Tender Is The Night (Callaways Book 10)

by Barbara Freethy

  But her words did bring a smile to his face. "Glad to hear it," he said. "So getting back to you. Are we going to the house you grew up in?"

  "Yes. It's off the Great Highway and across the street from the ocean."

  "You grew up at the beach?"

  "I did. My brothers did a lot of surfing when they were teenagers, but I preferred to look at the water from the sand."

  "I've never been a fan of surfing, either—all that waiting-in-between time. And around here the ocean is cold."

  "Exactly. Hawaii, I might get on a board. San Francisco, you need a wet suit and a tolerance for gray skies and really cold water." She paused. "I think we should talk about how we're going to play our relationship."

  "What's to talk about? I can handle a few questions from your family."

  "You have no idea what you're getting into. They're going to ask how we met, our first date, what you like about me, what I like about you."

  "We'll say we met through the Bureau—mutual friends. I like your golden blonde hair and your sparkling blue eyes, your competitive spirit, and you have just enough snark in you to keep things interesting."

  She glanced over at him, wondering if that was really what he liked about her or if he was making it up.

  "Think they'll believe that?" he asked.

  "That I have snark—yes."

  He grinned. "I can go into more detail and tell them how much I like kissing you, how passionate you are, how great you look naked in my bed."

  She flushed and said, "We're not trying to give anyone a heart attack."

  "So what are you going to tell them you like about me?"

  She thought for a moment. "I like that you're sharp—a quick thinker. You're competitive and you never let me win, which makes me try harder. Mostly, you're a good guy. You have more heart than you admit to, and I know you'd take a bullet before letting someone else get hurt."

  She looked over at him as she stopped at a light. As their gazes met, something deeper and more serious passed between them, as if they both had suddenly realized just how much they did like each other.

  A car horn blared, and she realized the light had turned green. She put her foot on the gas and gave her attention back to the road. "Don't be surprised if my mom wants you to come to the wedding and all the other events next week. I think it's better if we just vaguely go along with her rather than say we won't be there together."

  "Fine. Let's get through brunch and we'll worry about the rest later."

  A few minutes later, she parked down the street from her parents' house. There were already a lot of cars, so she suspected most of her family was already inside. As they walked down the sidewalk, she saw two of her cousins and their wives get out of a car.

  "That's Drew on the left in the sunglasses," she told Devin. "He was in the Navy and is now a pilot for the Coast Guard. The dark blonde is his wife, Ria. The brunette next to her is Sara and her husband Aiden. Aiden and Drew are two of Emma's brothers."

  "What does Aiden do?"

  "He used to be a smokejumper. Now, he does construction with my uncle."

  "Smokejumper?" Devin muttered. "You do come from a family of thrill seekers."

  "Aiden is one of the leaders in that department. So is my brother, Hunter. He's never met a mountain he didn't want to climb or jump off of." She slipped her hand into Devin's. "Ready to be my boyfriend? My babe? My snickerdoodle?"

  He laughed. "Boyfriend, yes. If you call me snickerdoodle, I will have to blow your cover."

  "Fine. Then just smile and pretend you love me, because it's show time."

  * * *

  It wasn't difficult to pretend he was in love with Kate, Devin realized as she introduced him to her relatives and friends of the family. The two-story house was filled to the brim with all ages of people—from the elderly to babies in arms, and everything in between.

  The kitchen counters and dining room table were filled with dishes of food, and it was clear the cooks had made a real effort. There were no bags of chips and store-bought appetizers but casseroles, veggie wraps, gourmet sandwiches, salads, and meat skewers that were hot off the barbecue.

  He couldn't imagine what it had been like to grow up in this big, boisterous family. There was so much love, so much laughter, so much of everything. He felt a little jealous. Even when his parents had been together, life had been a lot quieter than this. And neither of his parents had many relatives, so even extended family had been hard to come by.

  "Are you okay?" Kate asked, grabbing two beers off a side table in the dining room as they made their way toward the back of the house.

  "I'm great."

  "You look a little dazed."

  "It's a lot to take in," he said, taking a swig of beer. "This happens every Sunday?"

  She nodded with a smile. "Not always here, but somewhere. Family gatherings are very important to everyone. No birthday, no holiday, goes by without appropriate celebration. Here comes Mom and Dad."

  She slipped her hand into his, and he tightened his fingers around hers, thinking that he was enjoying being her fake boyfriend a little too much.

  "Kate, you came," Sharon said with delight. "And you brought Devin. I was afraid you were going to make me chase you down."

  "I wouldn't do that." She let go of Devin's hand to hug her mother.

  Devin shook Tim's hand, seeing the quiet regard in the older man's eyes. "It's nice to see you both again," he said.

  "You, too," Sharon said, giving him a speculative look. "So tell us a little about you, Devin. Did Kate say you were in the FBI?"

  "I used to be. Now I'm a private investigator."

  "Why did you leave the Bureau?" Sharon asked.

  "A lot of reasons," he said vaguely. "I like being my own boss, so it's a good move for me."

  "Do you investigate for anyone in particular?" Tim asked.

  "I'm an equal opportunity investigator," he said lightly.

  "How did you two meet?" Sharon asked.

  "Through mutual friends," he said.

  "FBI friends," Kate added. "We should get something to eat."

  "So you live here in the city," Sharon said, ignoring her daughter's comment. "Are you and Kate going to do long-distance?"

  "It looks that way," he said lightly.

  "I told you, Mom, this is all new," Kate said.

  "It can't be that new if you came back early to spend time with Devin, and you didn't want anyone in the family to know you were in town."

  Devin smiled seeing the discomfort on Kate's face. She might be a skilled agent, but when it came to her mother, she was definitely out of her league. "That's my fault," he said. "I wanted to spend some time with Kate before she was busy with the wedding."

  "You should come to the wedding," Sharon said. "In fact, I insist. I'm sure you want to spend as much time together as possible. You're welcome at all the events. I'm quite certain that Mia would love to meet Devin." Sharon looked at Kate. "Does Mia know about your new relationship?"

  "Not yet," Kate said.

  "Tim, Sharon," a man said loudly as he approached the group.

  As Devin stepped back, he saw Jack Callaway approaching, an attractive blonde at his side, who was probably his wife.

  When Jack saw him in the group, he stopped abruptly, his gaze darkening. "Agent Scott? What the hell are you doing here?"

  "He's with me," Kate said quickly.

  "Why is he with you?" Jack demanded, his hard gaze swinging to Devin. "Are you using my niece to get to me?"

  "No," he said shortly.

  "We're dating," Kate said.

  "Since when?" Jack asked suspiciously.

  "Awhile," Kate said.

  "What's going on?" Tim interjected, his gaze growing concerned as the tension grew within the group.

  "Devin is investigating a series of arson fires," Kate said. "An FBI agent died in a fire eighteen months ago, and that agent was Devin's partner. He left the Bureau to focus on solving her case."

  "I'm sure you'r
e aware that there have been two more fires," Devin said to Jack. "Maybe now you'll reopen the case that should never have been closed."

  "That's already been done," Jack said tersely. "But we're not discussing this here. This is my family. And you don't belong here. You need to leave."

  Before he could say a word, Kate stepped up. "He's not going anywhere, Uncle Jack. He's with me. And he's not using me. I know exactly what he's working on."

  "You're both staying," Sharon said firmly. "Jack—I don't understand the problem between you and Devin, but you can work it out elsewhere."

  The woman next to Jack put her hand on his arm. "Sharon is right," she said. "This sounds like business, and today is for family."

  Jack blew out a breath and then said, "Fine. But I'm warning you—if you're messing with Kate, every man in this house will make you pay."

  "Got it," he said evenly.

  Jack turned and walked away, his wife following.

  "Maybe we should go, Mom," Kate said.

  "No. I meant what I said," Sharon said firmly. "You'll stay. You'll eat. You'll have fun. I'll catch up with you later."

  "And I'll go find Jack," Tim said.

  "Sorry about that," Devin told Kate.

  She shrugged. "Uncle Jack was out of line. I'm going to talk to him."

  "Don't do that on my account."

  "I'm not doing it for you; I'm doing it for me. You're my guest, Devin, and my uncle can deal with it."

  Her determined expression matched the one her mother had worn a few moments earlier. "You definitely take after your mom."

  "I take after my uncle, too. He would go to the ends of the earth to protect his friends and family. He should understand your motives better than anyone."

  "Kate, wait. There's something you should know first."

  "What?"

  "After Sam died, after everyone closed the case, I went to see your Uncle Jack, and I was out of my mind. I made some nasty accusations about cover-up. He threw me out of his office."

  "It's understandable. You were grief-stricken."

  "It was unprofessional. I don't blame him for thinking I might be using you to get to him. We had some bad words."

  "We both know that you're not using me. And he needs to know, too."

  "Hi guys," Emma said, interrupting their conversation. "What did I miss? Colton just told me that Dad tried to throw Devin out of the house."

  "Devin will tell you," Kate said. "I'm going to have a few words with your dad."

  Emma gave him a questioning look as Kate left. "Should I be worried for Kate or my dad?"

  "Maybe your dad. When Kate gets fired up, there's no stopping her."

  Emma smiled. "She said the same thing about you when we spoke the other day." She paused. "How are you feeling?"

  "I'm fine."

  "I'm sorry we haven't been able to find the arsonist. Max is working on it, too."

  "I know. I appreciate the help."

  "Have you eaten yet?"

  "Not yet."

  "Let me show you the way. The last thing you want to be in this crowd is shy."

  He laughed. "I've actually never been called shy."

  "I'm sure." As they walked back toward the dining room, she said, "I guess Kate decided to tell her family she's in town."

  "She was forced into it. We ran into her mom last night. By the way, her family thinks we're dating. It seemed like a good cover story at the time."

  She grinned. "And now?"

  "I have a feeling we opened Pandora's box."

  "Oh, you definitely did. We'll stop at the bar on the way to the buffet. I think you're going to need another beer."

  * * *

  "Uncle Jack—can I speak to you?" Kate asked, breaking into her father's conversation with her uncle.

  "I'll leave you two alone," her father said, moving away.

  "Your father said I need to apologize to you," Jack said, not looking too happy with that thought.

  "That would be a good start."

  "I don't like that guy you brought."

  "You don't know him. If you did, you would like him, because he's a lot like you."

  "I don't think so."

  "Devin told me that he came at you and some of the other fire investigators without a lot of finesse, but his partner—his best friend—had just been killed, and he knew that the wrong guy was being held accountable. No one believed him, but that didn't stop him from going after the truth. He quit his job so he could focus on getting the right person off the streets, and this past week there have been two more fires that fit the exact same pattern as the others."

  "As I told him earlier, I'm aware of the most recent fires, and the fire department is investigating."

  "I knew you would reopen the case, because you're very good at your job. Just as Devin is good at his. You are also one of the most loyal people I know. I can't believe you wouldn't have done exactly what Devin did if the situation was reversed."

  "He's not your boyfriend, is he?" Jack asked.

  She shook her head. "No. We're working together. I didn't want to involve the family in my job. My boss assigned me to the case because he knew I was headed to San Francisco. He asked me to give Devin a few days of my time."

  "That makes sense. You've grown up, Kate," Jack said, an admiring glint in his eyes.

  "I have done that."

  "How do you like the Bureau? Is it what you thought it would be?"

  "It's not at all what I thought it would be, but I really like it."

  "You're doing the Callaway name proud."

  "I hope so." She paused. "Are we good? Do I have to worry about you taking a swing at Devin?"

  "I never swing first. And we're good. I'm going to check the barbecue. Whenever Aiden is in charge, he turns our burgers into hockey pucks."

  As Jack left, she moved towards her father.

  "Everything okay now?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  "You're working with Devin, aren't you?"

  "I am, but can we keep what I'm doing with Devin just between you and me for a few days?" Kate asked. "I don't want to worry Mom and get her involved. She has the wedding to work on, and I don't want to take anything away from Mia."

  He nodded. "We can do that, for a few days anyway. But don't be surprised if your mom has already figured it out."

  He was probably right about that, but she'd deal with her mom when she had to. "I also wanted to ask you why you were at the bookstore last night."

  "We went to support Gerilyn. She's had a rough few years."

  "You know Gerilyn Connors?"

  "Sure. Brad was in my firehouse for a few years before he completely turned his life upside down."

  "Drugs and alcohol, right?"

  "Yes. He lost his job, and I thought he had lost his wife to his addictions, but apparently he's sober now, and she's found a way to forgive him."

  "Brad Connors is a person of interest in the arson fires, Dad."

  "I know. Gerilyn was complaining to your mother that the FBI was harassing Brad just because he used to be a firefighter."

  "And because he was violent toward Gerilyn, and because several of the houses she worked on were targeted."

  "I didn't know the ins and outs of it," her dad said. "Is he still a suspect?"

  "I'm not sure, but what do you think about him as a suspect? Is he a man who would start fires?"

  "I'd like to say no. I worked alongside him for four years. But that was before he started screwing up his life. The way he treated Gerilyn during the divorce was shocking to me. I guess I can't say for sure that he wouldn't burn down one of her buildings out of revenge."

  "Why do you think she took him back? After everything they went through?"

  "Hell if I know," he said. "A man shouldn't treat a woman the way Brad treated Gerilyn. There's no excuse. And I don't care if she still loves him; she should love herself more. I wouldn't want any of my daughters to take a man back who didn't treat them well."

  "I think you
r daughters are all far too stubborn," she said lightly. "I better go find Devin. He's probably drowning in Callaways."

  "You know, Kate…if you like him, it's okay."

  "I do like him," she admitted. "But I've just started my career. The timing sucks."

  "It almost always does," he said with a laugh. "Sometimes poor timing forces you to figure out what you really want."

  "Or it just drives you crazy."

  "That, too."

  She hugged her dad and went to find Devin. He was in the dining room, working his way around the buffet.

  "I see you got food."

  "Yes, and it's all very good. How did your conversation go with your uncle?"

  "He apologized for being rude to you."

  Devin raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Jack Callaway apologized?"

  "Well, it wasn't exactly an apology, but I made him understand that your behavior after Sam died is not really who you are. He gets it. He's as fiercely loyal to his friends as you are. And he's going to do everything he can to help."

  "Now that there have been two more fires."

  She understood his cynicism. "Well, yes. I know that doesn't excuse the inattention over the last year and a half, but it is what it is. I also talked to my father about why they were at the book signing. They're friends with the Connors. Brad worked with my dad."

  "That's interesting."

  "He had heard that Brad was a person of interest in the arson cases, but he didn't have any further information. I asked him if he thought Brad could be guilty, and he didn't say no, which is hugely significant."

  "Why is that?"

  "Because the firefighters in this town are brothers. They stand up for one another. The fact that my father couldn't immediately do that said a lot. Firefighters see the devastation of fire every day; the loss of life, the horrific burns, the destruction of families. They don't start fires; they put them out. But after all the drug and alcohol problems Brad had gone through, my father couldn't say for sure that he was innocent." She paused. "We need to figure out where Brad was last night and last Monday."

  "I agree. We should get Emma's help on that. She has the power to investigate those fires specifically, and she can bring in the local police."