He chucked her beneath the chin with his knuckle. “Let’s go meet Chris and give him a glowing report of his brother. It’s the least you can do for the guy.”
She blinked and nodded, not even trying to recapture the moment between them. Jase was a nice guy, a protective guy—a hot guy—but what did she really owe him? He might find it too intimate for her to tell him about her baby as if it was some kind of special announcement. Better to mention it in an offhand way.
“I’m going to hit the shower. Meet you in the sitting room in about twenty minutes.”
She allowed him to escape the storage room without embarrassing him with any more personal revelations.
She showered and shimmied into a pair of black leggings that she topped with an oversize blue sweater that hit the top of her thighs and a pair of black knee-high boots.
When she entered the sitting room, Jase turned from studying pictures on the mantel. “Your mom and stepdad look like a young couple experiencing first love.”
“Yeah, and that was taken after they’d been together for ten years.”
“Isn’t it what every couple aspires to?”
“At the expense of their kids?” She flicked her fingers in the air. “I don’t think so. You have to be a family unit first.”
“Family units are not all they’re cracked up to be.” He slipped her keys from the hook in the kitchen. “You ready? I think we should take the truck into town and skip the late-night walk.”
“Afraid of running into my crazy sister again?”
“Would you think less of me if I copped to that?”
“I’d think you had your head on straight.” She winked at him.
Jase insisted on driving the truck and she let him. He parked half a block from Mandy’s.
“Looks like more people in town tonight.”
“I think it’s the big storm.”
“People are heading to the island because of the storm? You’d think they’d want to stay away.”
“Once the storm starts blowing full force, there’s no fishing. Most of these guys have to get their fix in before the moratorium.”
“The storms pretty bad here?”
“They can be. This one’s supposed to be coming down from Alaska. It can shut down the island—nothing coming, nothing going.”
“Do you have a generator at Moonstones?”
“I don’t have a working dishwasher at Moonstones.”
“Got it.”
Chris was waiting in front of Mandy’s like an eager puppy dog. In that way, he resembled Simon not at all. Simon had nothing of the puppy dog about him. He had the intensity of a jungle cat, sort of like Jase.
Chris grinned and pumped their hands. “I like this island—friendly town.”
“Where did you say you lived, Chris?” Nina crossed her arms low on her waist, cupping her elbows. She hoped he didn’t have any plans to settle here.
“Arizona—going back there once I finish my search for my brother.”
Jase got the door and held it open for her and Chris. “You’re continuing your search after this?”
“Sure, why not?”
Jase caught her eye as she passed him and raised one eyebrow.
They were seated by the window again, and Jase tapped the menu. “Fish-and-chips two nights in a row?”
“Go for it. Live dangerously. It’ll be good for your book.”
Chris looked over the top of his menu. “You’re writing a book?”
“Trying to.”
“What’s it about?”
“War story, fictional account.”
“Were you in the service?”
“Marines.”
“Ah, sorry to hear that.” Chris chuckled. “Were you deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan?”
“Two tours of duty in Afghanistan.”
“I’d read that book.” Chris downed half his water. “From what I got out of the navy, Simon did a couple of tours in Afghanistan and then seemed to drop off the radar—just like now. Makes me wonder what he was into. The navy wouldn’t tell me anything more.”
“Lotta stories to be told.” Jase closed the menu and dropped it to the table. “I have to go with the fish-and-chips again.”
Nina took a sip of her own water, eyeing Jase over the rim of the glass. He didn’t seem all that eager to talk about Simon. Maybe he should’ve stayed home to write, because she planned to give Chris a glowing report of his brother to make him that more anxious to find him and send him on his way.
The waitress approached their table and flipped open her pad. “You ready?”
They all ordered the fish-and-chips, and the men ordered beers. Nina stuck to water.
When the waitress left, Chris hunched over the table. “Tell me about Simon. Do you have any pictures?”
Of course she had pictures. After the breakup, her inclination had been to delete all pictures of Simon from her phone. She’d gotten rid of a few, but stopped when she found out about her pregnancy. Her child deserved to know what his father looked like, even if he never saw him or met him.
She pulled her cell from her purse and tapped her photos. She’d moved them all to a separate album. Another tap and Simon’s face filled the screen, his megawatt smile and bright red hair causing a lump to form in her throat.
He’d been a good man, full of joy and ridiculous impressions. Why did he change?
She handed the phone to Chris. “That’s Simon.”
“Wow, we do look alike.”
“You can scan through that whole album. All those pictures are of Simon.”
Chris’s eyes met hers. “You’re not one of those exes who trashes and burns every picture? I had one of those. My girlfriend and I split up, got back together a few months later, and I’d come to find out she deleted every image of me off her phone. Then we broke up again. Are you holding on to these because you hope to get back together with Simon someday?”
Nina ignored Jase, even though she could feel his gaze focused on her like a laser beam. Was he jealous? Would she mind if he was?
“Simon and I won’t be getting back together, but he was a part of my history and I’m not about to rewrite history.”
“I like that attitude. Why’d you two break up, if you don’t mind my asking?” Chris thanked the waitress when she placed his beer in front of him and then returned to the pictures on the cell phone.
She shrugged. “We both changed, went our different ways. It was mutual.”
As he slid through each image, he peppered her with questions. She answered him with the vision of the old Simon in her head—the cheerful, fearless, protective man she’d fallen in love with, not the paranoid, angry man given over to fits of rage she’d kicked out of their house and her life.
Occasionally, Jase would lean across the table to look at a particular picture, his features sharp as if on high alert. Simon had that look about him at times, too, much more toward the end—always on edge, always expecting something to happen.
She must be drawn to that intense type, because she had to admit it to herself, pregnant or not, she was drawn to Jase Buckley.
Their platters of deep-fried fish and golden French fries arrived just as Chris had thumbed through the last picture of Simon. He placed the phone next to her plate and patted her hand. “Thanks for that, Nina. Makes me more determined than ever to find my brother.”
Jase rubbed his hands together and reached for the vinegar. “Best fish-and-chips I’ve ever had.”
Nina threw a sharp glance in his direction. Way to break a mood.
Chris didn’t seem to notice or care as he squeezed a lemon quarter all over his food. “Looks great.”
As they dug in to their meals, the conversation turned to fishing and the weather.
&nb
sp; “I understand there’s a big storm heading down this way.” Chris took a sip of beer and the foam clung to his red mustache. “Do you ever get cut off?”
“Cut off, blacked out, flooded—you name it.”
“I should probably take off before all that happens.”
“Where are you headed next?” Jase ran his fork through a glob of tartar sauce before stabbing a piece of fish.
“I think I’ll go back to LA to see if I can pick up any more threads down there. That’s the last place I can track him to. I appreciate the pictures and all, Nina, but I was hoping you could tell me where to find him.”
“If I knew, I’d tell you.” She folded her hands around her glass of water. “We broke it off. He packed up his things, took his car and left. I didn’t hear one word from him after that.”
“Did you have a big fight at the end? Was he distraught or suicidal?”
She shoved her glass aside. “Look, Chris. Simon was suffering from PTSD. I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want to concern you, but if you’re going to take up this search, you need to know. Simon was going off the rails. He was paranoid. I think he had delusions. People were after him. He was raging against some unseen enemy. I encouraged him to get help, but he refused. The day I gave him the ultimatum is the day he walked out.”
Chris whistled. “I’m glad you told me, Nina. Why did you think you had to hide it from me?”
“Because you wanted to know your brother, and that wasn’t Simon. Simon was all those things I told you about him.”
“You’re wrong, Nina. That was a part of Simon, too.” Chris shifted his gaze to Jase’s face. “Am I right, man? That was a part of him.”
Jase nodded. “You’re right, but maybe now’s not the best time to go searching for him.”
“There’s no better time.” Chris slapped the table. “Thanks for telling me that, Nina. It gives a whole new urgency to my quest.”
“Not happy with just one guy, gotta have two?”
Nina groaned and closed her eyes briefly before meeting her sister’s watery blue eyes. “I thought you’d be on your way by now, Lou.”
“Kip and I are on vacation. We’re going to hang out for another day or two, and you know how I love a raging storm.” She wagged her finger in Nina’s face. “But don’t think we’ve given up on Moonstones. Kip’s brother is an attorney in Seattle and he thinks I might have a case against you.”
“Kip’s brother thinks that or Kip? ’Cause Kip looks pretty out of it right now.” She pointed at her sister’s shadow swaying behind her.
“Whatever.” Lou batted her eyelashes. “Who’s this cutie?”
“This is Chris Kitchens. Chris, my sister, Louise Moore, and her friend Kip...”
“Chandler.” Kip stuck out a surprisingly steady hand. “You a local?”
Nina held her breath and glanced at Jase.
“Me?” Chris crumpled up his napkin and tossed it onto his empty plate. “Naw, I just came out here to find Nina.”
Lou blew a strand of dyed blond hair from her face. “Everyone wants Nina.”
“Oh, no, it’s not like that. I’m Simon’s brother.”
Nina was clenching her jaw so tightly her teeth ached.
Lou widened her eyes. “Am I supposed to know who Simon is?”
“Simon Skinner. Nina’s ex-fiancé.”
“Whoa-ho, girl, you work fast.”
“Don’t you have a joint to smoke somewhere?” Nina kicked Jase under the table, but she didn’t know what she expected him to do. From the look on his face, he didn’t know, either.
“What does that mean?” Chris cocked his head and ran a thumb across his mustache.
“This—” Lou poked a finger in Jase’s direction “—is Nina’s fiancé now, so I don’t know how long ago she was engaged to your brother.”
Chris’s jaw hung open as he turned to Nina, his gaze darting to Jase’s face. “Really?”
“Sorry, Chris.” Nina pressed her fingers against her hot cheek.
“That’s your business, but is what you told me about Simon’s PTSD true or did you two break it off because of Jase?”
“Not at all.” Jase kicked her back. “I met Nina after the breakup. It just happened fast for us.”
“Wish you all the best, then.” Chris reached for his wallet. “Let me pay for dinner for all your trouble today.”
Jase already had cash out. “We’ll get it.”
“Tell you what.” Chris tapped her phone. “You send me a few of those pictures of Simon, I’ll pick up dinner and we’ll call it even.”
“I’d be happy to.” She shoved her phone across to him. “Call me from your phone so I have the number.”
Kip had wandered off to the bar, but Lou hadn’t given up yet. Placing a hand on Chris’s shoulder, she leaned over the table. “If you want a ride back to the mainland in style, Kip and I can hook you up.”
Chris looked up from placing his call to Nina’s cell. “Really?”
“If the boats stop running because of this storm, Kip has a line on a helicopter.”
Nina raised her eyebrows. “Kip has a helicopter?”
“I don’t know about that. It probably belongs to his brother, who’s a big-time lawyer. I just know because I heard him on the phone asking around for helipads on the island.”
“Thank you, I’ll keep your offer in mind.”
Disappointed that she hadn’t stirred up more trouble, Lou joined Kip at the bar, where he had a beer waiting for her. They drank them down and left before Chris even paid the bill.
When the waitress dropped off the check, Chris studied it and said, “I think they charged us for two more beers. You just had one, right?”
“Yeah.”
Chris waved to the waitress. “We just had two beers at this table, and you charged us for four.”
She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “That couple who was at your table earlier? They had a couple of beers at the bar and said you were picking up the tab.”
Nina rolled her eyes. “And you didn’t think to check with us first?”
“Sorry, hon. They were over here.”
“Chris, I’ll pay for my sister’s drinks.”
“That’s all right. Some bad blood there?”
Jase snorted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Nina’s stepsister has some issues.”
“I sure hope when Simon and I finally meet, we’ll get along. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Good luck with that, man.” He clapped Chris on the shoulder.
Nina grabbed her jacket and scooted out of the booth. If Chris ever found Simon, would he report back to him that she’d gotten engaged? How had everything gotten so complicated? She’d come out to Break Island to escape complication.
Jase opened the door of the restaurant, and as Nina stepped onto the sidewalk, droplets of rain, propelled by the wind, pelted her face. “Looks like we’re getting the edge of that storm creeping in.”
“You left your umbrella in the restaurant. I’ll get it.”
As Jase returned to the restaurant, Nina turned to Chris. “Do you plan to stick around the island?”
“Maybe for a day or two, but don’t worry. I can look around on my own. You’ve been helpful and you didn’t have to be.”
“I just hope you find what you’re looking for, Chris, and that you’re not disappointed.” She reached out to him, feeling guilty and sorry at the same time.
As he hugged her, a piercing screech came from behind. Before Nina had a chance to react, a strong force yanked on the back of her hair, dragging her from Chris’s embrace.
She staggered backward, her arms flailing.
“You bitch! You have to take everything. One fiancé. Two fiancés. Are you working on your thir
d?”
As Lou screamed in her ear, she began driving her bony knee into Nina’s back.
Nina’s feet scrambled on the wet sidewalk to gain purchase, and then suddenly the threat evaporated. She turned to see Jase lifting Lou off her feet by the back of her jacket.
Lou dangled there like a scarecrow until Jase set her down with a jolt.
“Keep your hands off Nina. She’s pregnant.”
Chapter Nine
Everyone froze. She still had her hands splayed in front of her to ward off Lou’s next attack, but she didn’t have to worry.
Lou’s feet were rooted to the sidewalk where Jase had dropped her, with her mouth hanging open and a wild look in her eye.
Even Chris stood as still as a statue.
How the hell did Jase know about her pregnancy? And why the hell did he choose to announce it in front of these two particular people?
Chris broke the silence first. “Is it...? Is it...?”
Nina took a shuddering breath. She couldn’t handle this—not now. “No, Chris. It’s not Simon’s. It’s the reason Jase and I decided to speed up our commitment.”
She finally met Jase’s eyes. Poor guy. First she’d foisted an engagement on him and now a baby. Poor guy? Her nostrils flared. How dare he spill the beans like this in the middle of the sidewalk.
Lou sank to the ground, her keening wail putting an end to any conversation. Nina shot a worried look at her stepsister crumpled on the ground, rocking back and forth.
She finally noticed Kip hugging the wall near where Lou must’ve launched her attack. She swept her arm toward Lou. “Help her. Lou, what’s wrong?”
“A baby, a baby, a baby.” Lou raised her tear-streaked face, her mascara little black rivulets down her cheeks. “I’ve always wanted a baby.”
Lou’s words sent a shower of cold fear down her back. Lou had never expressed any interest in children before. Now she wanted a baby?
Nina pushed a lock of wet hair from her face. “You need help, Lou.”
“We’re leaving.” Jase stepped into the circle that had formed around Lou’s forlorn figure. He put an arm around Nina’s shoulders and held out his hand to Chris. “I hope you find peace with your brother.”
The Pregnancy Plot (Brothers In Arms: Retribution Book 2) Page 8
