“She’s the woman whose car broke down on the side of the road,” Cage explained.
Heff was the first one to put the pieces together. “That’s the reporter who’s coming to do the interview?”
“Suppose so.”
Doc grinned. “Lucky you. You know, if you’re not up to the task, I’ll do you a solid and be her appointed liaison.”
Cage knew Doc was just giving him a hard time, but the thought of Doc showing the reporter around genuinely annoyed him. “Thanks, but I’ve got it covered.”
“You sure? Because I don’t mind taking one for the team.”
The irrational caveman-like urges tightening his chest were unexpected. “I said, I got it.”
Heff, the fucker, smirked. “Feeling a little territorial there, huh, Cage?”
“Fuck off.”
Heff laughed.
“She’s looked over here twice already. Do you think she knows who you are?” Kate asked. “That you’re with Sanctuary?”
“No,” Cage answered.
Their brief roadside encounter hadn’t included an exchange of personal information, and even if she had done research prior to her arrival, his name and image weren’t part of the Sanctuary public profile. Church and the others were one hundred percent in agreement about keeping their identities and those of their guests private and on a need-to-know basis. People outside of Sanctuary didn’t need to know.
“You should go talk to her,” Sandy prodded.
The arrival of their wings and beer provided a distraction and took some of the heat off of Cage, but he almost wished it hadn’t when Marietta started spewing gossip in that sickeningly sweet voice of hers.
“I hear Luther and Kylie set a date,” Marietta said to Kate, malice dancing in her eyes. “Isn’t that awesome? So romantic. And so fast, too.”
Cage—and everyone else at the table—frowned. In addition to being a flirt, Marietta was also a notorious instigator, especially when it came to other females. As a Sumneyville native, Marietta was well versed on all the locals and knew which buttons to push to achieve maximum damage. For Kate, that button was being reminded of how her family had chosen a thieving con man like Luther Renninger over their own daughter and his subsequent engagement to her much-younger sister.
Kate said nothing.
Mad Dog, however, grunted out, “Good for them.” He took Kate’s hand—the one with the glistening rock he’d put on it only recently—and lifted it to his lips. It was a deliberate move, one meant to let Marietta know that Kylie wasn’t the only Handelmann sister about to get hitched.
Marietta’s eyes widened; her mouth opened and closed before she turned away from the table and scurried back toward the kitchen, no doubt to spread the news.
“Now, you’ve gone and done it,” Kate said, but some of the sadness had left her eyes, and she was smiling. “It’ll be all over town by the time we leave the restaurant.”
Mad Dog leaned over and kissed her soundly. “That’s the idea. I want everyone to know I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Kate melted right then and there while Heff made a gagging noise. Sandy elbowed him in the ribs.
“What?” Heff said, feigning innocence. “He can’t possibly be the luckiest man in the world because I am.”
Cage snorted and looked over toward the solitary woman’s table, wondering if she had someone special in her life. This time, she caught his eye and offered him a smile. He felt it deep in his chest. Perhaps Sandy was right. Maybe he should go over and say something.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Cage said, pushing back his chair and rising.
He made his way across the dining room. The brunette’s eyes followed him the whole way. The fact that she closed her notebook and discreetly pushed it to the side before he got too close wasn’t lost on him. He wondered what she’d been scribbling.
“We meet again,” he said in greeting.
“Hi,” she replied.
“Does the fact that you’re here mean your day got better?”
Her smile widened. “Definitely better.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Should he mention the interview? He debated briefly, then decided against it. For one thing, he liked having the advantage. For another, he was looking forward to seeing her reaction when she discovered the truth. That didn’t mean he was ready to walk away.
“Staying at Mel’s?” he asked. Since it was the only motel around for miles, he figured it was a safe bet.
“No, the B & B.”
Sumneyville had a B & B? “Good choice.”
Her eyes glistened with amusement. “You’re the second person who’s told me that this evening. I’m all about good choices.”
“Well, you’ve made a good one by coming here. Franco’s is the best restaurant in town.”
“Is there more than one restaurant in town?”
“No,” he replied with a grin of his own. “Enjoy your dinner.”
“Thanks. I’m sure I will. And who knows? Maybe our paths will cross again.”
“Maybe. Third time’s a charm, right?”
“So they say.”
He was still chuckling when he got back to his table, glad to see the rest of the food had arrived. He tucked in to his meal, ignoring the five pairs of eyes pinned on him. Well, four pairs of eyes. Mad Dog’s attention was focused on his food.
“Well?” Heff prompted.
Cage ignored him and turned to the ladies. “Did you know Sumneyville had a bed-and-breakfast?”
Both nodded. It was Kate who said, “Martha McGillicuddy runs it. She’s got a huge Victorian on Fourth Street. Luther convinced her to license it as a B & B for tax purposes, but I don’t know how many people have actually stayed there, outside of her family.”
“She’s staying with Martha?” Sandy’s brows pinched together. “That could be a problem.”
“Why?” asked Cage.
“Because Martha’s almost as big a gossip as Mona,” Sandy explained.
“Mona?” Heff asked.
“Mona Delvecchio.” When Heff still looked confused, she added, “The purple-haired lady at the township building who conveniently lost so much of the Sanctuary zoning and inspection paperwork.”
Kate’s smile dimmed. “And Martha’s the one who told me I couldn’t do Meal on Wheels anymore once I moved in with Chris.”
“What?” exclaimed Sandy in surprise. “You didn’t tell us that! Why the hell not?”
“Because the Ladies Auxiliary didn’t want to risk getting on Jerry
