Page 87 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
“I’d never do that.” Robbie gave a jerky nod. “Fine. I’ll admit this, but only to you. I can see Lily and me together. Forever. Even with kids, maybe. Not that I know whether she wants any.” Although she clearly was terrific with Reagan and Cassidy. God, he was already missing them.
“So you talk about it.” She tapped his nose like he was her kid. “I see you two together. Hard. Your family is going to go bananas. The minute I can, I’m calling your sister and telling her she needs to come back to the old neighborhood to meet your new girl.”
“Tara!”
Running off in heels, she laughed all the way to the stairs.
Someone cleared their throat behind him.
Tyler held up his hands. “Sorry. I came in to change as well. I didn’t mean to overhear anything.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d appreciate you not saying anything. Everything is new, and the stakes are high.”
“My lips are sealed.” Tyler slapped him on the back as he walked by. “I meant to tell you. I’ve been to your brother’s bar in Southie a time or two. It’s one of the best Irish pubs I’ve been in outside of Dublin.”
The thought of the rest of his family rooted him in place. He wondered how they were all doing, especially his dad in Ireland. “Good to know.”
Tyler lifted a hand as he strode off. Robbie thought about going upstairs like he’d said and sending in another report to Roland Thomas, but he’d already informed his contact at Internal Affairs of their every move. He was overcompensating, and he knew it.
Besides, now Lily’s boss had made contact, sending a memorandum about the cooperation between the police and the Feds on this bust, which he’d read three times over until his eyes crossed. The Feds knew their paperwork, all right, which meant everything was official now. He was going to get some flak for working with Internal Affairsandthe Feds, but he would take it. No one would argue he’d been in an untenable situation. Of course, he’d get even more shit from the guys for dating a Fed, one he’d met while she was undercover, working on him. Thank God that hadn’t made it into the internal MOU. But he could take that and more if it meant he got to be with Lily.
“How you doing there, Lieutenant?”
He was still getting used to Lily calling him that, something she did both playfully as well as to focus him back on their case.
“Fine.” He rolled his tense shoulders. “Ready to get this done.”
She strolled over, looking casual but professional in her cotton pants and shirt. “Then let the fun begin.”
What he witnessed over the course of the rest of the day wasn’t anything that qualified as fun. Tara videoed herself and her “new boyfriend, Tom,” with a beauty-pageant smile on her face as the man drove the sporting boat they’d rented with the ease of a natural sailor. Both of them were naturals, and Tyler had a knack for setting up memorable shots.
To the naked eye, they looked like a couple totally in sync and hot for each other. Even Robbie was impressed by the façade.
Later, when they were lying beside each other on the beach, Tara became a little stiff while she was videoing Agent Darren putting sunscreen on her legs, so he tickled her instep, making her kick him in the chest. He’d fallen backward playfully, laughing as she’d sought her revenge, the phone soon forgotten.
As Robbie watched from his position beside Lily and Sheila, he sometimes had to remind himself they were acting. Lily watched the “show” passively while Sheila would poke Robbie in the ribs or give Tara a thumbs-up to keep everything light. One time she even fanned herself, which Tara mimicked in another video as Agent Darren rolled onto his stomach in his black swim trunks, showing off the outcome of years of strength training.
“Tara’s friends are going to be so jealous of that one,” Sheila said softly as Tara finished that particular video.
Robbie grimaced. “It’s fake, Sheila,” he responded in the same hushed voice.
She blinked repeatedly at him, making him wonder if she’d gotten sand in her eye before saying, “Honey, you clearly do not understand what I’m talking about right now.”
He gave up and went inside to hammer off a brief update about their status before returning to find another wardrobe change had occurred.
As the sun went down, the couple walked on the beach, taking a selfie, the vibrant orange sun sinking into the dark blue waves behind them. They were gazing into each other’s eyes as Tyler put his arm around Tara. The photo screamed they’d fallen for each other. More fodder for the Kellys, he told himself.
After that moment, they dressed for cocktails and dinner. Lily had chosen a popular restaurant at Nag’s Head. Since it was the couple’s first foray into a public area, Lily, Sheila, and Robbie had agreed to cover them from a distance. While Lily and Robbie watched from their post at another table, Sheila watched from the bar. Lily had instructed Tara to ask the waiter to take a photo of them, and when she did, Tyler made sure to include a portion of the menu under his hand.
Clues were essential to letting the Kellys track them, but they didn’t want to be too obvious.
The final play in Lily’s plan was the video Tara took of her new sports car, which Tyler had driven down. Robbie had to admit it was a honey. Not that Billie had so much as blinked an eye at it—a serious indication of his brother’s predicament. Because when did Billie not go apeshit about a hot car? And this car was hot, smoking hot, Tara said, touching the orange body of the McLaren in the video as Agent Darren flashed his killer smile and then opened the door for her after giving her a serious kiss.
Robbie winced at that one.
So far, the guy hadn’t given Tara more than a few pecks and some light touches. PG movie grade. But this raised his blood pressure. Especially when Tara made a humming sound in her throat.
“Breathe,”Lily whispered beside him as Sheila silently applauded the couple on her other side. “It’s all for show.”
