wish for things you’re better off not having, Bryce.”
“And please don’t think every man is a loser like Scott,” Bryce begged. “I want to believe my soul mate is still out there.”
“Still reading those romance novels, are you?” That had been Bryce’s favorite pastime. She had been reading them long before her mother discovered she’d been doing so.
Bryce chuckled as she moved the car forward. “And what if I am?”
Vashti shook her head. “Because they are filled with unrealistic expectations and are a real disservice to women.”
“I beg to differ. They provide some of us with hope.”
Vashti decided not to counter. If that’s what Bryce believed then she wouldn’t try bursting her bubble, but personally, she knew better. There was no such thing as that much passion and desire. And most of the time it was the woman who worked at the romance part. A man was out for what he could get. He had needs.
But then so did women.
She hadn’t thought much about those needs until yesterday when she’d been pulled over by the town’s sexy hot sheriff. She would admit that for the first time in years...possibly ever, she’d felt attracted to a man. Really attracted to one. At least the encounter had let her know her libido was still alive after being dormant for a couple of years. She had Scott to thank for that and since she now knew about his sidepiece, she wouldn’t complain, although she would admit it bothered her to know he’d been getting some when she hadn’t. Lust, she thought, was a bitch. But yesterday she’d concluded that for a short while, lust had been given a name. Sawyer Grisham.
She doubted she would ever see the man again. At least she hoped not. One ticket was enough.
“And you’re sure I can’t convince you to hang around a few days?”
She glanced over at Bryce when they’d come to another traffic light. “I am positive. If it wasn’t for my needing to go before the zoning board I wouldn’t be here now. New York is my home and it’s where I belong.”
“Is it? Do you? You don’t have a job there anymore.”
No, she didn’t and although she’d submitted her résumé to several places, nobody had called. But then, she couldn’t lose sight of that. If she could sell Shelby she wouldn’t have to worry about a job or anything else for years or ever. She could travel the world. Heck, she could even buy her own hotel or maybe buy into a franchise.
“That’s why I need to sell Shelby, and you never did answer my question. Do you not want the Barnes Group to buy Shelby by the Sea?”
“You want my honesty?”
“Of course.”
“Then no. Even with all the money I could make off the sale.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you back here running your aunt’s inn, Vash.”
Vashti shook her head. “It’s not happening.”
“Will you ever forgive this town?”
She frowned over at Bryce. “It’s not a matter of forgiveness, Bryce. It’s a matter of what makes me happy. Honestly, I don’t even think about Catalina Cove until you call. Then I remember my connection and after that the memories come, which aren’t flattering. I’m no longer a small-town girl. I love big-city New York. The bright lights. Broadway. The subway. The Hudson River. I tried to get you to come live with me for a while to experience it for yourself but you weren’t interested.”
“I like it here.”
“Because you haven’t seen what other places have to offer. I have.”
“I still think you belong here.”
After all this time Vashti wondered why Bryce would think so. She decided not to ask her now as they pulled up in front of the Witherspoon Café. But she would ask her later.
* * *
SAWYER PRESSED THE button on the intercom. “Yes, Trudy?”
“K-Gee is on the line.”
He smiled. “You mean Kaegan, don’t you?” He was well aware Kaegan Chambray had instructed the townspeople to drop the nickname K-Gee and call him by his birth name when he’d returned a couple of years ago after having been gone for close to fourteen years. Most of the people in town had followed his directive...except for Trudy.
“I mean K-Gee.”
“Okay put him through.” When he heard the click signaling the connection, he said, “What’s up, Kaegan?”
Even Sawyer had been surprised at how easily he and Kaegan had struck up a friendship. Other than his marine buddies, he’d never had time to develop other friendships. Sawyer had been sheriff two years when Kaegan had returned to town and they’d bonded quickly because they’d had a lot in common. They’d both been marines who’d served multiple tour duties in Afghanistan. Although their paths never crossed they’d figured out they’d been in the same area about the same time. They’d enjoyed sharing war stories over beer at Collins Bar and Grill.
“Just a reminder that the zoning board has a meeting today at five.”
Sawyer released a deep sigh. He’d forgotten about that. “Thanks for reminding me.” He glanced at the calendar on his desk. Although he’d forgotten to write it down he recalled Kaegan telling him about the meeting a couple of weeks ago. He often wondered why he’d let Kaegan talk him into being Henry Smith’s replacement while the old-timer was out recuperating from hip surgery. “I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see you later.”
After Sawyer clicked off the phone and while it was fresh on his mind, he texted his daughter letting her know he would be home late. She was at school and wouldn’t see the message until the end of the day since the school’s policy was to have all phones turned off during the day.
Glancing at his watch he saw it was close to noon. Usually he worked through lunch, but since he would be eating dinner late he might as well go out and grab something to eat. As usual he’d gotten up at six and cooked dinner. By the time he’d taken a jog around the neighborhood, showered and dressed the food was ready to slide into the refrigerator. On those days when he was detained, Jade could eat without him. He tried making it home at a reasonable time so they could eat dinner together but being sheriff meant things didn’t always work out that way. On those days he did arrive home on time he looked forward to sharing meals with his daughter. It was important for him that they use that time to talk. He was always interested in knowing how her day went and how things were going at school.
Since joining the zoning committee he’d discovered you never knew what to expect until you got to the meetings. To him the Catalina Cove Zoning Board was nothing more than an overgrown version of a homeowners’ association. The residents of the cove had to get practically everything approved before any exterior changes were made to the structure or look of any home or building. That included painting, replacing windows or doors, removing trees from your yard, adding a fence or something as simple as switching out a mailbox.
Walking out of his office, he glanced over at Trudy. “I’m leaving for lunch and will be back in an hour.”
“Okay. And I meant to ask how the beef strudel turned out?”
“She altered the recipe,” he said, grabbing his hat off the rack on his way out. He knew he didn’t need to say more than that. It hadn’t been the first time Jade had murdered a recipe Trudy had given her.
“I offered to send her to cooking classes,” he said as he headed for the door.
“Not a bad idea. Especially if she seems interested in learning.”
Sawyer thought his daughter seemed more inclined to experiment