by Amy Olle
Max flung his backpack onto the bed and continued to the French doors. When Luke stepped through the doorway, Emily’s light scent tickled his senses.
He wanted to unwrap her. To see the smooth skin and delicious curves that lay beneath the shapeless, colorless loungewear she wore. She brought to mind hard candy with a surprise center, and he wanted to lick his way to the middle.
“Holy crap,” Max breathed, looking out at the sweeping views. “There’s no one out here.”
Panic-filled brown eyes darted between Luke and the kid’s back. “We-we’re isolated, it’s true, but the island is very safe.”
Her voice sounded like sugar, and he knew she tasted the same.
Max tossed her an easy grin over his shoulder. “The isolation’s what I like most about it.”
Emily blinked. “It is?”
Luke coughed.
“I mean, great! That’s great.” She scooped up a manila folder off the nightstand and stuck out her arm.
Max lifted an eyebrow as he took it from her. “What’s this?”
“Some information about the island. Local attractions and restaurants…” She trailed off when he tossed the folder into the armchair in the corner of the room.
“Cool, thanks.” He turned back to the view.
Several beats of silence filled the room. Emily looked to Luke, and he shrugged.
Abruptly, Max turned away from the balcony door. “I have a proposition for you.”
Luke straightened. “What kind of proposition?”
Max looked from Emily to Luke. “I want to rent out the entire house.”
“The entire house?” Emily squeaked.
“Why?” Luke wanted to know at the same time.
For a moment, Max appeared confused about whom to address. He settled on Emily. “I’m making a movie and I want to film it here.”
“What kind of movie?” Luke didn’t bother with his usual charm offensive.
Max scratched an itch on his collarbone. “It’s an indie film, small scale and low budget. Just an idea some film students at ESU and I came up with. We managed to raise $20,000 through a crowdfunding campaign.”
“Wh-when w-would you start? And how long w-w-would you stay?”
Luke only just stifled an exasperated gasp. “You’ll need a permit.”
“Next month for a six-week shoot.” Max addressed Emily before his gaze slipped to Luke. “We’ll of course obtain all the necessary approvals.”
Emily worried the pendant hanging around her neck. “The house is reserved for a w-w-wedding Halloween weekend.”
Max’s features pulled into a thoughtful frown. “To be honest, I need to work out the details of the schedule and line up my permits.” He sent a nod in Luke’s direction. “Maybe I can work around that weekend.”
“How many p-people w-w-would be staying?”
“Not more than ten of us for sure.” A calculating grin curled Max’s lips. “More like five if I can figure out a way to pull it off.”
“Five people?” Luke didn’t bother to hide the skepticism in his tone. “What did you say this movie is about?”
The color heightened on Max’s cheekbones. “It’s a slasher flick.” He returned his focus to Emily. “I promise we won’t harm the house. If I want anything moved or even touched, I’ll check with you first. You’d have veto power over everything we do.”
A small smile turned up the corners of her kissable mouth.
Luke frowned. “What are you thinking?”
The whiskey color at the center of her eyes blazed. “It could bring some exposure to the inn.”
“It could,” Luke agreed. “If anyone bothers to watch the movie.” He inclined his head at Max. “No offense.”
“Tons taken.”
Luke ignored the kid, distracted by the way Emily worried her plump bottom lip.
“I could really use the b-business…”
A defeated sigh dragged from him. “If nothing else, you’re at full capacity for four weeks during the off-season.”
Her bright smile knocked him back.
Damn if she didn’t turn it on Max.
“Okay.”
Max smiled. “Okay?”
Emily nodded.
“Excellent.” Max unzipped the front pocket of his backpack. “I’ll contact the others.”
“Do you n-need anything from m-me?”
A cell phone cradled in his hand, Max frowned. “Do you have anyplace we can store gear and equipment? Someplace out of the way but easy to access?”
“There’s an attic space at the end of the hall. W-would that work?”
A light entered his eyes. “Sounds perfect.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, can you keep that neighbor kid away from the windows?”
She blanched.
Max held up a hand. “I’m kidding. It’s a joke.”
She blushed an adorable shade of pink. Luke didn’t meet many women who blushed.
“We really are very safe here,” she said. “Plus, the island has a very… active police department.”
Max let loose with a derisive smirk. “Aren’t they all?”
With a guilty glance in his direction, Emily ate her smile. “They’re very responsive.”
A rusty laugh rattled around in Max’s chest. “It’s all good. The last thing I need are the cops hanging around this place.”
Luke turned on the stairs. “I was not interrogating him.”
From her spot on the step above him, Emily peered into his eyes. “You demanded to read the script.”
He twisted away and stomped down the steps. “Is that not a reasonable request?”
“No. It’s high-handed and overreaching.” A smile teased. “You’re the cook, remember?”
“Chef,” he snapped.
When they reached the bottom step, the fresh scent of sea air pulled her attention to the living room. Broken glass littered the floor, winking in the fading light.
Luke stiffened beside her. “I’m going to take a look around outside.”
While he disappeared through the front door, she returned to the living room. She rescued the broom from the floor where she’d deserted it in her futile dash to save the cookies from their fiery death. As she dumped the last of the glass fragments into a trash bag, she heard the sound of Luke’s voice through the broken glass.
“Hey, I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. There’s been an incident at the inn...” His voice faded as he moved away from the window.
Was he talking to the exquisite blonde? The wrench of envy nauseated her. Somewhere during the nine years of her mom’s slow death, she’d lost the taste for bemoaning her perceived misfortunes. In school, she’d devoted many long hours to wishing away her stutter, her unfortunate coloring, her awkwardness. All of herself, really. Then, her mom got sick and she learned what true misfortune was.
She scooped up the bag of glass and carried it to the trash can in the kitchen. The shiny, new, immaculate kitchen, now covered in a layer of foam and filth.
She plucked her cell phone off the countertop and sent Mina a text to ask if she recalled the name of the company that had replaced the home’s custom windows last winter.
Then she filled the farmhouse sink with warm, sudsy water and set to work. Removing the slop proved tricky and she refilled the sink twice with clean water before she’d made noticeable progress.
As she turned back to the stove with a clean basin of water, the back door opened and Mina popped her head inside.
Her eyes grew huge when she saw the kitchen. “What happened?”
Emily sat back on her heels. She’d opened her mouth to try to explain the sequence of events that had led to the mess, when a loud pounding reverberated through the house.
She climbed to her feet. “What is that?”
“Noah and Luke are going to board up the window.” Mina pulled open a drawer and picked out a dishcloth.
Emily filled Mina in on the rock, though she�
�d apparently already learned the whole story from Noah, who’d heard it from Luke. They cleaned the remainder of the kitchen, working side by side, just as they’d done the previous winter when Mina was putting the final touches on the house. Only a few weeks in all, but it’d given Emily a much-needed focus to her aimless life and helped ward off the crippling depression for a time.
Soon, the kitchen gleamed and they followed the sounds of erratic pounding to the living room, where Noah hammered a nail into the wide plank of plywood that Luke held over the window.
Emily sank into an armchair, her head tipped to one side and her gaze riveted by the sight of Luke. Specifically, the way his black T-shirt pulled tight across his back and shoulders and his muscles rippled beneath the fabric.
With one last hammering, the wood was secure.
Luke wiped an arm across his glistening forehead. Green eyes captured hers. “I think it’s time for that drink.”
Her spine snapped straight and a guilty flush warmed her cheeks. She lurched to her feet. “Anyone else?”
Noah opened his mouth, but didn’t get a word out before Mina sprang up from the sofa. “I’ll help!” Her voice pitched high and she nearly knocked Emily down when she bolted from the room.
Emily sent her cousin a curious look, which fell on Mina’s back, as she was already halfway across the foyer.
Emily reached the kitchen as Mina knocked the refrigerator closed with her hip, two beers in either hand.
“Everything all right?” Emily pulled down two wineglasses from the cupboard.
Rummaging through the drawer of utensils, Mina nodded distractedly. “Everything’s fine.”
Emily stuck the bottle opener under her nose. “What’s the matter?”
Worry disrupted Mina’s blue eyes. “Let me get a beer in Noah, and then I’ll explain.”
Emily scooped up the bottle of wine and followed her cousin to the living room.
They rejoined the guys in the middle of a conversation.
“Are you and Mina staying for a while then?”
Mina stiffened midway to sitting, and then sank the rest of the way onto the sofa next to Noah.
“We’re staying indefinitely.” Noah sent Emily a kind smile as she reclaimed her spot in the armchair across the coffee table from Luke. “Emily’s nice enough to let us freeload until we find something more permanent.”
Mina shoved the beer into Noah’s hand and snatched up the wine bottle. “Actually, we wanted to talk to you about possibly extending our stay.”
Noah grew instantly alert. His smile vanished. “We do?”
Mina filled her wine glass and sat back. She pushed a puff of air between her lips and faced Noah. “So here’s the thing.”
“Oh, boy,” Noah muttered.
“I bought a house.”
“Excuse me?”
Words poured out of Mina in a rush. “The city was going to demolish it in favor of green space and I couldn’t let them do it. It’s so pretty and old—it needs a little work, of course—but once we fix the foundation and repair the plumbing, and the electrical, and probably get a new roof, it’ll be beautiful and we can move in. It’s on the south side of the island and has an amazing view of the harbor.”
Noah eased back on the couch. “So let me get this straight. You bought a house that we can’t live in, can’t resell, and can’t rent out?”
Mina lifted her wineglass a notch higher. “It only cost a dollar.”
“A bargain.” Noah’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “How’d you pull that off?”
“It was going to cost them $15,000 to demo it, so…”
“So you saved them the expense.” Noah gave his head a soft shake. “Did it occur to you there might be a reason they’d be willing to drop that kind of money just to get rid of the place?”
A frown turned down the corners of her mouth. “They have no imagination.”
“That may be true,” he said easily. “But where are we going to live?”
“I thought we could live in the carriage house until the renovations are done.” Her large eyes shimmered. “You’re happy there, aren’t you?”
Noah softened. “I’m happy anywhere you are.” He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “But can’t you just take in stray kittens or something?”
Luke’s soft chuckle sloped through Emily, and Mina’s soft smile when she leaned into Noah warmed the room. They sat snuggled on the couch and the conversation turned to other topics.
Noah and Luke talked about their niece and nephews, and schemed a way to force Shea, their eldest brother, to talk to his wife, a woman named Isobel whom Emily didn’t know.
Emily found herself waiting for Luke to speak, curious what he might say. Curious about him and his life. When Mina and Noah talked about their time spent in Ireland, Emily wondered why Noah had a distinct Irish accent, but Luke, at best, had a faint lilt.
Their conversation took twists and turns, and by the time Emily finished her second glass of wine, she’d answered a few questions about Arizona and about her guest upstairs. She was shocked to realize she’d never experienced anything like it before: visiting with friends, in no hurry to get away from each other and in fact finding inconsequential things to say and ask for seemingly no other reason than to extend their time together.
How it hurt to realize what a sad, lonely life she’d lived. The closest she’d ever come was with her roommate in college, Haven. An outgoing, friendly girl, she’d had a knack for bringing Emily out of her shell.
When Noah and Mina retreated to the carriage house sometime later, the setting sun tilted soft light across the room.
From across the table, Luke watched her with hooded eyes.
She sat forward in the armchair. “I… uh…” Not knowing what to say, she trailed off.
She couldn’t shake the feeling something had changed between them, something more than the kiss, or even the fact he’d seen her naked, but was unable to pinpoint when or what had caused the change exactly.
She made a motion with her hand to include the front window. “Thank you.”
A smile pulled up one corner of his mouth. She braced herself for a flippant reply.
“You’re welcome,” he said softly, his eyes glittering in the dim light.
He stood, and so did she, prepared to walk him to the door. Except he didn’t go to the door.
He sat on the sofa, flicked open a notepad, and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of him.
His cop face slammed into place. “Have a minute?”
Gooseflesh chased up her arms. “A minute for what?”
“If you don’t want me asking questions around town, maybe I can ask you a few?”
Chapter Nine
“Wh-what kind of questions?”
Luke shifted to the edge of the sofa and propped his elbows on his knees. “We need a list.”
“A list of wh-what?”
“Suspects.”
“Suspects?”
“People or persons who might wish you unwell. Nemeses, rivals, foes. Enemies.”
“Enemies?”
A beat of silence followed while he blinked at her. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Repeating everything I say.”
Her throat tightened and she swallowed with difficulty. “I don’t think I’ll be m-much help to you.”
“Shall we find out?”
“Wh-what do you want to know?”
“Any husbands, current or former?”
She shook her head.
“Boyfriends?”
He’d poked a sore spot. Insecurity over her lack of sophistication, or of any lasting meaningful sexual relationship, chafed like a shoe on a fresh blister.
She tossed up a flimsy smile. “So we’re officially abandoning the misguided ten-year-old theory?”
“Best to be thorough, don’t you think?”
She toyed with the end of her ponytail.
“So, about th
ose ex-boyfriends…?”
“There are too many to detail, b-but none that are carrying a grudge.”
His professional mask suffered a crack and she glimpsed a light spark in his eyes. “How about a flame?”
She’d met Joshua her junior year in college. For once, her crippling shyness didn’t prove too large an obstacle to overcome and they’d begun dating. They’d even had sex a few times before Emily left school, but the fragile newness of their relationship combined with Emily’s phobia of the phone and Audrey’s illness conspired against them.
Five years after she’d dropped out of college, she’d run into Joshua at the hospital where Audrey had just been admitted and where Joshua worked. He was with a woman, whom he introduced to Emily as Becca, his fiancée.
Emily hadn’t been aware they’d broken up. So caught up in the hell of death, she was shocked to realize years had passed, and that Joshua had moved on.
Without her.
Green eyes watched her intently.
She sighed dramatically. “I leave m-my lovers w-w-well pleased, but under no illusions.”
His heated gaze landed on her mouth. “Is that so?”
She sipped from her wineglass so as not to give away her lie.
“How about a current boyfriend?”
With a flick of her ponytail, she snorted. “If I had a boyfriend, I w-wouldn’t need BOB, would I?”
“Who the hell is Bob?”
Heat rushed into her face. “The vibrator.”
One dark eyebrow inched upward. “You named him Bob?”
“I didn’t name him. He’s my Battery Operated Boyfriend.” Eager for a change of topic, she tipped her chin toward the table. “Who’s made your list?”
He drove a hand through his hair. “Nothing earth-shattering. Just a couple of delinquents and a competing business owner.”
“Wh-what business owner? The motel downtown?”
“Hal doesn’t pull in a lot of business. He’s a known hothead, and from what I can tell, a slacker. I doubt he’s ambitious enough to drive out here and terrorize you.” His voice lowered. “Which leads me back to you, and any enemies that may have followed you to the island.”
“I don’t have any enemies. Sorry to disappoint.” Growing more unsettled by the minute, she took another long drink of her wine. There was no one in her life, enemies or otherwise, worth mentioning.
