“There’s a shop around the corner,” she gestured down the road and gave him the name of the store. “Please.”
“Maybe the words come naturally because you fit them, Brea.” He pulled into the parking slot and followed her into the store, the scents assaulting his senses and 50
stomach at the same time.
“Breanna!” A woman about twenty came running from behind the counter, throwing her arms around Brea with a long hug. “We saw the news! We were so worried about you! What happened? Where’ve you been?”
“I’m alright, Jenna,” Brea laughed with her, returning the warm hug.
“Seriously?” She stepped back, taking in the man standing just behind them. She looked quickly from one to the other, her voice not quite low enough. “He with you?”
“Jase Bishop,” he said, offering his palm and a smile. “I’m with her.”
“Jenna Marshal,” she looked him over and dragged Brea to the side, their heads close together. “Wow!”
“You’re embarrassing me, Jenna,” Brea hissed, both of them listening to the deep chuckle from the man now wandering the shop.
“Yeah…sorry about that….but…wow! He’s gorgeous,” she whispered as they went toward the bulk section.
“You should see the other one,” Brea remarked without thinking, filling containers without waiting. “As you might guess, I’m out a lot of things, Jenna.”
“The other one? There’s more than one of them? Seriously?” Jenna trailed beside her, helping with bags and pens to label things.
“Seriously. Like shoes. They came in a pair,” Brea looked across the large, open shop and sighed. “They’re helping me with….with the shop and the insurance,” she improvised, handing the bag of roasted, unground beans to her before going to the next barrel.
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“You’re okay, though? I mean, the fire….” Jenna shook her head, carried bags to the counter and began weighing and writing the prices on the bags before stapling them closed.
“It’s a mess,” Brea agreed. “A really big mess,” she admitted with a sigh.
“This is where you get your beans?” Jase came up behind her, watching as she lifted a scoop and inhaled before making her selections.
“For small batches. Jenna orders me more when I need them for the shop,” she stopped, wincing. “Needed them,” she sighed, moving over to the teas and making a few choices before heading to the spices.
“We’ll build another shop, Brea,” Jase told her without hesitation.
“You sound so positive,” she said wistfully.
“Allen’s been asking about you since the news hit,” Jenna commented as they walked and she took the small bags Brea filled, writing on them as they moved through the shop. “He’s called me twice already today and twice yesterday since the fire.”
“Let him know I’m okay, Jenna, thanks.”
“Who’s Allen?” Jase looked from one woman to the other, pinning the wolf in him until he heard the answer. Maybe it was some old guy who thought she was a surrogate daughter.
“He runs a repair shop here in town,” Jenna answered cheerfully. “He’s been trying to convince Brea to go out with him for weeks.” Brea was positive she heard a low growl that sounded far less than pleased and wondered if Jenna had gotten herself a dog.
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“He’s nice but…..it’s too strange,” Brea commented, her attention on a new selection of fresh spices.
“Strange in what way?” Jase forced himself to ask, ignoring the little whimper from Jenna when she realized where the growl came from.
“I’ve known these guys for years. It’s not just Allen,” Brea commented, a frown creasing her lips as she reached for a special grinder that Jenna carried. Since hers were now bundles of burnt twisted, melted metal. She smiled at Jase when he reached over her and put it into her palm. “Thanks.”
“I had heard Jimmy asking after you, too,” Jenna walked with her toward the register and began weighing and writing before entering things into the machine.
“Exactly. He’s another one. I’m the same boring little Brea I’ve always been and suddenly guys who never had the time of day for me, are finding me interesting?
What’s up with that?”
“Suddenly,” Jase repeated. “Since….” He met the amber eyes edged with sliver flecks, her frown creasing her forehead.
“Since my parents died,” she answered after a long thoughtful minute, her nose wrinkled. “How weird is that?”
“Curious,” Jase looked over the collection, pulled his wallet and handed a credit card over. “Brea can sign for it. I’ll be outside waiting for you,” he told her, his lips brushing her forehead before he looked at Jenna. “Let the guys know she’s off the market.”
Jenna laughed and Brea felt the heat in her cheeks, her eyes rolling as she 53
worked to focus on the things she bought.
Jase opened his phone and leaned against the front of the SUV, one foot up on the bumper as he waited.
“Hey…how’s Newburg?”
“Just finished with the police. He’ll be out to see Brea in two hours. I told him she was out shopping,” Nick knew his friend too well to have missed the tone. “What’s up?”
“Interesting bit of information….courtesy of a conversation with Brea and a girl she knows in this natural foods shop up here. Seems guys Brea has known all her life have suddenly taken an interest in her,” Jase kept his eyes on the shop and Brea laughing with Jenna.
“Sudden?”
“Since her parents death.”
“Huh….” Nick looked down the bustling shops. Friday in spring when the weekend promised to be sunny would benefit all the coastal towns. “I’m going to talk to Mariana,” he announced after a quiet minute.
“You think that’s smart? She’s not going to like Brea being where she wanted to be,” Jase pointed out carefully.
“She’s accepted it, Jase. Besides, the curiosity alone will pull her in. She’s not angry,” he said firmly.
“Jealous? Possessive?” He held back on the word vindictive.
“She’s over it. I heard she found a new guy a couple months back.” 54
“She just wasn’t my type. Aggressive I can handle…..Mariana is nice enough, don’t get me wrong,” Jase ran a palm over his neck.
“She’s wanting upward in directions we weren’t and aren’t interested in,” Nick put the feelings into words. “I know. It didn’t stop her from trying, though.”
“I’m just glad she never made it to your bed,” Jase said dryly.
“Another something she didn’t understand, beautiful as she is….I’m not sure I understood it either, except we changed,” he said simply. “What we were looking for changed somewhere along the lines. I’ll talk to her.”
“It’s really starting to bug me, Nick. What and why would her parents do that to her? And how’s she changed to attract guys she’s know all her life?”
“I’ll talk to Mariana. See you at home.”
Jase slid the phone into his pocket, striding to take the bag from Brea and stow it with the others in the back of the SUV.
“Any other stops?”
“No, thank you,” she handed him his card once they were inside the SUV. “I want to get back and start dinner.”
“You really like cooking.”
“I do….a lot….I went to two specialty culinary schools for training and a third just last year for baking,” Brea shifted in the seat, watching him drive. “Do you think Nick got it? The box?”
Shit. He forgot to ask.
“He said he’d be home by the time we got there. And the police would be out to 55
talk to you about the fire,” Jase saw the little nod she offered, heard the soft sigh. “I meant what I said, Brea. We’ll rebuild the shop if that’s what you want.”
“If….why in the world wouldn’t I want that?” She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. He shrugged.
“Maybe you’ll want it in
a different place. Who knows….life changes around us all the time,” Jase watched her digest this information. “These guys….why do you think it’s odd that they asked you out?”
He was surprised at the sudden burst of laughter from her. Clear and light.
“Jase….you and Nick are really sweet. And to be honest, you’re the first guys to look at me like I was more than boring and plain looking, but these other guys….the ones Jenna talked about….” Brea frowned and shook her head. “I’ve seen and heard all the stupid things they’ve done all their lives while not even acknowledging that I’m alive. I’m not the kind of girl they’d look at twice and suddenly I’m on their radar?
Maybe old age is getting to them and I’m one of the few still single. I don’t know, but definitely no thanks.”
Jase felt his mouth open twice before he finally ordered it shut for the moment.
She believed what she was saying. He looked over at her as he drove in the companionable silence. She hummed along with music on the radio and stared out at the brilliant spring sunshine.
It was almost noon by the time he backed the SUV to the kitchen door and helped unload. He put the SUV in the garage and came in the back door, wincing and feeling more than a little out of place as she lifted bags to the table and began 56
emptying things.
“Jase? Something wrong?” Brea looked behind him and then at the expression on his face.
“This is where I confess my woeful inadequacies as far as this kitchen is concerned,” he said slowly, relieved when she laughed. And nothing had prepared him when she came straight at him, arms around his neck and hugging tightly.
“Don’t ask me to change oil in a car and I won’t ask you to figure out a kitchen,” she leaned back and stepped away while his brain was still sputtering. “Deal?”
“I…absolutely….”
“What’s the deal?” Nick asked, stepping inside and staring at the huge collection and the smells filling the house.
“We don’t mess with her kitchen and she won’t mess with our vehicles,” Jase supplied with a crooked grin at his friend.
“Works for me,” Nick laughed and held up a cleaned metal grey box to Brea.
“Your lock box. I’m guessing you have the key?”
“Thank you!” Before he could do more than freeze in place, her arms were around his neck and his body bending forward for her hug. “Yes. I have the key in the other room. I’ll….I’ll take care of it later. Umm….”
“I’ll put it in your room, Brea. What’s the smell?”
“Dinner. You’re on your own for lunch,” she tossed over her shoulder, frowning at the cabinet she was arranging.
“Sandwiches and work always fit our schedule,” Nick said, hitching his head and 57
leading Jase from the kitchen to their living room office. “Mariana is coming out sometime tomorrow. She’s…as I suspected….intrigued and accepting.”
“Will she keep her mouth shut about things Brea doesn’t know yet?” Jase asked tensely.
“She will. She’s amused and curious,” Nick tossed his wallet into a desk drawer along with his keys and carried the box down the hall, leaving it on the bureau for Brea to deal with later.
Nick wandered into the kitchen after half an hour to find the mess gone and the smell of baking something filling the air. Brea was sitting in front of her laptop, fingers moving and her lips curled in little growls now and then.
“What are you working on?” He came forward only to have her jump and turn the computer away.
“Nothing. Go work,” she ordered, waving her fingers at him and bouncing up from the chair to come around and stand in front of him. She worked for a threatening scowl but somehow the hoot of laughter from him told her she was falling short.
Nick pressed forward only to find two palms shoved hard against his chest. He almost laughed but his curiosity was piqued.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she growled and shoved again.
He tried craning his neck to see the monitor but she shoved again, turning her shoulder into his chest and pushing. He didn’t move, but she kept trying. This time he did laugh when she turned her back to him and gave a harder shove, her shoulders pushing against a chest that felt like concrete.
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“Just…..go….away…..” She puffed petulantly.
“Now you have me really curious, Brea,” he moved quickly, grasping her waist and lifting her over his shoulder. A shrill scream filled the house followed by his laughter. “You’re playing Warcraft? You?”
“Hey!” She slapped at his back, bare feet kicking out when Jase came casually from outside, looking at the pair with an arched brow.
“How’s the view up there?” Jase asked seconds before he found his arms filled when Nick leaned over toward him and dumped her against him.
“She didn’t want us to know she’s a girl warrior in Warcraft,” Nick commented, turning the monitor and showing him her character list. He moved the mouse, clicking and opening familiar screens to quickly read through the lists. “Nice armor, girl….you’ve been in a few epic fights.”
“Do – you – mind,” she asked chillingly, straightening her shirt when Jase lowered her feet to the floor and did nothing to hide his grin.
“Our peaceful little Brea? Warcraft? Seriously?” Jase walked around, his arm around her waist to stop her from grabbing the computer and closing the screen.
“I could poison you both!” She yelled with a burst of fury.
“You’d miss us,” Nick tossed back with a laugh. “An eighty-three priest and an eighty-four mage. Nice looking girl toons. Nice armor, too. High end stuff,” he looked over at Jase and gave him the title of the server she played on. “My, my, my……what other wonders do you have hidden from us, Breanna Cooper?”
“We can always use a good healer,” Jase commented thoughtfully, glancing down 59
at the woman who stopped wiggling. He bent his head next to the curious frown on her lips. “We play, too…..and a few other games.”
“It’s relaxing,” she said grudgingly, straightening her shirt again and checking the oven before going to her computer, glaring at them each as they wandered into the living area chuckling. She closed her computer down and went back to get the rest of the dinner started.
She had just put a thick towel over the bread when Nick came to the wide archway.
Nick stared at the traces of flour on her cheek and nose; the slim fingers coated with remnants of something that would probably taste delicious and that sweet bow of her lips in a little pout.
“The sheriff is here to talk to you about the fire, Brea,” Nick waited for her nod before leaving her to clean up. He was sitting behind his desk when she came in, bare foot and looking a little uncomfortable and lost. He didn’t like seeing her pale, even less, hands that had been sturdy and strong enough to shove at him half an hour ago now seemed to shake as she wrung them at her waist.
“Miss Cooper?” Wearing a gray and blue uniform, he stepped forward and held out his palm. “Sheriff Decker.”
“Breanna Cooper,” she said quietly, like most people, the sight and presence of the uniform and all it entailed enough to inhibit behaviors. She wasn’t sure what it was.
Maybe the fear of doing or saying something that would get her in trouble.
Jase was up from his desk after a quick look at Nick, his palm on her waist and 60
guiding her to sit down. He didn’t relish seeing her pass out and as pale as she was looking now, it was a definite possibility.
They knew to always watch one another to make certain they didn’t swamp her together in front of strangers. What they were willing to accept in the privacy of their own lives, wasn’t what the world would accept without ridicule and censure. They knew it would all be aimed at her, because no one would be willing to challenge either of the males in the relationship. And neither of them would put Brea in that position.
“Do I have to sign something? I don’t kno
w what I can tell you,” Breanna drew in a long, slow breath. Jase stood behind her, his palms on her shoulders, thumbs gently massaging along the base of her skull. Soothing, calming her, she realized.
“I just have a few questions, Miss Cooper,” he pulled a notebook from a shirt pocket and opened it. “Mr. Gaines brought me copies of threats you’ve been receiving.
How often were they arriving?”
“Every morning on the door of my café,” Brea looked over at Nick, surprised. “I gave the first couple to the police….and I filed a report but,” she shrugged. “There really wasn’t much to go on, they told me.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“What…” she stared from one to the other.
“Tell him what happened when you went to open the café, Brea,” Nick said simply.
“Oh…it was just after five and someone hit me. I didn’t see anyone. No one spoke….” Her hand went up, touching just above her ear where the bump had been. “It 61
was fuzzy after that….I remember the fog and I remember a hard…hard surface and smells….fuel….I think I was in a trunk,” she whispered, eyes wide as she tried to see what she’d refused to before now. Brea stared at the floor, at the heavy boots on the sheriff. “Then it was cold. Very cold….I felt my feet moving….and I could smell the ocean. I could hear the waves and birds…..gulls….” she lifted her wrist, one hand rubbing the place that had been scarred and now showed no signs of it having been there at all.
“I saw three people walking out on the sand that morning,” Nick picked up the story. “Only the one in the center was being carried between them and then left on the beach. The storm was coming in when we ran out to see if she was hurt.”
“You found her on the beach?” Decker looked from one man to the other, his face expressionless.
“The car was a deep red, and older model four door sedan,” Jase told him, not backing away from the look they were being given. “We found her there, unconscious and brought her back here. Then the storm hit so we didn’t go out again and she didn’t wake up for a few hours to tell us what had happened.”
“I see….” He looked back at Brea. “Miss Cooper….can you think of anyone…any reason for these notes? The demands that you leave town?” He’d done his own checking on the thirty year old woman and had come up blank. Completely.
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