Daniel’s crew.
Griff McIntyre. He was the silent, brooding one of the group. But there’d always been a turbulence in his eyes.
Dez Rodriquez. The man’s dad was Cuban, his mom was American, and Dez himself was 100 percent charisma and confidence.
And Colton, of course.
Elise hadn’t seen the team since Daniel’s memorial service. She’d wanted a funeral, but his body had never been found. She hadn’t been able to get the closure she needed.
At the thought of that horrible day, her stomach clenched.
Her husband should have been buried with honor. Instead, his name had been dragged through the mud and articles had been written about how he’d been a traitor to his country. It wasn’t fair.
Then again, no one ever said life was fair. That cliché, however, never made anyone feel better.
As soon as the guys saw her, they all stood from the table and gave her hugs. Elise felt like she was with a group of her brothers right now, and a moment of bittersweet memories washed over her.
There had been so many days when she’d had these guys over for spaghetti dinners. They had all kicked back and relaxed. After devouring a homecooked meal, they’d watched a game on TV or played cards.
Her and Daniel’s home had been a safe place for the team to hang out. Too many SEALs engaged in unsafe behavior when they returned home from deployment, so Daniel had always tried to provide them a healthy outlet. Elise had been totally on board with that. As a psychologist, she knew the effects of high-stakes, adrenaline-charged missions.
A blonde woman in a police uniform stood beside Ty, a warm smile on her face. A golden retriever obediently sat beside them, his tail wagging as he waited for an introduction.
“Elise, it’s great to see you.” Ty smiled, something almost nostalgic in his voice.
“You too.” Ty hadn’t been on Daniel’s team, but they’d worked together on occasion. Elise had always liked him.
“I heard you met my wife earlier.”
Elise smiled at the police chief. “Yes, we did.”
Cassidy extended her hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you. Earlier, it was a little hectic, to say the least.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I’m glad to see the clothes worked out.” Cassidy nodded at Elise’s outfit.
Elise looked down at the sweatshirt and jeans she wore. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”
“We’ll make sure we get you some clothes that fit real soon.”
“This is Kujo.” Ty rested his hand on the back of the dog’s head.
Elise bent forward and patted the dog on the head. The canine’s tail slapped the floor in excitement.
Cassidy pointed to the table. “In the meantime, why don’t you have a seat? We are just about to dig into some pot roast. We’re having an early dinner tonight.”
“Can I help get anything ready?”
“We’ve got everything covered.” Cassidy grabbed a serving spoon from the drawer and slid it into a dish of gravy-covered potatoes and carrots. “But thank you.”
Elise found a place at the table beside Colton. Being near him brought a rush of warmth through her. Why did his presence comfort her so much? She’d been doing life alone for the past year, and she hadn’t realized the toll it had taken on her.
As the food was served, chitchat passed back and forth among them. Certainly by now Colton had informed the group about what was going on. But Elise appreciated having a break from all the questions. She needed to process everything.
Uncertainty had been hounding her, and Elise wouldn’t be escaping it anytime soon. But it was good to see the boys being boys. She and Cassidy exchanged several smiles as they all talked.
“Griff tell you he almost lost that contest with Mayor MacArthur?” Dez said, a sparkle in his eyes. “They tried to see who could scale the side of the mayor’s beach house the fastest.”
“In my defense, the mayor is lithe. Very lithe. I’ve got more bulk.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Dez said.
A round of chuckles filled the table.
“How was kiteboarding today?” Griff jabbed back at Dez. “I’m sure Delilah was a great teacher.”
Dez grinned. “She was. She said I was a natural.”
“I’m sure she did.” Griff raised his eyebrows. “It’s a good thing you do all your manscaping. At least Delilah could appreciate it.”
“We’re just friends. And there’s nothing wrong with a little manscaping.” He flexed his muscles, always one to put on a show.
Elise had always found their banter entertaining, and today was no exception. These guys loved to give each other a hard time. When they stopped aggravating each other, that’s when she would start to worry.
Colton cleared his throat, as if wanting to change the subject. “How was your day, Cassidy? We’re not trying to leave you out.”
Cassidy tore a dinner roll in half. “You mean after the circus at the proposed site for the new hotel? And the car bomb? It was pretty uneventful after that.”
“Who was that man who threatened me at the protest?” Colton asked. “Did you recognize him?”
“Someone threatened you?” Cassidy raised an eyebrow.
“He was a pretty puny guy. I’m not too worried. But he said I would pay because I’d sided with the developer.”
“By defending the property you’d sided with the developer?” Cassidy repeated.
“In this man’s mind, yes.”
“This must be some pretty important property,” Elise said.
“Last year, a cult set up camp here on this island and nearly destroyed us,” Cassidy explained, spreading some butter across her roll. “Thankfully, they’re gone now, and the leader won’t be causing any more problems. The property where their compound was is now up for sale.”
“So the fact that someone wants to buy the land is a good thing?” Elise asked, trying to get a feel for the situation.
“The thing is, the people who want to buy it plan to build a hotel. A lot of places might like that, but people around here in Lantern Beach like keeping things simple. People come here because it’s like stepping back in time. We don’t have any chain restaurants or gas stations or stores. Everything here is locally owned.”
“But the other problem is that we have a housing crisis,” Ty added. “With so many rentals, it’s driven up the price of real estate. Our average, everyday workers can’t afford the mortgages, so people are arguing that a solution like this hotel could be a win-win for everybody.”
“There’s going to be a town meeting tonight,” Cassidy said. “It will be interesting to see how things turn out.”
“It sounds like it,” Elise said. “I hope that goes well.”
Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “So do I.”
Elise already liked Cassidy. There was something very personable about her. Yet Elise could sense part of her was guarded as well. Elise supposed that, as police chief, Cassidy would need to keep a small circle of those she trusted.
Elise wondered how someone like Cassidy had ended up here. Something about the woman’s mannerisms reminded Elise of someone from the big city. Maybe she would have a chance to ask her later.