Always The Hero

CHAPTER TWO

“LORI, THANK GOODNESS!”

Lori Bradley glanced up from behind the registration desk at the Flutterby Inn as BethAnn Bottomley swooped in like a redheaded designer bird of prey. A Butterfly Harbor native who had returned home after the death of her senator husband, BethAnn was one of those people you crossed the street to avoid. Somewhere north of fifty, she had the uncanny talent of turning any compliment into an insult. Today’s campaign-worthy suit was the color of summer cherries. The look in her eyes? Seek and destroy.

“You have got to help me!” BethAnn dropped a stack of boxes on top of the registration desk and draped herself over them in exhaustion. “Esther Kravatz’s arthritis is acting up and she totally forgot about these invitations. If I don’t find someone reliable to send them out, the entire welcome dinner could fall apart! I’m so glad you’re on the committee.”

Esther Kravatz’s arthritis had been flaring up a lot since BethAnn had returned to Butterfly Harbor after more than a decade away. In the past, the welcome dinner had always been a casual affair, certainly nothing like the big to-do BethAnn had in mind.

“Actually, I’m not on the...” Lori trailed off as she stood, pulled to her feet by the breathy desperation in BethAnn’s voice. A sinking sensation swept over Lori as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed a self-conscious hand down the front of her blue-and-white-striped maxi dress. “How many are there?” Lori’s chest tightened as she did a quick mental count.

“Five, six hundred, give or take. We’re not expecting that many to show up, of course, but they might be up for donations to our charity gift baskets. You can take care of it, right? I’d do it myself, but I’m just so busy getting sponsors and making delivery arrangements. It shouldn’t take too long. Just have a glass of wine, pop some corn and get to stuffing.”

Lori’s smile stretched almost as wide as her patience. Some things never changed. People rarely said no to her, if only to get BethAnn off their backs.

“No one else on the committee can help? What about taking them to the youth center and asking the kids...”

“Oh, well, we can’t trust children with something this important, can we?” BethAnn waved that dismissive hand of hers in the air. “And as far as the committee, apparently not everyone’s taking this kickoff event as seriously as I am. It’s vital we make a good show of things if we’re going to draw a higher level of clientele.”

Lori bit the inside of her cheek. Higher level of clientele was BethAnn code for her rich “friends.”

“We’ve already got multiple television stations coming,” BethAnn went on. “Which means we’re going to be front and center. And then I remembered you and how you’ve always been tip-top when it comes to responsibility and volunteering. I have to tell you, Lori.” She pressed manicured fingers against her chest and tapped where most people possessed a heart. “While I was honored you all elected me to lead the charge on this event, I had no idea how much work would be involved! Thank goodness for all my worker bees.”

Elected? Lori pressed her lips into a hard line. More like the committee had been too intimidated to argue when BethAnn announced her intention to take over the event. Lori sighed. Most of the “work” BethAnn referred to had been completed and locked in place thanks to Lori securing the caterer. All that was left was to figure out furniture rental, decor, and, well... She looked down at the invitations.

Clearly BethAnn’s desire for the spotlight hadn’t diminished in her years away. As happy as people had been to see her go, just like a Monarch, she’d found her way back.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz.” BethAnn clapped her hands together as if wishing a fairy back to life. “Oh, and these all need to be mailed by the eighteenth.”

Lori’s hand froze as she flicked through the addressed envelopes. “You’re kidding? BethAnn, that’s—”

“I know it’s short notice, but I have every faith in you, Lori. Drop me an email when they’re done so I can mark it off the list. I have tons to do before the town council meeting tonight. Stay tuned! There’s going to be a big surprise! Ta!” BethAnn flicked a wave over her shoulder and hurried to the door before any malevolent plans could take hold in Lori’s mind.

“Unbelievable.” There went her free time. Lori grabbed the top box and stuck it on the floor out of sight. She wasn’t up for another lecture from Abby Manning—her friend and boss—about what a pushover she was. She didn’t want to hear how she should be living and enjoying her life instead of hiding behind a desk or holing up in her greenhouse of a sanctuary. Or getting sucked into jobs that weren’t her responsibility.

As if on cue, Abby stepped out from behind the sliding glass doors of Flutterby Dreams, the inn’s now-award-winning restaurant, and turned her perky nose to the ceiling to sniff. “I smell desperation and condescension. BethAnn’s been here, hasn’t she?”

“She just left.” Lori chuckled and pushed the box farther under the desk with her foot. BethAnn’s signature perfume certainly caught people’s attention. “Did you want to say hi?”

Abby rolled her eyes and stepped into the lobby, the flouncy pink skirt of her dress bouncing around her knees. Looking like a cross between a 50’s carhop and a sprite one might find in Lori’s meticulously maintained flower garden, the longtime manager of the Flutterby Inn narrowed laser beam blue eyes on the boxes in Lori’s hands. “What are those?”

“Invitations for the festival kickoff dinner.” Lori had almost pulled them out of reach when Abby’s hands locked around her wrists.

“Why do you have them?”

Lori’s cheeks warmed. She shrugged and shifted on her feet, wishing there was some way to become invisible under her friend’s penetrating stare. How did someone so petite make so many cower? “Because I’m reliable and responsible.” Lori knew how important the festival was to the continued financial recovery of the town. If it meant a few extra hours of work, so be it. “BethAnn was saving me some time by delivering.”

“Uh-huh.” Abby shook her head, clearly not believing her. “And she couldn’t possibly have found someone else to do it or done the work herself. We talked about this, Lori. You have to stop letting people take advantage of you.”

“You take advantage of me,” Lori teased.

“I pay you. There’s a difference.”

“These don’t have to go out for a while. It’ll be fine.” Given the expression on Abby’s face, Lori scrapped plans to get a jump start during her downtime at the inn. “I can get a good start tonight—”

Panic rose in Abby’s eyes. “You’re covering for me at the town hall meeting tonight, remember? I have that dinner with Jason’s partner. If he hadn’t flown in from New York...”

“No, I’ve got it. It’s okay.” Darn it! She’d forgotten she promised to go. “It’s no big deal. I’ll make it all work.”

“Whew. Thanks. Jason’s super nervous about the meeting. I need to be there for moral support. And to pour the wine. Keep your ears open in case our good mayor throws a festival curveball.”

“What kind of curveball?”

“I wish I knew. Don’t worry. You just need to be the face of the inn. Since we agreed to host and sponsor the BBQ cook-off and food market with Calliope—”

“You’re not participating in the cook-off, are you?”

“No.” Abby scrunched her mouth and released Lori’s hands. “Geez, I set off half a dozen fire alarms in this town...”

Lori sank into her chair after settling the boxes in their not-so-hidden hiding place. Abby Manning inhabiting a kitchen was one of the reasons smoke detectors had been invented.

“You’d think the fact I’m marrying a chef would have earned me some points by now,” Abby huffed.

“When are you doing that, exactly?” Lori asked in the hopes of keeping Abby off her case for a while longer. “Getting married?”

“Oh.” Abby blinked, and then a slow, dazed smile stretched across her features. “On Christmas Eve.”

“This Christmas Eve? Abby!” Lori leaped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around a vibrating Abby. “You finally decided on a date! That’s great! Oh, a Christmas wedding.” Lori’s mind exploded in images of blossoming poinsettias and frosted trees decked out in twinkling golden lights and shimmering ribbon. Was there anything more beautiful? “Where?”

“Here.” Abby stepped back and clutched her clasped hands against her chest. “This will be Jason’s first Christmas in Butterfly Harbor and I want to go full bore. Total fantasyland here at the inn. I’ve already talked to our new owners and they want to make it part of their travel promotion next year, which gives me some fun financial numbers to play with.” She hesitated, bit her lower lip and raised uncertain eyes to Lori. “I’m about to become a complete hypocrite.”

“But it’s coming with a warning. I appreciate that.”

“Is there any chance you’d help me with the wedding? The flowers and decorations I mean. I could hire a florist, but you’re so good with the arrangements we put in the rooms and on the table. We get so many compliments.” She gestured to the exploding bouquet of autumn buds and full-blown sunflowers on the side table courtesy of Lori’s greenhouse habit. “And you’re organized, which we both know I need. If you’d be up for it I’d be in your debt forever!”

“You don’t even have to ask.” Excitement struck dead center of Lori’s heart, tempered by momentary worry at the idea of letting her friend down. She hadn’t tackled a project as big as a wedding before, even if it was just the flowers and decor. She’d helped with Holly’s nuptials earlier this summer and then there had been Paige and Fletcher’s spur-of-the-moment ceremony a few weeks ago, but nothing along the scale of what Abby no doubt had in mind.

Still. Lori bit her lip, unable to stop the smile from forming. She could do this. She wanted to do this. Even as she tried to convince herself, her hands shook. She had to do this. Abby was counting on her. “I’m honored, Abby. Truly. Whatever you need.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I know it won’t be easy with you playing double duty as a bridesmaid—”

“Wait, what?” Lori’s pulse flatlined. She touched trembling fingers to her suddenly dry mouth. “Abby, you don’t want me as a bridesmaid. That’s so public. And you’re so...” She waved her hand up and down Abby’s short, petite frame. “And I’m so...” It took her twice as long to indicate her own body.

“You’re so what?” Abby’s eyes sparked and narrowed.

“I’m not bridesmaid material. Next to you I’ll look like the Jolly Green Giantess.” The fat, frumpy Jolly Green Giantess. She tugged at the waistline of her dress, felt her fingernails dig into her palms through the fabric. “Good heavens, the photographer will need a special lens to get us both in the same picture.”

Abby planted her hands on Lori’s shoulders and shoved her into her chair. “You know I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“You know what. Put yourself down, make a joke out of something I don’t find funny. I can almost understand it with people you don’t know, but we’ve been friends long enough. Stop it.”

“But this is different.” Those pictures would be...forever.

“The only thing that’s different is it’s my wedding. I want you standing with me and Holly and Paige, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Lori swallowed hard. Because the idea of standing next to beautiful Abby wasn’t humiliating enough, being caught among Butterfly Harbor’s version of Charlie’s Angels made her nauseated. Not to mention there were bound to be reporters and news crews covering the event thanks to the popularity of Abby’s celebrity chef fiancé Jason Corwin. Top that off with the publicity department from the hotel... That meant cameras, and cameras, as everyone knew, added ten pounds. At least. Maybe if she went back on that liquid diet she could lose enough to—she took in a shuddering breath.

“Lori, stop.” Abby bent down and grabbed hold of Lori’s hands. “This isn’t the reaction someone’s supposed to have when they’re asked to be a bridesmaid. There’s at least supposed to be a smile in here somewhere.”

“How’s this?” She pointed to her overwide smile.

“You look like you’re being tortured by a winged superhero. Knock it off. When are you going to stop letting numbers on a scale define you?”

Lori hesitated. When she could look in the mirror and not immediately see a fat girl. When she didn’t feel as if she was the biggest person when she walked into a room. When she didn’t hear her mother’s voice asking her “how much do you weigh now, dear?” When she could look back at a particularly nasty few weeks in high school and not feel like a complete idiot.

“It’s an automatic reaction.” Lori knew Abby was right. For the most part, she didn’t dwell on the fact she was, well, larger than most women. But then there were times—like being asked to be a bridesmaid or when a lifetime of insecurities and criticisms flooded back at her like a tidal wave—that she couldn’t withstand the pressure. “I’ll think about it,” she offered.

“Good.” Abby nodded as if it were a done deal. “And since Jason plans to ask Matt to be a groomsman, you’ve got your escort all...arranged. And what’s with that look?” Abby circled a finger in front of Lori’s face. “You got a funny expression on your face when I mentioned Matt.”

“Did I?” Lori resisted the urge to squirm. If only she could crawl under the desk with the envelopes and invites.

“You did. What’s going on? I thought you and Matt were—”

“Well, if we were, we aren’t now.” Lori hated the defensive tone in her voice, but this was yet another conversation she didn’t want to have. “I mean, yeah, we hung out for a while.” The idea was almost humiliating that at twenty-six she’d finally had her first—second if she was being honest with herself—date. But whatever she thought was going on with Matt, she’d clearly been wrong. Sometime in the last few weeks, he’d stopped returning her calls, didn’t answer her texts. If she hadn’t seen him walking or driving around town on patrol, she might have worried something had happened to him. “We’re friends. That’s all.”

Did friends miss each other the way she missed him? Obviously she’d come across as overeager, even desperate, and scared him off. Big surprise. She thought she’d done her best to keep her feelings and hopes to herself. “It doesn’t matter. Stop looking at me that way, Abby.”

“What way?”

“Oh, poor Lori. Friday Night Popcorn Queen. Scares off a man who carries a gun for a living.”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I never took Matt Knight for an idiot, but I’ve been known to be wrong before. I’m sorry.”

Lori shrugged. “No big deal,” she lied. “I’m more a status quo kind of woman anyway.” If there was one thing Lori knew about it was how to be alone. Then again, she wasn’t alone. She had Winchester. Her cat.

“So we’ll make different arrangements for the wedding. Get you a different escort.”

“I don’t think—”

“You think too much.” Abby gave her hands a hard squeeze before she stood. “I know you’ll do a great job making my wedding beautiful. But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed to not have you standing beside me when I get married.” She walked to the restaurant doors, stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Someday I hope you stop letting what other people might think matter so much. As far as I can tell, the only person judging you, the only person standing in your way, is you.”

CHAPTER THREE

BEFORE HE’D SIGNED on as a deputy in Butterfly Harbor, Matt could count on one hand the number of town council meetings he’d attended. Politics wasn’t his game; watching it play out in front of him like bad theater really wasn’t his game. There was, however, something to be said for small town personalities in a confined space that provided an unpredictable concoction of gossipworthy entertainment.

The makeshift City Hall—the original one had been shut down last year due to code violations—loomed over the edge of town like a ghost from the past. The old Checkerspot Pub now housed the mayor and a good portion of city staff, or so the brass plaque beside the double glass doors decreed. The weathered two-story building had always reminded Matt of an old-time saloon with its wraparound porch and second-story overhang. All that was missing were wooden swinging doors creaking in the evening breeze and the tinny sound of an untuned piano.

“Evening, Matt.” Harvey Mills, all belly and overly round eyes, headed from where he must have trekked from his hardware store on the opposite end of Monarch Lane. “Good turnout tonight?”

“Looking that way.” Matt gestured toward the door where the cacophony of voices continued to rise. He peeked inside the window. “Best grab a chair while you can.” Nerves prickled the back of his neck. He glanced at Harvey, who didn’t look any more eager than Matt to head in. “Everything okay?”

“I’m hearing rumblings our good mayor is about to pull the rug out from under us where this festival is concerned.”

Matt waited. Mrs. Ellison might have cornered the market on town gossip, but when it came to reliable information, Harvey was the go-to man. There was something about men gathering in a hardware store—which also housed the town’s post office annex—that turned the business into Butterfly Harbor’s version of a confessional. The fact Harvey had lived here his entire sixty-two years also added a layer of authenticity that kept Matt’s interest piqued. “Any rug in particular getting pulled?”

“Details, much like our mayor’s intentions, are scarce. Best be prepared for anything.”

“I usually am when it comes to Gil.” Matt took a long, deep breath. “Jasper get you that list of tools and supplies we’ll be needing to get those houses in shape?”

“Ordered and mostly received.” Harvey gave a firm nod. “Got you a good deal on some replacement windows. You’ll need to pick them up over in Durante, but they were a steal since they’ve been discontinued. Way too many empty houses around here have gone to rot. Your idea to get at least the exteriors fixed up, get those yards under control before the festival starts? It’s a no-brainer if you ask me. I’ve still got some feelers out on gardening supplies. Might have some donations coming your way.”

“Plus it makes for a nice tax write-off for you,” Matt joked.

Harvey grinned. “Not going to complain about that. Those volunteer lists you’ve got around town look to be filling up. ’Bout time we get more people involved. Make them feel more a part of things. Community center kids getting involved, too?”

“That’s the idea.” Matt would have given his right arm for a teen community center like the one Luke Saxon had opened soon after becoming sheriff. He’d wanted a place where kids could take classes, hang out, get tutoring and, most importantly, stay out of trouble. Having Luke’s predecessor—and current father-in-law—running the place made the idea something the mayor hadn’t been able to argue with. “Way things are going, the center will outgrow that building on the beach by the end of the year.” Faster if houses started selling again.

It was a problem Matt was anxious to have, which was why he was scoping out new locations for the community center every chance he got. “All that being said, it would be a great promotional push come festival time. Gil wants to get buyers in here, year-round and seasonal. If visitors see us as a tight community that takes care of our own, that can only be a positive.”

“Well said,” Harvey agreed. “I can see why Luke trusts you with this.”

No need to erode Harvey’s faith in the department by stating he was only a stand-in. This project was Luke and Fletcher’s baby. “When I was in the army, word had it I could sell sand in the desert.” A pang of grief struck low and hard at the memory of his friends who were gone now. Only two of them had made it back and he hadn’t heard from Hack in at least a year. “My platoon leader called me Superstar.”

Harvey chuckled. “You shouldn’t be giving me information like that, Matt. You never know where or when I might use it.” Harvey patted Matt’s arm as he headed inside. “If the mayor starts slinging, you don’t back down, hear me? We need people like you and Luke who put this town and not your personal agendas first.”

“Understood.” Matt started to follow, then came up short as a flash of blue caught his attention coming down the hill. Lori.

His entire body felt lighter just seeing her. He tugged at the hem of his jacket, flexed his hands as he watched her approach. She’d lightened her hair, added subtle red highlights that caught in the late setting sun. He loved that rich, doe brown that curled subtly down and around her shoulders and framed her round face. She tended to wear the same type of dress, long and flowing around the ankles, almost covering the flat shoes she wore. He caught a quick glimmer of surprise shining in her bottle-glass green eyes when she spotted him. She glanced away long enough to tie a substantial knot in his belly.

Even if he didn’t need her help with Kyle, he’d been anxious to see her again, to explain why he’d disappeared on her. Funny. He hadn’t had any problems facing down insurgents with grenade launchers, but the idea of facing Lori after all these weeks of silence left him almost petrified.

“Hey.” He tried to sound as casual as possible even as his heart pounded hard in his chest. “Ozzy said you’d be here. Long time no see.”

“I know.” When she stepped up beside him, she could almost look him directly in the eyes. It had been one of the first things he’d noticed about her—one of the first things he’d liked. She didn’t turn simpering smiles or bat overactive lashes to get what she wanted. She didn’t look to him to rescue or placate her. She was straightforward, honest and, most importantly, fun to be around.

He’d missed her.

“I suppose I owe you an apology.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. He supposed?

The corners of Lori’s eyes twitched. “For what?”

She was going to make him say it. “For not returning your calls or your texts. I’ve had, well...” Oh boy. He’d rehearsed this and yet none of the words seemed to be waiting for him. “I had a lot of thinking I needed to do. Some decisions I had to make and—”

“You don’t owe me any explanations, Matt.” She shrugged as if they were discussing something no more important than the weather forecast. “We’re friends. Well, acquaintances really. Nothing to worry yourself over. We’re good.”

“Okay.” Except it wasn’t okay. He could feel all his plans, everything he wanted to say to her fall through his fingers like water. “But I would like to talk to you. Maybe tonight, after the meeting—”

“I have a lot of work to do when I get home. Maybe some other time.” She reached for the door handle at the same time he did. His fingers brushed the back of hers. She snatched her hand away as if she’d been burned.

He moved in, lowered his voice and inadvertently brushed his lips over her ear. “I should have called. Or at least told you what—” She jerked away, her face flashing with anger before she eased her expression. Matt almost gulped. As big a heel as he felt before, he felt like an even bigger one now.

“Stop making this out to be something it wasn’t, Matt.” Was that irritation in her voice? “You have your life, I have mine. It’s not surprising there’s not a lot of overlap. So while there’s nothing to apologize for, I’ll just accept it so we can move on. Sound okay?”