"She certainly did that. She was different tonight. She was angry, but she was also determined."
"Well, she deserves to be happy as much as your father does. But I'm sure they'll work it out." Frank put his napkin on the table. "I need some air. Hannah, I'm going to walk home. You bring the car when you're ready. I'll see you back at the house."
"Wait. I'll come with you," Hannah said. "I'll just pay the bill."
"I wouldn't mind some time to myself." Frank waved her back into her seat. "Have another drink. Come home whenever you want."
Hannah didn't look thrilled with her father for abandoning her, but she let him go.
"I told you there was something personal between our fathers, and that's why your dad was fired," he said.
"Yes, you said I didn't know everything. Apparently, neither did you."
"You're right." He ran a hand through his hair. "I certainly had no idea my mom was thinking about leaving my dad. They've been married for thirty-seven years."
"You didn't know they were having problems?"
"No. I thought she was a little depressed, but I figured it was about turning sixty, getting older. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention." He felt a rush of guilt that he'd put off one-on-one time with his mom, because he'd been so busy getting the boat ready to race. "But your father was there for her, and she confided in him. I didn't realize they were close enough for that kind of conversation. But obviously they had a deep enough relationship to speak about extremely personal matters."
Hannah's gaze narrowed. "Are you accusing my father of something? Because my dad would not mess around with a married woman, especially not the wife of his boss. That's insane."
"Maybe, but if my father thought differently, then that would have been a damn good reason for him to fire Frank."
"He fired my dad because he didn't like the message, so he wanted to kill the messenger."
He really wanted to believe that was true.
"We have to clear this up, Devlin," Hannah continued. "I won't have you suggesting that my father was cheating with your mother."
"I am definitely not suggesting that to anyone," he snapped back. "God, that's the last thing I would do. We don't need any more gossip or rumors about secrets."
"Okay then, good."
"You do realize now that there's no way you or I can change this situation. It's between Frank and my dad. They have to work this out."
"That's not true. You can still fight for my dad's job. Just because he listened to your mom and made the mistake of actually telling your dad a truth he didn't want to hear doesn't mean he should lose his livelihood. He built the Boatworks to what it is today. You've only been working there what—five years? My dad has been there thirty. You owe him a lot."
"God, you're stubborn," he said, both impressed and a little unnerved by the intensity in her expression.
"I fight for the people I love. And if you care about my dad at all, you should fight for him, too, because you know it's the right thing to do."
He wished he could say she was wrong, but she wasn't. "I will fight for Frank, Hannah. But I need to give my father a little time to regroup."
"You better not wait too long, or you'll be watching my dad cross the finish line in front of you."
He frowned at her words. "What are you talking about?"
"My dad will not sit out the race on Memorial Day weekend. I'm going to help him win the trophy for himself this time and not for the Blackthornes."
He was shocked at her words. He hadn't really thought about losing Frank for the race, because he'd been sure that Frank would be back to work before then. "You and Frank are going to race against me?"
"You and whoever else you get on your boat," she said, a fighting light in her blue eyes.
"What boat will you be racing?"
"You'll see," she said vaguely.
He wondered what boat Frank could possibly lay his hands on two weeks before the race. But with his connections, he could probably find one. Anger and disappointment ran through him. He felt pissed off at everyone—his father for being an ass, his mother for leaving without any real explanation, Frank for giving up so soon, and especially Hannah, who was looking quite proud of herself.
He could appreciate her defense of her father, but she was stirring up problems that didn't have to be there. If his father found out Frank was racing a competitive boat, that would make it even more difficult for him to get Frank rehired. "Why don't you take a breath, Hannah? You're getting so far down the road that there will be a point where there's no coming back."
"Come back from what? My dad has no job and has been fired after thirty years of loyal service. How much worse could things get?"
"You could make it impossible for him to get rehired."
"By racing against you? Would you be that petty?"
"Not me, but…"
"I'm really beginning to dislike your dad."
He could see why she would. "He's not a bad guy. He has a lot of good traits, in fact. He can actually be very generous."
"Not that I've seen. And I really wish everyone would stop telling me to breathe," she added grumpily.
"You're moving too fast for your father, too, aren't you?"
"I thought you and my dad liked speed," she countered.
"On the ocean, we do."
"Not on land?"
"That depends. And sometimes it's better to go slow," he couldn't help adding.
She flushed a little at his words, and he found himself entranced by that wash of red through her cheeks, as well as the uncomfortable sparkle in her eyes. He hadn't felt this charged up in a while. Fighting with Hannah was probably more fun than it should be. And he was amused that he'd finally found a way to apparently leave her speechless.
Fortunately for Hannah, a waitress stopped by their table. Shelby was an attractive redhead in her early twenties, the daughter of one of his employees, and he'd known her since she was about ten.
"Hi, Devlin. How are you?" she asked, setting two glasses of Blackthorne Gold whiskey on the table. "Your brothers sent this over."
He turned his head to see Ross and Logan looking on with speculative gleams in their eyes.
"You can take mine back," Hannah told Shelby, handing her the glass. "I'll have a chardonnay."
"Are you sure? This is top of the line," Shelby said.
"I'm positive," Hannah said definitively. "And you can bring the bill when you come back."
"All right."
"You can leave the whisky for me," he told Shelby. "I have a feeling I'll need a second drink sooner rather than later."
She set the glass down in front of him. "You got it."
"Not a whisky drinker?" he asked Hannah.
"Not really, but I'm also not interested in drinking anything that comes out of a bottle with a Blackthorne label on it."
"Yet you're here in the Vault, which is owned by my family."
"I know," she said with a sigh. "My dad loves the chowder, and he said he wasn't letting you take anything else away from him. I would have preferred to go anywhere else."
"My family is not that bad. And until this week, your father was very happy with his job."
"Well, everything is different now, isn't it?"
"That's certainly true," he muttered.
Her expression softened. "I am sorry about your mom, Devlin. She was always very nice to me." She paused. "I actually know what it feels like to watch the end of a marriage. It sucks."
"It does suck. My parents have always been so strong together. I'm sure they disagree, but they always kept that away from us. They were all about being a united front. Apparently, that front was an illusion."
"Or perhaps your mother just got angry and needed to get away for a bit. Do you know where she went?"
"No idea, but I'm sure my father has someone looking for her." He paused, thinking about Hannah's family. "How did it happen between your parents? Did you know a divorce was coming?"
"In ret
rospect—yes. They fought a lot. But I didn't want to believe it would actually happen. It's actually ironic to think my dad told your father to stop working so much and try to save his marriage, when he refused to do that for my mother or for me."
"Was that the main problem between them?"
"It was certainly one of the biggest ones." She paused as Shelby brought her wine and the bill. "Thanks," she said to the waitress.
Shelby nodded and moved on to the next table.
"Your dad loves to work," he commented. "Boats are his passion."
"I know," she said, sipping her wine. "I think he also felt that long hours were expected. Before you were at the Boatworks, your father was in charge and then that other guy—what was his name?"
"Bill Walker?"
"Yes. He was always telling my dad that he needed him in earlier and earlier and sometimes on the weekends. He'd also ask him to travel to inspect some boat or hand-deliver a yacht. It drove my mom crazy that my dad could never say no."
"Maybe he didn't want to say no."
"I'm sure he didn't. As you said, he loves to work. Which is why I'm so worried about him now. His job has been his whole life. He lost everything else."
He thought about that, wondering if he wasn't going down the same path as Frank, maybe even his father…
That was a disturbing thought. The last person he had ever wanted to be was his dad.
"But it wasn't all about my father's job," Hannah continued. "I didn't realize this until I was an adult, but my mom didn't just want my dad to spend more time with her; she wanted her own dream. And she couldn't have it in this small town."
"The dream of real estate? They sell houses here."
"They do, but I think she was in loyal wife mode back then. She didn't want to leave me with a sitter while they were both working. Once we left, she had no choice. She had to make it on her own. Leaving my dad's shadow, moving away from his needs, gave her the opportunity to find herself. Over the last ten years, she has built one of the most successful real estate companies in Austin."
"So, the split was good for her."
"Yes. It was good for her and good for him—me, not so much. I still miss the family I once had, being able to be together, especially on holidays or birthdays. As a kid, it was hard to split time, and as an adult, I've seen less and less of my father. Divorce is really hard on kids." She paused. "But your parents will probably get back together. This is just a fight."
"I hope so. It's difficult to see either one without the other. I really thought they were true partners in every sense of the word. When my dad is with my mom, he's different. He's kinder, softer, more generous, more attentive. She balances him out."
"What does he do for her?"
He frowned at the question, then tossed back the rest of his whisky, letting the warm, smooth slide of liquid take away some of the guilt he felt for never asking that question himself, for possibly taking his mom for granted, the way apparently everyone else in the family had done.
"My dad has given her a great life," he said finally. "They've built an incredible family and legacy together."
"Maybe she wants something of her own."
"Like your mom?"
Hannah shrugged. "Possibly."
"That's actually exactly what she said and in a very dramatic fashion, which was even more strange, because she was never one to air any family laundry in public. But she gave it to my father in front of their friends and even some business associates. She told him off in very firm terms, saying she'd given her life for him. She even mentioned something about keeping his secret, whatever that is."
"That's an odd thing to say."
"I thought so, too." He picked up the second glass of whisky and drank it halfway down. He was starting to get a nice buzz going, which was probably a bad idea, because watching Hannah through a blurred whisky gaze was bringing all kinds of foolish thoughts into his head.
"Is that Logan?" Hannah asked, tipping her head toward his brothers, who were still watching them with considerable interest.
"Yes, and my brother, Ross."
"I remember Logan. He was the closest in age to me and so popular. Every girl wanted to date him. When I'd visit in the summers, my friends were always trying to find ways to accidentally run into him."
He smiled. "Logan has never had any shortage of girls after him."
"The same is true for you and the rest of your tribe. Are any of your brothers or cousins married?"
"Not yet."
"Do most of them live in Boston?"
"We're all spread out. I'm the only one who lives full-time in King Harbor. My cousins, Phillip, Jason, and Brock are in DC, LA, and Boston respectively. My brother Trey is also in Boston, while Ross is in Kentucky, and Logan jumps around from place to place."
"Why did you choose to live here?"
"The sea," he said with a simple shrug. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Is there a woman in your life?"
"Only one who's annoying the hell out of me right now."
She rolled her eyes. "Very funny."
"What about you? I don't see a ring on your finger."
She shifted in her seat, an uncomfortable look entering her eyes. "There's no ring now."
"You were engaged?" he asked in surprise. "I'm surprised I never heard that."
"Why would you have heard it?"
"Frank talks about you sometimes, but he didn't tell me you were engaged."
"He didn't know. I was going to tell him, but it ended before I had a chance."
"That sounds like a very short engagement."
"Three days. The story I would have to tell is actually longer than the engagement."
"I'd like to hear it."
She finished her drink. "Unfortunately, I'm out of wine."
"I could get you another glass."
"Not a good idea."
"Why not? Are you afraid you might start to like me?" he challenged, the whisky probably making him a little too reckless. "That the sparks between us aren't just coming from anger?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied, but he could see the glitter of awareness in her eyes. "We have never had any sparks."
"Not before now," he agreed.
"I'm not looking for another relationship."
"Who said anything about a relationship?"
"You're drunk."
"Not yet."
She got to her feet. "Goodnight, Devlin."
He watched her walk out of the pub with mixed emotions, but he settled on the one that made the most sense—relief. He should be happy she was gone, because he'd been sailing into dangerous water, and on any other night he would have turned around a long time ago.
Getting up, he headed across the room and joined his brothers, who were eager to grill him.
"Was that Hannah Reid?" Logan asked.
"It was."
"I thought that might be her," he continued. "I haven't seen her in years, but she looks good."
"Really good," Ross put in with a grin. "However, she didn't look like she was buying what you were selling."
"She's angry. Dad fired Frank three days ago."
"No way. Why?" Ross asked in surprise. "Frank has been at the Boatworks forever."
"Well, I didn't find out until tonight that Frank apparently told Dad that he'd better shape up or he would lose Mom. Dad didn't appreciate his suggestion and fired him."
"Frank knew Mom was unhappy?" Ross asked, his gaze narrowing. "Did he give you more information?"
"No. He said he'd had coffee with Mom a week ago and she'd mentioned her frustration with Dad always putting work ahead of the family. Mom's anger has been simmering for at least a week. I think her birthday put her over the edge."
"Did he mention anything about a secret?" Logan asked curiously.
"Nope. I don't know what that was about, but I think it's clear Mom left Dad because he works all the time."
"Maybe that should be a cautionary ta
le for others in our family," Ross suggested. "Brock, Trey, Jason…they all spend way too much time at work."
"We're probably all guilty of that," he muttered. He'd certainly immersed himself in work the last several years. In fact, it was the work that had kept him sane, given him a purpose, when he'd been floundering.
But was he turning into Frank or his father? That was an uncomfortable thought.
"How long will Hannah be in town?" Logan asked.
"At least until after the Memorial Day race. She and Frank are going to find another boat and race against me."
"No way. You always race with Frank."
"Not this year. I need a partner. Either one of you want to volunteer?"
"Sorry, I have to get back to Kentucky," Ross said. "And I'm better in a fast car than a fast boat."
That was certainly true. Ross spent his time racing stock cars.
"I won't be here for Memorial Day," Logan said. "I have to get back to Boston."
"Well, hopefully someone will be around."
Ross gave him an evil grin. "You could always ask Dad."
"He hasn't raced since Uncle Mark died. I've asked him before, and he always says no." It bothered him more than a little that his father had never wanted to share in that part of his life, but he supposed he could understand that there were some painful memories involved. His uncle, his father's only sibling, had died in a tragic plane crash and it had been a huge loss in his dad's life.
"Maybe Dad will change his mind this year, if he has incentive. He is not going to want his boat to lose to the man he just fired," Ross pointed out.
"You're right." His dad would absolutely hate losing to Frank. Maybe he could get his father on board this year. But did he really want him? Would the dream of racing with his dad turn out to be a nightmare?
Chapter Four
Hannah made breakfast Sunday morning feeling grumpy and annoyed, not just with Devlin for putting crazy ideas in her head, but also with herself for actually thinking about how much fun it might be to mess around with Devlin.
As a teenager, she'd had a crush on Devlin, because he was the Blackthorne who liked boats as much as she did. And his sunburned grin, charming swagger, and wild, wind-blown hair had always created a lot of awkward and uncomfortable feelings within her.
Devlin Page 4
