CHAPTER 2
Ethan Steele made sure to keep his eyes focused straight ahead as he ran past Jess’s house. When he’d turned the corner and seen her locking her door, he gave himself one moment to appreciate the curve of her backside that was on display in her form-fitting black pants. Her dark hair was pulled up exposing the smooth curve of her neck down to her shoulder. His eyes briefly traced the area that had always driven him crazy before swooping lower to the angel wing tattoo that lined her shoulder blade. But when he saw her start to turn he forced his gaze back on the sidewalk in front of him.
Jessa Myers dressed in a burlap sack would be difficult for him to ignore but it was near impossible when she was decked out in the pinup clothes that had been her signature style since she was a teenager. She was a flame, and he was a moth. She drew him in like nothing and no one else in his life and even though he was sure that he was going to end up getting burned, he couldn’t resist the pull she had on him.
He did manage not to glance in her direction as he ran by, but only because he knew it drove her crazy when he ignored her on his runs. He knew that because he’d overheard her telling her best friend Ali that it did over a year ago when the two women were an aisle over at the grocery store.
“Why do you care if he runs by your house?”
Ali’s question had caught Ethan’s attention since he’d changed his running route to include a detour down Jess’s street after she’d undergone a heart transplant. At the time he’d been worried and wanted to check on her, but since she wasn’t the kind of woman that appreciated that kind of gesture, he’d known he needed an excuse to even be in the vicinity.
The first day he’d stopped by during his morning run, and her mom had answered the door. They’d chatted for a little bit, and she thanked him for checking in. The second day her dad came to the door, he’d been less talkative, but Ethan knew it was because he’d been worried about Jess. He could see the fear in the man’s eyes. He recognized it because it was exactly what he’d been feeling at the time.
He hadn’t gone up to the door again, but for some reason it made him feel better to run by her house. Just seeing it and knowing she was inside made him feel better. Sometimes he’d get lucky and pass by just as she was leaving for work.
So, when he’d heard them at Lakeside Market, he made sure to stay out of sight as he eavesdropped on their conversation.
“I care because I know he’s doing it to piss me off,” Jess spat back at Ali.
He’d grinned when he’d heard that, loving that Jess thought she had his number, and also loving that she couldn’t prove it.
“Or maybe he’s just trying to stay in shape,” Ali, sweet Ali, countered, giving him the benefit of the doubt. She was wrong, but he sure did appreciate it.
Jess’s only response had been an indiscernible sound of disagreement before diverting the conversation to “happier subjects.”
The truth was, he wasn’t doing it to piss her off, but he sure did like knowing that he could get under her skin.
By the time he made it to the corner of her street, he heard the engine of her Dodge Charger start up behind him. He counted down in his head…five, four, three, two,…
When he got to one, she sped by, doing thirty-five in the twenty-five zone. Just like she was always fifteen minutes late, she also always drove ten miles over the speed limit. In his official law enforcement capacity, he’d pulled her over several times and given her warnings. He’d never actually cited her, but he’d threatened to.
Not that she took his threats seriously. Ethan Steele had always been by the book, no nonsense, and no excuses except when it came to the people he loved. Then he was the biggest pushover on the planet. Thankfully, the list of people he loved was pretty short. Otherwise, he’d be in big trouble.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he answered it on his Bluetooth headphones.
“Steele.”
“Hey man, you got plans for dinner tonight?” One of Ethan’s oldest friends Kade McKnight asked.
Yeah, he did. It wasn’t delivery, it was DiGiorno. Since he’d joined the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force a few months earlier, he’d been living off of frozen food. Between his regular duties at the sheriff’s office and his new role on the task force, his schedule was so erratic that buying groceries that could go bad only ended up with rotten food and a smelly kitchen.
“No.”
“Good. Meet us at Lanterns at seven.”
“Us?” Ethan smirked. His friend had only been back in Whisper Lake for a couple months, but he sure hadn’t wasted any time in becoming an “us.” He’d gotten engaged a few days earlier.
“Us,” Kade repeated. “Me and Ali.”
“And Jess.” Ethan heard Ali’s voice pipe up.
“And Jess,” Kade repeated.
“I’ll be there,” Ethan replied.
The call ended and he wondered if Jess knew that he was going to be at dinner. She tended to avoid him in social situations. In a town the size of a postage stamp, that wasn’t always easy to do. And now that her best friend Ali was marrying one of his oldest friends Kade it might be damn near impossible.
Ethan smiled at that thought.
Jess was an enigma and the greatest challenge in his life. Ethan had always gone after what he wanted. He wasn’t a man that sat around waiting for things to happen, he made them happen. Except for when it came to Jess.
They shared undeniable chemistry and the attraction between the two of them was indisputable. He would’ve initiated a relationship years ago, but she’d made it clear that was not on the table. So he’d waited.
He’d thought that part of her reluctance to give them a shot was because her health had been so precarious for so many years. But she was two years out from a heart transplant, and from all accounts the healthiest she’d ever been and she still acted like he was a fly at the picnic of her life.
She was always swatting him away, and if it were any other person, he’d take the hint and move on. But this was Jess, and she had a habit of lashing out when she felt unsure or out of control. He knew that she had to feel something for him. He saw it in the way her eyes dilated and her skin would flush whenever she saw him. He felt it in the way her eyes would seek him out whenever they were in the same place, which he orchestrated more than once. He had zero interest in the ballet, art festivals, or movie nights on the lake, but if he knew Jess was going to be somewhere, he went. And as much as she acted like she didn’t like him being there, there was always a moment of disappointment in her baby blue eyes when he said he was leaving.
He lived for that moment.
His phone buzzed again.
“Steele.”
“Why do you always answer the phone like that? If people are calling you, don’t you think they know your name already?”
His smile widened at the other woman in his life that could get away with murder. “Hi, Nana!”
“Am I interrupting something? You sound out of breath.” His grandma’s voice sounded hopeful as she stage-whispered, “Are you with someone?”
“You think I’d answer the phone if I were with someone?”
“If it’s me calling, yes.”
She wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t tell her that. “I’m out on a run.”
“Oh, good. I think I noticed some love handles hangin’ off your six-pack,” she teased.
“Are you back on dry land?” His grandma had been on a three-week cruise to the Bahamas. It was his eightieth birthday gift to her. She’d always talked about wanting to go on one, but he knew that she’d never pull the trigger, so he did it for her.
“Yes, sir. We docked an hour ago. I just checked into my hotel.”
“Did you already grab the lotions and shampoos?”
Daisy Steele took frugal to an art form. He couldn’t remember her ever buying condiments, she “collected” them from fast food restaurants and dedicated an entire drawer to store them. She also had “good plastic” that she washed and stored like it was fine china, also collected from fast food establishments.
“Of course I did. I’m not going to have to spend a dime on toiletries for the next six months thanks to this vacation.”
“It’s the gift that keeps giving.”
“Yes, it is. In more ways than one. I met someone.”
Shock caused Ethan to slow to a stop. His grandfather had passed over four decades earlier. And even though she’d been single all of Ethan’s life, never once had he heard his grandma mention anything about dating again. “You did?”
“Yes. She’s-”
She’s?!
“-thirty and a doctor and lives in Chicago. She’s the spitting image of a young Patty Duke. You’re going to love her.”
Ah, that made more sense.
Ethan had no idea who Patty Duke was, but it didn’t matter. His grandma could be setting him up with Emily Ratajkowski, and he wouldn’t be interested. Because Emily and Young Patty Duke weren’t the woman he was interested in. They weren’t Jess.
“I told her my handsome U.S. Marshal grandson was picking me up and she is excited to meet you.”
“Really.” Ethan’s tone was flat, and his lack of enthusiasm was evident.
“You bet she is. Well, more so after I showed her your picture.”
Ethan knew what picture she’d shown and if he cared about impressing Dr. Chicago he might’ve been embarrassed.
Nana chuckled. “She was a lot more interested after she found out that you did charity work.”
The “charity work” Nana was referring to was a calendar shoot he’d done the year before. Every Fourth of July weekend, every police officer, corrections officer, fire fighter, and paramedic in the county held a charity competition called the Battle of the Badges in Whisper Lake. The money they raised was donated to a different charity every year.
Last year it was decided the different organizations would have competing calendars and the winner would be determined by sales. The fire department won, but just barely.
A couple of years ago it was a boxing match and the boys in blue had easily walked away with the “title.”
This year it was a talent show. Ethan had no plans on participating.
Changing the subject, Ethan said, “I got the email about your flight change. Is everything okay?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. I won’t be in until tomorrow night instead of the afternoon. I emailed you the new reservation.”
“I know, I asked you about it.” He was sure this flight change had everything to do with the young doctor that was perfect for him.
“Make sure to wear your uniform when you pick me up. Women love a man in uniform.”
“I’m not-”
“My room service is here. Gotta go. Love you!”
Ethan stood on the street wondering how his life had come to this. It wasn’t just his grandma that was trying to fix him up, her peers were as well. He was certain that he was the current target of Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Dobrinski, and Mrs. Weathersby’s matchmaking schemes. Every few months they “secretly” played matchmaker to some unsuspecting schmuck. But since they had the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, people usually caught on. And after several not-so-coincidental run-ins with Kennedy Dawes and Laura Lopez, it was clear to Ethan that he was their latest victim.
Both women were attractive, successful, and on paper they possessed everything he could ever want. There was just one problem. The same problem that plagued Young Patty Duke and Emily Ratajkowski. They weren’t Jess.
He’d been living his life on the sidelines, waiting to get off the bench. But since it didn’t look like that was going to happen, Ethan was starting to think that he might just need to step up and take the shot.
Now, all he needed was a plan to get her in the game.