Page 12 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

Sadie stood guard close by, as if uncomfortable giving him access to her computer. The top of her thigh pressed againsthim, and the smell of watermelon sanitizer wafted up his nostrils. He steeled his resolve, focusing only on the task at hand, then straightened and took a step away.

Scooping her jacket from the back of her chair, Sadie threaded her arms through the puffy sleeves. “Ready?”

“One thing first.”

She hooked up an eyebrow.

He coughed, hoping to clear the tension from his throat while he searched for the right words. “Sorry for snapping at you earlier. I could blame being tired and cranky, but that’s no excuse. I was rude and unprofessional. I won’t let it happen again.”

Surprise colored her peaches and cream complexion. “Thank you. But I shouldn’t have said what I did. Let’s agree we both crossed a line and promise to not do it again.”

“Agreed.” He extended a hand.

She clasped her palm to his.

He curled his fingers around her smooth skin, and a bolt of electricity shot up his arm.

She yanked away her hand and dropped her gaze to the laminate floor.

She felt it too.

He cleared his throat, grabbed his jacket, and started for the door. Whatever the hell just happened, he didn’t want to waste time on it. Just like his behavior earlier, the heat from Sadie’s touch was something he’d never let happen again—he wouldn’t allow himself to get that close.

6

Muted rays of sunlight barely infiltrated the thick snow clouds, making the hour seem much later. But even that tiny bit of light didn’t sneak inside Town Tavern as Sadie entered the bar. She blinked to adjust to the dim atmosphere. No one had been allowed to smoke in here for years, but the stale cigarette scent had penetrated the walls and still hung in the air. The clinking of pool balls sounded on the far end of the wide-open room. A scattering of square tables sat between the distant billiards and the aged wooden bar that dominated the entire wall to the right.

“Do you want to sit at a table or is the bar okay?” Tommy asked.

Sitting alone with him at one of the tables amid the rest of the early dinner crowd, no matter how small, gave an impression that made her skin itch. “The bar’s fine. Then we can chat with Curtis while he’s working. He might be willing to answer more questions if we don’t pull him away from his job.”

Tommy led the way to the backless stools tucked under the lip of the bar and took a seat.

Sadie settled in beside him and grabbed a plastic menu wedged between bottles of ketchup and mustard. Her stomach growled. The protein bar she’d scarfed down for lunch hadn’t done much for her appetite. Scanning the food items, she mentally made her choice and waited for the bar owner to take her order.

Curtis acknowledged them with a nod as he pulled on one of four taps, filling a glass to the brim with amber liquid.

“Do you want to look at the menu?” She wiggled the plastic sheet in front of Tommy.

“Nah. I come here a couple times a week. Pretty much have the thing memorized.”

“I didn’t realize you spent so much of your free time at the bar.” She shouldn’t be surprised. Water’s Edge didn’t have many options for entertainment. An old movie theater that had one screen and held maybe fifty people, a bowling alley where most of the high school-aged crowd gathered on the weekend, and Town Tavern.

She may not frequent many of those places around town, spending all her time outside work with Amelia or at the shelter, but Tommy would need more than a cartoon movie and bowl of popcorn to entertain him.

“It’s the best place to come for local gossip,” Tommy said, cutting into her thoughts.

She wrinkled her nose and tried to hide her amusement at the image of Tommy with his head bent low beside the blue-haired women in town, trading secrets.

He chuckled and bounced his shoulder off hers. “Not in a listening to grandma spreading rumors after church kind of way. A lot of people stop by over the course of the week. Talking about who got laid off, who’s having issues in their marriage. It helps me keep a pulse on things around here. Find out where I can give back a little.”

“Give back?”

He shrugged. “Never know who might need an extra hand. I even tried to talk Shawn into AA, hoping to get him to a better place.”

Sadie locked her gaze on the weathered wood in front of her, unable to find any words. First, he’d blown her away for apologizing after being a dick—an apology she didn’t completely deserve since she’d let him push her buttons and had lashed out. Now he admitted to checking up on citizens in his free time.

She chose to volunteer at the shelter because it was a cause close to her heart and also gave her the opportunity to give back. He’d shown up with his brother and Marie from time to time, doling out donations like he had the night before or clowning around for get-togethers. Never in a million years did she expect he’d donate his time to really help others.

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