"Today's the big day, NB!" I picked up the little brown and white puppy and spun us around in a circle before giving him a kiss on the nose the next morning.

He squirmed to get away. Dogs didn't understand the excitement of the day. Broadrick didn't promise, but heavy hinted that he'd be checking out of the army base today and heading home.

Here.

To me.

Not the secondary family he'd met and created while on this mini deployment.

I stopped by the front door, searching for his truck keys.

Okay, fine. I created the whole secondary family thing in my head, but it could have happened. He was a hot guy, and he had muscles. What woman wouldn't want to snatch him up?

I found the keys in the pocket of my black leather coat and waved goodbye to NB with a threat to stay away from Katy's place.

Broadrick also had an interesting surprise waiting for him when he made it home.

An empty gas tank.

We didn't want him to forget how to do the simple things in life. Like getting gas. It would be a small reminder of the way life used to be for him. See? I was making his transition into civilian life easier for him by setting small wins.

I also just hated getting gas. They made us watch a "Dangers at the Pump" video during driver's training where the entire station blew up because one dumb person and I'd had nightmares about roving cigarette-throwing bandits since sixteen. Plus, Broadrick had been filling up my gas tank since he showed up in January, and I'd grown used to the benefit. He couldn't leave and take it away from me now.

I'd grown accustomed to the life of a well-taken-care-of girlfriend.

A woman with purple hair waited outside the bakery. She had on a long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. The man beside her wore a big puffy black coat and mittens.

I shook my head as I parked in a space on the street and jumped out of the truck.

"Give me just a second," I said to the two of them and held up a single finger.

Anessa met me at the bakery's door and passed out a large iced coffee to me with a smile. I had the best friends. They always understood exactly what I needed. It also didn't hurt that I'd called ahead and told her it was a large-sized day.

I took two sips of the delicious brew and let the cool coffee flavors invade my bloodstream as I joined our now three-person group.

Matthew handed me a small white envelope. I slid my thumb under the edge and opened the flap to glance inside. Thick with cash. I pocketed it without checking the amount because coffee came first.

He watched me drink the icy beverage as he stayed bundled up in his thick coat. "How can you drink that?" he asked with a shiver before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's God's brew." Didn't he like coffee?

"It's freezing outside." He sank further into his coat and turned to his purple-haired companion. "We are definitely not setting up a life here, babe."

She rolled her eyes and head at him. It was a brilliant move. I had to learn it. "You're such a cliché."

And I guessed they were "that" kind of couple, even though Harper denied it earlier.

I glanced around us. Did we have a cold front coming in? I held my hand out to test for rain. "It's not even cold."

We were having a warm May. I loved it. The best thing about living in an area with snow was watching it melt and life resume to the world each spring.

"Don't take it personally. He's always cold unless it's hell," she said with heavy sarcasm.

I nodded. Some people really hated the cold. I understood.

Matthew gave a little laugh under his breath, but it wasn't necessarily a positive one. They were a weird couple. A fresh breeze blasted us from the ocean. I stretched my neck out and took a large breath of the air laden with hints of new life.

I loved spring in Maine.

"It's okay. My boyfriend is annoying sometimes too," I said with a smile.

She frowned at the same time that his turned into a grin. Okay, then. They definitely had something going on in their relationship.

Harper crunched up her nose. "He is not my boyfriend."

Matthew wrapped his arm around her shoulders with his smug grin still firmly in place. "Never say never."

She pushed away his arm and stared at him as she slowly said, "Never."

He leaned close to whisper something in her ear, and his smile stretched wider. She batted his head away.

Harper rolled her eyes again. "Where are we meeting Pearl? I want to get this over with so I can go home and never see him again."

"Right, Pearl," he said, finally pulling his gaze away from Harper.

"About that..." I fidgeted. "Pearl would prefer we meet somewhere in public. For privacy."

I understood. There was something about these two people. Pearl hadn't seen them, but I got her reluctance to let strangers into her home. Or life. Or town.

The iced coffee hadn't fully hit my bloodstream yet, but I turned toward the bed-and-breakfast.

"Wait," Matthew said, stalling my progress. "We're meeting at the B and B for privacy?"

"The restaurant is private," I promised and took another step.

"In a public restaurant?" Harper added.

I sighed and turned back. Definitely not enough iced coffee for this conversation yet. "You have no idea."

There were more cameras and listening devices in the bakery than in any other place in town. When it came to public spaces, the bed-and-breakfast had more unwatched alcoves and dead zones than anywhere else.

I led our group up the stairs of the blue historical building and tossed open the doors. Detective Anderson taught me how important it was to have a presence when entering a room.

Katy stepped away from her podium at the registration desk and met us halfway in the front lobby. She had her hair tied behind her in a loose bun and a cute black skirt with a light blue blouse. She smiled but gave the two people behind me a heavy once-over and then a lifted eyebrow.

"Pearl is waiting for you in the restaurant. I'll take you to her," she said and held out her hand toward the large open doors of the stateroom.

"What kind of mood is she in?" I whispered in her ear while we walked.

Katy shook her head. "Devious. Should be an interesting conversation. She demanded a table different from her regular and repositioned the chairs. You'll have to tell me what that's about."

Hmm. That was weird. Pearl was a creature of habit. Everyone knew what tables were hers at the bakery and the bed-and-breakfast.

We crossed the threshold into the room, and Pearl lifted her head in our direction. Her easy, thought-provoking smile was missing. In its place she had tight straight lips and watchful eyes. She looked ready for battle. But why?

She had her gray hair twisted in her standard braid, but rather than one of her long, breezy dresses, Pearl wore a purple pantsuit. Where did she get that thing? She sat on the opposite side of the room from her normal area with her back against the wall.

"Vonnie, come sit by me," she said as we approached.

I moved toward her left.

"No, away from the window," she directed me to her other side with a wave of her hand.

"Okay." Weird. But she was always a little weird. "Pearl, this is Matthew and Harper. The people I told you about on the phone."

Pearl smiled at them, but it seemed forced. "Won't you sit?"

"It's nice to meet you, Pearl." Matthew's gaze stayed out the window. He'd have to sit on Pearl's other side, and then he glanced at Harper before pulling out a chair for her. "I've heard a lot about you."

He had?

"I'm sure," Pearl said. "That life was a long time ago."

Matthew nodded and pulled a package from his pocket. "I brought you a small gift."

Pearl eyed the package before ultimately easing it off the table and sticking it in the bag sitting on the floor between us.

"You're not going to open it?" I asked. Didn't she want to see what was in it? I did!

Pearl shook her head. "There are more important matters at hand."

"I didn't get a gift," I mumbled. If I wasn't going to get a gift, I could at least learn what he'd given Pearl.

Matthew chuckled and pushed the menu away from him. "I gave you money."

"Oh, yeah," I said, thinking of the cash in my pocket with a smile. Money was a splendid gift. Not a cool secret package, but I'd take it.

"Let's get to business, so you can get out of my town," Pearl said with venom in her words.

Where did that come from?