Page 59 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

His shoulders slumped forward. “No, I don’t have anything to do with Earl’s disappearance. But I wish I had.”

Hmm. Could they believe him? Dallas led her inside.

The man didn’t invite them to sit, and she could understand why. Most available surfaces were taken with either clothes or empty takeout boxes and ashtrays. The stench of stale food and cigarettes was overpowering. Didn’t the staff clean here?

Terrence didn’t say anything, and the silence hung in the air as heavily as the stench. So Skylar looked at Dallas and gestured to him that she got it. She hoped.

Then she went with, “You and Earl used to be friends, right?”

His mouth formed a thin, resentful line. “Yes, and he used it against me. First, with taking my ideas and funds from our company and launching a new one. I tried to keep my company afloat but had to give up eventually.”

First? Skylar raised an eyebrow. There was another betrayal, then?

“Do you have any proof?” Dallas planted his feet wide apart.

Too bad, she couldn’t lean on him, but she hadn’t had that luxury for fifteen years. Probably wouldn’t ever have it again. She pulled her shoulders back. She did fine for herself. Only...

Well, never mind. Anyway, she could totally stand for a few minutes.

“No.” Terrence swiped an empty takeout box onto the carpet and sank onto a chair. “It was my word against his.”

Whom did she choose to believe? For now, she’d keep an open mind.

“You said, first. What was the next thing?” Might as well address the issue they could address.

The man’s face hardened. “He took Dolores from me.”

“Grandma?” Skylar’s knees went weak, and it would’ve been better if she were sitting down.

Dallas hugged her, steadying her.

Terrence shrugged. “To you, she’s a grandma. To me, she’s the woman I fell for.”

Her grandmother, a heartbreaker. Huh.

Skylar gaped like a proverbial fish out of water. Who could’ve expected this turn of events? “But... but... she didn’t recognize you. I mean, she recognized you as a man who knocked on her door looking for Earl. But not as a...”

“A former suitor?” Terrence chuckled without mirth. “I admired her from afar. To her, I was one of many tourists who visited the pastry store where she worked.”

“Your hair must be a wig and the beard is fake, right?” Dallas said.

“Yes. I knew I’d be the first suspect if something happened to Earl.”

No kidding.

Still, wouldn’t Grandma recognize the shape of the nose or lips? Oh right. The shape of the nose could be fake, too. It did look a bit different in her portrait.

Skylar moved closer, resisting the urge to breathe into her sleeve. “Why didn’t you try to talk to her? Ask her out?”

Terrence studied a stain on the carpet Skylar was reluctant to identify. “I never had the courage to ask her out. It didn’t take long to discover her story from folks in town. She’d gone through a lot, and she still kept her head high. She’s a remarkable woman.” Tight lips turned into a hint of a smile. “Not to mention, a great baker.” He must’ve visited the pastry store a lot when she still worked there.

Skylar nodded. “That she is. Both.”

Maybe the way to some men’s hearts was through their stomachs indeed. She stole a glance at Dallas. Then she’d have to give up all hope.

Terrence’s expression soured again. “Then my vacation was over. I figured with us living in different locations and busy with our jobs it wasn’t meant to be, anyway. I expected to forget about her soon.”

“But you didn’t,” Skylar said slowly. “Some women are unforgettable.”

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