The Truest Thing - Hart's Boardwalk

She nodded, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Thank you.”

“That happen a lot?”

“The angry customer?”

“Yeah.” Jack didn’t like the thought of her being alone in here all the time. She needed to hire someone else to work along with her. He’d thought she would. But it had just been her for the entire two years she’d been here.

“Now and then, but rarely, customers can be unpleasant.” She set his coffee on the counter. “But nothing like that. I’m sorry you had to deal with it. I wish I were better with confrontation.”

“I’m not sorry. I’m glad I could be here. That asshole has anger problems. It wasn’t about you.”

She nodded again.

His concern for her frustrated him. “Why don’t you try to make more friends in town?”

There she went, blushing again. The white dress she wore beneath her short apron had a V-neckline so he could see even her chest flushed. Jack tried not to look. He always tried not to look. The dress had tight sleeves at the upper arms and then they puffed out from the elbow to the wrist where the fabric was tight around the wrist. The bodice was tight, hinting at perfect breasts and a narrow waist that flared at the hips. Jack couldn’t tell with her standing behind the counter if the dress was long or short, only that it loosened around the hips.

Silver jewelry dripped off her, and her hair was tied in a fancy-looking side braid, hanging down over her right breast.

Emery Saunders was like a fairy princess come to life.

Or an angel.

Yeah. A goddamn angel.

Jack, at once, wanted to protect her from everything, arm her with a metaphorical sword and teach her to fight for herself, and he wanted to dirty up those angel wings by rolling around in bed while she wore only her silver jewelry. He wanted to hear it jangle so badly, it hurt.

Christ, he was so lost in his lustful thoughts, he momentarily forgot what he’d asked her when she replied, “It’s not that easy for me.”

Remembering he’d asked her about making friends, he leaned his hands on the counter, bringing them closer. Her eyes dropped to his mouth and his gut clenched.

Jack knew Emery was attracted to him.

That knowledge made avoiding temptation extremely hard.

Literally.

“Why isn’t it easy?”

“I … I find small talk difficult.”

“You’re small talking with me.”

“I …” She frowned. “I don’t think talking about my shyness is really considered small talk.”

“Okay.” Jack leaned away, crossing his arms over his chest. “Emery, it’s a beautiful day today, don’t you think?”

Her lips twitched with amusement, making Jack feel about fifteen feet tall. “Yes, it’s very nice today.”

“Has the shop been busy?”

“It’s busy every morning. People need their coffee. Are you on your way to work?”

Elated that she’d asked him a question, Jack grinned. “I am. I’m on my way to a restaurant we’re renovating in Dewey Beach.”

“Do you like your job?”

“I do. Do you like yours?”

“Surprisingly, yes. I thought when I first opened, maybe it was a mistake … you know, with the whole small-talk thing being hard for me. But I like it. I love being surrounded by books.” She gestured to the stacks behind him, those silver bangles tinkling around her wrist.

“How long has this affair with books been going on?”

She grinned at him now, and Jack felt that smile like a punch to the gut. It was the sweetest smile he’d ever seen. That smile was like the sunrise across the ocean. There was nothing more beautiful to Jack than watching the sun start its languorous climb in the morning. The way it moved across the water as the sky transformed through shades of purple to pink to orange. Jack had never seen anything as awe-inspiring as the sunrise over Hart’s Boardwalk. Until Emery Saunder’s smile. Jesus Christ, she was so beautiful. And she had no idea. The complete opposite of Cooper’s wife, who knew she was a beauty and used it to get what she wanted.

“Since I was five. But it became something of an obsession when I turned twelve.”

“Why?”

Her gaze lowered. “That’s when my parents and grandfather died. I went to live with my grandmother.” Her eyes flew to his, like she couldn’t believe she’d told him that.

Of course, Jack had looked her up and knew from the articles that her family died when their private plane crashed.

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Em.”

Her eyes widened, perhaps at his use of a nickname. “Thank you. It was a long time ago.”

“I’m still sorry.”

After a few seconds of studying Jack, she asked, “Have you and Cooper—”

The bell above her store stopped her in her tracks, and she turned to look at the incoming customer.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, annoyed by the interruption and even more so by who’d caused it.

Dana.

Tall, slim, and tanned with an athletic body and sweet tits, Dana walked with a confidence that would’ve been sexy on any other woman. Jack understood from a purely visual perspective what Cooper saw in his wife. She had lots of silky, light brown hair and ice-blue eyes that tilted like a cat’s. Perfect little nose and full, luscious lips. High cheekbones. Great skin.