Getting his feet to move the rest of the way across the lawn took more effort than it should have. He went after drug dealers and gang members and never flinched. Yet at the moment, sweat that had nothing to do with the outside temperature trickled down his back, and forget about his stomach. It felt worse than the day he’d stood up in front of his entire senior class and given a speech about why they should elect him as their class president.
Pull it together and ring the damn bell. His nerves didn’t listen to the command, but his hand did.
Despite the smile, Angie appeared slightly agitated when she opened the door. “Please come in. I’m more or less ready to go. I just need to end a conference call.”
“Take your time.” He held out the bouquet before he entered. “These are for you.”
“They’re beautiful. Thank you. And no matter what else my sister or agent has to say, neither of them is going to change my mind. So I promise this won’t take long.” She took a step back so he could enter. “Make yourself at home. Other than the kitchen, only that room has any furniture at the moment.” She pointed to the first doorway on his right. “Be right back. Promise.”
Closing the door, he watched her walk down the hall toward the rear of the house. Although not dressed as casually as the day he’d seen her at Peggy Sue’s, her outfit and makeup were much more subdued than when she appeared on magazine covers and on the internet. He couldn’t speak for other men, but he much preferred her as she appeared tonight. In general he didn’t care for a lot of makeup on women. And while he appreciated the sight of a beautiful woman in a bikini as much as the next guy, he didn’t understand some women’s need to go out dressed in as little clothing as possible all the time.
Left alone for the moment, he wandered into the room she’d indicated.
Since his move to town, he’d wondered about the inside of this house. A lover of architecture regardless of the period, he’d traveled through much of New England since his relocation to the area and toured numerous historical homes and buildings. No matter the style of the home, two of his favorite features in them were the fireplaces and the mantels built around them. Whoever designed the fireplace and mantel in this room had known what they were doing. The same could be said of the built-in bookcases and the molding around the windows.
At the moment, the space between the two candle sconces was empty, but the slight discoloration of the wall over the fireplace showed evidence that a picture or maybe a mirror had hung there for a long time. Other than that minor blemish, it looked like the room had been well cared for over the years and in his opinion didn’t need a single renovation. If the other rooms were anything like this one, Angie was wasting her money by having renovations done.
“Sorry about that.”
Angie’s statement pulled his attention away from the woodwork and toward the doorway.
“Neither my agent nor my sister—who is also my assistant—wanted to accept no as my answer tonight.” She joined him near the bookcases. “Even when I told them I had company, they wouldn’t give it a rest.”
“Don’t worry about it. It gave me a chance to check out the woodwork in here.”
She ran a hand over the mantel and nodded. “This is one of my favorite rooms in the house. But the detailing in the other rooms is great too. If you think we have time, I can show you.”
Dakota checked his watch. Assuming they hit every light just right, they’d have time for a quick tour before dinner. He’d rather not chance it and end up losing their table. “We’d be cutting it close. But I’d love to get a look around. How about when I bring you home?”
“Sure.”
He knew Angie had visited North Salem countless times to see her sister, but he wasn’t sure how far out of town she’d ventured. To help her expand her knowledge of the area, he made them dinner reservations at a restaurant in downtown Salem rather than at a place in town. Getting them away from town would also allow them time to get to know each other better without igniting the North Salem gossip line—something that was easy to do.
The Liberty Tavern on Hardy Street was located in what had once been a wealthy sea captain’s home in the nineteenth century. Although best known for its seafood and steak, the restaurant had a diverse menu, which was exactly why he’d selected it rather than his favorite Italian restaurant a few blocks over.
Window boxes overflowing with colorful flowers adorned the first-level windows at the front of the converted home. With a mix of flowering plants and shrubs flanking the front entrance, the establishment resembled a private residence or a bed-and-breakfast more than an upscale restaurant.
“I need whoever does the gardening here to come and take care of it at my house.” Dakota held open the door and then followed Angie inside.
“Yeah, I don’t have much of a green thumb either. But the previous owners left me the name of the landscapers they used for years. I’ve already contacted them about taking care of regular maintenance.”
“At least you have something for them to work with. Other than a few trees, my yard is devoid of plant life. When the bank foreclosed on the house, the people who owned it tore out every shrub on the property.”
It wasn’t all they did either, but those damages he hadn’t learned about until after he bought the place. While he could understand the anger the previous family must have felt when the bank foreclosed, the damage they’d caused before moving out had been unnecessary. Local teens had added to the interior problems by using the home as their private party location for the two years it remained empty.
A few couples and small groups sat in the waiting area. Not a single person looked up as they walked passed them to the old-fashioned secretary desk where a twentysomething man stood.
“Good evening. Welcome to the Liberty Tavern. Do you have a reservation this evening?” Even as he spoke, the man kept his eyes focused on Angie.
The restaurant’s website stated reservations were not required but strongly recommended. He’d stopped in before without a reservation and ended up waiting an hour for a table.
Dakota nodded. “It should be under D. Smith.” With a last name as common as Smith, it was always better to give a first initial too.
The man glanced down at the reservation log before looking up again, but his eyes still never quite met Dakota’s face. Considering who was standing next to him, Dakota didn’t blame the man. He waited for the employee to ask Angie for an autograph or tell her how much he loved her movies. He’d seen it happen to Mia a few times when he’d gone out with her, Sean, and a few of their other friends. Each time it happened, Mia always obliged the fan with a friendly smile and a brief conversation. He guessed Angie would do something similar.
Tonight the request never came. Instead the employee selected two menus from the desk. “Yes. You requested a table on the deck. Please follow me.”
Although not large, the second-floor deck allowed four lucky parties to eat lunch or dinner while enjoying the view of the harbor. This evening there wasn’t an empty table out there.
Once they were both seated, the employee handed them each a menu. “Joelle will be your server this evening. She’ll be right over.” He shot another glance in Angie’s direction, and again Dakota waited for him to either request an autograph or at least ask if she was Angelina Troy. But he didn’t. Instead he turned and walked away.
“I wasn’t sure what types of food you prefer. The restaurant is known for its steak and seafood, but I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve ordered.”
Angie opened the menu on the table in front of her. “I’m not a big fan of spicy hot foods, but otherwise I’m not too fussy.”
Well that was one thing they didn’t have in common. When it came to food, there was no such thing as too spicy hot.
Neither of them had a chance to decide on a meal before Joelle appeared at their table, set down two glasses of water, and proceeded to list the chef’s specials for the night. Much like the host who’d greeted them d
ownstairs, the woman’s eyes stayed focused on Angie even when answering his questions. He found it rude, but he couldn’t fault her either.
“Take all the time you need,” she replied when Dakota explained they needed a few more minutes to decide on entrees.
Rather than leave and get the drinks and appetizer they requested, she took a step closer to the table and leaned forward. “You must get this all the time, but you look just like Angelina Troy, the actress. You’re not her, are you? Because I’m a huge fan. I love all her movies, but I think my favorite is Deceptive Desire.” She’d lowered her voice so much he didn’t think anyone else on the deck heard her.
Shaking her head, Angie frowned. “Sorry, no. But a lot of people have told me I look like her. Maybe we’re long-lost relations or something.”
Joelle accepted the lie without question and straightened back up. “They say everyone has a twin out there. You must be hers. Anyway, I will be right back with your drinks.”
Angie had noticed the way the host kept looking at her when he showed them upstairs and had held her breath, hoping he didn’t ask for an autograph or something. When he hadn’t said anything, she relaxed and thought maybe they’d make it through dinner without a comment from anyone.
Then the waitress came along and asked the same question as the woman at the airport. Unlike the representative at the car rental place, the waitress didn’t have Angie’s driver’s license and credit card in her hand with the name Angelina Troy clearly printed for anyone to read. She’d made a split-second decision to avoid a potentially excited outburst that would draw attention their way and lied. Something she rarely did.
Now she was second-guessing her decision. Dakota knew she’d lied. How would that affect his opinion of her? In general, no one liked or trusted liars. She certainly didn’t.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t know if she kept staring at the view instead of Dakota. Turning her gaze away from the harbor, Angie expected to see an expression of annoyance or maybe disdain on his face.
Instead she found herself on the receiving end of the same killer smile he’d given her when she opened the door. And much like earlier, it warmed her from head to toe and left her momentarily speechless.
“You know, now that she mentioned it, I do see a resemblance between you and Angelina Troy. I don’t know how I missed it before.” His eyes danced with laughter. Reaching out, he picked up his water glass. “If she ever needs a lookalike to play her twin in a movie, she should contact you.”
If he could joke about it, she might as well play along too. “Or if she needs a stunt double for a role. I hear they get paid rather well.”
“Does she do action movies? I’ve never heard her name attached to any.” He sipped his water, but his eyes never left hers.
She shrugged. “Beats me. I’m not a fan of her movies.”
Joelle appeared with their wine, putting a halt to their ridiculous conversation. “Your appetizer should be out shortly. If you need anything in the meantime, please just let me know.”
Dakota waited until the waitress left before speaking again. “There is a comedy club a few streets over. I’ve been a few times. I thought we could stop in after dinner, unless you had something else in mind.”
He knew the restaurants in the area much better than she did, so although she’d invited him out tonight, she’d asked him to arrange their plans for dinner. But she had done a search for possible things to do at night in the city when he shared they had reservations at a restaurant in Salem.
She might not have a Grammy-award-winning voice, but she loved to sing, even if it was only in the shower. In fact, one of her favorite presents from Santa had been the karaoke machine she found under the tree when she was ten. “I was going to suggest we go to The Half Door. Now I’m not sure karaoke is the best idea for tonight.”
If she were alone, she wouldn’t care if people came up and asked for an autograph and a picture or went on about how much they loved her movies. Even if she were with a fellow actor or a musician, she wouldn’t mind. They, like her, were used to the attention. Dakota wasn’t. While he knew exactly who she was, she didn’t want fans reminding him of the fact all night long. Not only that, she didn’t want to spend the next couple of hours lying to people, like she’d done with the waitress, either.
“I’ll leave it up to you. Either is fine with me. Last time I attempted karaoke was in college on a dare. But I’ve been to The Half Door with friends. They serve some unique beers. The place has decent food too.”
A dare? That sounded interesting. Maybe later she’d have to ask him about it. “Let’s try the comedy club tonight.”
“Sounds good.”
Plans settled on, Angie moved their conversation toward more personal areas. She knew Dakota wasn’t originally from Massachusetts, that he worked for the FBI, and had a smile that made her want to get to know him better. Other than those three things, she knew very little about the man. And it just wouldn’t do.
Chapter Five
“My God, he was hilarious. My sides hurt from laughing so hard. I’ll never hear any of those songs again and not think of him.” The comedian had done an entire show about misheard song lyrics, and she’d laughed from the start of his routine until the very end.
Dakota’s arm brushed against hers as they walked toward the public parking lot. “Last time I saw him, he did a similar act but with different songs. I think it might have been better than the one tonight.”
“He must sit and listen to music all day.” Angie moved closer to the storefronts so the large group heading toward them could pass by, and Dakota followed.
“Our last stop of the evening before returning to the visitor center will be The Burying Point Cemetery. It is the second-oldest cemetery in the United States as well as the final resting place of John Hathorne, one of the local magistrates involved with the Salem Witch Trials,” a man dressed all in black wearing a stovepipe-style top hat explained to the men and women following him as the group walked by them and continued down the sidewalk.
“Is that one of those ghost tours?” She pointed over her shoulder.
Entering the parking lot, he glanced back at the group stopped at the next intersection. “Most likely. They’re popular around here. I’ve seen advertisements for some in Boston too.”
“Mia told me about one she went on a few years ago. She loved it. Do they run every night, or are they only on the weekends?”
He opened the car door and waited for her to get inside. “I don’t know about the ones here, but in Boston they have them every night until around early November. It’s probably the same here.”
A late-night ghost tour sounded like a great second date, assuming Dakota was interested. She might be wrong, but she got the impression he would be. Throughout dinner he’d been attentive and willing to discuss any topic she brought up. Perhaps best of all, not once did he monopolize the conversation, which was a truly refreshing change from some of the more recent dates she’d been on. Really, there was nothing worse than being with someone who didn’t let you get a single word into the conversation.
While she watched him walk around the front of the car, she pulled her cell phone from her purse. She’d heard it chirp twice, indicating she’d received some new text messages during dinner, but had ignored it. If she’d received any more texts while in the comedy club, she hadn’t heard the device over the continuous laughter filling the place.
Avery’s name was attached to both of the messages she’d received during dinner as well as one that had come in sometime after they left the restaurant. Her personal assistant or not, her older sister could wait until tomorrow for a reply.
She slipped the device back into her purse as Dakota got behind the wheel.
“Are you interested in stopping somewhere for dessert?” He started the car and cranked up the air conditioning.
The Liberty Restaurant had an excellent dessert menu. Unfortunately, they’d both been too full to order anything off it
after dinner.
“Maureen dropped off a welcome basket yesterday with all kinds of goodies, including a homemade blueberry pie and cookies. If I don’t share it with someone, I’m going to eat everything in it myself.”
“You had me the second you said Maureen. That woman can bake.”
No sooner had she unlocked the front door than the sound of her cell phone chirping came from her purse.
Not now.
Ignoring the device, she switched on some lights and dropped the purse near the stairs. She’d promised him a tour of the house and planned on giving him one with no interruptions from Avery or anyone else. “Which would you prefer first, the tour or dessert?”
“Since Maureen did the baking, let’s have dessert first.”
She’d made the first move by asking him out. Keeping with that trend, she reached out and took his hand. “If you want, I can make some coffee or tea.”
“Whatever you’re having.”
Another chirp came from her purse before they made it halfway down the hall.
“Do you want to check that first?”
She’d ignored Avery’s texts, and if her sister hated anything, it was being ignored. Most likely these new messages were more from her. “Not really.” But if it wasn’t Avery and instead Mia, it could be important. “But I probably should.”
Releasing his hand, she backtracked to where she’d left her purse and checked the device. Sure enough, the newest texts were more from her eldest sister. Rather than ignore them as well, she typed back a quick reply letting Avery know she’d call sometime tomorrow morning.
“Everything okay?” This time she didn’t have to reach for his hand. Dakota took hers when she moved close again.
“It’s just my sister wanting to pick up where we left off earlier. I think Avery forgot about the time difference between us.”
“If it’s important, I don’t mind if you call her back.”
She appreciated the gesture but had no plans to take him up on it. “Regardless of whether I call her now or tomorrow, she’ll get the same answer. And she’s not going to like it any more than she did earlier tonight.”
When Love Strikes (Love On The North Shore Book 6) Page 5
