The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

He grinned, his annoyance with Dana far outweighed by the tenderness he felt for Jess. “Yeah, and she’s all mine.”

“Ugh, when did you become such a sucker for romance?” She nudged him, feigning disgust.

He shrugged. “I have no qualms admitting I like the woman who shares my bed.”

“No talk of beds.” This time she shoved him.

“What? Are you five?” He laughed because as hard as she shoved him he hadn’t budged.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she scrutinized Jess and Joey again. “She’s really good with him. Does she know?”

“Know what?”

“The rest of the story? Yours and Dana’s?”

“No.”

“Huh. I’m surprised this lot have managed to keep their mouths shut about it.”

“Sometimes they know when to be discreet.”

“Apparently.”

They both chuckled as the stall owner demanded the wig back from Jess, gesticulating at her, presumably asking her to pay for the thing if she was going to insist on wearing it. Cat sobered quickly as she turned back to him. “Are you going to tell her?”

“I’m sure it’ll come up.” He didn’t see the point in laying out all the problems he’d had with Dana. Not yet. Not until it was time for that conversation.

Jess and Joey were moving back toward them, having to push through the small crowd around Dahlia’s stall, when Jess, who was too busy yapping to Joey, was suddenly knocked back by a man who hadn’t been looking where he was going, either.

The guy gripped her arms, steadying her, and as they turned to apologize to each other, Cooper’s blood immediately overheated.

Jack Devlin.

And he was smiling down at Jessica.

Cooper was moving before he could stop himself, ignoring Cat saying his name urgently behind him. As soon as he reached them, he shoved in between them, gently pushing Jess and Joey behind him.

“Cooper,” Jess said, surprised. And annoyed.

He ignored her annoyance and stared at Jack.

Don’t you even fucking think about it.

Something flashed in Jack’s eyes. If he were the old Jack, Cooper would have recognized that “something” as regret. But he didn’t know this Jack. This Jack lifted his hands in surrender and stepped back. “I was just apologizing for bumping into her.”

Cooper kept a tight lid on the desire to punch the guy, unable to speak for fear he’d say more than the current situation warranted.

Jack’s gaze moved over Cooper’s shoulder. “I heard you’d moved on. I’m glad for you.”

Choked with anger, Cooper stayed silent.

His old friend gave him a taut nod of his head and just walked away.

What the hell?

He stared after Jack, wondering if he’d make sense of that particular Devlin ever again, and as his gaze moved past Jack, Cooper caught sight of Dana.

She was too busy watching Jack to notice Cooper watching her.

“What was that?” Jessica was suddenly in his face, scowling at him.

He glanced to his side to see Cat had Joey in hand. His sister was visibly concerned. “I’m fine,” he told her.

“Cooper?”

Jessica stepped into him, touching his chest to get his attention. He curled his hand around her wrist and brought her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. “It was nothing.”

“It was Jack Devlin,” Cat said.

Jess’s mouth formed an O shape and sympathy he couldn’t bear to see lit her eyes. “Coop,” she whispered.

He pulled away, not wanting sympathy from anyone. In that moment he regretted admitting to her how much it had stung to lose Jack. He handed Jess her shopping bags and turned to his nephew for distraction. “How about some ice cream from Antonio’s?”

“Yeah!”

He swung Joey up onto his back and the boy wrapped his arms around Cooper’s neck and held on.

Relief moved through him as they walked through the crowds, his nephew’s chatter filling his ears, and helping him forget the fury that had scored through him at the mere sight of Jack talking to Jessica.

TWENTY

Jessica

The inn was a beautiful place to work. It could be peaceful. It could be busy and fun. There were downsides—where customers were involved there were always downsides. Some people weren’t as friendly or as easygoing as others. Some made being particular into an art form. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle. And I liked working with Bailey, although to be fair we actually saw less of each other now that I was working for her.

Another downside.

The biggest downside, however, the one that scared me, was the niggling voice in my head that whispered that hospitality really wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.

Okay, so I knew that running an inn probably wouldn’t turn out to be a permanent thing, but knowing only two weeks into it that I didn’t have the passion for it that Bailey did was scary stuff. Because that meant I needed to start thinking about what the heck I was planning to do with the rest of my life.

Trying my best not to think about that, I was in the middle of helping Mona close up the kitchen for the night when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Cooper’s name flashed on the screen and with it came the butterflies.

Still.

I wondered if and when the excitement of being with him would go away.

I was hoping never, because it was a pretty awesome feeling.

“Hey, you.” I smiled as I answered the phone. inned, his annoyance with Dana far outweighed by the tenderness he felt for Jess. “Yeah, and she’s all mine.”

“Ugh, when did you become such a sucker for romance?” She nudged him, feigning disgust.

He shrugged. “I have no qualms admitting I like the woman who shares my bed.”

“No talk of beds.” This time she shoved him.

“What? Are you five?” He laughed because as hard as she shoved him he hadn’t budged.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she scrutinized Jess and Joey again. “She’s really good with him. Does she know?”

“Know what?”

“The rest of the story? Yours and Dana’s?”

“No.”

“Huh. I’m surprised this lot have managed to keep their mouths shut about it.”

“Sometimes they know when to be discreet.”

“Apparently.”

They both chuckled as the stall owner demanded the wig back from Jess, gesticulating at her, presumably asking her to pay for the thing if she was going to insist on wearing it. Cat sobered quickly as she turned back to him. “Are you going to tell her?”

“I’m sure it’ll come up.” He didn’t see the point in laying out all the problems he’d had with Dana. Not yet. Not until it was time for that conversation.

Jess and Joey were moving back toward them, having to push through the small crowd around Dahlia’s stall, when Jess, who was too busy yapping to Joey, was suddenly knocked back by a man who hadn’t been looking where he was going, either.

The guy gripped her arms, steadying her, and as they turned to apologize to each other, Cooper’s blood immediately overheated.

Jack Devlin.

And he was smiling down at Jessica.

Cooper was moving before he could stop himself, ignoring Cat saying his name urgently behind him. As soon as he reached them, he shoved in between them, gently pushing Jess and Joey behind him.

“Cooper,” Jess said, surprised. And annoyed.

He ignored her annoyance and stared at Jack.

Don’t you even fucking think about it.

Something flashed in Jack’s eyes. If he were the old Jack, Cooper would have recognized that “something” as regret. But he didn’t know this Jack. This Jack lifted his hands in surrender and stepped back. “I was just apologizing for bumping into her.”

Cooper kept a tight lid on the desire to punch the guy, unable to speak for fear he’d say more than the current situation warranted.

Jack’s gaze moved over Cooper’s shoulder. “I heard you’d moved on. I’m glad for you.”

Choked with anger, Cooper stayed silent.

His old friend gave him a taut nod of his head and just walked away.

What the hell?

He stared after Jack, wondering if he’d make sense of that particular Devlin ever again, and as his gaze moved past Jack, Cooper caught sight of Dana.

She was too busy watching Jack to notice Cooper watching her.

“What was that?” Jessica was suddenly in his face, scowling at him.

He glanced to his side to see Cat had Joey in hand. His sister was visibly concerned. “I’m fine,” he told her.

“Cooper?”

Jessica stepped into him, touching his chest to get his attention. He curled his hand around her wrist and brought her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. “It was nothing.”

“It was Jack Devlin,” Cat said.

Jess’s mouth formed an O shape and sympathy he couldn’t bear to see lit her eyes. “Coop,” she whispered.

He pulled away, not wanting sympathy from anyone. In that moment he regretted admitting to her how much it had stung to lose Jack. He handed Jess her shopping bags and turned to his nephew for distraction. “How about some ice cream from Antonio’s?”

“Yeah!”

He swung Joey up onto his back and the boy wrapped his arms around Cooper’s neck and held on.

Relief moved through him as they walked through the crowds, his nephew’s chatter filling his ears, and helping him forget the fury that had scored through him at the mere sight of Jack talking to Jessica.

TWENTY

Jessica

The inn was a beautiful place to work. It could be peaceful. It could be busy and fun. There were downsides—where customers were involved there were always downsides. Some people weren’t as friendly or as easygoing as others. Some made being particular into an art form. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle. And I liked working with Bailey, although to be fair we actually saw less of each other now that I was working for her.

Another downside.

The biggest downside, however, the one that scared me, was the niggling voice in my head that whispered that hospitality really wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.

Okay, so I knew that running an inn probably wouldn’t turn out to be a permanent thing, but knowing only two weeks into it that I didn’t have the passion for it that Bailey did was scary stuff. Because that meant I needed to start thinking about what the heck I was planning to do with the rest of my life.

Trying my best not to think about that, I was in the middle of helping Mona close up the kitchen for the night when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Cooper’s name flashed on the screen and with it came the butterflies.

Still.

I wondered if and when the excitement of being with him would go away.

I was hoping never, because it was a pretty awesome feeling.

“Hey, you.” I smiled as I answered the phone.