Chapter Four #2
Adam’s eyes cut to the lake, and I decided to drop the subject. He was a kid, and his dad hadn't been gone for that long. I didn't need to poke a raw wound.
Lily had blown out the candle in the kitchen, but the room still smelled of vanilla.
She pulled the coffee cake out of the pantry and cut four slices before going to the coffee maker and setting it up for a full pot.
With a hiss and spurt of steam, the fresh scent of coffee filled the air.
Lily's cake was crap, but she knew how to brew a good pot of coffee.
Over her shoulder, she said to Dave, “Town's not busy today?”
“Not once we took care of the traffic after church. You know how it is on a Sunday.”
“Tourist season is always a little crazy,” Lily said with a rueful smile.
Deputy Dave nodded gratefully. “That it is,” he agreed, taking the plate of coffee cake she handed him. “This sure looks good, Lily.”
Beside his mom Adam smirked, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement. They caught on mine and I winked, sending him into a spurt of giggles. The sound of his laughter, bright and clear, brought a smile to my lips.
I took my own plate of coffee cake from Lily, setting it on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Adam looked at his mom and shook his head. He didn't have to try the coffee cake again to know it was awful.
The three of us watched deputy Dave take a hearty bite and chew, visibly quelling the urge to wince at the dry, salty, slightly metallic taste. Too much baking powder and salt, not enough sugar.
Deputy Dave was trying to get into Lily Spencer's pants. Only a man who wanted to get laid would suffer through that coffee cake. And suffer he did, forcing a smile as he chewed and swallowed, his eyes bouncing between Lily and me, suspicious and possessive.
“Knox Sinclair? Sinclair Security?”
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the counter, giving Lily a smile of thanks as she set a mug of steaming coffee beside me. Dave took his with no acknowledgement.
“You're based out of Atlanta, aren't you?”
Another nod. Dave took a step toward Lily, washing down the dry cake with a swig of coffee as he arranged himself beside her. Lily sipped from her freshened mug and eased a step away, putting space between them.
How long had Deputy Dave been trying to nail Lily Spencer? Since his best friend died? Or before?
Lily, for her part, didn't look interested. Her shoulders were so tight they were kissing her ears, and her torso leaned as far from Dave as she could without being blatantly obvious. She wanted space. Either he didn't get the hint, or he didn't care.
Dave set the plate of coffee cake on the counter. “Long way to come for an alarm upgrade. Wouldn't it have been easier to refer it to someone local? There are some good companies out of Boston.”
I shrugged. “Trey Spencer was one of my father's special clients. If Mrs. Spencer needs help, we're at her disposal.”
Dave inched closer to Lily, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, giving her an affectionate squeeze. A wince crept across Lily's face before she chased it away with a blank smile. The flash of panic in her eyes had me halfway to reaching out and yanking her from his side.
What the hell was I thinking? I wasn't, and it had to stop. I always thought before I acted. Always. Whatever my gut was telling me about protecting Lily, I needed to be smart.
She looked like a defenseless fawn, but looks could be deceiving. Lily Spencer was hiding things from me.
Maybe she was uncomfortable with Dave because he wanted to fuck her and she wasn't interested.
Maybe she was uncomfortable because they'd been fucking for years, had killed her husband together, and now I was in the way.
Lily had called me, poking a hole in that theory, but people panicked. She hadn't been expecting me when I knocked on the door. Maybe she regretted calling. Maybe she'd wanted nothing more than for me to leave and get out of her and Deputy Dave's way.
Dave, either oblivious to Lily's tension or not caring, gave another affectionate squeeze of her shoulder.
“I keep telling you, honey, if you remember to set the alarm you don't have anything to worry about.
Knox can tell you, his company put in a solid system.
You don't need improvements, you just need to remember to use it.
I know you've been forgetful since Trey died. You aren't yourself these days.”
His eyes drifted to Adam who was poking holes through the top of my coffee cake and watching it crumble into a mess on the plate.
Dave's gaze slid back to Lily as he murmured, “You have a lot on your shoulders, and it's been a hard year.
No one would blame you if you can't handle things on your own.”
Lily stiffened and moved from Dave's side, setting her mug in the sink. Her friend the Deputy seemed determined to convince us all that Lily was scatterbrained and irresponsible.
Lily's message had been panicked, but nothing about her struck me as scatterbrained or irresponsible.
She wasn't stupid, she was afraid. Watching Dave watch her, my gut told me that Lily Spencer had good reason to be scared. I just had to figure out what that reason was.