“Doesn’t matter much now, does it?” I nodded at her thumbs, busy texting to Mike again.

Marie gave a wry smile and snapped her phone shut. “He’s pretty incredible. I’m trying not to mess this up.”

I gazed at the Weather Channel on the waiting room television. “I wish you could go with me to ll.A.”

“Yeah, me too. I hate that you’re doing all of this world traveling without me.” Her eyes cut over to me. “I miss him.” I could hear the longing in her voice. “Can I ask you something?”

She met my glance.

“What are your thoughts about managing the bar full-time?”

She looked away, shaking her head as if she didn’t like the idea. “You know, if you would have asked me that five months ago, I would have jumped at the chance. Now?” Marie shrugged. “I never thought I’d be twenty-eight and going through a divorce.

Sometimes I want to run from this town and never look back.”

“I know the feeling.”

“Besides you and my dad there’s not much else holding me here.”

I nodded. “You and that bar are the only things keeping me here,” I said. “I can’t . . . I can’t be in two places at once and I definitely know I wouldn’t be able to trust the pub to just anyone. And you and Tammy . . . I can’t sell it. I won’t do that to you.”

“You can’t worry about us. You have to do what’s right for you.” She sat quietly for a moment. “We’d need to hire more staff to replace you. You know I can run the pub, but, honestly Tar, I’m not sure I want to anymore. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking myself wondering what I’m going to do next.” I knew exactly how she felt. She and I had fallen into a rut where keeping the bar running after my father died was almost like a moral obligation.

“What do you want to do?” I asked.

She seemed reluctant to share. “Well, Mike mentioned that there’s a huge demand for female bodyguards. A lot of celebrities are using females in their security detail now. I don’t know. I’d have to learn self-defense and do some weapons training first but . . . He’s been trying to convince me to give it a try.”

“That something you’d be interested in doing?”

“Well, it sounds really intriguing and he’s even willing to train me, so . . . Gary said I was a bitch; might as well get paid to be a professional one.”

Surprisingly, I wasn’t overly stunned.

Marie was lithe but fierce at the core. What did surprise me was her newfound fire for doing something completely different.

“You can be my bodyguard,” I teased jokingly, but as I said it, I thought about how cool it would be if she were.

“Well, yeah. I was actually thinking that.

You seem to attract a whole lotta crazy.” We both snickered at that until the realization that I had no defense skills of my own trickled in.

“I don’t know if Mike and I have a future,” she continued, shirking it off, “but with or without him there’s so much more world to see than just the inside of the pub. You’re traveling and seeing places, Mike has been all around the freakin’ globe . . . I just want—more. This thing with Gary? It’s been brewing for a long time. And now . . . well, I just want to cut my losses and move on.” I saw the desire in her eyes, and wished she had been with me in Paris; none of that embarrassing nonsense would have gone down if she’d been with me. “Are you seriously considering it?”

She nodded and then her shoulders slumped. “I think I’d be real good at it. But it doesn’t matter what I want. There are courses I’d have to take and Mike told me about this four-week certification program that a friend of his runs. Problem is, I don’t have the money or the time. And the last thing I want is for Mike to view me as a career clinger.”

I’d sell the bar before I’d let her give up hope. We’d been to hell and back and I’d give anything to see her happy again. I dug out my phone and called Mike. He answered on the third ring.

Marie was still glaring at me when I hung up. “I can’t believe you just did that.” I tried to defuse her with the same admonishing glare. “You want to get out of Seaport or not?”

“Yes, but you just tossed that on him. Of course he wouldn’t say no. He’s going to think I’m a whack job.”

Her mouth snapped shut when I smiled at her. “He was very enthusiastic so quit worrying.” I texted Ryan, telling him Pete was in the hospital. “Besides, the man nailed you for six hours straight. I’m pretty sure that allows you to ask a favor or two.”

“That was just sex,” she muttered. “I’m not reading anything into it.”

“I don’t think so. He’s smitten.” She twisted her lips at my word. “I’ve had guys smitten before. It never lasts. Once they get into your pants it’s just a matter of time until the novelty wears off. I’m actually surprised it hasn’t happened already. He’ll sleep with some other girls soon and then I’ll be a distant memory, so I’m not getting my hopes up.”

I frowned at her doubt but I totally knew how she felt.

“And what happens when Ryan doesn’t need him anymore? He’ll have to find other clients. He can’t drag his girlfriend around in a suitcase . . . well, unless he buys one of those inflatable ones, although I highly doubt he’d ever go plastic.” I chuckled. “He is a damn good-looking man.”

“That he is. Looks even better naked.” She grinned.

“Is he being weird or anything since? You seem happy, so I guess he hasn’t turned into a flaming asshole yet.”

“No.” She laughed modestly. “He’s been super-sweet. Almost too good to be true sometimes.”

“He calls you all the time.” She was glowing with that look of dreamy love. “I know.”

I read Ryan’s reply, asking me to fill him in once I knew Pete’s condition. “Then quit your worrying.”

She huffed. “But then you’ll be strapped.”

“I won’t be strapped. It will all work out.”

I practically jumped out of my seat when Tammy came through the double doors. Her face was ashen and worried. “Is he?” I started, not sure of what to ask. I handed a tissue to her.

Her hand shook when she pushed her hair behind her ear. “He’s awake but he’s banged up pretty bad. He just had an MRI and now they’re taking him for X-rays. He’s got a big lump on his forehead. His left arm is definitely broken and his knee and ankle are all swollen. The doctor wants to make sure that he doesn’t have any internal bleeding or swelling since he hit his head. They said he was unconscious for a bit on the job site.” I wrapped my arm around her back, guiding her to sit down for a moment. “What happened?”