Page 32 of When Summer Returns

“Very mature. Who are you and what have you done with Luke Mallory?”

“You’re not out of the woods yet,” Luke said, arching a brow.

Reece nodded, accepting this. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you came to me directly. Wouldn’t want to arrest you for disturbing the peace if you’d decided to take a swing instead.”

“Would you have let me land one? For old times’ sake?”

“Not a chance.” Reece grinned, the tension between them finally breaking. “Though I’d have given you a private cell with a view if it came to that.”

Luke stood, feeling lighter than he had since Jessie’s revelation. Not everything was resolved—perhaps it never would be—but understanding Reece’s part in the tangle of their past helped clarify the picture.

“I should get back to the bar. Dinner rush starts in an hour and Miguel’s already shorthanded with Tanya out sick.”

Reece nodded. “I might stop by later. Heard Maggie Winters is joining Jessie for dinner tonight.”

Luke raised an eyebrow at the casual mention of the island’s doctor. “So now I know why you’ve been handing out parking tickets at the clinic.”

“Just enforcing the law,” Reece said, but a hint of color touched his cheekbones. “Someone has to maintain standards around here.”

“Right.” Luke headed for the door, then paused with his hand on the knob. “We good?”

Reece met his gaze directly. “We’re good. Just don’t make it another fifteen years before you talk to me about something important.”

“I won’t,” Luke promised, and meant it. Too many years had been lost to silence and misunderstandings. He wouldn’t waste any more.

* * *

The late afternoon sun slanted through the open screens of Seeker’s Paradise, transforming ordinary air into shimmering gold, warming the polished wood surfaces to honey-amber. Salt breeze drifted in from the ocean, carrying the eternal rhythm of waves crashing against shore, a timeless lullaby that seemed to seep into the very bones of the building. The band was setting up on the small stage, tuning instruments with gentle twangs that promised music to come.

Jessie polished glasses behind the bar, her thoughts drifting between her morning explorations and her upcoming dinner with Maggie. The conversation with Dolores had unearthed memories she’d spent years burying, leaving her feeling oddly exposed, as if her skin had been peeled back to reveal the raw nerves beneath.

She’d spent the afternoon helping Miguel with inventory, grateful for the methodical task that required concentration without emotional investment. The easy rhythm of counting bottles and checking stock had a meditative quality, allowing her to process the morning’s revelations at her own pace.

The door from the kitchen swung open, and Luke strode through, his expression tightly controlled in a way that immediately captured her attention. Something had happened. His eyes sought her out, lingering for a moment before he nodded a greeting and moved to speak with Miguel about the evening’s specials.

Jessie continued her task, aware of every movement Luke made as he moved through the space—checking place settings, adjusting the small stage where the evening’s live music would perform, conferring with the waitstaff about the night’s reservations. They worked in parallel, orbiting each other without quite connecting, though she felt his awareness of her as keenly as her own of him.

It wasn’t until the first customers began arriving that he approached the bar, his posture more relaxed than when he’d first entered.

“How was your island tour?” he asked, his voice casual though his eyes weren’t.

“Enlightening.” She arranged a row of stemmed glasses on the shelf behind her. “I ran into Dolores Ramirez at the beach. And had coffee with the island’s doctor.”

“Maggie Winters.” Luke nodded. “Good people. Saved Harlan Pickford from bleeding out after that fishing hook incident last year.”

“So I heard. I’m still trying to erase the mental image of exactly where that hook ended up.”

“Yeah, some things can’t be unseen.” His mouth twitched. “Maggie had to give him a tetanus shot in his other cheek just to balance things out.”

“That’s not true.”

“No, but the look on your face was worth it.” Luke’s expression softened into something that might have been a genuine smile.

“She’s joining me for dinner tonight,” Jessie said. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course. I’ll have Miguel set aside the best paella for her. She’s been threatening to try it for months.” He paused, weighing his next words. “I spoke with Reece today.”

Jessie’s hands stilled on the glass she was polishing. “About the note?”

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