Alone.

Quiet.

It was the closest to heaven that he could imagine. He paddled out past the pier and harbor and into the open water. He pushed himself hard, until his heart pounded and he couldn't catch his breath. It felt good. Here, in the zone, he couldn't think, couldn't obsess, couldn't regret.

An hour later, muscles quivering, he stopped, panting as the sun beat down on him. He cooled down by making his way back slowly, enjoying the early morning. As he entered the harbor again, he passed the pier and the Ferris wheel, and saw a female jogging along the water's edge. She was built like a Victoria's Secret model, and her long blonde hair flowed behind her.

Melissa Mann.

Shading her eyes with her hand, she took him in, a wide smile crossing her lips. "Well, look who the tide dragged in," she purred as he slid up on the beach and got off his board. "Heard you were back," she said, "and looking for trouble." She waggled a brow and gestured to herself. "Meet trouble with a capital T."

He had to laugh. She was right. She was trouble with a capital T. The very best kind of trouble. "How's the salon going?" he asked.

"Running it now," she said proudly. "Come by sometime. I'll give you a buff and shine." She smiled. "On the house."

He smiled too, knowing that they both understood he wouldn't. "Heard you were at the auction the other night."

"I was. Everyone was." She cocked her head and studied him a moment. "You've got quite a cop face on, Luke. Why don't you just ask me what you want to know?"

"You're sleeping with Ted Marshall."

Melissa laughed. "Somehow, I don't think that's jealousy I hear." She was still smiling. "You've been gone a long time. There's a new dog in town. He's a thoroughbred, but a dog is still a dog."

"And by dog you mean..."

"Just what you think. Ted's single and enjoying the life. Maybe our...enjoyment was mutual a few times."

"He had a girlfriend."

"Ali Winters? He always said that they were just roommates."

"That doesn't bother you?"

"What, that he's really only exclusive with his own dick?" She smiled again and shrugged. "He's actually pretty careful. He's got political ambitions. He likes it that everyone likes him. Plus, it's not like I'm looking for a relationship. He's a good guy, not to mention hot. And he always springs for dinner first."

"On the night of the auction, did you see anyone else with him?"

Melissa gave him another smile. "I don't kiss and tell, Luke. You know that."

He ignored the reference to the one and only night the two of them had shared, back when they'd been nineteen and drunk as skunks on the pier behind the Ferris wheel. "Did you even see the money?" he asked.

"Nope. He did put a big briefcase in the bottom drawer of his desk though. I saw that."

"He lock it?"

"The police asked the same thing. I don't remember either way."

"After," he said. "What happened after?"

"Aubrey came in, and she got all pissed off, asking Ted what he'd have done if someone had seen us." She rolled her eyes. "Like he's running for president or something."

"Then what happened?"

"We left separately. He insisted on that. He really does like to keep his private life private."

Which was tough shit, because "Teddy's" life, private or otherwise, was about to be blown wide open. "Thanks, Mel."

She smiled. "Was I helpful?"

"Yes."

She looked him over for a long beat, taking in his wet gear. "If you need anything else, Luke, you look me up."

He smiled at her, but he wasn't going there. He had a different woman on his mind.

Back at home, he got out of the water, carried the paddleboard up the stairs, and leaned it against the deck. He looked up at the house. Today was day two of Ali's enforced leave, thanks to Russell's taking off to Vegas, and Luke had no idea what she might be doing. Not that it mattered, of course. It didn't. Not in the slightest.

Shit. It mattered. It mattered a whole hell of a lot.

He grabbed the towel he'd left for himself on the deck. He was rubbing it over his wet head when he realized he could hear voices coming through the kitchen window. Glancing in, he saw Ali at the island cooking something that smelled amazing and had his mouth instantly watering. On the other side of the island, cozied up on one of Luke's barstools, sat Zach. Ali was listing off characteristics of Leah Sullivan, and why Zach should ask her out.

"She's funny," Ali said, "and has a great personality-"

Zach groaned. "Great personality? That's the kiss of death right there."

Ali's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" she asked in a tone that would have had Luke changing course pronto.

But Zach apparently wasn't versed in the Don't Go There Department. "You know," he said. "When you say someone has a great personality, it means that they're...not hot."

"Wow." Ali shook her head. "And here I thought you were better than the rest of your gender." She shrugged. "Your loss, because Leah's totally hot."

"Yeah? How hot?"

"Forget it, you've ruined it."

"Aw, man." Zach wasn't in a suit today. Instead he wore skinny-cut, black jeans, an equally tight-to-his-scrawny-chest black button down, and a bright pink tie that matched a few pink streaks in his dark, spiked hair. He still looked twelve. He eyed the omelet Ali was cooking, licking his lips like he was starving.

Ali flipped it onto a plate, pushed it to Zach, and then turned to the door as Luke let himself in.

"Hey," she said. "Yours is next."

Zach stuffed a big bite into his mouth as he eyed Luke. "You don't knock, you just walk in?"

Luke looked at Ali, letting her field this one.

Ali sighed, and she flipped the next omelet. "Luke's living here too, Zach."

"Your mom didn't mention that. She just said he'd given you a place to stay."

"It's not what you think," Ali said.

"No?" Zach asked. "Because what I think is that you're too kind for your own good, and someone"-he glanced at Luke so as to leave no doubt who the "someone" was-"could take advantage of you."

"First of all, I'm not all that kind," Ali corrected. "And second, Luke is the kind one, letting me stay."

Not feeling particularly kind, Luke strode across the kitchen. He'd intended to shower. Instead, he parked himself on a barstool, sprawling his long legs out, making himself at home in his own place.

Ali gave him a look that he wasn't quite sure how to interpret. Annoyance, definitely. Maybe even some affection too.

He could match her on both. But he found himself oddly out-of-sorts at the vibe between her and Zach-which made no fucking sense. They were obviously very fond of each other. And just as obviously, they were old friends with the same level of comfort that he and Jack and Ben had. He didn't read any sexual tension between them.

Not that it mattered. Because it didn't.

What did matter was Zach's ability to defend Ali, if it came to that. And Luke wasn't at all sure the kid-who, granted, seemed sharp and eager to get this right-could handle the case.

Zach was scrolling through the notes he'd made on his iPad the day before. "So is there anything else you can think of that I need to know?"

"Yes," Ali said. "I talked to Edward this morning. He gets up early because once a week he enjoys driving the seniors to the early morning buffet at a casino in Tacoma."

More like he enjoyed the early morning Texas hold 'em table, Luke thought.

"The ground-breaking ceremony for the new rec center is scheduled for next weekend," she said. "The mayor himself donated fifty grand to make up for the missing funds."

"Wow," Zach said with a low whistle, "I'd like to run the mayor's financials to see where that money came from."

"It came out of his retirement account and is supposedly legit," Ali said. "Edward had some other interesting news too. He said that Mr. Wykowski was also in Teddy's office the night of the auction. Mr. Wykowski didn't say anything, because he was hiding from Lucille and her posse, who were chasing him. Mr. Wykowski says that it's rough being eighty-two and single, because the women that go to the center outnumber the men two to one."

Zach snorted orange juice out his nose. "Dammit."

"And Mr. Lyons was in the hallway too, using that bathroom," Ali said. "Because the main bathroom...um, smelled like something died in there." She flipped Luke's omelet. "And then later, Mrs. Burland ended up in the office too. Says she got lost trying to find the coat room. She needs cataract surgery, but hasn't saved up the eight grand yet, which takes her off the suspect list because she can't see past her own nose. Plus she threw out her back last week trying to keep up with Lucille and can't even carry a purse. So it's unlikely she stole anything, except possibly someone's coat that she mistook for hers."

"None of that came out in the police report," Luke said.

Ali shrugged. "Probably no one thought to ask your grandpa."

"I spent summers here," Luke said with a shake of his head. "And I'm still blown away at how he knows everyone else's business."

"Oh, he knows yours too," Ali said.

This gave him pause. "What did he say about me?"

"That I shouldn't trust the man who once blew up all the Town Hall toilets."

"Hey, I was just a kid," Luke said, in his defense, over Zach's choked laugh. "And anyway, that was all Jack and Ben's doing. Mostly Ben's to be honest. He was good at blowing shit up."

Ali smiled. "He said you'd say that."

Luke shook his head. "What else?" he asked, as she transferred the omelet from pan to plate and handed it to him. He dug in, and flavor exploded in his mouth in a harmony of deliciousness. He hadn't realized how starved he was, and he closed his eyes to enjoy it. When he opened them again, Ali was looking at him.

"You know something else?" she asked.

"No." He stuffed another big bite in his mouth rather than tell her that, yes, he knew something else-her ex was a serious dick.

"If you know something that will help," Zach said, "you need to tell us."

Luke set down his fork and gave Zach a look that had the lawyer pulling back just a little bit. Brave but not stupid. Good to know. "The only thing I've got is what we all already know-there are more women in Marshall's life. I think whoever else was in his office the night of the auction is the key to this whole thing."

"We'll find her," Zach said, sounding far more sure of himself than Luke would have thought possible, considering the guy looked like he'd walked off an '80s punk rock poster. "Ali, did you see anything interesting in his office the next day?"

"No. I was only there for a minute both times. The first visit, I just grabbed the pencil pot. The second time, I..." She broke off and nibbled on her lower lip.

"What?" Zach pressed.

"I guess I was still pissed about what I'd heard the night before and-"

"Tell me again," Zach said, "what you heard."

She shuddered. "Teddy in the throes."

Zach grimaced. "Other than that."

Luke took in Ali's expression. She wasn't sad, she was pissed, and he was glad. Marshall didn't deserve a piece of her heart.

Neither do you...

"Anyway," Ali said. "I set his things on his desk."

"I read the police report, Ali, that's not all you did," Zach said.

She winced. "So I left him a sticky note telling him what he could do with his text breakup, where to stick it, how to stick it...that sort of thing. Big deal."

Luke already knew this, but he felt the pride fill his chest again. "Nicely done, by the way."

She shifted, looking embarrassed. "I threatened him. The police frown on that."

"You could plead temporary insanity," Luke said, wanting to lighten the mood.

Ali rolled her eyes, but looked far less vulnerable, and Luke nearly smiled because damn, she didn't need her ceramic lion or the owl. She had guts and brains in spades.

It'd been a long time since he'd ached to be with a woman for more than what they could give each other in bed. This was the problem with Ali, she made him ache. There was just something about her that drew him in, leaving him defenseless against her.

Not good.

"How bad is that note?" Ali asked Zach. "Bad? Or bad bad?"

"Bad isn't the right word," Zach said. "Let's go with...a little difficult."

She just looked at him. "You don't want me to freak out about writing that I was going to do something to him, and then something happened."