“No need to apologize. Sheriff Grisham is the hottest thing in town and has been for the four years he’s been here. But I am surprised he was checking you out as much as you were him. I saw that look the two of you gave each other before we sat down.”
“Surprised?”
“Yes, like I told you, he’s never shown any interest in a woman living here before.”
“I don’t live here and he really didn’t show interest. He was probably trying to figure out where he remembered me from.”
Now it was Bryce who laughed. “You don’t believe that any more than I do. You are a woman no man could easily forget, Vash. There’s no reason for me not to believe the sheriff doesn’t have a good memory. Besides, that look was a man-interested-in-a-woman look.”
Was that true? As if Bryce had read her thoughts, she said, “Sometimes I wonder about you, Vash.”
Vashti lifted a brow. “Wonder about me how?”
“When will you accept the fact that the two men who let you down didn’t deserve you and that you can do better? I believe one day you will do better.”
Vashti didn’t say anything as she ate her sandwich. She knew what two men Bryce was talking about. The only two men she’d ever loved. The guy who’d fathered her baby and Scott. Her baby’s daddy had let her down when he hadn’t stood by her when she’d needed him the most. And Scott, well, she was convinced he truly never intended to do right by her.
She glanced up to find Bryce staring at her and knew she had to address what her best friend had said if they intended to finish lunch. “It doesn’t matter with me anymore, Bryce. I’ve given up on men completely. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good-looking man when I see one. It means I don’t plan to become involved with one anytime soon.”
“Why deny yourself happiness?”
“I’m not denying myself happiness. I’m assuring myself happiness. I’ve discovered men have a way of bringing you down instead of lifting you up. I couldn’t handle another heartbreak.”
Vashti hoped she hadn’t said anything to ruin Bryce’s belief of one day finding someone for herself. To make sure she hadn’t, she said, “I guess you can say I’ve had bad luck when it comes to men, Bryce. But that doesn’t mean things will be that way for you. In fact, I’m sure they won’t.”
Bryce was about to say something when her phone rang. She quickly pulled it from her purse. “Excuse me, Vash. This is a call I’ve been hoping to get,” she said, sliding off the seat with her phone in hand.
“No problem,” Vashti said as Bryce hurried to the back where it was less noisy. She took that time to pull out her own phone to check her messages. So far she hadn’t gotten any feedback on the résumés she’d submitted to a number of job opportunity sites. She wouldn’t have to worry about a job if she could convince the zoning board to let that developer do what they wanted on that land. She could certainly understand the developers not wanting to go through with the sale if there were restrictions.
She glanced at the door and her thoughts shifted to the man who’d walked out of it earlier. Sheriff Sawyer Grisham was a good-looking man. No doubt about it. She could see why the women in town were vying for his attention. He’d been smart not to become involved with anyone locally and if he was seeing someone living in New Orleans, that was a good move on his part. She of all people knew how some of the people in the cove felt it was their God-given right to know every blasted detail of your personal business.
She could still feel the look he’d given her before leaving. His eyes had shone with male interest and when he’d shot her that half smile, a small dimple had appeared in one of his cheeks. She felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach whenever he looked at her.
“I have some good news and I have some bad news,” Bryce said, returning to the table and interrupting her thoughts.
“I prefer hearing the good news first,” Vashti said, taking a sip of her tea.
A huge smile touched Bryce’s lips. “The good news is that I have a buyer for a house I’ve been trying to sell for almost a year.”
Vashti returned her smile. “Bryce, that’s great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“So what’s the bad news?” Vashti then asked.
“The buyer wants to close the deal right away. Today if possible. He’s leaving town later today for an extended trip out of the country, and I need to get back to my office to get the papers processed. That means I won’t be able to go with you to Shelby by the Sea.”
Vashti shrugged, smiled. “No worries. I know how to get there on my own. Just drop me off at your place to get my car and I’ll be fine.”
Bryce seemed to mull that over for a moment and then said, “I was hoping to go there with you.”
Although Vashti had said no worries, she knew Bryce would worry. She and Bryce had talked about it last night. This would be Vashti’s first time back to Shelby since leaving town fourteen years ago. The hardest part was knowing that her aunt wouldn’t be opening that door with a welcoming and understanding smile and giving her a huge hug. Her aunt had always been there for her. She had understood her even when her parents hadn’t. Vashti had made sure her aunt left the inn at least a few times each year by bringing her to New York to visit or by going on cruises together.
“I know, Bryce, but I can handle it. I’m a big girl.”
Bryce nodded. “And what about that little red toy car? You won’t get another ticket, will you?”
Vashti chuckled. “No, I won’t get another ticket.” She wouldn’t dare admit that the thought of getting pulled over again by Sheriff Grisham wasn’t so bad. “I won’t be at Shelby’s for long. I plan to be at the zoning board meeting on time and need to shower and change clothes first.”
She stood. “Come on,” she said to Bryce. “You have things to do and so do I.”
* * *
“HOW WAS LUNCH, SHERIFF?” Trudy asked when he passed her desk.
“Delicious as usual,” was his reply as he made his way to his office. The food had been delicious but he had concentrated on other things while eating it. Namely, another person.
Before returning to the office he had driven around town to give himself time to get his thoughts back on track and to ponder what there was about Vashti Alcindor that captivated him. She was a good-looking woman, but he’d been in the presence of good-looking women before and none had ever gotten a reaction from him like she had.
The story Trudy had told him about how the townsfolk had mistreated her just for getting pregnant had pulled at him because he knew how it felt to have people you cared about let you down. Like the Connors who’d taken him in at twelve, only to return him to social services a year later. He had liked them and their two children. He’d thought he had finally found a home. But then when money started missing from Mrs. Connor’s purse he had immediately become the guilty person. No one thought to question their oldest teenage son who Sawyer had known had a drug problem. But then he knew that episode with the Connors wasn’t why he was attracted to Vashti Alcindor. The attraction began before he’d heard the story. He clearly remembered picking up on it when he’d issued her that ticket yesterday.
He was sitting at his desk and grabbing a stack of papers to go through when his cell phone rang. He recognized the number and smiled. Leesa was calling. Leesa Reddick was an old friend from the days they’d served in the Marines together. She hadn’t reenlisted after she got married and he and Leesa had lost touch. They had reconnected when he’d discovered through mutual military friends that she was living in New Orleans with her thirteen-year-old son. She had relocated there from Cincinnati after her husband, Todd, had gotten killed in a car accident three years earlier.