Someone Like You (10 page)

“Are you working for him now?”

She leaned forward. “You can't seriously be worried about him being in town.”

“I don't like it and you didn't answer the question.”

“Technically, I don't have to, but for the sake of peace between friends, no, I'm not currently doing any work for him. I don't have the resources here to do a good job.”

“That's something.”

She hated seeing him worried for no reason. “Mac, relax. Rudy's going to stick around for a few days, take in the local sights, then head back to Vegas. I promise, he won't make any trouble. Why would he?”

“Because it's what he does.”

“You don't know that for a fact.”

“I know it in my gut. Would it do any good to tell you not to see him again?”

She shook her head. “Besides, talking about actual corporate law is way more thrilling than worrying about wills and fences.”

He stood and paced the length of her office. She liked watching him move, although she felt a little guilty about the tension tightening his body.

“I saw Hollis today,” he told her. “The little twit gave me a book on anger management. He said it was
be cause all cops have anger issues. It made me want to beat the crap out of him.”

“Which might have proven his point.”

“That's what I thought.”

He turned to face her. “I don't need these guys hanging around, Jill. You may think they're here to vacation, but I don't agree. Men like Rudy Casaccio can't help making trouble—it's in their blood. You may be passing through, but I'm making a home here for myself and Emily. I'll do whatever it takes to protect this town. No one is going to get in the way of that. Not Rudy and not you.”

“I
S
M
AC STILL ANGRY
with you?” Bev asked a few mornings later as they loaded the picnic basket for the Fourth-of-July celebration.

“I don't know,” Jill admitted. She hadn't seen him since he'd stalked about of her office. “I think he's wildly overreacting to the whole thing.”

“He has a lot to deal with right now. His new job, Emily, the social worker.”

“I know.” She remembered Mac's complaint that Hollis had given him an anger-management book and wondered if he'd had any time to read it. Maybe when he got to the chapter on jumping to conclusions, he would be less crabby with her.

Technically, she hadn't done anything wrong, but she still hated that he'd left in a temper.

“Men,” she said.

“They can be a trial,” Bev agreed. Her long sundress swayed as she worked. As always, she'd pulled her wavy red hair back in a braid. “That's another reason I stay clear of them.”

“I'm going to follow your example,” Jill said with de termination. “Lyle was a complete disaster. Mac is con fusing. I don't need this pain in my life. I'm happy and successful on my own.” Well, maybe not
successful
considering her current circumstances, but she had been before and she would be again.

“Where's the car?” Bev asked as she tucked sandwiches into the insulated picnic basket.

Jill carefully stacked frosted cookies into a plastic container. “The beach parking lot. You know, I'm be ginning to think Lyle arranged for some kind of Gypsy protection on that damn car. It's been nearly two weeks and there's not a scratch on the thing. I left it by the shopping-cart return for three days. That should have done something. With the black paint, every little mark shows up. But is there even one? No. I really hate that.”

“You're thinking the beach will be the answer?”

“I hope so. You know how the main parking lot curves and there's that one spot that juts out a little?”

Her aunt nodded.

“That's where I parked the car. I'm hoping a few people nick it. Does that make me a bad person?”

“Not at all. Lyle earned it.”

“I know.” She put the cookies beside the sandwiches, then reached for the bags of chips. “I haven't done much on my revenge plan. I can't ever think of anything good. I'd rather focus on my own life and getting that in order than trampling over Lyle.”

“Maybe you're getting over him.”

Jill nodded. “I am. I've also been thinking that there might not have been much to get over. I'm angry
and humiliated, but I'm not emotionally devastated. Wouldn't I be if I'd loved him?”

Her aunt patted her arm. “Be happy that you're doing so well.”

“You're right. I am. I had that phone interview yesterday. That was good. I think they're going to invite me in for a face-to-face.”

“Would you like that?”

Jill considered the question. “I'm not sure they're the right firm for me, but I'm happy to be getting responses to my résumé. It's nice to be wanted.” Especially after what had happened with her being fired and all. If only she could figure out what had gone wrong.

“Will your Mafia friends be at the beach today?” Bev asked.

Jill laughed. “First of all, they're not my
Mafia
friends. They're more like business associates. And second, Rudy doesn't strike me as a beach kind of guy. I can't imagine him in anything but a suit. But if he shows up, I'll be sure to introduce you.”

Bev giggled. “It will be just like the
Sopranos
.”

“I hope not. Mac would be furious if someone started shooting on his beach.”

There was a knock at the door. Jill's heart gave an odd little flip. She wiped her hands on a dishcloth, then walked over and pulled open the door.

Emily stood on the front porch. She held a blanket in one hand and a canvas tote in the other.

“Sunscreen,” she said glumly. “Daddy says I have to.”

Jill looked past her to where Mac stood. As always,
the sight of him in uniform made her want to kick up her heels and suggest something naughty. Unfortunately, he was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn't see his eyes and figure out if he was still upset with her.

“He's smart,” she told Emily. “Sunburns hurt like crazy. Come on in. We're packing the picnic basket.” She eyed the girl's outfit…red from head to toe…and thought of the red-iced cookies. Either Bev had guessed right or she and Emily had discussed clothing in advance.

“The sandwiches will be a problem,” she murmured as Emily skipped past her.

“Her bathing suit is white,” Mac said. “Does that help?”

“You bet. We used white bread.”

He stayed where he was, on the bottom step of the porch, his gaze shielded by his damn mirrored lenses. She closed the door behind her so they were both outside.

“Take those things off so I can know if you're mad at me,” she demanded.

He whipped off the sunglasses and grinned.

“Better,” she said. “Look. You have no right to be mad at me. I didn't do anything wrong. Rudy came here on his own, not by my invitation. So I know the man—that's not a crime. To the best of my knowledge, he's never committed a crime. If you're going to be a butthead about it all, I can't stop you, but I think it's really stupid.”

He moved up one step and raised his eyebrows. “Did you just call me a butthead?”

“You bet.”

He didn't seem angry at all. Intense, maybe, what with how he moved up another step and got a whole lot closer. Raw energy radiated from him. Sexual energy. She liked it.

“You're nothing but trouble,” he said. “You're mouthy and completely naive about what Rudy may or may not do in this town. But I like you.”

Her toes curled into the smooth wood of the porch and her stomach clenched. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Even if you are a pain in the ass.”

Then his arms were around her and his mouth was on hers. The short, hot, intense kiss stole her breath, along with her ability to reason. He straightened and she pressed a hand to her chest.

“Oh, my,” she breathed.

He grinned and touched the tip of her nose. “I have to go.”

“Okay. See you on the beach.”

“I'll be the good-looking one.”

That
she already knew.

P
ERFECT BEACH WEATHER
kept the crowd happy, Mac thought as he walked along the boardwalk fronting the main beach in Los Lobos. It was a little after eleven and already the parking lots were filling up and the lines for the vendors were five or six people deep. Minimal surf meant less work for the lifeguards. Even D.J. seemed to be having a good day, Mac noted as he saw his youngest deputy patrolling in the official dune buggy, stopping every now and then to chat with the sweet young things who instantly surrounded him. Maybe a bevy of beautiful women would take his mind off his need for more firepower.

Mac's teams had already patrolled the parks, and the smaller beaches. Fireworks would start promptly at nine-thirty, go for a half hour, then his men would be standing by to direct traffic so everyone got home quickly and safely. Two guys had drawn short straws, which meant they were stuck cruising the beach well into the night to take care of any problems that might arise from the folks who chose not to leave.

Mac paused at a vendor to buy a bottle of water. He twisted off the top and took a long sip.

“Morning, Sheriff,” an older woman said as she walked by with her two children.

“Morning. Having fun?”

The youngest, a boy, maybe twelve, grinned. “You bet.”

He continued to greet the locals and visitors alike, knowing he was responsible for them. A few months ago, he would have cringed at the thought of taking responsibility for one more life, but now it felt right.

He eyed the crowd on the beach and wondered if Emily was having a good time. Jill had mentioned introducing her to her assistant's kids so she could play with someone her own age. He was in favor of the idea. Em could use a break from the grown-ups. He appreciated Jill being willing to—

A familiar silhouette captured his attention. Mac watched as two men strolled toward him. They were both big, dark-haired and dangerous looking. Dammit all to hell, he thought grimly. He wouldn't have thought Rudy Casaccio the beach celebration type, but here he was. In shorts, no less, although Mr. Smith was dressed in a suit.

His good mood drained away as they moved toward him. Too bad getting on his nerves wasn't a good enough reason to run them in.

“Sheriff Kendrick,” Rudy said pleasantly as he offered his hand. “Good to see you.”

Mac grimaced. “I wouldn't have thought this was your kind of party.”

Rudy shook his head. “Nor would I, but I find everything about your little town completely charming. We had breakfast on the boardwalk earlier and the food
was delicious. You have a big crowd, yet everyone is so orderly.”

“I'd like it to stay that way.”

“Of course.” Rudy smiled. “Mr. Smith and myself have no intention of making trouble. We're here for some much needed R and R. Besides, the day is too beautiful for anyone to think about making trouble.”

He nodded and started walking. Mr. Smith trailed after him. Mac stalked off, his pleasure in the holiday ruined.

 

“W
E'RE GONNA
need a little flexibility here, kid,” Jill said with mock severity. “What do you think?”

Emily stared at her with big blue eyes as if considering the question.

“It's a holiday,” Jill added, not sure if she was about to make the situation worse or better. With the bright blue sky overhead and the scent and the sound of surf, it was difficult to imagine anything bad happening today. But if Emily didn't want to cooperate, things could go downhill pretty fast.

Bev leaned close to the girl and kissed her forehead. “When in doubt, go with your stomach.”

The tension around Emily's mouth eased and her shoulders relaxed. “Okay, but you won't tell anyone, right?”

Jill knew what she was asking. For them not to tell her dad. She considered the question, then glanced at her aunt, who shrugged.

“If that's what you want,” Jill said, hoping this didn't come back to bite her in the butt later. “Can we just
say we agree to keep the secret, or do we have to stick our selves with pins and spit?”

Emily giggled. “You can just tell me.”

“Oh, nothing that boring,” Bev announced.

She held out her pinkie to Jill. When the fingers were linked, Jill closed her eyes and intoned, “By the light of the sun I pledge my word.”

“By the light of the moon, I am vowed,” Bev said in a low, serious voice.

“Forever,” they repeated together as they bounced their hands three times, then clapped their palms together.

Emily looked impressed. “Can you teach me that?” she asked Bev.

“Sure. Nothing to it. But let's eat up, first.”

Jill handed over the plate she'd prepared. The one that could have given Emily fits, what with the sandwich—white bread—the barbecue chips—orange—the helping of fruit salad—multicolored—and a couple of spoonfuls of coleslaw—green and purple. The red-iced cookies had yet to put in an appearance.

Emily sat in her red shorts set and speared a grape, then chewed. Jill felt like doing the happy dance right there on the blanket. Of course, she'd just made a solemn vow not to tell Mac that his daughter
would
eat more than one color, which made her feel kind of crappy inside.

An emotion to be dealt with later, she thought.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

Jill turned toward the speaker and had to shield her eyes against the sun. When she was able to focus, she
didn't know if she should laugh or try to bury herself under a couple of tons of sand.

Rudy Casaccio stood beside their blanket, looking very fit and dressed for fun in shorts and a polo shirt. The same couldn't be said for Mr. Smith, who hovered a few feet away and looked both uncomfortable and out of place in a dark suit.

“Rudy,” Jill said as she scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing here? I wouldn't have thought you'd like this sort of thing.” She motioned to the crowded beach as she spoke.

Rudy grinned. “Just checking out the local color.” His gaze strayed to Bev. “So far I like what I see.”

Jill's mouth dropped open. Was that her client coming on to her aunt? Was that her aunt blushing?

She was so stunned she wasn't sure what to say. Bev had always been beautiful with her gorgeous long red hair, her perfect skin and her petite but curvy figure. And Rudy wasn't half-bad. He was in his early fifties and Bev only a few years younger than that, so nothing about the situation should have grossed her out. But still…wow.

She cleared her throat. “We were just eating. Would you like to join us?”

“If you don't mind the company. We had a late break fast, so we're not hungry, but everything looks delicious.” He settled next to Bev and smiled.

Jill stole a peek at Mr. Smith, but the large man simply hovered a few feet away from the blanket. She sank onto her knees.

“Should I find Mr. Smith a chair?” she asked.

Rudy chuckled. “He'll be fine.”

“He looks uncomfortable.”

Rudy's dark eyes brightened with humor. “Good.”

As Jill didn't want to understand Rudy's relationship with his associate, she didn't pursue the matter. Instead she offered a diet soda, then picked up her plate. Emily shifted closer.

“Who's that man?” she asked in a mock whisper.

Rudy smiled at the girl. “I'm a friend of Jill's. My name's Rudy. Who are you?”

“Emily Kendrick.”

Rudy's eyebrows rose slightly as he put the relationship together. “Nice to meet you, Emily. Are you enjoying your holiday?”

“Uh-huh.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

Bev cleared her throat. “How long have you been in town, Rudy?” she asked.

“A couple of days. Until her unfortunate change in circumstances, Jill was my attorney. When I learned she'd moved here, I wanted to come over and see how she was doing.”

Bev's lashes fluttered. “That was so thoughtful of you. Where do you live?”

“Vegas.”

“An exciting city,” she said.

“You're right, but Los Lobos has certain charms.” Rudy looked at Jill. “So who is this Gracie Landon I've been hearing about?”

Jill nearly choked on a bite of fruit salad. When she'd swallowed, she cleared her throat. “What? You've heard of Gracie?”

“Of course. There was that nice lady at the bakery, and the waitress this morning. We were talking about the history of the town and her name came up. Did Gracie really grind up a sleeping pill and put it in Riley's drink so he couldn't go on his date?”

Jill dropped her chin to her chest. “Gracie isn't going to like this.”

“What? That she's a legend?”

“That no one seems to be forgetting what she did all those years ago.”

Bev laughed. “We're all admiring her guts to go after what she wants.”

“In some circles, what she did could have landed her in jail,” Jill pointed out.

“No,” Rudy said. “It was true love. How old was she?”

“Fourteen.”

He looked at Bev. “The young know how to love with their whole hearts. I admire that.”

“Me, too,” Bev said breathily.

“She made Riley's life miserable,” Jill said. “Not to mention his girlfriend's.” Although she had much less compassion for Pam. The woman hadn't been very nice back in high school and time seemed to have left her much the same. Or, once a bitch, always a bitch, she thought with a smile.

“I hope I get to meet her,” Rudy said.

It took Jill a second to realize he meant Gracie and not Pam.

“Sorry, she doesn't come back to Los Lobos, ever. In fact, she's convinced her entire family that it's much
more exciting to visit her in Los Angeles during the holidays. I don't think she's stepped foot in town in about fourteen years.”

Rudy looked disappointed. Jill took a bite of her sandwich. How weird was it having him here? She'd only ever seen Rudy in her office where he'd been dressed for success and surrounded by “associates.” Here, on the beach, he was almost human. Although Mr. Smith hovering in the background wasn't the most com forting of sights.

She glanced at Emily, who had been listening with interest. “So I talked to your dad,” she told the girl. “I have a secretary where I work and she has children. One of them is a daughter your age. I thought it might be fun to go hang with them for a while. What do you think?”

Emily nodded. “It's a good idea.”

Jill patted her shoulder. “Poor kid, stuck with all us adults. We're pretty boring, huh?”

“You're not so bad.”

“Wow. What a compliment. I'm honored. And touched. Really.”

Emily giggled and popped another strawberry into her mouth.

Jill finished up her lunch, then slathered on another coating of sunscreen. Too many years in law school and then behind a desk had robbed her of her tan. Despite her dark hair and incredibly boring brown eyes, she had fair skin that punished her by burning if she wasn't careful.

Bev was still in conversation with Rudy, which freaked Jill out a little. She had the thought that it wasn't
safe to leave her aunt alone with the man, which was crazy. Bev was a grown-up and this was a very public place. There were families spread out on the sand everywhere. Deputies patrolled everywhere—besides, she didn't think Rudy was really a bad guy, did she?

Jill realized she didn't have an answer. Her contacts with the man had all been professional as she worked with several very legal businesses. He'd always been honest and open and paid his bills on time. When Emily asked Bev for another chocolate milk, Jill leaned toward the man sitting next to her.

“She's my aunt,” she said, her voice low, her gaze steady as she stared into his eyes. Although what she was searching for remained a mystery. Did she think some banner would wave through his irises saying
I'm really a good guy and I won't whack your aunt if she gets on my nerves?

“I know,” Rudy told her, and patted the back of her hand. “I understand about family. She'll be safe with me.”

“I'm more worried about her being safe
from
you,” she muttered, then had to change the subject when Bev finished with Emily.

Complications, she thought ten minutes later when Rudy invited Bev to go with him to get ice cream and she agreed. He stood, then held out his hand. He helped Bev to her feet as if she were a delicate flower. Worse, Bev giggled and smiled at him.

It wasn't just the older people connecting that made her uneasy. That was kind of weird, but she thought she might be able to deal with it. But this was her aunt. And Rudy. She would never have imagined him hooking up.
Bev was into serious psychic energy and staying pure—sort of—for her gift. Rudy was into… Jill frowned as she realized she couldn't answer that question.

“Did you know Gracie?” Emily asked as she polished off the last of her sandwich. “The legend one?”

“Uh-huh. We were friends. We still are. She lives in Los Angeles.”

“She really liked a boy?”

Like didn't begin to describe it. “She did, but he didn't like her back and that made her sad.”

Emily wrinkled her nose. “Boys aren't very nice. They play mean sometimes.”

“That will change,” Jill promised. At least she hoped it would for Emily. In her world, Lyle had played mean enough for two men. Why couldn't he have loved her as much as Gracie had loved Riley?

Jill reconsidered that. She didn't actually want stalker love—just someone to pay attention. And kiss like Mac, she thought with a smile. Even on the run, his kisses were plenty hot. But Lyle had been nothing but a mistake. If her life had been just a little different, she wouldn't have ever married him. It was the naked thing.

“Ready to go meet Tina's kids?” she asked.

“Sure.” Emily put her paper plate into the trash bag, then scrambled to her feet.

Jill made sure the blanket was anchored and asked their neighbors to keep an eye on things. Then she took Emily's hand and started off in the direction of lifeguard station number three, where Tina said her family would be encamped.