by Jeannie Moon
“They just got started.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m nosy.”
Eve raised a perfectly groomed brow and the corner of her mouth turned up. “Lilly was very clear about staying out of her hair, no pun intended.”
Damn, this lady was smart. She had him pegged already. “She did. Which is exactly why I’m going to check things out.”
“Uh huh. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Turning back to whatever was on the computer, Eve flicked her hand in a shooing motion.
Not one to argue—okay that was a lie, he always argued—he headed back to where the magic happened. The spaces were divided by two large shelving units that flanked a pass through. The collection of products and displays of costume jewelry effectively separated the two areas.
Glancing around, unlike the first time he walked through here, Jack took the time to absorb the atmosphere. He had to admire what Lilly had done. The salon was bright and airy, complementing the coastal feel of the town. It was elegant, but not overpowering, combining dark woods with softer colors. He could see why clients would be comfortable here.
She had a lot to be proud of. The jewelry had definitely been put to good use.
Opening a business took a lot of nerve, but making a success of it took real talent. It was obvious Lilly had both in spades.
“You’re all going to look gorgeous when these talented ladies are done with you.” Jack figured if he was going to get chewed out, a big entrance was the only way to go.
Lilly, who had just finished washing her Abuela’s hair, didn’t miss a beat. “Do you need something, Mr. Miller?”
With the back of his hand, Jack rubbed the two-day growth on his jaw. “Other than a shave, no. I’m good.”
Lilly smiled, her expression playful. “I can give you a shave when I’m done. Wanna risk it?”
“You and a sharp object near my throat? No, thank you.” Making his way to where his grandma was sitting, he kept an eye on Lilly, who was following his every move. “Can I get anything for you, Grandma?”
Motioning him down so she could whisper in his ear, his grandmother laid her hand over his. “You’re a rogue and a scoundrel, do you know that?”
He loved this woman with all his heart. Even when she was insulting him. “I’ll cop to the scoundrel part, but I don’t know if I’m a rogue.”
The woman doing her hair was smiling. “I don’t know. The stories she’s told me, I think you’ve got that rogue moniker locked down.”
“Grandma, you talk about me?” He feigned shock.
“Of course, I do. Jet has heard about all my grandchildren.”
“I have.” Jet, who was probably about his age, had a shock of black hair and a little stud in the crease of her nose. One arm sported a very large tattoo that depicted a dragon. “Your grandmother tells wonderful stories. She’s one of my favorite clients.”
“You’re one of my favorite people as well, my dear. A bright spot in my week.”
Jack paused and took in the scene. The mutual adoration society between his grandmother and the tatted-up stylist was the last thing he expected, but it told Jack a hard truth. He’d lost a lot of time with his family because he was away so much. Sure, he worked in the city, but he only got out to Compass Cove periodically and for short visits. He was losing touch with the people most important to him.
His grandmother was a very healthy lady, but she wouldn’t be here forever. Jack didn’t want to regret lost time with the people he loved. Maybe it was time to reassess his priorities.
Grandma poked his elbow. “Jack, are you back here for a reason, or did you just want to annoy Lilly?”
“What? Me? Of course not.”
Lina laughed from the shampoo sink. “Oh, that’s rich. Jack Miller, you live to annoy people.” How she’d heard what was being said with the water spraying around her ears was a neat trick. She had better hearing than he did.
“I don’t need this abuse, ladies. Really.”
That’s when he saw Lilly turn. Nailing him with a firm, steady gaze, she lifted the blow dryer in her hand like she was going to fire a weapon, and pointed it toward the exit. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Leaning in and kissing his grandmother on the cheek, Jack nodded. He’d made his presence known, and Lilly was sufficiently riled. If nothing else, it had been a good time. “I’ll be back in a little while to drive you home.”
Generally, he didn’t back away from a challenge, but he didn’t see any reason to push Lilly to the breaking point. As he left the salon, he waved to Eve and slipped on a pair of aviators before stepping out onto the sunny street. As summer days went, this one was a beauty. It was warm without being too hot, and the humidity wasn’t bad. The humidity is what always got him. He could handle a hundred degrees in the desert better than he could handle eighty-five with humidity. But as he looked off toward the marina, the sailboats bobbing in the distance reminded him that everything had a trade-off.
Compass Cove was a special place. An outlier on crowded Long Island, it was a traditional small town. Nothing proved that point more than a turn down Main Street. Wide brick sidewalks bustled with people heading to local shops. There was a butcher, a bookstore, a florist, the stationer, a hardware store, a pub, and Rinaldi’s Café occupied three storefronts in the center of town. On the far corner, at the intersection of Main and Cove Road, was Jennings Fine Compasses and Watches. The establishment, which lived in a three-hundred-year-old building, had been there from the town’s beginning and at the center of its iconic legend.
As he walked, he felt his phone vibrate. Checking, he saw it was a message from Adam.
Meet me at Dock’s tonight around 5.
After a day running errands and doing chores with Grandma, he would be in the mood for a burger and some beers at The Dock’s End.
Sure, he typed back.
Adam sent a thumbs up, and that was the end of the conversation.
Simple, he thought. Why couldn’t everything be that simple?
That brought his mind back to his morning, and Grandma and the salon. Of course, a vision of Lilly, in her flowered dress, her dark hair piled up on her head, flashed through his brain. The woman was a jumbled mess of emotion, and Jack had jumped right into the deep end of the pool. He didn’t have any regrets, but it was sure going to make the next two weeks really interesting.
Simple. Right. It was never going to happen.
Chapter Five
The Dock’s End was a local bar and restaurant that had been steady source of good food and drinks in Compass Cove since Jack was a little kid. Set at the far end of Main Street, at the edge of Roosevelt’s Marina, it thrived in a spot right on the water. The deck, which was a good place to unwind after a long day, was hopping during the waning days of summer. Unlike the morning, which had been comfortable, humidity had rolled in, bringing a heaviness to the air. Everyone appeared to be moving in slow motion. But the deck at Dock’s offered a break from the weather. In addition to the ceiling fans wired into the awning, there was a breeze off Compass Cove that made sitting outside bearable. And the view was awesome.
He’d been digging in the garden at the big house, helping his grandma prune her roses, so he showered and changed before going out. Adam said five o’clock for beer and some wings, and he was a little late. Surveying the deck, the only familiar face he spotted was Nick Rinaldi, with his brand-new wife, who was sporting a brand-new baby bump.
He was happy for his friend; Nick had been through hell while he was overseas serving as a Navy doc, and Jordan gave him his life back. He hadn’t seen Nick this relaxed since they were in high school.
It was the same with his brother. It was like something had seeped into the water around here.
Unattached at thirty-six, Jack was headed toward confirmed bachelor status. But if Adam could find Mia at thirty-seven, maybe he wasn’t a lost cause. He never thought he wanted to do the wife and family thing, figuring that it wasn’t for him. His job was unpredict
able, his life wasn’t his own. But lately, along with missing his family, he’d started to think about how it would be nice to have someone to talk to, to laugh with, and who he could share the ups and downs of life with… someone to be with for the long haul.
Between the family stuff and the couples in his immediate orbit, Jack was going to need some time in the woods, alone, to get all this togetherness out of his system. As he climbed the stairs to the deck, Nick spotted him immediately and waved him over, grabbing a chair from a nearby table. Jordan flashed her thousand-watt smile, because she needed to be even prettier than she was. Their kid would definitely hit the genetic jackpot.
“Hey, buddy.” Nick extended his hand and pulled Jack in for the kind of hug you got from one of your oldest friends. “Good to see you.”
“You too.” Jack kissed Jordan on the cheek and took in the mother to be. “I never expected the two of you to beat Adam and Mia to the altar. Where did you go again? I missed you the last time I was in town.”
Nick smiled at his bride. “We were going to plan something for after the baby was born, but we were on vacation, and Maine doesn’t have a waiting period…”
“The staff at the inn where we were staying couldn’t have been nicer,” Jordan said. “They helped us arrange everything with the town. We were married at the edge of the harbor.”
“Lina must have been livid.” Jack could only imagine how much hell Nick’s grandmother had given them for getting married without her in attendance. But thinking about it, there was a lot of sense in their approach. Miffed parents and grandparents aside, it probably saved them a world of crazy. And they were happy, which was really all that mattered.
Nick nodded. “She didn’t speak to me for a week. My mother, on the other hand, called me every day. She was pissed. They stayed angry until we told them about the baby.”
Jack nodded. This morning at breakfast, all Lina had talked about was being a great-grandmother. The way she told it, she was going to sell the café to babysit full time. Jack had no idea if Jordan and Nick were in on the plan, but it was entertaining to hear Lina tell it.
Jack sat down at the glass-top table, marveling at how fast Nick had gone down. The same went for his brother. A year ago, the idea of marriage and babies were foreign concepts to both of them. “That’s going to be some spoiled kid.”
“There are worse things,” Jordan said as she laid a hand on her belly.
That was true, and Jordan was probably thinking about her father, who’d passed away only a few months ago. From Jordan’s perspective, a pack of grandparents and great-grandparents was a blessing.
The waitress came by and Jack ordered a beer and a glass of water. It was a good day to sit by the water and just enjoy. Boats motored in and out of the marina, and in the distance he could see the blurred shoreline of Connecticut. Sunlight dappled the water that at times looked blue, and other times green. It made him think about his childhood, long days when he played at the beach near his grandparents’ home. It didn’t matter that the water wasn’t warm enough to swim in until August. He, his brothers, and his sister knew the waters around Compass Cove as well as many of the local fisherman.
They were good memories.
His beer arrived about the same time as Adam. His older brother slapped him on the back, grabbed a chair, and took a sip of Jack’s beer before he even had the chance.
“How long have you been here?”
“About five minutes. Just enough time to get my beer, which is now your beer.” He motioned to the server to bring him another one while Adam greeted Jordan and Nick.
“Yeah, whatever. Mia was glad to see you the other day. Said she ran into you at the salon.”
Jack nodded. “Yes. The dress rehearsal for her hair. Lilly turned it in to some…” He waved his hand around his head. “Some curly thing. Looks like a lot of work.”
Adam’s face washed out. “I can’t believe how complicated these plans are. There are so many moving parts. I want to help, but she keeps telling me not to worry about it. Just to make sure I show up.”
That got a laugh out of him, and Nick too, who kissed Jordan on the cheek. “That’s why we eloped. Mia is pretty low maintenance, and the wedding is a giant production. Could you imagine if my grandmother was in charge?”
“That’s truly terrifying,” Adam said. “I think Lina is awesome, but the thought of her throwing a wedding? No.”
Based on Adam’s reaction, it wasn’t hard to see the wisdom in the way Nick and Jordan got married. The planning had Adam completely stressed out. And that wasn’t an easy thing to do; Adam, who’d played thirteen years in the NFL, had nerves of steel—unless he was dealing with his bride-to-be. For the first time in his life, the stakes were higher than any game, any championship.
“Why were you at the salon that day?” Adam asked.
Jack couldn’t tell them why he’d stopped in to see Lilly, so he shrugged, and lied. “I dunno. I was walking by, figured I’d stop in. I was there again today. Took the grannies in for their weekly appointment.”
He figured his explanation passed muster, until Nick leaned back in his chair. “You still have a thing for Lilly?”
Shit.
It was true that Lilly had been under his skin since… since forever. But whatever he felt for her was secondary to keeping her safe, and there was little he could say about his visits to the salon without breaking Lilly’s confidence. Not one thing.
Jordan’s ears perked up. “Excuse me? A thing? You have a thing for my very best friend?”
Adam nodded. “Every time they’re together, he gets all stupid. The wedding should be a good time watching them dodge each other when they’re the best man and maid of honor.” Adam flicked his hand in Jack’s direction. “Look at his face. He’s ready to throw me and Nick into the water.”
“I do not have a thing for her,” he snapped. “We’re friends. That’s all.”
“Oh…” Jordan crossed her legs and pushed her sunglasses up on her head, revealing her deep blue eyes. “Friends?”
“Yes, friends. Don’t make anything out of it.”
The corner of Jordan’s mouth curved. “Me thinks he doth protest too much.”
“I’m not doth doing anything. Stop throwing around the Shakespeare. I’m just a cop in a suit.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Let’s stop talking about Lilly. If she knew what you were all saying and thinking, she’d be the one tossing people off the deck. Starting with me. And I’m not taking the fall for this line of conversation.”
With his beer finally in hand, Jack took a sip and watched as his friend and his brother exchanged glances. He was content to let the table think what they wanted about him and Lilly. He knew the truth, and while he certainly harbored feelings toward her, he wasn’t about to let himself get sidetracked by a middle school debate.
Lilly said she hadn’t told anyone, and reading the body language from Adam, Nick, and especially Jordan, he believed her. It meant she’d isolated herself, closed off a piece of her heart that was wounded, and she was dealing with it on her own.
That was a hard thing to get his head around. Lilly was never the wounded type. Growing up, she took no shit from her older brother, and she gave her parents a run for their money. If she fell, she got up. If she made a mistake, she owned it. The girl had been brazen and bold her whole life. While she was doing her best to maintain a good face, for the first time Jack could remember, she faltered. There was the tiniest crack in her façade, and it tore at his insides.
He’d never forgotten the way she tore into him after he dismissed their kiss fourteen years ago. She wanted nothing to do with him. No pity, no rationalization would do for her.
What he saw in her apartment the other day was a broken spirit. There was nothing he could do about it. No one he could tell.
The file was vague at best, and missing huge pieces of information at its worst. There were pictures of her injuries,
but the detectives did a piss poor job questioning the ex. How they justified letting Gio off the hook, especially with a restraining order against him, was a mystery. Jack’s investigation was putting more pieces in the puzzle, but Lilly wasn’t talking.
“Jack!” He heard his name at the same time a hand whacked him on the back of the head. He looked to see his brother leaning in, his face in a knot. “Pay attention, would you?”
“What?” He rubbed the back of his head where Adam’s hand had made contact. “You don’t have to hit me, shit.”
“Then get your head out of your ass. You’re my best man and we’re talking bachelor party.”
Jack looked at Nick and his brother. “You don’t want a bachelor party. Just a great steak dinner with some good scotch.”
Adam nodded. “I know. Unfortunately, my assistant coaches have other plans. They’re talking about a limo to the city. Some club. I don’t want any of that shit.”
Jack chuckled. A few years ago, his brother would have been all about the party. Now he was all about the woman in his life. “So, tell them no.”
“You’re the best man, you should be handling this.”
“What do you want me to do?” Jack asked. “Shoot them?”
Adam made a low guttural sound in his throat.
“Did you just growl at me?” There wasn’t anything Jack enjoyed more than seeing his brother, Mr. Cool Under Pressure, completely freaked out by his upcoming wedding.
“Just handle it. Please.” Adam took a long pull from the beer in his hand and looked out toward the water. “This whole wedding thing, I don’t know… I never thought I’d be here, you know?”
Nick nodded and squeezed Jordan’s hand. “I get it, man.”
Jack’s head was starting to pound right at the temples. It wasn’t that he begrudged his brother or his friend their happiness. Hell, Adam was a changed man since Mia had come into his life. His road back from the crash that ended his football career had been hell. In his brother’s eyes, Mia made everything he’d gone through worth it. As for Nick, a year ago he was still recovering from injuries he’d received when deployed. Now, he was married and expecting a kid.
