All They Ever Wanted (12 page)

Greer gave his elbow a gentle squeeze as he slipped past. “Your life isn't your own once you enter public office. Trust me. I know this firsthand.”

Miles knew it, too. That didn't mean he had to like it.

*   *   *

Cassidy halfheartedly flung a sofa cushion onto the music room floor. The B and B was blissfully empty for one night and Lori had enlisted the teenager to help give it a thorough cleaning. Not to mention to conduct a methodical search for the missing items.

“I don't see what the fuss is about for a silly old pen anyway,” Cassidy griped. “Nobody writes things down anymore. He could just, you know, use a stylus on his phone or his computer.”

Lori reached her hand between the creases in the sofa. She found the wrapper to a lollipop and a paper clip, but no silver Montblanc pen. Or any of the other missing pieces, for that matter. “I know you think anyone over twenty-one is a fossil, Cassidy, but as far as I know, pens aren't obsolete yet. Besides, pens like that are more for status than practicality.”

“Then why bring a stupid thousand-dollar pen on vacation?”

Crouching down on her hands and knees, Lori peered beneath the radiator. Nothing. “Just to be a show-off, I guess.”

The sheriff's voice startled her. “Afternoon, ladies. No tea today?”

“We're taking a day off,” Lori said, quickly getting to her feet. “We haven't any guests staying the night so Patricia canceled it.”

“Well, that's disappointing. I was looking forward to one of those Coca-Cola cupcakes you make.” His eyes drifted to where Cassidy was replacing the cushions on the sofa.

Lori hadn't seen Miles today to confirm whether or not he'd spoken to the sheriff, but the man's body language indicated he wanted a private conversation. “I have a few in the kitchen. Come on back and I'll fix you a cool drink to go with them.”

“Great, leave me here to do all the work,” Cassidy grumbled as they walked out.

They were silent as they passed through the main hallway trimmed in dark tiger oak wood. Dust motes floated in and out of the sunbeams that were streaming through the stained glass window located high above the main staircase landing.
Tessa looked up from her bed in the corner when they entered the kitchen. She gave her tail a gentle whack before resuming her nap in the sun.

“Have a seat.” Lori gestured to one of the stools tucked under the big center island. She pulled out a container of mini cupcakes and placed three on a small plate for the sheriff. Setting them in front of him on the island, she went to the fridge and poured him a glass of milk.

“Uh-oh,” he said, a trace of humor in his voice. “I'm becoming a regular if you know my drink preference by heart.”

“They taste best with milk. I wouldn't serve them any other way.” She handed him the glass. “Did Miles come to see you?”

The sheriff popped a cupcake in his mouth before nodding.

“I don't suppose you have any leads?” she asked. Something about his demeanor told her the news wasn't good, however.

“Deputy Lovell spent the day rummaging through the area pawn shops. Nothing matching the descriptions Miles gave me this morning turned up.”

Lori reached for a dishtowel and wiped at the already shiny granite while a fresh wave of disappointment washed over her. Her grandmother's ring was the only tie she had left to her old life. The clock was ticking for her here in Chances Inlet, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving without the ring. It was beginning to look like she might have to, though.

“Any chance you might have left the ring out somewhere?” he asked. “Maybe you've forgotten that you left it on the counter while you were doing dishes or baking.”

She shook her head, fighting back the sting of tears. “I don't wear jewelry anymore. I always kept it in my duffel. In the side pocket.”

He reached over and laid his big hand on top of hers, stilling her frantic motion. “Lots of people have been in and out of this B and B these past few weeks. Why don't you give me a list of the guests and I'll check for anything out of the ordinary. Include any deliveries that have been made, as well. Don't give up yet.”

Lori nodded and he gave her hand a squeeze before reaching for another cupcake.

“Have you noticed anything else missing? Any of the silver serving pieces? Or the trinkets Tricia has scattered about the place?”

She shook her head before releasing a heavy sigh. “I don't have an exact inventory of every room, but I haven't noticed anything out of place or gone.”

“Good. Let's hope it stays that way. With any luck, this was all just an ugly coincidence.”

The look she gave the sheriff was meant to convey the message that the loss of her ring was hardly a coincidence. A loud clang came from the area of the house near the parlor, followed by Cassidy's voice. “I'm good,” she called. “Nothing broke.”

Lori and the sheriff exchanged a look. Concern clouded his eyes. “There have been only three people who've been here consistently when things have gone missing. I take it you've checked her room.”

She nodded, hating that she suspected the teen at all. But Lori couldn't take any chances, so she'd carefully searched through Cassidy's meager belongings while the girl was working in the Patty Wagon. “I checked a couple of times,” she said, feeling the guilt bubble up inside her. “I don't think she's our culprit.”

The sheriff chewed his cupcake contemplatively. “That doesn't mean she didn't hand them off to someone else,” he said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “But I don't like thinking she's responsible any more than you do. Cassidy has had a tough go of it. Mona isn't exactly a shining example of a mother.”

“Still, stealing doesn't seem to be in Cassidy's nature.” Of course, Lori hadn't been the best judge of character these last couple of years, so what did she know?

“I agree.” The sheriff pushed away from the counter and stood up. “I'll stop by later to pick up that list.”

The screen door swung open and Tessa jumped to her feet. Emily skipped into the kitchen carrying a giant stuffed panda bear. The little girl was wearing a long pink veil made from tulle and held in place on her head with a headband of colorful
pipe cleaners wrapped with dainty star garland. Plastic bangle bracelets adorned both arms from her wrists to her elbows.

“Tai Chai and I are having a tea party outside,” she said as Tessa danced around her. “Do you want to join us, Sheriff?”

The sheriff went down on one knee so that he was eye level with Emily. His features softened and there was a wistful look in his eyes. “I've got to get back to the station, Princess. But maybe you and Tai Chai can come get an ice cream with me later. We'll get some for Gigi, too.”

Emily gave him a lopsided smile. “I'll be sure and eat all my dinner.”

He tweaked her nose. “Princesses always eat all of their dinner. By the way, you look extra bedazzled today. Where did you get those sparkly earrings and can I wear them?”

Infectious giggles filled the kitchen as Emily fingered the sparkly teardrop earrings she wore. “They're from Gigi's box of sparkly things. She lets me borrow them. And you can't wear these, silly. They're for girls.”

Sheriff Hollister stood and adjusted the veil on Emily's head. “I guess they don't really fit in with the uniform. But Gigi will want to wear them when I take her dancing so you make sure you put them back where you found them, okay?”

Emily scampered up on the barstool, placing her stuffed bear on the stool beside her. “Yes, sir.”

He shot Lori a look that clearly conveyed he didn't want Patricia's earrings disappearing, too. She nodded. “We'll get them back to Patricia.”

“I'll see you two ladies later,” he said as he made his way to the door. “Lori, don't forget about that list.”

Lori waved good-bye as she pulled out the special princess plates Patricia kept at the B and B just for her granddaughter. “Now, why don't we have our own tea party on the veranda?” she suggested as she arranged some cupcakes on the plate. “Cassidy and I could use a little break.”

“Yippee!” Emily shouted and Lori felt her dark mood brighten a bit.

M
iles climbed the steps to the B and B's veranda, happy that he didn't have any guests to make small talk with this evening. He'd spent much of the warm July day wandering through Chances Inlet. Idly chatting with the people who'd known him all of his life, eagerly listening to their problems and their concerns. Not once did someone bring up his father—at least not negatively—or Miles' marital status. No one in his hometown seemed to care about either subject.

Coy's stupid polling data still nagged at him, however. The district was composed of more than just Chances Inlet, and that was the problem. He needed to get voters outside the bubble of his hometown to stop focusing on his father and start focusing on the issues. The phone call he'd had with the governor this afternoon had only made things worse. His boss had summoned him back to Raleigh for a discussion on how they should combat the rise in Faye Rich's popularity. Miles had the sinking feeling that the party wanted to go negative. While he figured he could weather the storm, all the negative press about his father was taking a toll on his mother and the rest of his family. Miles just wanted it to go away.

Do something outrageous
, Faye Rich had implored. Too bad Squeaky Clean Miles McAlister's life plan didn't have anything on that all-encompassing list that would get voters' minds off his father.

“Uncle Miles!”

Emily's voice brought Miles back to the present. She was seated at one of the small bistro tables surrounded by stuffed animals and the two dogs, Midas and Tessa. His niece was wearing her usual frilly dress-up clothes complete with a flowing veil and pink sneakers adorned with Disney princesses. Eyes so reminiscent of her late grandfather sparkled when he made his way over to her.

“I'm having a tea party,” she said.

“So I see.” Miles tried his best to sound insulted. “And I wasn't invited.”

Emily yanked the giant panda off one of the chairs and hugged it on her lap. “Tai Chai has had too much to eat. He's gonna get a cavity with all this sugar. You can sit in his spot.”

Miles bit back a smile as he sank down into the chair. “Thank you, Tai Chai.” He eyed the pile of empty cupcake wrappers on the table. “Did you both eat all these yourselves? Tai Chai isn't the only one who's going to get a cavity.”

“No, silly.” Emily gave him a patronizing smile that she could only have inherited from her mother. “Cassidy and Lori helped. But there's a sprinkle one left.” She shoved the plate toward Miles. A small cupcake with garish blue icing, heavily decorated with red and white sprinkles, remained. “I was gonna eat it, but my tummy is full.”

While cupcakes weren't exactly his style, Miles had to admit that Lori was an excellent baker. As he peeled the wrapper off, he thought of the many things she did well. Not just related to the B and B, either. He admired how she'd taken Cassidy under her wing—especially with his mother ailing and Ginger now living with Gavin.

Last night, he'd unashamedly eavesdropped on their conversation. Regret and a painful longing had been etched in Lori's voice, but she still cared enough to give advice to a teenager she'd known only a short time and likely wouldn't
see again once she left for wherever it was Lori was headed. Her actions and demeanor didn't jibe with the corrupt criminal she wanted Miles to believe her to be. They pointed to a woman of character. The paradox intrigued him. Maybe even a little bit more than her kisses did.

“You have blue lips,” Emily squealed with delight.

“Good thing there's no one around with a camera,” his sister said as she climbed the wooden steps, Greer by her side. “That would not be a flattering campaign photo.”

“Actually, this would have made a perfect campaign ad,” Greer commented. “It would have showed Miles' more vulnerable side.”

Kate snorted. “Miles has a vulnerable side?” She shot him a cheeky grin. “Emily, honey, grab your things. We have to meet Daddy at the clinic.”

“Can't I stay here, Mommy? Cassidy said I could help in the Patty Wagon.”

“More like helping yourself to the ice cream, sticky fingers. You've had enough sugar for today.” Undaunted by her daughter's impressive pout, Kate reached out a hand to her.

“I have to put my jewelry in Gigi's sparkly box.” Rebuffing her mother, Emily slid from the chair, hefted Tai Chai on her shoulder, and shuffled off the veranda. “Bye, Uncle Miles. Bye, Midas. Bye, Tessa.”

Kate rolled her eyes at her daughter's theatrics before kissing Greer on the cheek. “See you next time, Greer.” She gave Miles a punch in the shoulder. “Check in on Mom later, okay?”

“I always do.”

His sister grinned. “I know. You're reliable as a Maytag, Miles. It's what I love about you. And I'd be happy to say that on tape, Greer, if you ever need me to.” She waved before following her daughter down the steps. Midas nearly cleared the table with his tail as he chased after them.

“If you ever give my sister an open microphone, I'll fire you,” he warned Greer before he scrubbed a hand down his face.

Smiling, Greer took the seat Emily had just vacated. “I envy you having such a big family.”

Miles laughed incredulously. “The grass is always greener. I wouldn't have minded being an only child like you.”

“That's a lie and you know it. You love your family. They're so much a part of who you are, Miles.”

He stared off across the wide green lawn of the B and B. He'd grown up in a house six blocks away, but everything about Chances Inlet was home to him. The town was his family whether he'd grown up with siblings or not. He didn't bother refuting Greer's claim because—as annoying as his close-knit family was—he knew she was right.

“My father and his cronies are going to want you to fight the character issue by going after Faye's character. She's likely done things in the past that she wants kept quiet, too. You don't want to win that way. I know you think Bernice's plan is crazy.” Greer held up a hand when Miles turned to her dumbfounded. “Hear me out. There's no way to distance yourself from your family, of which your father was a big part. And you shouldn't have to. But Bernice's idea of creating a little buzz about your personal life is pretty genius.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?”

She shrugged. “Scroll through your contacts and ask someone out. Take her someplace where the media will surely see you.”

“Wait, you want me to use a woman as chum for the sharks in the media?”

Greer scrunched her face up. “Well, it didn't sound that disgusting when Bernice was proposing it.”

Miles glanced over toward Tessa, still lying quietly on the porch, that world-weary look in her eyes. “I'm running on my own merits, Greer. I don't want to get elected because someone thinks the woman I'm dating is hot. Just as I don't want people to
not
vote for me because of something my father did.”

Her sigh was resigned next to him. “Someday you'll have a wife and kids and you won't be able to avoid their being a part of the campaign.”

“No, I won't.”

Greer was silent for a moment. “Some woman is going to blindside you when you least expect it. I can't wait for that day, you know.”

He shook his head. “There's no room for that in the plan. Besides, growing up in that life, would you wish that on another woman or children?”

She shuddered beside him. “Okay, you've made your point,” Greer said as she got to her feet. “We'll just have to come up with another plan. I'll see you in Raleigh tomorrow. It'll be you and me against the old guard, but I'll try and have your back.”

“That's what I'm paying you for.”

Her heels clacked against the wood of the porch as she made her way to her car. For the second time that day, he wished he felt something more than friendship for Greer.

“You're seriously going to be a monk all your life?” His brother's voice startled him. Gavin pushed through the screen door and whistled for Midas. “That doesn't sound very fun.”

“My life isn't like that of most people.”

“Probably because most people are having sex.”

Miles shot his brother an annoyed look.

“It was ten years ago, Miles. Don't you think you've grieved long enough?”

“I was done grieving Justine months after it happened.” It was true; the ache in his chest had faded long, long ago. “But I'll never love anyone like that again. That kind of soul mate only comes around once in a lifetime. I'm focusing my life on other goals now.”

“You're forgetting where we live,” his brother said. “Those second chances have a way of biting you on the ass when you least expect it.”

Cassidy charged through the door just as Miles was giving his younger brother a one-fingered salute. “Julianne's in labor! Come on.” She grabbed each man by a hand and tugged them toward the steps. “Everyone is already at the hospital.”

*   *   *

“She's beautiful, isn't she, Lori?” Patricia slid the iPad across the kitchen island.

“Absolutely precious,” Lori said as she glanced at the photo of a beautiful blue-eyed baby already with a halo of dark hair
and a satin rose headband circling her perfect head. “Ava Rose fits her.”

“Rose was my grandmother's name,” Will's mother, Annabeth, explained proudly.

Patricia patted her best friend's hand. “Your grandmother was a great lady. Everyone in town respected her. She'd be very proud right now.”

Lori refilled both their coffee cups before turning back to the cupcake batter she was mixing. She tried not to think of the lovely happily ever after Will and Julianne Connelly were experiencing right now. It wasn't so long ago that Lori had dreamed of that kind of life with a husband who was prominent in his field, a career of her own, and babies, lots of babies. But that's all it had been: a dream. She'd been living in a parallel universe built on a house of lies.

Patricia signaled for her to stop the mixer. “You're off somewhere far away.” The look she gave Lori was quizzical. “Everything okay with you?”

Lori nodded.

“The Keenans have arrived.” She hobbled across the kitchen on her crutches. “Is the Edinburgh Suite ready for them?”

“I set it up last night. I'll text Cassidy to come check them in.”

“No, you finish what you're doing. It's about time I start earning my keep around here,” Patricia joked.

“She has a formidable will,” Annabeth said after her friend had navigated her way out of the kitchen. “If I know Patricia, she'll be fit weeks before the doctors predicted she would.”

Lori's stomach fell. She'd always known her days in Chances Inlet were numbered. The original plan had been to move about until everyone forgot.
Or forgave.
She'd already stayed in Chances Inlet too long, but the inn felt safe, like a comfortable shoe. Now the thought of starting over somewhere else scared the crap out of her.

“Are you sure you're all right, Lori?” Annabeth asked. “You look a little pale.”

Pasting on a reassuring smile, Lori waved her off. “I think the hot kitchen is getting to me,” she lied. She gestured to her
oversized green T-shirt, emblazoned with the Ron Jon Surf Shop emblem, and her khaki cargo pants. “Will you excuse me a moment? I'll be back in time to set up the tea.”

Not waiting for an answer, Lori made a beeline for the screen door, Tessa at her heels. She crossed the lawn in long strides, headed for the secluded gazebo, hoping that a quiet moment alone would calm her anxious nerves. Sliding into one of the rocking chairs, she stroked Tessa's head. Was this how she was destined to spend the rest of her life? Moving from place to place, leaving behind friends and giving up her dreams? It had all seemed so doable before, considering the alternative. Now she wasn't so sure.

“There has to be a solution out there,” she said softly as the dog solemnly stared back at her.

“When you find it, let me know.”

Lori jumped out of the chair with a squeak. She turned to find Miles with his back propped up against one of the wide posts and his long legs stretched out on the bench in front of him. He was facing away from her, his body obscured by the honeysuckle plants that surrounded the pillar. She stepped around her chair to get a better look at him. Dressed in navy slacks and a pinstriped shirt, he'd neatly draped his suit jacket on one of the Adirondack chairs next to him. He didn't bother turning around, instead continuing to seemingly contemplate the B and B's garden shed located behind the gazebo. A bottle of beer dangled from his fingertips.

“I thought you were in Raleigh for the day.”

“The day is almost over, Sweet Cheeks,” he said before taking a pull from the beer.

Something wasn't right. She could sense it in Miles' demeanor. The anxiety Lori had been feeling moments earlier ebbed into concern for Miles even as her brain was telling her to ignore it.