The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

“How you doing, Joe?” she said, fondness written all over her face.

Joey looked up at her, frowning. “Where have you been?”

She gave him a look of apology. “I had some things to take care of. But I’m back now.”

His nephew grinned. “Did Uncle Coop tell you he bought a puppy?”

Oh, shit.

Yeah.

He had forgotten to tell her about that.

Jess’s eyes flew to him and she looked like she was struggling not to laugh. “He did not.”

Cooper smiled at her. “An Old English sheepdog. The litter is only a few weeks old. I pick him up in five weeks.”

“An Old English sheepdog? Those are pretty big, aren’t they?”

“I wasn’t going to get a teacup.” In all the times he’d imagined getting a dog it had been a big one like Chester, his mom’s St. Bernard. He’d loved that dog growing up.

She shook her head, smiling. “Big it is.”

“Uh, can we get on with this?” Tremaine said, looking impatient and bringing Cooper back to his original confusion.

“What’s everyone doing here?”

Tremaine gestured to Jessica. “Apparently your good doctor here has a plan to stop Devlin.”

She hadn’t said a word about a plan to him the night before. Although to be fair they hadn’t done much talking the night before.

Jess glanced down at Joey and then over at Cat.

Cat shrugged at the unasked question. “As long as no one is planning to swear or plot a murder, he’s fine. Joey won’t say a word about what happens here, will you, kid?”

Joey mimicked zipping his mouth closed.

Cat made a See? gesture.

Satisfied, Jess turned to address everyone. “Between myself and Bailey informing you all, everyone is up to speed with Ian Devlin’s suspected plans to blockade the renewal of Cooper’s liquor license?”

They all nodded, but Cooper tensed. He hadn’t wanted this to be anyone else’s problem. The whole point was to get Tremaine to deal with it so no one else would worry about how far Devlin was willing to go to get real estate on the boardwalk.

He gave Tremaine a look that said as much, but the bastard just smirked at him and turned back to Jess.

“We don’t know who it is on the city board of licenses that Devlin has bribed. And we don’t need to. All we need to do is a little bribing ourselves.” She shot Cooper a reassuring look before turning back to his neighbors. “I propose that you all sign a petition stating you will close your doors if Cooper’s liquor license—or Antonio’s, or the hotel’s or the inn’s—is not renewed. We’ll take the petition to the city board of licenses and tell them that we’ve received word that someone on the board has been bribed. If that turns out to be true, and they don’t do something about it, all doors on the boardwalk will be closed.”

Tremaine scowled at her. “You really think they will believe that businesses that rely on tourism to survive will close their doors during the season?”

“Yes.” She gave him a wicked smile. “Because those businesses’ owners are friends with Vaughn Tremaine and he will be willing to supplement their income until the petition is met by the city board.”

Cooper almost choked at the horrified look on Tremaine’s face.

“You’re fucking joking, right?” said Vaughn.

Jess clapped her hands over Joey’s ears as Cat snapped, “Hey, kid in the room!”

He held up a hand. “Apologies. But still.” He glowered at Jess. “Are you kidding?”

“It’s just a bluff, Vaughn. Everyone knows you have more money than Croesus. You could keep a number of families afloat for a good while.”

“No one in their right mind would believe that I would do this.”

“He’s right.” Bailey stared at him in disgust. “He’s a selfish, coldhearted bastard. I can’t believe you seriously thought he’d help Cooper out, Jess.”

An iciness Cooper had never seen before crept into Tremaine’s eyes as he stared at Bailey. His tone was equally chilly when he said, “You won’t taunt me into doing this, Miss Hartwell.”

Cooper had had enough. “Look,” he said, rounding the bar, “I appreciate Jess organizing this, and you all coming to hear her out, but Tremaine and I are already on it.”

Bailey’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “He’s helping you?”

“I can be helpful when I want to be,” Tremaine said.

“I’ve never seen that side of you.”

“I only help the people I like.”

It was a direct hit. The first one Cooper had ever seen him volley at Bailey. It seemed he’d had enough of her insults.

Bailey tried to hide her flinch, but it was there.

Tremaine saw it and Cooper watched the muscle in his jaw flex as he jerked his eyes away from her.

Huh.

Maybe Jess was right about those two.

Not that Cooper had time to think about that disaster waiting to happen. “As I said, I appreciate you all coming here, but we’ll take care of it.”

Jess scowled at him. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, I do.”

Dahlia spoke up. “I’m signing the petition. Devlin can’t get away with trying to bully us. If we stand together he has way less chance of taking from one of us.”

“We’re signing, too,” Iris said. o;How you doing, Joe?” she said, fondness written all over her face.

Joey looked up at her, frowning. “Where have you been?”

She gave him a look of apology. “I had some things to take care of. But I’m back now.”

His nephew grinned. “Did Uncle Coop tell you he bought a puppy?”

Oh, shit.

Yeah.

He had forgotten to tell her about that.

Jess’s eyes flew to him and she looked like she was struggling not to laugh. “He did not.”

Cooper smiled at her. “An Old English sheepdog. The litter is only a few weeks old. I pick him up in five weeks.”

“An Old English sheepdog? Those are pretty big, aren’t they?”

“I wasn’t going to get a teacup.” In all the times he’d imagined getting a dog it had been a big one like Chester, his mom’s St. Bernard. He’d loved that dog growing up.

She shook her head, smiling. “Big it is.”

“Uh, can we get on with this?” Tremaine said, looking impatient and bringing Cooper back to his original confusion.

“What’s everyone doing here?”

Tremaine gestured to Jessica. “Apparently your good doctor here has a plan to stop Devlin.”

She hadn’t said a word about a plan to him the night before. Although to be fair they hadn’t done much talking the night before.

Jess glanced down at Joey and then over at Cat.

Cat shrugged at the unasked question. “As long as no one is planning to swear or plot a murder, he’s fine. Joey won’t say a word about what happens here, will you, kid?”

Joey mimicked zipping his mouth closed.

Cat made a See? gesture.

Satisfied, Jess turned to address everyone. “Between myself and Bailey informing you all, everyone is up to speed with Ian Devlin’s suspected plans to blockade the renewal of Cooper’s liquor license?”

They all nodded, but Cooper tensed. He hadn’t wanted this to be anyone else’s problem. The whole point was to get Tremaine to deal with it so no one else would worry about how far Devlin was willing to go to get real estate on the boardwalk.

He gave Tremaine a look that said as much, but the bastard just smirked at him and turned back to Jess.

“We don’t know who it is on the city board of licenses that Devlin has bribed. And we don’t need to. All we need to do is a little bribing ourselves.” She shot Cooper a reassuring look before turning back to his neighbors. “I propose that you all sign a petition stating you will close your doors if Cooper’s liquor license—or Antonio’s, or the hotel’s or the inn’s—is not renewed. We’ll take the petition to the city board of licenses and tell them that we’ve received word that someone on the board has been bribed. If that turns out to be true, and they don’t do something about it, all doors on the boardwalk will be closed.”

Tremaine scowled at her. “You really think they will believe that businesses that rely on tourism to survive will close their doors during the season?”

“Yes.” She gave him a wicked smile. “Because those businesses’ owners are friends with Vaughn Tremaine and he will be willing to supplement their income until the petition is met by the city board.”

Cooper almost choked at the horrified look on Tremaine’s face.

“You’re fucking joking, right?” said Vaughn.

Jess clapped her hands over Joey’s ears as Cat snapped, “Hey, kid in the room!”

He held up a hand. “Apologies. But still.” He glowered at Jess. “Are you kidding?”

“It’s just a bluff, Vaughn. Everyone knows you have more money than Croesus. You could keep a number of families afloat for a good while.”

“No one in their right mind would believe that I would do this.”

“He’s right.” Bailey stared at him in disgust. “He’s a selfish, coldhearted bastard. I can’t believe you seriously thought he’d help Cooper out, Jess.”

An iciness Cooper had never seen before crept into Tremaine’s eyes as he stared at Bailey. His tone was equally chilly when he said, “You won’t taunt me into doing this, Miss Hartwell.”

Cooper had had enough. “Look,” he said, rounding the bar, “I appreciate Jess organizing this, and you all coming to hear her out, but Tremaine and I are already on it.”

Bailey’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “He’s helping you?”

“I can be helpful when I want to be,” Tremaine said.

“I’ve never seen that side of you.”

“I only help the people I like.”

It was a direct hit. The first one Cooper had ever seen him volley at Bailey. It seemed he’d had enough of her insults.

Bailey tried to hide her flinch, but it was there.

Tremaine saw it and Cooper watched the muscle in his jaw flex as he jerked his eyes away from her.

Huh.

Maybe Jess was right about those two.

Not that Cooper had time to think about that disaster waiting to happen. “As I said, I appreciate you all coming here, but we’ll take care of it.”

Jess scowled at him. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, I do.”

Dahlia spoke up. “I’m signing the petition. Devlin can’t get away with trying to bully us. If we stand together he has way less chance of taking from one of us.”

“We’re signing, too,” Iris said.