“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, no. I was already up.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Is there something I can do for you?”
Lucas offered her a rakish grin, bowing his head so that she had no choice but to look at him. Her cheeks went the most adorable shade of pink. “Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would stop in and check up on you. How are you feeling? Did you take the pills I brought you?”
“They worked. First real sleep I’ve gotten in days.” And because they knocked her out, she didn’t experience any of the nightmares she’d been afraid to have. Ten hours of dreamless sleep, it was the best gift anyone could’ve given her last night. “I appreciated it.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m the doctor. It’s my responsibility to take care of my patients. And since you’re here, for however long the sheriff wants you to stay, I’ll do my best to take care of you.”
“Oh, wow. I— I don’t know what to say.”
Lucas did. “Have you had breakfast yet?” he asked.
That was the last thing she expected from him. Except for when Maria was forcibly reminding her that she had to eat, she didn’t think about food. Her stomach went from queasy to settled to angry, depending on her mood. Her appetite was long gone. She shook her head.
“Great. Tell me you’ll come with me to have some.”
Was he serious? Tess dared to look up at him, her gaze drawn to his chiseled jaw and the way his expression both enticed her and warned her not to refuse.
Oh, yes. He was dead serious.
But why?
“Oh, I… um, I’m sure Maria will be expecting me to eat with her. Your sister’s very kind. She’s been feeding me every chance she gets.”
“She must think you’re too skinny.”
“She might have implied that once or twice,” Tess admitted. “I like her. I don’t want her to waste her work if she’s already started breakfast.”
Lucas waved away her concerns. “I stopped by Maria’s room before I came to check on you. Don’t worry about her. I already told her that we were going to go to the coffeehouse together. She just asked me to bring home one of Addy’s scones. My sister is an amazing cook,” he confided, lowering his voice as he leaned in, “but she can’t bake to save her life.”
The handsome doctor was close. Super close. Tess’s heart skipped a beat. Her mouth was suddenly as dry as the Sahara. Swallowing roughly, she found herself nodding. “Okay. I’ll go with you. Just let me get changed.”
“I’ll be waiting on the porch. Come outside when you’re ready.”
“Give me five minutes.”
“No rush,” Lucas said, reaching out to tap her nose. She felt that casual touch all the way down to her toes. Even when he backed away, her skin still burned. “I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”
Jack never wanted to wait for her. If she wasn’t ready when he was, he would threaten to leave her behind—and, sometimes, it wasn’t just a threat. She lost count of the times that they went somewhere in separate cars because he couldn’t stand waiting around for her to finish getting dressed. Lucas’s patience was so foreign to her that she stood, stunned, as he walked away, whistling.
Giving her head a quick shake, she shut the door behind him and, stripping as she went, ran right to the bathroom. One year being married to a stickler with time had long since turned her into a quick-change artist when the situation called for it.
So even though Lucas told her that he was content to wait, the two of them were pulling up to another Victorian-style house barely twenty minutes later.
When Lucas said he was taking her to a coffeehouse, she was expecting a Starbucks or maybe a local cafe. The narrow, spindly house—a house house—was unlike anything she imagined. It had the turrets and the railings like Ophelia, but it was a third of the size with at least one extra floor. And, she felt the need to point out again, it was a house.
“Is this it?”
Lucas killed the engine. Opening his door, he climbed out of the car. “Sort of.”
Sort of? What did that mean? Tessa unbuckled her seatbelt.
She saw what he meant a minute later. He guided her around the side of the house, surprising Tess with another building similar in style to the first, only much smaller. It reminded her of a greenhouse, with the same weathered facade as the Victorian in front of it.
Another wooden sign, eerily reminiscent of the sign welcoming visitors to Hamlet, hung over a pale blue door.
In a looping, swirling script, it read: the coffeehouse.
“This is one of Hamlet’s many treasures,” Lucas told her. “Not only does Addy do the best baking in town, but the coffee is to die for. And if Gus is cooking, there’s no better meal. Except for when Maria is in charge of the kitchen,” he added loyally. “They do all the baking and cooking in the main house. The coffeehouse is where you can go to sit with your coffee and just relax.”
Tessa didn’t think she remembered how to relax. With Lucas as her breakfast companion, she figured it was worth a try.
Lucas looped his arm around her shoulder before opening the door for them. “Come with me. There’s a table in the back where we can talk without too many people staring.”
As Tessa walked beside the doctor, she couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t kidding. There were at least nine other people being served inside and each one was watching in avid interest as Lucas led her to an empty table against the far wall. She tucked herself close to his side, more than willing to use his bigger body as a shield.
He pulled out her seat, waited for her to take it before he moved to sit opposite of her. The instant his butt hit the chair, the waitress appeared.
She was a perky little thing, all of maybe fourteen years old. On the tall and gangly side, she wore a burgundy apron that slipped off her slim shoulders. Her hair was cut short, her face too feminine for the cut to seem boyish. When she smiled in a warm greeting, Tess saw the most endearing gap between her two front teeth.
“Doctor De Angelis, hi! Mom was just talking about you and here you are. I swear, it’s like she’s psychic or something.”
“Good morning, Sally.” Cordial yet frosty, Tess decided. He was a local, sure, but one who kept himself on the fringe. She wondered if it had something to do with his being the only doctor in Hamlet. “What can I do for your lovely mother?”
The teen’s cheeks turned a rosy sort of pink. Tess didn’t blame her. Whenever Lucas turned his stunning good looks in her direction, she felt herself getting warm, too.
“She was just wondering out loud if you’re gonna be opening up your office soon for seeing patients. She’s got that patch thing going on with her foot again. I know she wants you to check it out but Aunt Cait says you've been busy with sheriff stuff.”
Sally’s mother, Adrianna, was a close friend of Caitlin’s, close enough that Sally referred to the sheriff as her aunt. Addy was also, with her husband Gus, the owner of the coffeehouse.
Originally called The Danish Coffee & Cake Shop—because most shop owners in town took pride in Hamlet and it showed—nearly all the locals simply referred to their shop as the coffeehouse. The only nod to the original name was the small DC&C stamps printed on the coffee mugs. Even Addy eventually gave up the fight and had Maria paint her a new sign to overhang the front door.
“You tell her that anytime she needs me, give me a buzz. I’ll be starting regular hours in the next couple of days, but I’m never too busy for her.”
“I’ll tell her, doc. So, what can I get you two? Mom’s got a fresh crumb cake coming out in the next ten minutes.”
“How’s coffee to start?” Tessa nodded, so he told Sally, “Two coffees, please. And is Gus on the grill?”
While Sally was the server and Adrianna did all of the baking, Gus stayed in the main kitchen in their house, preparing any of the hot meals ordered and sending Sally across the grass to deliver them.
Like its original name, the plan that the coffeehouse was on
ly a coffeehouse changed shortly after Addy and Gus opened the place. Hamlet had been in need of a homestyle diner-type joint, with breakfast and lunch served for any of the locals who were tired of the only other two restaurants in town. The coffeehouse filled the void. And despite being a haven for Hamlet locals, it was always crowded.
“Yeah, Dad’s working straight through the lunch rush like usual.”
“Perfect. If you could bring us a list of what he’s cooking up today, that would be great. My guest and I will be having brunch following our coffee. We’ll choose from his specials.”
Even after he gave their order, she didn’t move away from their table. He could tell that it was on the tip of Sally’s tongue to ask about Tessa. Considering how rare it was for outsiders to find their way into Hamlet, especially in such a scandalous way as Tessa had, there was no doubt in his mind that the teen knew exactly who she was. But gossip was currency in such a small village. By bringing Tessa to the coffeehouse, Lucas had just made Sally rich.
He leaned back into the uncomfortable seat. “Thank you, Sally. The coffee, if you could. We’ll go with the house special. The Danish, please.”
She knew a dismissal when she heard one. Already planning on telling her mother everything she had gathered about the doctor and his outsider friend, she scurried back through the Employees Only door into the smaller kitchen.
Lucas watched the teen go, knowing full well what she was going off to do. He turned to Tessa, prepared to warn her that even this table hadn’t managed to hide her. He cocked his head, though, when he saw that she was looking at him strangely.
“What?”
16
“Your name is De Angelis.”
“Yes.”
“And the sheriff… that’s her name, too.”
He knew where she was going with this. To be honest, Lucas was surprised it took her this long to say something about it. It wasn’t like he had ever hidden it. “That’s right.”
“Maria is your only sister, but Caitlin has your name. So you two—”
“We were. A long time ago.” It was important to him that she understood that point. “Stupid kids got married before they realized it would be work. We got divorced years ago but she always says that my name is one more thing she got in the divorce.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t worth the argument. You’ve met Caity, you know what she’s like. If she wanted it, she could keep it.”
The young waitress came back with their coffees. Lucas took his black, watching curiously as Tessa dumped in three creamers and two sugars before stirring it all up with the flat of her knife. She took a sip, added one more sugar, then sipped again.
Satisfied, she remarked, “I don’t know why she would bother.”
“Bother what? In keeping my name? I’ve always like it.”
Tessa grinned. It was about time he finally saw such a light-hearted expression cross her face. Lucas was struck by the simple beauty of it. He knew she was more than seven years younger than him but, at that moment, she seemed soft. Youthful. Innocent. He found himself grinning back.
She flicked the discarded lid from one of her creamers at him. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…” Her grin lost some of its shine. “It feels so weird to think of myself as Tessa Sullivan now that Jack’s gone.”
“Were you married long?” Lucas tested his coffee. Finding it too hot, he set it to the side.
“Just a year. Actually, this was supposed to be a second honeymoon thing and—I’m sorry. Talking about him seems to help, but then I… I don’t know. Just. Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about him after what happened and… yeah.”
“Don’t apologize.”
Her brow furrowed. “Did I?”
“You did. And it wasn't the first time. Seems like that’s all you do, saying the word sorry over and over again.”
Tessa took another sip. If it was a nervous tactic to stall the conversation, it didn’t work. Lucas watched her closely, waiting for her answer. He didn’t say anything. The silence eventually forced her to continue.
“It’s still really hard for me to get it, to get that he’s gone. I mean, I know I signed that form for the cremation. I didn’t want any ceremony and maybe that was a mistake. Without seeing it, there wasn’t any closure for me. Then again, I think I saw enough in that hotel room, right? I don’t know. I guess it didn’t hit me that he was… that he was actually murdered until I got that note last night.
“I was so stupid, too. I mean, what was I thinking? Running out into the night like that, nearly getting myself killed, all because somebody thought it would be funny to mess with the… what do you guys call it?”
His lip curled. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Outsider.”
“Right. I’m an outsider who brought death to Hamlet, whether I meant to or not. Of course they would want me gone. The note, while crude, almost did the job.” Her laugh was forced. “I don’t think I’ve ever ran so fast in my life, and all because someone tried to turn my own husband’s murder against me.”
Lucas had come to the same conclusions himself. Nobody ever locked their doors in Hamlet which was what had gotten his sister into so much trouble last year. That was why he insisted so strongly on the dual system on the rooms in Ophelia. The front door might be open. The rest of them wouldn’t be.
Except the note had appeared in the Lavender Room before Ophelia’s lockdown. That meant that anyone could have snuck into the bed and breakfast and left the note—if, in fact, there was a note.
“You don’t think they meant it? The threat?”
She shook her head. “Looking back, I know that it had to be a prank. Some sick person’s idea of a joke. I only wish you and Maria and the deputy didn’t have to see me fall apart like that last night. I feel like such an idiot. Just because Jack’s gone, it doesn’t mean I’m next.”
He wasn’t sure if she really believed what she was saying or if she was trying to convince herself that it was a joke so that she didn’t have to be afraid. Taking a sip of his coffee, he studied her over the rim of his mug. That was what was missing today, he realized. She didn’t seem so afraid.
“I didn’t want to say anything before but, now that you say that, there's something different about you now.” Lucas set his mug down, absently rearranged the cutlery so that the fork and knife were parallel to the mug’s handle. “That must be why. I told you. It had to get worse before it got better. I never expected someone to play such a mean-spirited prank, it's not what we do here, but maybe it helped a little if it made you accept Sullivan’s death at last. Twisted closure, yeah, is closure all the same.”
“Yeah. I guess. Hey, thanks,” she said to the young waitress as Sally refilled her empty mug.
Sally wordlessly offered the carafe to Lucas. He shook his head and she moved on to her next table.
Three creamers, three sugars. He took three pink packets from the ceramic holder, palmed three half & half containers from the chilled bowl and slid them across the table to Tessa. She beamed at him. With a gracious nod, she prepared her second cup of coffee with all the precision of a chemist working at her station.
Lucas leaned back in his seat, taking the time to really observe her. The sleeping pills were a big help. The dark circles under her eyes no longer looked like puffy purple bruises. A soft smile lingered on her lips more often than the sad frown he’d become accustomed to seeing. There was steel in her spine. Her husband’s death had bent her, tied this woman in all sorts of knots, but it hadn’t broken her.
“It’s something else,” he observed.
Tessa stopped, her mug halfway to her lips. “Excuse me?”
“It’s not just because someone tried to scare you.”
“Try nothing,” she muttered darkly. “They sure as hell succeeded. I about convinced myself that I was going to die in the woods behind your sister’s house.”
Lucas raised his eyebrows. “And then Deputy Walsh rode in and saved the day.”
“Yes, well�
��” Tess let her sentence trail to a close. She filled the silence by taking a big gulp of her coffee. The creamers hadn’t cooled it entirely. As the heat scalded her tongue and the back of her throat, she choked and forced it down.
Okay, she decided. That was enough for now.
Something warned her against allowing Lucas to bring Mason into their discussion. She cast around for an idea of something else to talk about before settling on the truth. Besides, she didn’t think he would let her get away with anything less. For a man she hardly knew, he was far too good at reading her.
“I’ve been thinking about Jack a lot,” she admitted.
“That’s not a surprise. You lost your husband suddenly in a very brutal way.”
“Yes, but…” Tess exhaled roughly. The confession was a hard one, but if there was one person in Hamlet who wouldn’t judge her for it, she was betting that would be the doctor. “I guess I’m kind of glad he’s gone. Is that terrible of me?”
“I can’t say.”
She felt compelled to explain. “He wasn’t a bad man. He just wasn’t the man I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him, but I think I stopped being in love with him a long time ago. I still tried to make it work, though. He was so good to me in the beginning, but he could tell… we just drifted apart. There never was that that sort of ah-ha moment. I didn’t love him one day, then resent him the next. It's just… he kept me caged, Dr. De Angelis. The pretty little bird expected to sing on command. And all I wanted was to be free. Maybe not the way it happened, but I can spread my wings now, can’t I? And because I’m happy, it makes me feel even worse that I am.”
Lucas reached out, placing one of his hands over her slender one. “Some beauties were meant to fly,” he told her. “I would never clip your wings.”
No, he thought. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to clasp a chain around her ankle and keep her close.
That was dangerous. To imagine owning this woman. He tensed slightly, caressing the top of her hand with his palm before pulling his arm back to his side of the table. Busying himself, he picked up his mug and took a deep drink.
Don't Trust Me Page 15