A Dad For Charlie

“Nothing was going to keep me from seeing Holly Campbell get married.” Nina brushed a nervous hand over her tropical-colored-scarf-encased head. The months of chemotherapy had taken their toll, from what Paige had been told. In the little time Paige had known the family, she’d seen a serious decline in the older woman’s health, the result of a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. “I was just telling Willa how nice it is to be out among friends. I feel almost normal.”

“You look beautiful.” Paige rested a hand on her frail shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. “I don’t mean to pry, but is everything all right?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Willa pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded once. “Everything’s great.”

Paige glanced from daughter to mother. Nope. Not buying it. “Is there anything I can do?”

“It’s Jasper,” Nina said and earned a huff of frustration from her twenty-something daughter. “Willa, you know this situation is getting beyond our control. Paige might have some ideas as to what we should do.”

“I’d be happy to try to help,” Paige offered. “How about we find a quiet place where we can talk?” As well-meaning as their fellow Butterfly Harbor residents tended to be, they definitely had a talent for whipping up the rumor mill where anything potentially scandalous was concerned. Knowing what Paige did about Willa’s brother Jasper, scandal could very well be a possibility. “Have you seen the updated kitchen yet?” She shifted her way behind Nina’s wheelchair, released the brakes and pushed her around the edge of the room toward the double swinging doors. “The new owners really did it up nice.”

“We haven’t, but we’ve heard it’s beautiful.” Nina tugged at the edge of her scarf.

“It’s definitely a stunner. Willa, would you mind?”

“Of course.” Willa pressed her slight frame through the doors first, stepping back to let Paige push Nina through.

Pale yellow bridesmaid gown tucked into one hand, Paige headed toward the side porch exit, offering a smile to resident chef Jason Corwin, who was bent over the counter. “Hey, Jason. Don’t mind us. Just passing through.”

“Wasn’t going to.” Jason glanced up from where he piped salmon mousse into delicate phyllo dough cups. With shorn dark hair and eyes as sharp as the edge of a knife, Jason looked more like a magazine cover model than a onetime celebrity chef. “Mrs. O’Neill.” He nodded politely at Nina then Willa. “Hey, Paige, when you see Abby, would you send her back? I need a taster for one of the appetizers.”

“What am I? Chopped...” She grinned when his brow arched in her direction. “Chicken. I was going to say chicken. I’m an excellent taster.” She motioned for Willa to open the door.

“Uh-huh.” Jason grinned. “Keep moving. You’re not getting your hands on any of my new recipes.”

“That’s what he thinks,” Paige whispered to Nina, who let out a soft chuckle. What Paige wouldn’t give to pick the brain of one of the country’s top food artisans. The midafternoon breeze welcomed them as she situated Nina’s wheelchair by the narrow bench overlooking the ocean. She took a deep breath, let the pure salt-caked air refill her lungs and clear her mind. “Now, tell me what’s going on. No one should be crying anything but happy tears at a wedding.”

Willa wilted onto the bench beside her mother. She was a tiny thing with one of the kindest natures Paige had ever encountered. She also had a spine of steel. Rarely did Paige see Willa with anything other than a brilliant smile on her thin face despite the weight of responsibility she carried on her shoulders.

“Sheriff Saxon called asking if he could come by to talk to Jasper again,” Willa said. “About those break-ins.”

“Again?” Paige sat beside her and, because Willa seemed to need the added comfort, took hold of her hand and squeezed. “Why?”

“He wouldn’t say. Exactly. You know the sheriff,” Nina said when Willa shook her head. “He’s very nice about it, very understanding, but this time, I don’t know. I got the feeling they haven’t moved past thinking Jasper’s somehow involved. Last time he asked Jasper to account for his whereabouts on a bunch of different evenings.”

“And was Jasper able to?” Paige asked.

“No. In fact he was out almost all those nights,” Willa said with an air of defiance that had Paige’s insides jangling. “He’s out most every night. Jasper might have his quirks, but this isn’t something he’d do. He knows the last thing we need is for him to get into trouble.”

“You said Luke only talked to him,” Paige said. “He didn’t say anything about a warrant or being there to arrest him?”

“No. But I’m sure that’s what’s about to happen. He’s only sixteen, Paige. He can’t afford to get into serious trouble if he hopes to apply for scholarships and grants for college. They look into all that.” Nina seemed to be taking the situation better than her oldest daughter. “This puts his entire future at risk.”

Paige squeezed her hand. “What do you think of Luke’s idea he’s involved with the break-ins?”

“I’m his mother,” Nina said, her pale face losing what little color it possessed. She tucked her trembling hands under her blanket. “I don’t want it to be true. But I’m also a realist.” She straightened in her chair, the bright blue of her dress catching against the sun. “He’s been through a lot these last few years. It’s...changed him. There are times I think he’s just so angry, withdrawn. And he’s never kept company with the best of influences.”

“He’s always got his nose in a book. Or he’s in his room watching those gruesome videos,” Willa explained when Paige inclined her head. “I suggested he look for a job, but he doesn’t think anyone around here will hire him. And he’s probably right. He rubs people the wrong way.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s so far gone he’d take to damaging property and vandalism,” Nina said. “He wouldn’t do that to me. To us. Not now. The last thing we can afford is bail, let alone a lawyer.”

“That’s the second time one of you has said ‘not now,’” Paige said, recognizing grief when she heard it. “What’s changed?”

Willa’s eyes filled as she looked at her mother before glancing away.

“My latest test results came back last week,” Nina said after she cleared her throat. “They say the cancer’s spread to my lymph nodes. The chemotherapy didn’t do as much as they’d hoped, so they’re putting me on an experimental regimen. But that means going to San Francisco and being admitted for four to six weeks.” Nina shook her head as if to clear her own tears. “It’ll be tough. Willa will have to take on even more than she already has. Maisey’s only ten. I want her life as disrupted as little as possible. She’s a dream and little trouble, thank goodness, but—”

“Jasper being under suspicion with the police is only adding to the strain.” Paige nodded. Oh, boy. She’d heard this before. She should have followed her instincts and stayed far, far away. The last thing she should be thinking about was getting involved with anything having to do with the police. “Did Luke give you any more information about the crimes themselves? Maybe if I talked to Jasper...”

Mother and daughter looked at each other again. “We haven’t seen or heard from Jasper since we got Mom’s results,” Willa said. “He took off. I don’t know what Luke’s going to think if he shows up trying to talk to him in person. I’m sure he’ll take that as more evidence of his guilt.”

“If Jasper did these things, he did them,” Nina said. “It’s something we need to come to terms with. We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

“And what if he is innocent?” Willa asked. “Mom, what if he’s a convenient scapegoat? There are plenty of bored kids around town, not to mention frustrated adults with just as many grudges,” Willa added as Paige assumed she was talking about the still new teen community center. “Why are they focused on Jasper? Because he’s different? Because he sees things in a way different from the rest of us?”

Because Jasper O’Neill walked around Butterfly Harbor looking like death’s less optimistic minion? Paige had met Jasper only a handful of times. He was quiet, sure. Introspective, one might think. But if appearances were any indication, there was also the way he embraced the black clothes and had jet-black hair that covered equally dark eyes. And then there was the attitude he wore like a second skin. Yeah. Paige could understand why he was at the top of the list. That didn’t mean he was guilty.

“If this was anyone other than Luke Saxon we were talking about I’d be inclined to agree with you.” Paige had little to no faith in law enforcement, but that was because of her own personal bias. Luke was one of the reasons she still had some. “You know Luke’s own history. He’d never railroad someone just because they look the part or it’s the easy way out. He goes by the evidence.” What that evidence might be, however, was the question. She could probably find out. A few questions here and there, if only to put Nina’s and Willa’s minds at ease...

What was she thinking, getting involved? Just moments ago she’d been reminding herself to keep her head down, and now she was considering poking around an active criminal investigation?

She should get up and walk away. Luke was a good man. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt this family; not if he could help it. And yet...

Paige wasn’t one to turn her back on people who needed help. She could do this. Carefully, quietly. Yeah. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could do this. “I have some pull with the groom.” Paige’s heart leaped ahead of her brain. “Let me poke around a little. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. Maybe they’ve found something that exonerates him and just haven’t let you know yet.”

“We can’t ask you to do that,” Willa said. “You have so much going on already.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. And I always have time for friends,” Paige said. “Your family has a serious fight ahead of you. The last thing any of you need is a distraction. All your energy needs to be going to getting you better, Nina. If I can help make things a little easier, that’s what I’m going to do.”

“You’ll talk to Luke for us?” Willa’s disbelief scraped against Paige’s heart. “You’ll try to convince him Jasper’s not involved?”

“I’ll do my best.” A promise she felt pretty confident she could keep. Dealing with Luke was easy enough, and thankfully he’d taken the lead. Now, if she had to try to extricate information from Deputy Fletcher Bradley...

Paige shivered. Oh, well, that would be a whole other story.

Handsome, attentive, charming Deputy Bradley Fletcher. How many times had she felt herself getting sucked into the attraction vortex that seemed to develop whenever she got into his orbit? She’d gone out of her way to avoid him, especially after realizing he was just as interested in her. Not that he’d pushed or tried to insert himself into her life; just the opposite. He seemed to respect the fact she wanted to keep her distance. Which, of course, made him all the more appealing. The kicker was he was so good with Charlie; he flipped all those switches inside her that made her wish everything about her life was different.

Nope. Paige gave herself a hard mental shake. That train of thought needed to be derailed immediately. As uncertain as Paige was about a lot of things in her life, she knew one thing for sure: no matter how appealing the good deputy might be, anything other than a cursory friendship was absolutely impossible.

Because a lawman like him would never understand a fugitive like her.

CHAPTER TWO

“FASTER, DEPUTY FLETCH! Spin me faster!”

Charlie Cooper’s demanding squeal lightened Fletcher’s heavy heart. Taking the political hit for his friend was one thing; needing to go after a member of an already overburdened family he’d known most of his life was another. The O’Neills had so much to deal with already. How could he even think about sacrificing one of their own to save his friend’s career?

No wonder Luke hadn’t said much about the investigation. He probably felt as conflicted as Fletcher did.

“I think that’s fast enough.” Fletch found himself laughing as Charlie released his hand and tottered dizzily on her sneakered feet. He caught her around the waist before she fell into the lush flower bed in front of the Flutterby Inn. He steadied her and glanced up as Paige Cooper exited the inn. She stopped short on the edge of the porch, her knowing, beautiful blue eyes glistening almost as brightly as her recently changed hair. The now strawberry blond tresses with hints of fire matched those of her daughter’s, except where Charlie’s was razor straight, Paige’s tumbled around her shoulders in thick, glossy waves. She was girl-next-door pretty, with that radiant smile of hers and a small dimple in her left cheek. All of that seemed so surface, but it was all he had. Despite the overwhelming desire to know more.

Every time he saw her was like the first time. And that first time...

Whew. He felt the rush of heat in his face. That first time it was as if Fletch had been tackled by the entire defensive line of his high school football team. He did his best and tried to maintain his cool and keep a straight face around her. He wasn’t a man prone to feeling, well, flummoxed.

And Paige Copper definitely flummoxed him.

He also found her utterly fascinating. She was always helping people, always doing something. She wasn’t one to just sit back and wait for things to happen. She made them happen. His interest confused him, but that was the case with any mystery that crossed his path. How could he be so fascinated and yet so...in the dark? Talk about a puzzle begging to be solved.

The air around him stilled and she released the soft yellow of her summer bridesmaid dress, the gauzy fabric draping over her pretty form.

He blinked. There were times he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Then there were others where all he wanted was to talk to her; get to know her, learn about her. Discover whatever secrets he was convinced she had.

That she did just about everything she could to avoid him should have stung. Instead, it was like honey to a bee and he couldn’t resist the pull. But he respected her enough—and whatever ghosts she carried with her—to do as she silently asked and kept his distance.

He was a man who not only followed the rules, he lived by them; possibly the only thing stopping him from running a simple background check. Somehow that felt like an invasion; something that if she were to ever find out, she’d never forgive him for. He might not know a lot about her, but he had little doubt she was the kind of woman who valued honesty and truth above all else. He wasn’t about to violate either. He sighed.

So be it. At least Charlie seemed happy to be in his company, and being around Paige’s little girl definitely kept a smile on his face.

Paige’s sparkling gaze landed on him and sent his racing thoughts skidding to a halt. Until she looked past him to where Luke stood watching his wife and her maid of honor hamming it up in front of the camera. Fletch’s smile dipped as Charlie darted out of his grasp. Gil Hamilton wasn’t the only one up to something today.

Paige walked down the stairs and beelined for the sheriff. “Luke? May I have a quick word with you?”

Luke turned, his dark eyes heavy with celebratory happiness. He blinked, nodded. “Sure. What about?”

“It’s about Jasper O’Neill and these break-ins,” Paige said. “I was just speaking to Willa and Nina—”

Luke shifted to full attention, his brow furrowing. “I don’t think—”

“Paige, I need to talk to you.” Fletch locked his hand around Paige’s wrist and spun her toward him. “Wedding stuff. We’ll be back in a second.” He tugged her toward him, ignoring the brief look of panic on her face as he pulled her to the edge of the narrow path leading up to the lookout point. He stopped just shy of being able to see the foam spraying off the crashing waves. He didn’t need that nightmarish roar of the ocean any louder in his ears on top of dealing with Paige.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Paige shivered as a cold breeze shot over them.

Fletcher shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Today isn’t the day to talk about Jasper O’Neill, Paige.”

“Thank you.” Even as he saw her debate rejecting the offer, she clasped her hand around the edges and drew it closed across her chest. The thin gold chain and butterfly charm glistened against the sun and the hollow of her throat. Paige’s eyes narrowed. “Since when is it any of your business what I talk to the sheriff about?”

“Since the break-ins are my case.” For a man who didn’t lie, he seemed to be setting a world record. “Luke asked me to take over. You want to talk about Jasper, you get me.”

“Oh.” She shrugged inside his too-big jacket and twisted her head back and forth. She couldn’t have looked any more thrilled if she’d been handed a rotten egg. “Well. Maybe once he’s back—”

“I’ll have it closed by then.” Boy, he was just digging himself deeper. “What’s this about, Paige? Did Willa and Nina tell you something we should know?” Like where he should start or why Jasper had hit the top of Butterfly Harbor’s Most Wanted List?

“You mean am I going to give you a reason to go chasing after an innocent sixteen-year-old kid who was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time? No.” Her eyes went ice cold. “I’m not.”

Why did Fletch have the feeling she wouldn’t have been so prickly if she’d talked to Luke about this? What was it about him that made her so...hostile? “Who says he’s innocent? His family?”

“Who says he’s guilty? Or what does? Why did Luke question him? What evidence is there against him?”

Had Fletch climbed onto some whirlwind roller coaster without realizing it? He knew Paige tended to jump in whenever anyone needed help, and he admired her for it. But picking up the sword to fight for a kid with Jasper O’Neill’s reputation seemed a stretch even for her. “First, it’s none of your business how we run an investigation, and second, this doesn’t have anything to do with you. And unless you’ve taken up yet another job as a private investigator, there’s nothing about the case I’m going to share with you.”

“So you are going after him.” She puffed up in defiance. “Are you looking at anything other than his record, anemic as that is? Fingerprints at the scenes? Witnesses who saw him loitering around those houses?”

“I’m not talking to a civilian about this.” By the time this day was done he was going to be an expert in bluffing. “I can tell you, and you can assure Nina and Willa, that we’ll take every proper step necessary where Jasper is concerned.”

Her snort of derision had him taking a step back.

“So I was right. You aren’t even considering anyone else.”

He hadn’t anticipated adding irritating as one of the missing pieces to the Paige Cooper puzzle. “It means Jasper is one avenue we’re exploring. And he hasn’t done himself any favors over the years by pushing legal boundaries. If you’re done interrogating me, it looks as if you’re needed for your bridesmaid pictures.”

He motioned toward a frantically waving Abby Manning, blond curls bouncing, her maid-of-honor bouquet of yellow and white roses interspersed with eucalyptus leaves an odd kind of beacon.

“We aren’t done talking about this.” Paige removed his jacket and held it out to him. “I’m not letting you railroad him or his family.”

“No one’s railroading anyone, Paige. I’m a cop. I’m doing my job.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” She may as well have fired lasers at him given that look in her eye before she walked away.

The odd statement rang in his ears as he grabbed a new beer and rejoined his friends.

“That looked intense,” Luke observed when Fletch twisted off the cap so hard he left marks on his fingers. “Everything okay?”

“Peachy.” Fletch shook his head, dismissing his soured mood, and plastered on a congratulatory smile for his boss, the groom. “We can talk about it later. Today’s about you and Holly.” And he had the battle scars to prove it.

“You said it, Fletch.” Burly Matt Knight slapped Luke on the back, but no amount of jostling, it seemed to Fletch, was going to erase that goofy smile off his friend’s face. “Life as you know it is officially over, my friend.”

“Life just got a million times better.” Luke toasted his bride as Simon, Holly’s nearly nine-year-old son by her first marriage, dived toward them and suctioned himself to Luke’s side. “What’s going on, bud?”

“When are we going to eat?” Simon whined. “I’m staaaarving and Jason said he’s making burgers for all us kids.”

“Two helpings of pancakes this morning and you’re hungry.” Luke laughed. “I might need to take a second job to keep the kitchen stocked. Fletch?”

“Yeah?” Fletch couldn’t shake the feeling he’d inadvertently turned over an information-laden rock where Paige’s past was concerned. What on earth had she meant with that parting comment? Why was she taking the situation with Jasper O’Neill so personally? “What did I miss?”

“I think it’s more what we missed,” Ozzy joked as he tugged at the snug cummerbund around his ample waist. “Did you have a nice talk with Paige?”

“You talked to my mom?” Charlie danced from where she’d been circling Simon over to Fletch. She grabbed his hand and twirled again. “Yay! I’ve been hoping you two would be friends. Spin me again, please, Deputy Fletch!”

“Again?” Who needed an upper-body workout when Charlie Cooper was around? The little girl looked like she belonged in his sister’s childhood music box. He let out a dramatic sigh and let her grab hold of his hand. Before he could follow through, Simon leaped toward her and grabbed hold of her arm.

“Come on, Charlie! Let’s go check out the buffet table.”

“Later, Deputy Fletch!” Charlie called and let her best friend pull her away.

“Don’t go far, please,” Luke called after them. “You’re not done with pictures.”

“I’ll keep an eye on them.” Ozzy followed them inside.

“Tell me that woman put us out of our misery and asked you out,” Matt said to Fletch, who couldn’t tear his gaze away from Paige. “Since you haven’t had the guts to ask her yourself.”

“Far from it.” If anyone else had accused him of using a troubled kid as a rung on the professional ladder, he’d have dismissed them in a heartbeat. But Paige Cooper? She’d only increased his fascination. What he knew about her could fill a bullet casing.

Clearly there was more beneath the surface than even he’d imagined.

“What you need, Deputy Bradley,” Luke said, “is a plan of action where romance is concerned. Standing around mooning over her isn’t getting you anywhere.”

“Sitting around mooning isn’t either.” Matt choked on his beer when Fletch slugged him. “Oh, come on, man. I’m surprised you aren’t doodling her name with little hearts or something.”

“I don’t doodle.” He must have it bad if both Matt and Luke were both calling him on his unrequited...love? Fletch tried to dislodge that thought before it solidified. No. That wasn’t possible. But whatever this...thing...was between them, Paige Cooper had just thrown down the gauntlet.

And Fletch was more than happy to pick it up.

CHAPTER THREE

STANDING ON THE bride’s right listening to the click, click, click of the digital camera, Paige wondered just how big a mistake she’d made diving into the O’Neill situation without thinking things through. Story of her life. It didn’t seem to matter her intentions, somehow she always ended up on the wrong end of things.

Only this time things included Deputy Fletcher Bradley.

What kind of luck did she have to have that he was in charge of the break-ins investigation? Of all people? Of all...

Paige blew out a slow, controlled breath. She’d have to be blind not to notice how appealing the deputy was in his khaki uniform, but that was nothing compared with how he looked in all his formal best-man finery.

Her gaze flicked over to him, reason battling against flights of fancy. He was tall enough for her to look up to, and those sea-green eyes of his had all but twinkled as he’d spun her daughter like a top in front of the inn. The genuine smile on his lips accentuated the lean features of his handsome face beneath a cap of wavy doe-brown hair. Boy, she needed to get some things under control. Beginning with her daughter’s growing attachment to the Deputy and ending with Paige’s own...attraction. Never in her life had she ever dealt with a man she couldn’t seem to think straight around. If she was going to keep her promise to Willa and Nina, she’d have to interact with the good deputy in the coming days.