Things We Never Said (Hart's Boardwalk 3)

I rolled my eyes. “More like worried how well he knows her.”

“Is this about who I think it’s about?” Cooper was not amused.

Did Cooper know about Jack and Emery?

Oh boy.

“Why do I feel like I’m in high school?” Michael asked, perturbed.

Jess laughed. “Welcome to small-town life. Everyone is in everyone else’s business.”

“Speaking of …” Cooper frowned into the distance. “Who is that guy with my sister? And where’s Joey?” He marched away, his hand tight in Jess’s so she had no choice but to follow. She threw me a little wave, and I nodded back, feeling more than a flutter of butterflies at being left alone with Michael.

“Joey is Cooper’s nephew, right?” Michael moved closer to the stall.

“Yeah.” I nodded, straining back against my stool, even though there was a table between us. “He’s almost ten, kind of a musical genius, and Cooper is more like a dad to him than an uncle.”

“I get that impression.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and studied him. “You seem to be making fast friends with him.”

“He’s a good guy.”

“Michael, what are you doing?” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?” He avoided my question, leaning his hands on the table. “These past few weeks, have you missed me?”

More than anything.

Worse, despite not seeing him, I was becoming used to the idea of him living here, knowing he was in the same town, keeping everyone safe. Keeping me safe. I loved knowing that.

I loved it almost as much as the knot in my stomach resented it.

“Mike!”

I flinched at the voice.

I knew that voice.

I hated that voice.

Dana Kellerman’s appearance followed on the heels of her voice. He pushed away from my table to turn to her. My eyes drifted down her tall body of toned curves, and I felt stupid and childish and plump in my Snow White costume. It was my own fault. I’d made the Lycra outfit for Dana, and it fitted her athletic body like a second skin. The Elastigirl costume should’ve looked stupid. It did not. The red looked great against her tanned complexion. She usually wore her long hair in beachy waves, but she’d tied it up into a high ponytail that accentuated and elongated her feline ice-blue eyes. She had a perfect little nose and perfect lips and perfect high cheekbones, and she was sans mask because why would she hide such a perfect face?

Dana Kellerman was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met in real life, and I’d never hated her for it before. It wasn’t in my nature to be jealous of other women’s looks. However, seeing her in all her glory, smiling flirtatiously into Michael’s eyes, I hated her.

She was so tall, she was almost the same height as him, and her legs went on forever in thigh-high black stiletto boots.

Hateful shrew.

“Mike, I’m glad I found you. I’ve got some kids from the parade at the ice cream shack, and they are desperate to meet a real-life, big-city detective. Will you come talk to them, please?”

Ugh.

Manipulative, hateful shrew!

She didn’t care about kids. She didn’t care about anything but getting into Michael’s pants.

Dana placed a hand on his bicep and tilted her head to the side, pretty much fluttering her lashes at him. “Please.”