by Violet Paige
“I tried calling first.” Reid took the steps two at a time, and shook the rain from his hair.
“Oh.” Her voice was almost a whisper.
“I need to talk to you.” He zeroed in on her confused face. “I want to talk.”
“You’re here to talk? In the middle of the night?”
“Yeah.” Reid’s voice couldn’t be more serious. “Can we go inside? I’m a little drenched.” A raindrop slid down the side of his face. He realized there was a good chance she wasn’t going to let him in. He deserved it.
“O-k.” Maggie led him through the door. She left Reid in the hallway, dripping rain. She walked over to turn a lamp on; the house was completely dark. He noticed it looked like her hands might be trembling.
Reid shoved his hands in his pockets. Damn, this was going to be harder than he thought. Now that he was here, in her apartment, none of it made sense. He knew he had scared her the day of the fight; he wasn’t proud of it. It was the one moment in his life he wanted to take back. The way she was looking at him now, he wasn’t so sure that he hadn’t scared her again.
“I did try to call. I didn’t want to scare you.”
“I don’t usually get visitors pounding on my door at 3 a.m., so yeah, you freaked me out a little bit.” Maggie opened bi-folding doors in the hall closet and snatched a towel from the folded pile stacked on the dryer. She handed it to Reid.
“I have some questions.” Reid’s words were matter-of-fact. He ran the towel along his arms. No use sugar-coating the reason he was there.
“Wait, before you interrogate me, how did you find me?”
Reid didn’t expect her to be hostile, but her bright blue eyes looked sharper than he ever remembered seeing them. “Blair gave me your address.”
“Blair?” Maggie looked shocked.
“So she didn’t tip you off? Well, I guess I always knew she could keep a secret.” He hadn’t meant to insert so much sarcasm in his tone.
“What are you talking about?”
“That came out wrong. That’s not what I meant, exactly. I saw her tonight, and when she gave me your address, I asked her not to tell you I was on my way to see you.”
“Hold on. You saw Blair?”
“Yeah, apparently, she left Dallas. Last time I saw her, she was going to track down Justyn at the Dock House. My guess is they’re together right now.” He smiled—something that felt uncomfortable with the way Maggie was staring at him.
“I don’t believe this.” Maggie tucked her knees under her and curled deeper into the couch. “Blair is with Justyn?” She looked across the room at Reid. “And you’re here?”
“Yes. I’m here.” He strolled toward her and sat next to her on the yellow couch, pulling his T-shirt away from his chest for a second as if air-drying it would evaporate the rain marks.
“I don’t understand.”
“Blair said some things tonight that made me think. I wanted to talk to you about what happened in person. I have questions that can only be answered by you. I’m tired of hearing what everyone else thinks.”
Maggie glanced at him. “But you wouldn’t listen when I tried to talk to you. I would have answered everything a month ago.”
He exhaled. “I couldn’t talk about it a month ago. I was too mad.” He closed his eyes. “No, not mad—I was furious. And I didn’t handle it well. I’m sorry about that. I was an absolute ass.”
“Yes, you were.” She twisted her loose curls along her shoulder. “So, you’re ready now? At three in the morning? Now is the time you want to talk?”
Reid buried his head in his hands. “This is so messed up.”
Maggie’s voice softened. “Well, you can’t take all the responsibility.” She paused. “I should have told you who I was the moment I met you. If I had, maybe this would have never happened. I am sorry.”
“There is no excuse for how I acted that day.” He turned toward her.
“Well, you’re here now. So ask your questions. Shoot.”
“Ok. I want to know when you started going behind my back and talking to Zeal—I mean your dad—about our boats.”
“The middle of August—when I went home to Charlotte for my dad’s birthday weekend. But I swear, Reid, I was just trying to help.”
He processed the timing. “So after the day on the yacht when you showed up in the rain?”
Maggie blushed. “Yes, after that day.” It came out as a whisper.
“Just tell me this. Is your dad planning on buying us out? Is he trying to get the capital together to absorb us into Z Power Boats?”
“No!” Maggie squealed and jumped to her knees. Somewhere in her frenzy, the pillow she clutched fell to the floor. “Reid, I would never do that. He would never do that. If I thought for one second that you might think that, I wouldn’t have talked to Daddy about your boats. I swear.”
Reid looked at the bits of blue sparking in Maggie’s eyes. God, she was cute.
“I am a Zeal and I should have told you.” Maggie sighed and folded back on her heels. The side of her sweater slid open. Reid saw the glimmer of the lighthouse necklace in the lamplight.
“You still wear that thing?” He reached out carefully, and traced the chain against her neck.
Her breath quickened. “Yes, every day.”
He looked at her while letting his hand toy with the pendant dangling above Maggie’s chest.
“Why didn’t you tell me your name?” He positioned himself closer to her on the couch.
“Honestly, it didn’t seem important at the time. I was a girl on summer vacation. You were a cute boy I wanted to get to know.” She blushed. He couldn’t resist touching the hair at the nape of her neck. “And by the time I found out how you felt about my dad’s boats, I was in so deep with you, I was afraid to mess it all up. We—well at least I—was having so much fun.”
Every time she spoke, he felt the urge to hold her grow stronger. Right now, everything she said eased the pain and disappointment that had festered for a month. Was it possible he could forgive her? He wanted to so badly.
“Reid, I just wanted to help you and Justyn,” she explained. “Did you know Daddy started Z Power all by himself when he was nineteen in his father’s garage? It’s a lot like your story.”
“I don’t think I’ve read that anywhere,” Reid said. His eyes settled on the rise and fall of her chest.
“Yeah, it usually gets lost in all the mix of sales records and marketing awards. But he got a lucky break when NASCAR investors decided they wanted to diversify—”
Reid silenced her explanation as his mouth pressed against hers, desperately wanting to reclaim a connection with her body. He had been hungry for this moment since she said she was sorry. He had all the answers he needed.
“Maggie, I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m an ass.” He broke away and held her in front of him. There were still things to sort through, but he wanted her to know he meant the apology.
“Maybe we can agree that you were an ass—one time—past tense.” She looked like she was still trying to catch her breath from the kiss.
He laughed an entire-body-shaking laugh then put his arms around her and drew her to him.
His lips claimed hers and it was as if they had never spent a moment apart. She pressed her body into his and tried to make up for lost time.
“Reid?”
“Mmm?”
“I …” she started. “Why did you really drive six hours in the middle of the night? Was it really to get answers? Because I—”
“Do I really have to tell you?” he said, pushing the cardigan off her shoulder and tracing her finger over her collarbone. He growled in her ear, “I missed you, tiger.”
The rain pelted at the windows. Maggie smiled at him while his eyes blazed. He hovered over her, ready to lean down for another one of those mind-blowing kisses. He knew what these kisses meant. They were falling back together, and for the first time, falling had never felt so right.
Epilogue
&n
bsp; Justyn
Justyn looked out over the water. The sun had almost set on another cold November day on the island. There were a few boats skimming the waves, making their way in for the night. He put the truck in reverse, cranked up the heat inside the cab, and made a U-turn out of Shell Point.
There were a few lights glowing at the Buttons house. Daniel and Sally had made it home from their Australian vacation. The clay pots spilled over with purple and gold pansies. Justyn sighed as he passed the house. It would never be the same. He knew as long as he lived, he wouldn’t pass that house without thinking about Blair and that summer. He shook his head and reached for the radio.
He slowed the truck before easing it onto a grassy lane. The grass was mostly brown now except for a few stubborn weeds, which refused to accept summer was long gone. He parked next to the marina office, but left the engine running. It was too cold to start the heating process all over again, and he knew JoBeth would have the oysters ready for him.
“Well, look who’s here.” JoBeth beamed from behind the counter.
“Hey, darlin’.” Justyn strolled to the counter. “Did Willis get my order together?”
“Sugar, you know it.” JoBeth walked out from behind the register and turned to the line of coolers near the door. “How many bushels you need?”
“I think one is plenty.” Justyn withdrew cash from his wallet and placed it on the counter. He grabbed the canvas sack from the island woman’s grasp. “Tell Willis I said thank you. I heard these were his best this year.”
“He’ll appreciate that, Justyn.” She smiled. “Take care, honey.”
Justyn heaved the fifty-pound sack into the bed of the truck and jumped into the cab, ready for the blast of heat. It didn’t matter to him what the temperature reading was on his dash; the cold had settled into all the nooks and crannies of the island. He continued south a few hundred yards. His thumb lightly drummed the top of the steering wheel. He couldn’t help but sing along with The Embers—somehow it made the summer not feel so far away.
He pulled the truck to the sound side of the house. From the windshield, he could see the low glow of a fire on the beach. Good. Reid’s at least got that going.
The oysters had slid to the tailgate. He reached over the side and retrieved the bushel Willis had sacked for him. By now, the sun had settled in the west, and the night sky was cast with glimmering stars and a harvest moon that lit up the entire sound.
“Cuz, what kept you so long?” Reid stood on the beach, poking the orange embers with a long fire stick. He had assembled a long sheet of metal over four stacks of cinderblocks that acted as sawhorses. “This fire has been ready for thirty minutes.” The coals burned two feet under the platform.
Justyn held up the canvas bag. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’ve got the oysters.” He dropped the sack near Reid’s feet and scanned the empty beach. He took a deep breath of the chilled air.
“We have the champagne!” Maggie giggled as she bounded over the grassy yard toward the beach. She held up a green bottle and pointed toward Blair.
“I’m holding the good stuff. We are not smacking Moet into the sea.” Blair smiled at Justyn before his arms wrapped around her, and he buried his head in her shoulder.
“Darlin’, you need to keep me warm tonight.” The words made her purr in his ear.
“Hey, you two. We have serious oyster roasting and boat christening to do tonight.” Maggie wagged her finger at them.
Blair tilted her head to the side. “Really, G, you’re going to lecture us about boat christening?” She winked at her friend, whose jaw dropped.
Justyn chuckled under his breath. Everyone knew how Maggie and Reid liked to christen boats.
Reid slid his arm around Maggie’s waist and pulled her in under his arm. “Hey, tiger.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Hey.”
Justyn watched his cousin and Maggie. They had come a long way since the end of the summer. Hell, they all had. “All right. So what’s the game plan? It’s freakin’ cold out here.”
“This bottle is for drinking and celebrating.” Blair held up the expensive French champagne. “And that one is for the boat.” She pointed to Maggie’s bottle.
“Looks like you two covered all the bases.” Justyn reached for the high-end bottle and unwrapped the foil sealing the cork. He looked at Reid. “And what about the oysters?”
“Ten minutes, tops,” Reid announced as he dumped half of the sack onto the metal sheet. A low hissing noise rose from the table when Reid covered the first round with a heavy canvas.
“Let’s make a toast.” Maggie withdrew glasses from the bag she had brought to the beach, and held them up for Justyn to pour.
“Thanks, G.” He tilted the bottle and filled each glass with the chilled bubbly beverage.
“I think you should do it, since you’re the songwriter.” Blair poked Justyn in the side.
“Songwriter doesn’t equal toast master, but I’ll give it a shot, baby.” He handed a glass to Reid, who stepped away from the fire to join the circle. Justyn held the glass toward the center and watched as the sharp flames from the fire caught the rise of the champagne’s dancing bubbles.
He cleared his throat. “Here it goes.” He looked at Blair and felt his heart swell a little. Then he locked eyes with his cousin, and didn’t know if he could find the words everyone was waiting to hear. This was a moment he never saw coming, even if it was one he always wanted.
“Reid, man, when you asked me to go in with you on this venture, I could have sat down and listed the pros and cons, run the numbers, and consulted every boat builder Down East, but I didn’t. You asked, and I said yes.” He shuffled his feet in the sand. “I said yes, because you asked.”
Blair and Maggie smiled at each other across the circle.
Justyn continued. “And I’m sure as hell glad I did because I wouldn’t be here tonight. None of us would be celebrating our tenth boat and our five-year exclusive contract with Charleston yacht club if it hadn’t been for you. So, tonight, I know we’re christening her”—he nodded at the vessel anchored along the beach—“but this night is about you bringing all of us together. Without these boats, this business, and you as my family, I wouldn’t have my favorite thing on this island.” Justyn winked at Blair. “So, here’s to boats, summer, and never giving up.”
“Here, here!” they all said in unison before drinking a few sips of the bubbly.
“Justyn, that was beautiful.” Maggie hugged him hard.
He blushed. “Thanks, G. I meant it.” He squeezed her again. “Let’s get this party going.” He pulled out his phone and hit play on his beach music playlist.
Reid walked over and slapped his cousin on the back. “I wouldn’t have done this without you. You know that?”
Justyn cracked a smile. “I know. You would have been crazy to try it without me.”
Blair and Maggie locked arms and huddled closer to the fire. “How long do you think the bromance stuff will go on?” Blair asked. “I’m starving and freezing.”
Justyn heard Maggie’s response, “I’m kind of loving it.”
He chuckled. Those two were as tight as he and Reid. They all fit together rather seamlessly, like the boat they were getting ready to launch.
Reid walked over to the fire. “All right, ladies, I think these bad boys are ready.” He grabbed a bucket and started shoveling the hot oysters into the empty barrel. “Who wants the first one?”
“Me!” Maggie raced around the side of the roasting station to join Reid.
He laughed. “Of course you do.” He slipped on a heavy work glove and began separating the shells. “Here you go. First one of the oyster roast. Hot off the fire.”
Maggie smiled at him as he leaned closer, dangling the oyster out of her reach. “Reid, stop.” She squealed as he swooped in for a kiss before releasing the oyster.
Justyn felt Blair’s gaze as he watched her friend and his cousin. She joined Justyn away from th
e fire.
“Nice toast.” She bumped his side with her hip.
“You’re the one who said I should try it.” He sipped on the drink. He was enjoying it more than any glass of wine he had ever tried.
“And it was perfect.” She smiled.
He laughed. “You know I almost didn’t think I was going to make it through it.”
Blair turned toward him, sliding her free hand into his. “I knew you could do it.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “So, what exactly is your favorite thing on this island?”
“You even have to ask?” Justyn brushed his lips across her mouth. “I’ve never been so happy since you moved here.” He felt the familiar sparks Blair’s kisses always stirred.
“You weren’t too happy when you found out you had to lug my boxes down ten flights of stairs or when the moving truck got a flat tire in Alabama. Was it worth it?” She batted her eyes at him.
Justyn ran a hand along her face, and held her chin between his thumb and finger. “Darlin’, nothing was ever more worth it.” He closed the distance between them, and sometime during the kiss, they both lost their champagne glasses.
“Eh-hem. Excuse us!” Maggie called. “We have a boat to christen with champagne.”
“You got it, girl.” Justyn grabbed Blair by the hand and tugged her toward the shoreline.
Maggie held up the bottle of champagne she had chosen for this occasion.
“I’m all out of toasts tonight. Who has this one?” Justyn joked.
Reid pulled on the bowlines and started winding the ropes near the stern. “I’d like Maggie to do it.”
Maggie’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
He walked over to her. “Yes. You helped get us that yacht contract. This boat deserves you to christen her.” Reid brushed one of her flyaway curls behind her ear before kissing her. “Please.”
She nodded her head.
Justyn had to give it to that girl; she was persistent. Ever since she and Reid got back together, she had wooed every potential investor this side of the Mason-Dixon line. It meant Reid had started spending more time in Charleston, traveling back and forth with meetings, but he was a happier guy with Maggie in the picture.
