Kayla kept her focus squarely on Jack. “Since you haven’t returned any of my calls, I thought I’d pay you a little visit. We need to talk about your son.”
Of all the bombshells that had been dropped, that was the biggest. It was also the last straw for Lisa. She completely lost it.
Lisa flew off the handle with equal parts rage and shock. “You have a son?”
Lisa asked a question but had no intention of waiting around for the answer. She was a volcano of rage now, and nothing was going to stop her from erupting.
As Jack opened his mouth to answer, Lisa threw her drink his face, and then stormed off.
Chapter Seven
When Meg and Lisa rushed out to the parking lot, the gravity of the situation hit Lisa hard. Part of her was still in a rage. Another part looked bewildered. Finally, the unshakable heartbreak hit her like a sledgehammer.
Meg knew there was nothing she could say to make her friend feel better. That didn’t stop her from trying.
“I’m so sorry,” Meg said.
“Not as sorry as I am. You were right about Jack,” Lisa replied.
“I wish I wasn’t.”
Meg gave her friend a hug.
Lisa was shaking like a leaf. “Why did this happen to me?”
“I don’t know. But look, none of this was your fault. Jack is just a numbskull. A bonehead. A complete dirtbag.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. That just means I’m the fool who fell for a dirtbag.”
“You didn’t know what he was doing behind your back. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I can’t believe I actually defended him for so long. How could I have be so blind?”
“Remember what happened with Greg Zabrinski and me? I asked myself the same thing. I wondered how I couldn’t see it. But sometimes, love makes us overlook things because we want to make things work,” Meg explained.
“I’ll tell you what I want to do right now. I want to go back in there and give him a piece of my mind. Just completely unload on him,” Lisa ranted.
“I know, but it’s probably best that you don’t.”
Lisa groaned. “I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll tell you what, let’s go out for a nightcap. I have a feeling a drink would do you good right now.”
Lisa shook her head. “There aren’t enough cocktails in the world to make me feel better right now.”
So much for doing damage control. Lisa was bordering on inconsolable.
Meg tried again. “Are you sure?”
Lisa nodded. “If I can’t go in there and chew him out, then I just want to go home and forget that tonight ever happened.”
“I understand. Do you want some company? We could stop off and get some chocolate, then put on a good chick flick?”
“Meg, I know you’re trying to help, but I just want to be alone right now.”
This wasn’t like Lisa at all. She never turned down chocolate…or chick flicks. When things like this happened in the past, she always wanted her friends by her side. No one took a break up well, but this one was hitting her especially hard.
Meg couldn’t help but be worried about her friend. At the same time, Lisa was a grown woman. She made her own decisions.
“I understand,” Meg replied. “Just know that I’m one phone call away if you change your mind.”
Lisa gazed at Meg, unable to hide the hurt in her eyes. “Thanks for being such a good friend. I’ll give you a call in the morning.”
“All right. Again, I’m really sorry,” Meg said.
“Me too,” Lisa replied.
Chapter Eight
What a gut-wrenching conversation. Meg felt so helpless. She kept wishing there was something she could do for her friend, but there was no way to ease Lisa’s pain. Meg could only hope that her friend’s heartbreak would clear up sooner rather than later.
As she started driving home, Meg had a lot on her mind. Her thoughts were bound to become more jumbled rather than clearer as Meg spotted Detective Connor Smith walking out of Duke’s Diner on Main Street.
Duke’s was the epitome of a greasy spoon diner. It had good food for a dirt cheap price. Even more, it was the only eatery in town that was open deep into the night. Meg’s stomach began rumbling as she began craving one of Duke’s classic grilled cheese sandwiches with a generous side of fries. The healthy finger foods that were served at the fitness launch party left her taste buds with a lot to be desired.
Despite her stomach’s yearning for some comfort food, Meg shelved her food cravings. At that moment, there was something more important. After the rabid dysfunction of the fitness launch party, Meg could use a rational conversation to close out the evening that didn’t end with someone getting a threatened or having a drink thrown in their face.
Considering that Connor didn’t even have a drink in his hand, he seemed like a good bet. Meg decided to pull over and see how her old flame was doing. Hopefully, he was having a better night than she was. Although, considering he was with a police detective, things could go either way.
“Evening,” Meg said.
Connor turned. He immediately smiled when he saw Meg.
“I’ll say. It’s beautiful out. I’d forgotten how clear and dazzling the nights were here,” he replied.
Judging by the awestruck look on his face, living in the city had rubbed off on him more than she realized. To be fair, Enchanted Bay had some of the most stunning evenings Meg had ever seen. There was rarely a cloud in the sky. The sky was often blanketed as far as the eye could see with stars, and the moon looked big enough to reach out and touch.
Meg laughed. “Your eyes are so wide; you’d think they never had nights like this in San Francisco.”
“I couldn’t tell you if I did. I was too busy busting lowlife’s in San Francisco to have time to stare at the sky.”
“Right. It turns out there’s considerably less crime here in Enchanted Bay,” Meg joked.
Connor chuckled. “Meg Walton, master of the understatement.”
“Let me guess, you miss San Fran already?” Meg cracked.
“Not quite.”
“How many lowlifes have you put behind bars tonight?”
“None. I haven’t even come across a jaywalker, no less any hardened criminals.”
“You’re probably bored to death then. If you’re not careful, you might even fall asleep on the job one day,” she joked.
“Not likely. Although it turns out this is just the way I like it,” Connor admitted.
“It’s a shame you had to leave town in the first place to figure that out.”
Meg didn’t mean to be so pointed with her response. It just slipped out. She was surprised she hadn’t blurted it out sooner. It had been on her mind ever since she found out he was back in town. The question became, how would Connor respond? After all, men weren’t known for picking up on subtlety or speaking freely about their emotions.
Connor suddenly got a regretful look in his eyes. “That’s how life is sometimes.”
And he called her the master of understatement. Now that the topic had been brought up, Meg wasn’t just going to put it to bed. She decided to dive right in.
“Speaking of, what happened in the city that made you want to come back here after all this time?” she wondered.
“I’m surprised your mother hasn’t already told you.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know.”
“I doubt it. She seems to know everything.”
Meg knew that all too well. She could also sense that Connor was trying to avoid the subject. She wouldn’t be thrown off the scent. It was time to get answers.
“So true. Still, I’d rather hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“I’m not sure how I feel being referred to as a horse,” he joked.
“You’re a big strong man. Buck up.”
Connor could tell that Meg wasn’t going to drop this subject. He took a deep breath and then answered. “The timing was just right.�
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Another vague half-answer. How difficult was it to get the whole truth? She kept digging. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Connor looked out into the distance. “Have you ever had one of those stretches in your life when everything seems to be going wrong all at once?”
With the way the night had gone, Meg knew that feeling all too well. She nodded.
“That’s what happened to me. I caught my girlfriend cheating on me.”
“Ouch.”
“With a tax auditor.”
“Yikes. Talk about a double punch in the gut.”
He nodded. “If that wasn’t bad enough, my girlfriend worked at the same precinct as me, which meant I ran into her every single day.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“I thought about transferring to a different precinct, but the fact was, I was burnt out on big city police work. Things never seemed to let up in the homicide division. The bodies kept piling up. Not to mention, I saw the kind of grisly things that kept me awake at night.”
“After that, I can see why coming back to Enchanted Bay would look so appealing.”
Connor nodded. “It’s funny. Even the donuts were different in the city.”
Meg played dumb. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I could eat three donuts a day from your shop and never gain a pound. When I ate one a day in San Francisco, I started getting a little paunchy around the waistline.”
Meg looked at his body. He looked as trim as she’d always remembered him. She certainly had no complaints about his body.
“I find that hard to believe,” she replied.
“So did I,” he admitted. “But I had to hit the gym hard for six solid months to get my old body back.”
“To be fair, I’ve seen cops of all different shapes and sizes.”
“I didn’t want to turn into one of those walking punchlines.”
“I don’t know, a cop in a donut shop has a nice ring to it,” Meg joked.
“Either way, I couldn’t believe the damage those city donuts did to me.”
Meg deflected. “Maybe it wasn’t just the donuts. It sounds like you had a lot of stress in San Fran.”
Connor took a deep breath. “I guess that could be it.”
“In the end, it’s good to have you back in Enchanted Bay.”
He smiled. “It’s good to be back.”
Connor and Meg then gazed at each other. They got caught up looking into each other’s eyes. There was still some serious chemistry between them. It would be foolish to try and deny that. The question became, what would they do about it? If anything at all.
Connor opened his mouth to reply but was then interrupted by chatter on his police radio.
“Smith, we have a report of public intoxication on Hazel Street,” the dispatcher’s voice said, over the radio.
Connor picked up his radio and replied. “Ten-four.”
“Ah, the life of a small town cop. Instead of a homicide detective, you’re the drunk police,” Meg joked.
“If that’s the biggest problem I have to deal with in this town, that’s fine by me,” Connor remarked. “Anyway, you have yourself a good night.”
“I’ll try,” Meg replied.
That was the second time Connor seemed to be on the verge of revealing his true feelings for her, only to have the moment interrupted. Meg was forced to become more patient than she cared to be. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t get any answers tonight. But who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Chapter Nine
“Did someone have a hot date?” Penelope Walton asked.
If having magical witch powers wasn’t a unique enough experience, Meg had a one-of-a-kind cat. As far as she knew, Meg was the owner of the only talking feline in the world. Then again, Penelope wasn’t an average shelter cat. In a twist of magical fate, just before Meg’s grandmother Penelope passed away, Meg and her mother cast a spell transferring Penelope’s soul into the body of a kitten. Why a cat, you ask? That was simple. Not only did Penelope have a new lease on life now, she had nine of them.
While Penelope could technically speak English to anyone, she decided only to converse with Meg and Beth. It was safer that way. Meg could only imagine what one of the regular residents of Enchanted Bay would think if they looked down at a cute little cat and it started talking their ear off.
It was funny. Meg’s grandma was actually sassier than ever. At any given time, Meg had no idea what her grandma would say next. That wasn’t the only curiosity. While Penelope had a decidedly human soul, she found herself overcome by cat tendencies quite often.
Penelope continued her line of thought. “Let’s hope you chose a better man to date than that magician you used to go out with.”
Meg was never going to hear the end of that. Penelope wouldn’t let her. Meg’s last boyfriend was a magician. Although Greg Zabrinski prepared to call himself an illusionist. Apparently, he thought it sounded classier.
In the end, he was still a top hat-wearing, pull the rabbit out of his hat, pick a card, run of the mill party magician. The problem was, all of Greg’s supposed magic tricks were based on sleight of hand. He didn’t perform any actual magic. His tricks would probably fool most people, but not someone who could cast real spells like Meg.
She was initially interested in him because she thought he was real life wizard with true powers. The idea of sharing her secret with someone that also had a magical upbringing was very appetizing. So when it turned out he was only capable of cheap parlor tricks, it was a grave disappointment. During their five-month relationship, Greg’s greatest trick was convincing Meg that he was faithful to her.
In one night, the façade came crumbling down. Greg revealed that he’d fallen for his assistant and that they were moving to Vegas together to try and make it big. Like that, their relationship went up in smoke.
Meg had since gotten over the heartbreak, but she’d never live down the infamy of dating a man who wore a top hat to work.
“Sorry grandma. No hot date for me tonight,” Meg replied.
“What about Connor?” Penelope asked.
Meg furrowed her brow. “How do you know about Connor being back in town?”
“I’m your grandma; I know everything.”
Meg stared Penelope down.
Her grandma continued. “And your mother told me earlier.”
Meg snickered. “It’s good to know the gossip mill is alive and well.”
“So, when are you and Connor getting back together?”
“I couldn’t tell you. I was actually at a fitness DVD launch party tonight.”
Penelope was in disbelief. “On purpose?”
Meg nodded.
“Why? I’d rather go to the vet than be anywhere near the launch of a fitness program.”
“I went there to support a friend.”
“You’re a better friend than I thought. I wouldn’t be caught dead at a party like that, and I have nine lives,” Penelope joked.
“Unfortunately, Lisa is in a real tough spot. I’m really worried about her.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. There’s nothing more I can do tonight, though. Maybe I’ll come up with an answer tomorrow.”
Penelope nodded. “You’d be surprised what ideas come to you after a good cat nap. I mean, a good night’s sleep.
“Anyway, how about you? How was your night?”
“Same nap, different day.”
Meg laughed. “Come on, you didn’t really sleep all day, did you?”
“I’m a cat. What, did you expect me to do calculus proofs while you were gone? Although I did watch a quarter of an episode of Detective Danger.”
Meg was confused. “A quarter of an episode?”
“It’s not my fault I’m so good at cracking cases. I figured out the killer before the first commercial break came.”
One of Meg and Penelope’s favorite pastimes was watching detective shows on TV together. They
had a friendly family rivalry to see who could spot the killer first. Tonight, it looked like Penelope got a paw up on her granddaughter.
“How do you know for sure if you didn’t stick around until the final reveal? These shows can throw in some good twists sometimes,” Meg said.
“When I’m focused, there’s nothing that can distract me.”
“Except for a laser pointer, that is?” she joked.
“I’d be careful who you’re throwing those zingers at. I know where you sleep, and I can wake you up in the middle of the night if I want to.”
“Point taken.”
“You know, I think I missed my calling as a sleuth.”
“Would you really want to give up your life as a lazy house cat?”
“You’re right. Paws down, my life couldn’t get better than it is right now,” Penelope said.
“Well, I’m happy for you. Anyway, I’m going to call it a night. Here’s hoping tomorrow will be better than today was,” Meg replied.
“Hey, think of it like this; your night could be worse,” Penelope replied.
“How?”
“At least I didn’t leave you a present on the carpet.”
“Who knew you not throwing up on the carpet would be cause for celebration?” Meg cracked.
“Hairballs are nothing to joke about,” Penelope replied.
Chapter Ten
Morning came quicker than Meg hoped. It was funny, whenever she needed sleep the most were the nights when she seemed to get the least. Of course, being woken up early didn’t help. Meg often joked that she didn’t need an alarm clock because she owned a cat that woke her up for food a full hour before she wanted to roll out of bed.
The problem was, once Meg was awake, it was hard for her to get back to sleep. Having woken up on the groggy side of the bed, she was suddenly desperate for some coffee. She brewed a cup, then decided to start her day early.
Since it was Saturday, Meg had the day off from work. She’d originally planned to have a low-key day of catching up on Detective Danger episodes. As the spike of caffeine hit from the coffee, her mind turned elsewhere.
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