Board was nothing more than an overgrown version of a homeowners’ association. The residents of the cove had to get practically everything approved before any exterior changes were made to the structure or look of any home or building. That included painting, replacing windows or doors, removing trees from your yard, adding a fence or something as simple as switching out a mailbox.
Walking out of his office, he glanced over at Trudy. “I’m leaving for lunch and will be back in an hour.”
“Okay. And I meant to ask how the beef strudel turned out?”
“She altered the recipe,” he said, grabbing his hat off the rack on his way out. He knew he didn’t need to say more than that. It hadn’t been the first time Jade had murdered a recipe Trudy had given her.
“I offered to send her to cooking classes,” he said as he headed for the door.
“Not a bad idea. Especially if she seems interested in learning.”
Sawyer thought his daughter seemed more inclined to experiment with recipes. Hopefully cooking classes would offer directions. When he walked out the door he glanced up at the sun that was shining bright in the sky. Hard to believe it was spring already. In a couple of months school would be out and he would have to deal with kids getting bored during the summer months and getting into unnecessary trouble.
He hadn’t decided what he planned to do over the summer this year. Usually he would take two weeks off in June and take Jade somewhere. Last year they had spent a week in Orlando visiting all the theme parks there. Then they’d spent a week in Miami South Beach. Usually for spring break every year and the week after school ended he would put her on a plane to visit her godmother in Waco, Texas. Erin Daniels had been Johanna’s best friend since high school.
But this year Jade wanted a summer job. She wanted a car and felt she should contribute toward the down payment. A part of him felt he should appreciate her wanting to do that, but he still wasn’t gung ho on her working.
A short while later he was getting out of the patrol car to go into Witherspoon Café, one of his favorite eating places. They served the best omelets for breakfast and the soup and sandwiches on their lunch menu were tasty as well. Every once in a while he would dine here for dinner on those days when Jade had to stay after school or was involved with something at church.
He entered the café. Lunchtime was less formal, and just like a fast-food place you ordered your food before sitting down. For the dinner crowd there was someone who waited on your table. “Afternoon, Sheriff, what can I get for you?”
The man behind the lunch counter was Chester Witherspoon. He was a robust man, probably in his middle sixties with bushy brows over a pair of dark eyes, and a bald head. Sawyer had never known a time when the man hadn’t had a friendly smile. Walking up to the counter, he said, “I think I’m going to have one of your juicy hamburgers and a large order of fries today, Chester.” Since he wasn’t sure how long the zoning board would be meeting he might as well make sure his stomach was full.
“And what would you like to drink?”
“Iced tea is fine,” he said, putting a few bills on the counter. “And grab me a few of Deb’s blueberry muffins to take home to Jade.” His daughter loved them and Deb’s were the best.
“How’s Jade? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
That’s the one thing he had to get used to in a small town. Practically everybody knew each other. “She’s fine. Finishing up her sophomore year of high school and already looking forward to the fall when she’ll be a junior.”
“Boy. I remember when the two of you first moved to town. Hard to believe she’ll be leaving in a couple of years for college.”
He didn’t like to be reminded of that, especially since he knew Jade planned to attend school in Reno. That was the deal they’d made when they’d moved here. When it was time for college she could return to Nevada.
A few minutes later he sat down with his food in hand. By habit he rarely sat with his back to any door and selected a table that faced the entrance. He figured it was the former FBI agent in him. This particular table suited him just fine because he had the ability to see whoever entered long before they noticed him.
A short while later he stopped eating when Bryce Witherspoon walked in with the driver of that little red Corvette, Vashti Alcindor. He had a feeling Kaegan and Bryce had history. He’d derived that assumption from their body language whenever they were within a few feet of each other. Kaegan never said and he’d never asked.
He took in both women but his full concentration quickly moved to Vashti Alcindor as his gaze swept over her from head to toe. In the very spot where she was standing, while the brilliance of sunlight shined directly on her, she looked simply gorgeous. It had been a long time since he’d bestowed such a description on any woman but he would in this case. She deserved it.
While she was sitting in that car yesterday he’d only seen so much of her. Now he was seeing it all and he liked what he saw. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. So he didn’t, although maybe he should. No woman since Johanna had held his attention like Vashti was doing now.
Both women were wearing shorts and tops, and his gaze sharpened as it roamed over her legs. They were a long and sleek pair that was perfect with her curvaceous hips and thighs. She was well toned and he knew a body as shapely as hers was the benefit of an active physical regime. More than likely she had a membership in one of those fitness centers in New York. You didn’t get a figure like hers just eating and sleeping.
Unlike yesterday when her hair had been down and flying in the wind, today it was pulled back in a ponytail and the style made her look younger. She could easily pass for a college coed instead of the thirty-two-year-old that he knew that she was.
His gaze went back to her face, an image he’d thought about after he’d gone to bed. A first for him there as well. He had been married to Johanna for twelve years and during that entire time hadn’t looked twice at another woman. Why was he trying to make up for lost time and why with this woman?
He watched her smile as she hurried across the floor when Chester came from behind the counter to engulf her in a huge bear hug. Even from where he sat Sawyer could see tears forming in her eyes and had to momentarily look away from such an emotional reunion. If what Trudy had said was true, and he had no reason to believe it wasn’t, this was Ms. Alcindor’s first time back to the cove in fourteen years. That was a long time not to come back home. Hell, at least she had a hometown to return to if she’d chosen to do so. He didn’t.
He drew in a deep breath, not wanting to think about his childhood. His birth certificate claimed he’d been born in Dallas but he had been sent to live in a foster home with a family residing in Waco before his first birthday when his unwed mother had given him up for adoption. He recalled being sent from one foster home to another, even crossing state lines to do so. At sixteen he’d been taken in by a good Christian couple. John and Edith Fairchild had been too old to even think about raising a teenager. But they had and he would always appreciate their good deeds. To repay them for their kindness he got good grades in school and worked hard to stay out of trouble.
He had gone straight from high school to the military. He hadn’t been enlisted a year when he’d received word that Mrs. Edith had passed away in her sleep. He had returned home for the funeral only to have Mr. John die the following year from pneumonia.
When he’d come home for Mr. John’s funeral, he’d had to deal with the man’s
