CHAPTER 5

Julie was watching him.

Not only could he practically feel her gaze searing his flesh, but he kept seeing flashes of her hair in the sunlight. The woman might be book smart, but it was pretty obvious she had no street smarts to speak of. Anyone with street smarts knew that if you were spying on someone, you’d keep out of sight.

He thought long and hard about going over there and kissing her senseless when, all of a sudden, she disappeared. Good thing, too, because it would have been the wrong time and the wrong move. But he’d confirmed one thing: brainy, beautiful Julia Kensington was interested. And there was no question he was interested right back.

In high school she’d been all wide eyes and shy gaze. Her body, once coltish, had matured into slim elegance. But her cool, professional veneer couldn’t hide the fire underneath.

For the first time in a long time, he was actually looking forward to being with a woman again. To unfurling her needs, her desires, slowly until she lay naked, unashamed before him. This woman wouldn’t give him everything in a heated rush—he knew that. She’d be slow to warm. Slow, but sure.

But it was obvious she was overthinking things. He’d wait as long as it took. Because there was something special about her. Olivia hadn’t been like that. They’d been hot and heavy right out of the gate, and while he wasn’t opposed to a fast-moving relationship—for the most part, it meant that it would be over quicker—his relationship with Olivia had taken too long to run its course. He should have seen the signs. There was no fighting—at least not on his part. He had simply been indifferent—to her, to their relationship, and to their life together. He’d known she wouldn’t be able to handle his PTSD, so he’d escaped to his own apartment every night before falling asleep, no matter how late it was. Thankfully, by the time Olivia started pressuring him to move in, he’d found an out. He’d already applied for—and had been appointed to—the position of sheriff of Star Harbor, so he simply moved all his crap into storage, packed some clothes into a duffel bag, and joined Val on his houseboat.

Cole sighed. Olivia. She’d been gorgeous, possessive, and seriously into dating a cop. She’d pegged him as ex-military the first night they’d met at a bar, and begged him to tell her his “war hero” stories. He’d resisted for a long time, and she’d accepted it, for the most part. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he wasn’t a hero at all—that he was damaged beyond repair and was never going to be whole again. Obliviously, she’d bragged to everyone—friends, family, coworkers—about the few accomplishments she’d pried out of him.

By the end of their relationship, he’d begun to feel like an object rather than a man. It had been humbling, realizing that he’d treated too many women like that before. Penance for his past, once again.

The problem was that he hadn’t quite forgiven himself for everything he’d done back then, and every time Olivia looked up at him with adoring eyes, he felt guilty. Same with Ashley Flitt, his high school girlfriend, who made no bones about the fact that she’d wanted him ever since he’d returned to Star Harbor. He’d been feeling too raw to engage with her, and last time he’d heard, she’d left town.

But Julie was a different matter. He sensed from those intelligent hazel eyes that she could see beneath his façade, even in high school. Something had alerted her to keep her distance, just as something was keeping her at a distance now.

Even to get her to look at him was a challenge. Yet he craved it. Needed it. And the fire he knew she had inside only made it more exciting. He wanted to find out how hot she could burn. For him.

Just then, his cell phone rang, breaking his reverie. He pulled it from his jeans pocket and flipped it open.

“Grayson,” he answered.

“Hey Cole, it’s Val. Are you available for a meeting this week? We have some information we’d like to share, and we need to make an official game plan for our Star Harbor operation.” Speaking as brothers, he and Val could say whatever they wanted to each other, but when it came to work, they were consummate professionals.

“Yes. When?”

“The sooner the better. Thursday?”

“You got it. Come on down at, say, thirteen hundred hours. You want my people there?”

“Yes.”

“Done. Anything else you need from us?”

“No. But just a heads-up—those tests came back with the chemical breakdown of the drugs originating from the area. It’s just as we thought.”

“Gotcha. Appreciate you letting me know in advance.”

“Looking forward to seeing you on the job, bro.”

“Ditto.”

He clicked the phone off and checked the time. Lunch was over and he needed to get back to his office. Sighing, he went below deck to his cabin and pulled his uniform back on. Duty called. And for now, he needed to wipe his mind clean of Julie Kensington—her wide-eyed gaze and her soft, sweet heat. But later on, any and all thoughts were fair game.

I am not a stalker, Julie told herself for the hundredth time that day. Not. A. Stalker. But she had only to stop thinking about work for a moment before an image of hunky, shirtless Cole flashed in her mind. In her daydreams, she ran her fingers over the tattoos on his skin and kissed the ink with her mouth. And when she closed her eyes, he would kiss her, his flesh melting into hers as she sank into his heat. She imagined the way his lips would slant over hers, and—

“Snap out of it, Julie,” she said aloud. She glanced down at her watch. Eight-fifteen. Have I been zoned out this whole time? Just great. She’d been on autopilot the entire day. It worried her that she hadn’t been completely focused on her work. And it worried her more that Cole Grayson had been the cause. “Work!” she said into her empty office.

But she couldn’t work any more tonight. Every time she started thinking about something she had to take care of, Cole would edge his way into her consciousness. At one point, she’d been contemplating her Taylor reflex hammer and somehow that had morphed into a daydream about Cole, up on her examination table as she tested his reflexes. All of them.

She sighed and willed the heat from her cheeks for the umpteenth time that day. At least she’d done one thing she’d promised: getting Margo’s birth control prescription filled. Unfortunately, because she’d ordered a three-month supply, John Anson, the local pharmacist, hadn’t had enough in stock and had to do a special order. He’d told her the pills would be in by the end of the week. But given how nervous Margo was about Don finding out, she had no idea how she was going to get her the prescription.

Shaking her head, Julie packed up her tote bag to leave. She was too tired to cook dinner, and the Kitchen was calling her.

The LMK was moderately busy when Julie arrived. Choosing a stool at the counter next to the large display of pastries and cakes—including Lexie’s famous double-layer coconut cake—she absentmindedly flipped through the menu. It wasn’t as if she needed to examine it; she was here so often, she knew the menu by heart.

Rachel, one of the regular servers, soon came up to take Julie’s order. Julie ordered her usual breakfast-for-dinner—an egg-white omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and cheddar cheese and some freshly squeezed orange juice.

“Want me to tell Lexie you’re up front?” Rachel asked.

“Only if she’s not too busy,” Julie replied.

“We’re just finishing up the tail end of the dinner service. I’m sure she’ll want to see you,” Rachel said with a smile.

After a few minutes, Lexie emerged from the kitchen carrying a teacup. As usual, she was wearing a cute skirt and blouse over which she’d tied an apron. Her wavy chestnut hair was swept back into a little twist, and her warm brown eyes sparkled. The California native had been so friendly to Julie when she’d moved back to town, it was impossible not to love her. Of course, she loved Lexie’s food, too. The upscale diner fare was just what Star Harbor needed, and now the catering business that Lexie had started made the town seem a little less sleepy. But, just like everyone else in town, Julie truly appreciated the woman herself. Lexie was blunt, funny, and downright spunky, and Julie could see why she was the perfect match for Seb, with all his hubris and fame. Things had been tough for the couple given their work schedules and Seb’s constant travel, but they were making it work. Besides, come summer, things would be different. Seb was planning to open a seasonal restaurant in Star Harbor, which meant he’d be around more.

“Dr. Kensington,” Lexie said teasingly from behind the long counter, dunking a teabag in and out of her cup. “How are you doing this fine spring evening?” She removed the teabag and flicked it into a nearby garbage can.

“Okay, thanks.”

Lexie cocked her head. “Say, you’re out later than usual, aren’t you? And you look kind of tired. Everything all right?”

“It’s fine, Lexie. I’ve been a bit out of sorts all week, so I apologize if I’m not good company,” Julie said ruefully.

Lexie raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea.

It was an implicit invitation to spill. Julie wasn’t one for gossiping, but maybe getting things off her chest would make her feel better. And Lexie knew the Grayson boys as well as anyone. She glanced from left to right. No one seemed to be listening, so she leaned forward onto the counter and whispered, “Cole Grayson.”

Lexie’s eyes widened, but only for a fraction of a second. Then a small grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Really?”

“Really,” Julie confirmed.

Lexie placed her teacup on the counter and leaned forward so that they were face-to-face. “It’s about damn time.”

“Whatever,” Julie said, studying the molding on the ceiling.

Lexie just laughed. “He’s had his eye on you, too. For months! It’s been like torture, watching him watch you. I was afraid neither of you would ever make a move.”

Julie blinked. Damn! “I was hoping no one would notice,” she gritted out.

“There’s no shame in ogling him. The man is so fine, half the single women in town are hot for him. I mean, I’m not into that whole uniform thing, but if it floats your boat …” She gave a little shrug and took a sip of tea.

“I don’t want to like him, Lexie,” she sighed. “I don’t want to even think about him.”

“Uh-huh,” Lexie said, looking doubtful.

“I swear. I have so much work to do, and insurance forms and clinic hours and—”

Lexie held up her hand. “Wait, just stop right there. You’ve been working your ass off for the last year and a half. You’ll burn out if you try to keep up that pace forever. And believe me, I would know.”

“Not forever,” Julie said, shaking her head. “Just for right now. I took a big risk opening my own practice instead of taking a job at a hospital, where they’d deal with all of the administrative issues. Now, it’s just me—the successes and the failures. You know what it’s like to only have yourself to rely on. I’m so close to nailing this business down I can taste it. The summer season will only help things. I just have to make it through August.”

“Which will slip into fall, which will slip into winter.”

“No.” Julie paused. “Maybe.”

“Try ‘yes.’ You’re forgetting how well I know you.”

Julie sighed. “Ah, the pleasures of living in Star Harbor.”

Lexie just smiled. “The other thing I know is that you are long overdue for some fun. In the whole time I’ve known you, I don’t think you’ve had one date.”

“Yeah, well, Cole is not exactly the man I should be breaking my streak with. The guy is a lot to handle and I don’t know if I have time for that kind of relationship. You, of all people, would know what I mean.”

Lexie’s eyes softened and she nodded. “Given that I’m married to his brother, I sure do. But you know what? He’d be worth it.”

Julie gave a delicate little snort.

“Let me try to convince you. Cole’s a good guy. He goes out of his way to help those who need it, especially the older folks. Kind of like you.” She gave Julie a sly smile before going on. “If Melinda Cook is busy, Cole sends someone to check on her ninety-one-year-old grandmother in her cottage by the beach. And if no one is available, he does it himself. He’s organized a ton of community events, just to let the kids know that there’s a strong safety presence in the town. He actually cares about Star Harbor and everyone in it.”

“Kids and grandmas? Come on, Lexie.”

Lexie grinned unrepentantly. “All right. Maybe my examples were a bit heavy-handed, but you get what I mean. He’s a solid man and he’d be good for you. Anyway, I’m not saying you should marry the guy. Just have some fun. You’ve spent so many years being responsible and good. It’s time to let go and enjoy yourself for once. I guarantee that Cole Grayson knows how to show a girl a good time, and you, my dear, deserve it.”

A little smile crept up on Julie’s face as she thought about all the ways Cole Grayson could show her a good time.

“See? Got you smiling again,” Lexie said cheerfully, pulling out a cake stand from the display case. “Coconut cake?”

Julie laughed. “Cake pusher! I haven’t even gotten my dinner yet.”

“I’ll just cut you a slice for later. On the house,” she said, pulling a fresh plate from beneath the counter. “Look, Julie, you’ve got a lot going for you and you deserve someone great. In the meantime, you just need to let yourself be open for it. Stop thinking about work so much and find a way to weave in some semblance of a personal life. I did, and I’m so much happier.”

“I appreciate that,” Julie said softly. “But I still don’t know how to manage things if I’m not completely focused on my work.”

Lexie cut a thick slice of cake and set it on the plate. “You’re a smart woman. You’ll figure it out.”

Julie nodded. But the truth was, she wasn’t sure how. She’d spent so long being completely devoted to her business that she didn’t truly know how to be anyone else anymore. She wasn’t a fun-loving, carefree girl. She had responsibilities—not just to herself, but to her employees and her patients, and loosening up, even a little, was hard to contemplate. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she said, and Lexie smiled and nodded. But even as the words left her mouth, she wondered whom she was trying to convince—Lexie, or herself.