by Jeannie Moon
No further invitation was needed; her new friend padded softly to the stairs and waited for her. “You knew I’d be a pushover, didn’t you?” The cat meowed. “Right. Okay.”
The cat didn’t wait another second, heading up the stairs with Lilly right behind. He sat patiently while she unlocked the door at the top of the steps, showing no hesitation when she opened it.
His large green eyes surveyed the apartment from the doorway. Slowly, he moved around the space, checking out corners and pieces of furniture, counter tops and tables. Finally, Lilly’s new friend jumped onto the large armchair and settled himself on top of the back cushion. He laid there, staring, and waiting for her to get the tuna she promised.
As Lilly prepped the food, she thought about how this day had not gone at all like she’d expected. Take the cat. Never in a million years did Lilly think today would be the day she was adopted.
An hour later, her friend Maddie was standing on the landing with a bag full of kitty litter in hand and some cat food. “Do you want to tell me why you need this?”
Madeline King, Hollywood-costume-designer-turned-wedding-dress-designer, was the only person living in Compass Cove who understood the life Lilly had left behind. That was because Maddie left it too. When her wealthy entertainment lawyer husband filed for divorce so he could play house with his twenty-two-year-old life coach, Maddie outmaneuvered him and ended up with a huge settlement and the ability to get out of Dodge. Unlike Lilly, who really didn’t want to leave, Maddie, who was nearly forty, was itching for a fresh start.
So, after a long, middle-of-the-night phone call with Lilly, Maddie had moved east. She found a large storefront in the center of town, and opened a beautiful new bridal salon that was, literally, the talk of the town.
Maddie was the only person she knew with a cat, so that’s why she’d received the SOS call to the apartment. While the kitty was feeding, Lilly realized that food in, meant something was going to come out, so she needed a makeshift litter box until she could get to a pet store. She’d found a plastic tray in the salon supply closet that would do for now, but she needed litter.
She also needed some real cat food, and Maddie had brought that as well.
Once her friend entered the apartment, the reason was clear. In fact, he sat on the back of the sofa, staring at the visitor to his new pad.
“When did you get a cat?” Maddie leveled her large dark brown eyes at Lilly.
“Tonight.”
“Really?” Dropping the bag of litter on the floor next to the island, her friend ran her hand over black cat’s head. The cat, who was no dummy, immediately pressed against her fingers for pressure. “You adopted a cat on a Saturday night?”
“Yep. I mean, he’s been around the courtyard for a few weeks. He must have gotten into my vestibule when I wasn’t looking. He’s sweet, and obviously, he wants to live here.”
“He’s cute. What’s his name?”
Lilly had no idea what to call the cat. “No clue. He looks a lot like a stuffed toy cat I had when I was little. His name was Barney.”
Maddie picked up the cat and held him close. “What do you say, little guy? Barney? Does that work for you?” The furball meowed again and bumped Maddie lightly under the chin. “I think he’s good.”
After setting up the temporary litter box in the bathroom, Lilly poured herself and Maddie some white wine. The two of them sat on the couch while Barney settled himself in the chair.
“He’s really cute. He totally owns you already,” Maddie said. “Did you really have a stuffed cat named Barney?”
“His full name was Bernardo. My Abuela gave him to me. I called him Barney for short.” Lilly had adored that toy, loving him until he was threadbare. Likewise, she’d folded like a house of cards with the real cat. One purr and it was all over. “I have no regrets. I’ve been thinking about getting a dog or cat. Barney just made the decision for me.”
Quiet descended over the room, the friends sipping wine until finally Maddie spoke. “Are you nervous?”
The question caught her off guard, even though it had been hovering since the first sip of vino. “Nervous? Why would you ask that?”
“Okay, maybe nervous isn’t the right word, but I know how hard it is to revisit a life you left. Hell, I don’t want to see anybody from that damn movie shoot, and I wasn’t dating anyone.”
Lilly started to answer, but stopped, considering her words.
Gio was one side of her story, but the film crew being in town brought up a whole different set of regrets. She’d liked her job. In fact, she’d loved it. Gio was the one who’d made her life unbearable. So, did she hate that the crew was going to be crawling all over town? No. Shoots were exhausting, but exciting. No day was ever the same. Did she hate that she’d have to possibly come face to face with the man who drove her from her life? Yeah. Lilly hated that, and him, a lot.
“I hadn’t really thought about it.” That was a lie. “I’ll just try to stay out of everyone’s way.” Especially Gio’s.
“You never told me why you finally broke up. I mean, I know things weren’t good between the two of you, but I got the sense there was a lot you didn’t tell me.” Maddie waved her hand before Lilly responded. “You don’t have to if you don’t want, but I’d like to help if I can. It can’t be easy. There was a lot of talk that you were actually going to be the one to get him down the aisle.”
Facing her beautiful friend, Lilly had to make a decision. Tell Maddie the truth, or continue to live in silence. Neither was very appealing.
“Lilly?”
“Because he’s a mean bastard. I’d had enough.”
“Wait, what?”
Talk about letting the genie out of the bottle. Maddie had been a good friend, and Lilly had only told her the most basic details about the problems she’d had with Gio. Maybe that’s why Lilly had run so far and so fast. She wasn’t just putting distance between herself and her ex, but her whole life.
“We broke up because he is an awful human being, with a nasty, vicious temper.”
Maddie’s head was down, her eyes examining her fingers. “Oh, honey. How bad was it?”
Unconsciously, Lilly hugged her knees to her chest. “Pretty bad. He hit me. Not often, at first, but even once is too much. I made excuses for him—he was drunk, he was stressed, I should be more considerate. But after a while…”
“Wait. He hit you?”
“Not all the time, but—”
Maddie cut off her words when she grabbed Lilly and pulled her into a fierce hug. “I knew you fought, but… God, I’m so sorry you didn’t feel you could tell me.”
With Maddie’s strong arms banded around her, Lilly couldn’t escape. But after a few seconds, she didn’t want to. She melted into her friend and felt the comfort she offered clear to her bones. She didn’t want to let go. She couldn’t. “I didn’t want to tell anyone.” Lilly cringed at tightness in her chest. “I felt so weak. I’m sorry.”
“There is no apologizing unless it’s coming from me. I must have had my head so far up my own ass…” Maddie drew a deep breath as Lilly pulled back. “I didn’t see you were hurting. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
Lilly felt a tear track down her cheek. “I shouldn’t have run away, but I didn’t feel safe with him in the same city and running in the same circles. The police and DA did nothing.”
“And now he’s here. In your space. Jesus.”
“Tell me about it. Noel let me know at the end of last week. I thought I was going to lose my mind.” Even then, tucked away safely in her apartment with her friend, Lilly felt her hands start to tremble. The fear was as real as it had been three years ago. Focusing on the fact that she was safe helped quiet Lilly’s racing brain, but her heart still hammered away, because it was only a matter of time before she came face to face with Gio.
“Maybe you can train Barney to be an attack cat,” Maddie joked.
Lilly laughed. Barney was sprawled out on her living room rug, one paw sti
cking straight up in the air, the others stretched out like he was spending a day at the beach. Soaking wet, the cat might have been ten pounds, so he hardly qualified as an attack cat. But he was sneaky, Lilly knew that for sure. He snuck into her life without much trouble. The cat might be good for a stealth attack in a pinch.
“Does anyone else know?” Maddie asked.
“You, Noel, and Jack Miller. That’s it. And I didn’t tell Jack. He kind of found out by default.”
“Jack Miller? Do I know him? What do you mean by default?”
Maddie was still getting a handle on the families in Compass Cove, so Lilly connected the dots for her. “He’s Adam Miller’s brother. And the default is part of his job. He’s an FBI agent.”
“FBI?”
Lilly nodded, understanding Maddie’s surprise. “I went to the local police, you know, to put them on alert, and the case found its way to him because it crosses state lines. Some domestic violence statute. As a result, he’s sticking to me like glue.”
“Well, if he looks anything like Adam, that’s no hardship.” Maddie had designed Mia’s wedding dress, so she’d met Adam in all his pro-athlete macho glory when he’d been fitted for his wedding suit.
Lilly actually thought Jack was the better looking of the two. There was another Miller brother, Doug, but he was older than Adam by a few years and Lilly didn’t really know him. But if trends bore out, he was gorgeous too. There were some good genes in the Miller family.
“I’ve known Jack since I was ten. He and my brother were buddies in high school. I was good friends with his sister, Natalie.”
“Okay. What does that have to do with if he’s hot or not?”
That was the second time Maddie had gotten Lilly to laugh. “He’s very handsome in that boy-next-door kind of way. You know the type.”
“I do. Go on. I want details. I need to concoct a little fantasy in my head.”
Lilly could relate. “Ah, he’s tall. Athlete’s build—broad shoulders, nice ass. Light brown hair, it’s thick and has some gold streaks, a little silver at the temples, and…” Lilly hesitated as she dropped her head back and covered her face. “He has eyes so blue you could swim in them.”
Now it was Maddie’s turn to laugh. “Oh, really? You’re a little swoony there, my friend. Don’t drool or anything.”
“I don’t drool. Trust me, Jack would never let me live it down. But he is gorgeous… always has been.” The wistfulness of her declaration was truly a throwback to the years she’d worshipped the ground on which Jack Miller tread.
“A history?”
“Yes. But I’m not going to talk about it now. I am, however, going to get another glass of wine. Would you like a little more?”
Maddie rose and followed her into the kitchen. Lilly knew it wasn’t over, but honestly, was she going to recount her high school crush? No, she was not.
“He still needs to be measured for his suit.”
Lilly froze as she pulled the bottle from the fridge. “Seriously? Ugh. I’ll bring him by on Monday. I’m running wedding errands and he decided he’d be my shadow.”
“Oooh. A bodyguard. How sexy.”
“You can stop.”
“Oh, hell no. This is too much fun.” Maddie’s bright smile was the only thing keeping Lilly from losing her shit.
With wine in hand, they returned to the sofa and Maddie picked up the remote. “What are we watching? That new rom-com with that guy who’s like a young Richard Gere just went up on Netflix.”
“Sounds good.”
With a few presses on the remote, the TV came to life, and she hoped they were done talking for a little while. As much as Lilly was happy to have a friend who understood the life, Maddie would piece things together. She’d start to remember the times Lilly would show up to the set with bruises. The excuses and jokes she made at her own expense. Maddie would know Lilly had lied to protect the guy who was hitting her.
It made her feel pathetic. Weak. And she hated how the memories were haunting her again.
“You know,” Maddie said. “I never liked Gio. If you had told me, I might have hurt him myself.”
“It wouldn’t have done any good anyway, so I’m glad I saved you from jail time.”
“Probably. I’d have beat the man if I’d had the opportunity. And just so we’re clear, I don’t even know this Jack guy, but I’m glad he’s sticking close. I hope if he has the chance, he kicks Gio’s ass.”
“Well, I’d be happy if I didn’t ever have to see Gio again.”
“I hear you, girlfriend. I hear you.”
Chapter Seven
Before he left the house Monday morning, Jack called in a couple of favors, and found out the film’s shooting schedule for the rest of the week. His goal was to keep one step ahead of Gio Graham, just in case the guy decided to pay Lilly a visit.
Today the crew was spending all their time on the campus of Jennings College. He was certain to get some good stories from Adam and Mia, but the big picture was that town would be clear when he and Lilly ran their errands. In spite of the long list of really tedious things they had to do, Jack was looking forward to spending time with her. Their history aside, the woman was funny and smart, a lethal combination in Jack’s mind; that she was beautiful was a bonus.
The sweet smells from Rinaldi’s Café pulled him along the sidewalk and right into the shop. A mainstay in the village for decades, Rinaldi’s was known across Long Island for their bread and pastries. In Compass Cove, the café was a gathering place and the home to some of the best food anywhere.
Walking up to the counter, Jack surveyed the offerings in the case. This was not going to be an ordinary doughnut run. No, for Lilly, only a box of Rinaldi’s pastries would do. It seemed only fair since he was going to have the opportunity to tease her all day long. After a long look at the selections, Jack made his choices: three chocolate croissants, two vanilla scones, a banana nut muffin, and a mixed berry tart. Satisfied he was bringing her at least three days worth of calories, Jack was about to order his coffee when he felt a finger jabbing at the back of his arm.
“You come into my store and you don’t say hello?”
Turning slowly, Jack knew the voice belonged to Lina Rinaldi.
“Jeez. You have pointy fingers.” Jack rubbed the spot where she’d poked him. “I was going to come over to say hello after I paid for my food.”
“Hmmpf. Your grandmother is right. You’re a scoundrel, Jack Miller. I’m going to be keeping my eye on you. Don’t you dare do anything to mess up the wedding.”
“I will be a model best man. No worries there.” He didn’t know why people thought he was so irresponsible. Had he been that dismissive of his family and friends? Or was everyone just really tense about the impending nuptials?
“We’ll see about that.” She gave Jack a side eye that actually intimidated him. “Should I ask who all those pastries are for?”
“Not all for me, if that’s what you want to know.”
“No?”
“No. Lilly and I are running wedding errands this morning, I thought I’d bring some breakfast before we lose ourselves in all the excitement and forget to eat later.”
That brought a laugh out of Lina. “You have never forgotten to eat in your life.” With a gentle pat on his shoulder, she headed back to the kitchen. “I’ll see you and Lilly later on for lunch.”
If he could get Lilly to sit still with him for any length of time, lunch was an appealing idea.
With his coffee and the pastries in hand, Jack headed back to Main Street. They could do all their errands on foot, so Jack left his car in the municipal lot nearby. The harbor, and Lilly’s place, was about a five-minute walk.
Summer mornings were always bustling in Compass Cove. During the week, one day ran into the next, and folks liked to get an early start. Mornings represented routine. Stores opened early, deliveries were made, and lots of people were out checking off to-do lists before going to work. Likewise, all the sidewalk tables
outside Rinaldi’s were full of people having breakfast meetings, or just a quiet bite before starting their days.
It was a peculiarity of his hometown that few people understood, and it was a simple philosophy that harkened back to the town’s New England roots—work hard, help your neighbors, and try to leave things better than how you found them. People did what needed doing, but there was always time for a cup of coffee, a conversation, or to help an old friend.
When he was home for any amount of time, Jack realized how much he missed it. In his line of work, there wasn’t time for anything other than the job, and he came across the worst in society—drug dealers, gang members, and white-collar criminals who thought they were above the law. Being home gave him a chance to see why his work was important. Very simply, it kept people safe.
The warm, humid air hovered around him, and as Jack focused his eyes down Main Street, the cove was in full view. It was a calm day, allowing the sun to reflect off the deep blue water like a mirror. He passed the bookstore, where a famous author would be signing their latest this coming weekend, the florist whose sidewalk displays advertised his work, and the local pub, which had been a fixture in town for over a century.
Every store, every person, had a story.
Arriving at Lilly’s courtyard, he stood for a second and took in the scene. People were walking their dogs, heading off to work, or enjoying a cup of coffee. It was a perfectly ordinary morning, but Jack was scoping out the space again to see if there was a way for Lilly’s ex to surprise her.
Granted, he could always just walk in the front door of her salon, but the guy didn’t strike Jack as the direct type. No, he’d sneak up on her when she didn’t expect it. It would be public, no doubt about that, but she’d be caught off guard, and that would give Gio the advantage.
“What’s in the box?”
Jack heard Lilly’s voice, but scanning the area near her apartment, she was nowhere to be seen. Then, without knowing what made him do it, he looked up. Talk about a storybook moment. Standing on the tiny balcony, with a look that was half exasperation, half amusement, was Lilly. She was wearing a dark pink summer dress that seemed to float around her body, and a grin that teased the corners of her mouth.
