Chapter 14
Cormac smiled, and the grin hit full wattage. “That’s a childhood nickname, isn’t it? You three are still known as the Albertini trio.”
I tilted my head. “You’ve been doing your research.”
“Not at all,” he said, voice smooth and amused…and British.
He looked infuriatingly good in dark jeans, masculine boots, and a deep green cable-knit sweater that made his eyes even greener. Rain still clung to the shoulders of his leather jacket, glinting under the bar’s dim light.
“The three of you,” he went on, “are spoken of quite fondly over in the valley.”
Donna lifted her wine glass, cool and appraising. “Did you find our grandmother’s silver boxes?”
His gaze warmed. “Not yet,” he said easily, “but I’m working on it.”
“Why?” Donna asked, chin lifting. “Just for the reward money?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I’d like to see the map on the bottom, but yes, the reward money’s a good incentive.”
“We’re investigating you, you know,” I said lightly, watching his reaction.
He smiled again. “That so? Hard to find much, I imagine.”
“Yeah,” I said. “You don’t leave much of a trail.”
“I like to go where the wind takes me.” He didn’t look like a man who went anywhere the wind wanted. No. He looked grounded, solid, and deliberate. Maybe with just enough fire to be dangerous.
For one unguarded second, my mind drifted to places it shouldn’t—Irish charm, dark eyes, rough hands. Aiden Devlin. Another man with a bit too much fire and a penchant for moving. Would he ever really settle down? I caught myself and blinked hard.
“You all right?” Cormac asked softly.
“Just fine,” I said too quickly.
“Excellent.” His attention shifted to Donna. “Miss Albertini, may I have this dance?”
She frowned. “Dance?”
He gestured toward the bar speakers. “Can’t you hear the music?”
Donna paused. “No.”
“I can,” I said, smiling into my glass. “There’s country music playing. It’s pretty mellow, under all the chatter.”
Tessa’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked between them. “Go on, Donna. It’s just one dance.”
Donna gave her a look sharp enough to slice steel. “You dance with him, then.”
Cormac chuckled, undeterred. “Don’t worry. I’ll lead.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Donna said firmly.
I couldn’t help it. “I kind of want to see them dance,” I murmured.
“Anna,” Donna warned without looking at me.
“Right,” I said quickly, dumping more nachos onto my plate. Fair enough. I’d hate it if they pushed me toward someone I wasn’t interested in, even if the someone was as intriguing as this guy.
Cormac turned back to us. “If you won’t dance,” he said, “perhaps you can help me with something else.”
Donna raised a brow. “Such as?”
“I’d like to hire you.” He hooked his thumbs into his jeans pockets.
Her eyes narrowed just slightly, her tone edged with polite challenge. “To do what, exactly?”
He met her gaze evenly. “I’m looking for a place. A lake cabin. Somewhere quiet to stay when I’m not working.”
“Oh, really?” Donna asked, her realtor instincts kicking in, but her smile carried a hint of amusement. “You’re planning to settle down and stop flitting with the wind?”
“I never flit.” His grin deepened, slow and wicked. This time, smiling at Donna, that single dimple appeared again. “I’d like to land maybe just long enough to enjoy the view.”
Donna smiled, professional mode fully engaged. “Then make an appointment and come by my office tomorrow. We’ll see what we can find.”
“That would be lovely.” There was laughter in his voice—low, teasing—and when he gave a small bow, it was far too charming for a simple thank-you. It was way sexier than the bow Backleboff had given to Nana earlier.
“Have a nice night, ladies.” Cormac turned, melted into the crowd, and was gone before I could track where he went.
“Did you see him come in?” I asked, still half watching the door.
“Nope,” Tessa said, munching happily on a nacho. “He just sort of appeared out of nowhere.”
Donna watched him disappear, her brow slightly furrowed.
“He’s kind of cute,” I said.
She glanced at me. “There’s something off about him.”
“Yeah, I know,” I admitted. That was what made him so interesting.
We ate the bar food, and the conversation turned to the robbery at Nana’s shop. “I just can’t figure it out.” My brain reeled with information that wasn’t helping. “This whole thing is too bizarre.”
Donna rubbed her temple. “Explain the two different cases with Nana. It’s confusing.”
“It’s pretty straightforward.” I sat back. “Gloria has sued her civilly for monetary damages, and she’s also pushing for a criminal charge from the state. So there’ll be both a criminal and a civil case against her.”
Tessa gulped, eyes widening. “That’s not good. That’ll totally wreck her state of mind. Nana can’t really go to jail, can she?”
“I can’t imagine it,” I said honestly. “It’s just bad timing. The two cases are hitting at once. Usually, the criminal one goes first, and if the defendant’s found guilty, the victim sues civilly for money. A conviction makes it easier to get damages.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Donna said slowly. “But Gloria wants to really mess with her, so I can see her being too impatient to wait for the criminal trial to conclude. But you’re going to get Nana out of it before that happens, right?”
My stomach cramped. “I’m sure going to try. I don’t think they have enough evidence for a criminal case. The burden of proof’s too high. The civil one could be trickier, but don’t worry. I’m on it.”
Tessa gave me a small smile, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.
I hesitated, then decided I needed to get it out. “I should probably tell you two, because I need to tell someone. Pauley’s been working for Nonna.”
“What?” Donna’s voice shot up, drawing a glance from a nearby table. “You’re kidding. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Well,” I said quickly, “he promised he’s not hacking anything illegal.”
“Wait,” Tessa said, frowning. “Did you guys not know he could hack?”
I blinked. “No. I knew he was good with computers, but I didn’t know that.”
Tessa shrugged. “He’s helped me out tons of times. You know that.”
“Yeah, but that was setting up your Wi-Fi,” I said.
Donna snorted. “Same here. He hooked up my TV and fixed my laptop once, but hacking? That’s new.”
“I didn’t even know he could get out of the Matrix,” I muttered, and Tessa laughed hard enough to make the people at the next table look over.
Donna grinned. “For a lawyer who lives and dies by high-tech evidence, you’re a little behind.”
“Hey,” I said dryly, “I know the law, not the code.”
Donna smirked. “Fair. I’ll stick to selling houses. I’m better with people.” She wasn’t wrong. Donna could talk a banker into a full remodel loan in under an hour.
I turned to Tessa. “Enough about the cases and hacking. Let’s talk wedding again. It’s a much nicer topic. So what white flowers does Nick like?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve shown him a few options.”
Donna snagged another chip. “What do you like, Tess?”
Tessa chewed thoughtfully on a piece of chicken. “I guess I like white tulips and calla lilies.”
“Oh, that sounds gorgeous.” I pictured the bouquet in my mind. “You should go with that.”
She angled her head. “You think?”
“Of course. Nick doesn’t care. Do whatever you want,” I said.
She grinned. “That’s kind of what I was thinking. We’ll have Cousin Brano bake the cake.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “Nobody beats Brano’s cakes.”
Donna added another wing to her plate. “We should go dress shopping soon. It’s March, Tess.”
“I know. I’ve just been busy,” she said. “We can’t go this weekend because of the St. Paddy’s parade, but maybe the following weekend? I can take a few hours off.”
Donna nodded. “There’s a new bridal shop near the resort I’m listing. We could make a day of it.”
“Perfect.” I looked at the stack of folded papers on the table. “You have any wedding dresses in there?”
“I do.” Tessa started unfolding several pictures, spreading them across the table. Donna and I leaned in.
Tessa would look beautiful in anything, but one caught my eye. “I like the one with the Irish lace,” I said. “That’d fit you no matter the cut.”
“Me too,” Donna agreed. “You should go all in on the Irish theme, especially since Nick’s Italian. Keep both sides of the family happy.”
Tessa laughed. “Well, that’s important.”
The door opened behind us, and I looked up, immediately wishing I hadn’t. Clark walked in, shaking rain off his jacket, and right behind him was Brooke Walton.
My stomach dropped. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him she was also seeing Brad Backleboff. He’d been in court all afternoon.
Clark looked good in his dark brown suit and silver-striped tie with his head damp from the weather. Brooke, of course, looked flawless in a fitted blue sweater and jeans that probably cost half my rent.
She glanced at me, then quickly looked away, pointing toward a table near the windows. Clark gave me a short wave, polite but distant, and followed her over.
I swallowed hard and reached for my wine. This was going to get messy.
“Hey, isn’t that Brooke Walton?” Donna asked, tipping her wine glass toward the far side of the bar.
“Yeah.” I didn’t look right away, but curiosity got the better of me. “How do you know her?”
Donna shrugged, ever casual. “I’ve seen her with Brad Backleboff over in the valley a couple of times. I go over there to play bridge as part of my networking, you know. I sold a cute little house up on Timber Street last week.”
Tessa motioned to the waitress for a refill. “What’s she doing with Clark, then?”
I sighed. “They’ve been dating but not exclusively. She won’t go exclusive, and he wants to, from what I could tell.”
“Clark’s a catch,” Tessa said, glancing toward them. “Though she’s gorgeous.”
“Do you know her?” I asked.
“Yeah. She comes into the restaurant sometimes,” Tessa said, twisting her napkin between her fingers. “She’s… okay. Hard to like, though, considering she’s Gloria’s niece, and Gloria’s made it her life mission to take down Nana.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, lowering my voice. “I haven’t had a chance to tell Clark she’s also dating Backleboff.”
“Didn’t he see the paper?” Donna asked.
I frowned. “I totally forgot about that. The conflict of interest piece was in there. We haven’t had time to talk about it, so maybe he already knows.”
“If they’re not exclusive,” Donna said smoothly, reaching for another chip and dipping it into guacamole, “he probably doesn’t care.”
“That’s a good point,” I said, sitting back. “I always thought he kind of played the field anyway.”
Before I could say more, the door swung open again. Brad Backleboff strolled in, right beside Jolene O’Sullivan. They snagged a small table near the entrance, heads bent together in what looked far too cozy to be professional.
“Well,” I muttered, “this is interesting. Now we know how the Timber Gazette got the story so fast today.”
Donna followed my gaze. “Ugh, that’s a terrible duo. Jolene goes after people like a bloodhound when she wants a story.”
“Yeah,” I said, watching Brad lean closer to the reporter, “but the way he’s looking at her, I don’t think this one’s about journalism. That’s full-on puppy love.”
“Wait a minute,” Donna said, turning toward the other side of the room where Clark sat with Brooke Walton. Her eyes widened. “Didn’t you say Brooke was also seeing Backleboff?”
“Yep.” I winced. “Things are about to get interesting.”
As if on cue, Brooke looked up, spotted Brad across the bar, and froze. Her chair screeched back as she stood—too fast, too sharp.
“Oh, no,” I breathed.
Brooke stomped toward Brad, her heels clicking like gunfire against the wood floor.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
“Nope,” Donna said immediately, waving at Luanne behind the bar. “We’re out.”
“What?” I asked as she grabbed her purse and mine in one motion.
She hauled me to my feet. “I just closed our tab,” she said, motioning for Tessa to get a move on. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
“Why?” I snatched my bag away, stumbling after her.
“Because if anything goes down, we’re not going to be in the middle of it. Especially with a reporter here.” She gave me a firm look. “Just once, Anna. Just once, I don’t want to be in the paper.”
She hustled us toward the door, moving fast enough to qualify as a sprint.
“But there might be a catfight,” I muttered, craning my neck to get one last look.
“Exactly,” she said. “This time, we’re not going to be in it.” She pushed open the door, and cold rain slapped us in the face. Outside, the air smelled like wet asphalt and pine.
Across the lot, headlights cut through the downpour as a familiar truck pulled in. Aiden hopped out, pulling up his collar against the rain. “Hey,” he called, striding toward us. “You guys are leaving already?”
“There’s about to be a catfight,” Tessa said by way of greeting.
Aiden grinned, blue eyes glinting in the low light. “Good timing then. Hop in the truck, and I’ll take you home.”
“I’m fine to drive,” I said. “I’ll follow you.”
“All right,” he said, giving me a look that was all Aiden. “Fair enough. Drive straight home. Don’t go back inside.”
“I won’t.” I glanced toward Donna. “If there’s a fight, will Luanne call you?”
Donna smirked. “She’ll take pictures.”
“Perfect,” I said dryly.