Fate Actually (Moonstone Cove #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,36

was harmless, but most criminals probably wouldn’t.

“Hey, Earl.” She bent over to rub the dog’s floppy ears while Henry put the groceries away. “How you doing?”

He sniffed her legs thoroughly, whining a little.

“Sorry, buddy. Shelby’s at my house.”

Earl sighed and lay down at her feet.

Henry came up behind her, put both his big hands on her hips, and squeezed. “Back off, Earl. She didn’t come to see you.”

She leaned back into his chest, closed her eyes, and let the warm wave of desire wash over her. It wasn’t only desire. There was affection. Surprise. Delight.

And maybe, worst of all, hope.

“Henry, I didn’t come over here for that.” She turned and his hands slid around her hips. “I wish it was just that, but I need to ask you a question.”

He frowned. “What is it?” Worry. Pure worry. “Is everything all right?”

“I’ve kind of been looking into what happened with Whit Fairfield.”

The flavor of Henry’s worry turned sour. “Okay.”

“And… I’ve been trying to figure out one main thing. Him and Marissa. Why would he be with her? What did he get out of it?”

Henry let go of her and stepped back. For the first time ever, Toni felt a solid wall rise between them. His face shut down. His emotions shut down.

“I mean, probably just to irritate Nico, right? What does it matter?” Henry asked. “Do you think Marissa’s a suspect?”

Toni felt an ache knotting her stomach. “I don’t think so. But according to Drew, Fairfield had a fiancée in San Francisco, which meant that whatever he had with Marissa here was just… a fling. Maybe less.”

“And?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, it’s shitty, but men like Fairfield cheat on their girlfriends pretty frequently.”

“But Whit Fairfield was so calculating. So… careful. Why risk pissing off your fiancée to fool around with Marissa of all people? It’s hard to imagine that it was just to piss off Nico.”

“Why not? I mean, he’s an asshole. Was an asshole.” Henry crossed his arms over his chest. “It seemed like both of them were pretty horrible people. They deserved each other.”

“You said that before,” she said. “At my house when you told me someone saw them having drinks.”

“Well, it’s true.” He walked to the kitchen. “You want a beer?”

“No.”

“I want a beer.”

Her heart was pounding. “Henry, why did Marissa ask about you when I saw her at the country club?”

Henry slammed down the beer bottle he’d just picked up and spun around. “What did she say?” His eyes were wide and angry.

“Nothing much.” She swallowed hard. “I, uh, I didn’t know what to say when she asked about you. I wasn’t expecting that, you know? You always sounded like you hated her.”

Henry’s eyes were wild. He looked down at the counter. Out the window. Anywhere but directly at Toni. And his emotions were all over the place. Toni felt anger. Embarrassment. Shame.

“I do hate her,” Henry said. “She was horrible to Nico and the kids.”

“That’s not why.” She could feel it. There was something he was hiding.

“What are you trying to say?” His jaw clenched tight and he stared at her, his stance alert like an animal ready to flee. “You don’t believe me?”

If she put her hands on him, she could make him relax. She could make him tell her whatever she wanted and she would know he wasn’t lying.

And she’d never trust him again.

Toni took a deep breath and put her hands on her burning cheeks. She was upset, but she was trying to remain calm. “Henry, I need to you to be honest with me. For… so many reasons. I need to know why Marissa and Whit Fairfield would be talking about you.”

“I don’t know why that sonofabitch and that woman would be talking about me.”

She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not…” He gave a sharp, bitter laugh. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What doesn’t matter?”

He abandoned his beer in the kitchen and walked across the room, raking a hand through his hair. “Everything I’ve done. The months I’ve spent…” Henry turned, and the look he gave her cracked her heart open wide. “There’s no win here. Nothing I did for Nico is going to matter, and worst of all, you’re never going to…” He gripped his hair in his hand and clenched hard. “Fuck!”

Toni walked over to him and took him by the shoulders. “Henry, just tell me. Tell me everything. I can’t help you if you—”

“There’s nothing to help!” His eyes tore her apart. “I had