Deep Autumn Heat (35 page)

When he looked down at her and smiled, a swell of emotion rose in her chest. It was so strong, so powerful, that it blew her away. She watched him watching her, his green eyes hot with tempered passion as he waited for her to give him a sign, any sign, that he could continue.

Real love.
This
was what it felt like.

It sang in her veins, coursed through her, filled her with a mix of happiness and need. All she needed to do was smile at him and he’d cover her with his big body, kiss her the way she craved, and make her body sing. For him. With him.

But there was one more thing she needed to ask. Lexie moistened her lips before she spoke. “That night you came back to Star Harbor,” she said, “what made you come back right then?”

Sebastian looked startled for a moment. Then he gave her a half smile. “I’d been trying to get up here for the better part of a week. Since you left, in fact.” Lexie had the grace to look chagrined and he smiled again before he continued. “But I couldn’t. I had too many obligations to my restaurant, to my agent, and to my projects. I took one thing off my plate, though—I cancelled my final meeting in Boston with the Realtor.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I realized something. Something I’ve been thinking about for a while. Boston is
all wrong for what I’m envisioning. I’ve decided to choose a different place for my new venture.”

“Really? I thought Boston was all but a done deal.”

“No. It’s too cosmopolitan. I already have New York City. I’m looking for something a little more rustic, with some New England charm.”

“You’re not seriously considering—”

“Star Harbor. Yes, I am. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, given that it’s been in the back of my mind ever since I decided to open up a new place.”

“But Star Harbor is so, so …”

“Provincial? Slow?”

Lexie laughed. “I was going to say ‘sleepy,’ at least for most of the year, but you about covered it. Won’t this hurt your reputation?”

“Hardly. So many of Helena’s core clientele leave New York for the summer and head to resort destinations. That got me thinking about how to tap into that client base for the one season I don’t have them. I decided that I want to have my new restaurant fill that niche—to be a seasonal restaurant, only open during the summertime.

“When autumn comes, I’ll close the place and concentrate on Helena for the other three seasons of the year. Also, it’ll fit nicely with my television filming schedule, which will run from January through April. It’ll be the perfect balance between national exposure, which my agent wants, and working with local, sustainable, and seasonal cuisine, which is what
I
want.”

“You sound like you’ve thought this through very carefully.”

“I have,” he said, a bit smugly. “And I’m very happy with the direction I’m going to choose to take my name and my business.” He tipped his head slightly. “But I left out the most important reason why I chose Star Harbor.”

All of a sudden, Lexie couldn’t breathe.

“What’s that?” she managed to get out.

“You’re here.”

“I am?” Then he grinned at her, and more firmly, she said, “I am.”

“You are. And I don’t want to live without you.” He cupped her cheek in a large, warm hand. “Marry me, sweet Lexie.”

She reached out to draw him closer. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

“Lexie, I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”

“I know you will.”

Then he bent his head to kiss her. And spent the rest of the day showing her exactly how happy he was going to make her for the rest of their lives.

Lexie looked out onto her busy dining room at the LMK and smiled. Two weeks after Frank’s attack, things were almost back to normal on this ordinary Wednesday morning. The LMK had resumed regular business hours, she’d hired a line cook to replace Jenny Arthur, three big catering events were lined up for the next few weeks, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

Expertly eyeing the room, Lexie noted that everyone had everything they needed. She leaned over the counter and rested her elbows, just taking in the scene. The familiar hum of her busy restaurant made her happy, and she reveled in the calmness she felt inside. She was more at peace these days than she’d ever been before. Lexie rested easy knowing that the worst she had to worry about nowadays was whether Paige Sinclair was going to reverse-engineer her recipe for her coconut cake. It was a good feeling.

She was happy here in Star Harbor. It was much more to her now than the place she’d come to escape the past.

It was home.

The sound of a man clearing his throat brought her back to the present. She smiled at the large, familiar man sitting at the counter.

“Val,” she said warmly, “what else can I get you?”

“Just a cup of coffee, Lexie.”

“Coming right up.” She scooped up the warming coffeepot and filled his mug to the brim.

“You know, Lexie,” Val said almost casually, “I want to thank you.”

“For the coffee? It’s no big deal, Val.”

“No,” he said. “For changing Sebastian. You’ve been a positive influence on him, and I’m pleased to see it.”

Lexie was fascinated. “Really? How so?”

“He’s really turned a corner, both personally and professionally. To be honest, if he hadn’t found someone who stands up to him like you do, he’d still be chasing skirt. Most likely for a good long time.”

Lexie smiled. “I can understand why you think he’s changed personally, but professionally, he’s had it together from the beginning.”

Val shook his head. “He’d been letting his management team make decisions for him. But since he met you, he’s started to think for himself. You know his agent hit the roof when he chose Star Harbor for his new restaurant instead of Boston.”

“No,” she said. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s true. But he convinced her and the rest of his staff that it was the right thing to do for his career, and they got behind him. I don’t think he’d have had the guts to do that if it weren’t for you.”

As she stood there, stunned, a jingling sound broke into her consciousness. She turned to the door, and when she saw who it was, her face broke out into a huge smile.

“Seb!” she exclaimed, “I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

Sebastian circled the counter and grabbed her around the waist, giving her a kiss on the lips. “Jorge’s covering me at Helena so I could come a few days early to finalize my interest in the space and to hopefully sign a long-term lease. Good to see you, too, Val,” he said, giving his brother a grin. “You weren’t trying to talk Lexie out of marrying me, were you?”

“Quite the opposite,” Lexie said with a smile. “So you’re serious about the old schoolhouse space, then?” she asked, referring to a centuries-old one-room schoolhouse on the outskirts of the downtown area. After serving as an antiques shop, the space had lain vacant for some time.

“Yes,” Seb said, helping himself to a cup of coffee. “There’s plenty of parking, it’s within walking distance of downtown, and there’s a large plot out back where I can plant my own garden.” Lexie gave him a hopeful expression. “There won’t be a ton of room, but I’ll allow
you to filch some produce every once in a while. That is, unless you’d like to come work for me.”

Lexie laughed and shook her head. “No thanks. My own place is doing just fine.”

Seb grinned. “I agree. Our places will complement each other nicely. I’m not serving breakfast or brunch, for one.”

“I can think of a few other differences,” Lexie mused. “Like the fact that your place is going to be super high-end and mine serves lowbrow diner food.”

“Did Paige Sinclair say that to you?”

“No.” She smiled. “I just made that up right now.”

“Well, that ‘lowbrow diner food’ you serve is in hot demand, Lexie. I’ll have my hands full tempting folks away for dinner, especially once our crab cake throw-down segment airs. Yet another benefit to having that ass behind bars—you get the television coverage you rightly deserve.”

Lexie quirked an eyebrow at him. “Somehow I doubt you’ll have too much trouble getting customers. Once they hear that nationally acclaimed chef Grayson has opened shop in town, you’ll have people swarming in from Boston to snare a reservation. Even better, I think you’ll raise Star Harbor’s tourism profile. It’s tough to get out to the Cape for just a dinner. They’ll be forced to spend the night at the Star Harbor Inn, spend a few dollars at Cameron’s boutique, eat breakfast at the LMK—”

Sebastian grabbed her around the waist again and kissed her soundly. “Think you might be willing to give me the recipe for your coconut cake? I could use a good anchor dessert for my menu.”

“Not a chance. Only close relatives know my secret ingredient.”

“Relatives, hm? I can arrange that. When can we get married?”

“Maybe next spring,” she replied blithely.

“Too far away. Look, I want this to be a done deal, so let’s talk.”

Val cleared his throat. “You guys want me to leave?”

“No, Val. You stay right where you are,” Lexie said. Then she turned back to Seb. “What’s to talk about? You asked. I said yes. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that Theo’s coming back to town in a few weeks. I thought we could do it then.”

“Why not do it sooner?” a deep voice sounded. “I’m here now.”

“Theo!” Seb exclaimed as his twin walked through the door. The two men clasped hands and embraced. “You made it for Thanksgiving!”

Theo gave Lexie a quick kiss on the cheek before hugging Val, who had risen to greet him. “I thought I’d follow Cole’s advice about finding some inspiration back in Star Harbor. I sublet my loft in the Mission through the end of January, shipped my Jeep out, and here I am, ready to write my next book.”

“Glad you’re home, brother,” Val said quietly. “We’ll get your stuff to the boat after breakfast. Just don’t tell Cole that you took him up on his idea. Might swell his head.”

Theo laughed. “I’ll tell him it was my agent’s idea.”

“Was it your agent’s idea to have
The Pirate’s Sextant
be a
New York Times
bestseller?” Seb asked, sounding smug but proud.

“Nope. Just got lucky, I guess,” Theo said modestly.

“You make your own luck,” Seb said firmly before turning to Lexie. “Let’s get married next week.”

“So quickly?”

“You have a problem with that?” he asked.

“No, it’s just that my parents need to be here.”

“So get them here,” he growled. “Soon.”

Lexie dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I’ll try, but given the fact that they don’t yet know we’re engaged and haven’t even met you, I think we may meet with a bit of resistance.”

Sebastian gave her a grin. “Let me talk to them. I can be
very
persuasive.”

“I know you can. Hang on. I’m going to make the rounds. Talk to your brothers and I’ll
be back in a minute.”

He stepped away from her slightly, seemingly reluctant to disengage his arms. At her insistent push, he freed her, and she went from table to table, finalizing checks and topping off coffee cups. Breakfast was almost over. Soon, she returned to Sebastian, who wrapped a long arm around her shoulder. At that moment, the bell on the door jingled again.

“Ah, the two lovebirds,” a familiar voice called out. Cole’s gaze lit on his brother, surprise evident on his face. “Theo, what are you doing here? I’m glad you took my advice, but I thought you weren’t coming until December.”

“I gave Val a heads-up that I was coming sooner. It’s his boat I’m crashing on, after all.”

Cole looked vaguely displeased. “Wish you had told me.”

Theo, Val, and Seb exchanged looks before Sebastian turned to greet Cole. “Don’t you have somebody to cite for doing something illegal?”

“Very funny. I just needed to get out of the station. I’m getting calls from the FBI around the clock about all our recent work here in Star Harbor.” He gave Sebastian and Lexie a knowing glance. “Obviously, I can’t talk about it here, but what I
can
talk about is the fact that Frank was formally arraigned on Monday.”

As Cole said Frank’s name, Sebastian’s arm tightened around Lexie’s shoulders. Gratefully, she smiled up at him.

“What does that mean? Do I need to do anything?” she asked.

“It means that the charges officially have been brought against him. We have him on everything from assault and battery to attempted rape and violating a restraining order. You won’t be surprised to hear that he pled ‘not guilty’ to all charges, but of course, the judge denied him bail. And no,” Cole continued, “you won’t have to do anything until the pretrial hearings begin. Our county prosecutor’s going to prep you, but I understand that Marlene Russbaum has promised to be there for support.”

“Marlene told me she was doing it pro bono thanks to all the extra business I’ve given her from LMK Catering.”

“She’s a good contract attorney, but we’ll have the criminal lawyers there, too. Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Cole reached into his pocket and took out an evidence bag. He laid it on the counter. Lexie didn’t have to look twice to know exactly what it was.

“Seb gave this to me a few days after the attack. To be honest, I was more focused on getting your statement than on this thing.” He gestured to the key. “But now that everything has calmed down, do you mind telling me where you got it?”

“I found it in the old hearth in the cellar of the LMK. I used it to defend myself. Why?”

“I’d never seen a key like this before, so I showed it to Cameron Stahl, who has some experience with antiques. She thought it was unusual too, so she passed it along to her uncle, who deals in antiquities.”

“So, you’re saying that the key I used to gouge Frank Doherty is an antique?”

Cole kept a straight face. “I’m saying that this is an item of historical significance to Star Harbor. It
is
undoubtedly an antique—Cameron herself dated it from the mid-to-late 1600s—and her uncle says that it just might be the key from the legend of the
Siren Lorelei
.”

“You’re joking.”

“Cole never jokes about pirate legends,” Val chimed in.