Page 56 of Suddenly Yours

The list of repairs set us back a full damn week. Not to mention the costs.

I stood in the middle of the muddy street at Harbor Ridge with my hands on my hips, staring down the row of half-finished houses and feeling that familiar mix of anger and responsibility settle into my bones.

There was no doubt in my mind who had done the damage.

By the time I finally shut down the last generator and sent my guys home, my patience was shot and my stomach was eating itself alive.

After I cleaned and locked everything up as best I could without actual security at the place yet, I climbed into my truck. Instead of going straight into town, I headed toward the rental that Missy had mentioned Levi had stayed at last time, a massive gray house that sat just outside the historic district.

The driveway, however, was empty and all the lights were off.

I sat there for a minute anyway with my engine idling. Was he in there?

Pulling out my cell phone, I scanned Levi’s social media pages. The guy never drank a cup of coffee without making a video of it. He had a few thousand followers who always said exactly what he wanted to hear. He masked legal advice with enough sarcasm that spiteful people flocked to his videos for the thrill of seeing people being hurt.

In the past two days, there was nothing posted on any of his accounts. Nothing showing that he’d traveled to Silver Cove. The last post he’d done was dinner in Boston at some very expensive looking place. He’d been wearing a black suit and talking about a legal case he was working on. I was slightly surprised how many photos he had with him and Missy’s dad.

They golfed together a lot now that Gerald was rumored to be living just outside of Boston.

Feeling slightly disgusted, I spent the next forty-five minutes circling town like a bloodhound with a bad temper. I drove by every hotel and all of the short-term rentals that I knew about. I even went by the bed and breakfast that had opened a few months back near the water. I checked parking lots that I knew he’d used. Nothing. His car was not in town. I even went by all the restaurants, just in case.

By the time I gave up, the sky had turned that deep indigo that meant night was settling in for real. My head was pounding. I hadn’t eaten since I’d had a granola bar sometime around noon, and my mood matched my blood sugar.

So I went to the one place I knew would steady me, physically and mentally.

Sweet Expectations.

The kitchen lights were still on when I pulled up. I sent her a text and she opened the back door for me a moment later.

She looked as good as she smelled. Her hair was pulled up as usual, and her sleeves were pushed up like she’d been in the middle of something that mattered.

When I kissed her, she melted against me.

And just like that, the edge inside me dulled.

“Hey,” she said gently. “You look… exhausted.”

“I feel worse than I look,” I admitted, letting her go. “Please tell me you’re almost done.”

She glanced toward the back, then nodded. “Five more minutes. Do you want to eat here, or do you want to escape?”

“Escape,” I said immediately. “Preferably somewhere we can do takeout.”

She laughed, soft and familiar. “Chinese?”

“You know me too well.”

We closed up together, and ten minutes later we were picking up takeout and heading back to my place. I barely remembered the drive. My body was running on muscle memory and stubbornness.

Normally, once we got home, I’d head straight for whatever project I was in the middle of—trim, cabinets, sanding, something. Missy would perch somewhere nearby with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, reading or talking while I worked.

Tonight?

I didn’t even pretend.

I kicked off my boots, dropped onto the couch, and exhaled like I’d been holding my breath all day.

She handed me a container of lo mein and sat beside me. “Long day?”