Lance had stood outside the front of Mitch’s cabin, the sound of laughter and the scent of the grilled meat from the back greeting him. Hesitating, he wondered for an instant what persuaded him to come but, truthfully, he knew the answer. When he ran into Mitch and Tori at the grocery store earlier that day, they reminded him of the cookout. Tori rattled off the names of their usual friend group who would attend, and even though he knew them all, he decided it was not his scene. Until she mentioned her. Jade. Once that name crossed Tori’s lips, he knew he would give in to the urge to see her again.

Now, he was here, on the deck, and a quick glance revealed she did not lack for male company. It did not matter that the men had all moved on to grab food or go back to their game, just seeing her surrounded had shot a bolt of jealousy though him—an emotion he was totally unfamiliar with. The desire to flee ran through his mind, but then he looked at her—really looked at her.

Her gaze was on him. Her smile was directed his way. Her body leaned forward slightly, and as he continued to stare, she stood up, dusted the sand from her hands, and walked toward him, moving with a natural grace. Now the desire to flee was replaced with the desire to stay, if only to be in her presence a little longer.

Her jeans fit her hips and thighs perfectly and the green t-shirt under her navy sweater made her eyes appear larger and brighter. With no ball cap on, her long, dark hair flowed over her shoulders, the tresses lifting slightly in the bay breeze.

He continued to hold her gaze as she stepped up onto the deck, making her way over, but he noticed that, as she slowly neared, her smile tightened. Recognizing her nervousness, he cursed himself, knowing she was still gun-shy. Determined to erase that look on her face, he turned his body and directed his attention toward her, his lips curving in a slight smile. The relief in her eyes was amazing to watch, the dark green lightening as her smile relaxed.

“Hey,” she said, so close now she had to lean her head back to hold his gaze. “I’m surprised to see you here…pleasantly surprised, I should add.”

“Thanks,” he replied, his eyes leaving hers only to shift around the gathering before landing back on her face. “I don’t usually…well, I guess you know I don’t tend to socialize much.”

She placed her hand on his arm and leaned in. “It’s okay, you know. Not everyone has to be Mr. Sociable, like them,” she said, jerking her head toward the beach where the volleyball game had resumed its rowdiness.

“I noticed you captured their attention,” he said, then immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut instead of letting his jealous insecurities show.

Grinning, she replied, “Come on. Come sit with me. I assure you, there’s plenty of room and no one else I’d rather talk to.”

At that proclamation, he breathed easier, nodding at the others as he followed her to the fire pit, trying to ignore their surprised expressions. Walking behind her, his gaze inevitably dropped to her ass, perfectly silhouetted in her jeans with her long legs tapering to her bare feet with pink-painted toenails. Sucking in a quick breath, he felt the pang of jealousy again, knowing he was not the only man there who was interested.

She bent over, grabbing the towel she had been sitting on and gave it a shake, knocking the sand off. Laying it back down, she spread it out wider before sitting down, her back against the massive log. Patting the other side of the towel, she looked up at him expectantly.

Settling his large frame next to her petite one, he was conscious of the space—or lack thereof—between them. Sliding his leg over to give her more room, she shook her head slightly.

“Don’t worry, you’re not crowding me.”

Following her lead, he leaned back, finally relaxing, as others settled around the fire pit as well. His trepidation about being in a group of people lessened as he watched the camaraderie amongst the friends, old and new. The men he knew from the American Legion. The police officers he knew from assisting with one of their cases a few months earlier. And most of the women he knew from their men. Watching the couples interact, he rubbed his chest absentmindedly, the idea of a relationship seeming foreign and yet, now, with Jade sitting so near, he could almost imagine his arm around her possessively.

An elbow punch from the side jolted him and he dropped his gaze to her.

Grinning, she said, “You’re staring so intently at everyone, I thought maybe you forgot I was here.”

Heat flooding his face, he shook his head. “I can guarantee that would never happen.”

“Do you like to people watch?”

“Not usually, but with this group, it’s nice to see the way everyone interacts.”

Her face brightened, as she nodded. “I know exactly what you mean! When I first decided to teach here, I didn’t know anyone. I ended up staying a few weeks at the Sea Glass Inn, where I met Tori. She immediately befriended me and began including me in her gatherings. That’s how I came to know Jillian, Katelyn, and Belle. They all went to school together here and, since they have known each other for years, I felt honored to be included. Recently, Ginny’s joined our crazy group as well.”

“They’re the lucky ones to have you be their friend, if you ask me,” he commented, his eyes still roaming her face.

Before Jade had a chance to respond, Mitch called out that the food was ready. Lance jumped up, holding his hand out to her. Smiling, she placed her smaller hand in his much larger one, feeling the power in his grip as he assisted her to stand. Turning toward the deck, she observed the other women all staring at her, huge smiles on their faces. Blushing, she walked next to him as they got in line.

Soon, they were all gathered around the fire pit or in chairs around the edges, plates balanced on their laps, beers and sodas nestled in the sand to keep them from tipping over.

“Hey, Jade,” Callan called out. “Just got a text back from the commander. He said a field trip would be fine. You just need to figure out a day and time that’ll work and coordinate it with him.”

Grinning widely, she nodded in appreciation. “Thanks! That was quick. I want to combine it with the trip to the harbor to visit Skip. I think he’ll be easy with the dates, so I’ll work with your commander first. I’ll have to do the paperwork with my principal and then I’ll get in touch with him. The kids will be thrilled.”

“How you handle twenty-five little ones every day is amazing to me,” Katelyn said. “I’d lose my mind. It’s hard enough for me to handle my brothers.”

Everyone laughed as Aiden and Brogan both threw their wadded paper napkins at her, easily deflected by Gareth.

Shrugging, she replied, “I love it. Second grade is wonderful…they’re young enough to still be interested in learning and yet old enough to have some responsibility.”

Listening to the conversations, Lance realized he was discovering more about Jade than he had on his own. His desire to keep the topics from being too personal had also kept him in the dark about her life.

Peeking through her lashes toward him, Jade noticed his quiet introspection and had the feeling there was very little going on around them that escaped his attention. Curious as to why he normally eschewed social gatherings, she wanted to know more about him without making him feel self-conscious. Not sure how to do that, she determined to watch and listen, seeing what she could pick up on.

“Lance, I’ve sold a few more of your sea glass mobiles. When do you think you’ll have more for me?”

“I’ve got some ready. I can bring them by this week, if you’d like.”

“Oh, that’d be great,” Jillian enthused. “There are two wedding parties in town next weekend and the guests always end up in the galleria looking for unusual gifts.”

“I wondered what was going on,” Tori added. “My inn is fully booked.”

“One of the waitresses at the Sunset View Restaurant came into the pub and was talking about the increased wedding business they were getting,” Katelyn remarked.

“I love what the new owner of the Sunset is doing,” Tori said. “I know a lot of townspeople were concerned when somebody from New York came down and bought it, but he’s turned what was a nice, but slowly dying, restaurant into a real destination place.”

Katelyn nodded, “I was very skeptical when he bought it at the auction, but the marina is gorgeous and they are going to start a simple breakfast during the summer out near the water.”

“The empty building next to the restaurant is now a nice reception area,” Belle said. “One of our part-time nursing assistants was going to get a seasonal job there.”

“Who’s the new owner?” Jason asked.

“Thomas Fedor,” Tori replied. “He was great to work with when I was planning our wedding reception.”

“Well, your wedding there was gorgeous,” Jillian said, smiling as Tori grinned at Mitch, receiving a wink in response.

“And we’re next,” Grant stated, throwing his arm around Jillian’s shoulders.

“It’s only a month away and the ceremony will be on the pier, but the reception will be at the Sunset,” Jillian said. “We’ve been working with Thomas’ wedding planner and the Sunset reception area will be perfect.”

Ginny leaned into Brogan, saying, “Glad we’re doing a little ceremony at our house on the beach,” and received a gratified nod from him.

Katelyn, sitting on the sand, looked up at Gareth, and said, “Yeah, between Jillian and Grant and then our wedding, the town’ll have a couple of big celebrations.”

“Then send me all the sea glass artwork you can, Lance,” Jillian called out. “Looks like we’ll have lots of shoppers in town!”

As everyone continued to eat, Jade looked over, her voice low, saying, “I don’t know if you ever show anyone your art as you’re working on it…and if not, that’s fine,” she rushed, “but if so, I’d love to see it sometime.”

Warmth infused deep inside as he met her eyes. Nodding slowly, he said, “I normally don’t let anyone into my studio…but for you, I’d gladly make an exception. Maybe…later today?”

Grinning broadly, she leaned back, finishing her hamburger, now excited for what was coming after the cookout.

Tori had gone into the house to get the dessert when she suddenly appeared at the door, her face pale and her hand clutching her stomach. “Mitch!” she cried before doubling over in pain.

Paper plates full of food were tossed into the sand as everyone jumped up at once. Mitch, by her side in an instant, grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. “Babe, what is it?”

“Cramps,” she gasped.

The crowd parted for Zac as he rushed to her other side. Looking at Mitch, he said, “Let’s get her to the hospital.”

Mitch stood, gathering Tori in his arms, as Zac ran to get his SUV. Grant and Jillian rushed forward.

“I’ll drive,” Grant said, as he and Jillian hustled after Mitch, “so Zac can be in the back seat with Tori.”

Katelyn and Gareth headed out as well. “We’ll take our car so Grant and Jillian will have a way back.”

Mitch called over his shoulder, “Someone call my parents!”

“On it!” shouted Katelyn, digging her cell phone from her purse.

A moment later, they were all gone, leaving a somber group standing behind, feeling helpless.

“Shit,” Jade breathed, her voice trembling. Lance immediately circled his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in, willing his strength to carry over to her.

She liked the warmth of his arms around her, the steady beat of his heart next to her cheek. Reluctantly she pulled back, sliding her arms from around his waist. She, Belle, and Ginny moved to the deck to pack the food as the men gathered the trash and policed the ground. The hush over the crowd was tangible, each feeling the fear for their friends. Lance brought a garbage bag from the fire pit area, filled with refuse.

“You can put it in the can over there,” she said, pointing to the garbage can at the back of the cabin.

“I’ll take it to the dump so Mitch won’t have to worry about it later,” he replied, walking toward his SUV.

She watched him move away, her heart pounding as she viewed his quiet, take charge manner, doing what needed to be accomplished.

“A natural leader, isn’t he?” Ginny said, coming up behind her, startling her.

Whipping her head around, she nodded as she saw Ginny’s warm gaze on her.

“Never really knew much about him until he helped out with a case. Still don’t know much about him, but I respect the fact that he likes his privacy.”

Not knowing what to say, she just nodded again.

“But, I’ll be honest, Jade,” Ginny continued. “I think he’s got demons like the rest of us…think he soothes them with his art. I figure that’s as good a way to work on them as any other…hell, it’s a lot healthier than many ways of dealing.” She turned, looked her in the eyes and added, “I’d love to see him find someone he can trust. Someone he can have fun with. Maybe even someone he can protect.”

With that, she walked away, leaving Jade both agreeing and confused. Love, trust…yes. But protect?

* * *

After the group left Mitch’s cabin, they migrated to Finn’s where the pall remained over the gathering. To her surprise and happiness, Lance came to the pub as well, rarely leaving her side. Comforting or staking a claim she did not know and, honestly, at that moment, did not care.

Finally, Katelyn and Gareth came in, reporting that the hospital had admitted Tori overnight for observation, but the good news was that she and the baby appeared fine. With hugs and handshakes all around, the friends called out their goodbyes as they headed for home.

Lance walked Jade outside to her car. Standing under the street light, he saw the remnants of worry in her eyes. Wanting to offer comfort, he knew platitudes were empty. Lifting his arms to her shoulders, he felt her shift, moving into his embrace, her face planting against his chest as her arms encircled his waist.

They stood, silent as the night, offering wordless warmth. After a moment, she slid her hands down, stepping back slightly, looking up. A little smile curved her lips, as she said, “Thanks, Lance. For everything. For just making me feel better.”

It had been a long time since he had offered comfort to anyone, but it felt good. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, he nodded. “Are you going to be safe getting home?”

“Yeah. I just live a few blocks over.”

Hating to leave her presence, he knew she needed to get to bed. “All right. I’ll…uh…see you…sometime?”

“I hope so,” she chuckled. “You still owe me a tour of your studio.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed, opening her door and watching her slide into the driver’s seat. Closing the door, he tapped on the window. After she rolled it down, he asked, “Hey, would you mind letting me know if you hear anything about Tori?”

“Sure, but I’ll need your number.”

Taking out his phone, he entered the digits as she rattled them off and then called her to get his number into her phone. Watching as she drove away, he turned toward his SUV, smiling, his heart lighter than it had been in years.