Ask me to Stay

by Osburn, Terri

  Since his income came from the island rentals, which were managed by Larimore, there was no need to find an occupation. In fact, he didn’t even need to live on the island. That left him to imagine moving elsewhere, and Kendall formulated a mental list of options.

  Charleston, so he could keep an eye on the rentals and come back whenever he wanted. New York, to be close to his mom and the extended family he rarely saw. Or he could go big. The tropics, the mountains, the West Coast. But no matter where he imagined himself, one specific detail stayed the same.

  Liza.

  Whenever he imagined himself in a new place, she was there. Smiling. Teasing. Provoking. He tried shaking her from his mind, reminding himself that she wasn’t supposed to be part of the picture, but there she was, igniting a new possibility. One that would allow Kendall to break his own rule and see if he and Liza could be more than friends.

  But all these possibilities hinged on one painful event—Ray Wallis’s passing. And even though Kendall had done no more than entertain vague ideas about a life after Ray, he still felt guilty. Especially after the call from Aadi around lunchtime, who’d made a courtesy stop by Ray’s that morning after Liza had grown concerned about the older man’s health.

  Aadi hadn’t mentioned anything specific that was wrong with Ray but had suggested that Kendall check on him more often . . . and that Liza might need a break from being his constant caretaker. Suggestions that led Kendall to the place where he currently stood.

  “Oh,” Liza said, eyes wide when she opened the door. “Hello.”

  “Hi.” Kendall snapped for Amos to stay. If this was a bad time, he didn’t want the dog disturbing their work. “Am I interrupting one of your interviews?”

  She leaned against the door. “Ray was about to tell me about the day he met his wife.”

  “Oh.” Kendall had never had to call before visiting Ray, but he should have today. “I’ll come back later.”

  “Have you heard the story?” she asked.

  Ray had never talked about his life before the island. At least not with Kendall. “No, I haven’t. But I don’t want to get in the way.”

  Liza opened the door wider. “Don’t be silly. Come on in.”

  Amos obeyed the order immediately, darting past Liza and into the house. Kendall took his time and followed her to the table.

  They hadn’t seen each other since the afternoon she’d been at his house. The visit had been going better than he’d hoped, until Liza had made the connection between his family and Ray, reminding him of the secrets that complicated their connection. In a way, Kendall wished Ray would tell her everything, so he’d no longer have to dance around the subject.

  At the same time, he knew the damage that revealing those secrets could do. Unless Ray was right, and the threat that had driven him to take such drastic measures no longer existed.

  “Look who’s here,” she said, causing Ray to spin around.

  Watery blue eyes lit up. “There’s my boy. Where’ve you been?”

  Kendall gave the old man’s shoulder a squeeze. “I had some repairs to catch up on.” A true statement, though he’d also had some thinking to do.

  “As I said,” Liza cut in, “Ray was just about to tell me about his sweetheart.” She lifted a small recorder and pressed a red button. “This is the day Ray Wallis met his wife,” she said into the tiny gadget, and then nodded for Ray to begin as Kendall settled quietly into the chair at the end of the table.

  “I didn’t want to go to the zoo that day,” Ray began, “but Sam Levitt’s date was bringing a friend, and he offered me ten bucks if I’d keep the girl busy.” Fuzzy brows arched. “Ten dollars was a lot of money back then.”

  “I know it was.” Liza checked the recorder to make sure it was running.

  “When we got there, Sam couldn’t find his girl,” Ray said. “They were supposed to be by the elephants, but we didn’t see them. Then we walked by a fountain, and sitting at the edge of the water was the prettiest girl you ever saw. Dark curls, big brown eyes, and a smile that could stop a runaway train.” He sat back with a dreamy look. “She stole my heart, right then and there.”

  Ray’s words brought to mind the day Kendall had discovered Liza at the ferry landing. Not that he’d fallen in love on sight. That was stupid. But there had been something that made him want to learn more about her.

  Until he’d found out who she really was, and then he’d become a royal jerk.

  “Did the girl feel the same way about you?” Liza asked, chin resting in her palm as she gave Ray her full attention.

  “You bet she did. I’m not much to look at now, but I was a handsome devil in my day.”

  Kendall chuckled, enjoying seeing Ray so animated. He looked better than he had since the scary day on the beach.

  “You’re still quite handsome,” Liza assured her subject. “Does this mean poor Sam lost his wingman?”

  Ray’s grin widened. “That’s the best part. Essie was the girl I was there to meet.” Smacking the table, he cackled. “How about that? If I’d turned down that ten dollars, I’d have missed out on the best girl in the world.”

  Liza laughed, her exuberance matching Ray’s. “Essie, huh?”

  Ray sighed with a hand pressed to his chest. “My Essie. She was the only girl for me from that moment on. We’d have gotten married right away, but her father wanted more for his little girl than an unemployed suitor living in a forty-five-dollar-a-month rental above a dry cleaners.”

  Forty-five dollars a month? That would hardly buy a tank of gas these days. And that had been New York City. When Kendall had last visited his mom, his taxi from the airport had been more than that.

  “You didn’t have a job?” Liza asked, rolling past the cheap-rental part.

  Ray shrugged. “So many of us cashed in our GI Bills after the war that, come 1950, there were more of us than there were people hiring. I did odd jobs around the cleaners, but that wasn’t going to provide a good home for my girl, so I knocked on every door I could to find something full-time. Took three more months before I could afford a nicer place, but by the end of the year, I put a ring on Essie’s finger, and we were well on our way.”

  Liza’s expression softened, and something fluttered in Kendall’s chest. He rubbed his breastbone, telling himself it was only indigestion from the frozen pizza he’d eaten the night before.

  “And she was willing to wait?” the writer asked.

  Eyes alight, Ray sat up a little straighter in his chair. “There were others prowling around, trying to coax her away from me, but my Essie was a patient girl. She knew when I promised to make myself worthy of her, my word was good.”

  “And her father? Did he come around?”

  Ray jammed a gnarled finger into the polished wood. “That man never did like me. Said I was too bold for my own good, and unreliable, too. I showed him. Until the day he died, I never asked him for a penny. Essie always had a solid roof over her head and all the pretty dresses she wanted, too. Unreliable, my foot.”

  “Good for you,” Liza cheered.

  “Did your grandmother ever tell you how she met your grandfather?” Ray asked. The question seemed odd to Kendall, but Liza answered.

  “I wish.” She sighed. “My grandfather died when I was barely two, and his loss devastated her. The whole family, really. Mom said that when she met my father, the Tellers gathered every Saturday for dinner. But after my grandfather died, the gatherings stopped.”

  She set the recorder on the table and looked up. “I asked Granny Teller about him once, the summer after my freshman year of high school. I’d never even seen a picture of him, and I was curious what he looked like. You’d have thought I’d suggested exhuming his body, the way she reacted.”

  Ray stared at his knuckles silently, but Kendall asked, “Was she angry?”

  “No.” Liza’s lips turned down. “She burst into tears. My father reprimanded me never to ask about him again.” With a shake of her head, she added, “So I didn�
�t.”

  “Then she never remarried?” Ray asked, eyes still downcast.

  “Goodness, no. Granny Teller mourned her husband until the day she died.” Slender fingers brushed a curl off her forehead. “A few months before she passed, she did tell me that she was happy she’d get to see her Eli again.” The older man seemed to wither in his chair, and Liza leaned forward. “Ray, are you okay?” She glanced at her watch. “I’m so sorry. We went past your rest time.”

  Kendall rose from his chair. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  “No need. I can do it,” he said, waving the aid away.

  Despite the stubborn man’s best efforts, he couldn’t lift himself off the chair. Kendall eased him up while pulling the chair farther from the table, and Ray didn’t put up a fight. A quick glance to his left revealed deep concern in Liza’s eyes. Ray had obviously not been as healthy as Kendall assumed.

  “There we go. Nice and easy,” he said, lowering Ray onto the bed once Liza had pulled back the covers.

  Amos jumped onto the bed, and Kendall shooed him off as Ray leaned back. When his head hit the pillow, his bright-yellow hat fell to the floor, and shaky hands snapped to cover his bare scalp as Liza retrieved the fallen fedora.

  “What happened?” she asked, drawing Kendall’s attention to the bloodstained gauze beneath Ray’s hands. “When did you bump your head?”

  Ray snatched the hat from her fingers and tried to cover the injury. “A few days ago. It’s fine.”

  Fine, my ass, Kendall thought. “Who put that bandage on you?” The tape was applied too straight for Ray to have done it himself.

  “Franny came over,” he replied, bottom lip pushed out like a petulant child. “Neither of you were around.”

  She and Kendall exchanged doubtful glances. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked. “It looks as if it’s been bleeding.”

  “There’s no need to fuss.” Ray swatted her hand away. “Old folks bump their heads. It happens.”

  They obviously weren’t going to get the truth. Kendall nodded toward the open doorway. “Get some rest, then. Liza and I will be in the kitchen if you need us.”

  Amos whined to get on the bed, but Kendall snapped his fingers and pointed at the door. The dog obeyed and followed Liza out of the room. It was time to get some answers on what was really going on with Ray.

  Chapter 15

  Liza leaned against the island, a thumbnail locked between her teeth. She should have called Kendall sooner, but she’d promised Ray she wouldn’t.

  “How often does he get weak like that?” Kendall asked as soon as he was far enough from the bedroom door not to be overheard.

  She crossed her arms and braced for an angry response. “He was doing okay until Wednesday. When I came back from Francine’s, I found him struggling to navigate the step in from the back deck.”

  Despite his protests, Liza had needed to help Ray into the house, but he’d brushed her off before shuffling into his bedroom under his own power. The next day, Ray had assured her that he was fine, yet she had been with him for two weeks now and had witnessed the steady decline for herself.

  A call to Francine the day before had resulted in a visit from Aadi that morning. He’d brought fresh strawberries, claiming he’d thought Ray might enjoy them. A slight fib, or so Liza assumed, but she’d been grateful for the unscheduled checkup.

  Like a car that stopped making the wonky sound as soon as the mechanic was close by, Ray had appeared bright and alert, capable of dancing a jig, or so he’d claimed. Not until the doctor left did he let the weakness show.

  Damn stubborn man.

  “Was that the only time you’ve had to help him get around?” The question was direct, but not accusatory.

  She nodded. “It is, but he’s been getting tired earlier and earlier this week. And that’s with the daily naps. The first week I was here, we watched the sunset from the deck together every night, but now he barely makes it through dinner before he needs to lie down.” Feeling bad for not telling him sooner, Liza added, “I would have said something, but Ray didn’t want you to worry over nothing.”

  “This doesn’t look like nothing to me.” He sighed, mouth pinched with concern. “I don’t like that bump on his head.”

  Neither did Liza. “I talked to Francine yesterday, but she didn’t mention helping him with any bandages.” Odd, considering the call had been about Ray’s health. “Do you really think she’d help him and not tell us?”

  Kendall rubbed a hand along his jaw, and Liza noticed the lack of his ever-present stubble. In fact, Kendall wasn’t wearing his normal uniform of T-shirt, jeans, and boots, either. Well, he still wore jeans, but these weren’t stained and worn like usual. The well-fitting denim was dark, clean, and complemented the body inside them nicely.

  Very nicely. Liza clamped down on the naughty thoughts swirling through her brain. She’d been thinking about Kendall a lot since Monday, but not in such carnal tones. No, she’d been thinking of him more as a man she could get to know. Someone she wouldn’t mind being more than friends with.

  Despite their contentious start, Kendall had proved himself a caring man. The first and most obvious indicator was his relationship with Amos. Liza may not know much about dogs, but she’d been told more than once since arriving on the island that canines were known for their ability to distinguish the good guys from the bad. The pit bull clearly saw Kendall as one of the good guys.

  Then there was Kendall’s connection with Ray. He clearly cared about the man, treating him as if they were family. In fact, he and Ray were more like relatives than Liza and her father, who were bound by blood. A depressing thought that she still hoped to rectify, given more time.

  More than once, Kendall had shown concern, and even devotion, for her headstrong host, often against the older man’s will. Even his objections to Liza’s writing Ray’s story had been born of concern. Beneath a taciturn and temperamental facade, Kendall James was a considerate, generous, and protective man who any woman would be lucky to have.

  Including Liza.

  “I’m sorry you aren’t getting as much time with him,” she said, realizing how much she’d monopolized Ray since her arrival. “If you want to stick around until he wakes up, I’ll work upstairs so you can talk alone.”

  “Actually,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets, “I came to see both of you.”

  A warmth blossomed in her belly. “You came to see me?”

  “You’ve been on the island two weeks now. I thought you might like dinner in a real restaurant again.”

  Now that he mentioned it, a break would be nice. Not that she didn’t enjoy the quiet, but she also missed the hum and hustle of the real world. But this wasn’t the best time to leave Ray alone.

  Liza pointed toward Ray’s bedroom door. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Broad shoulders rolled beneath a pressed gray button-down. “Yeah, well . . . I didn’t know Ray was this fragile before coming over.” Kendall studied the floor before lifting his chin to meet her eyes. “I could have Larimore come over. Just long enough for us to grab a bite to eat.”

  She didn’t know Larimore well, but if Kendall trusted him, then so did Liza. “That would be nice. Do you think he’d mind?” It was a Friday night, after all.

  “Larimore’s a good guy.” Kendall pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. “He won’t mind.”

  That he’d thought about her enough to give up his Friday night on her behalf was further proof of Kendall’s generous nature. Every person she’d encountered on the island had nothing but positive things to say about their resident handyman. A thought made her realize the irony of the situation. Liza found herself on an island filled with the extravagantly wealthy, and she was falling for the one person who didn’t fit that description.

  Not that she minded. A smile crossed her lips as she watched Kendall lift the phone to his ear. She wouldn’t know what to do with a millionaire anyway.

  “Do you
think he’ll be okay?” Liza asked as they made their way to the ferry landing.

  While they’d waited for Larimore to arrive, she’d run upstairs to change—despite Kendall’s assurance that they weren’t going anywhere fancy—and returned in the same dress she’d worn the day of her arrival. Since she knew how he felt about the garment, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d donned it on purpose.

  “I asked Aadi the same thing,” Kendall replied, checking the mirror and finding it odd not to see Amos drooling back. Since Morgan’s frowned on canine visitors, they’d left the dog with Larimore. “He says people lucky enough to get to their nineties often hit a wall. As if their bodies realize how old they are and suddenly slow down.”

  “Have you ever taken him to one of his doctor visits?” she asked.

  “Not for a while. Francine took over the task about six months ago. Ray said he liked her driving better than mine, so she kept taking him.”

  Liza snorted. “If you drive a car the way you drive a cart, I don’t blame him.”

  “Har, har,” he said, tossing a half smile her way. “You’re a regular comedian.”

  She shook her head as the wind blew a curl over her eyes. “Not usually. I mean, I think smart-alecky comments all the time, but I don’t typically say them out loud.” Blue eyes turned his way. “You’re just so fun to agitate.”

  If she kept looking at Kendall that way, he’d let her agitate him all she wanted.

  “I’m not going to know what to do with a full menu to choose from,” Liza said, holding the hem of her dress down with one hand. “After this trip, I’ll never again take restaurants for granted.”

  The comment reminded him of his mother’s main complaint about the island—the lack of simple amenities. Kendall had never seen the issue, since Isle of Palms was only twenty minutes away. When Mom had lived in Charleston, they’d traveled twice as long, often in bumper-to-bumper traffic, to reach a destination.

  He’d rather do twenty minutes on a ferry than forty on a crowded interstate.

  “You know you can head over to the city any time, right?” he asked, feeling defensive.