by Lucy Quinn
“It’s not the bacon, Mother. Though, that would’ve been nice.”
Rain made a move to open the office door as she said, “There’s some extra in here.”
But Cookie stopped her. “No. I’m fine. That’s not what I want to talk about.” She paused, because she suddenly felt like the mother of a wayward teen who’d been busted for missing curfew. She took a deep breath and asked, “Has Swan been here all night?”
“What?” Rain looked genuinely shocked, much to Cookie’s relief. “No,” her mother said. “Of course not. He just came by this morning for a little Irish coffee between friends.”
She gave Cookie a mischievous smile and lowered her voice. “We’re building up a rapport. You know, the kind that’ll loosen him up and make him see reason about letting Blake out on bail.” She bit her lower lip and thrust her ample bosom out a bit. “I’m using my womanly charms to help Winter.”
“Mother,” Cookie said, rolling her eyes to the sky while praying for patience. “You can’t do that. Getting him drunk and trying to persuade him to do anything is a terrible idea. You’re interfering in an investigation.” She gave her mother an intense, go-to-your-room type stare. “We’ve already had this discussion, and I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear. Now go back in there and ask him to leave. Hunter and I are doing everything we can.”
Rain pouted. “But I think I was making progress.”
Cookie ground her teeth. “How many ways do I have to tell you no?” Cookie wished she had the ability to ground Rain, or take her phone or her Internet privileges. Although she knew that none of those things would ever stop Rain anyway. She tried a different tactic and spoke in a softer tone. “Please get him out of here before he drinks too much and passes out. What would our guests think of the local law if they saw that?”
Rain seemed to go for that logic and nodded her head. “I think that ship may have sailed. He’s already had three mugs full, and when I say Irish coffee, what I really mean is just an Irish whiskey. Goodness that man sure can put the drink away, can’t he?”
Oh, hell, Cookie thought as her original anger returned. She rubbed at her temple and didn’t bother to hide her feelings. “Just get him out of here, okay?”
“Fine.” Rain let out a small huff of her own irritation. “I was only trying to help.” She gave Cookie her mother-knows-best look. “I see you’re still breathing.”
Cookie sighed. “I know, Mother.” Rain did have a point. It was hard to stay mad at her mother considering she was still alive because of Rain’s quick thinking. Cookie took a calming breath and said, “Maybe you can help me by figuring out where Hunter might be.”
Rain shrugged. “That’s easy.” She glanced past Cookie. “Behind you.”
Cookie whirled, finding Hunter freshly showered and dressed in his signature FBI-agent suit.
He held out his hand. “Can I interest you in some breakfast?”
Chapter 15
Cookie blinked at the handsome vision of her former partner standing before her. There really was something hot about a man in a suit. Especially when Cookie knew what most of him looked like under it. She inhaled more deeply. Was that cologne she smelled? Hunter had really been turning on the charm for Scarlett the night before. Did he have plans with her friend later? The thought made her smile as she put her hand in his outstretched one and accepted his offer for breakfast. “I’d love to.”
“Um-hmm,” Rain grumbled from beside Cookie. Apparently her mother hadn’t noticed the way Hunter had been making eyes at Scarlett and still thought he might be a threat to her relationship with Dylan.
Cookie glanced at her mother. “Well. Somebody did eat all the bacon.” She squinted at Rain. “And don’t you have something you need to do?”
“Fine.” Rain huffed and went back into the office, where Swan was no doubt enjoying too much alcohol. Hopefully she’d get Swan out of the inn and herself out of the precarious arms of the local law before she got into trouble that couldn’t be fixed.
Cookie let Hunter pull her along toward the door before they released their grasp. When they stepped outside Cookie noticed it was another beautiful day on the island, with a blue sky set against the winter wonderland of white. Although, the change in temperature had made a coating of frost form on the windshield of Hunter’s car. It would take longer to defrost it than it would to walk to the Salty Dog, so they set out on foot.
“What sort of trouble is your mother up to today? Or do I not want to know?” Hunter asked.
Cookie sighed. “Her usual. She’s convinced she can get Swan to do as she pleases, but I think she finally understands the dangers of that.”
“Good. He may be a bumbling idiot, but he does have the law on his side. I’d hate for something to happen to Rain.”
“Would you?” Cookie asked before she realized how it sounded. “I mean, she does push the envelope when it comes to rules, and I know how much you hate that.”
Hunter chuckled. “Yes. She sure does.” He gazed into Cookie’s eyes for a moment. “But I know how much she means to you, and because of that, Rain matters to me too.”
Wow. Cookie was seeing a side of Hunter he usually kept hidden. “Agent O’Neil, are you getting soft on me?”
“Of course not,” he said.
“I don’t know,” Cookie teased. “First you buy a Valentine’s Day card, and last night you were flirting with Scarlett, and—”
“Jealous?” Hunter asked as they approached the restaurant.
“What?” Cookie frowned. “No.” Was that what he was doing last night when he was cozying up to Scarlett? Trying to make her jealous? And here she believed he’d moved on and was trying to be adult about things. , she thought and said, “I think it’s sweet. Nothing would make me happier than to have two of the people I care most about be together.” An evil thought came to her and she quipped, “We could double date.”
Hunter didn’t give Cookie the satisfaction of a reply right away. Instead he turned into the parking lot of the Salty Dog first, and then said, “I’m not interested in dating Scarlett.”
So that’s that, thought Cookie. She shouldn’t have been surprised Hunter wasn’t quite ready to move on, but she wished she could fast forward to the future where she and Hunter could be friends again. As they neared the entrance to the Salty Dog, Cookie noticed a flower vendor with a cart, and it occurred to her that it was for Valentine’s Day. Today. Her annoyance at Hunter disappeared and she smiled, because that meant she and her red dress had a date with Dylan Creed and his version of a suit tonight. And she preferred what was under that one a lot more than the one she was currently with.
Hunter stepped up to the man selling flowers, and Cookie watched him as he purchased a single red rose. She didn’t find out who it was for until they were seated at a table and he handed it to her. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Charlie.”
She took the flower, careful not to prick her finger on a thorn. There was something significant about a red rose, and Cookie squirmed a little as she wondered if there they were about to have an awkward conversation. Before she could say anything, the waitress appeared holding two small glasses.
“Champagne for the lovers!” exclaimed the perky girl Cookie didn’t recognize.
“I—we—” Cookie stammered.
Hunter cut in. “We’re just very good friends. And we’ll take two everything-but-the-kitchen-sink breakfasts please.”
Cookie smiled at him for the relief she felt, as well as the fact he’d just ordered the largest breakfast they made.
Hunter held up his glass of champagne. “Let’s toast, Charlie.” She lifted her glass too as he said, “We’ve been through a lot together over the years. You know, I remember the first time I saw you.”
“You do?” Cookie thought about the day she met Hunter. She was a rookie assigned to him as his partner, and she wasn’t afraid to admit now that he’d scared the daylights out of her.
“When you came through the door, every man in the pla
ce watched you walk by,” Hunter said. “I wished right then that you were going to be my partner instead of the cocky man child I was sure had been assigned to me. I couldn’t believe it when you stuck your hand out and told me you were Charlie.”
Cookie chuckled as she recalled the way Hunter had raised his eyebrows at her and didn’t speak. She also remembered she’d been so nervous she hadn’t been able to shut up. “And then once I opened my mouth, you wished you had gotten a guy.”
Hunter let out a deep laugh. “No. That is not what I was thought.”
“No? I think you knew my life story by the time I was done introducing myself.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be mad at me for this, but I remember thinking it was a shame, because a beautiful woman like you would never last. But you were one surprise after another, Charlie.”
Cookie had put up with a lot of flak over the years for being one of the few females in the bureau, and even though Hunter just admitted he’d seen her as a pretty face at first, he’d never treated her like anything less than an equal. “And you never made me feel less than worthy of the job. Thank you for that, because I made a lot of mistakes that first year.”
Hunter let out a short laugh. “Remember your Dumpster-diving incident?”
Cookie groaned as she recalled being so eager to catch a perp that she dove right in after him into a mountain of waste from a Chinese restaurant. She’d pulled lo mien noodles out of her hair for days. “Sweet and sour chicken has been forever ruined for me.” Her glass clinked when she hit it against his. “But I got the guy.”
“You sure did.” Hunter and Cookie both took a sip of their champagne, and he gave her a slow smile as they swallowed. “You got this one too.”
Dread filled her. Is this where he’d been going this whole time? Why hadn’t she seen it more clearly? She cleared her throat, preparing for the inevitable awkward conversation. “Hunter—”
He held up his hand. “It’s okay, Charlie. Just let me say this.”
She gave him a quick nod.
“I’m always going to love you, and while I know you’re in love with Dylan, I don’t believe it’s forever.”
Cookie reached out for his hand as her heart filled with sadness. She loved her former partner, but she wasn’t in love with him the way she was with Dylan. Maybe if Dylan hadn’t come along she and Hunter would have eventually made a go of something. But it wasn’t going to happen now. “Hunter, I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you.” Maybe Dylan wouldn’t be forever, but keeping Hunter in the wings was wrong on so many levels, and she couldn’t let him think otherwise. “Please don’t wait for me. It’s time for you to move on and find a woman that makes you happier than I ever could.”
He shook his head. “That’s not possible.”
Cookie sighed.
“I’m not going to make you uncomfortable with this,” Hunter said.
“Well I sure the hell am,” Dylan growled.
Cookie looked up in surprise and her heart stopped beating. She knew how this must look. Champagne, a rose—she yanked her hand away from Hunter. “This—” she glanced at Hunter. “It’s not—” and then she noticed everyone in the restaurant was staring at them.
Dylan followed her gaze, grimaced, and speaking in a low voice said, “Let’s take this outside.”
She jumped up from her chair without a word to Hunter and scrambled to keep up with Dylan’s long stride as he moved quickly out of the Salty Dog. Once they were outside Dylan turned to face her, his jaw clenched and fire in his eyes. “Start talking,” he said.
“It was just breakfast as friends. We were reminiscing about the past.” She stopped to take a breath and collect herself. Telling Dylan that Hunter still had feelings for her wasn’t going to go over well, but Cookie knew a relationship needed to be based on trust. A good one, anyway. And she knew Dylan should hear the truth. “Hunter said—” She scowled as she searched for the right words. “Well…”
Dylan let out a noise of disgust. “Champagne brunch on Valentine’s Day says it all. He doesn’t think of you two as just friends.”
“In my defense, I didn’t know about the champagne. If I had I wouldn’t have come.”
Dylan’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Really? You would have said no to Agent O’Neil.” Cookie didn’t like the sarcastic tone in Dylan’s voice and anger began to bubble in her veins as he said, “The man is still in love with you, and I think you like it. So much for making a choice.”
He wasn’t being fair, and Cookie’d had just about enough of both Hunter’s and Dylan’s jealousy. “It’s not like that.”
She was gearing up to give Dylan a piece of her mind when the door of the restaurant creaked open. The perky waitress from earlier stepped out carrying a bag and a paper coffee cup and said, “Sir? Your breakfast is ready.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said as he took the food from the girl.
She smiled sweetly at him. “Have a happy Valentine’s Day.”
He looked at Cookie. “Right. You too.” Then he turned to walk away.
“Dylan!” Cookie watched in amazement as he continued to move as if he hadn’t heard her. “Dylan, we’re not done here!”
He stopped and turned back to look at her. His expression was cold and his voice just as icy when he said, “Yes, Cookie. We are. At least until you figure out what it is you really want. I’m sure you and Agent O’Neil can handle the investigation without me.”
Before she could get another word out, he turned and walked away, taking a piece of Cookie’s heart with him.
Chapter 16
Cookie stood staring after Dylan even after he disappeared around the corner. Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she wondered why the tough-FBI-agent side of her was missing in action, because all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. She was sure Hunter was not who she wanted, but she had to admit that Dylan finding her with him at a Valentine’s Day brunch sure didn’t make it look that way.
Damn it! She had a mess to clean up, but now wasn’t the time.
A chill sent a shiver through her, and she realized she was going to freeze out in the cold February morning. Especially without a coat. Cookie sniffed back her tears and swallowed down her pain before she made her way back into the restaurant.
By the time she got to Hunter, Cookie was back in agent mode. There was a case to solve, and she wasn’t about to let her emotions get in the way of doing her job. She sat back down and picked up her fork to dig into the huge breakfast that had been delivered while she was out. “Sorry about that,” she said as she dug into a pile of hash browns.
Hunter reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could shove a second bite in her mouth. “Want to talk about it?”
Cookie pulled her hand out of his grasp. “Nope.” She stuffed eggs into her mouth and spoke around them. “I’m hungry, and we’ve got a murder to solve.”
“All business now?”
“All business. Got the warrant?”
Hunter nodded, but his expression was one of concern, and Cookie was afraid he wasn’t done with the personal. She wasn’t about to entertain anymore discussion involving her love life so she said, “Good. Because we need to get our hands on that journal and see if we can find out who Lydia’s lover was.”
There was nothing like a little drama in Cookie’s life to give her an appetite, and when she managed to polish off her entire breakfast she started eyeing the piece of bacon Hunter had left on his plate. She reached over for it, but Hunter slapped at her hand like she was a naughty child.
“Hey!” Cookie exclaimed as she rubbed her stinging skin. “What was that for?”
Hunter grabbed the strip of bacon and shoved it in his mouth as his eyes danced with laughter. “I’m taking one for the team. Now let’s get out of here.”
After Hunter paid for their meal, they stepped back outside to make the short walk to Lydia and Blake’s house. “I bet Lydia’s killer has been in town right under our noses this entire time,” C
ookie said.
“I bet you’re right,” Hunter agreed.
“And to think they’ve been paying to store her dead body for five years.” Cookie shook her head. Other than serial killers, murderers usually had a conscience, and Cookie was willing to bet whoever ended Lydia’s life wasn’t a seasoned criminal who saw her death as a typical job hazard. “How does someone live with that kind of guilt?”
Hunter didn’t have a chance to answer Cookie’s question because their attention was diverted when a shiny black car sped by, splashing slush up from its wheels.
The black Mustang looked an awful lot like the one Hunter had rented. But Winter was behind the wheel, and in the back seat… “Was that—” Cookie gazed at Hunter in shock. “Please tell me that wasn’t my mother.”
“With Swan’s face in her… sequins?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah.”
Hunter cocked an eyebrow at Cookie.
“Crap on a cracker.” Rain was supposed to get rid of the man, and while it wasn’t too farfetched to think she might give him a ride considering his inebriated state, his proximity to her mother was—well. Perhaps Rain did have a thing for Deputy Swan. Cookie shuddered at the thought of Swan hanging out at the inn and the things he would do with— “Arg!” she cried out as she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to stop the images from searing her mind.
“Maybe it’s not what it looked like,” Hunter offered.
“Maybe.” Cookie wanted to believe Hunter. More than she could possibly express with words. But she knew her mother. One of Rain’s best qualities was her ability to see the good in anyone, even a man like Deputy Swan. Though, she certainly hadn’t liked him much before. When had things changed?
Cookie thought about how she hadn’t seen Hale, or even heard much lately about the man who was Rain’s main squeeze. Maybe things had cooled off between them and Cookie hadn’t noticed. She racked her brain trying to remember if Rain had mentioned anything about a break up but then shook her head. If Rain and Hale were no longer a thing, surely she’d have known. Right?
