A quick look towards the back told me that Michelle had turned her attention to something more interesting than us and was engrossed in a book.

"The prosecutor is still convinced that he can convict Brian, at least of the lesser charges."

"That's good," I said. I scrubbed my palms against my jeans, hoping Emma didn't notice my sudden onset of nerves.

"We were a little worried," Emma confessed. "When you left, I didn't have anyone to back me up, but now that you're here, it's not just my word against his. Without you, I don't think we have a case."

The guilt in the pit of my stomach grew. What if Brian gets off and the charges are dropped? I'd never forgive myself if he walked, free to terrorize Emma and Michelle because I'd lied on the witness stand.

"The one thing I can't figure out," Emma continued. "Is how he managed to hire this hot-shot, expensive attorney? When I heard this guy's name, I went online and looked him up. His consulting fee alone for a criminal case is more than Brian makes in a month. Unless he's been holding out on me." She sighed. "I wouldn't put it past him to lie about how much money he makes. Lord knows where a jerk like Brian gets his money. It's not like he's the most hard-working person around."

"He seems like the kind of guy who'd have friends in low places," I offered absently. "Maybe someone's doing him a favor, or paying back a favor."

"Maybe," she agreed as she pulled into the driveway of the B&B. The sight of the big Victorian house brought a feeling of warmth to me with its green lawn and large oak trees. It was so different than New York here. I glanced at my watch and pushed open the car door. It was close to suppertime. "I doubt anyone's here right now," she said. "The guests usually eat out." Her face wore a puzzled expression. "I'm not sure why. I offer to cook every meal for them, but usually they just take the breakfast and then eat out the rest of the time." She shrugged. "I suppose they want to try the local food. I mean, we do have some pretty awesome seafood restaurants in town."

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing and held the back door open while Michelle climbed out of the car. I had a pretty good idea why Emma's guests only ate a single meal before realizing it would be much more appetizing to dine out. I needed to find a way to politely suggest to Emma that she hire a cook. Otherwise, once the word got around that the Breakfast part of the Bed and Breakfast wasn't even good, her business would decline.

"Where did you go, Hanna?" Michelle asked as she followed me into the house. "When you left here. Did you go back home or someplace else?" Her book was tucked under her arm, but she showed no indication that she wanted to head off somewhere to read it.

"I went back to see my grandmother." I opted for a half-truth. Grammy was easy to talk about without having to worry about how she fit into my previous lies and I could share some of the things I'd done with her without revealing the stuff I needed to keep secret.

"My grandmother lives in Detroit," Michelle said, trotting up the stairs after me. "Well, Mom's mom...I've never met my dad's mom. She lives in Baton Rouge, but she doesn't want anything to do with us." Her voice was so matter-of-fact that I knew this was something she'd been told over and over again throughout her life until it was the same kind of fact as the sky being blue or water being wet. There wasn't any emotion involved.

"Michelle!" Emma's voice echoed up the stairs just as the two of us reached Michelle's room. "Get down here and let Hanna get settled in."

Michelle rolled her eyes, but obeyed, giving me a little wave before disappearing down the stairs again.

"Hanna," Emma called up. "Michelle and I are going grocery shopping. Do you need anything?"

"No," I yelled back, gratefully anticipating at least an hour of peace and quiet. I was sure that's exactly what Emma had planned. There were some things she was clueless about, but other times, she was extremely intuitive. Sometimes I wondered how she hadn't picked up on my deceit yet.

The back door banged shut and I heard the engine turn over, and then the sound of tires crunching gravel at the end of the drive. Then it was quiet. I let my mind go blank, relieved to be occupied with the mundane task of unpacking. I didn't have much to do considering I was in Michelle's room, which meant she had all of her own things taking up space, but I was able to get my sundresses hung up and my clothes in the couple drawers that had been designated for my use.

Once I was done, I sat down on the bed and kicked off my sandals. I'd dressed for the weather down here in Summerville before I left New York and sandals were easy to take off in airport security. Emma and Michelle would be gone for at least another half-hour. I blew out a long exhale and ran my hands through my hair. It was probably a mess from the flight, smashed up in the back from the headrest. I took my brush out of my purse and ran it though my hair, then tossed it on the bed. I could see my phone in my purse and immediately the thought of Luke jumped into my mind. I took out my phone and pulled up Luke's number. A deep longing went through me. I wanted to hear his voice so badly that it almost hurt. I could call him on the pretense of letting him know I'd arrived safely, but that wouldn't be a good thing to do. He was probably just finishing training and needed to shower and eat. And it wouldn't be fair to break his concentration when I knew how important his training was right now. My leaving was actually a good thing, no matter how much the both of us hated it. I sighed and sent a text instead, letting him know that I'd gotten to Summerville safely and that I'd be in touch.

I didn't wait for a response because I had no way of knowing when he'd get the message. I flopped back on the bed, and then pulled my legs up, stretching out. Flying to Summerville may have been faster than the bus, but those damn narrow airplane seats had been hell on my legs. I closed my eyes, letting my mind wander back to last night and the numerous times Luke and I had made love. It'd be a while before we got to be together again, so the memories would have to sustain me.

I rolled onto my side, grabbed the bed pillow and shoved it between my knees as I drifted off, savoring the memory of how his body felt next to mine, hugging the pillow instead of him.

Chapter Nine.

Dani Someone was staring at me. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. I sensed a presence there next to the bed that pulled me out of sleep until I was awake enough to open my eyes. When I did, I saw a petite girl with a solemn face and short auburn hair watching me. Her eyes were a pale blue and there was an intelligence in them that would've made me guess her age at eleven, or even twelve, if I hadn't already figured out that this was Pearl.

"Hello, there." I smiled at her, unsure if she would be frightened at me catching her standing there.

"Hi."

No fear, just curiosity.

"This is Michelle's room." It wasn't said with attitude, just a statement of simple fact.

"It is," I said as I sat up. I tried to blink away the sleep that was clinging to me. I always hated taking naps. No matter how tired I was, they always threw me off.

"But you're here."

"I am." My smile widened. "I'm Hanna."

She studied me for a moment. "I'm Pearl. Do you know where Michelle is?"

"She went to the store with her mother." I moved to the edge of the bed so that sitting wasn't so awkward. "She told me that the two of you are friends."

Pearl's face broke into a huge smile. "I like Michelle, too. It's nice to have a friend here."

"So you're on vacation with your parents?"

The little girl scowled again so suddenly that I realized I'd hit a nerve. "He's not my dad. He's my mom's boyfriend."

"Ah, I see." I managed a tight smile. Is that all I'd be relegated to in the future? The status of being Dad's girlfriend? I hoped that when I finally met Lacey she would like me and speak of me fondly. I wasn't looking to replace her mother, but I knew it would be awkward at first. I supposed this was to be expected and it was obvious from the way Pearl was talking that she didn't like her mom's boyfriend. I had the sudden urge to ask her why that was.

"Pearl!" A sharp voice interrupted. A moment later, a thin woman with blonde hair that was obviously a bad dye job appeared in the door way. "I am so sorry," she said to me before turning on Pearl. "What did I tell you about bugging other people? You don't need to be going around annoying everyone."

"It's okay," I quickly cut in. "She was just wondering where Michelle was since I was in her room."

The woman barely glanced at me, but it was enough for me to know that she didn't really care what I thought. And that she needed to tone it down on the heavy eye make-up. "Pearl here needs to learn to behave better."

Her voice was as flat and lifeless and dried up as an end-of-the-season garden. Before I could offer a reply, Pearl's mom grabbed the girl's shoulder and led her from the room. The action wasn't harsh enough to be considered abuse, but the entire incident still struck me as overkill for such a small thing. I felt bad for the kid. Maybe Pearl was the type to wander off and get into trouble. It really wasn't any of my business. I didn't know the entire situation, but her mother didn't need to be so hard on the girl.

I sighed and stood, stretching until my joints gave satisfying cracks. My stomach growled and I suddenly realized that I was hungry. I glanced at the clock and saw that I'd only been asleep for about thirty minutes. That meant Emma and Michelle would be back soon. If I went down to the kitchen now, there was a chance that they could arrive when I was in the middle of making myself something to eat, and I knew Emma. She wouldn't let me finish. She'd insist on making me a meal. I loved spending time with Emma and Michelle, but I wasn't sure I could choke down a meal of Emma's, no matter how hungry I was.

I grabbed a couple bills from my wallet, scribbled a note and left it on Michelle's bed so they wouldn't worry, and I headed out. When I'd been here before, I'd gone to a place called The Bar and I remembered that they'd had particularly good hamburgers. When I walked in, a sense of deja vu washed over me.

Stage and dance floor at one end. Huge bar in the middle. More than two dozen tables and chairs scattered around it. Tonight, there was no band, but music blared from the speakers and no one seemed to mind it wasn't live.

And, at the bar, was Jasper, the tall blond hunk of a bartender who'd caught the eye of Hanna, my alter ego who'd come out to play that night. I walked towards the bar, trying not to remember the rest of that night. It had been the first time I'd met Emma's ex-husband, Brian. I glanced around reflexively, as if expecting him to be there. Luke had been there to save me that night. My fingers fidgeted with the strap of my purse as I resigned myself to the fact that if Brian showed up tonight, I was on my own.

"Hello, there." Jasper's tone was friendly with recognition. "Daniella-but-everyone-calls-me-Hanna, right?"

"Good memory." I took a seat on the closest bar stool.

"Well, you do stand out." He winked at me.

"Thank you, Jasper."

"And you remember me." His grin widened.

"You're pretty unforgettable yourself," I shot back. Dammit. I cursed myself. Friendly banter was one thing, flirting was something else. Mischievous Hanna had slipped out for a second, but I had a boyfriend. I quickly switched gears. "I'll take whatever's on tap and the second biggest burger you have."

"Coming right up." He was still polite and smiling, but he addressed me as if he knew something had changed. The fact that he didn't push was a good sign. He was actually as nice as he seemed.

The thought popped into my head that maybe I should see about setting him up with Emma. I remembered the total disaster the double-date with her gynecologist had been. She hadn't mentioned Eric again, so I assumed that things hadn't repaired themselves. I'd ask, just to be sure, but if she wasn't seeing anyone, I'd have to figure out a way to get her to The Bar and introduce her to Jasper. He might be a little younger than her, but she deserved a guy like him after all the grief her bastard ex was still putting her through.

My burger arrived and my stomach instantly voiced its approval of my choice. Fortunately, the music was loud enough that no one heard. I dug in, savoring that first juicy bite. I ignored everything around me, focusing just on the half-pounder in my hands.

I was halfway through it when someone took the seat next to me and spoke. "Fancy meeting you here."

I looked up to see the hot guy from the plane smiling at me. Shit. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be embarrassed to be caught wolfing down a burger or worried that he was going to start flirting again. At the moment, however, I was mesmerized by those impossibly white teeth.

"I like a girl with a good appetite." He gestured towards my half-eaten burger.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled to make sure he knew I wasn't being rude. "You wouldn't think that if you saw me eating ribs. It's not a pretty sight," I countered.

"Somehow I doubt that." He let a slow smile linger on his lips as he motioned to Jasper. "Let me buy you a beer."

"Matthew, right? That's okay. This one's on me. Pay back for your help this morning." Before he could protest, I ordered for him. "Give him another one of what I'm having." I waved a hand toward my beer and addressed Jasper to explain. "Matthew here came to my rescue at the airport this morning. Never would've gotten my bag off the plane without him." Jasper smiled, tipping a tall beer glass under the spigot.

"You seem like a capable woman, Hanna," Matthew said, as Jasper pushed the beer in his direction "I'm sure you would've figured something out."

"If you were so sure I'd be able to take care of it myself, why'd you help?" I took a bite of my hamburger while I waited for an answer.

"I'm still a gentleman." The teasing smile faded from his lips as he wrapped them over the edge of his beer glass to take a drink. He was really laying on the charm, his eyes dancing as he answered.

"Oh, I doubt that very much."

He put a hand on his heart, a mock expression of hurt on his face. "You don't think I'm a gentleman?"

"I know you're not," I said. I drained the last of my beer. "A gentlemen wouldn't look at me the way you are."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "I appreciate a beautiful woman." His gaze slowly ran over me and he didn't apologize for the appreciation on his face.

"Before you get overly invested in this," I said. "You should know that I'm taken."

He sighed. "I should've known." He took another drink. "A woman like you probably has her pick of men."

I laughed. "Now I know you're delusional, as well as not a gentleman." I pushed my empty burger plate to the side as Jasper put another beer in front of me. "Regretting having wasted your time on me?"

"Not at all," Matthew said. "Despite what you may think, I am actually a gentleman and I never could have passed by a damsel in distress."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call me a damsel in distress?"

"What, is that not politically correct?" he teased.

"I'll have you know that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

He held up his hands, palms out. "All right, I'll take your word for it."

"Good," I said. "Because the other alternative would be for me to kick your ass in front of a roomful of people, and that wouldn't be a very nice way for me to repay your good deed."

As we each nursed our beers, the flirting banter turned to small talk. We both avoided asking personal questions, for which I was grateful. It was a nice change of pace from the conversations I'd had with Luke and even Emma and Michelle. By the time I'd finished my second beer, though, I was ready to go. Matthew was charming and handsome and if this had been another time in my life I might have considered exploring this further. But Luke had my heart and as nice as it was to have someone to keep me company, he wasn't who I wanted to talk to.

"I should get going." I climbed off my chair and tossed some bills on the bar. "It was good talking with you."

"Do you need the bartender to call you a cab?" Matthew asked.

"No," I said. "I walked."

"Then I'm coming with you." He stood.

"That's not necessary," I protested.

"I insist." His tone left no room for argument. "It's not safe walking around here at night."

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I'd grown up in New York City and I'd gone all over the place at night on my own, but that'd open up too many questions about my past and why I was here. It was easier just to go along with it. Besides, it wasn't like having Matthew with me was a bad thing. I just didn't want him getting the wrong idea.

As our feet hit the sidewalk outside of The Bar, the easy chatter between us continued and my respect for Matthew grew as he kept a comfortable distance between the two of us. It was close enough for conversation, but far enough that I didn't feel as if he was crowding my space or trying to get too friendly.

When we reached the Bed and Breakfast, I stopped on the sidewalk in front of the house. I appreciated him walking me home, but letting him follow me to the door felt too much like a date. "Thanks for walking with me." I gave him a smile that I hoped let him know that the night was over.

"It was my pleasure." He gave me another of his dazzling smiles. "I just have to ask, are you sure you're taken?"

"Very." I took a step backwards towards the house. "Thanks again."

"Maybe I'll see you around," he said.

"Maybe." I kept my tone noncommittal. "Have a good night."

"You, too," he said as he turned and walked away.

I headed for the house. I should've asked Matthew if he was just visiting or if he lived here because if he did I could introduce him to Emma. For being such a small town, suddenly potential dates for my friend were improving. I laughed at myself for trying to play Cupid, but before I headed back to New York, I wanted to get her an introduction to at least one good guy.

My phone went off, interrupting my thoughts. I quickly dug it out of my purse. That was Luke's text tone. I stood on the porch as I read his message.

Hey, babe. Glad to hear you made it safe. I miss you already. The place is too empty without you here. How is it being back in Summerville?

"Lonely without you." I quickly typed the words. And it was the truth. No matter how much I liked Emma and Michelle, nothing compared to being with Luke.

Chapter Ten.