The Truest Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 4)

She wouldn’t invite that, though. What Jack really wanted to do was shake her and tell her to stop being stupid and tell his old friend the truth. Cooper was not a guy who would judge her for that shit.

Instead, he waited impatiently for her reaction.

“And why is that?” she asked, not looking him in the eye.

“You broke up with Cooper. You’re no longer of any use. That doesn’t mean my father doesn’t know a good resource when he sees it. He’ll keep that information on a back burner until it proves useful again.” So, fucking tell Cooper the truth.

“You son of a bitch. Both of you.”

Yup. No arguments there. He shrugged as if her words didn’t touch him, and then he caught sight of Beckwith making a return.

Time to go.

Jack slid off the stool but rounded the table so all Jessica could see and focus on was him. “Cooper’s liquor license,” he warned.

She frowned in obvious confusion. “What?”

Frustrated, Jack bit back a curse. “Cooper’s. Liquor. License.”

Jack watched the understanding dawn on Jessica’s face and relief moved through him.

He’d leave it up to the doc now to take care of his old friend.

10

Emery

One year ago

* * *

While the rain came down in sheets outside the store, the fire in the grate crackled, giving the space the cozy vibe I’d always hoped for. A few years ago, I’d made the bold decision to repaint the store in a rich teal that made all the white wood stand out in stark relief. I thought it looked great.

It looked particularly great right now because my friends were sitting around the fire eating the lunch I’d prepared for them.

My friends.

Who would have thought it?

But meeting Jessica Huntington had changed my life.

The doctor came to Hartwell for vacation, fell in love with Cooper, and stayed, and along the way, we’d connected. From the moment we met, I’d sensed a rare kinship. Her presence was soothing, she was unintimidating, and she didn’t push for details of my past. Maybe that was why I’d let her in. Jess was almost as private as I was, and she explored a friendship with me without treating me like I owed her details about my life in exchange for her companionship.

My relationship with Jessica wasn’t the biggest surprise. With Jess came Bailey and Dahlia. Bailey was Jess’s best friend and Dahlia was Bailey’s. They were a package deal. But the best thing was, they took their cues from Jess and never pushed me for information about my life before Hartwell.

Well, not too much.

I’d spent the last year getting to know all three women better. Bailey stopped by the store every morning to pick up coffee for Jess and Dahlia, and we’d chat. We were at a point now where I was almost as comfortable around Bailey as I was around Jess.

And it was nice.

Lovely, in fact, to have friends. Finally.

I studied Bailey as she moaned around a mouthful of the crabmeat canapé. I’d closed the store for our lunch to give us privacy. I thought perhaps, after everything Bailey was going through, she’d want to talk.

A few weeks ago, she’d discovered her long-term boyfriend, Tom, with another woman. They’d broken up after ten years together. Of course, that was a big life change, but I was more concerned about the things Bailey wasn’t willing to acknowledge.

Anyone with eyes and ears knew about the antagonism between Bailey Hartwell and Vaughn Tremaine. He’d bought the Old Boardwalk Hotel four years ago, razed it to the ground, and started over. In its place he’d built a towering, modern building called Paradise Sands Hotel and Conference Center. It looked great. But Bailey had fought him the whole way, thinking he would ruin the aesthetic of the boardwalk.