Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding)(26)

Definitely not worried at all. “Couldn’t tell him even if I wanted to. He took off.” She grinned into the phone, knowing full well what Gavin would think of that unexpected development.

Gavin paused. “What do you mean?”

“He left.”

“Left?”

“Went to Greenbush Island.”

“Why there?”

She waited until Gauthier walked past before she finished. “All I know is that he’d booked the honeymoon suite at the Oceanside Inn there.”

“So he went on the honeymoon?” Gavin prompted, knowing her well enough to guess there was more to it than that if she’d brought it up.

“Technically he went to look for Allie.”

“Allie’s not on Greenbush Island.”

She rolled her eyes, wondering how long he’d gone without getting any sleep. “I know.”

“You lied to him?”

Although Gavin was her best friend and she’d do anything to protect him, she was relieved it hadn’t come to that. Being a cop left her with far fewer options than when they were teenagers. “Didn’t have to. He didn’t ask me.”

“Convenient.”

“Everyone knows we’re close, but maybe Allie didn’t tell him we still keep in touch. Whatever he didn’t know before the wedding, I’m sure his mother filled him in on.”

Jackson had certainly remembered her antics, but Josh had been a year ahead of them and off to college before they’d really hit their stride when it came to the parties, minor vandalism, and joyriding in borrowed vehicles.

“Well, maybe looking for her is just his excuse to go off by himself and lick his wounds,” Gavin said.

Hayley certainly wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. “Oh, he didn’t go alone,” she added, maybe a little too brightly. “He took Devon Grant.”

“He took another woman?” Gavin barely got the words out, clearly stunned that Josh had done something that unpredictable. It had taken Hayley by surprise, but she’d been a bit too distracted by Jackson’s hands at the time to spare the development more than a second thought until now.

“You remember Devon?”

“Sure,” Gavin agreed. “She and Allie were tight in high school.”

“Right.” She gave her friend a second to let it sink in.

“Josh took off on his honeymoon with Allie’s best friend?”

“Ex-best friend.” And if they hadn’t had a falling out a long time ago, they undoubtedly would now. “Josh and Devon were really serious for a while after college.” She remembered hearing that from her mother when Josh moved back to Promise Harbor, but it hadn’t seemed important enough to pass it on to Gavin during his post-Allie phase.

“No way.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s awesome. Good for him.”

She snorted. “You don’t care about Josh.” She tried not to laugh, and failed horribly. “You’re just glad that this means he and Allie won’t be getting back together.”

“He and Allie won’t be getting back together.”

“I’m not the one you have to convince.” He may have gotten Allie to Alaska, but keeping her there with him wouldn’t be nearly as easy.

“Yeah, I know.”

Her hand tightened around the phone. “Keep me informed, okay?”

“Definitely.”

“And Gav,” she began, wanting to talk to him about Jackson, about renovating the house or about how sick her gramps was. Wanting to talk about anything for just a minute longer, but he had enough on his mind.

“Yeah?”

“Take care of yourself. And maybe stick around long enough to at least have a drink with me next time, okay?”

“Promise.”





Jackson set his paintbrush down at the sound of the front door opening. He’d been watching the clock for the better part of two hours, wondering how much longer Hayley was going to avoid him.

She’d been damn good at it for the last day and a half. After their scene at Barney’s, Hayley had made sure to steer clear of him, had even left before he arrived for his first day of work this morning.

He’d been almost grateful at the time. He hadn’t slept great and didn’t like that dreams of hockey and Hayley had kept him tossing and turning all night. Bad mood or not, he’d shown up and decided on his own to start with painting the two front rooms.

Busting his ass all day managed to make him forget about his restless night, but only made him want to hang around a little longer to wait for her.

Part of him wanted to see her reaction to the work she’d probably doubted would happen. In truth he’d surprised himself by sticking with it and not calling it a day at lunch and heading to Stone’s. More surprising was how much he’d enjoyed giving both rooms a face-lift and feeling so damn good about the finished product.

The other part of him wanted far more than to impress a stubborn cop he was determined to make like him. He wanted her against him, beneath him, wrapped all the way around him. Every sweet inch of her.

And there would be hell to pay for it.

Matt would have his ass. A fact Jackson had conveniently forgotten when they’d been in the kitchen the other night. Maybe his friend could handle a little flirtation and a kiss or two for the sake of convincing others they were together, but that would be it.

Jackson’s piss-poor attitude after the accident had bothered Matt more than his friend let on until Josh’s would-be wedding day, and Jackson would be stupid to do anything that might sabotage their friendship.

So why did knowing that do nothing to stop him from imagining his hands fisted in Hayley’s blonde hair, her naked body warm and damp against his skin, her hips arching off the mattress to meet him?

Christ.

He snagged a beer from the fridge, returning to the doorway just as Hayley walked into the room from the other end.

She surveyed the room, and just when he decided she hadn’t noticed him, she spoke. “Who knew your painting skills would be as good as your slap shot.”

“Try not to sound so surprised.”

“It’s not often people catch me off guard.”

“Maybe that’s because you try to figure them out too soon.” He’d made that mistake with her in the past. Dismissing the quiet, defiant teen when he should have tried harder to see past the rough edges to the girl who would grow up to be so determined to take care of everyone.

Her gramps. Matt. The kids she helped coach. Even Gavin.

“With most people, what you see is what you get.” Hayley checked the paint on the window ledge.

He whistled. “Still haven’t quite lost that jaded edge, huh?”

“I’m not jaded.”

Who did she think she was kidding? He wanted to place a lot of the blame for that squarely on Eric Thorton’s shoulders, but the bastard hadn’t paid her any attention in high school as far as Jackson knew.

No, her cynical attitude back then had been driven by something else altogether, and she hadn’t entirely outgrown it.

“I’ll be done in a few minutes—”

“I can finish things off.”

That wasn’t what he’d been about to suggest, not even close. He wasn’t done showing her that she didn’t have him completely figured out. A more intensive undertaking than he’d realized. And it probably didn’t help his cause that he couldn’t stop staring at her mouth even when she looked completely worn out.

She paused at the door. “I’m going to change into a pair of shorts and be back.”

Unfortunately, the only thing she should be changing for was bed. As much as he wanted to prove he had plenty of redeeming qualities, Hayley needed sleep more than he did, if the circles under her eyes were any indication. She’d probably spent half the night removing the rest of the cupboard doors he’d found resting against the wall in the kitchen this morning.

Thankfully, he wasn’t stupid enough to comment on her exhausted state. Her Taser could be within reach for all he knew.

After a long drink, he set his beer aside and picked up the paintbrush he was using to apply the second coat of paint on the window trim. If he finished quickly, there wouldn’t be any more painting to do tonight. Convincing her of that, however, might be tricky.

“Jackson?”

“Hmmm?” He turned around, almost annoyed by how tired and vulnerable she looked, resting against the doorjamb.

“Thanks.” She was gone before he could respond.

He worked as fast as he could without getting sloppy, expecting her to return any second. Only when he finished the last section of trim did he realize more time had passed than it took to change clothes.

Leaving the brush on the paint can lid, he washed his hands and jogged up the stairs. He found her in the small bedroom at the end of the hall, fading sunlight spilling across the bed where she’d fallen asleep.