“It’s cloudberry jam.This one is homemade.”He didn’t hide his grin of delight.“It’s a northern delicacy.The cloudberries grow wild in the forest.Only the locals know where they grow, and their picking spots are kept a tightly held secret, often passed down within the family.If you’re very lucky, someone will share a jar or two with you when they make a batch.”
“Do you have your own clandestine cache?”she asked, tipping her head to the side coyly.
“This was a present,” he admitted.“I help one of the elderly residents down the road sometimes.Chop her wood, shovel her driveway in the winter, that kind of thing.”
“And she repays you with jam.”Summer’s sardonic smile turned thoughtful.“That’s nice of you.I like that idea.A community doing things for each other.It’s good.”
Mårten shrugged.That was just how it was here; Summer was a city girl, not used to the way people took care of each other in small towns.When he looked up from where he’d been placing clean plates on the countertop, he found her dark eyes riveted on him, her chin resting in her palm.
“The hardened cop has a softer side,” she said, almost to herself.
“What?”
“Never mind.”She waved a hand in front of her face.“Hurry up, I’m desperate to try this jam.”
Right at that moment, the toaster popped, and he juggled two pieces onto her plate, then did the same to his.He came around, took the stool next to hers and watched her sideways as she slathered butter and then cloudberry jam on her toast.She took an enormous bite, and he couldn’t help himself, he had to turn and observe her expressive face as she tasted one of his favorite things in the whole wide world.First, she closed her eyes, long dark lashes laying on her tawny cheeks.Then she pursed her lips, but continued to chew slowly, rolling the food around in her mouth.At last she swallowed, the tip of her tongue coming out to lick the crumbs off her lips, and her eyes flew open as a broad smile spread across her face.
He was so fixated on her tongue as it disappeared, leaving her plump lips succulent and pink, that he almost forgot to breathe, catching himself just-in-time to force his gaze upward to meet hers.God almighty, that’d been about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
“It’s delicious,” she declared.
“I’m glad you like it,” he replied, hoping she couldn’t hear the slight hoarseness in his voice.
She went back to eating as he buttered his toast, shifting uncomfortably on the stool to ease the bulge in his pants.This was the second time in half an hour he’d reacted to her presence.It was as if he was hyper-aware of her, and every little thing she did turned him on.
He needed to get laid; it’d been too long.Just not with Summer.Right now, give him ten minutes alone in the bedroom and he’d have himself sorted.He should have thought of that earlier, while they’d been back in Seattle, even.Maybe he wouldn’t be so focused on her every move then.
He returned to the topic of her family, just to give himself something to take his mind off his edginess.“Jacob texted earlier and confirmed they now have an agent watching each of your family’s houses.”That’d been part of the deal.Summer had been worried that if Tyrone knew who she was, he might target her family to get back at her.In a private conversation, Jacob had admitted to Mårten he thought the risk was low, but his boss had agreed to give the family protection, at least for the next few days.Summer could have peace of mind on that count.
“Mmm, thank you,” she mumbled through a piece of toast.“I got a message from Jasmine earlier telling me she felt like she was living in a spy novel, because there is now a dark sedan parked the other side of the road to her house, and a sinister-looking man who follows her everywhere,” she went on, swallowing her mouthful.“I hate scaring her and the rest of my family.And I hate not being able to tell them what’s really going on.”She screwed up her pretty nose in disgust.“Surely, this is all a storm in a teacup.I’ve handed over the photos; it’s too late, the FBI know everything.What more can he want from me now?”Summer grimaced, her lustrous mouth turning down at the corners.“Anyway, I texted Jasmine back it wouldn’t be for long, and I’ll explain the whole situation soon.”
He had to disagree.Tyrone didn’t necessarily know she’d found the incriminating photo, let alone given it to the cops.And even if he did, his violence seemed to be escalating alarmingly.He may want her dead as retribution.Which was why her family was being guarded.Tyrone was a wild card; no one could predict what he’d do next.
“You told me your family was from Mexico, and they moved to live in San Jose?”He’d heard the bare basics of her background, that she had three sisters all of who still lived in San Jose to be near their parents, but he’d like to know more.
“Yes,” she replied, then gave her last piece of toast a longing look before she replaced it on her plate so she could keep talking.“My dad is very smart.He landed a job in Silicon Valley, and he moved the family from Mexico to San Jose before I was born.We’re among the lucky ones.My sisters and I are so fortunate to have great lives here, free and financially secure in this country.My dad gave us that opportunity, and we’re all terribly grateful to him.But we left others behind.Both my parent’s families still live inChilpancingo,and things are not good there.Lots of drug cartels, gang violence, corruption, that kind of thing,” she explained.“My dad has been trying to get his brother and wife and two kids into America for as long as I can remember, but without luck.”There was definite sadness in her voice.
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.Few people who live outside Mexico do.”She shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, but he could tell she was trying to make less of the situation.It seemed like a heavy burden the family had to shoulder; they were the lucky ones who made it, but in doing so they’d left loved ones behind.He guessed it was the same story all over the world for refugees and immigrants alike.Everyone wanted a better life, but at what cost?
“And so what made you move to Seattle?”
“Oh, ah, I always wanted to study photography.”Summer’s gaze slid to the window above the sink, and he wondered why his question had made her uncomfortable.
“Don’t they have good universities in California?”He knew of Stanford and Berkley, some of the best institutes in America, just to name a few.They ran photography courses there, didn’t they?
“Oh, yes, sure.But Seattle University offers small class sizes and great mentorship programs,” she said, dipping her head to give her toast another longing glance but not offering any more information.
“Hmm.”Seattle was a long way from San Jose.The rest of her family seemed close-knit.She’d just admitted that she and her sisters owed a lot to her father, and all the rest of them had stayed.So why had she been the only one to leave?Had she been running away from something?Maybe there was some kind of rift between her and her parents.Or was it something else?
Mårten had also moved away from his family to take up a new career, so she wasn’t alone in her decision.But he was good at reading people, and he’d picked up that Summer had some trauma that she was hiding from her past.She’d left her family behind.But what about a boyfriend?Had she left him behind as well?Or was there no one special to keep her in San Jose?She’d been very clear that she had no current lover.She was a gorgeous woman, so men should be clamoring to ask her out.Did she just choose not to date?Or was she scared of commitment, a little like him?
“And you never wanted to move back, even after you finished your degree?”He continued to probe.
“I thought about it,” she confessed.“I mean, I miss my family, and I’ll definitely visit as soon as all this is over.My mom would never forgive me if I didn’t go and explain to her face-to-face why I brought the family into danger.”Summer pursed her lips into an anxious moue, but her face soon morphed to become wistful.“Lily is getting married next year, so I’ll go home for that, of course.And Jasmine, my eldest sister, is pregnant with her second baby.My mom is always nagging me about how much I’m missing out, asking why I chose to live in that cold, miserable city so far away and on my own.And maybe I am.Maybe I am missing out.”She turned to face him, and for a split second, he could see real, raw emotions etched onto her face, until she blinked and the look was gone.
“Mom thinks that the only route to being truly happy is to get married, settle down and have kids.”She gave a soft, derisive snort.“But that’s just not in my future, so it’s easier to stay away, then I don’t have to listen to the nagging.”Summer lifted her chin.“I’m happy living alone; it’s easier that way.”
