Hope Harbor

by Jill Sanders

  “No school.” Eve chuckled.

  “Right.” Dylan smiled and then rested his chin on the top of her head as they looked out over the land. “This is nice. Having you here.”

  “Yes,” she answered, feeling her heart sink a little at the thought of having to go back to a lonely bed in a room she still felt like a stranger in.

  He turned her and, after taking her cup and setting it aside, asked, “Why not, at least until things calm down, why don’t you come stay here with us?”

  25

  Hold your breath

  Dylan hadn’t planned on asking Eve to move in with him. But he just couldn’t imagine Eve alone in that room for another night. Not when she had such a tough time sleeping in his arms last night.

  Besides, he needed her there, but he wasn’t ready to tell her that just yet.

  “What does Palmer say about it?” Eve asked, glancing towards the door.

  He shrugged. “We can ask her.” He glanced down at his watch. “It’s about time she woke up for her Saturday morning cartoons anyway.” He smiled and pulled her into the house.

  Sure enough, when they walked in, there was a small bundle of blankets in front of the television with SpongeBob playing on the set.

  Dylan smiled and nodded towards the pile. “See, told you.”

  The pile moved and, when his daughter spotted Eve, she jumped up.

  “Eve! You’re here.” Dylan watched as Palmer did a flying jump into Eve’s arms. Eve caught her easily and spun her around as her daughter clung to her like a spider monkey.

  “I am.” Eve laughed. “I was thinking,” Eve said when his daughter calmed down, “that I would like to thank your dad for letting me stay over last night with a surprise. Do you think you could help me make breakfast for him?”

  “Yes!” his daughter screamed as she bounced up and down in Eve’s arms.

  “I’ll need a shower first,” Eve told Palmer. “Why don’t you finish watching cartoons and I’ll go get dressed.” She set Palmer down.

  “Daddy, did you see my painting?” Palmer rushed over to the canvas.

  “Yes.” He smiled at Eve. “Help yourself.” He nodded towards his room and moved over to talk to his daughter about how wonderful of a job she’d done.

  He sat in his chair, holding onto his daughter as they watched morning cartoons. When Eve stepped back out, she was dressed in jeans and a sweater. Her hair was still wet, and she had yet to put on any makeup. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.

  “So, what are your plans for the day?” Eve asked him as she started moving around his kitchen with Palmer sitting on one of the high stools from the bar area.

  “I promised Palmer I would take her fishing,” he said, but then shrugged. “If you need us…”

  “No.” Eve smiled at him, but he could tell it was for show for Palmer, who was watching them closely. “I’ll be okay. Go, have fun. I have some work to catch up on today. The wedding party is checking out and there’s plenty that needs to be done.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  Eve smiled at him as she helped Palmer crack an egg open. “Yes.”

  He watched, sitting at the bar area, as Eve patiently taught his daughter how to make French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and hash browns.

  She even stood by and helped his daughter pour each glass of orange juice. How she had the patience to do so was beyond him. Normally, in the morning, he let Palmer sit at the bar while he rushed around the kitchen. His daughter usually spilled everything she tried to pour. But Eve taught her a trick to help from spilling by turning the container backwards.

  He felt guilty for not helping, so he set the table and helped carry everything to the table.

  Having breakfast with Eve and Palmer was the one of the best moments he could remember having on a Saturday morning.

  Knowing he had to drive Eve back up to the inn, he helped clean up the dishes and tried to delay the inevitable. She had yet to give him an answer about staying there, since neither of them had asked his daughter yet.

  As they drove Eve back to the inn, he finally worked up enough nerve.

  “Palmer, what do you think of Eve coming and staying with us for a while?” He glanced in the mirror and held his breath.

  His daughter was quiet for a moment. Dylan glanced over at Eve, who was waiting for her answer as well.

  “Would I get to call her mommy yet?” Palmer asked.

  Eve’s eyes met his quickly. “Honey, I’m not your mommy. You had a mommy, one who loved you very much.” Eve turned slightly.

  “Yeah, but I want you to be my live mommy. My mommy in heaven won’t teach me how to cook or do my hair in the morning,” Palmer said with a slight pout.

  His heart broke a little and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He loved Eve, but he wasn’t sure Eve felt the same way. Sure, she’d told him that she loved him, but was it the forever kind of love she felt?

  “I will just be staying for a while,” Eve started. “Not forever.”

  His daughter was quiet for a while.

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind,” Palmer said. “You can stay as long as you want,” she added cheerfully.

  He reached over and took Eve’s hand. “That settles it.” He lifted her hand to his and kissed it. “I guess we’ll be seeing you later tonight?”

  She nodded. “If you’re sure.”

  “We are,” Palmer said quickly.

  When he parked, he leaned over and planted a kiss on Eve’s lips. “Let me know how it goes today.” He saw her eyes turn slightly sad.

  “I will. Thanks for letting me stay.” She turned to Palmer. “Thanks for helping me make breakfast.”

  “Can we make dinner?” Palmer asked.

  Eve chuckled. “How about I bring dinner instead?”

  Palmer frowned slightly. “Can you bring some cookies?”

  Eve’s eyes grew even more sad, and he could tell she was thinking about the plate of cookies her aunt always had ready for guests.

  “I think I can find some just for you,” Eve said softly. “Bye,” she said and disappeared. He watched her climb the front stairs and disappear into the inn.

  “Daddy?” Palmer said. “Why did Eve look sad? Did I say something wrong?”

  “No sweetie. She just wished she could spend the day with us instead of going to work.” Turning around, he smiled at Palmer. “Ready to go do some fishing?”

  “Yes,” she answered softly.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, seeing her hesitation.

  “Maybe we can do something nice for Eve. She did make us breakfast.”

  “Like what?”

  Palmer’s little shoulders lifted and fell. “I don’t know. What does she like?”

  He thought about it and shrugged. Hell, here he was trying to convince Eve to move in with him and he didn’t even know what kind of things she liked. He knew she enjoyed running and watched cartoons when she was scared, but beyond that, he didn’t really have a clue.

  “Daddy?” Palmer asked.

  Then he remembered her fuzzy pajamas and her funny sleeping shorts she’d worn last night and smiled.

  “Well, how about we do a little shopping before we go fishing?” he asked and started driving into town.

  On the other side of the island, near the hospital, there was a small boutique he and Palmer frequented. The Zoo had unique items from all over. Including fuzzy pajamas like he’d bought for Palmer last Christmas. He was just hoping they had them in adult sizes.

  “Yippee, the Zoo.” Palmer clapped her hands. “I bet we can find something for Eve here.”

  They found what they were looking for in the first five minutes. He hadn’t known he could have so much fun shopping for funny pajamas for Eve.

  Palmer picked out the zebra ones, claiming Eve would love those the best. He thought the unicorn ones with stripes were more her style, so they bought both and had the clerk wrap them up.

  As they were walking out of th
e store, the packages tucked under his arm, his daughter’s hand in his, he almost bumped into Eve’s aunt Louisa.

  “Sorry,” he said quickly.

  The woman’s eyes ran over him, assessing him as if he was nothing more than a nuisance.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your loss,” he said and stepped aside.

  The woman stopped, turned to him, and glared at him. “You’re that man, the one dating Eve?” Her eyes moved to Palmer and instead of softening as most people did when they spotted a young child, her look hardened.

  “Yes,” he said, bending down and hoisting his daughter up into his arms. “Eve will be staying with us for a while.”

  Louisa nodded, a slight dip in her head, and turned to leave.

  “Who was that?” Palmer whispered.

  “That was Eve’s aunt,” he said as they started towards the truck again.

  “I don’t like her,” Palmer said once he put her in her car seat.

  Out of the mouths of babes, he thought as he drove back home to get ready for their fishing trip.

  “What do you say we pack a lunch and eat out on the water?” he asked, setting down Eve’s presents.

  He loved spending days out on the water with his daughter. Normally, his father would have joined them, but today it was just the two of them. Next time, he told himself, he’d convince Eve to take the day off and bring her along.

  Slipping the sailboat out of the spot on the dock he and his father had built the first year after he’d purchased the home, he took in a deep breath.

  “Daddy, let me,” Palmer asked and scooted closer to him.

  Hoisting her up on his lap, he let her steer them out of the small inlet, into the open water.

  He didn’t expect to catch anything, not really. The last few times he and Palmer had been out, they’d only fished for a little while and then had sailed around the island and enjoyed views.

  But today it seemed his daughter was on a mission. She’d brought a sketch pad with her and kept telling him to stop the boat so she could draw something.

  She was a skilled painter but needed work with her sketches. Shapes and sizes were her weakness. She could expertly copy something from a picture, but when it came to free-style drawing, she needed time and age to hone her skills.

  After almost three hours out on the water, they’d enjoyed the lunch of turkey sandwiches he’d packed. He’d caught half a dozen fish, and Palmer had fallen asleep on the cushion while sketching a boat near the harbor. The little red sun hat she wore while they were out on the water covered her face completely, but he could hear her snoring and held in a laugh. In this area, his daughter definitely took after him.

  As they made their way back towards the house, he glanced down at his watch and gauged that he might be able to catch a glimpse of Eve at the main docks as they passed by.

  She’d told him about her family spreading her cousin’s ashes and had wanted to be there for her but didn’t think it was something he should take Palmer to.

  He slowed the small motor he had on the sailboat as they passed the docks. He spotted Eve standing on the edge of the dock wrapped in a thick coat, the hood covering most of her face. She was alone so he turned the boat towards her.

  She looked so lost in thought, so heartbroken. When he slid silently beside her, he had to call her name twice before she turned to him. He watched her lift her hand to wipe tears from her face before she made her way towards them.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, tossing the line over the cleat on the dock, stopping the boat’s forward motion.

  Stepping on the dock, he was surprised when she stepped into his arms and cried on his shoulder.

  “They did it again,” he thought he heard her say next to his shoulder.

  He glanced around, unsure of what had happened. Looking down at his watch, he noticed it was almost a full hour after her family was set to be there. Had they come and gone? Had she fought with them?

  “Hey,” he asked, lifting her chin until she looked into his eyes. “What’s happened?”

  “They ditched me.” She sighed. “I waited here…” She closed her eyes and wiped her face. “But they showed up at the inn and released his ashes from the dock there instead. My mother lied to me. Again.” She rested her forehead on his shoulder. His arms tightened around her.

  “Son of a…”

  “Daddy?” Palmer’s voice shook him from his anger. “Is Eve okay?”

  Without thinking, he lifted Eve into his arms and carried her onto the boat, setting her down next to Palmer.

  “Yes, sweetie, she just needs a quick trip out on the water. Do you think you can let Eve use your blanket to stay warm?” he asked as he released the ties holding them in the dock.

  When he turned around, Palmer was wrapping the thick blanket he’d laid over while she’d slept around Eve’s shoulders and talking to her.

  He didn’t want Eve to tell him to take her back to the docks, so he set off towards the open water without saying anything.

  Eve held onto Palmer as the boat glided out of the harbor. He opened the sail when they were clear and the boat took off, following the breeze.

  Eve rested her head on the top of Palmer’s head, turning her face into the wind. Her eyes were unfocused, and she kept taking deep breaths.

  “Feel better?” Palmer asked after a few moments.

  “Yes.” Eve smiled down at her.

  “Sadness can be chased away,” his daughter surprised him by saying, “by the calm of the water. My grandpa always tells me that.”

  Palmer glanced in his direction, and he smiled at her.

  “Thank you,” Eve said to Palmer and then turned to him. “Both of you.”

  He nodded, feeling his chest tight with the love he felt for each of them.

  “You don’t have to go back to work now do you?” Palmer asked after more than a half hour.

  “No, I don’t.” She turned to him. “My bags are in the van at the docks.”

  He nodded. “I’ll drop you back off there and meet you at the house.”

  She leaned back. “Later. For now”—she took another deep breath—“we have time.”

  Then Eve gasped and pointed. “Look, orcas.” She smiled.

  Palmer jerked her head around and they all watched a pod of killer whales off the port side of the boat.

  “Look, Daddy!” Palmer clapped and cheered each time one broke the surface. “Orcas.”

  He’d never wanted anything as bad as he wanted Eve to be a permanent part of his happiness. He felt the need to include her in his and Palmer’s life, if for nothing more than to be there for her and get her to smile every day.

  26

  Here to stay

  Over the next few days, Eve stayed away from her family. Thankfully, she had been the one to contact the coroner’s office and make arrangements for her aunt. Her aunt didn’t have a will, but since she hadn’t owned much, Eve doubted her family would fight over the small knickknacks like they had with her grandfather.

  She was tired of being left out, so Eve scheduled a small party in the main dining hall for the middle of the week. She sent off a group text to her family informing them of the time and place and honestly didn’t care if they showed up or not.

  Giving the staff the time off seemed appropriate. She was happily surprised that every single staff member showed up and celebrated her aunt’s life. Dylan and Palmer were there as well.

  She’d been living at their house just under a week and already felt more at home there than she had in her grandfather’s room.

  It wasn’t as if she had a lot of things, since the fire Steve had caused in her car had taken what little she’d kept from her old life. The two pairs of pajama’s Dylan and Palmer surprised her with were some of her favorite possessions.

  It was no surprise that her family didn’t show up for her aunt’s services.

  The police were no closer to finding Steve’s murderer let alone her aunt’s. They had interviewed every
one and confirmed that no one was seen going in or out of her aunt’s rooms. Then again, the party had been in full swing and everyone had been occupied.

  They were trying to get in touch with Mr. Strommen but had yet to track the man down.

  She and Dylan had gone over their list of suspects several times, adding people of interest each time they thought of them.

  The fact that no one could find Mr. Strommen put the man at the top of their list. They tried to do some research on the man, but he was an enigma. Every time he’d checked into the inn, he’d given a handful of home addresses near the Seattle area. Eve had given them to the police and had heard from Barb that none of them belonged to a Clark Strommen.

  So far, Steve’s missing camera and laptop were their only clues. Clues that were not helpful since they still didn’t know what was hidden on them.

  She’d heard that Deb had checked out of the hospital and was staying with a friend in town while her leg healed. Eve had visited her once so she could ask if the woman knew anything more about what might have been on Steve’s laptop.

  “He used to film everything. Even when people didn’t know he was filming,” Deb had answered. She’d been propped up on a sofa in her friend’s living room. Her cuts and burns were unbandaged, and Eve could see how bad the damage was. The woman would have scars on most of the left side of her face for the rest of her life. That thought had her even more angry at Steve. How could someone do something so terrible as to hurt the one he’d claimed to love? “Either on his phone or that camera of his,” Deb had finished.

  Eve had found the reimbursement request and check. The inn had paid almost ten thousand dollars for the camera, including the lenses and software Steve had needed to manipulate his footage.

  If Eve ever found the thing, she was going to sell it and try to recoup some of the loss.

  Shortly after her aunt’s services, her parents texted her claiming that they’d had a meeting with their lawyer in Seattle and couldn’t make it.

  She hadn’t felt like arguing and, thanks to Dylan’s advice, hadn’t responded. Using the love of one’s family member against another was as low as anyone could get.