Page 5 of Tide and Seek (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #8)

Maxwell

I was stunned when James hugged me. Not only was it unusually enthusiastic for him, but it was awkward with Royce standing right behind me.

I didn’t hug him back. In fact, I politely disentangled myself from his arms. I didn’t want to be rude, but James and I hadn’t seen each other in over a year, and most importantly, I wasn’t a hugger.

James’s face was flushed as he stared at me. “I can’t believe it’s really you. You’ve been gone so long, I worried you’d never come back.” His eyes flicked to Royce as he suddenly realized there was someone else in the house. He blinked in confusion. “Oh, you have a friend with you.”

Royce stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Royce.”

“Uh… hello. James Harper.” They shook hands and while James’s expression was polite, his mouth was tight.

“Nice to meet you, James.” Royce’s voice was congenial.

I was grateful that Royce simply rolled with the awkward situation. And it truly was awkward. I’d barely been in LA half a day and already my boyfriend was face to face with one of my ex-lovers? Sometimes it seemed the universe really did like to screw with me.

“What are you doing here, James?” I asked, but then realized I sounded unwelcoming. “I mean, it’s great to see you, of course. How… how’ve you been?”

If James was offended, he didn’t let on. “I’ve been well. I rushed over when I saw the lights. You know, after the trouble from the other night I thought I should investigate. I had no idea it would be you.”

“But if we had been burglars you could have been hurt.” I frowned.

James laughed gruffly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” He smiled. “I didn’t want you to get burgled again.”

“You shouldn’t have been so reckless.” The words sounded ungracious, but they weren’t meant that way. I really was concerned that he could have been hurt if he’d confronted someone trying to break into my home.

James ignored my comment. “I can’t believe you’re just here all of a sudden. You left so abruptly after—”

I stiffened. “Yes. I needed some distance from things.” I fought off the grim memories of Lucinda Pratt’s death. “I’m only back temporarily. I came because of the break-in.”

A glimmer of disappointment shone in James’s dark eyes. “Really? I’d hoped you were back to stay.”

“No.” I glanced toward Royce. “My home is in Texas now.”

“But,” sputtered James. “Last I heard, you hated it there.”

I lifted one shoulder. “It’s grown on me. I… I bought a house there and everything. I’m… putting down roots, as they say.”

“It never occurred to me you’d stay there permanently.” James looked befuddled as he batted at a moth dive-bombing the porch light.

Royce said under his breath, “Maybe you should invite him in?”

Selfishly, I’d have preferred to send James away and head back upstairs to finish what Royce and I had started. But even I knew that would be unforgivably rude. So instead, I stepped aside and said with forced cheerfulness, “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure,” James said, moving into the house. He brushed past me, and the familiar cedar scent of his cologne brought back unsolicited memories.

They weren’t unpleasant memories. James had been an anchor for me during med school.

He’d been four years older than me, and we’d gone through the whole war-buddies-in-scrubs thing together.

Suffering through that with each other had created a bond of sorts.

While connecting emotionally with people had always been difficult for me, I’d probably been closer to him than anyone else in LA.

Despite that, I’d never been in love with James. We’d shared the same relentless ambition though. James had been a study partner, surgical rival, and sometimes something more intimate. Although, to be honest, in those days, sex hadn’t been about intimacy. Sex had been about releasing tension.

“I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew so soon,” I murmured as I closed the door behind him. “I’ve only just arrived.”

James grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“No, it’s okay.” I forced myself to say what Royce might say. “You were worried about another break-in at my house, which was very kind of you.”

“Well, we always did watch out for each other, didn’t we?” His smile was melancholy.

“Absolutely.” Truthfully, while he’d always been protective of me, I probably hadn’t returned the favor nearly enough.

“It’s just so good to see you again.” He smiled and moved closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. His touch was hot through my shirt, and there was a sheen of perspiration above his upper lip.

“Good to see you too,” I parroted, uncomfortably aware of Royce standing just a few feet away.

“I was worried about you.” James’s tone was chiding. “You weren’t very good about responding to my texts.”

“I know.” He’d texted me several times after I left LA, and at best I’d been sporadic in replying. I’d moved on with my life and assumed James had done the same. But from the way he looked at me now, I wondered if maybe he hadn’t.

He searched my face. “It was impossible not to be concerned. After all that happened… I knew you were in a bad place.”

“Yes, I was,” I admitted, guilt nudging me. “I should have known you’d worry. You always worried about me. It was wrong of me not to respond to your texts. I was selfishly only thinking of myself.”

“It’s fine.” He released me and his gaze shifted to Royce. “I’m sure you were busy with your new… life.”

I winced inwardly at the bitterness in his voice.

“What do you do, James?” Royce asked into the strained silence that followed his statement.

James lifted his chin. “I’m a vascular surgeon. Maxwell and I came up through the ranks together. Or should I say war zone?” He laughed, nudging me with his elbow. “We’ve known each other a very long time, haven’t we, Maxwell?”

“We certainly have,” I agreed.

“That’s great.” Royce’s smile was polite. “It’s always great to reconnect with old friends.”

Royce was trying so hard to be a good sport.

I was tempted to move closer to him and perhaps take his hand in mine.

But while I wanted to comfort him, I didn’t want to rub our relationship in James’s face.

When Royce had volunteered to come with me on this trip, it had never occurred to me how awkward it might be for him and James to meet.

That was probably because I’d never actually had a serious boyfriend before, so this predicament hadn’t ever arisen.

Clearing my throat, I asked, “Would anyone like a drink?” I certainly needed one. “I… I had a lovely bottle of Irish whiskey here when I left. Hopefully the burglar didn’t help himself to it.”

“Sure.” Looking relieved to have something to do, Royce moved to the bar in the corner of the room. “Let’s see what we have to work with.” He crouched down behind the bar, and the sound of clanking bottles could be heard.

I followed Royce, leaning on the counter in front of the bar. “The bottle of Irish whiskey I’m thinking of is called Midleton Very Rare.”

“Hmmm, I’m not seeing anything with that name.” Royce searched for a few moments more, grunted, and straightened triumphantly, holding the bottle of Midleton Very Rare. “Here it is.” The clear glass allowed the rich amber-gold whiskey inside to show through.

“Excellent.” I smiled.

“Are you sure this isn’t too expensive to drink?” Royce asked hesitantly. “Anything with the word ‘rare’ in it must be pricey.”

“What’s the point in not drinking it? Whiskey should be enjoyed, right?” I reached up to an overhead cupboard with glass fronts and grabbed three crystal tumblers. It was my hope we could have a quick drink with James and then send him on his way.

James moved closer, his gaze fixed on Royce. “Does Maxwell ever talk about his time in LA?”

Royce had finished pouring us each a serving of the whiskey and was focused on putting the cork back in the bottle. “He did a bit when he first got to Rainy Dale, but not so much anymore.” He glanced up, his smile amiable. “But I’m sure he remembers those times fondly.”

“Maxwell.” James gave me a scolding look. “Did you forget all about me the minute you left LA?”

“Um… no. Of course not.” Despite my efforts, I didn’t sound very convincing. I hadn’t exactly forgotten about James, but I also hadn’t thought about him much. The whole point of moving to Texas had been to forget LA and all that had happened here.

James laughed tersely but said nothing.

I reached for my glass of whiskey, feeling anxious.

I knew I wasn’t giving James what he wanted from me, but had no clue how to go about that without stepping on Royce’s feelings.

I took a generous sip of my drink and warmth bloomed across my tongue, silky and smooth.

The liquid slid down like velvet, leaving a soft heat in its wake.

However, despite how smooth it was, I wasn’t used to drinking liquor straight, and I couldn’t help coughing.

Royce smiled affectionately, and he moved from behind the bar to gently pat me on my back. “Slow down there, fella,” he teased.

I sheepishly returned his smile, grateful for his soothing energy.

Seeing James brought back so much of the stress I’d lived with in LA.

James and I had both been driven to be the best in our field, and while that had bonded us on one level, the strain of it had been overwhelming.

I no longer had the desire to compete or claw for things.

Meeting Royce had changed me. He’d shown me a quieter, happier way to live.

Royce had turned down the static in my brain and brought things into focus.

James cleared his throat. “So, was something missing?”

“Missing?” I frowned.

“From the break-in,” James said.

“Oh.” I hesitated. “I’m not sure yet. On the surface it doesn’t seem so.”

Sipping his drink, James’s gaze was laser-focused on me. Once he’d swallowed, he said, “That’s odd. Why even break in?”

“That’s what I said,” I agreed. “It’s not logical.”