Page 59 of Devlin

"Do you think she's jealous that you're choosing to spend more time with your dad?"

"Probably," she admitted. "I think she preferred it when we let our relationship slide. She doesn't like that I rushed to my dad's side. She's worried I'm forgetting that my dad let us down. She doesn't want me to turn him into the hero she doesn't believe he is."

"But you're not doing that,are you?" he asked, taking a bite of the veggie pizza.

"No, I'm not. I'm very aware that he allowed our family to break apart. It still stings that he didn't love us more than he loved his job. But I'm an adult now and I can recognize that it wasn't that simple. Their relationship was far more complicated than love versus work. I love my father, and I want him to be happy. I feel the sameway for my mom. I don't want to take sides anymore. I don't want to feel like it's a competition."

"I completely agree."

"Are you taking sides in your parents' separation?" she asked curiously.

"No, because I don't know what the sides are. Except for my mother's dramatic exit speech, I know nothing about her problems with my dad, and my father is not inclined to fill me in.He says their marriage is between them."

"That's true. It took me a long time to learn that. I kept thinking I could fix them, but I couldn't."

"No, you couldn't. If I had to pick a side, it would be my mom's," he continued. "Because I know my dad can be a stubborn hard-ass."

"Your mom always seemed so sweet to me."

"She's a kind person, very generous, and I guess weall took her for granted, especially my dad. But hopefully they'll be able to work it out. I do think they're good for each other. Anyway, enough about family. Let's eat."

She was happy to end the conversation, because her mom's texts had hit her on a deeper level than they should have. Committing to the agency, to a future of more of the same, didn't sound good at all. Thankfully, shedidn't have to deal with it for at least another week.

As she ate, she realized that the pizza more than lived up to Devlin's praise.

It was cheesy and flavorful, each bite a perfect delight, and she managed to get through two large slices without any trouble. She washed her food down with the ice-cold beer that Devlin had also brought to the table. "That was great," she said, wipingher mouth with a napkin.

"I wasn't sure on the beer choice, but he didn't have any wine."

"Beer was just right." She glanced around, the sound of laughter under a twilight sky making her feel so carefree. "Living here is like being on vacation all the time."

"That's why I stay."

"You have a lot of friends here." At least a dozen people had waved or greeted Devlin ontheir way past the table.

"It's a boating town; I've worked with a lot of the locals."

"And your family runs half the town."

"That, too." He paused, his gaze moving back toward the food truck. "Speaking of family, I guess not everyone left King Harbor…"

"What does that mean?" she asked, but he was already walking away from the table.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HANNAH WATCHEDas Devlin greeted a tall, attractive, dark-haired man—another Blackthorne, but she couldn't quite place him. A moment later, they were heading in her direction.

"Hannah, this is my cousin, Jason."

She stood up to shake Jason's hand."I'm Hannah Reid. I think we met years ago."

"Then it's nice to see you again. Is this pizza up for grabs?" he asked, sliding onto the bench across from her. "The line is really long."

"I'm done," she said, as she took her seat.

"It's all yours, Jason," Devlin added, sitting next to his cousin. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"I got in today. I'm going to bescouting locations this week."

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