Page 41 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"Nothing. He's a guest. He's leaving soon. Enough said."

"Not nearly enough," Chloe said with a laugh. "You looked at him last night like he was a big juicy steak, and you wouldn't mind taking a bite."

Guilt warmed her cheeks. "I was not that bad."

"You were, especially when he started acting like a rock star on stage."

"That did surprise me. When I first met him, he was in a suit and tie. I did not think he had an inner rock star inside him. But, like I said, he's only here for a few days, and I don't have time for men. They're always distracting. I have bigger plans for my life."

"A man doesn't have to get in the way." Chloe paused. "Okay, I have to admit they often get in the way, but sometimes that's a good thing. You don't want your life to be only about work."

"It's what I do best." She stood up. "I'll see you later. And, Chloe, whatever you decide to do, you have my support."

"Thanks. Don't say anything to anyone else."

"I won't. And I know Adam won't either."

"No, he wouldn't. He's such a good man, Lizzie. I don't know why he's still single."

"I guess he hasn't found the right person." As she left the café, she couldn't help thinking that Adam might have found the right person for him, but she was already taken. And no matter what happened with Chloe and Kevin, their relationship was not going to end any time soon. They had a baby together. Chloe would fight hard to make her marriage work.

Maybe she should find someone to introduce Adam to, get him looking in another direction. She really wanted him to be happy.

She smiled to herself at that thought. She was a people pleaser. Well, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. She just had to remember that she couldn't solve everyone's problems. However, it was a lot easier worrying about their problems than her own.

* * *

After picking up a new laptop computer and a phone, Justin spent several hours at Harvey's Coffee, which had a great selection of coffee and tea as well as sandwiches, salads, wraps and pastries, as well as a dozen tables at which to work. Apparently, he wasn't the only one in Whisper Lake who also needed to be on a computer.

It was a lot cooler at the coffeehouse, and he felt better after downing a couple cups of coffee and getting some work done. He'd sent Anthony more information to study before the presentation, trying to make it as easy as possible for him to do the pitch without any mistakes.

He'd also gone through most of his emails and taken care of the more pressing questions, some of which pertained to his upcoming trips to Tokyo and Melbourne.

Normally, he got a buzz of excitement thinking about the next trip, the next deal, the next step forward in his drive to take his company as high as he possibly could, but he felt more removed from his business here in Whisper Lake. The frenetic energy, the relentless drive that usually accompanied his workdays seemed to be diminished. He couldn't concentrate. He was constantly being distracted by people coming in and out of the café. And that was unusual, too, because he could usually tune everything and everyone out. He'd always prided himself on his tunnel vision. While some people saw it as a negative trait, it also had a flip side: he could get work done no matter where he was or what was happening around him.

But not today. His mind kept drifting back to Lizzie, to all the random things they'd talked about: Noah and the missing Alice, the ghost in room ten, and Lizzie's break-up story. He'd seen pain in her gaze when she'd spoken about the man who had refused to follow her to Whisper Lake. Although, he didn't think it was that decision that had bothered her. Her boyfriend hadn't believed in her abilities and that had stung.

He couldn't totally relate. He hadn't ever considered what anyone else thought about his skills. He'd grown up having to be independent. He had never been surrounded by a lovely family of cheerleaders, ready to applaud his every effort, regardless of the actual achievement. But Lizzie had grown up differently. She was close to her parents and her siblings, and it seemed that she had a lot of family support. But she also cared too much about what people thought of her. He wondered where that insecurity came from, especially since she did have support. There was something that he didn't know about.

Not that he needed to know. She'd made it clear she wasn't interested in a hookup, and that's really all he had to offer. He needed to back off; he just wasn't sure he could actually do that. He hadn't been this interested in a woman in he couldn't remember when…

He turned his head as a man approached his table. It was Brodie, wearing his police uniform. He had a coffee in his hand.

"Hey," Brodie said with a nod. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all. Have a seat." He pushed out the chair next to him. "You must be on a break."

"Yep. And Harvey has the best coffee in town."

"Everything is good here. I've been sampling."

Brodie grinned. "I've had everything, too, but I'm saving room for what Lizzie is serving up tonight."

"I heard something about margaritas and chips and guacamole," he said.

"Great. I love Lizzie's margarita parties." Brodie sipped his coffee. "When do your grandparents get in?"

"Tonight. Their flight got canceled yesterday, so they had to wait to get on another one."

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