The Sharpest Edge

by Stephanie Rowe

  Sean narrowed his eyes. “Why is he going to do that?”

  “Because he can look at the financials and maybe decipher what’s going on with the camp that’s making it fail. Maybe this whole thing with my dad has nothing to do with Jimmy.”

  Sean snorted. “And I suppose you’re going to find another explanation for the knife in your bed, too? Maybe a bear broke in and left you a present?”

  Kim glared at him. “Hey, I stayed here last night, didn’t I? That should make you happy.”

  Sean lifted an eyebrow. “Since when do you do anything to make me happy?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. Forget it.” He threw his chair back from the table. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  She grabbed his arm as he went by. “Why are you mad at me? What did I do?”

  He grabbed a paper off the counter and tossed it at her. “Here’s your letter. I had no idea your mother hated me. First her, then you. What a fool I was to think I had a future with you and your family. I mourned your loss for years, then went off and joined the Army because I couldn’t deal with staying in town. And you just gallivanted off to L.A. and made a great life for yourself without a care. I was a damned idiot not to see it.”

  She crushed the letter into her hand. “You read the letter?”

  “Yeah.” He walked past her into the bedroom, and she couldn’t stop herself from shivering as he walked by. So good to know she still wasn’t immune to Sean when he was half-naked.

  “And? Do you understand why I left?” She walked to the door of the bedroom, where he was rifling through drawers.

  “Oh, believe me. I understand.” He tossed his jeans and a T-shirt over his shoulder, then shoved the drawer shut with his hip. “Like mother, like daughter. I wasn’t good enough for either of you, was I?”

  Oh, no. “Sean, that’s not what the letter is about. It wasn’t you. It was me. It wouldn’t have mattered what man was in the picture. It was the town I had to leave.”

  He rolled his eyes as he walked past her into the bathroom and dropped his boxers.

  She barely managed to avert her eyes…okay, fine. She didn’t manage to avert her eyes at all, but Sean was too distracted to care. Guess he’d been naked around her so many times he didn’t even notice. Well, she noticed.

  “Give me a break, Kim. I read the letter. I heard your explanation. If it was simply the town, you could have asked me to leave with you. Ever think of that?”

  She stared at him. No, she never had.

  “See? That’s all crap. You and your mom thought I’d destroy you. Not the town. Me.”

  How could she have thought this man would be the end of her? He was so real, so caring, so passionate. “Maybe we were wrong.” The words slipped from her lips before she’d even realized she was thinking them.

  He stared at her. “What?”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t know anymore.” She bit her lip. “My mother killed herself because of my dad. How do I forget about that and walk away? And should I even want to? I mean, she was my mother.” She clutched her bandaged hand to her chest. “My mom is dead. My sister tried to kill herself. All I’ve done since is try to make sure I stay as far away from that trap as I can. And now you’re in my life again and I have all the same feelings for you, just like she said I would. So how do I know what’s right and what’s wrong? God, Sean, I don’t know what to do!”

  “You need to see your father. Ask him what really happened with your mom.”

  Her gut knotted up. “He’s not the perfect man you believe he is.”

  “He’s not the scum you think he is.”

  “He married Helen three weeks after my mom was buried. Three weeks! You expect me to believe that he wasn’t having an affair?”

  Sean flinched as if she’d hit him in the face. “Why don’t you ask him instead of judging him?”

  “Have you asked him?”

  He met her gaze. “No, I haven’t.”

  “You don’t want the truth.”

  His eyes flickered. “That letter has brought up some questions I want answers to. When he wakes up, I’m going to ask. Are you?”

  “What if he doesn’t wake up?”

  “He will.” He clenched his fist and smashed it into the door frame. “He will.”

  She was shocked by the raw pain in his eyes. “You love him, don’t you? It’s not just about the camp or about being a part of his family. You love him.”

  He grunted something unintelligible that she took as a confirmation.

  “You love him like he’s your own father.”

  He shrugged. “So?”

  “So was my mom right? Did you want to marry me because of him and the camp? You get me, you get my family? Become my dad’s son for real?”

  “No! I…” His voice trailed off after his initial denial. He stared at her and the shocked look of self-awareness creeping over his face was enough of an answer.

  He’d never loved her. Not really. Not the way she’d thought he had.

  That hurt. Last night, she’d felt so close to him, remembering how special he’d made her feel when she was a teenager. She’d been wondering how love like that could die. Questioning whether it had.

  But it hadn’t been true love. Not for him. He’d confused romantic love with his yearning for a family. “All these years, I wondered if I did the right thing by leaving. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, she was wrong about us. About you.” Kim shook her head. “And she wasn’t, was she? God, Sean, I thought you really loved me.”

  “And I thought you loved me. Guess we were both wrong, huh?”

  They stared at each other. No words seemed appropriate.

  After a moment, he said, “We’ll leave in ten minutes.” Then he shut the door and turned on the shower.

  A LEAN MAN WITH short blond hair was waiting for them when they drove up to the office. He was lounging against the porch railing, his California tan making his skin darker than his hair. The moment he saw the car he straightened, the lines of his body taut, his gaze sharp. He was fit and decent-looking, and Sean got a bad vibe from him even from a distance. The instant Kim stepped out of the car, the man grabbed her and hugged her. Sean was out of the car and beside them almost instantly. “I’m Sean Templeton.”

  Surfer dude released her and eyed Sean. “Alan Haywood. Kim’s best friend.”

  Sean didn’t like the possessive look in Alan’s face at all, let alone how Kim had her arm tucked around his. He narrowed his eyes and took in the man’s rumpled suit. “When did you get in?”

  “Took the red-eye last night. I got in this morning and came straight out here. Haven’t even found a hotel.” He put his arm around Kim and squeezed. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Got a ticket stub?”

  Alan frowned at him and Kim smacked his arm. “Sean! What’s your problem?”

  “The knife appeared in your bed last night. I’d like to know exactly what time Alan arrived.” Sean didn’t like the look of Alan Haywood and his suit one bit.

  Kim set her hands on her hips and glared at him. “He’s my friend. Don’t insult him.”

  Alan touched Kim’s arm. “It’s okay. I’m glad he’s concerned.” Alan felt around in his pant pocket and dug out a couple of ticket stubs. He handed them to Sean. “One for each leg of the trip. You can look them up to see what time I got in.”

  Oh, he’d be doing that. Sean shoved the tickets into his own pocket and studied the man. Alan narrowed his gaze and gave back everything Sean directed at him.

  After a long moment, Alan stuck out his hand and Sean shook it. “Looks like we’re on the same team,” Alan said.

  “Yeah.” Maybe. “You leave anyone in charge of Kim’s place?”

  “Local cops are keeping an eye on it.”

  Sean raised an eyebrow. “You mean Jimmy’s pals?”

  Alan’s gaze darkened. “I was going to pay a private investigator, but it was cost prohibitive. This was th
e best I could do.” He looked at Kim. “Besides, I don’t think Jimmy’s there. If he was going to hit your place, he’d have shown up by now. Somehow, he found out you weren’t there.”

  “How would he have found out?” Sean asked. “Aren’t you and Kim the only ones who know?”

  “For God’s sake, Sean. Back off! Alan’s been helping me fight off Jimmy for the past eighteen months. He’s not the bad guy.” She set her hands on her hips again.

  Sean scowled. As if she’d ever defend him the way she was defending Alan. Something pinged in his gut at the thought and he forced himself to shrug. What did he care what she thought? His job wasn’t to make her happy. It was to keep her safe, to find Jimmy and to find out what happened to Max. After this morning, it was clear not only that there was nothing between them now, but also that there never had been. Had he really loved her dad more than her? He wanted to say no, but in his gut, he wasn’t sure anymore. If Kim had asked him to leave with her, would he have gone? He didn’t know.

  So he ignored her and turned to Alan. “You’re here to look at the files of the camp?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Anything you find, you let me know.”

  Alan cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, sir.” His tone was flippant and challenging, and Sean considered introducing him to the butt of his gun, just for fun.

  Kim elbowed him. “Cut it out, Alan. He’s doing his job.”

  “He’s a cop and he could be on the take from Jimmy.”

  Kim stomped her foot then and glared at them both. “Would you guys stop with the pissing contest? You both want to get Jimmy, so quit trying to blame each other. You’ll just be wasting time that could be spent getting somewhere. We only have seven days, remember?”

  Alan flicked his gaze toward Kim. “Seven days until what?”

  “He put Cheryl in the hospital on Christmas Day. Yesterday, the day of the knife incident, was the twenty-fifth of July.”

  Sean studied Alan’s face while Kim explained the dates, looking for a clue. A flash of knowledge? A flicker of concern that they’d figure it out? Because there was something off about Alan, and Sean was going to find out what it was. He’d be filing a background check on Alan Haywood as soon as he got back to the office.

  Chapter Nine

  “Friendly guy,” Alan said as he and Kim walked ahead of Sean toward the office. Alan’s usually impeccable attire was a little wrinkled and he hadn’t shaved recently. He looked like hell. But it was still so good to see him. A man she knew, without all sorts of baggage.

  “Sean’s a great guy,” she said. “He’s just a little cranky today.” Yeah, major understatement. They were both in rotten moods. Funny how learning that he’d never really loved her had put her in a crappy state of mind. Good thing she hadn’t married him. And as for all the attraction she’d been feeling since she returned to town? Residual first-love delusions, just as her mom had predicted.

  On the plus side, Sean was finally out of Kim’s soul and she could start over. She was free. So she lifted her chin, pasted a serene smile on her face and tucked her hand through Alan’s arm as they strolled into the reception area, where Didi was busily sorting petty cash. Didi looked up as they walked in and Kim noticed that Didi’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Didi barely spared Alan a glance, even though he was male. What was wrong with her?

  “Didi, this is my friend Alan Haywood. He’ll be working in Max’s office for the next few days.” Kim looked at Alan. “How long are you staying?”

  “As long as I need to.” He held out his hand to Didi. “Nice to meet you.”

  She smiled absently at him and Kim was startled to see a faint flush rise in Alan’s cheeks as he turned away.

  She waited until they got into the office with the door shut. “What was that?”

  “What?”

  “You liked her.”

  He sat at the desk and flipped on the computer. “She’s cute.”

  “You totally checked her out!” Alan wasn’t the type of guy to ogle women on a regular basis. What was it about Didi that caught his eye?

  He glared at her. “I’m here on business, not to date.”

  “Business, huh? Seems personal to me.” Sean walked into the office and stood behind Alan, looking over his shoulder. “I’ll be watching what you do for a while, if you don’t mind.”

  Alan glowered at Sean. “I like my space.”

  “I’m sure you do.” Sean shrugged. “As Kim said, I’m doing my job. I thought you wanted me to do my job. Change your mind?”

  God help me. Kim walked out of the office, leaving Sean and Alan to their attitudes. They’d clearly hated each other from first sight. Whatever their problems with each other were, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.

  “Don’t go too far,” Sean shouted after her.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Didi was sitting behind the reception desk and she still looked bummed. Anything to distract Kim from her life. “Didi? What’s wrong?”

  Didi immediately straightened and tried to wipe her eyes. “Nothing.”

  Kim glanced around. “Where’s Will? Don’t you two usually work this shift together?”

  “Yes.” The sniffles became louder and Kim peered more closely at her.

  “Did you guys break up?”

  Fresh tears spilled. “Yes.”

  Kim sighed and leaned on the desk next to Didi’s. “Men suck, don’t they?”

  The corner of Didi’s mouth curved up. “Sometimes, I guess.”

  “You love him?”

  “Will? No.” She sighed. “I just wanted a decent guy, you know? I thought he was nice.”

  Kim pulled up a stool and sat on it. Chatting with Didi about men reminded her of the days when she and Cheryl used to hang out. Swapping stories and secrets. Suddenly, she felt so lonely. “A nice guy doesn’t seem like so much to ask,” she said.

  Didi raised her eyebrow. “How many nice guys do you know?”

  She thought of the two men in her office. “I might know a couple.” Alan she was sure of. Sean, well, he was too complicated to be described simply as a nice guy. He was so much more than that. Oh, who was she kidding? No one could describe Sean Templeton as a nice guy. Alan, yes. Sean, no way. Then she had an idea, an idea that rang of a past life in which she did normal things such as try to set her friends up. “My friend Alan, who just arrived, is single. Hasn’t had a girlfriend in ages, actually.”

  “Why not? Is he gay?”

  “No. He’s…” Probably not a good idea to say that he’d been helping her evade a killer. “He’s had some stuff going on. It’s time for him to get out there again.”

  Didi studied her. “You’re trying to set me up with him?”

  “I’m trying to find you someone who will buy you dinner and won’t be a jerk.”

  “Why do you care?”

  Kim shrugged. “Alan’s a great guy and he could use a friend while he’s out here.” She still wasn’t sure why he’d come out to Maine. Yeah, he’d been her main supporter, but he’d gotten increasingly protective over the past couple of weeks. She was so unsettled by the situation with Sean, the last thing she wanted was to worry about entertaining Alan or deal with their bickering. If she could get Didi to come along for dinner, maybe her presence would alleviate some of the testosterone battles.

  She looked at Didi. “Why don’t I set something up for tonight? Join us for dinner. Are you free?”

  Okay, fine, she also had an incentive to get Alan out of her hair: she wanted some time with Sean. The conversation they’d started this morning wasn’t over. Maybe they hadn’t loved each other the way they thought they had, but to dismiss their entire relationship wasn’t logical. Nothing felt as though it made sense anymore.

  Didi looked thoughtful. “I guess it would be okay.”

  “Great. I’ll go talk to him.” She patted Didi’s shoulder. “Forget Will. He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Thanks, Kim.” Didi cocked her head
. “You’re a lot nicer than I thought you’d be.”

  Kim frowned. “You thought I’d be a jerk? Why?”

  “You’re the boss’s daughter.”

  “Oh.” She hesitated. “Do people not like my dad?”

  “Everyone loves him.”

  “Then why didn’t you think you’d like me?”

  Didi shrugged. “I don’t know.” A guest came in, inquiring about the hike up Owl Creek Mountain later on that day, so Didi turned away to help him.

  Great. Kim’s ego felt so much better now that she knew the staff at the camp had expected her to be a jerk.

  She walked toward her dad’s office to let the boys know she’d added Didi to the guest list for dinner.

  SEAN STOOD IN the doorway to the boathouse, Kim by his side. He’d asked her to inspect the building with him on the pretense that she’d know better than him if anything was out of place, but really, he didn’t want her alone with Alan. Maybe Alan was legit and wanted to keep Kim safe, but it was Sean’s job not to trust anyone but himself. Besides, the guy was a city kid and he’d have no chance against Jimmy.

  Yesterday, Sean’s excuse would have been that he wanted to spend time with her. Now it was only business.

  It had to be. There was no point in pursuing anything between them. But how did he cut off all the emotions he had wrapped up in her? He hadn’t figured it out yet and it was frustrating the hell out of him, which was why he was trying to focus on his job. On the case. On Jimmy.

  Nothing had turned up in Sean’s search of the office, so he was hoping to find something on the boat. Tom Payton was inside the boathouse, working on a canoe. “Hi, Tom.”

  Tom jumped and looked up. “Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  Sean leaned against the door frame. “Work on the boats a lot?”

  “Yeah. It’s my job.”

  He studied him. “How much experience do you have with boats?”

  Tom settled back on his heels. “Enough.”

  “Enough? What does that mean?”

  “It means I can do the job.”

  Something was definitely off with Tom. Sean would follow up with Eddie and see what was going on. “So does Eddie tell you what to fix or do you figure it out and do it yourself?”