The blond beauty who had introduced herself in the supermarket had been getting in his face a lot these past few days. As stunning as she was, there was something hard about her. And something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Whatever it was, his gut told him to stay away. Not that he was interested anyway.
Michael nodded. “Yeah, she’s been pretty obvious about that.”
“I’m not one for gossip, but you should know she’s not well liked around here. She’s doing her best to ingratiate herself with everyone again, but she’s not to be trusted.”
“I got that impression. What did she do?”
“Well, other than being a spoiled brat … You know Cooper’s? The bar.”
“Yeah.”
“Owned by Cooper Lawson. Good guy. Well respected and well liked. She was married to him, cheated on him. With his best friend. Jack Devlin.” Jeff let that sink in. He’d filled Michael in on the dynamics of the Devlin family, and so he knew that until recently, Jack had nothing to do with his family business. “Then apparently, she tried to pull more shit when Cooper moved onto something better. He’s married to one of the local doctors now.”
None of that surprised or bothered Michael. “You don’t need to warn me off Dana. I’m not interested.”
Jeff nodded. “Your mystery woman?”
Michael smiled into his coffee, thinking about Dahlia. Four days was too long. He needed to drop by her shop. See where her head was at.
“Just be prepared for Dana. Kell said she’s determined to have you by her side in the parade.”
“No one is talking me into that. It’s ludicrous to even suggest it.”
Jeff rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what I was thinking letting the others do it.”
“Community spirit,” Michael offered. “It’s not that bad. I think people will love seeing their officers do it. Just not me. And it’s not like you’re doing it.”
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy town events.” Jeff shrugged. “But there’s no way I’m putting on a fucking costume and parading around town like an idiot. As for you, I’ll tell Kell to back off. Dahlia will find another Mr. Incredible to suit up.”
The mere mention of her caused Michael’s heart to speed up. “Dahlia?”
“She owns the gift store on the boardwalk. A talented artist, makes her own jewelry. She also does the costumes for the Winter Carnival.” He wore a small smile as he stared into his mug. “Everyone always looks great.”
Something about Jeff’s expression stirred an uneasy feeling in Michael. “Sounds like you know her quite well.”
Jeff’s smile wilted a little. “I used to know her quite well.”
What the hell did that mean? “How well?”
Hearing the hint of accusation Michael couldn’t hide, Jeff’s gaze jerked to him and his eyes narrowed. “We dated.”
Jealousy seized Michael. Vicious and ugly, twisting his gut. Was this the guy? Was this the guy who managed to make Dahlia forget about him? Yeah, he hadn’t forgotten her admitting that there had been one guy who pushed Michael out of her thoughts for a while. She also admitted she broke up with him. “Dated? Past tense? Who broke up with who?”
Jeff sat up, his expression carefully blank. “She broke it off. Woman has commitment issues.”
“You didn’t want it to end?”
“This is feeling like an interrogation.” Jeff scratched his stubbled jaw. “No, I didn’t want it to end. Dahlia’s pretty special.”
Jesus fuck.
Michael looked away, his jaw clenched tight. He liked Jeff. Respected him. He did not want to fuckin’ resent him.
“How did I not put two and two together?” Jeff sighed heavily. “You’re both from Boston. Dahlia’s your mystery woman. You two are a thing?”
Clearing his throat of the thick ball of emotion, Michael shook his head. “We were. I’m here because I want her back … Tell me something. You over her?”
Jeff didn’t answer. Instead, they shared a look filled with a lot of unspoken things and the easy camaraderie that had sprung up between them from the moment they met was altered. Tension shifted between them. Tension Michael hated.