“I intend to.” She leaned against the doorframe. “It’s been a lovely few days.”
“I’m glad I had the chance to get to know your parents better. They’re nice people.”
“Yes, they are—but I wasn’t just talking about the fact we’re all back on speaking terms. It’s also been better between us.”
He moved toward her, stopped three feet away, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I told you I was going to work on that.”
“And you’re proving to be a man of your word—but I already knew that.”
He was close enough for her to see the tiny cleft in his chin and the slight stubble from his five-o’clock shadow.
Close enough for her to touch.
Her fingers began to tingle, and before she could stop herself, she took a step toward him and laid her hand on his chest.
His breath hitched, and his irises darkened as he slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets.
“I’ve missed this.” She splayed her fingers against the soft cotton T-shirt stretched over his firm skin.
“That makes two of us.” He lifted one hand and placed it over hers, then captured her other hand in his. “I was thinking . . . after your mom and dad leave, why don’t we drive up to Shore Acres State Park? Charley said the roses are blooming in the gardens, and we could take a picnic. I’ll even provide the food.”
Her throat tightened. “That’s the kind of outing you used to plan when we were dating.”
“Those were happy days—and I want us to get back to that, Rachel. Re-creating some of those dates might help.”
“You don’t have to twist my arm. I think it’s a wonderful idea. Like something from a romance novel.”
He cringed—but the corners of his mouth flexed. “Just don’t tell Dan about this, okay? He’ll approve—but he’ll rib me no end about being sappy and sentimental.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Not forever, I hope.” He gave her a slow, intimate smile that jacked up her pulse.
“Don’t flirt with me, Greg Clark—or that moratorium you imposed might not last until tomorrow.”
“Is that a threat . . . or a promise?” He waggled his eyebrows.
At his comical antics, a giggle bubbled up inside her. “I’m not sure.”
All at once, tenderness softened his eyes. “You know . . . that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh in months. I’d forgotten how much I love that sound.” He held out his hand. “Let’s make a vow to put more laughter into our lives.”
She grasped his fingers. “Shall we seal that pledge with a hug?”
“I like that idea.”
He pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around him, the worry that had weighed down her shoulders all these months slipping off and evaporating like a Hope Harbor mist.
This was where she belonged.
And absent any new glitches, this was where she would stay.
Forever.
“Ben? It’s Lexie Graham Stone. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Yes.” Cell against his ear, Ben dumped the remains of his frozen dinner into the garbage.
“Is your visitor still in front?”
“Last I looked—but let me verify that.” He strode toward the front of the house and peered through the peephole. “Yeah. Her car’s there. I don’t have a clear view from this angle, but I assume she’s inside. What did you find out?”
“She’s staying at the Gull Motel in town. The clerk on duty said she checked in this morning for an indefinite stay.”
He closed his eyes.
Not what he’d wanted to hear.
“Anything else?”
“The address on her driver’s license is in Omaha—and it’s legit. She does have an apartment there. I couldn’t find any kind of work history. In terms of criminal activity, her civilian record is clean. I can’t speak to her army history.”
“I know all about that history—at least the part that involved me.” So did Lexie. He’d given her a thorough briefing during her earlier visit.
A beat passed.
“This is a tough situation.”
He already knew that.
“Is there anything we can do to get her off my back?”
“Civil trespassing charges are difficult to make stick. I can cite her if she breaks any of the laws in town—littering, speeding, parking in a no-parking zone—but otherwise there’s not much recourse unless she attempts to inflict harm or begins to manifest severe mental issues. Sitting in front of someone’s house or following them with no evidence of physical threat isn’t a crime. It’s a nuisance—and an annoyance.”
As far as he was concerned, it went way beyond that.
But Lexie was in a bind here too. Her hands were tied unless Nicole broke a law.
“Any recommendations?”
“Given your history, I’d say avoid her at all costs. Don’t get anywhere close to her unless you’re in a public place with witnesses around. Keep your house and car locked. And hope she gets tired of this game and goes home.”
“I’m not holding my breath on that. She can be persistent.” Not to mention vindictive. “Unless she runs out of money, she could hang around here until she makes my life totally miserable.”
“Except you’ll be leaving soon yourself, right?”
“That was the original plan—but I’ve been investigating a few other options. Hope Harbor has a lot of appeal.” Including a certain red-haired newspaper editor. “Leaving might not solve the problem anyway. She could follow me to Ohio.”
“In view of her obvious mental health issues, I wonder if she’s under treatment?”
“Possibly—but if she is, it’s not working. And with HIPAA laws, we won’t be able to find out anyway.”
“True. I’m sorry I can’t do more. I’ll instruct the officers to do frequent drive-bys on your street, but my presence—and my questions—didn’t seem to intimidate her very much earlier.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He wiped a hand down his face and broached the concern that had been on his mind all afternoon. “I’m worried about her reference to Marci. Nicole has a very wide jealous streak. In Germany, she shredded the sheets on one of the other nurse’s beds and dumped a liter of blood all over it. All because I ate lunch with the woman
