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“I’ll stay close,” Jo promised, taking Grayson’s hand.
I quirked a brow. “Me too.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “Why don’t you go inside and grab a drink?”
“It’s ten in the morning.”
“Not analcoholicdrink, silly. Trevor says there’s a coffee bar in there.”
Trevor nodded, putting an arm around Jo. “It’s true. They serve Leatherneck Coffee. You heard of it?”
I swallowed back the urge to comment on his arm placement. “Yeah, my buddies and I ordered their instant coffee packets on deployment.”
“Those are good, but wait till you try the freshly brewed stuff,” he said, throwing up a chef’s kiss with his free hand. “That former Marine who owns it probably makes bank, and I guarantee it’s not only because we all buy it just to support a fellow Marine. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” I said, surprised at how quickly this dude was actually winning me over. Jo must have told him that I knew he was a Marine, but he didn’t seem like he was dropping that little tidbit in there with an ulterior motive.
In fact, Trevor seemed genuinelynice. Despite his size and the fact that I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of any punch he threw, he was putting off a level of sincerity that I felt in my gut. And my gut was rarely wrong. As an MP, sometimes my gut was all I had as far as intel. In this case, my instincts about Trevor told me I’d be fine to go inside and get a coffee and trust that between him and Jo, Grayson would be safe.
“So, we’ll see you in a little bit then?” Jo asked hopefully.
I rolled my shoulders to release a bit of the tension they’d carried since we got out of the truck, and I nodded once. Then I stooped down and looked at Gray. “Hey, bud. You cool if I go inside and get a coffee while you’re riding the lawn mower?”
“Yep.”
“All right. Please pay attention. Don’t touch anything unless Mr. Trevor tells you it’s okay, and make sure Auntie Jo can see you at all times. There’s a pond over there, and I know you can swim, but we don’t want anything crazy to go down today. Got it?”
“Got it.” He saluted me, which was something he’d picked up from Jo. She only did it when she was being sarcastic, but that hadn’t translated to my son.
I managed not to roll my eyes and smiled instead. “Good. Have fun.”
“I will,” he called over his shoulder as he raced away from me, pulling Jo’s arm nearly out of the socket as he went.
I watched them go for a minute, then sighed, checking my watch. Okay, like I’d said, it was only ten. If the wedding wasn’t for a while, chances were good that Layla wouldn’t be here yet. And coffee sounded like a decent plan.
Nodding at some B&B guests as I passed, I made my way through the back doors and into the large foyer inside. People milled around, some were obviously guests of the inn, checking out after their stay. Others were vendors setting up for the wedding or staff of the B&B itself.
I made my way up to the desk and smiled at the woman behind the counter. “Hi, which way is the coffee bar?”
“Through these double doors, and it’ll be on your left,” she replied with a warm smile.
“Thank you. And, uh, what time is the wedding?”
“It starts at four and will be held in the grass behind the house as well as the outdoor pavilion. We ask that all guests of the B&B please stay out of those areas today. But don’t worry, the dining room will be open for dinner, as usual.”
I gave her a smile, not correcting her assumption that I was merely a curious guest on the property. I thanked her and moved along, following the directions she’d given. Right where she’d said it would be, a coffee bar stretched along one wall of the room with a chalkboard wall behind it, the menu written in fancy white script.
And below that, standing in front of the counter with her back to me, was Layla. I knew this, despite not being able to see her face, because she was wearing a pale-pink tank top with her name printed on the back in bold letters. The number twenty-two sat beneath it, like a football jersey.
I swallowed the groan that rose from my chest. Looked like Jo’s plan had worked after all.
The guy behind the counter nodded at me. “I’ll be right with you.”
“Thanks,” I replied, causing Layla to whip around.
My lips pulled into a thin line, and I gave her a pathetic wave. Between this and the Target thing, it was starting to look like I was stalking her.Thanks a lot, meddlers.
Her surprised expression faded slightly. “We meet again.”
