The Homecoming
Page 10

He thought by coming back to Thunder Point he’d figure it out. If he could just restore his friendship with Iris to what it had once been, he’d see their relationship in proper perspective, the way he had growing up. They were good friends, and that was enough. He’d marry someone someday and maybe have a couple of kids. Iris would do likewise. Partnered with other people, they’d be couple friends. Their kids would play together. Life would be fulfilling and logical once again.
Of course, it was all complicated by one small thing. He sometimes had dreams of making love to Iris. Okay, two small things—Iris had always been pretty but over the past dozen years she’d grown truly beautiful. It was obvious to him that she didn’t realize it, but there was no question about it—she was a knockout. Maybe it was as simple as fixing her hair or realizing her confidence, but the reason hardly mattered. The same girl he’d taken for granted when they were kids, the childhood friend who could kick a soccer ball as far, hit a baseball farther, was now the most beautiful woman in town.
And those dreams. They embarrassed him, and he’d had dozens over the past fifteen years. Why Iris? The only girl in school he hadn’t tried to seduce. Truth was, he would have been scared to death to try—she’d probably coldcock him! He’d tested her out several times by carefully explaining his lust for other girls, and right after telling him he was a pig she’d give him pointers on how to talk to a girl, where to take her on a date, what to do to get her attention. If Iris had any interest, she wouldn’t have done that. But still—he dreamed of her. He had to figure out how to make that go away.
At the end of business, he changed into his running clothes and took off across the beach. It always made him feel better about his new position. Then he grabbed his duffel and dropped in on his mother, who let him use the shower. Normally, he’d just head home in his running gear but tonight he had a date. Sort of. Mac was off duty. His wife was busy with their girls so Mac had suggested they get together for a beer and some crab cakes and talk over how things were going for Seth in the new job.
Seth walked into Cliffhanger’s. He liked this place—the bar was upscale and the dining room was kind of fancy. A person could take a woman to dinner here and feel downright adequate. In fact he saw the back of an attractive blonde standing at the bar having a glass of wine—pretty hair, even though it was pink on the ends. Nice body. She might turn around and have the face of a horse, but from the back...
“Seth?” the woman said. She turned toward him. A better detective than he was, she’d seen his face in the mirror. “Is it really you?”
He smiled at her. “Sassy?”
“Please, I’m Sue. I left that horrible nickname behind.”
“Sue,” he said, his grin widening. Fat? Missing a front tooth? Iris had been baiting him. It made him feel loved. He wasn’t sure why. “How have you been?”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m your new town deputy. Mac was promoted and is working out of Coquille now.”
“Really? That’s fantastic! We’ll have to get together!”
Seriously? he thought. Never gonna happen. “You’re married, right?”
“Not anymore. But if you are I can get a date and you and your wife...”
Seth instantly saw nightmares. But then, even though Sassy hadn’t gained weight and wasn’t missing an incisor, of all the women he could think of, Sassy was the last one he’d like to spend an evening with. “I’m not married, but my work schedule is terrible,” he said.
“What are you doing here at Cliff’s?” she asked.
Seth, bedeviled, started to laugh. He couldn’t help picturing Sassy as overweight and missing a tooth. He tried like hell to stop, but he couldn’t seem to suppress his laughter. That damn Iris! She was a troublemaker.
“What’s so funny?” Sassy asked. She frowned as she sipped her wine.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his thumb and forefinger rubbing his eyes while he tried to get control of himself. She had pink hair! And he couldn’t remember her boobs being that big, but then, she was older. Did boobs grow? “I’m meeting Mac,” he said, still laughing. “It’s kind of a business meeting, since I’m taking over his post.”
“Sue,” someone said. “That’s fish and chips, coleslaw, garlic toast.” Cliff put an enormous brown bag on the bar.
She passed him a credit card but glared at Seth. “Are you laughing at me? At my hair?”
He sobered instantly, though the laughter stayed right there, right behind his lips. He sought an excuse. “Your hair? No, of course not. I was just thinking, remember when we were about sixteen? Remember when you were cheering a hockey game? Out on the ice? And you were skating backward and got rammed by Robbie Delaney? And he sent you flying across the ice at about fifty miles an hour?” He didn’t add, The same guy you cheated on me with.
“It wasn’t that funny,” she said. She leaned on the bar to sign the charge slip.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sure if you’re the one getting hit, it’s not. Sorry.”
“I had problems with my tailbone for years....”
“Ah, there’s Mac!” he said. “You know Mac, right?”
“I don’t spend a lot of time with the law,” she said stiffly.
Still struggling not to laugh, Seth stuck out his hand. “Hey, Mac. You know Sassy...I mean, Sue Marie Sontag, right?”
“Delaney,” she corrected. She shook Mac’s hand but gave him a tight smile.
“You married Robbie Delaney?” Seth asked. “Wow.”
“I’d better get this home to the kids.” She lifted her wineglass and gulped down what was left.
“Kids?” Seth echoed. And then in spite of himself he started to laugh again, picturing her with a hockey-player’s smile. He was going to kill Iris.
“Three,” she said, greatly irritated with him. “See you around.”
When she’d cleared the door, Seth sat at the bar and started to laugh again. He put his elbow on the bar, his head resting on his hand and just shook his head.
“That must have been some joke,” Mac said.
“That damn Iris,” Seth said.
“Iris is here?”