by Jeannie Moon
The light was hitting her hair just at the crown, and a glow seemed to rise from inside her. It was positively ethereal.
“Jack, wake up. What’s in the box?” She raised an eyebrow and repeated the question.
“Oh. Yes.” Damn. He had a problem. “A selection of pastries from Rinaldi’s, m’lady. May I come up?”
Feigning annoyance, Lilly rolled her eyes before shrugging. “I guess.”
Jack didn’t know what was going on, but she was certainly in a better mood than the last time he saw her. He’d take it. With luck, they might even have a good day. God knew he wanted to do anything but run errands for his brother. But spending time with a gorgeous brunette? He could do worse. There was even the possibility she wouldn’t drive him crazy.
Lilly met him at the door, and damn if she didn’t look even prettier up close. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a clip, exposing the soft skin of her graceful neck. She wore very little makeup, not really needing it. Her lashes were long and inky black, framing her large, dark, almond-shaped eyes.
The dress, which scooped slightly in the front, draped over her curves fluidly.
“Jack?”
“Huh?” He’d lost all ability to speak.
“Are you going to come in?”
Damn. He’d zoned out looking at her. Fell right into the little fantasy in his own head. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Stepping over the threshold, he smiled when she closed the door. “Ready for a great day! Woo hoo! I brought nourishment.”
“That’s not nourishment. It’s a sugar crash waiting to happen.” Heading up the stairs he followed, grateful for the amazing view of Lilly’s very fine ass. “I can handle all the errands on my own.” When she turned suddenly, he almost crashed into her. “Wait. No. You have to come. There’s something I need you for.”
“Is that so? I’m flattered.”
Lilly chuckled. “Don’t be.”
The apartment felt different today, looked different now that he was seeing it as a residence and not as part of her business. It could have been the personal touches he didn’t notice last week, or it could have been that Lilly’s mood was lighter.
Whatever it was, the apartment suited her. Bright, with big windows and soft colors, it was a great space. There was no clutter, and the lines of the furniture were clean and comfortable. Her choices, sea greens and blues, with touches of yellow and pink, brought the outside in. The view of the cove pulled it all together.
Lilly snipped the string holding the box closed. When she flipped open the top, sweet smells combined into one glorious bloom, and Jack’s stomach growled. That forced another smile from Lilly’s lips. “Hungry?”
“Starved. One of those croissants has my name on it.”
Lilly set the box down on the dark gray granite counter and turned in such a way that the full skirt of her dress went around her legs with a swish. Jack heard her grabbing plates from the cabinet, but his eyes were focused on the way the soft fabric wrapped itself around her body. And there was no denying, Lilly had spectacular curves.
The woman had definitely grown into herself. While she’d never been skinny, Jack remembered when she was more awkward tomboy than teenage girl. Of course, she was barely fourteen when that was the case. His memory of her at eighteen, pressed against him the night before he left for active duty, was completely different. What he felt in those stolen moments in the boat house—attraction, desire, heat—was closer to what he felt now.
And it was a real problem, because what he needed was objectivity. He kept telling himself that distance was his friend and would keep Lilly safe. But as she stood on her toes to grab something out of the cabinet, and he could see her body flex and extend under the soft fabric, Jack felt like a man possessed.
Moving next to her, Jack reached up and grabbed the mug that was tucked on the top shelf of the cabinet. “Is this what you wanted?” he said while handing it to her.
“Thanks. Noel thought he was helping the other day and put my dishes wherever they would fit. He’s so tall, I actually had to climb on the counter to get a bowl down.”
“It’s too bad kitchens aren’t designed for pint-size people.”
“Pint-sized? Pfft. Good things come in small packages, you know.”
This was good. He could tease her. That would keep his thoughts out of the gutter and more on the way things used to be between them. When he was her brother’s best friend, and she was a pesky little sister.
Then her hand brushed against his, and heat shot through Jack’s body.
Yep. He was in trouble.
*
His skin was warm to the touch, and it brought a flood of memories Lilly wasn’t ready for. Why did he have to be so close? If she had any hope of keeping her dignity or her sanity, Lilly had to keep some space between her and Jack. The emotional and physical kind.
However, never being in possession of common sense, Lilly looked up and locked on to Jack’s baby blues. Intense, deep—she truly could lose herself in them. Proof nothing had changed. They’d gotten older, had spent years apart, but he still evoked the same emotions she felt at eighteen. Lord, this was dangerous.
“We need a plan of attack,” he said quietly. “Yes? You were always a master list maker. I think you had lists for your lists.”
Lists. She could do lists. Relieved, Lilly felt the pressure in her chest release as she finally breathed out. “I’ll get my notebook, hang on.”
Happy for the chance to regroup, she slipped into her bedroom and grabbed her purse from her bed. Taking two deep breaths, she focused on the sight of the cove from her bedroom window. Breathe in, breathe out—it was a useless exercise. She might be breathing a little easier, but Lilly’s heart kept hammering in her chest.
This adolescent reaction she was having to her ages-ago crush was unacceptable. Not to mention, Jack wasn’t interested. He never had been. She’d always been the nuisance, the little sister, the friend, so the whole internal melodrama was pointless.
Still, heat continued to rise in her face, and Lilly didn’t know how to fight it. “Hey. You all right?”
Lilly’s heart rate shot right back up, triggered by the sound of his voice. Her muscles twitched and her hands felt cold. It was a flight reflex. Still, even after all this time, Gio had left his mark. When she calmed down, she was able to focus and saw Jack standing in the bedroom doorway. “Please don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
Lilly hadn’t turned around. She was still facing her mirror, eyes on him, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice how flushed she was. But Jack being Jack, he came closer, and she watched him as he stepped behind her. “You startled me.”
“I’m sorry. I was looking around your place, and I saw you staring out the window like something was wrong. You look like you’re going to pass out.”
A minute ago, she’d felt like she might.
He was close enough for her to feel his heat, but there was no contact. He’d assumed his favorite position—hands in his pockets, legs wide—while Lilly uttered a silent prayer of thanks. Was she glad he was there? Or glad she didn’t have to face the circus alone?
He’d stepped back into her regular orbit a few days ago. Sure, she’d seen him before this, they travelled in the same circles, but his visits were hit and run. The wedding was changing that narrative, and now that he knew everything—things no one else knew about her—it made all this dancing around each other very intimate. And scary.
Lilly didn’t like feeling vulnerable. She’d gone down that road, and it hadn’t ended well.
“I’m fine. Let’s eat and make our list.” Grabbing her purse, she saw Jack’s eyes drift to her bed.
Talk about the power of suggestion. Her mind immediately went to dirty places.
“Your cat is giving me the stink eye.”
Sure enough, when Lilly turned, she saw Barney sitting upright in the middle of her bed, glaring at Jack. “That cat. He’s here less than two days and he thinks he owns the place.”
“Yeah. He kind of adopted me. Odd story. Which reminds me, our last stop has to be the pet store. I need some supplies. I made a list. For a little guy, he needs a lot of stuff. My friend got me through the weekend, but I need a bunch of things.”
“Whatever you say.” Jack had stepped back, giving Lilly room to move past him.
“I’m going to remind you of that when you’re complaining about everything we have to do. Let’s eat so we can get this over with.”
“I’m going to be a model best man today,” he said while following her into the kitchen. “You’ll see.”
“Is that so?” Easing her behind onto one of the stools at the island, Lilly surveyed her choices. “I have my doubts, you know.” Hesitating for just a second, she reached in and plucked the banana nut muffin from the box. No doubt, the muffin would go right to her hips, but it was going to take her to heaven first. “This smells so good. Thanks for bringing food. I have a yogurt, milk, and a box of stale Cheerios.”
“Maybe we should stop at the market while we’re out.” Jack sipped his coffee before tearing off a piece of his croissant. “So, what’s on the agenda?”
Lilly dug her hand into her purse and pulled out her pen case. She could put the to-do list on her phone, but Lilly had always been a purist. She liked paper, pretty planners, pens. If she hadn’t become a hair stylist, she would have probably opened up a paper store. Flipping open her notebook, she looked out the window to gather her thoughts.
“Okay. First, the florist to check on the corsages and nosegays for your mom and grandmother, Nana, and Mia’s mom.”
“I’m not up on wedding lingo. What’s a nosegay?”
“A small bouquet of flowers. Let’s see…” Lilly tapped her pen on the counter. “Then the stationer, to pick up the place cards. Oh, and we have to stop at the bridal shop, so you can be fitted for your suit.”
“Oh, shit. I forgot about that. Okay.”
“We also have to stop at Jennings’ for the rings.” She was dying to see their rings. “Last, I need to stop at the vet, the pet store, and the market. Those are my errands, so if you want to bail, that’s fine.”
“Nah. I’m yours for the day. Just in case you need some muscle.” With his signature cheesy grin, Jack flexed his arm, showing off his impressive bicep.
He was charming and funny, and Lilly’s heart did a little flip as she looked at his boyish face all lit up with humor. In that way, he hadn’t changed. The war had spared him somehow.
“You don’t have to do this.” Enjoying his company didn’t change the fact that Jack was spending time with her out of obligation. “I can take care of all of these items myself.”
“And miss all the fun? Are you kidding?”
Why did he have to be so cute along with all that annoying? “Jack, look, everyone knows you can’t help your do-gooder tendencies, but I don’t need to be protected.”
Reaching out, he did something completely unexpected. He took her hand. It was platonic, brotherly almost—which was depressing—but still, the warmth spread from her fingertips right to her heart. “Lilly, you’re going to have to get used to me being around. At least until your ex is out of town.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“You are probably right, but let’s not take chances.”
Lilly should have known there was no talking him out of his protection detail. It crossed her mind to try to give him the slip, but there was nowhere to go. Compass Cove was a very small town. Not to mention, going on the lam would piss off a whole lot of people, starting with Mia.
No, she was stuck, for now. But as Jack reached into the box for one of the scones, he looked up and smiled. It was wide and bright, and crinkles formed around his eyes, making Lilly’s heart flutter like it did when she was fourteen.
“What are you looking at?” he asked.
It was too easy; she pulled out the line she’d shot at him since she was a kid. “Not much.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” He took a healthy bite of the scone. “You’re a brat.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
It was ridiculous. Lilly couldn’t help herself, she laughed, and he did too.
“Will we ever stop giving each other a hard time?” she wondered aloud.
His smile softened. It was warm and had a wistful sentimentality about it. “I hope not, Lilly. I hope not.”
Chapter Eight
“I think the pink flowers are perfect for the mother of the groom. What do you think?” Lilly held up the blue blossoms for Jack to inspect.
He glanced at the flowers, barely shrugging his shoulders. “Isn’t her dress blue? Should the flowers match?”
Lilly shook her head. “No, we don’t want the matchy-matchy. She likes pink, right?”
Again, he shrugged. “She’s a girl. I guess.”
Lilly’s head hurt from the eyeroll she executed. He was going to be no help. It was their first stop of the morning, and Jack was already as fidgety as a five-year-old boy. “Pink is not a gender requirement. And this is your mother.”
“Sorry, I’m a little out of my element with this.”
Alfred, the man who had owned Compass Florist for forty years, had always been a hoot. Gruff and salty, he was the last person you’d expect to find around the delicate blooms he sold. But his work was gorgeous, and for that reason, he was still in high demand after all this time.
A former aircraft mechanic, he bought the shop after he’d been laid off from his job at one of Long Island’s big aerospace firms in the 1970s. “You’re a lot less out of your element than I am, pretty boy,” Alfred growled.
“Hey,” Jack snapped, deciding to let his alpha show. “Who you callin’ a pretty boy? I can hold my own.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Hang on, let me text Natalie.”
“Nat doesn’t know everything.”
“Would you stop it?” Lilly let her thumbs fly over the screen, and she tuned out the man-child standing next to her. He was almost thirty-seven years old and he still acted like a pesky twelve-year-old boy.
“You girls need a moment?” Alfred asked snidely.
“Yeah, you’re a riot, Al. A freaking riot. Have the flowers gone to your brain?”
“Still sharper than you, junior,” the older man shot back.
“Boys,” Lilly interjected, “Let’s not argue.” Turning back to the samples in front of her once Nat answered, Lilly decided. “Pink and white nosegay for Adam’s mother. White corsages for both the grandmas. And Mia’s mother…” Lilly sighed. “What kind of flowers for a woman who doesn’t even deserve to be at the wedding?”
“Do you have any black roses, Al?” Jack deadpanned. The joke, which was sadly appropriate, showed that Jack wasn’t as clueless as he claimed. “I guess this is why Mia put you on this job.”
Lilly nodded. “It’s painful, but she didn’t have the heart to tell her mother not to come. Truthfully, I think Ellen is going to bail. She won’t show up. Not after what she’s done.”
Ellen DeAngelis, Mia’s mother, was a horrible, controlling woman who’d done all she could to sabotage her daughter’s life. Fortunately, Mia had found a way to fight back and find her happy ever after with Jack’s brother.
Lilly had been thinking about Mia’s story a lot lately. Life had thrown so much at her friend; she didn’t know how Mia had stayed standing. Losing her sister and her father, uprooting her life… Lilly looked to Mia as an example of survival.
But it didn’t keep Lilly from being afraid.
“What color is her dress? That’s important, right?”
It was the last thing Lilly expected Jack to ask. Racking her brain, she had no idea. “No clue.”
“Al, one of those nosegay things. Make it out of carnations.”
Al’s eyebrows shot up. “Carnations? At a big fancy wedding? The bride and groom are spending a fortune on flowers, and you want me to give the mother of the bride carnations?”
; Now Jack was the one rolling his eyes. “Fine. Use whatever flowers you want. But I want the bouquet to be orange.”
“Coral. Or peach. Never orange.” Al might have been crusty, but he knew his flowers.
Jack finally glanced in her direction. “Any thoughts? You’re awfully quiet over there.”
“For a guy who’s out of his element, you handled that really well. Coral, or peach, it is.”
Lilly signed the order, and she and Jack headed back to Main Street. The second she stepped outside, the warm breeze fluttered up under her dress. Her hands rode down around her hips so she wouldn’t have a Marilyn Monroe moment in front of the whole town. Not that she looked like Marilyn. If only. “It’s getting hot.”
“Yep. It’s supposed to be ninety today. Hopefully the humidity will hold off.” Jack’s hands were at his sides, and she had to resist the urge to hook her arm through his. They’d been reduced to talking about the weather; touching him would be a very bad idea. Even if it didn’t mean anything. “Where to next?”
Lilly looked at her list. “The compass shop. I have to take a look at the rings.”
“I’m anxious to see what Liam came up with,” Jack said. “When he was knocking heads together on the football field, we had no idea he was an artist.”
That made her laugh. Liam was such a gentle giant. Remembering him as a hulking defensive lineman went against everything he had become. “He’s taken the shop to the next level, that’s for sure. It’s absolutely beautiful in there.”
Jennings Compasses and Fine Watches had been in the same spot on Main Street for centuries. There weren’t many businesses that could make that claim, but the Jennings family and their store was part of Compass Cove history. The romantic legend that had inspired generations of lovers was rooted in Caleb Jennings’ love for the widow Lucy Velsor. Their story gave people hope, even when life, and love, seemed impossible.
When she first came back to Compass Cove, Lilly would stop in at the shop and gaze at the pretty brass compass in the glass case. She’d given up on her own happy ever after, but she loved the unbridled romanticism attached to the small object.