That Man of Mine (Whispering Bay Romance 3)

“You want me to give you away? Then I’m paying for the wedding.”

“You are no doubt, the most stubborn man on earth.”

“But you still love me.”

“Fortunately for you, yes.” Her concerned little sister face took over. “Mimi still loves you, too. What’s going on, Zeke? You need to fix this.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to.”

“How? You’ve been in counseling for over a year now. What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

“So Mimi kicked you out of the house for nothing? That’s not like her.” Allie’s gaze dropped to her folded hands. “There’s not anyone else, is there?”

“You know better than to ask me that.”

She visibly relaxed. “Okay. Good. I didn’t think that was the problem.”

“Look, don’t worry about me and Mimi. I give this separation another week, tops.”

*~*~*

Another week. Tops. Hopefully, he hadn’t just made his sister a promise he couldn’t keep.

Zeke stripped off his police uniform and changed into his running shorts and a T-shirt, grabbed his iPhone and headed for the beach. He was up to ten miles a day now. He’d always been a runner, but lately, the running was more than just a way to keep fit. It was his own personal form of catharsis.

He warmed up for the first half-mile, then increased his pace over the next two until he was flying. Sand kicked up beneath his heels and a wave of cool air rose off the February gulf water while Coldplay’s Viva La Vida streamed in his ear. It was a little maudlin for his tastes. He usually preferred listening to hard rock while he ran, but tonight it fit his mood.

Mimi had accused him of using his nightly runs to get away from their problems. He’d blown her off, but maybe she had a point. While he was running there were no dispatch calls to take care of. No police budget to worry about. No time to think about how he’d let down his wife and family. If he knew how to give her what she wanted, he’d give it to her. He was a good guy. A loyal husband. An attentive dad (so maybe he could be a little strict, but it was because he loved his kids). He worked hard to make sure his family had everything they needed. The thing she wanted from him wasn’t in his DNA. Pure and simple. He accepted her the way she was. Why couldn’t she do the same for him?

His phone buzzed, interrupting the music. He briefly considered not answering but that wasn’t in his DNA, either. He was the police chief of Whispering Bay, which meant the buck stopped here. Like it or not, he was on twenty-four/seven.

He stopped running to catch his breath to look at the number glowing on the screen.

Son-of-a-bitch. How had he gotten his personal cell phone number? He briefly thought of answering. Just to tell him to fuck off. But Sam Grant wasn’t worth the breath it would take.

Zeke hit the reject button and went back to his run.

Mimi was supposed to meet Allie at The Bistro by the Beach, Whispering Bay’s premier coffee house. It was located directly on the gulf, right next door to the town’s newest business, Baby Got Bump. She briefly thought of stopping inside to say hello to Lauren. Ever since Lauren had married Nate Miller, Mimi hardly ever saw her except when she was dropping off Henry to visit Cameron or vice versa. She didn’t blame her friend for wanting her privacy. Lauren and Nate had gotten engaged at her parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary back in December, and then surprised everyone by eloping the following week. They were newlyweds and Mimi wished them the best of luck.

Not that they needed it. Nate was one of Whispering Bay’s only two practicing physicians and a total sweetheart. Mimi was thrilled for Lauren. Not only was she happy in love, she was now successful in business, too. Baby Got Bump had been Lauren’s dream child. The place had originally started off as a retro boutique, but after a year of dismal sales and some unexpected inspiration, Lauren had begun to design retro maternity wear instead. The Lilly Pulitzer-meets the Beatles look had gone viral, making Baby Got Bump one of north Florida’s hottest new businesses.

Mimi’s phone pinged for a second time. As much as she’d love to catch up with Lauren, she’d have to do it some other time. She was currently two minutes late meeting her sister-in-law. It was a one-on-one Mimi wasn’t looking forward to, but she had to do it sometime.

She opened the door to The Bistro by the Beach. The entire place turned to stare at her. It had been less than twenty-four hours, and exactly as she’d predicted, all of Whispering Bay now knew about The Separation.

She’d had to turn off her cell phone this morning due to the influx of calls. But then she’d remembered that as mayor, she couldn’t really do that. What if the city needed her? What if Cameron or Claire got sick at school? So she’d turned her phone back on and screened her calls. Luckily, the city hadn’t needed her. Her mother, on the other hand, had needed her six times in less than two hours.

Frida Hampton, the Bistro’s owner and a good friend and fellow Bunco Babe was making a latte when she spied Mimi. She handed the latte to a waiting customer, then stepped out from behind the counter to give Mimi a hug. “What the hell! Why didn’t you tell us what was going on with you and Zeke?”

“I had planned to make an announcement at Bunco Thursday night, but I guess I’ve been pre-empted.”

“You okay?” Frida asked. She tucked an unruly auburn curl into the blue scarf bandana holding back her hair.

“Sure, I’m fine. Or as well as anyone could be now that half the town knows my business.”

“Not half the town. The whole town.” Frida smiled sympathetically. “You’re a politician now and people love a good story. Don’t you watch The Good Wife?”