The Truest Thing: Hart's Boardwalk #4 Read online

  As Bailey took Joey from Cooper’s arms and said something that made him giggle, I felt a rush of envy as the group chatted easily. Like always, I was an outsider.

  Then Cat stepped forward and held out her hand. “It’s been awhile. I’m Cat, remember?”

  It was nice of her to reintroduce herself, but it was also a terrible reminder that after two years of living in Hartwell, I’d had so few interactions with her.

  Trying not to berate myself into an agitated puddle of mush, I shook her hand. “Emery.”

  She gave me an uncomfortable smile. “Nice to see you here.”

  “Emery just nearly bought out Dahlia’s entire store.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Cooper surprised me by offering a teasing smile.

  I wanted to say something funny and cute in response. My brain tripped over itself trying to find the words, and an awkward silence prevailed.

  Cooper cleared his throat and reached for Joey, taking him from Bailey’s arms. “Well, we said we’d meet Dana at some stall. She’s got her eye on a purse she likes.”

  Everyone said goodbye, including Joey who kept yelling, “Bye, bye, Bail-Bail!” as Cooper carried him away. I felt awful for chasing them off.

  I threw Iris a pleading look. Please let me leave.

  She patted my arm in sympathy but gave a slight shake of her head and a “you can do this” expression. Iris, Bailey, and Dahlia chatted about the bands that were playing this year, and I tried to look like I was listening when really, I was plotting my escape.

  As I glanced from them to the crowds enjoying the festival, my attention snagged on a particular someone.

  Someone who made my heart beat fast.

  At his height, Jack was easy to spot.

  And he was talking to Cooper and holding Joey.

  My stomach flipped at the sight of him holding Joey above his head and blowing raspberries on his tummy, making the toddler squeal with delighted laughter. He kicked out his legs, almost catching Jack on the chin.

  “Well, if I wasn’t already in love with Tom, I’d be transferring my old crush on Cooper to Jack Devlin right about now,” Bailey said dryly, and I noted her eyes were on Jack too. “That man looks good with a kid in his arms.”

  “That man just looks good, period,” Dahlia opined. “I curse his no-locals rule.”

  Realizing Dahlia meant she’d sleep with him if he didn’t have a rule against sleeping with local women, a spike of awful jealousy sliced through me.

  That jealousy only grew as Jack handed Joey back to Cooper and slipped his arms around a woman I hadn’t even noticed. I didn’t recognize her. She was a tourist, a tall brunette with enormous boobs and a tiny waist.

  So that was his type.

  That wasn’t crushing.

  Okay, I lied. It was unbelievably crushing.

  As Cooper, Cat, and Joey strolled away, Jack turned to the brunette and murmured something in her ear as he held her by the hips.

  And then he kissed her.

  Not just a mere brush across the lips.

  But a kiss.

  Devastation that was way out of proportion to the moment crashed over me. Iris had told me about Jack and his tourist conquests.

  However, this was the first time I was seeing one live in front of me.

  I felt betrayed.

  Which made no sense at all.

  “Lucky lady,” Bailey said at my side.

  I was transfixed by the scene that hurt so much to look at.

  When Jack broke the kiss, smiling as he tucked the woman into his side and turned, our eyes locked as he lifted his head. He seemed to pause, the smile abruptly leaving his face as we stared at each other.

  Yanking my gaze away from his, the first one I met was Bailey Hartwell’s.

  And she was examining me like she could see into my head.

  Like she knew I had a massive crush on Jack Devlin and the news delighted her.

  This … this was why I avoided Bailey Hartwell. She was nosy.

  “I have to go,” I muttered. “Sorry, Iris.” I brushed past her and hurried through the crowds.

  My heart beat triple time as I marched down the boardwalk toward my beach house.

  I wanted to cry.

  It was foolish and childish and made no sense.

  But the image of Jack kissing that woman how he did … yeah. It made me want to cry.

  With significant effort, I sucked back the tears and let myself into my house. Hidden inside, I made myself a cup of peppermint tea and opened all the jewelry boxes to appreciate Dahlia’s work.

  In another life, she and I would be friends. She’d maybe even let me watch her work because I’d love to see that.

  In another life, I wouldn’t blush like an idiot every time Cooper Lawson spoke to me.

  In another life, I’d be sophisticated and witty and Jack Devlin wouldn’t be able to resist me, local woman or not.

  “In another life,” I whispered to myself.

  5

  Jack

  Five years ago

  How did you tell your best friend that his wife grabbed your dick?

  Jack’s heart raced hard.

  Not even the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore could calm him as he gazed out at the water from the sand-encrusted boards.

  An hour ago, Dana had called Jack to tell him she was concerned about Cooper and could he come over. That they needed to talk. The last person Jack ever wanted to talk to was Dana, but he was worried about Cooper too.

  His friend had been closed off lately. Worried about something. And whenever Jack tried to talk to him about it, he blew him off. Hoping Dana might have some insight, and relieved that she cared enough about her husband to call his best friend, Jack had gone to her.

  She started with the crocodile tears. They were having problems getting pregnant and Cooper was taking it out on her. As soon as she said that, Jack knew she was up to something. There was no way Cooper would blame his woman for that shit. How stupid did Dana think Jack was? Knowing something was definitely wrong, he moved to leave. She stood in his path and then to his horror she grabbed his dick and tried to massage it through his jeans.

  Furious, he pushed her off and stormed out of the house.

  And now … now he had to explain this shit to his best friend and hope Cooper believed him.

  “He’ll believe me,” Jack muttered to himself, knowing it was true. But it was messed up either way because Cooper was the one who would be hurt.

  Dana Fucking Kellerman.

  It was the one instance Jack hated that his instincts about that woman had been on point.

  He took a deep breath and pushed away from the railing. The bar would close soon. Jack needed to tell Cooper and get it over with.

  A flicker of white on the beach drew Jack’s attention, however, and he grew still at the sight of the tall figure walking along the shoreline in the dark. The moonlight gleamed across her hair and the white sweater she wore. She held it closed with her arms wrapped around her waist.

  Emery Saunders.

  His heart changed beat for a different reason.

  Without thinking, his feet were moving him in her direction. Perhaps it was procrastination at its finest. Or perhaps she’d shown up just when he needed her to.

  Four years, he thought as he hurried down the beach to her, sand getting in his shoes. He didn’t care about the sand. Emery had lived in Hartwell for four years and in that time, she’d kept to herself. As far as he was aware, the bookstore and coffeehouse owner had no friends, no family, and no interests beyond the store.

  Jack had tried to get over whatever it was that pulled him in Emery’s direction, but as the years passed, it had gotten harder to ignore what she made him feel. He didn’t know her and she made him feel.

  He still went nearly every morning to her store to buy a coffee to start his day. Sure, she made the best coffee in town, but he went out of his way for one because he got to see her blush at him every day. Four ye
ars and she still blushed at him. He loved when the pink stained her cheeks anytime he smiled at her. And that sweet smile she gave him in return. The way she’d flush redder when he deliberately touched his fingers to hers when he took the coffee. Jack wondered if she felt the tingles rush up her arm the same way he did.

  After that moment at the music festival two years ago, when Emery saw him with the tourist whose name he was ashamed to say he couldn’t even remember now, the progress he’d made with Em halted. He’d watched her hurry away after seeing him with that woman and for some stupid reason, he’d felt like a jackass. Like a guy who had just cheated on his girl. It made no sense. But he got the distinct impression he’d hurt Emery’s feelings that day. Maybe he just wanted to believe that.

  He told himself that was just wishful thinking.

  Until he went in for coffee the following Monday and she would not look at him. Sure, she blushed, but she didn’t respond to his questions and not once did she make eye contact.

  That went on for weeks.

  Wearing on Jack’s nerves.

  Yet he was a masochist who just kept going back for more.

  Until eventually, she talked to him again. Two years later, he reckoned he was about the only one other than Iris who could get an actual conversation out of Emery Saunders. And she was cute and funny when she let her guard down.

  It made him want to unwrap her slowly, find out what else went on in that mind of hers. Stephen Hawking once said the quietest people had the loudest minds. Jack suspected that of Emery. He suspected there was lots of fantastic stuff to discover about her.

  “It’s late,” he said as he approached her.

  Emery startled from her spot on the shore.

  His eyes flickered down her body, and he swallowed hard. She usually wore long dresses or jeans and tops with lots of fabric on the arms. Not tonight. Tonight, she wore pajama shorts beneath her oversized sweater and Jack glimpsed her gorgeous long legs for the first time.

  Jesus Fucking Christ.

  Of course, she had the finest pair of legs he’d ever seen.

  Everything about the woman was made specially to torment him.

  Jack came to a stop beside her. Emery was tall for a woman, but he still had to look down at her. She stared up at him, a little wide-eyed, swallowed hard, and looked out at the ocean.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, tucking a loose strand of her beautiful hair behind her ear. Silver rings sat on nearly every one of her fingers and long silver earrings hung from her ears. They were accompanied by two more piercings—little diamond studs that winked in the moonlight.

  The woman was always jingling and jangling with jewelry.

  Jack still imagined the sound of her jewelry making their song for a whole different reason—with every thrust of his body into hers.

  Arousal flushed through him and he cursed inwardly. Every time he was around her, he felt like a fourteen-year-old boy with no control over his hormones. Jack looked away, watching the calm ripple of the waves.

  “Are you okay?” Her soft voice filled the space between them, causing his skin to prickle with awareness.

  He answered honestly. “No, I’m not okay.”

  “Oh.” He could feel her looking at him, so he turned to meet her gaze. That ache in his chest only she caused made itself known. “Can I … help?” she asked.

  It seemed to take a lot for her to ask him. Jack turned his body toward her. “If … if … okay …” He blew out air between his lips. “Say you have this friend. A good friend. And this friend has a husband.”

  Emery nodded. It felt good to be the recipient of her undivided attention and focus. “So say you have this friend, and her husband—who you’ve made it clear to your friend that you don’t trust or like—makes a pass at you.”

  Her eyes widened slightly, and she gave him a gentle nod to continue.

  “You tell your friend, right? You tell her what he did? Even if she blames you for it?”

  To his shock and pleasure, Emery placed a hand on his arm. Her brow creased with concern. “Yes, Jack. You need to tell him. Cooper. You should tell him if Dana did that.”

  A huff of dry laughter escaped him. Not because what she said was funny, but because he realized then that Emery paid a lot more attention than people thought.

  She winced and dropped her hand, moving to retreat.

  Jack reached for her, taking hold of her slim biceps to stop her. “No, I’m not laughing at you. I just … I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you see a lot more than you let on.”

  Her eyes lowered, and not for the first time, Jack marveled at the length of her eyelashes. “People assume things about me.”

  “It’s hard for them to do anything but assume if you won’t befriend them,” he told her gently.

  “I don’t make friends easily. I told you that. I find it hard to converse with people I don’t know very well.”

  “I get that.” Jack stepped closer until their bodies almost brushed. “But you seem to be able to talk to me. We practiced. And here we are.”

  Emery studied his face for a second, her focus so intense, Jack’s heart hammered harder in his chest. “It wasn’t just practice. It’s your eyes. You have the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  Fuck, but he wanted to kiss her so badly.

  “Emery …” His voice was hoarse with that want.

  She seemed to sense the change in him and instead of pulling away, she swayed a little closer.

  For four years, he’d convinced himself he couldn’t have this woman because of his father’s machinations. But Ian Devlin hadn’t so much as lifted a finger against Emery Saunders, and Jack suspected that was because she had way too much money and influence, too many connections for it to be smart.

  Which meant … maybe … maybe she wasn’t entirely out of Jack’s reach after all.

  He was so sick and tired of wanting this woman. He thought it would go away. That he’d get over her. But he couldn’t. So why wasn’t he making his move?

  “Jack, it’ll be all right,” she promised. “I’ve seen how you and Cooper are, and Iris talks about you both all the time. I know you’re closer to him than you are to your own brothers. Cooper will believe you. It’ll hurt him … but he’ll be grateful for the truth in the end. He deserves better than a wife who would try to cheat on him with his best friend.”

  It was the most he’d ever heard her say.

  And she said it with passion. Concern. Like she cared.

  Yeah, Jack was done waiting to have what he’d fucking pined for, for four very long years.

  “Em,” he said, loosening his grip on her biceps and smoothing his hand down her arm until he held her hand.

  She looked down at their clasped hands, her eyebrows raised.

  “Em … I’d like to take you out. On a date.”

  Her eyes flew to his, lips parted with surprise. “You? A … a date?”

  Hearing the disbelief in her voice, he almost growled in frustration. He cursed that day at the music festival. She thought he was a player.

  Okay, he wasn’t exactly not a player.

  But not with her.

  She was all he could see.

  “No fucking around,” he promised. “I mean a real date. To be followed by another. And another and another …” Until there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Emery Saunders belonged to Jack Devlin and Jack Devlin belonged to her.

  His pulse raced with excitement at the thought.

  He could tell he’d shocked her.

  She tugged on his hand and he tightened his grip.

  “I would never hurt you.” He made his second promise.

  Taking a shuddering breath, Emery studied him again, gazing deeply into his eyes, as if she could unearth all his secrets. She could. She had that power over him. Then, just as he worried her shyness would ruin any chance between them, her lips twitched just a little. An almost smile.

  I want to make her laugh, he thought. Jack
had never heard her laughter, and he wanted to more than anything else.

  “Okay.”

  Euphoria flooded him. “Okay?”

  This time she grinned, and he saw the pink stain her cheeks. “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, Jack Devlin.”

  He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to haul her into his arms so badly and kiss the breath out of her … but he stopped himself.

  It had to be slow.

  Jack had to prove to her that he wanted more than just her gorgeous body.

  He wanted everything from Emery.

  Jack trusted his instincts. He knew he’d never meet a purer heart than the one that belonged to this beautiful woman.

  Her goodness shone out of her.

  She was an angel.

  She was a beautiful sunrise dawning on a hope-filled new day.

  Christ, this woman was turning him into a fucking poet. And a bad one at that. He smirked inwardly to himself.

  Jack squeezed her hand and gently released it. “Friday night. I’ll pick you up from your beach house at 7:00 p.m. There’s this great seafood place about twenty minutes down the coast. We’ll have more privacy there. That work for you?”

  She bit her bottom lip, looking so shy and adorable he wanted to kiss the shyness right out of her. She nodded, seemingly trying not to smile too hard.

  Jack smiled hard enough for the two of them. “Good. Great. It’s a date.”

  Emery nodded again.

  “Have I stolen your ability to speak?” he teased.

  She nodded.

  Jack laughed, disbelieving she could make him feel this good when his gut was in turmoil.

  Emery smiled.

  They studied one another for a tension-filled time.

  Jack regretfully took a step back. “I better go. I need to go talk to Cooper.”

  “Good luck, Jack. And remember …” She started walking backward in the direction of her house. “Trust in him.”

  “I will, sunrise.” The endearment slipped out before he could think on the wisdom of being so familiar with her.

  “Sorry?” she squinted at him in confusion.

  “Sunrise,” he repeated. “That’s what you remind me of.”

  To his relief, Emery seemed to understand his sentiment without explanation. The surprised but soft expression on her face suggested she liked it. As did the way she ducked her head bashfully before giving him a little wave. Jack watched her turn on her heel to walk home.