by Jana DeLeon
“There are other jobs,” she said and sniffed, everything about her currently-falling-apart life rushing in at once. “Hey, the weatherman here isn’t doing such a great job. Maybe that position will open up.”
Finally, the dam broke. All the fear, aggravation, helplessness, and anger pushed her over the edge and the tears started to fall. Horrified, she looked down but she knew Dane had already seen. She felt his arms circle around her and the warmth of his body pressed against hers, giving her the comfort she so desperately needed. That single moment where you felt everything was all right before you broke apart and got to face the fact that nothing had really changed.
She leaned against him and let the tears fall. He was just being a friend—taking care of her as he would anyone else who lost the plot in front of him. It didn’t mean anything. Finally, when the tears stopped and she managed a single deep breath without hitching, she took a tiny step back. He released her immediately, but she could see the concern in his expression.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess everything caught up with me.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She sank down onto the couch and rubbed her nose with her finger.
He took a seat next to her but didn’t say a word. Maybe it was the fact that she’d known him most of her life and for a big part of it, had known him intimately, but Zoe felt a level of comfort telling Dane her worries that she’d never felt with anyone else. No other man had come close, and even her friendships with other women were more surface level than substance.
“I feel like a fool,” she said.
“I know for certain that’s not true. What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath and blew it out, then told him. Everything. All the extra hours she’d put in at work and on additional education. All the times she’d filled in at a moment’s notice and had never had a fault in her work. All the acting classes and late nights studying the pros. All the hair, skin, and body maintenance so that she remained at LA standards. And finally, how all of it was wasted because she wouldn’t sleep with trolls.
When she was finished, she looked over at Dane, unsure what to expect. He had every reason to gloat. He’d always thought going to California was a mistake and he hadn’t hesitated to say so. But instead, his expression was a mixture of anger and sympathy.
“If those guys weren’t on another coast,” Dane said finally, “I swear…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. She knew exactly what Dane would do if he got his hands on the executives, and she couldn’t help but smile just a little. It felt good to have someone care enough about her to be outraged over her situation. Not that she would have sanctioned what Dane had in mind. She would have gone out of her way to prevent it, but not because she cared about any of those awful men. Simply because the trolls weren’t worth Dane going to jail over.
And they weren’t worth her shedding another tear, either.
She rose from the couch and glanced around for Cornelius, but apparently, things had gotten too personal and the ghost had politely bowed out. She had to give him credit. For an entity that couldn’t be forced to behave, Cornelius attempted to maintain a high level of manners. The walking through walls still startled her, but she was certain that wasn’t his goal.
Dane rose as well and studied her. “Are you all right?”
“Actually, I feel better than I have in a long time. I mean, I’m still panicked over this whole emerald thing and Sapphire coming home in the middle of it, but the rest of it simply doesn’t matter anymore. Now, one hundred percent of my energy can be devoted to getting Sapphire’s life back to normal.”
“You mean normal for Sapphire.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Thank you for listening. I don’t have people I can talk to that understand things the way you do.”
“That’s because they don’t understand you the way I do.”
He stepped closer until he was right in front of her, maybe an inch separating their bodies. Zoe knew he was going to kiss her and she knew she should stop him but at that moment, her heart completely overrode her mind.
He pressed his lips to hers softly at first, and the gentleness of his lips on hers sent her back to a past where everything was perfect. When simply being in his arms made all other hardships feel like small things that were easily overcome.
She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the familiar feel of his muscular back. With physical activity being a primary component of his work, he’d always been in spectacular shape, and if anything, construction had improved on an already splendid product. He pulled her in close, pressing his body against hers, and deepened the kiss. She groaned, and the warmth swept through her body and the familiar feel of his lips and hands on her sent her back in time.
And suddenly, her mind jolted her back into the current date and time, and she broke away from him. This was a mistake and a distraction that neither of them could afford.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just can’t.”
“I understand,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”
“I’ll give you a ride home.”
“No. I can walk. It’s not that far.”
“It’s forty degrees out there and windy.”
“The cold air will do me good. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
He was out the door before she could respond. She stood there for several seconds, then hurried to the door to make sure it was locked. She checked the back door, even though she knew Dane had already gone through the same steps, then she hurried upstairs to her bedroom to change clothes, certain that sleep, if it happened, was going to be hard won.
Minutes later, she was warming up in her fuzzy pajamas and buried deep under the comforter. Cornelius had never reappeared, but somehow, she knew he was around and watching. If the thieves returned, he’d let her know.
Dane’s kiss has scared her. It had awakened feelings she’d thought were long gone, and what troubled her even more was that the intensity hadn’t waned. If anything, the pull to him was stronger than ever. She’d convinced herself she was over him…had dated other men, although she’d admit that none of those relationships had lasted very long or been of any substance. But she just told herself that’s because she hadn’t found the right one. That when the guy for her came along, everything would click, and it would be as though they were manufactured to fit together.
Like her and Dane.
She shook her head. That was a thought she could not entertain. Her future wasn’t in Everlasting, and Dane’s life would always be here. And as much as she considered herself a modern-day woman, a fling just wasn’t something she could manage. Especially a fling with Dane. There were too many unresolved feelings. She’d managed to fool herself about them all these years, but now she had to face the truth.
She was still in love with him.
Unfortunately, their lives didn’t mesh any better today than they had six years ago.
Dane shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked, cursing himself with every step. What had he been thinking? Scratch that. He was certain what he’d been thinking, and it fell under things he needed to turn a blind eye to. Like Zoe standing there looking so incredibly beautiful and so completely vulnerable. He could see how scared and exhausted she was and knew she needed his help.
Instead, he’d taken advantage of the situation and kissed her.
He shook his head. No. That wasn’t completely fair. The last thing on his mind when he’d kissed her was that he was taking advantage, but he could see how it might look that way now. The reality was, he’d kissed her because he couldn’t keep himself from doing it any longer. Since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her in Sapphire’s kitchen, standing there in her rumpled clothes and clutching the oar like a baseball bat, he’d wanted to do exactly what he’d just done—pull her in close to him and kiss her senseless.
He’d managed to keep those feelings at bay. Until tonight.
&n
bsp; And things had turned out so well. He cursed again. Zoe had so many things on her mind right now. So many critical things to stress over and figure out a solution for, and he’d thrown in another curveball, as if she weren’t juggling enough already. In fairness, he’d already decided he was going to make a move before she left…leave her something to consider once again. But he’d jumped the gun.
Now Zoe was stressed and scared and would probably hesitate before asking him for help. That was the last thing he wanted. A conversation about their relationship—such as it was—wasn’t something Dane was interested in having, especially now. But he didn’t have a choice. Zoe needed to know that she could depend on him without any strings attached. He didn’t even want her to pause before dialing his number on her phone.
So he’d apologize once more tomorrow and reassure her that it wouldn’t happen again.
And then he’d make a liar out of himself and tell her how he really felt before she left.
Chapter Thirteen
Zoe sprang upright the next morning, glancing around for the source of the noise that had awakened her. Sleepy meowed at her from the nightstand and she realized the clock was missing, probably currently residing on the floor.
She reached over and rubbed him behind the ears. “You’re lucky you’ve got brownie points with me. Good job, running over the bad guy’s face.”
Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. She’d been so overwhelmed with everything last night that it didn’t even occur to her that Sleepy’s somewhat violent bolt down the stairs and the hailstorm might help them identify the culprit. The hail she’d seen on the lawn had been large enough that it might cause bruises, and if Sleepy’s claws had penetrated the mask, the guilty party might be sporting some scratches across his face.
It wasn’t a sure thing, but it was a place to start.
She flung the covers back, startling Sleepy, who bolted off the nightstand and ran out of the room, then she headed into the bathroom for a quick refresh. Twenty minutes later, she was clad in jeans, tee, hoodie, and tennis shoes and ready to face what was certain to be a confused Sapphire. Zoe could only imagine the small riot that had ensued when her aunt had awakened and found a deputy guarding her door.
Even though it was barely seven thirty when she went downstairs, Dane’s saw was already working out back. Zoe knew she had to speak to him, but for the life of her, she had no idea what to say. Even worse, she was afraid if she opened her mouth to say anything at all that she might end up admitting how she felt, and since she had no idea how she was going to deal with those feelings, there was no way she was letting that cat out of the bag. There were enough cats out of the bag at the lighthouse already.
Drawing in a breath and forcing herself to remain calm, she headed out the back door and waited until Dane finished cutting the piece of tile he was working with and turned. He drew up short when he saw her standing there, and she could see him stiffen as his eyes darted away from her, then back. A bit of relief passed through her. He was uncomfortable as well. Thank God. If he’d stood there facing her, in all his cocky glory, she probably would have crumbled. This mature, cautious Dane was someone new. She felt as if she knew him but didn’t.
“You’re at it early,” she said, then suddenly remembered his truck. “Oh no! You had to walk over here this morning. I am so sorry. I should have just told you to take my car.”
“I didn’t walk. I rode my motorcycle.”
“But it’s too cold to be exposed like that.”
“I have a leather jacket and full face helmet. It’s not bad. Unless I’m hauling tools or there’s rain in the forecast, I usually ride it to jobs when I can. Winter will be here in full force soon enough and she’ll be up for the season. I’m trying to squeeze those last few days out of her.”
She should have known he’d have a bike. He always had. It had been a major point of contention between her and her dad, who’d raised hell about Zoe riding on it even with a jacket and helmet. Zoe had understood her dad’s concern, but had completely ignored his rule about not getting on the bike. The truth was, she’d found racing along in the elements kind of thrilling, though she’d never let her dad hear her say that. He’d have had a small nervous breakdown.
“What are you going to do about the truck?” she asked. “Do you need a ride into town? I’m going there now to get some Danish from the bakery for Sapphire’s breakfast.”
“I appreciate it but I’ve already left a message for Henry, my mechanic, and asked him to go take a look for me. Hopefully, they just need some air. If I need new tires, then I’ll have to come up with plan B until they can get them ordered and here.”
“Okay, well, I’m headed out then.”
As she started to turn to go, he said, “Wait.”
She stopped and looked at him and he ran one hand through his hair.
“Look, Zoe, I want to apologize again for last night. I’m not going to lie and say I’m sorry I kissed you because I’m not. I wanted to and I did. But I should have taken your feelings into account and I didn’t. You’ve got enough to worry about, and I don’t need you wondering if you can count on me or if I have an ulterior motive. I want to assure you that’s not the case. My immediate concern is making sure Sapphire is safe in her home, and I don’t want you dealing with this alone.”
All of the anxiety she’d felt over facing Dane that morning was swept away. “I’m really grateful for your help. There’s no one else I would trust with this. And I would never think you had an ulterior motive. That’s not the kind of man you are. I know some things have changed since I’ve been gone, but I doubt that’s one of them.”
His relief was obvious and instant. “Thank you for understanding.”
“I understand a lot better than you think. And I kissed you because I wanted to.”
Before she got herself into a conversation she wasn’t ready for, she turned and walked back into the lighthouse. This time, he didn’t stop her.
The entire drive to the hospital, she tried to focus her thoughts on what to do about the thieves and how to make Sapphire safe, but everything came back to that silly emerald. Unless they found the stone and it was secured away in a museum somewhere or they could prove it was long gone from Everlasting, Zoe was afraid the thieves wouldn’t stop. And that simply wasn’t an option.
When she walked into the hospital, Zoe was surprised to see Mary Jo behind the front desk. “Don’t you ever get to go home?” she asked.
Mary Jo smiled. “I was waiting for you, actually.”
“Is something wrong?” Zoe yanked her phone out of her purse and checked the display. “Did you call?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Well, nothing major. I just wanted to warn you that Sapphire is more than a little testy. She got up this morning and decided she was going to do laps up and down the hallway. Of course, the first thing she saw when she walked out the door was Deputy September sleeping in a chair across from her room. I did my best to calm her down, but she was more than a little upset that we didn’t wake her last night and let her know what was going on.”
Zoe groaned. She’d been hoping to get back to the hospital and intercept the deputy before her aunt found out about the night’s events. “I’m so sorry,” Zoe said. “Thank you so much for waiting on me, but please go home and get some rest. You’ve got to be exhausted.”
“I fully intend to, but I’m afraid that’s not all. Ms. Sapphire pitched such a fit that one of the other nurses called Dr. Stephenson in. Well, she gave him a piece of her mind in a way that my granny back in Abilene would have been proud of and that might have gotten her arrested in more civilized places. Anyway, Dr. Stephenson called Dr. Prescott and he said if her vitals were fine to go ahead and release her.”
Mary Jo pointed at the bag of Danish. “So I’m afraid that’s going to be a to-go order and it comes with a disgruntled aunt.”
Zoe froze. “She’s being released now? As in I’ve got to spend the next thirty minutes in the car with her?”
“I’m afraid so.” Mary Jo gave her a sympathetic look. “And I don’t mean to pile more on you, but Deputy September is insisting on taking your statement before you leave with Ms. Sapphire.”
“This day just keeps getting better. Thank you again, for holding all this together. I seriously owe you.”
Mary Jo waved her hand in dismissal. “I love Ms. Sapphire and I took to you the first night I met you. I’m happy to help what little I can. If you or Ms. Sapphire have any worries about her injuries after you get her home, you can always call me. Dr. Prescott is always available to his patients by phone, but Ms. Sapphire might not be too anxious to let him know if there’s a problem. I can usually pave the way for the doctors with some of their more, um, challenging clientele.”
“The state of Texas lost big-time when you moved to Maine.”
Mary Jo beamed. “That’s just the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all week. Good luck with this and remember, I’m only a phone call away.”
Zoe nodded and headed for Sapphire’s room just in time to hear raised voices coming from inside. She walked in and found the month of September facing Sapphire in a standoff. Zoe took one look at the two of them and immediately placed her bet on her old aunt.
“Everyone calm down,” Zoe said.
They both turned to look at her and Sapphire scowled. “Well, it’s about time you showed up.”
“It’s just past 8:00 a.m.,” Zoe said, feeling sorry for her aunt’s aggravation but not about to let Sapphire push her around. “That’s a decent hour for normal people, especially when I was up half the night.”
Sapphire raised her eyebrows but didn’t say another word, clearly cluing in that Zoe was not in the mood to cater to anyone else’s drama.
“What can I help you with, Deputy?” Zoe asked.
“I need to take a statement about what happened last night from Sapphire,” he said. “But she’s refusing to cooperate.”
Sapphire threw her hands in the air. “I’m not refusing anything. I’ve told him a million times that nothing happened. I took my meds and went to sleep and woke up this morning with him snoring outside of my room. That’s my statement.”