For years because of Lafitte, the cove had been a shipping town. It still was, which was evident by the number of fishing vessels that lined the pier on a daily basis. That accounted for the fact there were a large number of seafood restaurants in town. The Moulden River was full of trout, whiting, shrimp and oysters. Tourists came from miles around to sample the town’s seafood, especially the oysters. The cove’s lighthouse-turned-restaurant was one of the most popular destinations in town. You had to make reservations weeks in advance to get a table.
It wasn’t long before he pulled onto Buccaneer Lane, where Shelby by the Sea was located. It was a beautiful tree-lined street that ended at the ocean. He noticed the number of vehicles parked in the long winding driveway of the large mansion with the beautiful manicured lawn that sat on the gulf. He recalled hanging out here as a kid with Vashti and Bryce whenever Vashti’s aunt Shelby had something for them to do.
When he pulled into the yard he was glad none of the cars blocked the lane that went to the back of the inn, where deliveries were made. Some people might find it odd that the CEO of a company would do such a task as he was doing here today, but he wouldn’t ask any of his employees to do something that he himself wouldn’t do. He didn’t spend all his time stuck behind the desk. Usually on Fridays he went out on the harvesting ships with his crew.
As he got out of the truck to begin unloading, he could truly say that although he and his company were now taking on bigger clients, he still appreciated the local business owners who contracted with his company to provide all the seafood they needed. Shelby by the Sea was one such client.
When he got everything loaded on the cart, he pulled it through the back and rang the doorbell. He expected Mrs. Livingston, the inn’s chef, to be the one to open the door for the delivery. Instead when the door opened, it was Bryce.
Kaegan frowned. He’d seen her that morning. Once a day was all he could tolerate of her. “What are you doing here, Bryce? Where is Mrs. Livingston?”
Bryce moved aside. “She had a run to make to the store and told me to watch out for someone from your company. I expected Marty or John. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Well, you got me.” The minute he’d spoken the words, it flashed through his mind that, no, she didn’t have him. Not in the ways that counted with him.
“Fine. Just drop it here and leave it.”
“That’s not how things work. You need to count the number of boxes before signing off on anything, and then I load them in the freezer for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know how it’s done, Kaegan. Need I remind you that I used to be the assistant manager here?”
Honestly, he didn’t need her to remind him of anything. “Why are you here?”
Instead of answering him, she took her pretty little time scanning the invoice. All four pages. Then she glanced back at him. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Vashti had to leave for a couple of hours to take Cutter in for his checkup and asked me to fill in while she was gone. Anything else you want to know?”
“Not if it’s going to take you forever to answer.”
She glared at him and he ignored it and wished he could ignore her. She was wearing the same outfit she’d had on this morning. That same blouse. Those same jeans. Definitely a turn-a-guy-on sort of outfit. When she leaned over to read the labels on each box while checking the items off the invoice, he honestly wished she didn’t tilt her curvy ass up like that while bending over.
He recalled the times he’d made love to her from behind and how much they’d enjoyed it. On weekends, when he could send for her to meet him halfway between her college and his military base, he would always arrive at the hotel first and they would spend an entire weekend together in bed.
Kaegan knew he should have suspected something was up when she began canceling some of their romantic weekends, saying she was getting behind in her studies. He’d believed her and had begun feeling guilty that he was interfering with her schoolwork. He’d never suspected the real reason was because she was betraying him with another guy.
“Everything’s all here,” she said, straightening up and signing the invoice.
“Fine.” He took the paper from her, being careful not to touch her hand in the process. “Let Vashti know the delivery was made and on time.”
He headed toward the freezer and began unloading the boxes. She didn’t say anything, but he could feel her standing there and staring at him. The same way he’d stared at her. The heat of her gaze was all over him—he could feel it. He started to say something about her standing there and watching him when the doorbell sounded.
“That’s probably the Braziers. They’re the last couple Vashti expected to check in before noon.”
He wondered why she was telling him that. Why was she still there at all? He didn’t get a chance to ask her before the sound of her heels clicking on the tile floor told him she’d left.
With her departure, he drew in a deep breath, inhaling her lingering scent. He liked it, even though he wished he didn’t.
Trying to put Bryce, her scent and how good she’d looked out of his mind, he continued to stock the boxes in the freezer. But he still thought about her and couldn’t understand why he was doing so. He tried to remember the last time he’d taken a woman on a date.
A number of the women in the cove were aware he and Bryce had been sweethearts in high school and had even talked about marriage once she completed college. Many figured it would just be a matter of time before they got back together. Those women didn’t know how wrong that assumption was, but he was willing to let them think whatever they liked. He dated when he got the urge, and usually when he did there was a woman to take off the edge.
As he was finishing up, he heard the voices belonging to Bryce and two others, and decided he wanted to be gone if Bryce returned. Seeing her twice in one day was enough for him. Nearly too much. He quickly finished what he was doing and left.
“THANKS FOR HELPING out today. Anything interesting happen?”
Bryce glanced at Vashti. Had her friend known Kaegan would be making those deliveries and hadn’t told her? She would admit that Kaegan seemed as surprised to see her as she’d been at seeing him. “Anything interesting like what?”
“Anything. Mondays are always interesting here at Shelby. Last Monday we had that dog deliver puppies on the roof of the gazebo. Not sure yet how she got up there. Then the Monday before that we had that paddleboat wash up on shore with clothes but no people. Sawyer is still working with the Coast Guard trying to determine if a couple who possibly went swimming skinny-dipping in the ocean were reported missing. So far no one has filed a missing-person report.”
Bryce nodded. “The only interesting thing that happened around here was that Kaegan dropped by.”
Vashti lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “He did?”
So she hadn’t known. “Yes.”
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“He made the normal Monday deliveries,” Bryce said.
Vashti nodded. “I know John is on vacation, since he mentioned as much a few weeks ago, but where was Marty?”
“He was out today, as well.”
Vashti came over to Bryce and looked her over. Bryce gave her a pointed look. “What are you doing?”
“Checking for battle scars.”
Bryce rolled her eyes. “You won’t see any. We were pretty cordial to each other.”
“That’s a switch. Especially after Friday night.”
“I’m trying, Vash. Of course, he was in his