Chapter 11
”Macaroni salad is practically a religion at home,” Deval O”Brien told Jamie as the big from Oregon piled a plate with food. ”It”s at every potluck, cookout, and picnic.”
Meghan and Finn”s older brother was in town for the summer to help establish a base of operations in Bendover for the new Sherriff, Cruz Dohlavi, and an entire municipal complex.
Jamie liked the gregarious Irishman.
”What”s your secret?”
”I”d tell you, but my mom swore me to secrecy.”Smirking, Jamie added, ”She”s locked in an eternal battle with the other church ladies she pals around with over whose coleslaw, potato, and macaroni salad are best.
Dev smiled. ”I get it,”he said, gesturing to his mother, Maggie O”Brien, who was currently yukking it up with a group of Family Justice women.
”Ma avoids the parish pie crust squad—says they”re too cutthroat for her.”
The comment struck Jamie as funny, so he laughed.
”Hey,”Dev grunted as they walked to a picnic table together. ”You find me a dog yet? The Justice dog guru, Brody Jenson, said you were on it. I really want to surprise the kids once summer is over and we”re together again at home. I miss the little buggers,”he drawled. ”God only knows what over-the-top bullshit their mother whipped out for her court-ordered time. A new pet will allow us to reset as a family.”
”Alex is flying you home, right?”
”Oh, yeah. No worries there, Doc. Private jet. Plenty of room for a dog.”
”There”s a Golden Retriever mix in the training program.She”sclassified as a house pet. Brody”s canine crew says she”s good with kids. They report that she”s taken to the training really well. You should go by and have a look at her. I”ll check her out if she fits and get you started.”
”Muchas gracias. Did I say that right?”
”Close enough.”
Jamie stretched his legs out, and Dev did the same. They were on opposite sides and at different ends of the table.
Small talk and barbecue go well together. They compared notes on each other”s preferred professional sports teams and laughed at the latest celebrity gossip.
”Rafe”s steak grilling is on point. I might need another,”Dev informed Jamie.
Alex”s black Labrador trotted by, stopping here and there for tasty tidbits offered by the humans. When Zeus woofed once, Jamie glanced in time to see the spoiled pooch racing to greet Kori Tate.
And her mother, Rebecca.
Narrowing his eyes, Jamie recalled seeing Rebecca out on the town with a guy who was not him.
”Hey, she”s cute,”Dev mumbled through a mouthful of food. ”She”s a stable lady, right? She runs the Marquez ranch operation?”
”Yeah,”he replied. ”Rebecca Tate. She”s not available,”he testily added.
”Why is that?” Dev asked.
”Because I said so.”
”Message received.”
A neon sign flashed in Jamie”s brain: Caution—apply brakes.
Scowling slightly, he tried backtracking. ”I didn”t mean it that way.”
”Yes, you did, but it”s cool, man.”Dev”s indifferent shrug wasn”t very convincing. ”No worries,”he continued in a droll tone. ”My kids have been through enough. I”m not interested in anything serious, so that leaves out fucking around in my sister”s backyard.”
Letting the subject of Rebecca Tate go was Jamie”s best move. Unfortunately, his mouth had yet to get the memo.
”She”s seeing someone anyway,”he mumbled.
”Yeah?”Dev turned to study Rebecca. ”Justice?”
”Not that I know of. Probably a Sedona local.”
”Lucky man.”
Feeling less and less friendly by the minute, Jamie”s deteriorating mood intensified when he spied Domineau openly smirking at him as she stood beside a broadly smiling Rebecca.
”Whatever,”he ground out.
Dev looked somewhat taken aback by Jamie”s sudden funk. Then, a half-smile softened the large man”s expression. ”Women! Am I right?”
Laughter coming from a group of Justice Ladies caught his attention. A dozen women were clustered together in the shade of the covered patio. All around them was an assemblage of baby carriers and diaper bags.
It was the happy normalcy that socked Jamie in the gut. He remembered a time in his life when that was all he wanted.
Kori waved when she saw him. He liked the friendly kid. She was endlessly curious, wasn”t an airhead, and had a joyful outlook.
Smiling, he acknowledged her greeting.
She hesitated a second before approaching him and Dev carrying a plastic container.
”Hi, Jamie! Mr. O”Brien.”She grinned while peeling back the lid on the container. ”You guys want a cookie?”
”Whatcha got?”Dev asked, leaning closer to inspect what was on offer. ”Smiley faces?”He laughed.
”I had fun with the chocolate bits,”Kori explained. ”There are some peace signs too.”
”I”ll have one of each.”Dev snatched the cookies from the container and immediately shoved one into his mouth.
”Nicely done, Kourtney Tate,”Dev told her with an approving chuckle. ”My boy, Kellen, likes fiddling in the kitchen but not so much his little sister, Quinn. He whips up all sorts of imaginative stuff, and she handles the taste testing.”
”I wish we had a bigger kitchen,”Kori muttered.”Not enough counter space. Cookies and quick breads are easiest ”cause they don”t require a lot of steps.”
Jamie took a cookie and considered asking if she”d like to help next time he baked the dog treats he kept on his desk in a Tardis cookie jar.
Dev engaged with Kori—politely asking Dad questions about school, summer vacation, and whether the pre-teen girl had any life plans.
For her part, Kori answered enthusiastically. She knew how to converse, even asking questions about Dev”s life in the Pacific Northwest.
Rebecca was doing a remarkable job raising the girl by herself. Parenting kids these days has to be a challenge. She was damn lucky that her only kid wasn”t a self-entitled tool like so many young people were.
He blamed social media and too much leeway on the part of grown-ups who looked the other way rather than drop the hammer.
But what did he know? He wasn”t a parent and never planned to be one, so he kept his opinions to himself.
Something warm touched his thigh. He looked down to find Zeus”s chin resting on his leg—her tail swishing like a windshield wiper.
Petting her head, he met the dog”s adoring gaze and chuckled.
”I know cookie begging when I see it.”
”Oh, wait,”Kori hooted. She dug through the container and pulled out a plastic bag. I”ve got oatmeal bites for the doggos without sugar added.”
”That”s really smart of you, kid,”he told her approvingly. ”Cookouts and picnics are prime begging opportunities for our canine friends.”
Kori giggled. ”I know. Do you think they have a coordinated plan?”
”One hundred,”Jamie drawled. ”And since Zeus is alpha, she”s the ringleader.”
He saw Rebecca walking their way from the corner of his vision field. Her hair was down, and he liked the way her dress swished around her legs.
Ugh, boy.
* * *
At Domineau”s urging—hectoringmight be a better word—Becca gave in, ditched the jeans she had planned to wear, and wore a summer dress purchased out of a catalog.
She felt stupid. She never wore a dress unless an event”s dress code demanded it. The whole thing was weird, and she kept worrying about her ass hanging out.
Okay, so maybe hanging out was clumsy wording. After all, she had on underwear—real underwear, not that butt floss shit—and the dress wasn”t too short. Nothing hung out, per se, but the constant threat of a breeze lifting the hem made her nervous.
Rafe and Domineau”s backyard was what realtors call an entertainer”s dream. It had all the bells and whistles—an expansive covered patio and outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, yard games, and a projector screen for movie watching. Different seating areas were set up around the space, and several picnic-style tables and benches were scattered about.
Domineau hadn”t been kidding about the guest list—everyone was present except those on family leave.
And it wasn”t only adults. There was a veritable circus sideshow of kids and dogs to liven things up.
”Stop fidgeting,”Domineau murmured. She nudged Becca. ”You look fabulous. Now sashay across the yard like we practiced. Stephanie isn”t here, but if she were, she”d say, ”Shoulders back, tits out, shugah!”
Becca groaned. Had she practiced walking in the wedge sandals she never wore?
Yes, a few times.
”I”d be more secure in flip-flops,”she mumbled.
”Don”t care. The wedges lift your butt and make your legs look a mile high. Guys love that shit, so suck it up and get going.”
She might still be rooted where she stood if not for her friend”s rude shove and stern reprimand. ”Don”t be a pussy.”
Becca knew she was a lot of things, but a cowering pussy wasn”t one of them.
”Remember—this is just a recon mission. You aren”t asking the hunky doctor to meet you at the altar. Relax and have fun with it.”
Fixing her hair and wetting her lips, Becca glanced at the picnic tables and prayed she was not about to make a gigantic fool of herself.
”Oh, and don”t forget to flirt with Deval. It”ll make Jamie mental.”
”Shoulders back. Tits out. Flirt with Dev. Don”t be a pussy,”Becca mumble-chanted as she attempted a confident swagger.
”Hey, Becca!”Remington Bisset called out. ”Nice shoes!”
Tori St. John also offered an approving grin and thumb up.
Bolstered by their encouragement, she twinkled her fingers and smiled while crossing the yard.
Kori couldn”t see her approaching from behind, but Jamie Hunter”s gaze found and tracked Becca. His expression was impossible to read, but when his eyes moved downward from her face, she got nervous and nearly stumbled, knowing he was checking her out from top to bottom.
Doubt and his best friend, Embarrassment, entered the chat. Her tummy rumbled as nerves upset her system.
What am I doing?
Why Dr. Hunter?
Am I insane?
It was too late to turn back, so she switched focus to Dev O”Brien and silently prayed for Kori to turn around.
”Becky!”Dev boomed, using the satirical spin on her name that he found so funny. ”Your kid says she needs a bigger kitchen. What”s the plan, Mom?”
Kori whipped around—her youthful face wore a mask of funshine. ”Mom!”she yelped. ”My doggie bites are a hit with Zeus!”
Her daughter has been an animal lover since childhood. She”d adopt every feral cat and mangy mutt in Arizona if she could.
Becca came to her daughter”s side and, using Kori as an anchor, slipped an arm around her waist for security. She acknowledged Jamie Hunter with a nod before addressing Dev.
”Kitchens are the new must-have. The bigger, the better. I get it,”she laughed. ”Maybe next year we”ll look into buying a house, but for now, we make do, right, Kori?”
Getting locked into a conversation about real estate didn”t interest her, so she deftly changed the topic.
”How”s your shoulder, Dev?”
”Shoulder?”Kori turned all her concern on Meghan”s lumberjack of a brother.
”Ach, it”s nothing,”Dev muttered. ”Damn horse. I just know Zorro told him to knock me over.”
Jamie Hunter chuckled. ”Wait. What? You had an altercation with Zephyr?”
Becca saw her opportunity and took it without hesitation. She grinned at the amused veterinarian and even managed a wink. ”Zeph nudged him a bit too enthusiastically. She tossed him like a rodeo rider. Whomp! Hit the deck hard. I saw it happen and felt pretty sure Alex was going to pass out from how hard he laughed.”
Kori snickered. ”I find it funny that you call your brother-in-law Zorro.”
Dev had an entire act—enraged brother consumed with disbelief over his sister”s choice of mate—bristling alpha unwilling to share the stage—snarky shithead. He went through his usual shtick, got them all to laugh, and then, without any warning whatsoever, stood and suggested to Kori that they see what was happening at the grill.
Could they be more obvious?
Unexpectedly left alone with the man she loved to loathe, Becca did not know what to do. He was sitting, and she was standing. Should she walk away? Sit down? Run like hell?
Don”t be a pussy.
”Mind if I join you?”she asked, more timidly than intended.
He blinked, and flecks of gold exploded like fireworks in his cinnamon eyes. When he answered, the timbre of his voice gave her goosebumps.
”It would be my pleasure, Rebecca.”He gestured to the seat opposite him.
His pleasure. The word combination stole Becca”s breath. What the hell was happening?
Keeping one hand on the skirt of her dress to keep from flashing her sensible panties, she swung a leg over the table”s bench seat and got situated. In her attempt to face him straight on, their legs briefly touched under the table until she quickly repositioned.
Hoping to appear casual and lighthearted, she attempted some flirty banter— leading off with the most inane bullshit to ever come out of her mouth.
”We have to stop meeting like this.”
Her inner voice groaned, ”What the goddamn fuck?”
If she could have banged her head on the table, she would have.
”Unexpected result from having cracked the isolation seal.”He sounded more resigned than amused. ”Thanks to mandatory attendance at Sophia and Jace”s wedding, we”re caught in the web now.”
”Ican”t tell if you”re okay with it or just real good at hiding a good case of aversion.”
”I”m. . . resigned,”he replied with hesitation.
Becca thought that was it, but he shifted slightly, leaning his elbows on the table, and continued.
”It”s hard to resist when so many good people just want to be friends.”
When he rolled one shoulder and smirked, Becca couldn”t help but chuckle.
”Even though I”d rather suck a lemon than agree with anything you say, I”m going to give you this one. Why do all these people have to be so awesome? Dammit!”
A freely given Jamie Hunter smile was worth the price of admission. His eyes sparkled, and the tiniest quiver played on one corner of his lips.
”The bah humbug stuff doesn”t work on Family Justice.”With the tilt of his head, he gestured to Alex and Rafe, who stood together at the grill. ”The Major is a hard man to say no to.”