“You’ve obviously started shaving again, you look like you’ve been getting sleep, and I’m guessing you stopped drinking, but you’re still a miserable bastard. So what gives? Miss Molly giving you a hard time?” Ty grinned, then burst out laughing.

Molly had excused herself to go to the ladies’ room and in typical female fashion, Lacey had gone along with her. Hunter and Ty had a few minutes alone but Hunter didn’t want to use them to discuss his personal life.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re so full of shit.” Ty had always called him on a lie and he did so now.

“It’s the case that’s making me insane.”

Ty signaled the waitress for another beer. “I doubt it. You’ve never met a case you couldn’t handle. My money’s on Molly. Can I give you a piece of advice?”

“No.”

“When you meet that one woman, and you know what I mean, surrender and give in. Your life will be so much easier if you do.” He laughed at his own advice, pausing only when their second round of drinks were served.

“Your meals will be out soon,” the middle-aged waitress promised before turning to her next customers.

Hunter shook his head. “Man, who’d have thought you’d end up whipped?”

“Who’d have thought you’d be such an ass. Do you not see what a prize you have in front of you?”

Hunter rubbed his hand over his eyes, then leaned forward in his seat. “I’m only going to explain this to you once and that’s so you’ll shut the hell up and leave it alone. She dumped me once. I came back to help her father and move on, found out I wasn’t over her like I thought, gave in to temptation and she screwed me over. Again. Only a fool would go back for a third time.”

A look of confusion and disbelief crossed Ty’s face. “Explain.”

It figured his best friend wouldn’t take him at his word. Hunter explained the situation between himself and Molly, her lack of faith and trust and Hunter’s opinion that Molly was too tied to her need for family to allow herself a real relationship.

Ty listened, and blinked in thought. “And you think she doesn’t care? Doesn’t trust you? I saw how she looks at you. That’s a woman who’s gone, my friend.”

Hunter shook his head. “The proof is in her actions and those say, given the opportunity, she’ll choose her family over me every time.”

Ty glanced over Hunter’s shoulder. “The women are coming back, so listen up. You’ve got your own share of hang-ups and the last eight months without Molly weren’t worth much to you. I suggest you think about it before you throw away probably the best woman who’ll ever want you because you have impossibly high standards she can’t meet.”

Hunter frowned. “That’s a load of crap. Wanting her to put me first and trust me isn’t impossibly-”

Ty kicked Hunter’s shin beneath the table.

“We’re back,” Lacey said at the same time, her voice ringing with too much cheer.

They’d probably overheard the end of the conversation. Shit, Hunter thought. Things just got better and better.

Still, it was good to see his best friends and they looked happy together.

“So tell us what your source found out in Jersey,” Hunter said. He figured he was better off focusing on the case, the one and only place he seemed to have his footing these days.

Molly settled back into her chair beside Hunter, far enough away that no body parts touched, but close enough that when he inhaled, he smelled the fragrant scent of her hair. “And please tell me it’s good news,” she said to Ty.

“It seems like it is. According to Ted Frye, whose family owns the Seaside Inn in Atlantic City and who works there most days, Paul Markham was a fairly steady visitor.” Ty pulled out a notepad from his back pocket and flipped pages. “He ID’d him from the head shot you sent me, because he used a phony name. Called himself Paul Burnes, paid cash and usually met up with a woman for at least one night. A redhead, the guy said.”

“Lydia McCarthy, Paul’s secretary. The one he was having an affair with,” Molly said.

“I don’t understand something. Why didn’t the police look into all this?” Lacey asked.

Hunter stretched the tight muscles in his neck. “That’s easy. They had their collar and didn’t much care what else Paul had been up to. We do. It would be nice if we could figure out what happened to the money. It might lead to someone else with motive and opportunity.”

Molly smiled. “You see why I wanted him on my father’s side?”

Ty shot Hunter an I-told-you-so glance.

“So what does this mean for your case?” Lacey asked.

Molly shrugged and looked to Hunter for answers.

He groaned loudly. “It means,” he said to Molly, “we’re going to Atlantic City.”

Molly took one look at the mixture of pain and reluctant acceptance on Hunter’s face and knew traveling to A.C. with her wasn’t high on his list of things he wanted to do. Apparently he also knew she wouldn’t let him go without her. She just wished he’d look a little more pleased at the prospect. Her head still hurt and fighting their uphill battle with Hunter wasn’t helping. She’d hoped dinner would help but the pain had only gotten worse.

After dinner, Ty and Lacey suggested they have drinks at their hotel bar. Molly couldn’t bring herself to disappoint them, so she smiled and went along.

Hunter and Ty gravitated toward the pool tables while Lacey and Molly sat at a table overlooking the gaming area. The trip to the hotel on Hunter’s bike hadn’t helped Molly’s headache and once seated, she ordered a cola, hoping the caffeine would do the trick.

She and Lacey sipped their drinks while looking over the railing at their perfect view of Ty and Hunter as they made their bets and chose their cues.

“I can’t believe we’re sitting here together after all this time.” Lacey smiled at Molly, then reached for her hand. “Of course, I wish your father hadn’t been arrested, but I know Hunter will get him off.”

Molly glanced heavenward. “I hope you’re right. In fact, I’m banking on it.” She took a long sip of her soda through the straw and watched Hunter, unable to deny the hunger he inspired in her.

She’d gotten nowhere with him earlier despite her attempts to flirt, then bully him into forgiving her and moving on.

Molly needed a friend, a shoulder to lean on, someone to give her advice, and she had nowhere to turn. She couldn’t burden her father with her own problems right now. She hadn’t been around her friend Liza often enough lately to keep her up-to-date on the situation with Hunter, the commander wasn’t in a position to understand the nuances of their relationship, Robin was away at school and Jessie was too young.

She turned to Lacey. Molly had always liked and respected her, even when her fondness for Lacey’s uncle had put them on opposite sides. She’d kept in touch with her after leaving Hawken’s Cove and Hunter last year, and Lacey hadn’t judged or condemned her for her decision despite being one of Hunter’s best friends.

“Can I talk to you?” Molly asked, leaning forward, elbows on the sticky bar table.

Lacey nodded. “You know you can. And I will not go back to Ty or Hunter with anything you tell me. Promise.” She crossed her heart.

Molly nodded. Her gaze strayed toward Hunter. He was racking the balls at the far end of the table, giving Molly a glimpse of his tight behind in worn denim. Without warning, a low sigh of appreciation escaped her lips.

“I don’t have to guess what the subject is,” Lacey said, laughing. Her gaze was also on Hunter and Ty, although it was clear she only had eyes for her dark-haired husband.

Molly shook her head and smiled. “No, you don’t.” She couldn’t tear her eyes from Hunter’s smooth moves. “He’s good,” she murmured.

“He’s the best, Molly. And I have a hunch you already know that, so what’s the problem?”

Molly leaned back against the chair, focusing on Lacey. “Ever hear the expression two steps forward, one step back?”

Lacey nodded.

“That’s us. I break through his reserve, I think we’re moving forward in our relationship and boom! I blow it again. This time I didn’t tell him something crucial about the case. I was protecting my father but he didn’t see it that way.” Thinking about things between her and Hunter caused the ache in her temples to get worse and she massaged her forehead with her fingertips.

Lacey shook her head. “This is how I see things. Hunter is a big-shot lawyer. The best there is, in fact. But deep inside he is still and always will be the wounded, unwanted little boy. When someone crosses him or hurts him, especially someone he loves, the only reason he can think of is that he’s fallen short.”

Lacey glanced over at the two men who played each other, laughing and hurling insults like brothers. “Ty and I are the only two people who can insult him and get away with it because we lived through the hell along with him.”

Molly swallowed hard, the swelling in her throat hurting beyond belief. “I can’t break through that kind of pain. I’m only human. I’m going to make mistakes and if the past is any indication, I’m going to make lots of them.”

“But you love Hunter and he loves you. That’s going to overcome the other stuff if you let it.” Lacey spoke with the certainty of someone who’d been there.

“Nobody said anything about love. ” Molly may have thought it to herself, but she’d never admitted it aloud. And as for Hunter, at this point he was as far from being in love with her as he could get.

Lacey shrugged. “Nobody had to say it. It’s obvious to anyone. You just need to be aware of what he needs, too.”

Molly closed her eyes, wishing it were so easy. When she opened them again, the room was spinning. “Would you mind if we headed home? My head’s killing me.”

Lacey glanced her way with concern. “Sure. Let me get the guys.”