Jack knew something was wrong when Melissa returned to the table. She didn't say anything right away, but she was unusually quiet and it was clear something was bothering her. When Barbi delivered the pizzas and everyone's attention was on filling their plates, he asked her softly, "Is everything all right?"

Melissa was quiet for a moment and then said, "It's a long story. But, you know I have a restraining order in place?"

Jack nodded. He didn't know the particulars, but knowing that was enough to understand why she looked so worried.

"Well, my sister just gave me a heads up that there's a strong chance that my ex may be heading this way. We don't know for sure, but I told her I'd stay with someone or have someone stay at my place at least tonight, maybe longer. Oh, and I want to add a camera to my alarm system."

"That's a good idea, all of it. I know Dan who runs the company you use for your alarm. He could add that for you, and I'll put a call in to have him put a rush on it."

"Could you? Thank you, that would be great. I’ve taken both shooting and karate lessons since I moved here, but I’m not comfortable having a gun in the house and I stopped the karate lessons. I decided to do yoga instead. So it will be a relief to have the alarm system working well.

"Where will you stay tonight?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. I haven't told anyone about this and hate to get anyone involved or bother them. Especially Lily, now that she's pregnant. And Bernie and David are newlyweds. Maybe Jaclyn has room for a night or two."

Jack cringed inwardly at the thought of it. Jaclyn was sweet and feisty but would be no match against an angry ex. That much he knew.

"No, I'll stay with you tonight and then we can make a plan tomorrow." He grinned, hoping to help her relax. "I like sleeping on sofas and it's better for me to be at your place than at mine because if he's coming for you, he'll come to your house and I can deal with him."

"Thank you. I'll admit I will sleep better if you are there tonight. And you don't have to sleep on the sofa. I have a spare bedroom, with a brand new bed."

"Well, that sold me right there!" Jack said. "Now, let's shake this off and have fun. You sure you don't want to try a slice?" He took a big bite of his steaming pizza that was dripping with hot sauce and cheese.

Melissa laughed. "No, thanks. Very happy with my plain cheese."

Jack was glad to see that she seemed a little calmer now Over the next few hours, they had a great time playing trivia and came in first place, which meant Jaclyn pocketed a gift card to use the next time they all came in.

Jack followed Melissa back to her house and since it was only a little after nine, they settled on the living room sofa to watch some TV. Jack didn't want to pry, but he thought it might be wise to learn more about the man he was going to be keeping an eye out for.

"What can you tell me about your ex? Even just the basics would help, like what he looks like, and his name. I'm sure you don't like to talk about it."

Melissa sighed. "No, I don't. I feel pretty stupid about the whole sorry situation, to be honest, and mad at myself for not getting out of it sooner. His name is Cooper Cromwell and we dated for almost a year. He asked me to marry him and I said no. Well, I said I wasn't there yet. He was a hard person to say no to. It was easier to just say maybe later, I guess. That must sound awful." Her eyes looked suspiciously damp and Jack reached over, put his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"No, it's not in the least. I see this a lot, you know. It's far more common than people realize. Even in a sleepy little town like Riston. And it's in all levels of society." He told her about the woman who was in earlier that day, without naming any names.

"You never in a million years would have guessed what went on behind closed doors in her house. Her husband is well known and highly respected in the community."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not surprised. Not now. I didn't realize this before, though. I missed all the signs."

"He was the perfect boyfriend at first, right? So charming and attentive, brought you flowers, remembered your birthday. Wanted to see you all the time?"

Melissa nodded. "Yes, to all of that. It was flattering at first, all the attention that he showered on me, telling me I was beautiful, buying me all kinds of gifts. We went to expensive restaurants for dinner regularly. The lightbulb didn't go off for a long time. Too long. My sister saw the signs long before I did."

"Let me guess. He didn't want you to see her as much?"

Melissa looked surprised. "You've seen this all before, I suppose? But, yes, you're right. He gradually crossed the line from attentive to smothering and then controlling. He either wanted to come along whenever I saw my sister or didn't want me to include her if we went out. He thought we spent too much time together. It was the same with my other friends. He didn't want to go to parties, he just wanted me all to himself."

"Did he ever get physical with you?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but not at first and not for a long time. He always had a temper. He couldn't stand to be late, ever. And he didn't like to lose. If he lost a case at work, he'd be in a foul mood. He smashed things when he got really upset, slammed things around, sometimes broke them. I was on the verge of breaking up with him when I did something that made him furious and he slapped me."

"Is that when you ended it?"

Melissa looked down and shook her head. "No, but I should have. He took me by surprise and once he hit me, his mood flipped, just like that. Suddenly, he was so sweet and apologetic. He sent me two dozen roses the next day and I was just so exhausted and confused. I put off ending it because I just wasn't ready to deal with it. But a week later, when I wanted to spend an evening with Melanie, just the two of us, he had a meltdown and I had had it. I told him that was it, and I was ending it for good. That's when he lost it and really hit me hard. He split my lip right open."

Jack realized that his hands were both clenched into fists. The thought of anyone touching petite and gentle Melissa made his blood boil. He wasn't a violent man and not prone to getting into fights, but he had a strong urge to hit this guy hard. He forced himself to relax his hands as the last thing he wanted to do was let Melissa see how he was feeling.

"Did you call the cops?"

"As soon as he saw my blood, he started apologizing and crying. Crying! And I just ran to my car and drove straight to Melanie's. We went straight to the police and I got a restraining order."

"You didn't press charges?" Jack asked. He knew most women didn't the first time something like this happened.

"No. I didn't. I just wanted to be done with him and the restraining order seemed like the best solution."

"Did he leave you alone after that?" Jack knew the answer, given that Melissa wasn't in Boston any longer.

"No. He stayed away for a few days. Sent so many roses, it was ridiculous. But there weren't enough roses to fix what was wrong with us, with him. He kept calling and every time I told him I was done. I reminded him that there was a restraining order and he needed to stop calling. I thought I saw his car in my neighborhood more than once and that shook me up. It felt like he was stalking me."

"Did he try to come by?"

"He came to my condo complex and rang the buzzer at least ten times, begging me to let him come up so we could talk. It was Melanie's idea for me to come here, for a year or two, until he found someone else to obsess over."

"And it doesn't sound like he's moved on?"

Melissa bit her lower lip. "No. I really thought by now that he would have. But he doesn't like to lose. He really thought that we were going to get married."

Jack didn't like the sound of this guy at all. An idea had come to him as Melissa was talking. It was a great plan as far as he was concerned, but he knew Melissa might need some persuading. He decided to sleep on it and figure out the best way to present it in the morning.

* * *

Melissa slept fitfully though she knew if Jack hadn't stayed over, she wouldn't have slept a wink. She eased out of bed as soon as the sun streamed through her bedroom window. After a quick shower, she stopped by the guest bedroom on her way to the kitchen. The door was cracked slightly and it looked like Jack was sound asleep. She knew he'd be up soon, though, as they both had to be to work around the same time. She figured the least she could do was make him a nice breakfast before they left.

She got the coffee brewing and then set about making a big veggie omelet and toast for the two of them to share. Just as she was buttering the toast, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Something smells amazing."

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she poured coffee for both of them.

"I can always eat. You didn't have to go to any trouble, though."

"It was no trouble at all. I'm always starving first thing in the morning." Melissa plated up the food and brought it to her round kitchen table, which sat by a window overlooking her yard. The sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

"How do you take your coffee?" Melissa was about to sit and realized she hadn't offered him milk or sugar.

"I'm good, I drink it black. Thank you for this." Jack dug into his eggs and they ate quietly. Jack finished first and brought his plate to the kitchen sink, rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher. Melissa was impressed. Cooper never would have done that.

"Help yourself to more coffee," she said. There was still half a pot left.

He did and sat back down at the table. Melissa was still nibbling on a piece of toast when Jack leaned forward with a gleam in his eye.

"I have an idea. You might think it's kind of crazy, but hear me out."

"Okay." Melissa was feeling decidedly calmer now that it was morning. She was half-convinced that Melanie had it all wrong and Cooper was anywhere but here. It just looked so calm and peaceful outside, in Riston in general. It was hard to imagine that changing. But she frowned to herself as she admitted she knew well how quickly things could change and that appearances could be so very deceiving.

"So, here's what I'm thinking. If this guy is on his way here, he's going to be pretty determined to see you and he probably wants to try and convince you that he's changed, that it will never happen again and that he loves you madly."

"It doesn't matter. I'll never go back to him."

"I know that, and you know that. But he clearly hasn't accepted it. And if he shows up here and you're still single, he's going to think he has a chance. What if you're not single?"

"Oh, I see what you mean. Are you suggesting that you pretend to be my boyfriend?"

"Better than that. I'm proposing that we get married."

Melissa set down the coffee cup that she'd been about to sip from.

"Married? Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack. A marriage of convenience, a fake marriage…though no one but us needs to know it's fake. We can go to town hall first thing this morning, get married, go to work and then get out of dodge this weekend for our 'honeymoon'."

"Honeymoon? Where would we go?"

"How about Seattle? That's only a six or seven hour drive, depending on traffic. Have you been there before?"

"No, not yet."

"It's a great city. We can stay in Woodinville, just north of Seattle. That's wine country. Chateau St. Michelle, Columbia Crest and a bunch of smaller places. We can have dinner at the Herb Farm, if we can get in. We'll go to Pike Place Market and to the top of the Space Needle. It will be fun to play tourist."

Melissa’s head was spinning. It was hard to wrap her head around the possibility that Cooper was heading her way. And it was harder still to get excited about a honeymoon for a fake marriage. She knew Jack meant well though.

"That does sound fun, but I don't know about getting married. That seems pretty drastic. Really not fair to you to take that on. Though it's amazing for you to offer."

"We can easily get divorced as soon as he gives up and goes back to Boston. If he shows up here and learns you're married and on your honeymoon, he has to move on. If you're single, he could be a real problem. If I’m just staying here as your boyfriend or friend he’s not going to take that seriously."

Melissa started to feel a tension headache coming on at the thought of dealing with Cooper. She said nothing. Her gut told her that Melanie was right and that Cooper was on his way to Riston, and might even already be here for all she knew. She didn't feel right about bringing Jack into her drama to this extent, though. Marriage was too much. She opened her mouth, about to say so, when Jack spoke first.

"I know it's crazy. But I swear to you, I don't mind. I'm happy to do it. You'll be doing me a favor, actually."

Melissa laughed. "How do you figure that?"

"Well, I've been wanting to remodel my kitchen ever since I moved into my place but I've put it off, not wanting to deal with living in a construction zone. If I have somewhere else to stay, I have no excuse. It's the perfect opportunity, really."

Melissa didn't quite know what to say to that. Jack was crazy, but in a good way.

"Just say yes. It will be an adventure. We can swing by my place on the way to town hall this morning so I can pick up my mother's ring. She wanted me to have it for whoever I married some day."

Melissa felt both touched and panicked at the same time at the thought of wearing a ring that had such sentimental value. "I'll return it as soon as we end things," she said.

"So, is that a yes? We'll have a ball this weekend in Seattle. And when we come back, if he's in the area, you'll be a happily married woman, and he can crawl back to Charlestown or Boston or wherever he lives."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, it's a yes. I can't thank you enough for this. I'll have to get some additional coverage for the shop on Saturday but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Fantastic. Let's go get married."

* * *

Melissa followed Jack to his house, which was small but very cute. It was conveniently located close to downtown and the police station. As they walked toward his front door, Melissa heard movement inside his house.

"Do you like dogs?" Jack asked as he opened the door and held it wide for her to step inside.

"I love them." Melissa liked all animals, cats and dogs. She was planning to get a cat for herself but wanted to make sure she was going to be staying in the area first. She'd actually been thinking of visiting the local shelter in the next week or two.

"Good, so you won't mind if I bring Roger to your house when we get back? He's a good boy. We've been together for eight years now. Bernie's going to watch him for the weekend."

"You've already talked to her?" Melissa hadn't said anything to Bernie about her ex, so she guessed this might come as a shock.

"I gave her the short version. She tried to talk me out of it at first, but I won her over and she and David are meeting us at town hall to be our witnesses."

"Oh. Okay."

"She understands and is fine with it, so don't feel funny about anything."

"All right."

Jack walked into his office and pulled a small box out of one of his desk drawers. He tucked it in his pocket and turned back to Melissa.

"I'll be down in five. Going to jump in the shower and change, but I'll be fast."

And he was. Melissa relaxed at the kitchen table, patting Roger occasionally as he slept curled up at her feet. He was a handsome German Shepherd and he seemed to accept her immediately, which pleased her. Dogs and cats usually took to her quickly, probably sensing that she was an animal lover. She was giving the back of his ears a scratch when Jack walked into the room, with damp hair and wearing his police uniform.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Melissa followed Jack to the town hall, where they filled out the necessary paperwork. As soon as Bernie and David appeared, they served as witnesses and before she knew it, the judge announced that Melissa and Jack were married. "You may kiss your bride now."

Jack leaned in and pressed his lips lightly against hers. His touch was quite pleasant but didn't last long at all. The kiss was over in an instant. Bernie's expression was a mix of confusion, excitement and worry, which pretty much mirrored how Melissa was feeling along with a heavy dose of irritation at Cooper for putting her in this position.

"So, I guess congratulations are in order?" Bernie said with a smile.

"Melissa Jennings does have a nice ring to it, you have to admit," Jack said.

David laughed and then glanced at his watch. "I have to run. Enjoy your honeymoon."

"I have to go, too. Busy day today. Drop Roger off anytime later today."

"Will do."

As they all walked out together, Bernie pulled Melissa aside. "Are you really okay with this? Jack told me about your ex and the restraining order. I had no idea."

"I know. I was hoping that I'd never have to mention it."

"Well, you'll be safe with Jack. He won't let anything happen to you. Hopefully this guy will head back to Boston as soon as he sees that you've moved on."

"I hope so."