is then.” Turning slowly, he unwrapped them and stood up. He wasn’t about to lie to himself and pretend. He liked when she said ‘our’ spot. Cold air slapped sense into him. He was in danger of crossing the professional line and that bothered him. Jake held out a hand to pull her up. She fell into his arms and he embraced her, but then she let go.
Maybe without the concealment of the blanket, she didn’t want to reveal to anyone who may have been watching, that they could become more than friends. Maybe she didn’t want to cross that line either.
Not crossing that line would be best for both of them. At least for now.
When he reached down to grab her bag, she stopped him. “Leave it. No one will touch our stuff. We’re all locals here.”
He shirked his shoulders and they headed to the lighthouse. His sneakers sunk into the sand as they maneuvered around families, couples, and beach chairs, but soon got on a path to the lighthouse.
He looked up at the majestic tower. He had always liked lighthouses. Now he cringed, and his legs locked at the daunting height.
Chapter 16
“Hi ya, Lily. How’ve ya been? Your sisters? Haven’t seen you around,” said a guy at the entrance.
Lily smiled at the older man. “Fine. Everybody’s fine. Pete, this is my friend Jake. Jake, Pete’s the lighthouse guy.”
Pete nodded at Jake. “Nice to meet you. I’m closing up soon. Off-season hours, you know.” He accepted the couple of dollars donation Jake handed him. “You two have fun now.”
Lily opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. Pete assumed they were on a date. Was Lily about to protest and correct him?
“We better get started. Good to see you, Pete.” Lily went ahead on the brick path that led to a bright-yellow metal staircase. She turned and looked at him. “Ready?”
Not the smartest thing he’d ever done to impress a woman, but he began to follow her up. He was sure if he’d said he didn’t want to tax his back, she would have understood. But the huge grin on her face when she glanced up at the top of the spiral staircase, told him she was looking forward to scaling the metal monster. Even if the exertion pained him, he couldn’t let her down. He didn’t know why her happiness meant anything to him.
Something on her wrist clanged against the metal banister with each step. A cluster of bracelets. Each time he grasped the rail, each time her jewelry pinged, he counted the step. All two hundred and seventeen. Until they made the climb to the top. And when they did, the view was worth every muscle twinge.
Lily raced to the side to look out over the vast ocean. She turned toward him. “Are you all right?”
He plastered a forced grin on his face. “Yep.” Then he turned to look out through metal safety bars. “Wow, cool.” He wasn’t lying this time, the view was spectacular. He could see the black ocean as far as the hint of the lighthouse’s beam allowed. He peered down and spotted the bonfire and people stirring about. Then he turned to study Lily. Her expression was the brightest of all. And in his eyes, the best view.
She brought out the adventurous side of him. Before he met Lily, he avoided certain activities that would aggravate his back injury. Her genuine belief in people and her optimism rubbed off on him. Wait until he told his physical therapist he scaled the lighthouse. She would not believe he climbed all the way to the top.
Lily grabbed his hand. “Come over here. You can see the marina.”
They went to the other side and past a few couples and a family of three. The dad picked up his pint-sized daughter to look out, and she giggled. Jake and Lily held hands and wandered around to where they started until they found an empty space.
“Thanks for being with me today. And for climbing up here. I can’t remember the last time I had fun.” When she peeked up at him like that, his heart squeezed a bit, and despite his misgivings about starting a relationship with her, he knew he was about to cross that line.
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her soft skin. “It was a fun day.” He pulled her in closer. “And you don’t have to thank me. The chief might have asked me to watch over you, but I want to be here. I’m starting to have feelings for you. I’d love to see where this thing between us is heading.”
He leaned down and was about to kiss her. The moment seemed natural. Her expression said she wanted him to kiss her. He stopped midway when something washed over her expression. Hurt? Disappointment? Mistrust? Whatever he saw flickered away.
This case and her past history with Sam worked against them. He ran a finger down her cheek in regret. “Now’s not the best time for us to start a relationship. You need more time to get over Sam.”
“Oh, I’m over him. Sam broke my trust. That’s hard to recover from. Or if it’s because of the shop, maybe we can figure something out. There’s plenty of places you could rent.”
How could he tell her the shop meant nothing to him because he was a private investigator? What would she say to that? He had involved himself in her life under false pretenses. He had to make some excuse but couldn’t completely lie to her. Wouldn’t. “Until they find out who murdered Sam and what’s happened to Haley, I think we should concentrate on that problem.”
Silence hung between them for a few painful seconds, then she sighed. “You’re right. We should take it slow between us. What was I thinking? I fell quickly for Sam. You’d think I’d learn my lesson.”
“I’m not Sam, Lily.”
She held on to his waist. Neither one of them had let go of the other. So much for taking their relationship slow.
“I know that. I can tell you’d never hurt me like he did.”
Her words cut through him, and he pulled her in tight, tucking her head under his chin. Truth was, he was going to hurt her in the end. When she found out he’d been lying to her the whole time, could she forgive him? He’d have to tell her soon.
In the short time they knew each other, he was starting to care about her, and if there was a chance he could have her in his life, he knew he had to come clean now before too much damage was done. He didn’t want to jeopardize his case, but if he told her about Claire, would she keep that information to herself? He didn’t think so. She’d want to tell the chief. Then his case would be in danger of blowing up. He had to withhold the information until he solved his case. His reputation was on the line.
He gazed out to the night’s horizon. Colorful explosions of lights sparked the dark sky. “Fireworks have started.”
They turned to face the view, his arm about her shoulder, hers around his waist. Being together felt natural. Like they’d known each other for years, instead of a little over a week.
“Beautiful,” she said.
He watched her smile dance with each burst of color and rocket pop. “Yes. Beautiful.”
Jake turned her to him again and took a chance. When she looked up at him, he tilted her chin and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. He stole another glance. Her eyelids closed halfway and fluttered, and he made a conscious choice to cross the line he once had no intention of crossing.
She moved into his embrace and returned his light kiss. Deeper, wetter. Her lips soft, she tasted like the sweet marshmallows she nibbled on earlier. He swept his hands through her long silky hair. Her fingers clung to his neck and demanded more.
They kissed for several minutes, her breasts pushing into his chest, their hands moving everywhere publicly acceptable. Not that he’d care but was sure she would. He could hear the firecrackers, but nothing else except Lily’s soft breathing, until, he heard someone call out her name.
“Lily! You guys still up there? I’m closing up in a few minutes. Off season hours.”
Lily pulled away first. “That’s Pete. Strict lock-up procedures.” She twisted her head toward the stairs. “On our way,” she shouted. Then she laughed. “Looks like the place emptied out while we were . . . err . . .”
He pressed his lips against hers again and murmured. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“We’d better go,” she said against his chin then looked out the view again. “The fireworks are over, and the park is emptying out.”
He trailed his hand down the length of her hair as he gazed at the staircase. He didn’t want to let her go. Neither did he want to climb down the lighthouse.
“Come on. I don’t want Pete to get in trouble if he doesn’t lock up on time.” She drew him toward the opening.
“Go on. I’m right behind you.” His back had stiffened and would get worse if he didn’t take care. She had a lot of energy and could jog down. He needed a few more minutes but didn’t want her to see him struggle.
“You okay?”
“Yep. Go. I’m fine.”
To her credit she didn’t press him. Maybe she understood his hesitation and had the grace not to point out his weakness. Instead, she said, “Actually, I’ve got to use the restroom and they have a sharp lock up on them too. Meet you there? Follow the path and you’ll see them.”
He nodded and watched her spring down the stairs.
Chapter 17
Lily washed her hands in the restroom. He kissed her. And she kissed him back. What was she doing? She shouldn’t even like him let alone be attracted to him, but she was attracted to him. His proprietorship of the tackle shop interfered with her family’s business plan. How was she going to explain their budding relationship to her sisters? They would understand, wouldn�
�t they? Of course they would. Love and romance was their world. How could they not?
Love? Where did that come from? She splashed cold water on her face.
Dear God. She was falling for him. Too fast. Was she about to make another mistake like she did with Sam? Maybe she needed to put the brakes on whatever was going on between them. Now. Before she regretted anything.
She pushed her palms under the hand dryer and shook off the excess water. She bolted out, her face damp, half expecting him to be waiting there. Yes, she would have to say something to Jake about slowing things down.
But he wasn’t there. Odd. Was he still climbing down the stairs? She went back to the lighthouse. The front door was locked. Pete long gone. Weird. Where could Jake have gone? She hadn’t been in the bathroom that long.
“He must have gone back to the blanket,” she muttered to the crisp night air. She whipped out her phone and called him. No answer. She texted, Where r u?
On the dark path back, she swallowed down a knot, as she passed not a single soul. The park had emptied out after the fireworks.
At a crossroads, Lily avoided the shorter trail through the piney bush, the habitat of snakes and other critters. The secluded area was the perfect location for someone with ill intent to jump out and grab her. She clutched her throat. She was all alone. How did that happen? Not the best predicament when someone was trying to hurt her.
Lily raced back to the blanket and exhaled the breath she was holding. People still scattered about. But not Jake. Park workers were cleaning up. The band was disassembling their equipment. Lily started to pack up her things wondering if Jake went back to his car.
She decided to take one more pass by the lighthouse and bathrooms. When she spotted a teenage couple walking that way, she left right behind them, lugging her bags over her shoulder. Safety in numbers.
Forever Hold Your Piece (The Becker Sisters Bridal Series Book 1) Page 14
