He rose, as she stood. “Good luck.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, watching as she made her way to the front door of the restaurant.
Sam headed out after her, arriving at work in time to discover there had been an assault downtown, and the case took over the rest of his week, including most nights. His hours were erratic, which meant he didn’t see Nicole despite living next door. She hadn’t called him in the time they’d been back, and he gave her the distance he assumed they both needed.
The natural separation ought to be a relief, given the intensity of the weekend they’d spent together, but damned if he didn’t miss her. In a few short days, he’d grown accustomed to another warm body in his bed. He liked waking up to her snaked around him, as if they shared a twin bed instead of a double. He hadn’t even been bothered by her female stuff all over the bathroom, and his toothbrush at home looked lonely by itself.
Pathetic.
But true.
With work keeping Sam busy, he was grateful Mike had taken charge of the situation with Tyler. He had a patrol car doing drive-bys of Nicole’s house and the bakery, where she was preparing for opening. He didn’t mention it to her. She was wary enough. But with the art show over, Serendipity had gone back to normal and anyone new would stand out. Tyler stayed in the city, catching up on work and taking the opportunity to look for evidence that could implicate his father or, even better, the bigger fish the feds were after. So all was quiet for now.
If and when things blew up, Mike would let Sam know to be ready.
Sam finally found time for himself late Saturday. Instead of heading home, he walked from the station to Nicole’s bakery.
The door was unlocked and he let himself in. The smell of fresh paint assaulted him first. A cheery yellow replaced the original gray, and a royal blue trim bordered the white ceiling. Both her and Lulu’s welcoming personalities were clear everywhere he looked. They’d accomplished a lot in a short time, and a feeling of pride filled him at the sight.
No sooner had the bells rung overhead than Lulu greeted him at the entrance, her long gypsy skirt sweeping the floor as she walked. “Well, hello, handsome.”
He grinned at her lack of formality. “Hello to you too. How are things going?” he asked.
She smiled wide. “Amazing, as you can see. We’re on track for a grand opening in two weeks!”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m thrilled for you.”
She reached out and pinched his cheek. “I bet you are. Your girl is putting down roots here.”
His throat constricted as Lulu used the same words his brother had used recently to describe Nicole. “Where is she?” he asked, changing the subject.
“In the back. I was just heading out for the night. I’ll lock the door behind me.”
“Have a good one,” he said.
“You too. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said, laughing over her parting words.
Sam rolled his eyes. The Donovan family bred them bold and outspoken, he thought.
He walked through the back and into a small office and caught sight of Nicole, changing her clothing. He glimpsed her long legs and barely-there top.
“Hey,” he said, causing her to shriek and pull her miniskirt over her nearly naked body.
“Relax, it’s just me,” he reassured her.
“Oh my God! Aunt Lulu said she was leaving and would lock up behind her.” Nicole’s heart pounded a thousand miles an hour in her chest. “I thought I was alone.”
“She sent me back to you,” Sam said.
His hot gaze traveled over her and her body reacted, her nipples tightening, her sex contracting.
“Well, I’m changing to go to Joe’s.” She waved her hand at him in a gesture indicating he should turn around.
“Oh, come on. I’ve seen you in less.” His sexy grin merely complemented his scruffy look. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and he only looked hotter.
She rolled her eyes and pulled on her skirt, then added a flowing tank top with ruffles at the bottom.
“You look as good in clothes as out.”
“Thank you. So what brings you by?” she asked casually, feeling anything but. Because she’d missed him. Badly.
He raised an eyebrow. “I came to see you,” he said, as if it were obvious. But it wasn’t. There’d been a sudden distance between them this week, reminding her not to get too attached.
He edged closer and she breathed in. The sheer male scent of him wreaked havoc with her hormones.
“It’s been a long week,” he said in a husky voice.
Didn’t she know it?
She cleared her throat. “It has, and I’ve been busy.” She’d returned to her new home and spent the week alternating her time between getting the bakery in order and decorating her house with her own touches. She didn’t have much downtime and fell into bed exhausted every night. Already she knew her life here in Serendipity would be full. But she’d missed him too much.
Considering she didn’t know if he felt the same, and feeling like he’d caused the separation, she wanted him to know she didn’t need him to be happy.
“Lulu and I ordered all our supplies; they’re due in early next week. We’re planning a grand opening and I have to tell you, I have a really good feeling about this.” Not even her worries about them or even the reality of a daily four a.m. wakeup call brought down her anticipation about success.
“I’m glad.” He sounded . . . proud. “Tell me something. While you were busy being an entrepreneur, did you find any time to miss me?” He brushed her hair off her shoulder, and she trembled at his light touch.
For a woman who’d always considered herself independent, it threw her, just how often she’d thought of him. But since he obviously wasn’t pining over her, she’d decided to keep her own feelings locked up tight.
“I might have thought of you every so often,” she murmured.
“Then let me take you out for a nice dinner so we can catch up.”
She wished she could say yes, but she’d already made plans with Macy and she wouldn’t blow off a girlfriend for a guy. “I can’t. I’m meeting Macy at Joe’s. I was changing to head over there when you walked in.” She’d thought it would be easier to switch outfits here and walk down the street than to take the time to go home.
“I’m disappointed.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering. “But my case didn’t wrap up until a little while ago and I had no idea I’d be free.”
Her skin tingled where he touched her, and she curled her hands into fists. If she reached for him now, they’d christen her small desk and she really did have to go.
“Come by when you get home.” He curled his hand around the back of her neck, his touch electrifying her all the way to her toes.
“It might be late.” Though she doubted it. Macy had to work the next day.
“I’ll be awake.” He tightened his grip and pulled her in for a real kiss.
His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled with hers. Her legs went weak and she leaned against him for support. Of course that aligned their bodies together and awakened her senses, reminding her of just how much she loved him.
Something she’d been deliberately suppressing all week. Something she wasn’t going to let herself revisit now. She curled her fingers into his shoulders and pushed back. “I’m going to be late.”
Disappointment flickered in his eyes, and after the week of no communication, no matter how legitimate, she took satisfaction in that. “See you later.”
She stashed her work clothes in the bag she’d brought and gathered her purse. “Ready? I need to lock up after us.”
He nodded, eyeing her as if trying to understand what was going on in her mind. Good luck, she thought. She was still trying to understand it herself.
Fourteen
Somehow Nicole and Macy snagged a private table in a corner of Joe’s. Music played on the jukebox, but the murmur of the Sa
turday night crowd was loud and Nicole found it hard to process the music over the din.
“I should have eaten something more substantial than a couple of French fries for dinner. I’m buzzed from half a beer,” Macy said, eyeing the bottle.
“Good thing I’m driving home then.” Nicole took a sip of her soda. “I didn’t eat much either. I had a leftover sandwich in the fridge, but I didn’t take more than a few bites.” She’d paused to change clothes and then Sam had interrupted.
“What’s with the sour face?” Macy asked her.
Nicole sighed. “Not sour. Just confused.”
“Let me guess. It’s about a man. Or should I say the man?”
Leave it to Macy to cut right to the point, Nicole thought wryly. “It is.” Why bother lying? She needed a friend and she finally had a real one.
Macy shifted in her seat. “No confusion allowed,” she said, waving a hand in dismissal. “He’s into you. I’ve never seen Sam so into a woman before.”
Sara had said something similar. Nicole warmed at the thought and wished things were that simple. “But that doesn’t mean it’ll change the outcome.”
Macy took a long pull of her beer. “You never know. I’ve seen harder nuts than Sam crack. Just ask Cara. And Erin.” She grinned.
“I can’t control it, so I’m trying not to worry about it. It’s just not easy.”
Macy’s expression turned sympathetic. “I understand, which is why I have to talk to you about something.” Her gaze darted away . . . an unusual occurrence for a very direct woman.
Nicole leaned in close. “What’s up?”
Macy drew a deep breath, then let it out again. “What’s the story with you and Tyler? The real story.”
Nicole blinked, surprised at the subject. Although she shouldn’t have been. Macy’s interest in Tyler had been all too obvious.
“That was real subtle of me.” Macy let out a shaky laugh. “I know there are things you can’t tell me, and that’s okay. I just have to know . . . you and Tyler—”
“There is no me and Tyler.” Nicole reached out and grasped Macy’s hand, wanting to reassure her in every way possible. “Not in the romantic sense. I’m . . .” She looked Macy in the eye and prepared to bare her soul. “I’m totally and completely in love with Sam.” She shook her head at herself. “And that wasn’t hard to say out loud. The point is, I have no hold on Tyler.”
Macy closed her eyes, her obvious embarrassment showing. She sat up suddenly, her gaze focused on Nicole. “So you don’t mind if I . . . if we . . .”
Admiring her ability to be direct, Nicole smiled and shook her head. “I’d be thrilled if he found someone to make him happy. It’d be even better for him if it was you.”
Macy exhaled hard and laughed. “Well, that was as awkward and as difficult as I thought it would be.”
“I can imagine.” Nicole leaned back in her seat, suddenly exhausted. “Aren’t we a pair?”
Macy nodded and treated herself to another long swallow of beer. “Is he coming back?” she asked.
“Tyler?”
She nodded.
“He’ll be back,” Nicole assured her.
“How do you know? Have you spoken with him?”
“No.” But they needed to have a private talk when all this was over. One that put things between them to rest, once and for all.
Macy propped her chin on her hands. “Then how do you know for sure?”
At that, Nicole couldn’t help but grin, thoughts of Tyler’s time in Serendipity flashing through her mind. “He went shopping. He wore shorts. And he followed you around town. He’ll be back.”
Macy grinned. “Here’s to getting our men.” She raised her glass and Nicole tipped hers, clinking them together, toasting as much to Macy’s words as to her new friend and her life here in Serendipity.
They spent another half hour talking, then made their way over to a group of people, some Nicole knew, others Macy introduced her to. As much as she enjoyed herself, she couldn’t help thinking that she would rather be with Sam. But she needed to make friends and she was Macy’s ride home, so she didn’t say anything.
“I’m beat,” Macy said at last. “Do you mind if we head home?”
Nicole shook her head, relieved it wouldn’t be a late night. “I’m ready when you are.”
They walked back to the bakery, where Nicole had parked her car. Once they were on their way, Macy pulled off her high heels and sighed. “Whoever invented these things should be shot.”
Nicole grinned. “I wear them a lot less here than I did back in New York, and trust me, I do not miss them.” On her feet now were a pair of bejeweled sandals with less than a quarter-inch heel.
“Stay straight on this road for a while,” Macy said, obviously remembering Nicole needed directions.
“Are you working early tomorrow?” Nicole asked her.
“Not until lunchtime, thank goodness.”
She glanced up at the rearview mirror to check the car behind her, annoyed by the bright lights reflecting there.
“Something wrong?” Macy asked.
“The car behind us is driving too close,” Nicole muttered, squinting and keeping her gaze on the road in front of her.
At a four-way stop sign, she came to a complete halt before continuing on. Out of nowhere, another car approached from the right and sped right through the stop sign, plowing into them before Nicole could blink. Her car spun and took another hit from the vehicle behind her, which had obviously stayed on her tail.
Macy screamed. Nicole gritted her teeth and held on to the wheel as the back of her car skidded into a lamppost with a sickening crunch.
Sam paced through his house, moving idly from one room to the next, unable to sit still or get comfortable. He didn’t expect Nicole to be at his beck and call, but he’d sure hoped she’d want to see him after a long week apart. He could have gone to Joe’s, but that would have been too obvious. He might be desperate to see her, but she didn’t need to know that.
Another glance at her dark house told him she hadn’t come home, although he’d been keeping watch and already knew as much. He was already mentally lecturing her about not leaving inside lamps and the porch lights on. It was safety 101 for anyone, but Nicole wasn’t dealing with a normal situation. Just because they thought they knew where all the players were in her situation didn’t mean she should be lax with the basics.
He glanced at his watch and blew out a long breath. Nine wasn’t that late and he needed to chill. He started upstairs when his cell rang.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced down, surprised to see the police station’s main number. “Marsden.”
“Hey, Sam. It’s Burnett.”
“What’s up?”
“Just doing you a solid. I thought you’d want to know your girlfriend was in a car accident at the stop sign on Maple. No serious injuries, but the car’s in pretty bad shape. They’re lucky.”
Sam narrowed his gaze. “They?”
“She was driving Macy Donovan home. Both women walked away relatively unharmed. A damned miracle if you ask me.”
Sam was in his truck by the time he wound up the call. On the short drive over, a myriad of situations ran through his mind. Panic and the need to see her were paramount, but his cop brain also was on alert, thinking about Tyler’s old man hiring someone to scare Nicole into heading home.
Sam arrived on the scene to find one side of her car crunched, and his stomach twisted painfully. He parked and climbed out of his vehicle.
Burnett met him as he headed for the ambulance. “That was fast.”
Sam nodded. “I appreciate the call. What happened?”
“Looks like Mrs. Adler was driving too fast and ran her stop sign. She was driving without a license and wandered off without her daughter knowing.”
Sam winced, knowing that Mrs. Adler was in her mideighties.
Burnett shook his head. “Sad when they get old and lose control like that. Anyway, she slammed in
to Nicole’s passenger-side back door. According to Nicole, the car behind her wasn’t giving her much space to begin with and couldn’t stop in time, causing a second impact.”
Sam’s instincts went on alert. Was it that the actual accident was a coincidence, but the second occurred because Nicole was being followed?
“Who was the second driver?” Sam waited for a Russian name.
“Drunk driver.”
Sam ground his teeth together. “Local?”
Burnett shook his head, and Sam’s instincts went haywire. “You’re booking him, right?”
“Yeah, but he refused the Breathalyzer,” Burnett said, inclining his head.
“Make sure you hold him. I want the chief to run a full check on the guy.” In case he had been sent after Nicole, with his inebriated state an intentional diversion.
“What’s going on?” Burnett asked.
“No time to explain now. Where are the women?” Sam asked, wanting to get to Nicole.
Burnett tipped his head toward the ambulance. “Being checked out just to make sure they’re fine.”
“Thanks again.” Sam shook Burnett’s hand and headed to see Nicole for himself.
Both Nicole and Macy had been released by the paramedics, and as Sam approached, they were being reminded that should they feel anything unusual, they should head to the hospital immediately.
Nicole signed the form the paramedic held out for her, then turned, and her eyes connected with his. Shaking, he caught her in his arms before she could collapse.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she murmured.
His heart squeezed tight at the admission, and he held on tight. Turning to Macy, he extended his other arm for her and helped both women to his truck, grateful tonight hadn’t turned out so much worse. And with the way his brain had spun out alternative scenarios, he decided he wasn’t letting Nicole out of his sight for a good, long while.
An hour later, Nicole had showered and now, wrapped in her favorite robe, she sipped a cup of tea and cuddled next to Sam on the sofa in her family room. After dropping Macy at home, Sam called Mike, at which point Nicole realized he believed the drunk driver behind her might have been sent to intimidate her into running back to Manhattan and Tyler for protection.
Perfect Together Page 20