Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

Locating a place to park the Beast was proving difficult as they slowed outside Aunt Betty's Café. It seemed to Jenna that everyone had taken advantage of the local cuisine. She'd noticed the number of people packed inside the surf-and-turf restaurant, and also the pizzeria had people lining up outside in the freezing cold. Everything outside was so white she was glad of her sunglasses and pushed them up her nose as she climbed out of the Beast. Stepping carefully over mounds of frozen snow alongside the curb, she negotiated her way to the sidewalk, glad of Kane's hand under her elbow to steady her.

"What do you think this is all about?" Kane stood to one side as a young mother walked by pulling a small sled filled with children behind her.

Staring down at the rosy cheeks on the children, all dressed in the same knitted hats with bright yellow bobbles on the top, her stomach squeezed. The mother of the children smiled as she walked past, seemingly oblivious to the noise behind her and the snowflakes dashing at her face. Jenna smiled back and followed Kane along the well-salted footpath to Aunt Betty's. The ash and salt mix crunched under her boots as she walked, breathing in the mixture of wonderful aromas escaping from the front door. "Wolfe didn't say what it was about, only that it was personal. By meeting here, I would say he doesn't want the conversation overheard by anyone in either of the offices."

"Hmm." Kane scanned the room. "He's sitting at our usual table with Emily, so it can't be anything to worry about. Maybe he's just making plans for the wedding."

Shaking her head, Jenna followed him to the counter. "If that had been the case, Norrell would have been with him. He wouldn't be bringing Emily with him to discuss the wedding. I'm sure Norrell will be making most of the decisions. She made it clear what she expects. Her family will be arriving from overseas and be staying for a few weeks on vacation. I'm sure she'll want everything perfect. She's very organized and will likely handle everything herself."

"Wolfe has spoken to her parents. They share video calls and he gets along with them." Kane raised both eyebrows. "Her father is a cosmetic surgeon and insisted on paying for everything, so I figure it will be a lavish affair." He stared at the specials menu and sighed, one hand rubbing his belly. "Hey, Susie, I'll have the pulled pork with all the trimmings, apple crumble, and ice cream."

Suddenly ravenous, Jenna smiled at Susie, the manager. "I'll have the same and a glass of milk. The cold makes me so hungry."

"Yes, it's affecting everybody at the moment. We've been rushed off our feet since five this morning. It seems everyone wants a hot breakfast before starting work, so we've changed the opening hours to accommodate the townsfolk." She glanced down at Duke, sitting and watching her every move. "I have sausages left over from yesterday for Duke. I'll send Wendy with them and get your order to the chef. We've hired three extra line chefs just this week. The town is flocking with visitors." She took the order and turned to pass it back to the kitchen.

They made their way through the packed restaurant filled with the appetizing aromas of great dishes. A low hum of conversation buzzed in the room along with the clinking of silverware. There was something special about Aunt Betty's Café, almost magical. It had a feel-good quality, like being embraced the moment she walked inside. The smells of amazing food were one thing, but Jenna always believed it was the years of contentment baked into the restaurant that seemed to hang around. If happiness and contentment could be shared among a group of people, it was in this place. It was like the safe hug of a grandma, something her children would never have, but they would have Aunt Betty's Café and would make memories there just like she had with Kane.

Removing her coat, Jenna looked at Wolfe's strained expression and was immediately concerned about Emily's health. Always calm unless seriously provoked, nothing upset him unless it was something to do with his children or, of course, Norrell. "Have you ordered?" she slipped her coat around the back of the chair and removed her hat, gloves, and sunglasses before sitting down at the table.

"Yeah, Emily needs your advice. I can give her guidance as her dad, but she needs to speak to you, Jenna, and maybe Dave as well." Wolfe's arms rested on the table, his hands clenched as he watched Kane remove his coat. "Y'all don't mind, do you?"

"Not unless it makes me want to break someone's nose." Kane raised both eyebrows and sat down, making the chair groan. He looked straight at Emily. "Rio isn't being an ass, is he? If he is, I'll dig the hole and Shane can fill it."

When Emily paled, Jenna reached out to pat her hand. "Oh, don't take any notice of Dave's trash-talking. You know what he's like. He is so old-school. If anyone crosses the line, he's gonna be the first person to push them back over it. I figure if we have a little girl, he'll be going to the prom to make sure nobody acts inappropriately toward her."

"I was considering going to school with her as well." Kane gave them both a wide grin. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Not amused, Jenna gave him a long look and nodded in unison with Emily. She cleared her throat. "You are both a little overprotective, and although it's good to be caring, smothering people with love only leads to rebellion."

"Okay." Kane held up both hands. "I see your point." He leaned toward Wolfe and lowered his voice. "You dig the hole, and I'll fill it in."

Seeing Emily's fraught expression, Jenna leaned closer. "What is it, Em? Would you rather chat in the restroom?"

"No." Emily rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "Dad is making such a big deal. I just needed your advice as a woman and Dave's for the masculine side of things. Not having any brothers to grow up with, I have no idea how men think. I know how my dad thinks, but he doesn't believe anyone's good enough for me or Julie, so he doesn't count." She sucked in a deep breath. "Zac is a good friend, the best I could ever imagine to have for a guy, but I'm not in love with him. He asked me if he ever decided to move away from town, would I give up my career as an ME to go with him. I realized then, if he left, I'd miss him as a friend, but my heart wouldn't break. I'd be happy to see him during vacations, but like if I had a brother, not like someone I would want to marry."

As Rio was extremely smart, Jenna wondered if this was his way of finding out Emily's true feelings toward him. They had a very casual relationship and did act more like best friends. She doubted that he'd ever kissed her as they'd never intended the relationship to escalate while Emily was studying. "I believe you've answered your own question, Em." She met her gaze. "When Dave went missing, it was as if my heart was wrenched from my body. It was physical pain. I would walk over hot coals to be with him. Nothing or no one could stop me. If he left town for any reason, I wouldn't hesitate to follow."

"If you want my opinion"—Kane leaned back in his chair and swiped one hand down his face—"as a male, we can be kinda stupid sometimes. We take relationships for granted, forget to say the things women need to hear. Rio might be blissfully unaware that you consider him more than just a friend. Some men are happy with that, they might value a long friendship over a short burst of passion that might not last the test of time."

"So what about you and Jenna?" Emily's gray eyes moved from one to the other. "You took an eternity to decide you cared enough to marry."

"No, that's not the case at all." Kane leaned forward and cupped his hands on the table. "I had strong feelings for Jenna from the start and the attraction between us was electric. I would have been starting a relationship maybe a few weeks after I arrived, but I carried a ton of baggage. I had someone I cared about dearly who'd just died, and I'd been seriously injured on the job. I wasn't able to consider committing to a relationship until I had my head straight. In the meantime, we became very close friends, and I figure that first rush of attraction just grew until I realized it was time to tell Jenna everything." He sighed. "I needed her to know, I carried baggage."

"Do you carry it now?" Emily's eyes had filled with tears. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"It's a fond memory, rather than a gaping hole in my heart." Kane squeezed Jenna's hand. "That is overflowing with love for Jenna and Tauri now."

"That's why it took Dad so long to find someone else." Emily glanced at Wolfe. "He loved my mom."

"I still do." Wolfe nodded slowly. "It doesn't go away. It's like a warm memory. It's just when I met Norrell, it was like a burst of sunlight banishing the shadows. When you've had one great love, you never consider the chance of another. I've never looked for anyone else. I figured it was being unfaithful to your mom's memory. Trust me, no one was more surprised than me when I met Norrell. We fit together as if we were meant to be. This is how you should be with Rio. If not, it will lead to unhappiness, because if either of you meet that special someone, things will go sideways real fast."

Not having suffered a bad breakup or intense relationship before meeting Kane, Jenna didn't have the experience to give advice. She had learned more listening to Kane and Wolfe in those few minutes than in her lifetime. It was common sense. "Em, you're both adults, sit down and talk with him. As friends, you have that trust between you. Tell him the truth."

"There is one thing you should avoid." Kane scratched his cheek and gave his head a little shake. "Maybe don't say, ‘Can we still be friends?' Maybe say, ‘We've been friends for some time but is that enough basis to get married?' It's not so dismissive and hurtful if you want to break up with him."

"I figure whatever I say will hurt him." She pushed both hands into her hair, holding her head and staring at the table. "Maybe I'll say I need time alone to study and concentrate on my career. I don't want him to wait because, when I'm done, I might not want to marry. I know he wants a ton of kids and that's not for me. I want a career first, and when I have all that out of my system, I might or might not want to settle down."

"The first thing he'll ask you is if you've met someone else." Kane eyed her critically. "Is that what this is all about?"

"No." Emily looked up at him. "I haven't met anyone who makes my toes curl and my heart race. This is the problem." She leaned back in her chair. "I'll be honest with him and see how it goes. I appreciate everyone's help. I know what I need to do." She looked up as Wendy came to the table with a tray carrying pots of coffee, a tall glass of milk for Jenna, and a big pile of sausages on a paper plate for Duke.

"Your meals will be right along." Wendy arranged the cups and silverware. "Enjoy." She turned and headed back to the kitchen.

After checking her phone, Jenna's heart sank. She'd messaged everyone involved with the search for Julie and all her replies had been negative.

"Bad news?" Kane squeezed her hand.

The concern over Julie was eating away at all of them, this meal was a moment's respite and she didn't want to spoil it, but she nodded. "I asked for updates on the search for Julie just before and no one has found a trace of her." She wiped a hand down her face as Wolfe winced. She needed to change the subject smashing into them every waking second, even for a few minutes.

Jenna blew out a long breath and turned to Wolfe. "Any updates on the victims?"

"Norrell has most of the crash victims identified." Wolfe frowned and poured coffee. "They had next of kin waiting for them to arrive, so she was able to identify them using personal effects, but the provisional identifications will be backed by DNA or dental evidence." He added the fixings to his cup and stirred slowly. "The homicide victims, nothing so far. I asked Rio to put out a media release. I figure the women were here on vacation. This is why they're not showing on any missing persons files. No one knows they're missing."

Jenna sipped her milk. "Well, that makes sense." She placed the glass on the table. "The town doesn't need a reputation for killing visitors. Tourism means a thriving town."

"I wouldn't worry too much." Kane smiled at her. "Going on the influx of visitors at Halloween, I figure at least half of them come here to rub shoulders with serial killers. I'm expecting a T-shirt with i survived black rock falls to show in one of the stores soon."