Flamingo Diner (21 page)

“Maybe not, but every now and then, he must feel as if he’s carrying more than his share of the load. Who could blame him if he decided to reach out to some girl for comfort?” Emma asked.

“The way you reached out to me?” Matt asked quietly.

“Something like that.” She drew in a deep breath. “But I wanted more from you than comfort.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“I just don’t know what quite yet.”

“You’ll work it out,” he said confidently and without any evidence that he was in a hurry. He looked around the diner, then stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

She stared after him as he went to the front door and flipped the lock. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Closing,” he said as he turned the sign on the door to the appropriate side. He came back to the table and straddled his chair. “Let’s talk.”

She eyed him warily. “About?”

“You.”

“What about me?”

“Your color’s lousy and you’re clearly exhausted. I thought you were doing great, but now I’m not so sure. I’m worried about you.”

“Thanks so much for the confidence booster.”

“You don’t need sweet talk. You need action.” He stood up and leaned down, capturing her mouth.

She debated shoving him away, but the kiss felt too good. When her head was spinning, he stood up and studied her, then gave a satisfied nod. “Much better.”

“Better?” She felt dazed.

“Definitely better.”

“Better than what?”

“The way you looked when I walked in here. You’re working too hard, Emma. You’re pale. You’re strung so tight, I’m scared you’re going to shatter. Even just now, you looked as if you were expecting me to drop more bad news on you about Andy.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her hand shook as she tried to pour his coffee. Maybe she had been anticipating the worst lately. She had reason to be jittery. A lot of the news coming her way had been pretty devastating. She was no worse off than anyone else would be under the same circumstances.

“I’m fine,” she repeated to emphasize the point.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Matt said wryly. “I know things have been rough around here, but you can’t shoulder the whole burden alone. I thought you understood that, but apparently you need reminding more often.”

“I’m not doing this on my own, not anymore.”

He scowled at that. “Who’s helping? Your mom’s back, but her heart’s not in it, not entirely, anyway. Andy’s here, but he can only do so much.”

“Is this about Jeff?” she asked. “I don’t want to go down that road with you.”

“I’m not specifically talking about Jeff. I’m worried about you and the effect all this stress is having on you.”

“Don’t,” she said. “Besides, I have you.”

His frown dissipated. “Thank you. Who else?”

“You already said it. I have Andy,” she said.

“He’ll be back in school next week. What then?”

“I’ll manage. And despite what you think, Mom really is getting better. She’s been going to some meetings and she’s almost back to her old self.”

“And Jeff?”

“Let’s just leave him out of this,” she said again, aware that she sounded a little desperate. She didn’t want Matt digging too deeply into what Jeff was up to these days. Not that he didn’t already have his suspicions, but she wasn’t about to be the one to confirm them. She and her mother could handle Jeff. They had to.

“How can I leave him out of it?” Matt asked reasonably. “He’s a crucial part of the problem.”

“Come on, Matt, give him a break. This hit him hard. He’s had to give up college in his senior year. Instead of graduating, he’s back here. He had a job at the mall, but he lost it.”

“Then where the hell is he? If he made all these sacrifices for the family, then why isn’t he here pitching in?”

Emma frowned at the question. “It’s not your concern,” she said stiffly.

“I’m making it my concern.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re worn-out. You need help. Jeff is old enough to be taking up some of the slack around here. Apparently my last conversation with him didn’t make that clear enough.”

“Forget it. Mom and I can deal with Jeff. The only help I want from you is answers.”

“That’s not what you were suggesting just a minute ago.”

She decided she had to go on the offensive to divert his attention from her brother. “Dammit, Matt, what have you found out about my father’s business activities? It’s been days since Jennifer’s last disappearance. Have you tracked her down or not? Are you
just sitting around waiting for Cori to call? I could do that much myself.”

The tactic failed. He merely regarded her with a tolerant expression.

“You’re not going to change the subject on me so easily,” he said. “Let’s finish talking about what you’re going to do to ease up on the pressure you’re putting on yourself.”

As far as Emma could tell the pressure wasn’t going to let up until she had her family back on an even keel and she could return to Washington. Sadly, that seemed to be months away.

“No answer for me?” he asked.

“Like I said, it’s not your concern.”

He gave her a look that disputed that, then reached for her hand. “Come on.”

“Where? I still have a load of dishes to wash and the floor needs to be mopped. Besides, I’m still waiting for those answers. If you’re not going to give them to me, then I need to finish up here and go looking for them myself.”

“The mopping and the answers can wait,” he said emphatically. “We’re going for a walk.”

“But…” The protest died when she recognized the glint of determination in his eyes. “All right.”

He grinned. “Good answer. I think you’re finally getting the hang of this communication business.”

“You only think that because I agreed to do what you want me to do,” she grumbled.

“Exactly. Works out nicely, don’t you think?”

“Do you really care what I think?”

His gaze locked on hers and made her tremble inside. “It’s the only thing I care about,” he said softly. “The only thing. Maybe it’s time you remember that.”

A
fter the first time he’d had to coerce her into it, evening walks partway around the lake with Matt started to become a ritual that Emma looked forward to. She felt at peace as the sun slid below the horizon and the air began to cool. Being with Matt made her feel safe, and for a time each day, the weight on her shoulders seemed to ease. Being back in Winter Cove didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

Tonight they cut off the path halfway around the lake and headed for Main Street, stopping to peer in the windows of all the new shops that had opened in recent years. As he did every night, Matt kept up a nonstop monologue about all the changes in town. The window displays of art, jewelry, expensive gifts and the latest designer clothes lent credence to his argument, when he said, “Winter Cove’s not the same sleepy little place it was when you left.”

“Maybe not, but it’s not Washington,” Emma retorted, determined not to buy into his less than subtle sales pitch. She’d seen the changes, and while they were impressive, she was not going to allow them to sway her into making a decision she was sure she’d come to regret.

“Meaning you’d rather not be here,” he said, looking vaguely disappointed. “I’d hoped…well, never
mind that.” He gestured toward an ice-cream parlor. “How about a cone?”

Emma didn’t want ice cream. She wanted to pick a fight, though she couldn’t entirely explain why. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was general frustration. Frowning, she shrugged. “Whatever. If you want ice cream, get it.”

“I’ll take that as a yes for you, too,” he said mildly, refusing to be drawn into a fight. “There’s a bench across the street. You want to come with me or wait for me there?”

Maybe if she waited on the bench, her temper would cool down. “I’ll be across the street,” she told him.

He started to turn away, then faced her, tucked his hand under her chin and kissed her hard. “Think about that while you’re waiting,” he suggested.

Senses still spinning, Emma crossed the street and sat on the bench. There was a line at the ice-cream parlor, so she had plenty of time to brood about Matt’s determination to trap her here in Winter Cove. How could he do that, when he claimed to love her? How could he add to all the pressure weighing on her these days? He’d known from the beginning that her heart was elsewhere. He’d even claimed to understand.

She watched him come out of the store with two double-scoop cones, then carefully weave his way through the slow traffic. Her heart—her damn traitorous heart—lurched happily at the sight of him. The fact that she was crazy about him made her crankier than ever and more determined to make him understand that she was not, under any circumstances, going to stay in Winter Cove.

Practically before he’d handed her the chocolate chip cone, she resumed their conversation as if it hadn’t been interrupted.

“I told you from the beginning that I had every intention of going back to Washington,” she accused.

“I notice you said Washington, not home,” he said. “Winter Cove is still home to you, whether you want to admit it or not.”

“I love Washington. It is my home now,” she said emphatically.

“Fine, then go back,” he said as if it were a simple matter.

Emma frowned at him. “You know why I can’t. Not now, anyway.”

“But you will at the first opportunity, right?”

She nodded.

“Has it occurred to you that it might be easier on everyone if you went now?”

“How can you say that? My family needs me.”

“I’m not denying that, but if you left, your mom would be forced to pick up the pieces of her life. She’d be the one worrying herself sick that Jeff is addicted to drugs.”

Emma hated that Matt said it with such certainty. She hadn’t been lying to herself. She knew all the signs were there, but hearing Matt say it so bluntly made her realize just how desperate Jeff’s situation really was.

“Jeff is not an addict. He’s going to be fine,” she said, fiercely defending her brother.

“Is he really? If you believe that, if you’re making excuses for him, then you’re part of the problem.”

She shuddered at the accusation, because it made her feel helpless. She’d felt that way far too often
since coming back to Winter Cove. She’d taken charge of her life once and made the hard decision to leave Winter Cove and make Washington her home. She ought to be doing it again, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength. She hated the part of herself that was feeling so damned weak and vulnerable.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” she said heatedly.

“Be honest, with yourself and with Jeff,” Matt replied. “He needs help, Emma. More help than you or your mother can give him. The last thing I want to do is arrest your brother for drug possession, but I will if I catch him at it.”

Emma knew he would have no choice, but it hurt all the same. And it frightened her for Jeff’s sake, because she knew he couldn’t see just how much trouble he was in.

Matt regarded her with sympathy. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Emma, but arresting him might be the best thing. It would force him to face what he’s doing to himself before he gets in too deep to get out.”

Her temper flared at the pragmatic, insensitive statement. Weeks of frustration came pouring out. Even as she spoke she knew she was directing it at the wrong person, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. So many things had happened to her family lately, things over which she’d had no control. It was little wonder she finally snapped.

“You are such a sanctimonious pig,” she said, lashing out at the messenger. “You think it’s all so easy. Our dad’s dead, but we should all just get on with the business of living without wasting one single
moment grieving or worrying about why it happened or acting out in some inappropriate way.”

“I never said that,” Matt responded, sounding hurt that she would accuse him of such insensitivity. “I’m grieving, too.”

Emma heard the real pain in his voice, but she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook. “Well, you’d sure as hell never know it,” she retorted, fully aware of just how unfair she was being. “You haven’t done anything to help the situation. Have you even done one single thing to help me find out why he killed himself? It’s been weeks since I asked you to investigate. You’ve made all the right noises when I pressed you, but your actions have been pretty halfhearted. It was days ago when Gabe and Harley found that date book of Jennifer’s. Have you tried to pin her down about it since you went to her office and she wasn’t there?”

“She hasn’t been around since then,” he said stiffly. “Cori promised to call as soon as she showed up.”

“So? Do you honestly believe her loyalty is to you, rather than her boss? Put out one of those all-points bulletins or something,” she told him.

“Jennifer’s not a fugitive. She’s not even a suspect in a crime,” he explained patiently.

Emma didn’t feel like being reasonable. “Is that it, or are you just not anxious to get to the bottom of this?”

“That, too,” he admitted.

“Because once I know why my dad died, I’ll leave?” she asked, suddenly thoroughly suspicious of his motives.

“To be honest, that’s one reason,” he conceded.

His admission rattled her. She hadn’t expected him to be so forthright about his motives. He’d also said that was only one of the reasons.

“What are the other reasons?” she asked, trying to keep her temper in check.

“I’m still worried that the can of worms we’re likely to open will be more hurtful, than helpful. I told you that at the beginning. Do you think I’m not aware of how much your family could use that insurance money? Right now, you’re entitled to it.”

“I don’t give a damn about the insurance money,” she said. “I told you I needed to know, no matter what. You’ll have to give me a better reason.” Watching the flicker of emotion in his eyes, she thought she recognized worry and regret. “There is another reason, isn’t there?”

Matt tossed the rest of his cone into a trash can and shoved his hands in his pockets. He refused to look at her. Emma began to get a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Answer me, Matt. Is it really me you’re protecting, or is it someone else?” The answer suddenly dawned on her. “You have some sort of history with Jennifer, don’t you? Is that it? Are you protecting her?”

“I’m not protecting her,” he insisted, but he didn’t sound convincing. “I don’t even know if she needs protecting.”

“But you did have a relationship with her,” she persisted, praying that he’d deny it.

Instead, he regarded her with an unflinching look. “At one time, yes. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Emma felt as if her last lifeline—her faith in
Matt—had been snapped in two. “I don’t believe this. How could you not tell me that weeks ago?”

“Because I didn’t think it mattered,” he said reasonably. “It was nearly a year ago, and it didn’t last long. I was still hung up on you, so the relationship died before it ever really went anywhere.”

“But you feel guilty enough about breaking things off that you want to keep Jennifer out of this mess with my father, is that it?”

He seemed startled by her assessment. “Maybe that is part of it,” he conceded. “I wasn’t consciously aware that I was holding back because of our past, but you could be right. I have felt guilty ever since I broke it off. And then when it started to look as if she might have gotten involved with your father right after that, I suppose I felt responsible.”

Emma’s head was whirling. “Did she know you broke up with her because you had all these old feelings for me?”

Matt shook his head. “I only told her that there was someone else I cared about, someone I’d never gotten over. I never said it was you.” He sighed. “But I can’t deny that she figured it out.”

“Probably because a lot of people in town guessed years ago that you had a thing for me,” Emma said. “It wasn’t much of a secret. So Jennifer could have had a motive to want to get back at me and my family.”

“By doing what? Setting out to seduce your father? Don’t be absurd, Emma. I don’t care how furious you are with me, don’t take it out on Jennifer by making crazy accusations. She’s a decent person. She wouldn’t have set out to deliberately hurt your family.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think she was all that broken up when I dumped her. We’re still friendly.”

“Do you think she’d let you see how much you hurt her?” Emma scoffed. “Women have their pride, you know.”

“Of course, they do, but you’re wrong about Jennifer. She’s not like that. If you knew her—”

Emma cut him off. “Stop defending her. She’s mixed up in my dad’s suicide and you know it, or you wouldn’t be dragging your heels about finding her so I can confront her.” She looked at him as if she’d never seen him before. “I thought you were on my side. I really did.”

“I
am
on your side. I am always on your side.”

Emma shook her head. “Not anymore,” she said, her heart aching. “I never want to set eyes on you again. Never!”

And then she stood up and walked away without looking back.

Well, he’d certainly made a royal mess of that, Matt thought, as he watched Emma leave, her spine rigid. She might think it was over between them, but he had other ideas. He would find a way to make this right.

In the meantime, he was willing to admit that he should have told Emma about his relationship with Jennifer at the beginning, just to put the cards on the table. If he’d spoken up back then, he could have made Emma see that the relationship had been too brief to mean anything. Now it had taken on an importance far beyond what it had originally meant to either him or Jennifer.

And despite what Emma thought, he was convinced
that none of what had happened to Don had been tied to the breakup. Jennifer was not the type of woman who would seek revenge on him by going after the family of the woman who had held his heart all these years. She was more direct than that. If she wanted revenge on anyone, it would have been him, and she’d have pursued it enthusiastically. Instead, they’d remained on friendly terms, at least until lately when his questions had put her on the defensive.

“Smooth move, Chief.”

Matt jumped as Cramer sat down beside him on the lakeside bench. “Where the hell did you come from?”

“I always take Gwendolyn for a walk this time of night,” the sergeant said. He gestured toward the dog that had sprawled across his feet, panting.

“Looks like she’s really enjoying it,” Matt said wryly. “Ever think she might prefer to lie around the house in the air-conditioning?”

“Hell, we both would,” Cramer said with a note of disgust in his voice. “But the vet says she’s gaining too much weight. We’re on a regimen to knock off a few pounds.”

Matt bit back a chuckle. “I see. I always wondered what you did with your evenings.”

“If I were you I wouldn’t look so blasted smug. It’s not like your life’s going to be all that exciting from here on out. Sounded to me as if Emma’s furious with you.”

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“I was passing by,” Cramer corrected. “Heard things getting sticky between you two and decided I should wait it out in case you needed a shoulder to cry on.”

“I don’t,” Matt said succinctly.

“Then you’ve got this under control?” Cramer asked, his skepticism plain.

“Not exactly,” Matt admitted. “But I will.”

“What’s your plan?”

“I don’t have one yet.”

“Mind a suggestion?”

What Matt minded was having a nosy sergeant who thought he could go poking around in Matt’s private affairs, but apparently he didn’t have much control over that. “Go ahead.”

“You need to get those two women in the same room and straighten this thing out before it gets out of hand. In my experience, women get more difficult the longer the wounds are allowed to fester.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m telling you, I know what I’m talking about,” Cramer insisted. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a beeper. “By the way, this is yours. You left it at the station. Cori’s been calling you all afternoon.”

Matt grabbed the beeper and jumped up. “Why the hell didn’t you let me know?”

Gwendolyn lifted her head and growled at his sharp tone.