Mr. Jacobs walked toward them with a grin. “Well, if it isn’t my assistant for the day, Sticky Fingers.”
Luke felt a blush climb his face, but at least the man didn’t sound angry.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Sullivan. Are you still comfortable leaving Luke here with us, or do you want to stay for the shows? We have different performances for the younger kids and the older crowd. Splitting them up makes it easier to fit everyone in the room, too.”
His mom hesitated as she considered the offer, and Luke worried she might decide to stick around. With school being out for the summer, he saw her all day long, every day. He needed breathing room.
Luckily, she shook her head. “Thanks, but I have plans to meet a couple of friends for lunch. I’ll be back at two. Luke knows how to reach me if you need me sooner. Be good, okay?” She reached out and ruffled his hair.
That settled it, he was definitely getting a haircut.
“Thank you for giving him this opportunity, Mr. Jacobs,” she said. “It might be good for him.”
“Both of you call me Rick, please. I have to admit, as far as assistants, I’m partial to Nurse Amy, the cutie who’s helped me before. But she has more important duties. Maybe if this works out, Luke can come back next month, too.”
Give up another Saturday when he hadn’t even done anything wrong? Then again, at least the hospital was air-conditioned. Luke had decided while doing chores this week that it must be a thousand degrees at the farm. His mom gave him a quick hug goodbye, and Luke couldn’t help grimacing at the display of affection.
“The thing about mothers,” Rick said as she walked away, “is that they may cramp our style, but they love us more than anyone else ever will. I left home at seventeen, thinking I was too badass to need my mama, but I cried like a little bitty baby when she died two years later. Appreciate yours while you have her.”
The thought that anything could ever happen to her caused an icy hand to clutch Luke’s heart. He couldn’t lose another parent. “Yes, sir.”
“Come on, my stuff’s in the big room at the end of the hall and I need help setting up. I might even have time to teach you a couple of card tricks before we get started. At the very least,” he drawled, “I can teach you enough sleight of hand that you’ll be too suave to get caught boosting candy bars.”
“That is never going to happen again,” Luke said. “The stealing, I mean.”
“Good. Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Sticky Fingers.”
* * *
“I SHOULD NEVER have let her join us for lunch.” Crystal leaned across the table, complaining good-naturedly to Kate. “My little sister’s life is so exciting that the rest of us seem dull in comparison.”
Looking at Jasmine Tucker, known to friends and family as Jazz, Kate had no trouble believing the woman had been a model. All the Tucker girls were pretty, but Jazz was downright arresting. Her auburn hair was cut in an asymmetrical bob, highlighting elegant cheekbones and bright green eyes.
Jazz laughed dismissively. “Dull? With five kids? Please. They’re always doing something to keep you on your toes.”
“True,” Crystal agreed. “How I’d love to get through the rest of the summer without a single trip to the ER.”
“Besides,” Jazz added, “life in New York wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds. There was a lot of getting up at four a.m. and waiting around. And rejection. And living in cramped quarters with roommates so we could afford rent. I’m happy to be home.” She reached for the last piece of corn bread in the basket at the center of the table. “And, damn, I missed the food.”
“Food’s not the only thing you like about being back in Cupid’s Bow,” Crystal said knowingly. “And I don’t think reuniting with your sisters is why you’re always grinning these days, either.” Their other sister, Susan, worked for the county school district; Crystal had told Kate the two women should discuss teaching jobs, but Susan hadn’t been able to join them today.
Kate couldn’t help smiling at Jazz’s obvious bliss. “I hear you and Brody Davenport are pretty much inseparable.”
“It’s bizarre because, on the surface, we have nothing in common.” Jazz stirred her straw around in her sweet tea. “I’m obsessed with fashion and getting the boutique off its feet, and he’s busy with his family’s ranch. We have totally different interests and temperaments, but...” Considering how her eyes glowed when she talked about him, finishing her sentence wasn’t necessary. “You know, I asked him out once, when we were in high school, and he shot me down.”
“Which he has spent plenty of time trying to make up to you since,” Crystal said.
Jazz smile was pure satisfaction. “Oh, yes he has. What about you, Kate? I hear you’re seeing someone new. A certain local sheriff?”
Actually, she hadn’t seen him since their afternoon at the pool, although they’d spoken on the phone. He’d called about piano lessons. Alyssa was hinting that she was interested, but Cole wasn’t sure whether the sudden desire stemmed from an earnest appreciation for music or growing affection for Kate.
“You made quite an impression,” he’d said. “She’ll be heartbroken if you and Luke don’t come to the girls’ birthday party.”
“I’ll put it on our calendar,” Kate had promised.
That had earned a chuckle and the explanation that he still hadn’t figured out when or where the party would be, although their birthday was rapidly approaching.
“Ladies,” Crystal sat back in her chair, beaming. “We have done very well for ourselves! Me, happily married to the guy I’ve loved since high school, Jazz practically living at the ranch with her hot cowboy, and now Kate is with dreamy Sheriff Trent!”
Kate was amused by her friend’s enthusiasm, but quick to add, “We’ve only been on one date.” The unfamiliar word was getting easier to say. “That’s not exactly in the same league as—”
“Well, hey there, Crystal.” A strawberry blonde who towered at near-Amazonian height stopped by their table. She nodded to each woman in turn. “Jasmine. And... I don’t believe we’ve met?” She extended a hand to Kate, her nails painted the same frosted pink as her lipstick. “Becca Johnston.”
Gulp. Kate shook her hand. “Kate Sullivan. Just moved to town. My son and I live with my grandmother out by Whippoorwill Creek.”
“Would that be Joan Denby? Lovely woman. She’s on my committee for the Watermelon Festival. I wish she’d brought you to the meeting this week. I can always use an extra pair of hands.”
It was difficult to tell from her toothy smile whether this was an overture of friendship or an obscure threat to chop off Kate’s hands.
“Kate’s been pretty busy,” Crystal said loyally. “Unpacking, getting reacquainted with the town, preparing to offer piano lessons.”
“Are you? My Marc-Paul has a natural aptitude for music,” Becca said. “Do you have a card?”
“Uh...no.” Maybe she should put that on her to-do list. “Like Crystal said, I’m still in the early preparation stages.” Becca didn’t need to know that Cole was bringing Alyssa over Monday evening for a trial lesson.
“Best of luck,” Becca told her. “I’ll just have to keep tabs on Joan so I know when you’re ready to take students. I have to dash, but it was nice to see you ladies. Crystal, you’ll be at the parade meeting tomorrow?”
“With bells on.”
No one at the table said anything as Becca exited the restaurant, catching up to the rest of her party.
“Is it just me,” Jazz finally said, “or when she said she’d ‘keep tabs on Joan’, did anyone else picture her hiding out in the bushes, watching the house through pink binoculars?”
“She does seem a little...intense,” Kate said. “But hospitable.” After all, she’d encouraged Kate to get involved and had all but signed up her son for lessons. Kate need
ed students, and she needed word of mouth in the community. She suspected Becca Johnston could provide plenty of that.
“Not just intense, think the word you’re looking for is eerie,” Crystal said. “Downright eerie. We no sooner mentioned the sheriff and, whoosh, she materialized out of nowhere.”
Jazz laughed. “She and her friends were seated in the other room and on their way out when she heard you mention Cole. You were being kind of loud.”
“Comes from living in a house with five kids,” Crystal said. “A person learns to speak up if she wants to be heard over the chaos.”
The two sisters were still good-naturedly heckling each other when the waitress brought the bill. Crystal insisted on paying, to celebrate two of her favorite people being back in town.
“Do you have time to come by the boutique?” Jazz asked Kate as they rose from their seats. “I’d love for you to see it. And, you know, buy stuff.”
Kate grinned. “Sounds fun, but by the time I got there, I’d only have a few minutes before I had to head back to the hospital to pick up Luke.” She hoped his afternoon had gone well. She’d wanted to text him and ask for an update but after how prickly he’d become in the car, she’d received the message. No hovering.
It was difficult to know how much space to give a kid, especially one with a checkered past. It would be irresponsible parenting not to monitor him some, but she also had to give him room to be independent, to build trust.
There wasn’t parking in front of the shops and restaurants lining Main Street. Instead, there were two lots at either end. The Tucker sisters had parked down by the pharmacy, while Kate’s car was in the other direction, past the only bookstore in town.
She waved goodbye to them on the sidewalk. “Jazz, I swear I’ll come by the store soon. And Crystal, I’ll call you about getting the boys together.” Her friend’s oldest child was a girl, but she also had an eleven-year-old son. They’d talked about taking him and Luke bowling or horseback riding at Brody’s ranch. Jazz had chimed in that Brody was an only child and, like Kate, he occasionally found it lonely. He’d bonded quickly with Jazz’s nieces and nephews and claimed to love having kids around to liven up the ranch.
“As long,” Jazz had qualified impishly, “as we can return them to their proper owners afterward.”
After parting ways with her friends, Kate tried to stay under the shade of store awnings as she made her way down the equivalent of a few blocks. The town’s movie theater dominated the center of the street, across from the bank. She was looking around, taking note of minor changes and marveling at how much had remained the same when she realized there was a man standing on the sidewalk in front of her. A uniformed man who’d yet to notice her because he was scowling at a window display.
“Cole?” It was the first time she’d seen him dressed in his khaki sheriff’s uniform, and it made his profession that much more real. He was no longer just the doting father who’d kicked a soccer ball in Gram’s front yard or the dad who’d given his daughters piggyback rides in the pool. This man oversaw everything from traffic violations to local manhunts to security at the county courthouse. He exuded power and authority.
“Hey.” His lips curved in a smile so welcoming it sent a shiver dancing up her spine. When was the last time anyone had looked that happy to see her?
Well, Gram was always thrilled when Kate showed up, but there was a decidedly wolfish quality to Cole’s grin that Gram didn’t have.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he told her.
“Thank you. And you look...very official.” His badge glinted in the sun, and the dark green tie he wore was a classy touch. Aware that her physical perusal was lasting a beat too long to be casual, she turned to see what he’d been looking at with such exasperation.
They were in front of the toy store. On the other side of the glass, rows and rows of dolls stared back at them, from baby dolls whose boxes were captioned with promises to “spit up, just like a real infant!” to fashion dolls whose separately sold wardrobes and accessories probably added up to one of Kate’s car payments.
“Is it just me,” Cole said out the side of his mouth, “or do their eyes follow you wherever you move?” He rocked from one side to the other, keeping a wary gaze on the dolls. “Why would a girl ever want one of those things?”
“Ah. Birthday shopping?” she guessed.
“More like preshopping investigation. I’m on my lunch break. I grabbed a sandwich at the deli and decided to stroll through town, do a little window-shopping for inspiration.” He sighed. “Mandy’s easy to buy for. I got her a pair of rainbow-striped shin guards, a fishing rod that’s a miniature version of mine and the next two books in a series she likes about a crime-fighting panda. Alyssa...I don’t know. At first, a doll seemed like a good idea, but I’m not sure if I could sleep with one of those things in my house.”
Kate smirked. “I promised your daughter that even her big, strong dad was afraid of something. I just didn’t realize it would be baby dolls. But I have to admit, they freaked me out a bit when I was a kid.” Something about the plastic faces that were so human and inhuman at the same time. “How about a stuffed animal instead? More cuddly, less creepy.”
“That’s smart. I mean, she already has a bunch, but she seems to love them all. I can find her a cute teddy bear. And the sporting goods store had a pink fishing pole that—”
“You do know she hates fishing?” she interrupted, imagining the disappointed expression on Alyssa’s face when she opened that gift.
“Alyssa? No, she doesn’t. We fish every time we go camping, and—”
“Oh, boy.” Apparently, the girl who’d had no trouble opening up to Kate hadn’t confided her true feelings about either activity to her dad. Had he really not noticed her lack of enthusiasm? “Cole, I don’t think she likes to camp, either.”
“What?” He rocked back on his heels, his forehead puckering. “Are you sure you aren’t taking some remark out of context? This is the same girl who cries cannibal instead of cannonball, so you have to take what she says with a grain of salt.”
“This was pretty clear cut. I hate to break it to you, but she talked about how she doesn’t like camping because it’s dirty and there are bugs. And because you make her go fishing.”
“Make her? But the girls... They’ve always been excited about our trips.”
Both of them? Kate didn’t think so. She recalled Alyssa’s pinched expression when she’d commented that her dad and Mandy were probably having a lot of fun in the deep end. Without her.
Kate took a deep breath. “You and I haven’t known each other long, and I don’t want to overstep or sound like I’m criticizing...” Especially since her only child was currently working off his candy-bar debt to the business owner he’d robbed. What the hell did she know about perfect parenting?
Cole surprised her with a sunny smile. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings. Years with my mother have given me a thick hide when it comes to surviving unsolicited advice. Besides—” he reached down to squeeze her hand “—I trust your opinion.”
He did? She glanced down, watching the slide of his fingers across hers as he dropped his arm back to his side. For a moment, she couldn’t recall what she’d intended to say.
“Goodness gracious.” A feminine voice trilled from across the street. “We just keep running into each other today!”
Kate glanced over to see Becca Johnston and her two friends emerging from the flower shop. Becca marched across the street, not bothering to check for traffic. Granted, with Main Street being a mostly pedestrian area, there were rarely cars. But there was something about the commanding woman that suggested she could halt oncoming vehicles using only the power of her mind.
At Becca’s approach, Cole stiffened. Without thinking, Kate reached for his hand, meaning to repay the
brief gesture of encouragement he’d given her a moment ago. But Cole not only laced his fingers through hers, he used their shared grasp to tug her even closer, pulling her against him. He rubbed his thumb over Kate’s surprisingly sensitive palm, and her breath caught. That shouldn’t feel so good. Or so personal, like an activity unfit for a public street.
“Sheriff Trent.” Becca’s eyes narrowed as she stared at their joined hands, “I’m so glad to see you. The festival committee hopes to recruit you for a fun volunteer opportunity. We have an idea that will not only be an exciting addition to the last day of the festival, it will help raise money for an important cause.”
“Thanks for thinking of me,” Cole said, his cordial tone threaded with trepidation. Kate mentally added “festival committee” to his list of fears, right under “dolls who follow you with their glass eyes.”
He cleared his throat. “But as I said last year, when I got asked to man the kissing booth, I really need to stay available for crowd control and security.”
Kissing booth? Kate bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She could just imagine the long line for a shot at the sheriff’s lips.
“Ugh.” Becca wrinkled her nose. “Kissing booths are unsanitary. We will not be doing that on my watch. What I have in mind would only pull you out of the crowd for a few minutes on Saturday, then you could get right back to work.”
Becca’s friends had joined her on the sidewalk and were both bobbing their heads in supportive agreement. “Becca’s thought of everything,” one of them chirped.
Undoubtedly.
“You know how on the Saturday of the festival we’ve traditionally sold grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, with the proceeds going to the fireman’s fund?” Becca asked. “I know how to drive that amount even higher.”
Gram had mentioned that one of Cole’s brothers was a firefighter. Whatever favor Becca planned to ask, she wasn’t making it easy for him refuse.
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