“Except for the really good parts,” he said with a distinct twinkle in his eye.

Mac and Gina had been good friends, both single parents whose teenage daughters were best friends. They were in love for years, neither of them daring enough to cross the line from friends to lovers. Gina took all the credit for finally making him see they had much more potential. Once she pushed him, Mac was ready to marry her right away. The funniest part was that the whole town had known they were in love before they did.

“I bet you know the new guy pretty well—Seth Sileski,” Mac said.

Her mouth dropped open. She was speechless. She knew Seth worked for the county sheriff’s department, but she’d seen him very rarely over the years. It wasn’t as though they’d ever been friends. They hadn’t been in the same class in high school, and he ran with an entirely different crowd.

“He’s been trying to get back this way for years,” Mac said. “I can’t wait to talk to his dad.”

“Ah, you might want to brace yourself,” Gina said. “There’s some bad blood between father and son.”

“Really? He seems anxious to get over here. He’s even talking about moving. What’s up with that?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure of the details. I mean, I’m aware of the gossip, but I wasn’t part of the in crowd when Seth was the town football hero—I was a high school dropout with a baby. But gossip is an equal opportunity sport—of course I heard it. He’s the youngest of three Sileski boys, and he went to the University of Oregon on a scholarship, quit school to take a nice pro contract, then something went wrong. He was in some kind of accident, he couldn’t play ball anymore and lost the contract. I gather it was his fault or something. Norm’s been pissed off ever since.”

“Is that so?” Mac asked. “Well, Norm’s a little on the cantankerous side even when he’s happy. I don’t know Seth that well, but he’s a good enough guy. He’s respected in the department. I know he hasn’t had an easy time—took him a long time to get hired on, but he was determined. I wonder if that’s what’s wrong with his leg—the accident.”

“What about his leg?”

“He has a limp,” Mac said. “Haven’t you noticed?”

“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him in the last fifteen years. I don’t recall noticing a limp.”

“He must be okay—he made it through all his physicals and the academy. And he said he was looking forward to this transfer because he has family here.”

“His mother. I think he’s close to his mother and brothers. It’s just Norm who can’t get over Seth failing at his big break. And the two older boys aren’t in Thunder Point, but they’re still around. Jeez, it’s been a good fifteen years since he went to college. Norm might be holding on to his disappointment a little over-long. Besides, I can’t imagine holding a grudge because a kid lost a football contract—no matter how stupid my kid had been, I’d be so damn grateful he wasn’t killed!”

“I’ll say. Maybe I won’t raise the subject with old Norm.”

“Brilliant idea,” Gina said. Then she smiled, leaned over the counter and whispered, “Congratulations, Lieutenant McCain. I’m very proud of you.”

* * *

Scott walked into the diner just after the lunch hour. When Gina saw him coming, she smiled and gave a little shake of her head. This was the second time he’d come in today. Gina had worked on Saturday, and he’d been in then, too. She sure hadn’t seen this much of him before Peyton left town.

“And what can I get for you, kind doctor?” she asked.

“Is the tuna fresh?”

“Yes.” She laughed. “Stu may not be the best fry cook, but we’re very conscientious about the quality and freshness of the food. Have you ever been sick after eating here?”

“Sick? No. But I had to struggle to get through his meat loaf.”

She laughed. “I don’t recommend the meat loaf. Or the meat loaf sandwich. I don’t know what’s in that recipe, but isn’t it awful? We’ve talked about it, but obviously Stu is in denial.” She slapped a ticket on the cook’s counter and then got back to Scott. “Drink?”

“Coke.”

She poured it, put it in front of him and asked, “How’s Peyton?”

“Good,” he said. “She called a little while ago. The baby is perfect, the Bay Area relatives are visiting in droves, and she’s managing them. Her sister is doing very well.”

“When will she be back?” Gina asked.

His gaze dropped.

“We can either keep tiptoeing around this, or you can spit out what’s bothering you,” Gina said. “You know I only love listening to gossip, but I never repeat it. Especially when it concerns a dear friend.”

“Be careful with that word....”

“Friend?”

“Dear,” he corrected. She frowned in total confusion. He took a deep breath. “You saw the Lamborghini on Friday, right?”

“Scott, people took pictures of the Lamborghini. This is a little fishing village. Devon said the car belonged to the ex, who I didn’t see, but she described him as an older version of Brandon Routh. You know, Superman. And she said he wasn’t nice.”

“Devon talked to him?” Scott asked.

Gina took a breath. “I believe she talked to Peyton.”

“Oh. Sure.”

“Scott! Why shouldn’t I say dear?”

“After Adonis left, Peyton was a little upset. Understandably. She told me I was a dear, sweet man, and that was not what I what I wanted to hear. So I was an ass and jumped all over her for calling me that.”

“Really,” she said with a cynical tone. “Lost your mind a little, huh?” She turned and picked up the sandwich from Stu’s counter and delivered it. “I guess a handsome guy driving a Lamborghini is a little in-your-face, huh?”

He picked up his sandwich. “I could pay off the clinic and stock it with state-of-the-art equipment we need with what that car cost.” He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “I bet it’s the only one in the state.”

“Well, I’ve never seen one before,” Gina said. “I had a similar thing happen. Not quite a Lamborghini, but still... Before the clinic was open, before Mac asked me to marry him, this woman came into the diner. I thought some movie star had missed a turn, gotten lost and ended up here. She was dressed to kill in designer clothes, jewelry, gorgeous thick dark hair, perfect makeup and a dazzling smile. I thought I’d seen her in toothpaste commercials. Great figure, too. I know this is hard to envision, but she was even more beautiful than Peyton.”

“I’d have to see that to believe it,” he said.

“I know. But I thought any second George Clooney might walk in to join his girlfriend. She even drove up in a Lexus convertible, one of those sporty things. And the second I saw her I felt like I should probably have a little work done.”

“Come on,” Scott said. “You’re one of the prettiest women in town. Maybe the prettiest.”

“Aw, that’s very kind of you to say. But, no, this woman made me feel frumpy, dumpy and pathetic. And then it got worse. She asked me if I knew the deputy because she wanted to see him and the office was closed. I told her I thought he’d be stopping by for coffee. He usually did. I asked her if she’d like me to give him a call to be sure he was headed this way, and she lit up. She’d appreciate that so much, she said. And in the meantime, she’d have a cup of coffee and piece of pie. So I served her and asked her if I could tell Mac who was waiting to see him. And she said, ‘His wife.’”