Brian gave a tight smile, still mortified. “You’ve got quick reflexes.”
“Years of ice hockey,” Nolan said. Then, because the kid looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor, he added, “I believe the girl who stole your attention’s name is Lila, and she just arrived with her mother and her aunt, I think.”
Brian’s flush deepened. He nodded once, fast. “I’ll be back to get your order when you’re ready.”
He left before Nolan could say anything else, weaving through the tables with his head down.
Nolan watched him go, the grin still tugging at his mouth. He’d been that age once and struck by a pretty girl. Movement drew his attention back to the group being seated several meters away. Julie settled them at a table near the center of the room, promising menus shortly. William leaned back in his chair with the ease of someone who belonged here, who had history with this place and these people.
Eve scanned the room once, her gaze sharp, then focused on the people at her table. Lila asked Julie something about the Inn’s history, her curiosity bright and genuine. Mia sat with her hand still fidgeting with something on her neck, her shoulders were tight, and her eyes were distant. He was right, it was a necklace she’d been fiddling with.
Nolan’s gaze lingered. He couldn’t help it. She was beautiful and looked so tired and sad.
He lifted his phone, angling it as if checking messages, and snapped a quick photo. He glanced at the picture, noting the way the light caught her profile, the shadows under her eyes, the delicate line of her jaw. Nolan’s eyes dropped to the necklace at her throat. It looked like an old heart-shaped locket with a misshapen ruby in the center of it. Brian returned, looking more composed now, and Nolan ordered without glancing at the menu. Burger, fries, and water. His favorite food because it was fast and simple, not to mention tasty.
The food came twenty minutes later, and Nolan ate without thinking much about it. His attention kept drifting to the window, to the ocean beyond, to the way the afternoon light shifted across the water. Then back to the people in the room. William’s table had grown louder, Lila’s laughter carrying across the space. Eve said something that made William grin. Mia smiled, but the expression looked like it took effort.
When he was done with lunch, Nolan signed the check Brian brought and left cash on the table as a tip for the teen. He pushed his chair back, collected his camera bag from the floor, and stood just as movement drew his attention across the dining room.
Preston, the distinguished man who had arrived just after Nolan, had entered with that same distinguished ease in hisposture. William spotted him and waved him over with genuine warmth.
“Preston, come meet some old friends.”
Introductions followed, William’s pride clear as he presented Eve, Mia, and Lila. Preston’s smile never wavered, his manner gracious as he shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Nolan adjusted the camera bag strap on his shoulder and headed for the exit.
He was halfway through the doorway when a solid shape moved into his path from the hallway. Nolan pulled up short. Calvin Strand did the same, his phone slipping from his hand and clattering to the floor between them.
“Sorry,” Nolan said, stepping back.
“My fault.” Calvin’s voice was flat, his eyes meeting Nolan’s for a fraction of a second before dropping to the phone.
The man crouched to retrieve it, and Nolan caught sight of his wrist as his sleeve rode up.
There was a small, precise tattoo. And it wasn’t just any ink. It was a special forces one.
Calvin straightened, his phone in hand, and gave Nolan a brief nod before moving past him into the dining room.
Nolan stood in the doorway, that earlier prickle returning stronger now.
He glanced back once.
Calvin Strand had taken the table near the window that Nolan had just vacated. Like Nolan, the man had his back to the wall,his eyes scanning the room with the efficiency of someone who’d been trained to notice threats.
Nolan turned and walked toward the stairs, his instincts firing as he wondered about the man and couldn’t shake the feeling of trouble lurking around the corner.
4
EVE
The lobby felt quieter after lunch, the dining room noise fading behind them as Eve walked with Mia and Lila toward the staircase. William had left with Julie as they were going on a dinner and theatre date. They were halfway to the stairs when Jack appeared from the office, his smile warm and purposeful.
“Before you head up,” Jack said, gesturing behind him, “I want you to meet some people.”
Eve felt Mia’s hesitation beside her, a subtle shift in posture that spoke of exhaustion barely held at bay. But Mia’s smile stayed in place, polite and practiced, as a woman came through the front entrance, her energy filling the space around her.
“Holly,” Jack said, his voice softening in a way that told Eve everything about how he felt. “Come meet William’s friends.”
Holly moved with confidence, her smile genuine as she crossed the lobby. Behind her came a younger woman around Mia’s age, her features delicate and kind. A man followed, tall and hobbling on crutches, as his leg was in a boot, with a young girl who looked to be around twelve years old beside him.
