A tall man in a faded T-shirt and jeans rushed through the crowd. “Hey, boy, cut it out.” Towering over the pup, Jack pointed to the damp apron ties. “Drop it. Sit.”
With doleful eyes, Scout obeyed, though the dog could hardly contain his enthusiasm. His tongue hung from one side of his mouth, and his tail wagged against Marina’s calves. She reached down and rubbed Scout’s head and neck. “Haven’t seen you in a while, buddy.”
“Or you.” Jack ran a hand over thick brown hair in need of a haircut.
Marina glanced up and caught his gaze that sparkled with interest. Or was that her imagination? “Because of you, I have to scrub up again.” She could simply change her gloves, but this would give her an excuse to get away from Jack.
She paused. Why did she want to flee from him?
Because he’s dangerous, that’s why. Her heart might overwhelm her common sense around Jack. And she had no certificate of guarantee that he wouldn’t go all Grady on her and show up with a bikini-clad twenty-something. Plenty of them on the beach and everywhere you looked in town. The drawback to a beach village was the youthful, well-toned competition.
Not that she was in a competition with anyone. Marina stood and leveled her gaze at Jack. She was past the race for a husband, past the competition from younger women angling for her job at a news desk. And certainly past men who disappeared like holograms.
“How is the book?” Marina asked lightly.
“Coming along. Ginger is amazing.”
“We’ve always thought so.” Marina shifted, trying not to stare into eyes so blue they took her breath away. “And Leo?”
“Great kid—all thanks to Vanessa, of course. I don’t deserve him.”
An awkward silence ensued.
Marina thought about the situation and wondered if Vanessa had truly exhausted all treatment, though it wasn’t any of her business.
Scout pawed at Marina’s apron and wagged his head.
“He has your cheesy grin,” Marina said, scratching Scout behind the ears, which were also damp and smelled of saltwater. Scout rolled into her arms. He was irresistible, especially with his awkward gait from an injury that never slowed him down.
“Look, I’ve been awfully busy, but I thought you might like to join me tonight for dinner—”
“Tonight? Sorry, I have major plans.” Marina bristled at his last-minute invitation, especially considering his lousy follow-up history. She didn’t need this kind of distraction.
“Then how about—”
“Awfully busy,” Marina said, echoing his excuse. She picked up Scout’s leash and handed it to Jack. “You should use this. Or is that how you get the girls?”
“Guess I deserved that.” Jack took the leash. “Come on, Scout. We’ve got work to do.”
Maybe she’d been too sharp with him, even he deserved it. After all, he was working with her grandmother. She threw up her hands. “Jack,” she began.
He swung around, hope etched on his face.
“You should spend time with Vanessa.”
Stymied again, Jack blinked heavily and nodded before moving on with Scout.
Marina stepped from her post and made her way toward Kai, who was handing out samples farther down the aisle.
“Would you mind the store? I’ve got to wash up.” Marina held out her hands and angled her chin in Scout’s direction. “Eau de wet dog.”
Kai’s eyes lit. “You talked to Jack?”
“Nothing new there. Be right back.” Marina made her way toward the community facilities on the beach next to the farmers market. Even if she hadn’t been busy tonight, she couldn’t believe the nerve of Jack asking her out tonight. Maybe she was old-school, but she had no intention of being anyone’s date-of-convenience.
Marina shook her head, banishing Jack from her mind. She had a critical job tonight that could solidify her reputation in Summer Beach—or destroy it. No one was going to deter her from that.
Certainly not Jack Ventana, the master of disappearance.
2
Marina heaved an industrial-sized bag of flour onto the counter in Ginger’s mid-century kitchen. She and Kai had sold out of her baked goods and quiche at the farmers market in record time—just as Kai had forecast. Afterward, they stopped to pick up a food order. Marina was now buying supplies in bulk, improving her profit margin, not to mention her upper body strength.
As they were unloading, Kai said, “We have to ask Anne and Charles for a tour of their floating mansion before we start dinner.”
“I don’t know if we’ll have time,” Marina said, frowning. “I’m worried about the supplies on hand and prep work, let alone finding everything we’ll need in a new kitchen.”
Kai made a face. “Oh, come on. This might be our only chance to check out such a large boat.”
“Yacht,” Marina said, correcting her. “There’s a smaller runabout craft tucked inside. You can call that a boat. Although it’s actually called a tender.”
Marina had bought Italian rice for risotto, along with butternut squash that could keep if she didn’t use it all. She hoped that her clients’ chef would have more on hand, but at least she’d have the basic ingredients for a dish that she could serve to those with dietary restrictions.
“We’ll leave the rice in the car, but let’s bring the vegetables inside,” Marina said. “I don’t want the heat to spoil them.”
Kai lugged in a carton of squash and placed it inside the kitchen door. “That’s the last of it. I’m going to shower and change. See you in a bit.”
Marina leaned against the counter to catch her breath. She hadn’t been this physically active since the twins were young. It felt good to challenge muscles she hadn’t used much sitting behind an anchor desk. Now, she woke every morning looking forward to another day—rather than dreading it. At this stage in her life, that meant everything to her.
“You’re creating quite the production line,” Ginger said as she walked into the kitchen.
Marina grinned. She didn’t know anyone who ironed their jeans anymore, but with Ginger’s imperious carriage, she wore them well.
Her grandmother had high standards that were as exacting as her mathematical calculations. She often dressed in crisp white shirts and polished loafers, even if she were only strolling into town. Sometimes, she wore flowing ensembles she’d bought on her travels—or yoga gear with a puffy jacket to hike the cliffside for her meditation. Ginger had a style of her own, and she could be as flamboyant as classic, depending on her mood. Today, she had added a chunky red coral necklace and earrings to her outfit.
“Trying to keep up with demand,” Marina said. “We had a great day. We sold out at the farmers market today, and we picked up a dinner party for thirty on board the giant yacht in the marina.”
Ginger arched a brow. “Be careful there.”
“Why do you say that?” Marina inclined her head at the comment. “The owners are clients from the farmers market.”
“Great wealth sometimes spells danger. Haven’t I taught you to exercise your full awareness?”
While some might think this an odd comment, coming from Ginger, who’d put Marina and her sister in self-defense training at young ages, it wasn’t out of character. Especially since Marina had recently learned that Ginger had been a top code-cracker during the Cold War. Ginger still downplayed her involvement, but Jack interviewed others who praised her efforts.