Sugarplum Way Read online

  “For a badass, you’re pretty good at this,” she said, doing her best to hide the fact that she was feeling a little choked up and incredibly touched. She blamed the emotional response on being so tired she couldn’t think straight, but really, she knew better.

  It had been a long time since someone had taken care of her like this. Oh, she knew all she had to do was pick up the phone and her family, Hazel, or any of her friends would come running. But as much as she liked to help others, she wasn’t very good about asking or accepting help for herself.

  The corner of his mouth lifted, and he straightened. “I’ll get you some tea and ice water. And then I’m calling Finn.”

  “No, please don’t bother him about this. It’s just a sore throat.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry. Besides, what good is it having a doctor in the family if you can’t use him?”

  Julia must have dosed off because when she opened her eyes Aidan was placing a cup of tea and a glass of ice water on her nightstand. “Finn’ll be here in twenty minutes. I couldn’t find any ibuprofen. I checked the bathroom and kitchen. Anyplace else I should look?”

  “No, I try to be careful with what I put in my body. I’ve been taking zinc and vitamin C. More natural, you know.”

  His lips twitched. “I’ve seen the inside of your cupboards and fridge, Julia. You have more junk food than a corner store.” He leaned in to adjust her pillows behind her back before handing her the glass of water. “Drink up.”

  Brought down by kindness, she thought with a sigh. She took a couple sips of water before returning the glass to the nightstand. “Aidan, I’m sorry for butting into your business with your ex. I was just trying to help.”

  He sat on the edge of her bed, leaning over to pick up a book he’d swept to the floor. Placing his elbows on his knees, he turned the paperback in his hands and glanced at her. “That sounded a lot like I’m sorry, but it was for your own good.”

  “Maybe. A little. You can’t share custody if you live nearly an hour away from Harper, and you can’t rebuild your relationship with Ella Rose if you don’t spend more time with her. Not to mention your payments for that house could feed a small country.”

  “They’re not that high.”

  “They’re ridiculous. And why do they need a house with four bedrooms anyway? It’s huge.”

  “Yeah, and that right there is the problem. How and why do you know anything about the house?”

  “The how is easy. Google. And the why isn’t as creepy-stalkerish as you’re making it sound. You told me about your payments, and I wanted to see what kind of house would cost that much. I was curious, that’s all.”

  “But you didn’t stop there. You lied to Harper and told her you had an interested buyer.”

  “A lie means saying something with a deliberate intent to deceive, and what I did is more like embellish the truth.”

  “A lie by any other name is still a lie.”

  “How about an alternative fact? All right, all right,” she said when he gave her a look. “I have a customer. She’s one of the top relocation Realtors in Boston. I guarantee she’ll sell your house for top dollar, and fast. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but your house is in a much-sought-after neighborhood. It’s like no one in Newton sells their home until they have a foot in the grave.”

  “Because it’s a great place to live and bring up kids, Julia. Ella Rose’s friends are there, and her school is…”

  “Harmony Harbor is just as amazing as Newton. The schools here are fantastic, there’s a ton of kids, and there’s so much for them do. It’s safe, clean, and gorgeous. Just an all-around great place to live. But you’re forgetting the biggest selling feature of all, Aidan. It’s you.” She reached for the glass of water, worried she might have given herself away. She didn’t need to be sold on Harmony Harbor but, if she did, Aidan living here would rank right up there in the top five.

  But he didn’t see his hometown the way she did. He saw it through the lens of loss. His mother and sister’s accident had colored his view of Harmony Harbor in a negative light. And feeling somewhat responsible, no matter how indirectly, for everything he’d suffered and still did, she had a hard time keeping the emotion out of her voice.

  She could feel him watching her and felt a little like she had the day he’d interrogated her at the police station. “This isn’t just about you and Ella Rose though. Well, in a way it is, because if Harper is emotionally stable and happy, there’s a better chance you’ll be happy too.”

  “You think Harper is emotionally unstable?”

  “Umm, you’re the one paying her share of the mortgage because she hasn’t worked since you separated. I mean, it’s totally understandable and admirable that she wants to be home for your little girl, but that’s a lot of pressure to put on Ella Rose. She’s Harper’s everything. This would be the best thing for all three of you. I’ve already found a house that I think Harper will love. It has lots of character and a view of the harbor, and I’m sure I can get her a really good price—”

  “Okay, hold it right there. You make a good case for them moving here. But now it’s time for you to stop talking and get some rest.” He stood and moved to the door.

  “Wait a minute. I can’t tell if you’re happy that I suggested to Harper that they move here or not? Are you? Happy, I mean.”

  “Am I thrilled that once again you’ve stuck your nose in my business? No.”

  “I was just trying to—”

  “I get it, okay? And it’s sweet that you’re trying to help. But here’s the problem: You may have unknowingly given Harper the impression that we stand a better chance of getting back together if she moves here.” His intent gaze roamed her face. “It would be unknowingly, wouldn’t it? You didn’t happen to tell her it would be a good opportunity for us to renew our relationship, did you?”

  A few days ago, the idea of Aidan getting back with Harper would’ve been along the lines of hearing your movie star crush was getting married. It didn’t devastate you, just left you in a mild funk for a day or two. Until you started fantasizing about their divorce… All right, she was getting off track.

  Probably because she didn’t want to think about Aidan with Harper, but sometimes you had to make a sacrifice for the greater good. “I may have embellished a little. Dangled you like a carrot, you know.”

  His hands balled on his hips. She shouldn’t have been looking there, but she knew better than to look him in the eye.

  “You what?” he said, his voice unnaturally calm and quiet.

  She grimaced. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. I promise.” She put her hand on her throat. “I probably should stop talking.”

  “Yeah, you should. If I’m lucky, you’ll lose your voice for the next couple of months.”

  “I know ASL. Sign language.” She demonstrated by signing sorry. He had no idea how sorry she was, for everything.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was still dark when Julia woke up wrapped in damp sheets. She pressed her palm to her cool cheek and took a cautious swallow—better. The antibiotics Finn had prescribed must have packed a powerful punch to break her fever and soothe the pain in her throat within only a few hours.

  She reached for the glass of water, noticing it had been refilled. A pill better suited for a horse than a human and an ibuprofen sat side by side on the nightstand. It seemed Aidan took his nursemaid duties seriously despite being angry at her. All things considered, she was probably lucky she’d been struck down by strep throat. A little bacterial infection was easier to deal with than being yelled at by Aidan. Actually, as she’d discovered, he didn’t yell; he got scary quiet instead.

  Except when Finn gave her grief for working when she should have been resting and for taking vitamins instead of ibuprofen. Her temperature had been 102, bordering on dangerous for an adult. Which is when Aidan had added his two cents using stronger language than his brother. Maybe because at that point she was nearly delirious from fever—that
was her excuse and she was sticking to it—she’d shown him another sign she knew. Though this time it was a universal sign. Finn had found it hilarious. Aidan, not so much.

  It was kind of annoying that the man looked even hotter when he was ticked. Even more annoying was the fact she’d been practically on her deathbed and noticed.

  “You’re a head case,” she told herself and brought the glass to her lips.

  “Feeling better?” asked a deep voice in the dark.

  She screamed, her arms jerked, and she banged the glass on her front teeth. Cold water flew into her face and onto her T-shirt.

  “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.” The voice came closer, and then Aidan was there, turning on the lamp beside her bed. “You okay?”

  Eyes scrunched against the bright light, she fell back onto the pillows. “No. You scared the life out of me.” She pressed her free hand to her saturated chest and her terrified heart. He pried the empty glass from her fingers. “What are you doing here? I thought you left after you brought me the prescription and ibuprofen.” She was positive he’d been heading out after he’d made sure she took the pills. He’d fixed the door while Finn examined her.

  Aidan lifted a shoulder in response to her question. He’d changed into a black, long-sleeved thermal Henley and faded blue jeans. “I didn’t want to leave you alone. It’s not a big deal,” he said, most likely in response to the surprise he no doubt read in her expression.

  Touched that he’d stayed with her, she said, “I think it is a big deal. You’re a good man, Aidan. Thank you for hanging around. You should probably go home and get at least a few hours’ sleep before you have to go to work though. My couch isn’t the most comfortable place to sleep. What time is it anyway?”

  “Eight.”

  “Really?” She sat up and stretched her neck to get a better look out the window. “It’s pretty dark for eight. Is there a storm coming in? Storm, gosh, what am I thinking? I don’t have time to shoot the breeze about the weather. I have to get ready for work.” She threw back the covers.

  “Hold on there.You’re not going anywhere.” He put his hands on her shoulders.

  “I can’t just take time off work. If I’m not there, my doors are closed, and I can’t afford for my doors to be closed. So please, can you let me up now?”

  “Okay.” He gave her a hand. “Go grab a shower, change into a new pair of pj’s, and I’ll strip your bed and get you something to eat.”

  “Am I missing something? Or did I lose my voice and my hearing, and you can’t lip read?”

  “You lost twenty-two hours. It’s eight o’clock Monday night, not Monday morning.”

  She slowly sank down on the bed. “That can’t be. I—”

  “Relax. It’s all good. Your weekend staff were more than happy to fill in. Grams and Rosa stopped by, and they fixed them up with a couple of dating books. Receipts for the day are on your desk. Your staff said sales were better than a typical Monday.”

  “I don’t understand. How did you—”

  “Here.” He handed her the pills. “Take these. We’ll talk after your shower. Trust me, you’ll feel better.”

  Aidan was right. She felt much better after her shower, albeit dazed at discovering how long she’d slept. Instead of putting eight hours in at work as she’d expected to, all she had to do was put on a fresh pair of pj’s. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded, and not because they were all in the laundry.

  She had two types of pj’s—cute and cozy or sexy. Cozy was out; she didn’t want to get overheated. And she didn’t want Aidan to get the wrong idea by going with sexy pajamas. Except she kind of did want him to get the wrong idea. She just didn’t want him to think that she… Her feelings for the man were way too complicated to get her brain around tonight.

  She pulled a cozy red hooded robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door and slipped it on. Aidan was banging around in the kitchen as she walked to her bedroom, only to stop short in the doorway with shock.

  He’d changed and remade her bed, going so far as to provide turndown service. On the nightstand, her water glass had been refilled, and there was a steaming cup of tea beside it as well as a pack of throat lozenges that hadn’t been there before.

  She got a lump in her throat. Aidan Gallagher was a big faker. He acted all dangerous and badass, but underneath he was all caring and kind. She’d seen a hint of his sweetness with his daughter, and now she had proof. The man was a marshmallow.

  Something felt off about her room though, and she looked around, wondering what… Her jaw dropped. It was spotless—everything tidy and in its place. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience and took a step back and into a wall of hard muscle.

  She turned to stare up at him. “You cleaned my room.”

  “Yeah,” he said like it was the most natural thing in the world. “You wanna get in your bed now? I’ve got some homemade chicken soup for you.” He held up an oversized mug and a sleeve of crackers.

  Tears gathered in her eyes. Embarrassed, she turned her head and rapidly blinked.

  “You’re not… crying, are you?” He sounded horrified and slightly panicked.

  “No,” she sniffed, and wiped a finger under her eyes. Then she looked up at him and lifted a shoulder. “So maybe I am. You made me soup and cleaned my room and took care of me. You’re still taking care of me. It’s nice. Sweet. And it made me a little emotional, I guess.”

  “I am not sweet. I couldn’t sleep and needed something to do. And I didn’t make the soup. Caleb did. I just bought it. Now move. Get your butt in bed.”

  “You know, you won’t lose your alpha man card if word gets out that you’re sweet.”

  He gave her a look. “You want your soup?”

  “Yes, but I have to get dressed first.” She went to her dresser and pulled a pair of black leggings and an oversized T-shirt from the drawer. “I’ll just be…” She trailed off and slowly turned to look at the chair under the window, praying she was imagining what she’d seen out of the corner of her eye. But there, on the ottoman of the leather chair, sat her laptop. Open and on.

  “I forgot to tell you. When I picked up your soup this afternoon, Caleb asked me to let you know that someone named Lenny came in, and he took care of him. Friend of yours?”

  “Sorry, what?”

  “Lenny, is he a friend of yours?”

  “Yes,” she said distractedly. She couldn’t put it off; she had to know. As nonchalantly as she could with her heart pounding a frantic beat, she asked, “So, my laptop, were you using it for anything special?”

  “Just, uh, you know, passing the time,” he said, but before he’d turned away from her to put the sleeve of crackers down, she saw it. She saw the way his mouth quirked as though he’d just heard the best joke ever.

  She rushed to the chair and picked up the laptop. She looked from the screen to him and slowly lowered herself onto the ottoman. “How could you? That was private.”

  He turned and scratched the back of his head. She would have admired his bulging biceps if she weren’t fighting the urge to throw up.

  “Look, you’d made a big deal with me and Finn about not being able to miss work, and there was no way I was letting you go in today. But no one knew how to get in touch with your staff. I searched your desk and came up empty. By the way, your phone didn’t die. You forgot to pay the bill and were cut off.”

  She stared at him.

  “I wasn’t snooping. I looked on your computer for their contact info, and I found it.”

  “But you didn’t stop there, did you?”

  “No,” he said, fighting a grin. Which disappeared when she glared at him. “Come on, give me a break. You don’t have a TV.”

  “You have a phone.”

  “Look, I saw my name and thought—”

  “You did not see your name. Warrior’s Touch is not about you. It’s about Adrian Greystone.”

  He walked over and sat on the chair and then reached a
round her to point at the screen. “Give me some credit. I make a living following the evidence. First, the name. Remove the r and what have we got? That’s right, sugarplum, move the i and you have Aidan. And then we have his surname, Greystone. Greystone Manor ring any bells?” He leaned into her, so close his chest brushed against her back and his warm, minty breath fanned her cheek. “Another coincidence, he just happens to be a six-foot-three cop with blue eyes and black hair. Oh, and did I tell you? I don’t believe in coincidences. But right here is where you gave yourself away.” He scrolled through to what she’d written just before he kicked in her door.

  She stared at the screen. Aidan smiled that slow, sexy smile of his just before he lifted his gun and fired. The glass shattered, and the…

  He touched her hot cheek. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I’m flattered. And impressed. You’re a great writer, Julia. I usually can’t sit still long enough to read a book, and I couldn’t put it down.”

  “You read the whole thing?”

  “Yeah, every single word.” He cleared his throat. “You have quite the… imagination. I had no idea you were so—”

  She whipped around and covered his mouth. “Don’t say it.”

  He smiled into her hand and then removed it. “We’re adults. We can talk about sex.”

  “I don’t want to talk about sex with you.”

  “I kinda want to talk about it with you.”

  Her inner hussy cheered until Julia reminded her—in her head, of course—that he’d said talk about it not do it. “I don’t write about sex gratuitously or to titillate—”

  “What’s that saying? Sex sells…”

  “So you’re telling me that you read the entire book just because of the sex? I don’t know what that says about your love life if that’s true.”

  “No, I liked the story and all the action. And not to blow my own horn, but I’m a pretty cool guy.”

  She buried her face in her hands. “The book isn’t about you.”