Page 11 of Tide and Seek
“We certainly have,” I agreed.
“That’s great.”Royce’s smile was polite.“It’s always great to reconnect with old friends.”
Royce was trying so hard to be a good sport.I was tempted to move closer to him and perhaps take his hand in mine.But while I wanted to comfort him, I didn’t want to rub our relationship in James’s face.When Royce had volunteered to come with me on this trip, it had never occurred to me how awkward it might be for him and James to meet.That was probably because I’d never actually had a serious boyfriend before, so this predicament hadn’t ever arisen.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Would anyone like a drink?”I certainly needed one.“I… I had a lovely bottle of Irish whiskey here when I left.Hopefully the burglar didn’t help himself to it.”
“Sure.”Looking relieved to have something to do, Royce moved to the bar in the corner of the room.“Let’s see what we have to work with.”He crouched down behind the bar, and the sound of clanking bottles could be heard.
I followed Royce, leaning on the counter in front of the bar.“The bottle of Irish whiskey I’m thinking of is called Midleton Very Rare.”
“Hmmm, I’m not seeing anything with that name.”Royce searched for a few moments more, grunted, and straightened triumphantly, holding the bottle of Midleton Very Rare.“Here it is.”The clear glass allowed the rich amber-gold whiskey inside to show through.
“Excellent.”I smiled.
“Are you sure this isn’t too expensive to drink?”Royce asked hesitantly.“Anything with the word ‘rare’ in it must be pricey.”
“What’s the point in not drinking it?Whiskey should be enjoyed, right?”I reached up to an overhead cupboard with glass fronts and grabbed three crystal tumblers.It was my hope we could have a quick drink with James and then send him on his way.
James moved closer, his gaze fixed on Royce.“Does Maxwell ever talk about his time in LA?”
Royce had finished pouring us each a serving of the whiskey and was focused on putting the cork back in the bottle.“He did a bit when he first got to Rainy Dale, but not so much anymore.”He glanced up, his smile amiable.“But I’m sure he remembers those times fondly.”
“Maxwell.”James gave me a scolding look.“Did you forget all about me the minute you left LA?”
“Um… no.Of course not.”Despite my efforts, I didn’t sound very convincing.I hadn’t exactly forgotten about James, but I also hadn’t thought about him much.The whole point of moving to Texas had been to forget LA and all that had happened here.
James laughed tersely but said nothing.
I reached for my glass of whiskey, feeling anxious.I knew I wasn’t giving James what he wanted from me, but had no clue how to go about that without stepping on Royce’s feelings.I took a generous sip of my drink and warmth bloomed across my tongue, silky and smooth.The liquid slid down like velvet, leaving a soft heat in its wake.However, despite how smooth it was, I wasn’t used to drinking liquor straight, and I couldn’t help coughing.
Royce smiled affectionately, and he moved from behind the bar to gently pat me on my back.“Slow down there, fella,” he teased.
I sheepishly returned his smile, grateful for his soothing energy.Seeing James brought back so much of the stress I’d lived with in LA.James and I had both been driven to be the best in our field, and while that had bonded us on one level, the strain of it had been overwhelming.I no longer had the desire to compete or claw for things.Meeting Royce had changed me.He’d shown me a quieter, happier way to live.Royce had turned down the static in my brain and brought things into focus.
James cleared his throat.“So, was something missing?”
“Missing?”I frowned.
“From the break-in,” James said.
“Oh.”I hesitated.“I’m not sure yet.On the surface it doesn’t seem so.”
Sipping his drink, James’s gaze was laser-focused on me.Once he’d swallowed, he said, “That’s odd.Why even break in?”
“That’s what I said,” I agreed.“It’s not logical.”
“To be fair, we just arrived.”Royce fingered his glass, looking distracted.“Max hasn’t had a chance to really look around much.”
“Yes.”I nodded.
“Do the police have any theories about what they might have been after?”James inched closer, his dark eyes still fixed on me intently.“Did they find any fingerprints or anything like that?”
Royce said, “We haven’t had a chance to speak with the police in depth yet.Hopefully, that will change now that we’re here in person.”
“Was there any video of the break-in?”James pressed.“That might be helpful if there is.”
“Yes.”I gestured to the small camera nestled against the crown molding in the corner of the room.“But as Royce said, we don’t have any details about what the police found yet.It’s a bit frustrating.”
