Chapter Twenty-Two

Despite an awkward start to the morning, everything seemed to be on track. After their chat about the family situation, Jace saw a change in Angie. She seemed more relaxed, more herself.

After walking at the edge of the water with the dogs and trying to make sure Truffle didn’t get swept away by any rogue waves—or stealthy children who seemed enamored with him—Jace had gotten them both an ice cream.

The water lapped at the sand, and Angie’s white shirt flapped in the breeze, giving him tempting flashes of her backside in a skimpy-cut black bikini bottom. Her hair was mussed and curly, given texture by the salty water and wind, and her pink lips wrapped around the ice cream in the most enticing way.

He couldn’t stop staring at her. Couldn’t stop thinking about getting her back home and into his bed. Or maybe the shower…or the kitchen table. Heck, why even bother going inside when there was a perfectly good deck chair out back?

“I think you’ve turned me into a horny teenage boy,” he said, leaning in and bringing his lips close to her ear.

She turned her head, and her mouth curved upward. “Have you got your mind in the gutter again?”

“Seems to be a constant thing around you.” They walked, content and eating their ice creams. Truffle trotted alongside them, off his leash now, and Tilly loped on ahead. She was sniffing everything, overturning shells with her nose and having a ball.

“I guess we should head back. I’m thinking movie night, fish and chips, lazy sex on the couch.”

Jace chuckled. “Lazy sex?”

“Yeah, you know that kind where you’re taking it slow and you’re a little sleepy and it’s delicious and…well, lazy.”

“I’m not sure I’ve had that kind of sex before. But it sounds good to me.”

“You’re missing out.” She bit into her ice-cream cone with a loud crunch. “Lazy sex is the best. Followed closely by shower sex, makeup sex, outdoor sex, and middle-of-the-night-am-I-dreaming sex.”

“Are you trying to corrupt me?”

“One hundred percent.”

He was about to pull Angie in for a kiss when a loud yelping noise broke them apart. A child’s cry up ahead drew their eyes, and that’s when he saw Tilly retching all over the sand. She was making an awful noise, and a small child near her was waving his arms.

“Shit.” Jace handed Angie the remainder of his ice cream and jogged over, panic mounting in the back of his throat. “What happened?”

But the kid didn’t need to say anything, since as soon as Jace saw it he knew exactly what had happened. A translucent blob was lying still in the sand, half-buried. It was a common sight around here. Dead jellyfish littered the beaches at certain times of year, and everyone knew to keep their distance. Even dead, their stingers could do damage for several weeks afterward.

“Tilly.” He crouched down beside the dog and placed a reassuring hand on her back. She looked up at him with those soulful amber eyes as if to say, Please help me. “You poor thing.”

Then she vomited again, her body wracking. That wasn’t a good sign. If she’d tried to eat the jellyfish and swallowed the stinger… Panic started to coil around his bones like a vine, squeezing until his vision narrowed. If anything happened to her because he hadn’t been paying attention—hadn’t been treating his responsibility with the care it required—he’d never forgive himself.

“Oh my God.” Angie was beside him now, with Truffle securely in her arms. “What happened?”

“Jellyfish.” He couldn’t see where she’d been stung, which was an issue. Usually, the first thing you did was ensure the tentacles were off the skin. Then you had to wash the area in the ocean—saltwater helped.

The offender looked like a jelly blubber, which weren’t poisonous to humans, but they stung like a bitch. But for dogs? He wasn’t so sure. Tilly was old, and he couldn’t find the stingers.

He tried to open Tilly’s mouth, but she snarled at him in warning. “We need to get her to the vet. Now.”

Angie looked at him with wide, unblinking eyes. “Is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.”

He looked at the older dog and prayed she wouldn’t sink her teeth into him. But when he slid his hands under her body and scooped her up, she only whined. They’d drawn a crowd now, with the kid who’d found Tilly crying so hard his mother was holding him.

“She’ll be okay,” he reassured the child, hoping to hell he wasn’t lying.

He walked as quickly as he could across the beach, his bare feet sinking into the sand with each step. It was no easy feat carrying a dog her size, but he would do anything to make sure she was okay. She’d buried her face against his chest and made an awful sound.

“Please don’t vomit on me, girl. We’ll get you to the vet.” When he got to the car, Angie was right behind him, and she pulled the keys from the beach bag. “Can you sit in the back with her?”

“Of course.” There was no fear in her eyes—not like there had been that first day when they’d tried to rescue the dogs from the hailstorm. She even reached out and stroked Tilly’s fur, her eyes full of worry.

Within minutes they were on the road, speeding back toward Patterson’s Bluff. There might have been a vet in a town closer to them, but Jace trusted only one person when it came to animals.

He drove as quickly as he could without being dangerous and pulled into the parking lot in front of Happy Paws in record time. He left Angie in the dust as he grabbed Tilly and took her straight into the vet.

“How can I…?” The vet’s receptionist, an older woman named Fran, frowned. “Oh no, what happened?”

“Jellyfish. I think she might have swallowed the stinger.” Thankfully there was no one else waiting to be seen.

“Mira! We’ve got an emergency.” Fran jumped up from her chair and scurried out the back, knocking on a door marked Staff Only.

Mira Holland came rushing out, her hair in disarray. “Bring her into room three.”

Mira grabbed her lab coat from a hook by the door and slipped it on over her black pants and the bright-yellow polo top with the Happy Paws logo embroidered at her chest.

“Should I come in?” Angie asked. She had Truffle on his leash.

“Might be best to keep the little guy out here,” Mira said. “We don’t want him getting distressed, and Tilly will probably be in some pain while we assess her.”

Angie nodded. Her brows were knitted above her nose, and she was biting down hard on her lower lip. When she swiped her tongue along it, there was a streak of red.

“I’ll be out soon,” Jace reassured her, hoping to hell he sounded calmer than he felt. Then he followed Mira into the assessment room.

…

Angie sat in the waiting room, feeling like her heart was about to leap out of her body. The receptionist sat behind her desk, tapping away at her computer and asking Angie every so often if she needed something—water, a cup of tea, a mint.

But Angie couldn’t bear the thought of eating or drinking anything. She wouldn’t be able to swallow a damn thing until she knew Tilly was okay. Funny how frightened she’d been of the big beast on their first fateful meeting, but they’d come to like each other. Tilly was a little grouchy, but she was also seventy in dog years. They’d come to an understanding—Angie scratched behind her ears and Tilly would keep her feet warm.

The thought of not having either one of the dogs around made Angie sad. They’d slotted into her life in Patterson’s Bluff, keeping her company and making her laugh and generally bringing joy into her life. She loved the four-legged critters with all her heart.

Truffle looked up at her with his big buggy eyes as if to say, I love you, too.

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around the small dog and held him close to her chest. “I hope your sister is okay,” she whispered.

At that moment, the bell over the front door tinkled and Angie’s stomach dropped as Jace’s mother strode in. Melanie Walters rushed straight over to her.

“What happened? I was driving past on my way home from the shops and I saw Jace’s car.” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “It’s not the older dog, is it?”

Angie nodded. “We went to the beach, and there was a jellyfish on the sand…”

“Oh no. Is she going to be okay?” She dropped down into the empty plastic seat beside Angie. “Oh God, Eugenie will be devastated if anything happens to her while she’s away.”

“I’m still waiting to find out.”

“I’ll wait with you.” Melanie reached out to grab Angie’s hand, and the world decelerated into slow motion.

The engagement ring. Would she notice it? Angie wasn’t sure she could handle any more drama on top of what was already going on. But she knew from past experience that’s when the universe was most likely to strike.

“Pretty ring,” Melanie said absently; then she looked away. Angie barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before Jace’s mother did a double-take. “Familiar ring.”

Oh no. What was she supposed to say? They hadn’t worked out the exact story they were going to tell his parents, and it was still so new and so unreal and so…inexplicable.

Melanie looked at Angie. She had the same blue eyes as her son—pale and rimmed with the most unique hint of gold. “Is this what I think it is?”

Angie gulped. “Yes, ma’am.”

“On your wedding finger.”

“Well, I guess technically speaking it’s my engagement finger at the moment.”

The older woman didn’t react. She simply stared, dumbfounded, at Angie. Then she shook her head and laughed, raking a hand through her frizzy blond curls. “That dark horse! No wonder he brought you to the long weekend family event.”

Angie breathed out the rest of her sigh of relief. “It all happened very suddenly, and we hadn’t figured out how to tell people yet.”

At least she could say that with her hand on her heart. It probably wasn’t a good idea to start off a relationship with her future mother-in-law by lying.

Um, except you’re forgetting that whole thing about your past.

“I didn’t even know you were dating.”

“We’ve been friends since I arrived.” Kinda. Well, maybe not exactly from the moment she arrived. Jace had taken a while to warm up to her. “There was a spark there right from the beginning. I had a giant crush on him.”

All 100 percent true.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell us.” She shook her head. “That’s my middle son for you—always keeping his cards close to his chest. Well, I’m thrilled, frankly.”

Angie’s heart soared. “Really?”

“Absolutely. He had a rough time after his last breakup, and I felt like he was retreating more and more into his shell. He needs someone to remind him why relationships are important.”

“I can certainly do that.”

“And I couldn’t have picked a better match myself. All the work you’ve done at the retirement home, volunteering every week and putting a smile on people’s faces—it’s wonderful. I heard all about how you were calling local businesses to get them to volunteer classes.”

Wow, news traveled fast in this town.

“It’s a very noble thing, Angie. You’re making a big difference in their lives.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Walters reached over and gave Angie a hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

A great big weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“I guess this means you’ll have to fly your mother out to Australia. How exciting! I can’t wait to meet her.”

And like that, Angie’s heart sank. The lies of omission that had built up since she arrived in Patterson’s Bluff had been designed to protect her from her past—a cocoon of vague stories. But now she’d have to woman up. She’d have to admit that she led people to believe things that weren’t true.

They’d want to know more, to dig. Her past might follow her here if too many people gossiped about it. Anxiety curled like a fist around her heart. Would there be people here who said those horrible things like they had back home? That she was lying about what her foster parents did? That the picture of her in chains was staged so she could cash in?

“Are you okay, love?” Mrs. Walters frowned and touched the back of her hand to Angie’s forehead in such a motherly way, it made her want to cry for how guilty she felt.

“I’m worried,” she said. Her eyes drifted to the closed door hiding Jace and Tilly away. “I hope Tilly is going to be okay.”

“Me too.”

The sounds of a vet clinic filled their silence—Fran’s fingers flying over the keys of her computer, the whirr of the air-conditioning, and intermittent ringing of the telephone. A woman came in with her daughter and their adorable kitten that was small enough to fit in the teenager’s pocket. They sat down in the empty plastic chairs, and Truffle eyed the kitten with disdain but otherwise didn’t cause any trouble.

A few minutes later, the door to the assessment room swung open, and Jace strode out. He still had a crease between his brows, but some of the color had come back to his cheeks. That was, until he saw his mother sitting there.

“What are you doing here?”

Mrs. Walters stood and rushed over to give her son a hug. “I saw the car sitting in the parking lot as I was driving past, and I knew something must have happened to one of the dogs. Is she going to be okay?”

“Mira says she should be fine. We couldn’t find the stinger, so it’s likely that Tilly got it out when she vomited on the beach. She’s got some nasty blisters inside her mouth that will irritate her whenever she tries to eat or drink. So Mira suggested leaving her overnight—if not for a few days—to make sure she can get her fluids in.”

“Oh good.” Angie sighed and pressed a hand to her chest. “What a relief.”

“She’s not out of the woods yet, but with some supervision, she should be feeling better soon.”

Mira walked out into the main area. “I’ve set her up in our emergency care section, and I’ll keep an eye on her personally. It’s a good thing you brought her right in. With older dogs, they can sometimes react more severely than a younger dog might. We’ll take very good care of her.”

Mira bid them all a good afternoon and went to greet her other clients with the kitten. Jace’s eyes strayed to the room where Tilly was being kept, as though he hated to be away from her, even if only for one evening. For a man who hadn’t wanted to dog-sit in the first place, he was certainly becoming quite the doting pet owner.

After Jace left his contact information with Fran and fixed up Tilly’s bill, the three of them went outside.

“So,” Mrs. Walters said with a coy smile on her face. “I heard you have some good news.”

“She saw the ring,” Angie explained.

“We’d wanted to tell you together.” Jace sighed. “It’s not that we were hiding it. Please don’t tell the others, okay? We want to do it properly.”

“You want me to keep the most exciting news our family has had in some time a secret?” His mother gasped. “Your father will take one look at me and know I’m harboring important information.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “We’re not talking about the key to eternal life. Just keep it quiet until we can get everyone together.”

“I will do my best. But you know your dad, Jace…” She shook her head. “He’s got a sixth sense for that stuff.”

“Please try. I don’t want anyone to feel left out.”

Angie’s heart skipped a beat. He really was the sweetest guy, especially when it came to his family. Could she picture herself spending the rest of her life with Jace? Yeah, she totally could. That was, if she didn’t mess things up.

They all climbed into their respective vehicles, and Angie took a moment to settle Truffle into his seat. He kept looking around as though trying to figure out where his big sister was.

“She’ll be back soon, I promise.” She gave the little guy a hug and then closed the door gently before climbing into the passenger seat. “I feel so bad; he keeps looking for her.”

“We should probably keep a close eye on him tonight.” Jace started the engine and waited for his mother to pull out of the parking lot before he backed out. “So, busted, huh?”

“I didn’t stand a chance.” Angie scrubbed her hands over her face. “Will she keep it quiet?”

“Not likely. She has the world’s worst poker face.” Jace shook his head. “So we should probably sit them all down as soon as possible.”

Angie chewed on her thumbnail. It was a habit she’d kicked years ago but that sometimes reared its head when she was stressed. “She wanted to know when I was going to bring my mother over so they could meet.”

Jace glanced at her as they paused at the exit to the Happy Paws parking lot, waiting for a gap in the traffic. His expression was difficult to read. “Right.”

Ah, the response that wasn’t really a response. He was waiting to hear what she had to say. Angie sucked in a big breath. “I’m going to have to tell everyone about my past, aren’t I?”

“Only if you want to.”

“I can’t keep lying. It’s hardly the right way to build a foundation as a family.” That fist was back again, squeezing and squeezing. “And besides, it’s going to be quite the one-sided wedding guest list.”

It occurred to her then that she was bringing very little to this relationship beside the fact that she had a fat bank account thanks to her legal settlements. That was also something she’d kept quiet from everyone except Jace. If anyone had ever asked her how she managed to fund a trip to Australia for a year without working, she’d claim it was inheritance left to her by a dead relative.

“You only have to tell them as much as you want,” he said.

“But they’ll ask questions.”

“So?”

She sighed. “I’m worried they won’t accept me. That they’ll look at me differently.”

“You’re not giving them enough credit. Have I treated you differently?”

“No.” Now that she thought about it, he’d left that conversation well enough alone after their talk. “Won’t they ask questions?”

“Yes. I want to know everything about you, too. But that doesn’t mean it’s right to ask.” He reached his free hand over and placed it on her bare thigh. “If you ever want to talk, then I’m all ears. But until that point, it’s your decision to make.”

“How did someone not marry you already?” She slipped her hand over his and interlocked their fingers.

“I thought we went through that already,” he deadpanned.

“But seriously.” She stared at him as he drove them back home. “The ladies of Patterson’s Bluff have been missing out, and their loss is totally my gain.”

They sat quietly for a moment, trying to sift through everything in her head.

“You never even looked my name up online?” she asked eventually.

“Did I Google you?” He snorted. “Isn’t that kind of…stalker-ish?”

“Everybody does it.”

“Doesn’t make it right.” They paused at a red light. “And no, I didn’t Google you, Angie. Jesus.”

“What?”

“I get you’ve had some people treat you badly in the past, but you can’t go around expecting the worst of everyone.” He sounded hurt.

“Says you. You thought marriage was a sham because the person you didn’t even want to marry walked out on you.” The words sounded way more defensive than she’d wanted them to. But everything was so close to the surface right now—her fears about the future, her feelings of inadequacy, all the wounds she thought she’d stitched up for good…

Clearly not.

“It’s been a long day,” Jace said quietly. “Let’s go home and watch a movie, okay?”

“Okay, sure.” Angie twisted the engagement ring around her finger, still not used to the feeling of it.

This should have been the happiest time of her life—but her brain seemed to be locked into the thirty-day part of Jace’s proposal. Like it was a hurdle mocking her at the finish line. Would she be able to clear it? Or would she fail to measure up like she always did?

“Stop worrying, Angie,” Jace said, as if he could read her mind. “Everything will work itself out.”

Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.