Chapter Three

      Charlie, AJ’s chauffeur for three years, cut five minutes off the drive from the minuscule airport to Haley’s Bay. AJ rubbed his thumb against his fingertips.

      He liked being on time. He preferred arriving early. Charlie was doing his job, getting AJ to his destination as quickly as possible. But this once, he wouldn’t have minded being late.

      Still, he didn’t lower the glass panel and tell Charlie to slow down. Not until AJ had a reason, one beyond his wanting to prolong the inevitable.

      Music played from the speakers. Stock quotes ran across the bottom of a television screen. The bar called to him, but he needed to be stone-cold sober when he faced his family. AJ glanced at Emma, seated next to him, the cat carrier at her feet.

      She stared out the window. Her serious expression—dare he say dour—took prim and proper to the next level. So different from how she’d been right before landing. Her sense of humor had disappeared. Her smile, too.

      She might be upset over getting sick earlier. She might be nervous about her new job. Or she might be acting the way she always did. Whatever the reason, she was his employee, his responsibility. The least he could do was help her relax after a rough flight and coax a smile out of her. “Let’s take a detour. Check out a lighthouse or two.”

      Her lips twisted. “You’re expected at your grandmother’s house.”

      “I wouldn’t be a gracious host if I didn’t show you the sights.”

      “You’re not my host,” she countered. “You’re my boss.”

      Being her employer was easy to forget. Libby had hired Emma. “I don’t mind playing tour guide.”

      Her nose crinkled. “You have a schedule—”

      “Subject to change.”

      “True, but as your personal assistant I’m supposed to keep you on schedule.”

      “True, but you’re also supposed to do what I ask.”

      “Even if doing so isn’t in your best interest? I mean, you haven’t been home in ten years. Your grandmother might be peeking out the window waiting for you to arrive.”

      He pictured Grandma doing that. “I’ll concede the point.”

      “Thank you.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      His gaze met Emma’s. She removed her glasses to blow on the right lens. Pretty blue eyes surrounded by long, thick lashes. He hadn’t noticed her eyelashes before. “Does your grandmother do the same when you visit?”

      “My grandparents are dead.” Emma put on her glasses and stared out the window. “Looks like we’re here.”

      A wooden sign on the side of the two-lane road welcomed visitors to Haley’s Bay. The sign was new. The churning in AJ’s stomach wasn’t.

      After a decade, the town had likely changed. In that same time, his life had also changed. His family’s opinion of him might never change. That could take a century. Or longer.

      The last time he was home his family had tried to shame him into staying in Haley’s Bay. That wouldn’t happen again, but something else might. He wanted to be prepared. “One of your responsibilities is running interference for me.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “If I find myself in a difficult situation, I may need you to get me out of it by texting or calling or physically interrupting me.”

      She smiled at the sleeping cat before looking up at him. “Afraid you might run into old girlfriends who might want to rekindle the flame?”

      “That isn’t likely to happen.” His high school sweetheart and ex-fiancée, Natalie, had dumped him and married one of his closest friends. AJ had been devastated, but recovered. A good lesson learned—immediate gratification was more important than loyalty to some people. “But there will be people around. My family, too.”

      Emma eyed him warily. “Family?”

      He nodded once. “Libby and I have a code word. If I text or say the word, she knows to take action.”

      Emma removed her notepad from her bag. “What’s the code word?”

      “Top secret.”

      “If I don’t know what to listen for, I’m not going to be able to help you.”

      He rubbed his chin. “We need our own word. Something obscure, but not too random.”

      Emma tapped her pen against her notepad. “How about...lighthouse?”

      AJ mulled over the suggestion. Ten letters would be a bear to text, but the word could be worked into a conversation without sounding like a non sequitur.

      “That’ll work.” Satisfaction flowed through him. The word played perfectly into his plans. “To make sure we remember the code word, we’ll visit one now.”

      “No need. I’ll remember.”

      “A few hours spent sightseeing won’t make a difference.”

      “What’s really going on?” She studied him. “You remind me of a kid trying to put off going to the doctor’s for a shot.”

      His jaw tensed. “I’m not scared of needles.”

      “You’re scared of something.”

      Emma’s insight made him squirm. She had zero qualms pinpointing and commenting on what was going on in his head, trying to fix what was upsetting him. He was used to having people try to fix things for him, but not with nurturing concern, as if she really cared. AJ didn’t like it.

      “I’m not scared of anything.” The words flowed quickly, one after the other without any breaks. Not like him. But then again, he was back in Haley’s Bay. That changed everything. “Okay, that’s not quite true. The threat of an EMP, electronic magnetic pulse, making every electrical device obsolete has given me nightmares.”

      “You’re not scared about coming home?”

      “Nope.” Damn. He sounded like a kid, a scared little kid trying to put on a good front, and Emma seemed to know that. “I lived here for eighteen years. I might be a little on edge, but that’s because I haven’t been here in a while.”

      “Ten years is a long time.”

      “I’ve been busy.” A stupid excuse, but she didn’t need to know the real reasons. “But I’m free now. Let’s take in a few sights on our way. This is my first vacation in over a year.”

      Emma’s not-going-to-happen-on-my-watch shake of her head stopped him cold. “You’ll have a free block of time after your calls this afternoon,” she said. “Plenty of time