Chapter Thirteen

Jonah wondered whether it was deliberate that his first outing with Abby and Eva Grace involved a whole herd of people. Though he would have preferred some one-on-one time, he had to admit Liz Canfield’s backyard barbecue was a good opportunity to get better acquainted with the citizens of Hazel Green.

Abby had been matter-of-fact when she’d texted about the Friday event. She’d given him the date and time and told him to meet her and Eva Grace there . . . if it worked for him.

He’d met Liz at Leo’s party but wasn’t sure she would remember him. Still, Abby would hardly invite him without checking with her friend first.

Liz lived in a neighborhood of what he recognized as Craftsman-style homes. Her single-story home, painted dark-blue with ivory trim, boasted a large porch that ran the entire length of the front. The door, a vivid burgundy, drew the eye.

Jonah started up the front steps but paused at a burst of raucous laughter coming from the back of the house. With a six-pack of beer dangling from one hand, he backtracked and followed a walkway around to the terrace.

A monster grill, manned by Leo, held burgers and brats. A quick scan of the crowd told Jonah all Abby’s friends—at least the ones he’d met—were here. He located Abby, surrounded by three of them.

Safety in numbers.

The second the thought flashed, he dismissed it. If she truly felt that way about spending time with him, it was going to be a long and arduous getting-reacquainted period.

The only child in attendance other than Eva Grace was a boy several years older. The two of them were in the far back of the yard, playing tetherball.

Jonah wondered whether Abby noticed that the boy was a full head taller than Eva Grace. While at the moment he appeared to be taking her younger age into account, if he let loose with the ball, it could do damage.

It would be good to remind the boy to be gentle with—

“Jonah.” Matilda stepped in front of him. “Abby mentioned you were going to try to stop by.”

He glanced around her, keeping Eva Grace and the boy in sight. Thankfully, his daughter was getting ready to serve. That wasn’t to say the boy couldn’t do damage if he blocked and smacked the ball back in her face.

Matilda’s hand settled on his arm. “Sawyer is a kind boy.”

Jonah inclined his head.

“Sawyer, Liz’s son.” Matilda smiled. “He’s the child playing with Eva Grace. He won’t hurt her.”

It was crazy the way the woman had read his mind.

“He’s bigger, stronger.”

“Sawyer understands she’s a little one.”

“If he forgets . . .” The thought of that hard ball hitting Eva Grace in the face made him shudder.

“He won’t.” Matilda patted his arm.

Though Jonah doubted the woman was much past forty, there was something momlike in her manner toward him even though he was a stranger to her.

“Have you met our hostess?” Matilda shifted, effectively blocking his view of Eva Grace and Sawyer.

“Briefly at Leo’s party.” He brought the picture of her into his head. Brown and brown. Five five. One hundred twenty pounds. Early thirties. “She’s a reporter.”

“She was.”

Jonah pulled his brows together. “She was interviewing Nell, er, Hazel Green, for the local paper.”

“Freelance work, though it’d be nice if it became permanent.” Matilda slipped an arm through his. “Liz had been a reporter for one of the Chicago dailies but was cut in the big layoffs last year. She found a job at a rival paper, but in circulation. She’s a reporter at heart.”

Jonah nodded. He understood. Liz obviously felt the same way about reporting that he felt about law enforcement. He had a passion for justice.

“Let’s say hello to the hostess, then I’ll take you to Abby.” Matilda slanted a glance at him. “She’ll be happy to see you.”

Jonah wasn’t sure about that, but he was there. And he wasn’t going anywhere.

+

Abby’s breath caught in her throat when she spotted Jonah. She kept her gaze focused on Nell and pretended to be engrossed in the story her friend was telling. But her gaze kept slipping back to the police chief, who didn’t look much like a cop in his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt. Especially with a six-pack of beer dangling from one hand.

When Abby had seen the barbecue on her calendar, she’d decided it would be a way to observe Jonah’s interactions with Eva Grace. Best of all, she wouldn’t be alone with him.

Which seemed ridiculous, considering all the years she’d known him. Until she reminded herself the man had proved unpredictable.

Abby sensed him behind her even before there was a lull in the conversation and he spoke her name.

She turned and offered a polite smile, the kind you give a person you’re trying to remember. “Jonah. Glad you could make it.”

“It was kind of Liz to invite me.” Jonah nodded to everyone in the circle, noting Rachel was there with the salesman.

“Marc, this is Chief Rollins.” Rachel offered him a warm smile. “He took Harold’s place on the birthday bash committee. He’s done an amazing job with event security.”

“Harold and his team did the amazing job.” Jonah spoke easily, then extended his hand. “Jonah Rollins. I don’t believe we had a chance to meet at the party.”

“Marc Koenig.” The man clasped Jonah’s hand in a shake that could easily have turned into a wrestling match.

Five seven. Receding dark hair with pale-blue eyes. Too much wining and dining of clients had left Marc soft and paunchy.

“You’re a salesman?” Jonah asked politely.

“I’m a financial adviser for Lawton Wealth Management.”

At Jonah’s blank look, Marc continued, “Lawton is one of the top wealth and investment management firms in the Midwest.”

“Sounds interesting.” Jonah shifted his gaze to Rachel. “You’re both in service professions.”

Marc scoffed. “You can hardly compare herding a bunch of volunteers at a local food bank to handling millions of dollars in assets for some of the wealthiest families in the Chicago area.”

The smile that had blossomed on Rachel’s lips disappeared.

Beside Jonah, Abby began to vibrate.

Abby opened her mouth, but Rachel’s hand on her arm stilled whatever she’d been about to say.

“Marc, I know I said I wasn’t hungry, but the smell of those brats has convinced me to give one a try.” Rachel smiled up at him. “Would you mind getting me one?”

He hesitated for only a second, then glanced around the circle. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Gladly,” Nell muttered.

Jonah fought the urge to smile.

“Why do you let him say those things?” Abby’s soft voice radiated concern, as did the look she offered her friend.

“Marc isn’t a bad guy.” Rachel spoke slowly as if carefully choosing her words. “He’s a bit insecure. That insecurity sometimes comes out as jerkiness.”

Nell, Abby, and Matilda didn’t say anything for several heartbeats. Then Matilda cast a pointed glance at Abby.

“I don’t mean to get into your business.” Abby lowered her voice when she saw Marc headed back in their direction. “I just want the best for you.”

“We all do,” Nell said.

“Rachel is a strong woman.” Matilda gave Rachel’s shoulder a pat. “She makes good decisions.”

Jonah wasn’t sure what to think when Abby slipped her arm through his. “Let me show you Liz’s flower bed. It’s incredible. She even has hollyhocks.”

He barely had a chance to lift his hand in farewell when Abby pulled him from the group.

“I’ve had enough of that man to last me a lifetime,” Abby muttered once they were out of earshot. “That last comment of his nearly pushed me over the edge. If I stayed any longer, I’d have punched him.”

“Don’t hold back.” Jonah chuckled. “Tell me how you really feel about the guy.”

“He’s not good enough for her.”

“On that, we’re in complete and total agreement.”

Surprise flashed in Abby’s dark eyes. “You barely know him.”

“Trained observer, remember?” He grinned, then sobered. “How did she get hooked up with someone like him?”

“You mean a man whose ‘jerkiness’ comes out when he feels insecure? Which, based on his behavior, is all the time?”

“Yeah.” Jonah nodded. “That’s what I’m asking.”

They stopped in front of a large, well-tended flower bed, which held a stand of hollyhocks in rich shades of purple, red, orange, and yellow. Jonah knew Abby had likely mentioned the old-fashioned flower as a diversion, but he wondered whether she remembered they were his mother’s favorite flower. Her garden back home held all these colors and more.

Abby absently rubbed a petal between her fingers. “Once Brandon—he’s Rachel’s youngest sibling—graduated from high school, she started dipping her toe into the dating pool.”

The imagery had Jonah smiling.

“For the first six months or so, she dated a variety of guys. Then Marc asked her out.” Abby’s lips thinned. “At first, he was very charming. He’d ask her where she wanted to go, what she’d like to do. He was attentive and sweet.”

Jonah frowned. “What changed?”

“He did.” Abby expelled a breath. “His true self came out. Now they do what he wants to do. He picks where they eat. He even orders for her.”

Abby sounded so appalled at the notion he had to grin. “The nerve of the man.”

Jonah expected a swift comeback, but the lines between Abby’s brows only deepened. “It’s creepy when he does it.”

She was genuinely worried about her friend. Jonah dropped the teasing tone.

“Have you tried speaking with her privately about your concerns?” He swiveled, just enough to keep Sawyer and Eva Grace in sight.

Abby sighed. “I mentioned it might be good to see what other guys were out there before settling down to one.”

She looked so unhappy Jonah had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and assure her everything would be okay. But she likely wouldn’t appreciate him touching her, and the truth was he didn’t know whether Rachel’s relationship with Marc would end well.

During his law enforcement career, he’d seen his share of controlling men. Sometimes the women stayed with them even when it was clear they should leave. “Rachel is a smart woman.”

Abby glanced at him in surprise. “How do you know that? You’ve barely exchanged ten words.”

“We had a nice conversation on the walk to your hotel the other day,” Jonah informed her. “She’s sharp.”

“She’s also nice. And kind.”

Jonah forgot all about Marc and Rachel when he saw that Eva Grace and the boy had abandoned the tetherball and were now playing tag. He returned his attention to Abby and discovered her attention was also on Eva Grace.

“I worried about them playing with the tetherball.” Abby kept her voice low. “Sawyer is a nice boy, but he’s bigger and stronger than Eva Grace. If he hit that ball hard—”

“It could smack her in the face and do some serious damage.”

“Exactly.” Her gaze grew thoughtful. “I was super protective of her those first years. I’m trying to loosen the reins and give her some freedom, but it’s difficult.”

“With her in braces, you had to watch out for her.”

Surprise skittered across her face. “I’m surprised you’re not on Nell’s ‘let the kid be a kid for goodness sake’ bandwagon.”

“Nell doesn’t have children.”

“Neither do you.” Abby caught herself. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No. You’re right.” Jonah tried not to take offense. He hadn’t spent the last five years raising a child. This was new to him. “But remember, I have siblings. I hit the tetherball into Jackie’s face one summer so hard I knocked out her front tooth. Luckily it was a baby tooth and already loose, but still—”

“You do understand.”

Something in Abby’s tone told him she was uncomfortable with them being on the same parenting wavelength.

“Marc brought her a beer.” Jonah narrowed his gaze. “She’s not taking it.”

Even from where they stood, Jonah heard the anger in Marc’s voice.

“He knows better.” Abby motioned for him to follow her as she headed toward Rachel.

“She doesn’t like beer?”

“Her parents were killed by a drunk driver.” Abby’s words rushed out only moments before they reached the couple.

“I’ve had one beer.” Marc’s eyes flashed. “Big deal.”

“You’ve had two.” Rachel didn’t raise her voice to his level.

Jonah wondered whether that was a trick she’d learned when raising her siblings. His mom always spoke even more softly when involved in a “discussion” with one of her children.

“I’m the designated driver this evening, so I’m sticking to iced tea.”

“You really think one beer will put you over the legal limit?” Marc taunted.

“I will not drive after drinking. Period. I don’t care if my blood alcohol level is under the legal limit.” Rachel’s chin jutted out. “We agreed I would drive tonight.”

Her tone brooked no argument. It was clear, at least to Jonah, that no matter what Marc said, he wasn’t going to change her mind.

The fact that the rising tension between the couple was threatening to derail Liz’s party had Jonah clapping a hand on Marc’s shoulder. He forced a friendly tone. “You’ve got a smart woman there. I wish every citizen of Hazel Green showed such restraint and good sense.”

When the tense set to Marc’s jaw didn’t ease, Jonah added, “I don’t know if you heard, but the guy who nearly hit Abby head-on had been drinking.”

“His blood alcohol was twice the legal limit.” Nell met his gaze when Jonah glanced at her. “I have friends in the district attorney’s office.”

“The man who killed Rachel’s parents was drunk.” Liz placed a supportive hand on her friend’s shoulder. Though she spoke to Rachel, she shot a pointed glance in the salesman’s direction. “You’re making the right decision. Everyone here should support you.”

It was a dig. From the hot flush creeping up Marc’s neck, he got the message loud and clear.

Jonah waited, knowing this would play out in one of two ways. Either Marc would say to hell with everyone and become even more belligerent, or he’d back down.

“If you don’t want a beer, that’s okay.” Marc popped the top. “I’ll just enjoy it myself.”

Rachel didn’t say anything, and neither did anyone around her when Marc slung an arm around her shoulder.

Other than that incident, the evening was pleasant with lots of laughter and conversation.

When Abby announced it was time to head for home, Jonah and Eva Grace had just finished slaughtering Liz and Sawyer in lawn darts. Who knew a childhood talent for tossing oversize darts into rings could come in handy?

“We won every game,” Eva Grace told her mother as Jonah walked them to their car. The child shot him a blinding smile. “It was fun.”

“I enjoyed it,” Jonah agreed. “Perhaps we can do it again sometime.”

He kept his tone offhand, hoping Abby didn’t feel as if he was pressuring her. Still, he wanted her to know he was interested in continuing to get better acquainted with his daughter. And her.

“Do you like school carnivals?” Eva Grace asked.

Jonah smiled. “I haven’t been to one in a long time, but yeah, I used to love them.”

Eva Grace turned pleading eyes in her mother’s direction.

After an instant’s hesitation, Abby turned to Jonah. “Abby’s school is holding a carnival on Sunday. Would you like to go with us?”

“I’d love to go.”

“Yay.” Eva Grace twirled.

Jonah understood. Right now, he felt like twirling, too.