Read Online Whiskey Island by Emilie Richards - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Emilie Richards
Ads: Link
them.”
“Hello, Casey.” He threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed.
She fell back on a cliché. “It’s been a long time.”
“I’d say so. You disappeared off the face of the earth after high school. Nobody knew where you’d gone.”
She wasn’t about to get into that. “I heard through the grapevine that you disappeared, too.”
He leaned back against the bar. “It’s not much of a mystery. My parents were just waiting for me to finish high school, then they packed up and moved south of Columbus. My father bought a car dealership in a small town.”
“And you went with them?”
“No. I went as far away as I could. San Francisco State, then Stanford for law school.”
“It’s no wonder nobody could find you.”
“Could anybody find you?”
“Not easily.” She didn’t elaborate. She did a swift calculation and didn’t like the answer. “It’s been ten, nearly eleven years. Law school? You’re a lawyer now?”
“I’m working in the district attorney’s office.”
She thought of Earl with his arm twisted behind his back. Truck driver Earl, who had probably won more rest stop brawls than he’d lost. “Is that where you learned to defend yourself?”
“No, I learned that in the LAPD.”
She cocked a brow in question.
He explained. “I was a cop between college and law school. At the time I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to catch bad guys or put them away.”
“Well, you always had a highly developed sense of right and wrong.” Somehow that brought them full circle to the beginning of their conversation. “And so do I, for that matter. Maybe my friends don’t live up to your high-flown criteria, but I’m careful. No drunks, no druggies, no abusers.”
“Just guys you don’t have to talk to, right? Guys who don’t listen.”
He had remembered a lot over ten years. “Welcome home, huh, Jon?”
He smiled. It was a sexier smile than she remembered, not quite the smile of an old friend. “Still the same old Case, huh? Cutting me off when I get too close to the truth.”
“What are you doing back in Cleveland? Your folks are gone. You were living in God’s country, and you traded California sunshine for this?”
“I did.” He didn’t elaborate.
Someone rested a hand on Casey’s shoulder, and she turned in surprise.
“Casey?” Peggy looked apologetic. “The baby-sitter said she had to go, so I paid her and sent her on her way. She says Ashley is sleeping soundly, but I can take a break and check on her, if you’d like.” Her eyes flicked to Jon.
Casey made a quick introduction. “Peg, do you remember Jon? You were still little when we graduated from high school.”
Peggy smiled politely, then her face lit up in recognition. “I do remember. You used to read to me. You did a mean Cat in the Hat. ” Peggy and Jon exchanged a few pleasantries until Casey excused herself and pulled her sister off to the side. “You don’t mind checking on Ashley?”
“No, but the place is hopping. The two tables over there—”Peggy pointed “—and the two in the corner all need to be checked. I know some other people want chowder.”
“Go ahead and see how she’s doing, and take a break while you’re at it. I’ll take the tables. Then we can set up the baby monitor in the kitchen to listen if she wakes up.”
Casey watched her sister leave, but she was really preparing to finish her conversation with Jon. The evening had taken a surprising turn, and she was off guard, a feeling she didn’t like.
When she faced the bar again, the evening had taken an even more surprising turn.
Jon Kovats was gone.
6
M egan had a second floor apartment in a tasteful brick building off Edgewater Drive. The neighborhood was convenient. She could stroll north to the lakefront for recreation or south for shopping. Although venerable maple trees blocked most natural light, the apartment did have wide windowsills that she filled with plants, a breakfast nook with built-in
“Hello, Casey.” He threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed.
She fell back on a cliché. “It’s been a long time.”
“I’d say so. You disappeared off the face of the earth after high school. Nobody knew where you’d gone.”
She wasn’t about to get into that. “I heard through the grapevine that you disappeared, too.”
He leaned back against the bar. “It’s not much of a mystery. My parents were just waiting for me to finish high school, then they packed up and moved south of Columbus. My father bought a car dealership in a small town.”
“And you went with them?”
“No. I went as far away as I could. San Francisco State, then Stanford for law school.”
“It’s no wonder nobody could find you.”
“Could anybody find you?”
“Not easily.” She didn’t elaborate. She did a swift calculation and didn’t like the answer. “It’s been ten, nearly eleven years. Law school? You’re a lawyer now?”
“I’m working in the district attorney’s office.”
She thought of Earl with his arm twisted behind his back. Truck driver Earl, who had probably won more rest stop brawls than he’d lost. “Is that where you learned to defend yourself?”
“No, I learned that in the LAPD.”
She cocked a brow in question.
He explained. “I was a cop between college and law school. At the time I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to catch bad guys or put them away.”
“Well, you always had a highly developed sense of right and wrong.” Somehow that brought them full circle to the beginning of their conversation. “And so do I, for that matter. Maybe my friends don’t live up to your high-flown criteria, but I’m careful. No drunks, no druggies, no abusers.”
“Just guys you don’t have to talk to, right? Guys who don’t listen.”
He had remembered a lot over ten years. “Welcome home, huh, Jon?”
He smiled. It was a sexier smile than she remembered, not quite the smile of an old friend. “Still the same old Case, huh? Cutting me off when I get too close to the truth.”
“What are you doing back in Cleveland? Your folks are gone. You were living in God’s country, and you traded California sunshine for this?”
“I did.” He didn’t elaborate.
Someone rested a hand on Casey’s shoulder, and she turned in surprise.
“Casey?” Peggy looked apologetic. “The baby-sitter said she had to go, so I paid her and sent her on her way. She says Ashley is sleeping soundly, but I can take a break and check on her, if you’d like.” Her eyes flicked to Jon.
Casey made a quick introduction. “Peg, do you remember Jon? You were still little when we graduated from high school.”
Peggy smiled politely, then her face lit up in recognition. “I do remember. You used to read to me. You did a mean Cat in the Hat. ” Peggy and Jon exchanged a few pleasantries until Casey excused herself and pulled her sister off to the side. “You don’t mind checking on Ashley?”
“No, but the place is hopping. The two tables over there—”Peggy pointed “—and the two in the corner all need to be checked. I know some other people want chowder.”
“Go ahead and see how she’s doing, and take a break while you’re at it. I’ll take the tables. Then we can set up the baby monitor in the kitchen to listen if she wakes up.”
Casey watched her sister leave, but she was really preparing to finish her conversation with Jon. The evening had taken a surprising turn, and she was off guard, a feeling she didn’t like.
When she faced the bar again, the evening had taken an even more surprising turn.
Jon Kovats was gone.
6
M egan had a second floor apartment in a tasteful brick building off Edgewater Drive. The neighborhood was convenient. She could stroll north to the lakefront for recreation or south for shopping. Although venerable maple trees blocked most natural light, the apartment did have wide windowsills that she filled with plants, a breakfast nook with built-in
Similar Books
