Chapter Fifteen
After hanging up with Sean, Grace went to the hardware store to see Dan.
Late-afternoon sunlight spilled across Main Street, glazing the shop windows and warming the sidewalk beneath Grace’s feet.
A faint breeze drifted through town, carrying the salty tang of the sound.
Despite the knot of nerves fluttering low in her stomach at the thought of seeing Sean again later, she found herself smiling.
As usual, she had to step over Jinx stretched across a sunbeam near the threshold when she entered the store.
The dog barely twitched, his heavy snoring rising and falling as if nothing in the world could disturb his afternoon nap.
It was such a familiar sight that every regular customer knew to check the doorway before entering unless they wanted to trip over the big mutt.
Inside, shelves lined with tools, paint supplies, and hardware stretched down the familiar aisles, the worn plank floors creaking beneath her steps.
Though she’d only been back in Whisper a few weeks, the store still felt familiar, bringing back memories of summer visits when she’d stop in with her mother to say hello.
Dan stood behind the front counter, handing change to a customer, and to Grace’s relief, he looked better than he had the day before.
The rasp still clinging to his voice told her the cold hadn’t fully released its grip, but if she’d learned anything about him over the years, it was that sickness rarely kept him down for long.
Jimmy Merrick, the college student who worked for him part-time, stocked shelves near the back of the store. From what Bonnie told her, he’d been picking up extra hours so Dan could at least head upstairs for a short nap before coming back down to close at six.
After the customer left, Graced filled Dan in on her dinner plans with Sean and Suki and asked if she could borrow the beach house key to start dinner before they arrived.
He opened the register drawer, pulled out a spare key, and handed it over. “Keep it.”
Grace stared at the brass key resting in her palm. “Are you sure?”
His grin came easily. “You may not be blood-related, but you’re still family. Feel free to use the cottage anytime you want.”
The quiet sincerity in his words caught her off guard, leaving her throat unexpectedly tight. Before she could overthink it, she leaned across the counter and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
He blinked in surprise. “What was that for?”
“For considering me part of your family. It’s very sweet of you.”
A flush crept across his weathered face, and he waved a dismissive hand. “Well, it’s true. You’re the niece I never had.”
The affection in his words tugged at her heart. The Malones had welcomed her back with such easy acceptance that, after only a few weeks, being with them already felt like coming home.
The thought nudged another question to the surface. “Can I ask you something, Dan? It’s personal, so you can tell me it’s none of my business if you want.”
He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the shelves behind the counter. “Okay, shoot.”
Grace hesitated only a moment. “You lost your wife at such a young age. I know it must have been hard in the beginning, but didn’t you ever think of getting married again?”
His expression softened at once. A fond smile touched his mouth, the kind that came from memory rather than the present. “I only had two wonderful years with Annie. You know, we eloped after knowing each other for only a few weeks.”
She smiled and nodded. She’d heard pieces of their story before.
“And you’re right, it was very tough at first. I thought we’d grow old together, but fate threw us a nasty curveball.
Thankfully, I had family and friends who made sure I didn’t bury myself right along with her.
I was still in my late twenties then. Before she died, Annie made me promise that someday I’d date again. ”
Leaning against the counter, she studied him. “And did you?”
He shrugged and absently adjusted a display of fishing lures hanging beside the register. “Here and there, starting a few years after I lost her. I just never found anyone special. Why do you ask?”
She glanced down at the key still curled in her fingers. Sean hovered at the edge of her thoughts, impossible to ignore. Admitting why this suddenly mattered so much felt far too revealing.
“I don’t know. Just curious, I guess.” The words sounded thin even to her own ears, but there was no taking them back now.
Drawing a breath, she asked what she’d really wanted to know. “When you first met Annie, when did you know she was the one? And how?”
Dan’s whole face brightened. “Now that’s easy. The moment I saw her face the day we met, I knew. Not sure how I knew, but it was almost like my guardian angel was sitting on my shoulder saying, ‘That’s your future wife, in case you were wondering.’”
Grace giggled, though his response gave her hope. “Really?”
“Really.”
He studied her for a long moment, his eyes sharpening with amusement. “Now, who’s caught those pretty hazel eyes of yours, hmm?”
Her answer came too fast. “Nobody.”
When Dan raised his eyebrows, Grace’s cheeks flamed, betraying her. “That obvious, huh?”
“It wouldn’t happen to be my nephew by chance?”
She didn’t need to ask which one. “At first, I thought it was just my teenage crush coming back…”
“But you’re no longer a teenager,” he said.
“Exactly.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly self-conscious. “Please don’t say anything to Sean… or Aunt Bonnie, for that matter. I’m not sure what’s going on between us yet. We’ve had a good time this past week, but it’s not like we’re dating.”
Dan chuckled. “Well, I won’t say anything to Sean, but your aunt already figured out something was going on between the two of you.”
Her eyes widened.
He laughed outright at her expression. “Come on. We might be older, but we’re not blind.”
A laugh slipped free before she could stop it. “No, I guess you’re not.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek again. “And the two of you are not old. Just a whole lot wiser than the rest of us.”
By the time Sean and Suki arrived a little after five-thirty, Grace already had the grill heated and three foil-wrapped potatoes cooking over the flames. The salad fixings covered half the counter, while the seasoned steaks were resting on a nearby plate.
As Suki disappeared down the hall to change out of her business clothes, Sean lingered in the kitchen with Grace, pouring himself a glass of wine from the bottle she’d opened. The sight of him sent her pulse skipping.
She’d seen him in a suit before, but there was something about the loosened tie and the top button of his shirt left undone that made him look devastatingly handsome.
Leaning against the counter beside her, all broad shoulders and effortless confidence, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.
Add the dimple in his left cheek, those dark, knowing eyes, and the lips she already knew were dangerously distracting, and it was almost unfair.
“Thanks for going to the store for me.” He reached past her and stole a slice of cucumber from the cutting board before popping it into his mouth.
Grace smiled as she resumed slicing tomatoes. “No problem. I had plenty of time to do it. You would’ve been rushed.”
He hesitated for a beat, his expression shifting.
Then he took the knife from her hand and set it on the cutting board.
She reached for the dish towel beside her and wiped her hands, her pulse already quickening at the look in his eyes as he grasped her and drew her closer.
The movement stole her breath. When she didn’t pull away, he lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers.
The spark between them flared at once. This time, there was no surprise or uncertainty. They both knew exactly what was coming, and the anticipation only sharpened it.
She lifted her hands to his chest, smoothing her palms upward over the crisp cotton of his shirt to the solid breadth of his shoulders. The feel of him beneath her touch sent a rush through her, and her whole body seemed to come alive.
She’d been thinking about kissing him again all afternoon, wondering if it would feel the same as it had before.
It didn’t.
It felt better.
The faint sweetness of the wine and cucumber lingered on his mouth, mixed with something distinctly Sean that made her want more. When his lips parted, and the tip of his tongue traced a gentle invitation against hers, a soft ache unfurled low inside her.
“Whoops, don’t mind me.”
They sprang apart, and Grace’s cheeks flamed as she turned to find Suki standing in the doorway, amusement dancing across her face.
The profiler laughed and crossed to the counter where the wine bottle and a clean glass waited. “I said, ‘Don’t mind me.’ Feel free to continue. I’m just grabbing a glass of wine and going into the living room. You two lovebirds just forget I’m here.”
Grace glanced at Sean, and the sheepish grin tugging at his mouth made her laugh. They’d both completely forgotten that anyone else was in the house. If Suki hadn’t interrupted them, Grace had a feeling that kiss would have gone somewhere neither of them was ready to explain over dinner.
He leaned in and gave her another kiss—a peck this time. “I’m going to take a shower and change. Be right back.”
Unable to stop herself, she answered with a teasing smile. “I’ll be here.”
The amused look he sent her set her pulse fluttering again before he disappeared down the hall.
While she finished tossing the salad, Suki offered to set the dining table. The large flat-screen television mounted above the fireplace played quietly in the background, Channel Four already on as the evening news prepared to start in about fifteen minutes.
“You know, Sean is really smitten with you.” Suki opened one drawer, then another, before finding the silverware.
“The feeling is mutual.” Color crept into Grace's cheeks at the admission.
The other woman smiled. “I’ve known him a while and have never seen him this taken with a woman. I’m happy for both of you, but I’m also a little protective of him, so if you break his heart, I’ll have to break your legs.”
Grace’s head snapped up, but the wide grin waiting for her drew a relieved laugh.
“I’m kidding. He’s a tough guy and can take care of himself. I always thought the woman who won him over would be very lucky, but after getting to know you, I think he’s the lucky one.”
The kind words pleased her more than she expected. “Thank you. But honestly, we haven’t even been on a real date yet. I like him a lot, but I worry he doesn’t feel the same way I do. I don’t do casual when it comes to relationships.”
“And you’re worried Sean just wants a fling?”
She nodded.
Suki closed the drawer and leaned against the counter with the cutlery in her hand. “I can’t speak for him, but I can tell you this—despite the case we’re working on, he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. You’re good for him, and I think he knows it.”
As the woman left the kitchen, Grace stood for a moment with her hands resting on the edge of the counter, turning those words over in her mind. She hoped Suki was right. Because being with Sean already felt less like something new and uncertain and more like finding the place she was meant to be.