Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Hayden yawned as he scrolled through the forms on his computer monitor. Who would guess that the relatively minor offenses that occurred in Chances Inlet required so much documentation?

“Late night again?” Simone asked from the opposite desk.

“Mm,” he replied.

“Lots of woodworking to be done this time of year, I guess.”

The way his partner said “woodworking” had him glancing over to look at her. As usual, Simone was the picture of innocence. Which meant she wasn’t innocent at all. He decided it was best not to spar with her today, though.

“Something like that.” He averted his eyes back to his monitor.

He was surprised she remained quiet for as long as she did. It was all of forty-one seconds until she slapped her palm to the desk.

“Do you expect me to believe that? Gabby saw you sneaking into the inn last night. And since she was there to check on Livi and you weren’t hiding beneath her sheets, there is only one other place you could have been.” She shot him a smug look. “Working your wood beneath Elle’s sheets.”

For fuck’s sake .

He glanced around the station, frantically assessing who was within earshot. Luckily, the sheriff was in court today. Deputy Pettyjohn had the day off. Maureen, the receptionist, was preoccupied with watching Elf on her iPad.

“Do you ever mind your own business?” he hissed at Simone.

She had the nerve to laugh. “Hayden Lovell, you saved my ass in combat. Don’t you know what that means? According to an ancient Chinese proverb, your business is my business forever.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s only true in Disney movies,” he grumbled. “But had I known, I might not have risked my own life to rescue you.”

Simone wheeled her chair across the floor so she was next to Hayden at his desk.

“Tell me everything,” she demanded.

He gestured to the wide-open office. “Does this look like the ladies’ room to you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Hey, don’t shut me out now. You are doing the boss’ daughter. Have you considered that you might need some backup when he finds out?”

“There is no reason he should ever find out.” He leveled a pointed glare at his friend. “Besides, Elle is the sheriff’s step daughter . Not the same thing.”

Except that didn’t make him feel any better. He owed a great deal to Donald McAlister, Elle’s late father. How would the man Hayden admired beyond measure feel about him “doing” his daughter? Still, Mr. Mac had been a doting dad to Elle. He’d also made no secret that he was fond of Hayden. The guy wouldn’t have gone to bat for him if he wasn’t. Still, Hayden had to wonder if he would have approved of their relationship.

Not all of it, he thought as he remembered the things he’d done to the man’s daughter last night.

As for the sheriff, sweat broke out on the back of Hayden’s neck, just imagining how his mentor would react first and ask questions later. The man had been a beast when a hit-and-run driver struck his now wife and left her badly injured by the side of the road. He was like a second father to Hayden. There was no doubt he wouldn’t be in the shape he was physically or mentally had it not been for Lamar Hollister.

He swore savagely.

Simone chuckled. “Ah, so you do remember who our boss is.”

Hayden picked up a pen and began clicking it. The sound was loud in the empty office.

“Have you told her you love her?”

“For crying out loud, Simone. Why don’t you announce it over the intercom so Maureen can hear you,” he whispered angrily.

Maureen’s sigh was loud and dramatic. “She doesn’t need an intercom. Everyone in this town knows you are in love with that girl, Hayden Lovell. Either do something about it or stop your bellyaching. You’re ruining the best part of the movie.”

“Why can’t everyone mind their own damn business?” he yelled.

Maureen glared at him as she pulled her earbuds from their charger and shoved them in her ears.

Simone shook her head. “Because it’s not like you to start a relationship you know isn’t going to work out. Especially with someone you’ll likely run into for the rest. Of. Your. Life. ”

“Is it possible we can simply be friends with benefits? I mean, Elle is good with that,” he lied. She’d agreed not to talk about their future. To enjoy the here and now. But everything else had been left unsaid. “Why can’t you be good with it, too?”

She took her time in answering. “Because you’re not good with it,” she announced before standing up and marching from the room.

Everett rubbed the top of the old Smith Corona typewriter. “I learned to type on one of these relics in high school.” Learned was perhaps an exaggeration, though, since he still had to look at the keys on his laptop.

“I don’t think Garth used it much in the later years,” Tim Lovell said. “He kept it more as a talisman. According to Garth, this wasn’t a real newspaper office without the clackity-clack of typewriter keys and the ring of the carriage return. He still comes in here and plays with the old thing every now and then.”

“This place seems rather small to have housed a newspaper,” he said.

“The size of the operation kept shrinking as the paper did,” Tim explained. “In the end, it was just Garth. He was literally a one-man show. He still owns the building. I’ve expanded into some of the old newsroom’s space to add another hygienist, but I don’t need any more room. As you can see, this month, we are using the newspaper office to store the toys Hayden’s veteran’s group has already collected for the Angel Tree the youth center is sponsoring.”

Everett added the few items he and Kitty bought to the growing pile of gifts. “I didn’t mean to pull you away from your patients,” he said. “I have someplace to be later. When Kitty mentioned this was the drop-off spot for donations, I figured I’d deliver them since I was already passing by.”

Tim kicked something invisible with his shoe. “You and Kitty seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

Not as much as I would like to be.

Knotical was busy this time of year with the influx of tourists. Not to mention Kitty led multiple groups that met after hours at the store to work on their projects for the Christmas Sidewalk Bazaar. The bazaar kicked off this weekend and would run through Christmas Eve.

“She’s a very busy lady,” he replied. “I’m grateful for whatever time I get to spend with her.”

“Mm.” If Kitty’s brother-in-law suspected she’d been spending her nights with Everett in his bed at the inn, he didn’t bring it up.

“Claire mentioned that Kitty seems much . . . lighter lately,” Tim remarked. “I hope she stays that way.”

The dentist may have spoken the words casually, but Everett didn’t mistake the implied warning.

He nodded. “Message received. I have no plans for anything after the holiday season.” Although one was beginning to hatch. “Nothing that will immediately take me away from your idyllic little town, anyway.”

Tim’s shoulders relaxed. “Good to know. Things are easier at the store when Claire doesn’t have to worry about saying or doing something that will send her sister back into the doldrums.”

“Kitty is lucky to have you both looking out for her.” Everett pressed one of the typewriter’s keys. “Your wife is very protective of the people in her orbit.”

The other man hung his head with a sigh. “I’m sorry you had to see that the other night. Claire is a bit irrational when it comes to Elle McAlister. She’s angry that our son didn’t get the life he wanted.”

“Who says he didn’t get the life he wanted?”

Tim’s eyes snapped up to meet Everett’s. “You get a pass since you are new in town, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Everett held his hands up in front of his chest. “Pardon me. I didn’t mean to offend. I only wanted to point out that life doesn’t always work out the way we want. It’s what we do with the curveballs that get thrown at us that shapes us. Your son seems like a solid guy. One who is happy with the path he’s on. It may not be the one he envisioned at seventeen. Still, he’s making the best of it.” He looked out the window toward the Ship’s Iron Gym. “He came out of the other side not just a survivor, but also as a man who has thrived. I envy him.”

“You make it sound easy. Hayden had a lot of people helping him.”

“Manning up and accepting that help is half the battle,” Everett murmured. “And if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s long past time I man up.”

He walked across Water Street and into the gym. The place was busy for a weeknight. Upbeat holiday music blared from the sound system. The Christmas tree in the corner was white with flocking. Ornaments shaped like exercise equipment dangled from its branches.

“Welcome,” the teenager behind the desk said. “Are you looking to work out? We offer complimentary onetime guest passes.” He held out a candy cane to Everett. “And these are free for stopping in.”

“Candy? At a gym?” Everett shook his head. “Actually, I was told the veteran’s group meets here.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. They meet downstairs.” He stood and pointed toward the back of the gym. “Through that door behind the ellipticals.”

“I’ll show him, Kyle,” the sheriff offered as he entered the gym. If he was surprised to see Everett asking about the meeting, he didn’t let it show.

Everett reached into the bowl of candy canes and grabbed a handful. “I think I’m going to need these. I have some bridges to mend,” he explained to a wide-eyed Kyle.

The two men walked to the back of the gym in silence. Xander met them at the bottom of the stairs. The gym owner wasn’t as adept at controlling his expression. He looked at the sheriff, then back at Everett. His lips formed a mulish line.

“If you’re here to mock our members, you can turn around and head right back up those stairs.”

The sheriff stepped between the two of them. “Xander?—”

“It’s okay, Sheriff,” Everett interrupted. “He’s right to assume that I might be here under false pretenses after everything I said the other night.” He shook his head. “Or judging from the parts of my book that have been excerpted, I would react the same way.” The sheriff turned around so both men were looking at him. Everett swallowed roughly. “I have some work to do on myself. And I was told the best place to start was in that room.”

The silence stretched until the sheriff reached over and turned the door handle to the meeting space. He gestured for Everett to enter first.

Forgive me, Keeley, but it’s time to let you go.

“Sorry, Livi, but you’re still recovering from four days with a high fever,” Kate said as she poured gingerbread martinis into a row of glasses. “You’re going to have to settle for a cranberry mocktail tonight.”

“Just like me!” Emily waved her arm and nearly spilled her drink all over the island in the inn’s kitchen.

“Me too.” Lori balanced a glass on her belly.

It was cookie decorating night at the Tide Me Over Inn. An annual tradition that Elle had missed for the past several years. With two new sisters-in-law, a new stepsister, and now a sister-in-law-to-be, the number of decorators in the kitchen had certainly grown. Since Livi’s illness, Elle’s mom had taken her under her wing, including her in tonight’s activities.

“Really, I’m fine with water,” Livi replied.

“Me too,” Whitney chirped.

Paige kissed the little girl on the cheek. “Have I told you that I love the sound of your voice?”

“When Whitney first arrived in town last summer, she kept her thoughts and her words to herself,” Elle’s mom explained for Livi’s benefit.

“What I wouldn’t give for a little of that quiet when she is chatting up a storm at six o’clock on Sunday mornings,” Whitney’s mother, Donella, teased.

Ginger handed out Santa hats to everyone. “I brought props from the dance studio. We’ll look festive for any video Elle might want to shoot.”

Elle set the hat on her head. “Is that all I am to you guys? The videographer?”

“And the dog whisperer,” Jane quipped. “Kringle’s ego is getting so big, he refused to eat his dinner from his plastic dish tonight. He would only touch it once we put it on a plate from my grandmother’s china.”

“Ha ha. Very funny,” Elle replied as the rest of the women laughed.

“Seriously, though. Thanks for the interview stipend. We’re going to put it in Henry’s college fund,” Jane said.

Ginger clapped her hands together. “Ooo, I know. You could set up a photo booth with Kringle at the bazaar this weekend. I guarantee there will be tourists willing to pony up some cash to take a picture with him.”

“Dr. Lovell did mention Henry might need braces. It’s never too early to start saving for those,” Jane joked.

“Speaking of Dr. Lovell, has anyone seen Hayden around town?” Livi asked.

Elle kept her eyes on the bowl of cookie dough in front of her, hoping the question wasn’t directed at her. She focused on scooping out some of the peanut butter dough and rolling it up into a ball before putting it on the cookie sheet.

“He’s been working on a kitchen table for our new house,” Ginger chimed in. “My husband and Paige’s fiancé are designing a new golf community together. We are moving into one of the new homes Gavin is building this spring. I’m leaving all of Gavin’s bachelor furniture in the loft.”

“Probably a good idea,” Kate agreed. “Lord knows what stories that stuff would tell if it could talk.”

“Like bedtime stories?” Whitney asked.

Everyone except Ginger laughed.

“Something like that.” Kate’s words were met with more laughter. “Sorry, Ginger.”

Elle’s mother mimed putting her fingers in her ears. “I’d prefer not to know any of this.” She looked over at Livi. “The deputies are all taking turns filling in for Deputy Pettyjohn. He got bit by the flu bug, too. I believe tonight is Hayden’s turn to cover his shift.”

Her mom was correct. It was Hayden’s turn tonight. Not that Elle was going to confirm anything. Mostly because she felt uncomfortable about Livi’s interest in the guy Elle was sleeping with. Hayden had repeatedly assured Elle that nothing was going on between him and the designer, and she believed him. He insisted he would set Livi straight as soon as the other woman felt better, and he could do it in person. That wasn’t going to happen tonight, though. Which meant Elle would remain mum.

She wasn’t looking forward to spending the night alone in her big bed upstairs, especially when she’d been sleeping so much better with Hayden by her side. Waking up feeling refreshed and human again was something she could get used to.

Next to her, Kate began to unwrap the chocolate kiss candies that would be pressed into the warm peanut butter balls once they came out of the oven.

“Sucks for you. Who is gonna keep you warm tonight?”

Kate’s softly uttered words had Elle dropping one of the peanut butter balls onto the floor. When she bent down to retrieve it, her sister followed.

“Wow. Direct hit. Gabby mentioned she saw Hayden sneaking in the other night when she came to check on Livi,” Kate whispered. “Not that she was surprised after his odd behavior the day of the Turkey Trot.”

Elle could feel her face flaming. “Isn’t that some sort of HIPAA violation or something?” she hissed.

“Nah. This is just run-of-the-mill hospital gossip.”

“People at the hospital are gossiping about me?” Elle croaked.

“Just me and Gabby.” Kate winked at her. “For now.”

“You’re the head of the hospital. Act like it, for crying out loud.”

Elle reached for the ball of dough, but her sister already had it between her fingers.

“Interesting. I figured you’d claim his nocturnal visits were innocent. That you two are just friends who were playing backgammon or something.”

Dammit. Why didn’t I think of that?

Her sister sighed and seemed to lose some of her snarky bluster. “It’s none of my business?—”

“You’re right. It isn’t.”

They stared at each other in stony silence for a few beats, until Elle’s leg grew numb from maintaining her crouch.

“My offer still stands,” Kate said eventually. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

Elle felt like the biggest brat. As overwhelming as her siblings’ achievements were, they never lost sight that they were family. They always had each other’s backs. It was something Elle never wanted to take for granted. But how could she explain things to her sister when she didn’t understand them herself?

Jane peeked around the corner of the kitchen island. “Hey, you two. What’s going on down there?”

Elle wobbled slightly when she stood back up. “Just a runaway cookie.”

“Like the gingerbread man,” Emily exclaimed.

“Mm. And look what happened to him,” Kate mumbled just low enough that only Elle could hear. “He didn’t just get his heart broken. He got eaten alive.”

The others began chatting about their favorite Christmas stories. Elle went back to scooping the dough into balls. There was no risk to either of their hearts breaking. She and Hayden would figure things out. At least she hoped so because the alternative made her uneasy. If they couldn’t figure things out, she would lose him forever. And that would break her heart.

“I love you,” Kate whispered.

Elle suddenly had difficulty swallowing. “Right back at you,” she managed to push out.

When she looked up, their mother was studying them intently, her head canted slightly to the side. Elle may come out of this holiday season minus a best friend, but the people in this room would always be there for her. It would hurt. Immensely. She was a McAlister, though. And that had to count for something.