Page 42 of Perfect Together

Damn her weak self for liking his words that much. Wanting more could only lead to heartache... yet she sensed that more was exactly what she wanted from him after last night.

Sam stepped forward, prodding Tyler out the door. To Nicole’s relief, he went without an argument, and Sam shut the door behind him.

Leaning against the frame, Sam turned to face her. “Well, I hope that little show persuaded him to back off,” Sam muttered.

Show?

Disappointment welled in Nicole’s chest. She drew a deep, calming breath, refusing to let Sam see thatshe’dnearly bought into hisactright along with her ex-fiancé.

“Nicole? You okay?” he asked.

She forced a smile. “Just fine.”

“Can I help with breakfast?”

“Sure. Just let me straighten up first.” She swung away from him, needing a minute that wasn’t beneath his scrutiny.

She headed for the bed and began fluffing pillows and drawing up the comforter, cleaning up after them without meeting his gaze. And she didn’t return to the kitchen area to make breakfast until she was certain she had her emotions under control. After growing up in her parents’ household, she’d thought her protective shell was impenetrable. One look at Sam’s handsome face, dismissing any notion of a serious relationship, and she knew she’d been wrong.

But the last thing she needed was for Sam to think she couldn’t handle the affair she’d so willingly gone into last night. If he saw the signs of a clinging female, he’d take off running for sure. Which meant she’d just have to buck up—and grow up. Oh. And develop thicker skin.

***

Sam and thealso newly promoted Cara worked a case that took them into the weekend. His mood was foul, and since Cara wasn’t feeling well, she left him alone, not pressing him for information. Which meant they were both lost in their own thoughts and that of the case, and the weekend passed slowly. Aware that Nicole was moving into her place, Sam stopped by whenever he could to help. He wasn’t the only one. For a woman new to town, she’d already made friends.

Whenever Sam found time to drive over, a different group of people was there, from Macy and her aunt Lulu to Erin, Joe, and Annie. And of course, to Sam’s frustration, Tyler had shown up and planted himself in her house.

Tyler was doing his best to make himself indispensable, moving boxes, unpacking, and just... existing. Sam was disgusted. Tyler clearly didn’t want her staying in Serendipity, but he made damn sure to help her settle in, something Sam hadn’t the time to really do. And it drove him insane, how much Tyler’s presence bothered him.

At least Macy was there, keeping Tyler busy and as far from Nicole as possible, something Sam appreciated even if her reasons appeared more self-serving. A clear attraction existed between Tyler and Macy, and if Tyler wasn’t still pushing for reconciliation with Nicole, Sam would say they were destined to hook up. Tyler and Macy as a couple would only help Sam’s cause.

Of course it would be better if Sam helped his own. As a cop and now a detective, he’d been trained to notice the little things—the twitches in someone’s face and the shift in their expression. And the other morning, he’d caught the disappointment in Nicole’s face when he expressed his relief that Tyler had bought the show Sam had put on for his benefit. Sam wanted nothing more than to draw her into his arms and reassure her, but his conflicting emotions kept him from doing so. Giving her the wrong impression of what he was capable of would hurt her even more. So his bad mood had begun.

And it permeated the entire weekend.

While he was at Nicole’s, he helped with the heavy lifting and tried to be his cheerful self, but she had erected her own walls of protection and had a round robin of people helping her around the house. After a while, he wondered if she’d even notice if he hadn’t come by at all. He’d have realized it, though, and missed her.

On his last trip, he ran into his sister on Nicole’s driveway.

“Hey!” Erin gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Where are you off to?” she asked.

“Interview at the station,” he said.

“How’s it going in there?” Erin tipped her head toward the house.

Sam shrugged. “Looks like Nicole is settling in and everything’s getting unpacked. She sure has enough help to make sure it’ll all get done quickly.”

“Well, that’s good. Moves can be tough. Especially when you do it twice in a short time.”

“I guess. See you tomorrow night at Mom’s.” Sunday night dinner at the Marsden house was a mandatory affair. He turned to go.

“Whoa. Get back here,” his sister said.

He shook his head. “Gotta be somewhere.”

“It’ll wait five minutes. It’s not like they can start without you.”

“Oh, but they can.”