Number's Up

by Annabelle Hunter

  Step Three: Have children. Two, maybe three. I would decide once I had one.

  I broke away and looked at his smiling face. Yep. That was the plan. I had a goal and a plan. Nothing was going to stand in my way.

  “You still going for that tour?” The deep voice startled me again. This was turning into a habit.

  Satan had returned. Lucky me. And unfortunate timing, since my plan now had his face all over it. No. Nic was not a stay-in-one-place kind of person. He was a flirt. He was like my ex.

  He could be another liar.

  “Logan, have you met Nic? Nic was just leaving.” I snapped out the last word, but Nic looked unconcerned. I needed to up my hissing game.

  “Not anymore. My plans fell through so I thought I’d come and share in your tour. I would love to see the sights of exotic Burrow Bay.”

  “Barrow Bay,” I hissed.

  He shrugged.

  I wished I had something to throw at him instead of just angry glances.

  Julia, who had come up beside me during the interaction, looked amused. Great.

  “This is your first time in town?” Julia asked Nic, who answered while still smiling at me.

  “No. I travel a lot for work, and this is my second time here,” Nic replied.

  Yeah, I imagined sleepy little Barrow Bay wasn’t on the FBI’s hot list of crime cities. Though for three days, we did think we had two drug dealers. Turned out to be just one that managed to double his business, but we hadn’t known that. And since he was murdered, I wasn’t sure if we still had any. Sleepy might’ve been an overstatement of how calm our town really was.

  “Well, you are welcome to come with us.” Julia smiled warmly at him. “My family and I are thinking about moving here.”

  “Really? Where do you live now?”

  “San Francisco.”

  “I was just there a few weeks ago.”

  “For a case?”

  “How did you—” He cut himself off, giving her a suspicious look.

  “Please. That suit screams FBI.” She smiled at him, but it had a definite sly edge.

  They both turned and looked at me. Oops. My snickering might have been a little too loud.

  “What? You do look like an FBI agent,” I defended my amusement.

  “And what, pray tell, does an FBI agent look like?”

  Uh oh. I looked at Julia for help.

  “Handsome?” she offered, trying to placate him.

  Not what I wanted, but probably a smarter option. “Shall we go get in the car?” I asked, deciding we should leave before I got myself into more trouble.

  “Yes. Good idea.” Julia turned toward the exit, snagging Logan, who had wandered off during our conversation. “I can’t wait to see everything.”

  “You realize that there are only two blocks of everything, right?” I asked as I followed, leaving Nic to pull up the rear. Wait. I glanced behind me. Yep. He was staring at my rear. I sent him a warning glare that he ignored before I turned around to hide my blush along with the smile I was currently trying to deny. I was not going to find his… his… cocky, overconfident… cockiness sexy. He was a player, and I was too smart to fall for someone like him.

  I also ignored Julia’s amused glances. It was not what she thought. At all.

  “Julia? You want to take the passenger seat so you can see better?” I asked, shooting Nic a warning. This was about Julia, not Nic.

  “Oh, I couldn’t. Nic is so much taller,” Julia protested, wrapping her arm around her son.

  “No, no. I insist,” Nic said, returning my glare with a confident smile. Here was a man who didn’t worry about anything. He knew he was sexy and was comfortable in his skin. He would never understand what it was like to stay up all night going over the same conversation over and over until he cried. In fact, I would bet he had never cried. Ever. He was probably one of those manly men who only grunted in pain. Tears probably refused to even come near his eyes.

  “Jen! Nic! Julia!” Dorothy came flying out of the hotel walking at a pace faster than a person of her age should. But no one would dare say that to Dorothy Watts, widow of Gerald Watts, business magnate. Mother of two sons who continued to conquer the business world. Grandmother of… okay, I didn’t know how many grandchildren she had, but there were at least two. “I’m so glad to see you all together.”

  Why… oh, seriously? She was checking up on us. Like I would let her down.

  “I’m so glad you suggested this, Dee,” Julia gushed.

  “I’m glad, dear. I hope you have fun. Oh, and Jen?”

  Oh, no. “Yes, Dorothy?”

  “Do you have any plans for this evening? I just couldn’t sleep last night thinking about you all alone, grieving your business partner. I know how close the two of you were.”

  I looked away, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. She was right. Over the years I had told her a lot of my life story, and Henry was a big part of it. “I’m doing okay. Really.”

  “Well, we can’t let you be alone tonight.” She glanced quickly at Nic for a second, as if she were hoping he might say something before continuing. “Donald was interested in taking you out. I will tell him to meet you at The Pub around six.” Another glance at Nic, who was red in the face, but silent.

  It didn’t sound like a question. “No, Dorothy, I couldn’t—”

  “Nonsense. I know you. If left to your own devices, you would be at home drinking or working. No. A night out on the town is just what you need. I’ll tell him you’ll be there.”

  I held her stare for a second, believing I was going to do it, that I would say no, then caved. Damn it. She was right. I didn’t want to be home alone tonight. And Lark was going to be busy with Hailey. Plus… what if Donald was the one? I had been choosing to skip so many options, could I really look myself in the eye if I said no? Dorothy knew me, she knew what I needed in a man. Maybe she really thought this might work?

  I wasn’t getting out of this. Lark got Captain America, and I got Grumpy.

  I thought I was a good person. I reported crimes. I helped little old ladies. Where had I gone wrong?

  I suddenly felt the need for alcohol. Why didn’t I hit the bar before I came? Lots and lots of yummy day-forgetting alcohol. Or shoes. Louboutin store, here I come.

  No. I need to save money. No shoes.

  “Fine. I guess I could meet him for a drink.” Maybe ask him a few questions about Frank. And how he knew him. Suddenly, I was more interested in that option. This line of questioning always worked for Lark.

  Dorothy smiled, sending Nic another look, which he ignored. “I’m so excited. I just know you all will love Barrow Bay as much as we do.” With that, she spun around and sailed back into the hotel before I could say anything.

  Hold up. “You all?” There wasn’t supposed to be a you all. Just a Julia and Logan. I narrowed my eyes at Nic, who was scowling after Dorothy.

  “You all?” I repeated, doing my best version of his one raised brow. It wasn’t as good as his, but he still frowned before shifting uncomfortably.

  “Is Nic thinking about staying, too?” Julia asked, her smile telling me that she was enjoying this.

  “I don’t know. Let’s ask him,” I said with a fake smile and a tone that clearly told him we weren’t moving until he fessed up.

  He tried to out-glare me. It was cute. I’ve stared down CEOs and COOs since I got out of college. He was going down.

  It took two minutes. Amateur.

  “My boss asked that I accompany you. Specifically. On the tour. Specifically,” he admitted.

  “Specifically?”

  “Specifically,” he confirmed.

  “Does your boss not like you?” I asked, eyeing him.

  “No. She loves me.”

  “Are you bad at your job?”

  “No, I’m the best.” He looked very offended now. Too offended.

  “Really?”

  “Okay. Maybe more like top five.”

  “Burning out,” Julia in
terrupted. “He’s burning out.”

  “I’m not.” Nic was now scarlet, but I couldn’t tell if it was anger, embarrassment, or both. “I’m not burning out. I’m…” He trailed off, looking into the distance.

  “You sure?” I asked, smiling smugly at him after he had been silent for too long. I had warned him.

  “Yes.”

  “Then why did your boss just set you up?” I lifted both eyebrows in challenge. It was worth making sure he got the message.

  His jaw worked as he tried to come up with an answer. I felt bad. No one wanted to face the realization that they weren’t happy at their job. Or that their boss was thinking they needed to move on to another career. Or another life.

  “Why do you think she’s setting me up?” he finally asked.

  “Dorothy needs a new chief of security at the hotel. Obviously, you are who they came up with. It makes sense. They like to pick their people, and they already knew you.”

  His jaw was still working, although it included more gaping this time. I guess no one had told him the truth yet. Oops. Guess their plan might have just gotten shot down and he would have to go home where he wouldn’t mess with my dreams anymore. Oh well.

  Suddenly he turned and walked away, reaching for the passenger side door and ripping it open before he slumped into the car and slammed it shut.

  “Guess I get the back,” Julia commented.

  “That was a lot of truth,” I sighed.

  “You were a little blunt.”

  “He’s here investigating me and my late business partner for fraud.” I wasn't feeling bad. I wasn’t.

  “Did you do it?”

  “No.”

  “Did your partner?”

  “Maybe,” I conceded.

  “You like Nic.” Julia wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  “Maybe.” Wait. “No. I meant no.” Sneaky rapid-fire questions.

  She just smiled and got Logan in the car before getting settled herself.

  Well, that didn’t go the way I wanted it to.

  “Hey, Jen!”

  Jumping at any excuse to not get into the car after that comment, I looked over at the waving man walking quickly in my direction from the resort. He was in his fifties, and heavyset, but still had a full head of dark brown hair, and brown eyes that seemed to twinkle when he smiled. Secretly, I thought he might make a great Santa when he got a few decades older. He was also our go-to security camera guy.

  “Hey, Tom. How’s the security business going?”

  “Not bad, not bad. I got called out here to look at some faulty cameras and thought I might swing by your friend’s place to see if she was still interested in a security system.”

  “Lark? Yeah, as far as I know she’s still interested. You want her phone number?”

  “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble. I left the card with her phone number at home because I didn’t know that I would be coming out here today, but Kenneth called in an emergency call.”

  “Because of the broken camera?” Interesting. I pulled up Lark’s number and held out my phone so he could program it into his.

  “Yeah, that and I guess some FBI bloke came in here and spotted a whole bunch of holes in the system that needed to be filled in. None of the staircases had cameras, some of the staff-only exits, that kind of thing. Just finished installing them and upgrading the system.”

  Interesting.

  “So the camera that was down, it was just a coincidence?”

  “Oh, no. The wire had been cut. Definitely not a coincidence. Pretty clean job, too. Knew what they were doing.”

  The murderer had cut the camera. And they must have taken the staircases, knowing that there were no cameras there. How proficient of them.

  “You heard about the murder, then, since you knew about the camera?” Tom asked, frowning back at the resort.

  “Yeah, you could say that. I have the FBI bloke in the car.” We both waved at the angry face looking out of the passenger window. I smiled even wider when I saw his face. “He’s a little high strung,” I whispered, as if Nic could hear us.

  “Is that what you’re calling it?”

  “Better than a giant stick up his butt.”

  Tom laughed. “Well, I need to give your friend a call and see if I can slip out there to look around for a quote. Let me know how it goes, and thanks for the lead!”

  “Anytime, Tom. Anytime.” I waved as he strolled back to his car before I slowly headed toward mine, smiling innocently at Nic’s disgruntled look. I slowed until there was no way to miss that I was doing it on purpose. His eyes narrowed at me and I gave him a wink.

  Focusing on him and doing anything I could to annoy him, I could hide from my problems. Henry’s death. My business failure. My lack of security. All that could be pushed down as I teased and tortured Nic. But there was a small part of me that knew it was to avoid looking at my own problems. Nic was easy. My problems were hard.

  Deep breath.

  I had a mission. I couldn’t fix Henry’s death or the company, but I could do this. Convincing Julia to move here and drag the object of Lark’s affection with her. That was what was important.

  And not the handsome brooding man in the car. Nope. It didn’t matter that his eyes reminded me of a starburst. Or that he made me feel like I’d won something every time I beat him in a verbal battle. Or that he had gotten me out of the worst of my funk. Nope. Not at all. Well, I’d admit my hormones might’ve been interested, but my hormones weren’t in charge. I wanted a sensitive man, who thought about others before himself. Who would never ignore me or take me for granted. That was not handsome, sexy, playboy Nic.

  Giving him one last smug smile, I lost sight of him as I rounded the car to get to the driver’s side. Slipping in, I started the car, doing my best to ignore Nic’s glances. I was not going to feel bad. I had a mission.

  “Let's start the tour of exotic Barrow Bay, California. The town has been here since the 1920s when it was settled as a fishing town. Fishing was the main business until the 60s when small boats stopped being able to keep up with the bigger rigs. It slowly went into decline until 2007 when Dorothy bought the land for the resort and built it, bringing new life to the town.” I rattled off the facts absently, reverting to my teacher’s pet mode.

  “How long have you lived here?” Julia interrupted.

  “For about five years. I came here as soon as I graduated college. This was my mother’s hometown.”

  “That seems like an odd choice,” Nic commented.

  I bit my lip and looked away for a second before focusing back on driving. “It was.”

  Silence reigned in the car for a moment as I got lost in my thoughts. First my mother died and now Henry. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. First my father left, then my mother died, and now, Henry was murdered. I was going through my parental figures pretty fast.

  “Where does your mom live?” Logan asked.

  I softened when I looked back at Logan’s sweet face. “My mom died. About four years ago. She was sick for a long time.”

  “Did she live here with you?”

  “Yes. We had a house over near my friend’s barn.” In the poor section of the town. My mother had refused to let me move her, even after I could afford to. I hated that house.

  “Your friend has a barn?”

  “Yep. She’s a horse trainer. Do you like horses?” I knew the answer before I even asked as his whole face lit up. “She offers training for children, if you’re interested,” I told Julia, but her face was closed, and she looked away.

  I knew that look. I was willing to bet they didn’t have the money. I had seen it growing up on my mother’s face too many times to forget.

  “Anyway, the town was almost completely dead, down to maybe four hundred people who were either too stubborn or too old to leave when Dorothy came. I don’t know what convinced her to stay, or even drew her here in the first place, but suddenly my mom was talking about how Benny was helping Dee find contractors.”


  “Benny, the chief?” Nic asked, contributing to the conversation again.

  “Yes, at least for now. He’s retiring at the end of the year.”

  “And the town has already replaced him? With someone from the outside?” Nic stated with slight horror.

  I smiled, glancing into the rearview mirror to see Julia’s return smile. “Working on it.”

  Nic took in the exchange but didn’t say anything.

  “Anyway, after the resort opened, we started getting more tourists and more tourism money and we started revitalizing Main Street.” Which we had just reached because, well, it was a five-minute drive. “On your left, you’ll see the indoor playground and hourly daycare, followed by the tourist shops and antique shops.”

  “Anything good in the shops?” Julia asked.

  “Do you like Barrow Bay keychains?”

  “No.”

  “California keychains?”

  “Still no.” She added a shake of her head for emphasis.

  “Then, no.” I moved on. “The yoga studio is pretty good if you like yoga.” Another guilty look away. Yep, definitely money issues. “On your right you’ll see our restaurants, starting with Andre’s, our local Italian restaurant.”

  “Good food?” Nic asked.

  “Entertaining food.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” he pointed out.

  “Hmm, it doesn’t?” It didn’t, but it was going to drive him crazy if I didn’t explain. “So next—”

  “Is that the bakery that the man was talking about?” Logan pointed at Dough & Nuts, pressing his face close to the glass.

  “Well, that is the best bakery in the area. We have people travel from towns around us for their donuts, and the nuts are amazing, too.” I hesitated, risking a glance back at him before I went back to watching the road. “What man was talking about it?”

  “The one with the missing hair.”

  We all tried to hold back our snort of laughter, being sensitive to all the bald men out there. But it was a close call for me.

  “The missing hair?” That didn’t leave many options. In fact, it only left Henry. Of course, there could be another bald vacationer.