Flirting with Forever

by Jennifer Bernard

  Maya offered a hug next. She wore a long maroon scarf tossed over one shoulder. Her springy brown curls were piled into two puffs. Maya had the most steady common sense of any of their group of friends, and had always been the one extricating them from awkward situations. She was probably an excellent police chief.

  “Same old, same old?” Jessica said. “I assume you mean topless sunbathing on the lighthouse rocks while pretending to be mermaids luring sailors to their deaths?”

  Chrissie burst out laughing at the memory. “Except the sailors were pimply-faced boys rowing out to spy on us.”

  “Yeah, the reality didn’t really measure up.”

  Toni pulled up seats for the two newcomers—an old leather ottoman and a camp chair with a beer company logo. “We can’t stay long,” Maya said. “We’re on our way to talk to Lucas. He’s the harbormaster now,” she explained to Chrissie.

  Shuri lumbered to her feet and sniffed at the hand Maya reached toward her. She allowed Maya to scratch behind her ears, which wasn’t something she permitted everyone to do. The official Shuri stamp of approval.

  “Wow, everyone’s so grown up here,” Chrissie joked. “Police chief, harbormaster, bartender supreme. You guys are running this town. Congratulations, by the way, Maya. Police chief looks good on you.”

  “Thank you. I’m finally getting used to it. What have you been up to?” Maya asked.

  “Oh, this and that.”

  No one seemed to think that was an adequate answer. Maya kept looking at her steadily. No wonder she was a good law enforcement officer; it was impossible to brush her off.

  “Welcome to the Madcap Life and Times of Chrysanthemum Yates,” Chrissie said lightly. “Perhaps you’d like to hear about the helicopter tour business I ran with a friend in Baja. That was fun, until she met a surfer and we dissolved the business. I was drowning my sorrows in margaritas when I met a businessman from Boston. Hot tip: it’s generally best to know your spouse for more than three weeks before declaring your eternal commitment. Four months later, he took off with the remainder of my savings. Turned out his ‘business’ was ripping off vulnerable young women, and he thought I had lots of spray cheese money.

  “Other career highlights include fifteen-sixteenths of an online college degree, a helicopter rating, and a second-place finish in a spoken-word tournament. My longest-lasting job was with a flight tour operation in Jupiter Point, flying tourists up and down the California coastline. Most recently, I’ve been working as a private helicopter pilot for a zillionaire in Arizona who can’t stand traffic. As you can see, there’s a general theme here. In two words: hot mess.”

  And that was the lighthearted thumbnail version.

  The other three women gazed at her in silence.

  “Sorry. I guess that was a lot,” she murmured.

  “Yes, and kind of Holly Golightly style.” Jessica’s smile had dimmed drastically. “Who wrote that?”

  “Truman Capote,” Chrissie said automatically. Her brain was still such a storehouse of random homeschooled facts.

  “I’m sorry about your divorce,” Maya said. “And the business. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot.”

  “Oh, I’m just exaggerating for dramatic effect. You know me. I’m all about the drama.”

  “No,” Toni corrected her. “You were all about adventures.”

  “I thought you were all about fun,” said Jessica wistfully.

  “I’d say you were all about survival,” Maya said in her thoughtful way.

  Chrissie had to admit that while all three of them were partly right, Maya had probably come the closest. After all, without survival, none of the rest was possible.

  “I did survive. And I have had fun.” After a moment of thought, she added, “Except for some of the low points I mentioned. Mostly I had my hands full just trying to keep my head above water.”

  “We really missed you after you left.” Jessica leaned forward and touched a hand to her knee. “I asked my crystal a hundred times if you were okay. I always got a yes.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch.”

  “Or say goodbye,” Jessica pointed out.

  “Or say goodbye.” Chrissie dug her hand into Shuri’s fur. “I was so hurt when Gramps kicked me out, I just wanted to leave and not look back.”

  “So where did you go when you left here?” Jessica asked.

  “My mom was—still is—working as a flight attendant. She got me a flight to where she was based then, in Mexico City. I finished high school online and got my GED. I’d never lived in a city before, obviously, and it was super lonely. Mom was gone a lot. Every time I thought about Lost Harbor I’d start to cry, so I just…didn’t. It feels silly now.”

  “Give yourself a break,” Maya said, all common sense. “You were doing the best you could.”

  Chrissie smiled gratefully at her old friend. “Surviving, I guess. Anyway, after I got my GED we went to Baja for a vacation and I decided to stay there. I was eighteen by then. I worked as a bartender at a resort and got to know the guys who were running the helicopter tours. They didn’t believe that I could fly a helicopter, so that was fun, showing off. Remember when that was part of my homeschooling? Gramps taught me in case we had to flee from the government?”

  “I remember that you wanted to fly over the glaciers across the bay and look for the lost tribe,” Toni said.

  Chrissie had forgotten about that. She laughed. “I had almost as many crazy ideas as Ohlson, didn’t I?”

  “You were always up for anything fun.” Jessica smiled nostalgically. “Things got much more boring after you left.”

  “I bet some people were happy I was gone after all the trouble I caused.”

  They all stared at her. “I can’t believe you would think that for one second,” cried Jessica. “Take that back.”

  Chrissie’s eyebrows quirked. “It was eleven years ago. How’m I supposed to do that?”

  “Tristan actually cried after you left,” Toni said. “I caught him one night and never let him forget it. He really missed you.”

  Something twisted in Chrissie’s heart. Toni’s older brother, Tristan, had been her first…okay, well, more like third…boyfriend. But he was the only one who’d really left a mark on her heart. “We were already broken up when I left.”

  “I know. Don’t worry, he moved on. He’s fine. Well, mostly. He just got divorced.” Toni glared at her. “And don’t you even think about going there. I can’t go through that again.”

  Chrissie felt that like a body blow. Why would Toni think that she’d try to hurt Tris? She’d truly loved him, as much as she could when she was dealing with the sheer chaos of her daily life back then.

  “I’m not looking for a man, and even if I were, I wouldn’t be looking for one in Lost Harbor, and even then—I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Tristan. He’s a gem. I just hope he doesn’t hate me.”

  “Don’t worry, he has other things to worry about now,” Toni said dryly. She reached over and touched Chrissie’s arm. “Sorry, babe. Didn’t mean to imply anything. You know how protective I am. That includes you, by the way.”

  Chrissie nodded, a tiny tendril of warmth unfurling in her heart. She wasn’t sure she deserved this much easy acceptance from her old friends. She could have stayed in touch, but instead she’d shoved aside all the happy memories of Lost Harbor along with all the rough ones.

  And that included the best friends she’d ever had. None of these women had ever betrayed her or divorced her or broken her heart.

  Surprising the hell out of herself, she suddenly burst into tears. It was the strangest thing. One moment she was gazing at the fishing boats bobbing in the harbor, the next moment tears were running down her face.

  Jessica jumped to her feet and kneeled next to her. “What’s wrong? What happened? Chrissie, sweetie…are you okay?”

  Through blurry eyes, Chrissie blinked at her. “I just…I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all of you. You aren’t even mad at me. Or maybe
you are but you’re being nice anyway. All of you. Why are you being so nice?”

  From behind Jessica’s worried face, Maya raised her hand. “I can answer that one. Because we saw how things were with your grandfather. It got really bad, and we were glad you left Lost Harbor—for your sake. No judgment from us. I mean, short of anything criminal. I am the police chief.”

  “Ehhh…” Toni waved away that exception. “Depends how criminal. There’s some gray areas in there. Take it from a bartender.”

  At the sight of Maya’s stern glare of warning, a burble of laughter broke through Chrissie’s sobs. “You guys.” It was all she could really manage in the way of words. “I really really missed you.”

  That called for a group hug, and they all piled together for a long, wonderful moment that felt like a balm to Chrissie’s heart. When she drew away, she was wiping more tears from her cheeks. “God, I can’t believe I’m such a mess. Except that I can, because I always seem to be a mess one way or another.”

  “Messes can be a good thing,” Jessica assured her, with one more squeeze before she went back to her footstool. “I think you’re doing great. Let it all hang out. That’s my motto.”

  More serious, Maya tucked her hands into her coat pockets. “How’s your car doing? Word is you broke down in the pass.”

  “Poor Prince Valiant needed some major surgery. Two thousand dollars for a new head gasket and a few other things. I maxed out my last remaining credit card. Speaking of which, does anyone know of any jobs I can slide right into? Toni, do you need an extra bartender?”

  Toni shook her head. “Sorry. We’re all staffed up right now. Except…” She hesitated.

  Everyone looked at her curiously.

  “Well, except I keep thinking it’s time for a change. For me.”

  “Wow, that’s big news.” Maya propped her butt against the railing. “The Olde Salt without Toni Del Rey? What would your fan club do without you?”

  “Oh, they’d buddy up with the next person pouring their booze. Don’t worry, it’s not like I have any big ideas about what to do next. I’m there for now. So cross the Olde Salt off your list, Chrissie.”

  Chrissie looked over at Jessica. “What about the bakery?”

  “After we reopen, I’ll need help. But that won’t happen until summer. Right now it’s a construction zone. I could talk to my contractor if you want some carpentry work. You were always really good at that stuff.”

  “That was a while ago.” Chrissie shuddered lightly. “And it’s no fun doing carpentry in the winter.” It definitely didn’t sound as appealing as working inside the steam-scented warmth of the Sweet Harbor Bakery. “I’ll consider that a last resort, no offense.”

  “None taken,” Jessica said cheerfully. “How about tutoring? Lucas Holt has a new stepdaughter who’s some kind of genius at math. She needs a tutor for other subjects.”

  “Me, a teacher?” Chrissie said dubiously. “I was such a disaster as a student.”

  “But that wasn’t your fault. All you knew was homeschooling. Just like Ruby. I bet you have a lot in common with her, actually. You should think about it.” Jessica picked up her phone to text her a number. “I’m sending you Lucas’ and Megan’s numbers.”

  “Okay, I will. Thanks.” But her heart sank. Tutoring sounded like a commitment that she wasn’t prepared to make. Her plan wasn’t to stay in Lost Harbor. It was to sell Ohlson’s property and get back to her life—such as it was. Or maybe establish a new life with the proceeds. Honestly, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what the best plan was, but staying in Lost Harbor wasn’t even on her radar.

  Maya spoke up then. “Did you say you’ve been flying tourists around?”

  “Yes. It’s too bad the bear-viewing flights don’t start up around here until summer.”

  “Well, what about flying an air ambulance? I know for sure there’s an opening for a pilot at Mediguard,” Maya said. “We had an incident a couple months ago. One of the pilots turned out to be a stalker, and he assaulted his copilot. They haven’t found a replacement yet.”

  Chrissie brightened. She’d always loved flying, and she was good at it.

  “Would they take someone short-term? I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

  “Probably. Poor Dan Stone is working double shifts, and he’s still got a sore shoulder from getting knocked out by that asshole. Want me to hook you up?”

  “Would you?” Chrissie felt almost pathetically grateful. “I’d really appreciate it, Maya. I promise I won’t let you down. I might be a mess in some respects, but when it comes to flying I’m obsessively cautious.”

  “I’m not worried,” Maya assured her. “So have you been out to Yatesville yet?”

  “No.” All her optimism drained away. “I’m a coward. I’m not ready.” And there she was, back to being a mess.

  “Want us to go with you?” Jessica offered gently.

  “No. Thanks.”

  “I keep offering, and she keeps saying no.” Toni shrugged her slim shoulders.

  “It’s…I just…” Chrissie bit her lip. She was too used to doing things on her own. It would be too much if her friends were there too. She’d learned how to be a lone wolf and didn’t know how to be anything else at this point. “I’ll get there. When I’m good and ready.”

  “Do you promise to reach out if you need some help?” A wisp of wind tossed a strand of hair in Jessica’s face, and she brushed it away. “We’re here for you, Chrissie. Don’t shut us out.”

  And yet, she was shutting them out already. She knew it, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Hey, I’m lucky you’re even speaking to me. And here you are, putting me up, finding me jobs, getting my car towed.”

  Toni snorted. “Have you been gone so long you forgot how it is here?” She gestured at the harbor and the restless surface of the bay, and the jagged array of mountains beyond it. “The wilderness is right there. We gotta stick together. It’s about survival, especially in the winter.”

  “And adventures. And fun,” Chrissie murmured.

  “And fun, for sure. You look like you could use some of that.” Toni darted inside the little shack and came out with an iPod. “I found this the other day. Anyone remember?” She pressed play, and “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira came flowing into the porch, turning the chill winter air into summer sunshine. They all jumped to their feet and danced, just the way they had in middle school when they’d listened to this song on repeat during those long-ago endless days of summer.

  The old boards of the porch squeaked under the bouncing of their feet. The vintage Coca-Cola sign slid to the floor, making them all laugh. From the harbor, a boat horn sounded. They all looked over and spotted a trawler gliding through the harbor, its crew cocooned in their warmest winter gear. The fishermen hooted and whistled at them, and stomped their feet on the icy deck. Chrissie didn’t recognize any of them, but it would be hard to with those frosty beards and thick ear-hugging hats.

  That was one thing about Lost Harbor; there was no shortage of men. Rugged, physically fit men were everywhere she turned.

  Interesting that the only one who’d really stuck in her mind was the slightly awkward neurosurgeon in the horn-rimmed glasses.

  Seven

  A few days later, Ian heard someone hailing him from across the hospital cafeteria. It was a woman’s voice, and he assumed it was a hospital staff member—a nurse or a tech or another doctor—reminding him of something he’d forgotten.

  Wouldn’t be the first time. He tended to get so wrapped up in whatever his most interesting case was that he forgot details like scheduled appointments with administrators and staff meetings.

  Guiltily, he turned to face the music, only to find that a woman stood before him with a radiant smile. It took a disorienting moment to place her—not because he didn’t remember her, but because she had a strange effect on his pulse rate and perceptual function. As in, she seemed to be the only thing he was aware of, while the rest of the area r
eceded into the background.

  Odd optical effect.

  “Chrissie.”

  “Ian. I hope I’m not interrupting you. You look very serious.”

  “I’m at work,” he explained, a little nonsensically.

  “I can see that.” She glanced around the cafeteria, which was mostly composed of vending machines with packaged sandwiches and a lunch counter only open for limited hours. “Believe it or not, I am too.”

  He noticed then that she was wearing a blue flight suit that snugged her curves. Its color made her eyes especially vibrant, like clear light filtering through sapphires. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, although a few strands had escaped and drifted vaguely around her head.

  “You’re working here?”

  “I got a job working for Mediguard, they’re one of the air-ambulance companies that serve this hospital. I just transported my first patient of the shift. All went well and a fifty-six-year-old man is currently safe and sound at the Providence ER in Anchorage.”

  He blinked at her. “You’re flying helicopters?”

  “Yup. It’s one of my many skills. One of the few marketable ones.” She seemed to wink at him.

  But had she really winked? Or was it some kind of involuntary eye twitch? Was she saying something self-deprecating or something possibly provocative?

  Could he just ask her?

  He didn’t know Chrissie very well—at all, really—but she seemed to be a straightforward person. Despite her air of chaos, or maybe because of it, he felt pretty comfortable with her.

  Maybe she was someone he could turn to for advice about Helene. How could he embarrass himself in front of someone who was such a…well, a “hot mess”? To use her own description?

  “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” he asked abruptly.

  Surprise washed over her lively features, and she paused a moment before she answered. “I’m on call, so I don’t know how long I have.”

  “That’s fine. I am too.”

  They both smiled. Being on call was a way of life for him, and he realized it felt good to have that piece of common ground with someone who seemed so very different at first glance.