Chapter Four

Paul stuck his head in the kitchen, saving Julia from going down the “if only” path again. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies.” He gave her a warm smile.

As she did each and every time, she made note of his exceptionally white teeth. He had great teeth—kind of like a mouthful of Chiclets. The better to eat you with, my dear. She swallowed a laugh at the inappropriate thought.

“Maggie just arrived,” he told her.

“Okay, great, thanks.” Julia didn’t have to work on swallowing her laughter now. It dried up with the knowledge nothing had changed between Maggie and Colin.

As though Paul picked up on something from her smile, he looked at her more closely and sauntered to her side. He was a tall man—though not as tall or as powerfully built as Aidan—and had an easy way about him, unlike Aidan, who’d yet to shed the persona he’d assumed while working undercover investigating a motorcycle gang for the DEA months before.

The first two words that came to mind when she thought about Aidan were dangerous and badass. Well, maybe not the first two exactly, hot and… What are you even doing? she asked herself. In her head, of course. She had to stop thinking about the man.

“Hazel, why don’t you and Delaney start bringing out the food while I help Julia with the gravy? I’ll carve the turkey while I’m at it.”

Julia stifled a groan. Somehow Paul knew she’d burned the gravy.

As most people did when he made a suggestion in his smooth, low-pitched voice, Hazel and Delaney did as they were told. But not before the mayor’s narrowed gaze moved from Paul to Julia. And that suspicious glance had nothing to do with Hazel expecting Julia to be true to her son’s memory and stay single for the rest of her life. No, the woman who would have been her mother-in-law was on the hunt to find Julia a man.

Hazel wanted her married and living in Harmony Harbor for the rest of her life. Even though it could be a tad annoying, the reason behind Hazel’s matchmaking was endearing and a little sad. She was afraid Julia’s brothers and father would eventually convince her to move back to Texas. Julia was the only family Hazel had.

From the look the older woman was giving Paul, he wasn’t in the running for Julia’s hand in marriage. No doubt she’d hear about it before the night was over. Probably when they were watching While You Were Sleeping, their favorite Thanksgiving-night movie.

“How did you know I burned the gravy?” Julia asked Paul when Hazel and Delaney carried the vegetable dishes and warming trays out to the dining room table. With twenty-four guests, they had gone with a buffet instead of a sit-down dinner.

Paul’s thick mustache twitched as he pointed at the black pieces rolling around in the pot.

“How did they get there? I could have sworn I got them all.” That settled it. She had to go on a gravy hunt. Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be the same without it. She reached back to untie her apron. “I’ll go to the manor. I’m sure they have gravy to spare.”

“No need. I’ve got this.” He rested his big hands on her shoulders, turning her so he could retie her apron. She tensed at the feel of his fingers grazing her butt, a little surprised because he’d always been the perfect gentleman. But the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced it wasn’t intentional. Between where the apron strings fell, the size of his hand, and her good-sized behind, it had to have been an accidental finger brush.

“Can’t have you messing up your dress,” he said, tying the apron strings into a perfect bow.

Knowing what he was alluding to, heat rose to her cheeks. They’d gone out for a spaghetti dinner on their third date. She hadn’t quite mastered the fork and spoon roll and splattered sauce all over the front of her blouse. Paul had fashioned a bib out of her linen napkin.

He smiled, a warm gleam in his brown eyes. “Did I tell you how pretty you look today?”

“Yes. Yes, you did.” Several times. It’s why she’d escaped to the kitchen. “You look pretty too. I mean handsome.”

He did. He wore a camel-colored crewneck sweater that showed off his well-toned upper body. An image of Aidan at the beach wearing nothing but board shorts tiptoed across her mind. Really? She had to stop thinking about the man and comparing the two. It wasn’t like she was dating either one. Her brain sabotaged the not-thinking part of her plan by flashing a memory of Aidan’s bulging biceps, ripped pecs, and six-pack.

Thanksgiving, guests, dinner, she silently repeated in her head in an effort to keep her mind where it should be instead of where it shouldn’t. “So, how are we going to save the gravy?”

Obviously, they weren’t. Paul dumped the entire contents into the sink. She grimaced upon seeing the blackened bottom of the pot. She must have been daydreaming for way longer than she’d thought. As Aidan and a pair of handcuffs flirted with her brain, she picked up the champagne glass from the counter and tossed back its contents.

While Paul moved the turkey pan with the leftover drippings onto the front burner, Julia walked to the coffee bar to pour herself another glass of champagne. “Can I get you something to drink, Paul?”

“No, I’m good, darlin’. Now get over here so I can show you how this is done.”

Julia inwardly cringed. Like the whole rolling spaghetti with a fork and a spoon, Paul’s teaching sessions never ended well. She’d almost destroyed her exhaust system when he’d given her parking pointers.

“I’ll just say a quick hi to Maggie.” Before Paul came up with a reason for her to stay, Julia grabbed a pickle tray with her free hand and fast-walked toward the dining room.

In contrast to the stark kitchen, the living and dining rooms were elegant and inviting. The walls were painted a calming slate gray with white wainscoting and dark hardwood floors, a perfect complement to the old Victorian house and its antique furniture.

Hazel wasn’t big on food preparation, but she loved to entertain. At that moment, she and Delaney were standing by the Queen Anne table they’d moved against the wall in the dining room talking to a handsome, golden-haired man and his equally attractive sister.

Byron and Poppy Harte were good friends of Julia’s. They published the Harmony Harbor Gazette and usually spent Thanksgiving with their grandmother, who’d left last week to spend the winter in Florida.

Julia wondered if Poppy and Byron were second-guessing their decision to join them today. Delaney was trying to convince them that dedicating a full page to Hazel and her plans for Harmony Harbor was just the thing to boost weekly readership.

“We wouldn’t have to worry about declining numbers if I could find Colleen Gallagher’s memoir,” Byron said, turning his head at Julia’s gasp.

Panic made her stumble. She’d wrongly assumed Byron had given up hunting for Aidan’s great-grandmother’s book, The Secret Keeper of Harmony Harbor. A hundred and four when she passed away last November, the Gallagher matriarch had known a lot of secrets, including Julia’s. Rumor had it that Collen had recorded everything she knew about everyone in town in her book. Julia figured there was a fifty-fifty chance that Colleen had written about her.

Byron reached out to steady her. “Careful, love.” He took the pickle tray and placed it on the table.

“Thanks. I hope I didn’t splash anyone. I must have caught my heel on the rug.” She made a production of checking the bottom of her shoe, spotting Maggie in the living room as she did.

Even in the crowded room the attractive redhead was hard to miss. She stood in a corner beside the baby grand piano wearing a pumpkin-colored silk shirt with matching wide-leg pants, her gold and copper bangles jangling as she raised her hand to her mouth.

Assuming Maggie’s concern was meant for her, Julia smiled and finger-waved. “I’m okay.”

Maggie’s gaze flitted to her, and she offered Julia a small smile. So she hadn’t been looking at her after all. Byron, Julia decided. The tense expression on Maggie’s face didn’t have anything to do with Julia and everything to do with the book. Maybe they should start a club. Because Julia knew for a fact that she and Maggie weren’t the only ones worried about the book being found.

But it wasn’t like there was much they could do about it. Colleen’s memoir had been missing since she’d died. Julia prayed it stayed that way. She imagined Maggie did too. Though she had no idea what the other woman’s secrets were. She didn’t know a lot about Maggie. She’d opened her art gallery in town a little more than a year after Julia opened Books and Beans.

She waved Maggie over and then went up on her toes to kiss Bryon’s sun-bronzed cheek and Poppy’s pale one hello. Julia hadn’t figured out if Byron used bronzer or had a tanning bed in his home. “I’m so glad you both decided to come.”

Delaney pursed her lips at Julia, probably ticked that she’d interrupted her pitch to the Hartes. It was Thanksgiving for goodness’ sake. She’d assumed Delaney would give her campaigning a rest in deference to the holiday. Then again, the statuesque blonde lived and breathed her job. For that matter, so did Hazel.

“I’ll give Paul a hand,” Delaney said with a flick of her stylishly cut blond hair. Julia studied how the light from the chandelier caught in the warm and cool shades that swung across the back of Delaney’s little black dress. It would be the perfect style for Julia’s heroine from Warrior’s Touch, Gillian Connolly. Hmm, maybe Julia shouldn’t be casting workaholic aspersions Delaney and Hazel’s way after all.

Byron winked at her. “Always happy to spend time with you, love.”

Julia rolled her eyes. She no longer took Byron’s flirtations seriously. He wasn’t interested in her. However, Hazel, who hadn’t seen him in action, was looking at him in a whole new light.

Julia was just about to take care of that by mentioning Byron’s girlfriend, Lexi, when Maggie joined them and asked, “How are you? No bruises or scrapes from your fall?”

“What fall?” Byron and Hazel asked at almost the same time with the same level of concern. Which earned the reporter another considering look from Hazel. Gah.

“It was nothing. Just—” Julia began, only to be cut off by Maggie.

“Miller and Aidan thought Julia was a burglar and—”

“Are you kidding me? Aidan Gallagher took you down… again?”

Julia really wished Poppy hadn’t said that. Last summer she’d convinced the Hartes to keep the incident at the beach out of the paper and hadn’t mentioned it to Hazel. “Of course he didn’t. Miller was just happy to see me.”

Hazel frowned. “Wait, what do you mean again, Poppy?”

Julia opened her mouth, about to suggest they get the rest of the food on the table, when Poppy decided to reveal photographic evidence of the incident. Scrolling through her phone, Poppy found what she was looking for and held it up for Hazel. Maggie leaned in to have a look too. Both women’s eyes went wide, and they gasped.

Really? Could her day get any worse?

As if in answer, a smooth, low-pitched voice asked from behind her, “What are you all looking at?”

Julia whipped around. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Here, let me help you with that.” She went to take the platter of turkey from Paul.

A hand pressed to her chest, a distraught Hazel said, “I don’t understand. Why would Aidan rip off your mermaid costume and leave you stark naked for everyone to see, Julia?”

“It was an accident. Aidan thought I was a shark.” She’d been trying out her costume, swimming under water to get into character for her performance later that day. Like Julia once had, Millie the Mermaid, the character she’d created, didn’t feel like she fit in at home or at her school for fishes. Millie was very popular with the children in town, who undoubtedly felt the same at one time or… Wait a second.

“Poppy, please tell me you don’t have naked pictures of me on your phone,” Julia said, horrified. She’d been wearing a Lady Godiva wig that day and had been positive it had covered all her bits. Sweet Caroline, she hoped it had.

“As if. You can’t see anything. But it’s obvious you are. Aidan’s holding up your bikini bottom and your costume.”

A grim-faced Paul placed the turkey platter on the table and then gestured for Poppy’s phone. Which she immediately handed over.

“You know, Julia, if Aidan’s harassing you again, all you have to do is tell the chief.” Poppy looked at Paul. “He thought she was a burglar and took her down at Maggie’s this morning.”

If Julia hadn’t already been thinking Poppy had an ax to grind against Aidan, she would be now. Her friend had thrown him under the bus and then drove over him for good measure.

“What are you talking about, Poppy? He didn’t take me down. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just being a good neighbor and looking out for Maggie.” She could tell by the expressions on Paul’s and Poppy’s faces that they didn’t believe her.

The distraught sob of twenty minutes ago was back and warbling in her throat, and Aidan was once again the culprit. There was no help for it—she was going to have to go on another date with Paul.

*  *  *

As Aidan leaned against the bar at Greystone Manor, he took in the morose expressions on his brothers’ faces. He’d worried needlessly about getting grief over Ella Rose not showing for Thanksgiving. His brothers felt sorry for him.

It was his own fault, he supposed. He shouldn’t have told his sisters-in-law how much he’d been looking forward to having his little girl for the long weekend. But it was hard to hold out against them. They got their jollies ganging up on him and trying to get him to talk about his feelings.

“Knock it off with the long faces. You’ll upset Grams and your wives, and I don’t want to have to deal with the four of them. Five of them,” he corrected himself. Half the time, Lexi, the ex-wife of his oldest brother, Griffin, was a bigger pain than his three sisters-in-law and grandmother combined.

“You don’t have to pretend with us. We know how tough this is on you. We’re here for you, bro. Let it out.”

He stared at his dark-haired, blue-eyed baby brother. A firefighter like their dad, Liam was married to Sophie, who managed the manor. They had an eight-year-old daughter, Mia, and a newborn baby boy. Ronan Jr. was five weeks old. Maybe lack of sleep was having an adverse effect on his brother.

But before Aidan had a chance to ask Liam what he meant by let it out, and he sure as hell hoped it didn’t mean what he thought it did, his second youngest brother, Finn, a family physician, who also had dark hair and blue eyes, gave Aidan’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I feel for you, brother. In your place, I don’t know what I’d do. All I can say is you’re handling it better than I would.” Finn looked away, cleared his throat, and then took a swig of his beer.

Aidan narrowed his eyes. Did Finn just… tear up? What was he smoking? Of course he didn’t. Then again, his brother had nearly lost his wife, Olivia, a couple of months ago, so Aidan supposed he might be more emotional than usual. And he was a new, adoptive father to seven-year-old George and had a baby on the way. Still…

“Yeah, man, Finn and Liam are right,” Griffin said, brushing his light brown hair from his blue eyes. A former Navy SEAL, Aidan’s oldest brother was now with the Coast Guard. At least Aidan didn’t have to worry about Griffin getting emotional. He was tough as they come. He’d endured a lot over the years. But he was now happily remarried to Ava and saw Gabriel, his baby boy with Lexi, every day.

Ah hell, Aidan thought, when it looked like Griffin might be tearing up too. “Okay, you know what? You guys are ticking me off. What did you do with my brothers?”

Griffin frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re all so… emotional. Next thing I know, you’ll be telling me I’ll feel better if I get in touch with my feelings and have a good cry.”

“You don’t have to pull your tough-guy act with us. We know that under that grumpy, snarly exterior is a guy who’s missing his little girl. We get it, bro. We’re on your side. If you need us to have a come-to-Jesus moment with Harper, we’re there,” Liam said.

“Yeah, just give us the word. Whatever you need from us, you’ve got,” Finn said, clinking his beer first to Aidan’s and then to his other brothers’ bottles.

That was more like it. These were the brothers he knew and loved. “Appreciate it. But for now I’m staying the course. I’m not giving in to Harper’s demands.”

“What demands?” Griffin asked. “You never said anything about demands, just that she reneged on the original agreement.”

“Well, she did. Unless I agree to supervised visitation, as in Harper has to be with us at all times, and that means her spending Thanksgiving with me and Ella Rose, I can’t see my daughter. It’s a ploy. She wants to get back together, and she’s using Ella Rose as a pawn.”

“I totally called it at GG’s funeral. It was obvious Harper was still hung up on you back then. I told her I saw through her act. Mike did too. You should talk to him,” Liam said. Their cousin Mike had been an assistant district attorney before becoming an FBI agent.

“I did. And both Mike and my lawyer say the same thing. It’s hard to fight her because she has a solid reputation as a psychiatrist. She’s well known and has connections in family court.” Aidan gave them the short version of what Mike and his lawyer had said. The long version was even more infuriating and depressing.

“She’s not the only one with connections. Say the word and I’ll get Liv involved,” Finn offered.

A wealthy Boston socialite, Finn’s wife, Olivia, had plenty of clout. “I appreciate the offer. I’m hoping Harper will relent once she realizes she can’t manipulate me by using our daughter. She loves Ella Rose, so I’ve gotta believe she’ll eventually come around.” What he didn’t tell his brothers was that he was worried Ella Rose didn’t care whether she saw him or not. Their relationship had changed after his last undercover assignment. It was like she didn’t know or love him anymore.

“You should just ask… Maybe it’s Harper,” Liam said when Aidan’s cell phone rang.

He was thinking the same thing. Hoping she’d finally seen the light. He dug in his jeans pocket for his cell phone.

Finn grinned and held up his phone. “It’s Julia Landon. She just texted me for his number. Didn’t think you’d mind.”

“What does she want?” Aidan muttered, disappointment a heavy weight in his chest.

Liam waggled his eyebrows. “Julia Landon, eh?”

“You been holding out on us, bro?” Griffin asked.

“You might want to keep it down. If Grams finds out he’s talking to Julia…” Finn trailed off, chuckling as he brought the beer bottle to his mouth.

Aidan gave them a one-finger salute as he walked across the slate floor and took the call. “Gallagher.”

“Is that how you always answer your phone? It’s a little off-putting, you know.”

He would have recognized her voice even if Finn hadn’t told him who it was—sweet and clear with a subtle hint of her Texan roots. “Sorry. What can I do for you?”

“And that was so much better,” she murmured and then said, “I, um, just wanted to warn you not to pick up your phone if the chief calls.”

Aidan bowed his head and pulled in a frustrated breath through his nostrils. “Great. Thanks for the warning. But here’s the thing. It wouldn’t have been necessary if you didn’t go running to your boyfriend to tell on me.”

This day was getting better by the minute. He should have stayed in bed. An icy wind swirled around him as he reached the massive stone fireplace. He looked toward the stairs leading to the entryway, surprised to find the heavy doors shut. He moved closer to the crackling fire to warm up.

“I didn’t, but he’s, um, not only upset about this morning. It’s about the mermaid incident. At the beach last August?”

As if he could forget. He no longer needed the fire to keep him warm. The memory of Julia that day was heating him up just fine. He moved to the brown leather wingback chair and took a seat.

Something yowled.

“Jesus!” He jumped up and looked back. He’d sat on Simon, a black cat who’d arrived at the manor just before Aidan’s great-grandmother Colleen had died. “Sorry, buddy. No hard feelings.”

“That’s okay. I knew it wasn’t intentional. I tried to explain to Paul, but he was—”

Aidan pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Simon.”

“Oh, I see. Okay then. I’ll let you go. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m sure Paul will cool down by tomorrow…” Her voice trailed off at the sound of raised voices in the background, and then she continued. “For sure by next week. Sorry I interrupted your Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day with your daughter.”

“My ex didn’t let me have her,” he said without thinking. Then winced when he realized what he’d done. “Anyway, thanks for the—”

“Wait! What do you mean she won’t let you have your daughter? You have an agreement. You were supposed to have her all weekend.”

His Spidey sense went off. This was exactly what he kept talking about to his family. She shouldn’t know or be interested in this kind of stuff. “How do you know that?”

“Olivia, of course. It’s not some big secret, is it?”

“No, but… It doesn’t matter. Enjoy your—”

“No, that’s not true. It matters very much. To you and to your daughter.”

“You’re right, it does matter to me. A lot. But according to my ex, it doesn’t matter to my little girl. She doesn’t want to see me unless her mother’s there. She makes it sound like Ella Rose is afraid of me.” He heard her breathing over the line. “Whatever you want to say, just say it.”

“Well, from what Olivia told me, your last assignment kept you away from your daughter for months. And it sounded like your split from your ex was contentious…”

“So…”

“Don’t let your feelings toward Harper keep you away from your little girl, Aidan. You need to spend time with her so she’s comfortable with you again. Who knows what she thinks or what her mother tells her when you don’t visit. And when you’re not with her, call her. Call her every day and let her know just how much you love her.”

He’d never thought of calling Ella Rose. He supposed because he still thought of her as a baby. “Thanks, that’s a good idea. I’ll do that. I’ll call her.”

“And spend Thanksgiving with her?”

“I don’t want to give Harper the wrong idea. Today’s our anniversary. She wants to get back together. She’s using my daughter to get to me.”

“So, let her. At least you’ll be able to spend time with your little girl. Just be open and honest with your daughter. Bring her flowers. Jasper has a beautiful Thanksgiving arrangement on the pedestal table in the entrance. And take some of the s’more cupcakes Theo made yesterday,” she said, making a humming sound in her throat.

The soft, sexy sound was turning him on, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“They’re to die for,” she continued, adding, “Oh, oh, and make sure to take some of the carrot cupcakes with caramel and cream cheese frosting too. Give one to your ex. She’ll forgive you for everything.”

Her enthusiasm made him want to laugh. He didn’t, but it was there, just below the surface. Quite the feat considering how he’d been feeling only moments before. And he realized Julia had done what no one else had been able to. She’d shown him another way to look at the situation. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Yay!” she cheered as if she’d just won the lottery. At the sound of someone calling her name, she whispered, “I have to go. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your little girl.”

Her over-the-top reaction gave him pause. She was acting like she had a vested interest in this. Or maybe his brothers were right and he had major trust issues. Not everyone had an agenda. “Thanks, Julia. You enjoy yours too.”

With his boss, who would probably fire him tomorrow.