As the Light Fades (ARC)

by Catherine West

  “How was your walk?” Josslyn asked as she cut Bethie’s meatloaf.

  “Interesting.” Liz reached for the pepper mill and relayed the events of the past hour. “Evy was not amused, I can tell you. But at least the kid wasn’t hurt.”

  “Who was she?” David shoveled food into his mouth, concern furrowing his brow. “Anyone we know?”

  “Mia Stone? I didn’t recognize her. Evy shooed me off, you know how she is. I don’t think she was planning on calling the cops. I would’ve.”

  “Already got her tried and convicted, counselor?” David stilled his fork with a smile.

  Liz shrugged. “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”

  David laughed and continued eating. “I know a Matt Stone. Doesn’t have kids though.”

  “Well.” Liz sighed. “I’d guess that young lady is going to be in a heap of trouble tonight, whoever she is.”

  Later, after they’d cleaned up and Josslyn hustled the twins upstairs for their bath, Liz retreated to the back porch. She liked it out here in the early evening. Liked watching the sun go down. Another anomaly she’d never imagined. Back in New York, she’d usually still be in the office at this hour, or just heading out for drinks or dinner.

  David came outside carrying two mugs, sat beside her, and gave a long, tired-sounding sigh. “Coffee?”

  “Thanks.” Liz took the mug he offered, inhaled, and sipped with a satisfied smile. “Ah. You used the beans I bought.”

  David smothered a yawn, a deep chuckle on its heels. “How can you tell?”

  Liz breathed in the welcome aroma. “I live in New York. I know my coffee.”

  “Lived.” He turned his head, worried eyes settling on her. “Right?”

  Liz stared back at him through the silence. “Yes, lived. Thanks for the reminder.”

  “Sorry.” David blanched. “I just . . .”

  “You worry. I know.” Liz averted her gaze and studied the pink hue over the ocean. Not so long ago, she’d hated the sight of the sea. Hated this house, everything and everyone in it. Well, perhaps ‘hated’ was too strong a word. She’d lived here her whole life until she went to boarding school at fourteen. Now it seemed things had come full circle. Wyldewood had become her refuge.

  “So. Made any plans yet?” David took on the tone that reminded her of their father.

  The questions she wrestled with daily returned for another round.

  Was she really ready to leave New York? Her career? The life she’d built there . . .

  A life now in shambles.

  “No plans.” Liz drank too quickly, blinked moisture she’d blame on the temperature of the coffee if he noticed, and placed her mug on the wide arm of the bench. The once-dark teak had softened to gray, weathered with age. Liz ran a finger over the names carved into the wood so long ago and smiled at the memories. Though she and her four siblings hadn’t been close in later years, their childhood had been filled with happy times.

  A breeze cooled her heated face. Hard to believe summer had passed so quickly. A summer none of them would forget anytime soon. Decisions had been made, together, as a family. Liz couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Probably never.

  The plan to convert their sprawling rundown home into a B&B had been forged, loans eventually secured, and construction was now underway. Which was all well and good, but she still had to live here.

  She crossed her legs and faced David’s questioning gaze. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to do next.”

  “Stay here. Start over here, on Nantucket.” He smiled as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

  Liz made a face. “And do what? I’m not sure there’s a huge need for corporate lawyers on the island.”

  “Didn’t you tell me you were considering taking a break from law? I mean, not that that kid could tell today.”

  “Very funny.” Why in the world had she shared that thought with her brother? “Fine. I wouldn’t mind taking a break, but I still need a job. I’m not about to join the construction crew.”

  “I’d actually pay to see that.” David’s laugh was wicked and Liz elbowed him.

  “Don’t hold your breath, big brother. Maybe I could see if Jed would hire me down at The Longshoreman. With Lynnie gone, he’s probably in need of extra help.” David laughed harder and Liz grinned. “I suppose you’d pay to see that too?”

  “You waiting tables in that dump? Absolutely.” He sobered and sipped from his mug. “Listen, Liz . . . I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but . . .”

  His hesitation made her stomach churn. “What now? Is Lynette all right?” Anything could happen to her over in Africa. Or it could be their younger brother. She’d thought he was staying out of trouble now, but who knew. “Is it Gray?”

  David held up a hand and shook his head. “Lynnie’s fine. Gray’s fine. It’s just . . . I met with the architect this morning. He needs to get started on the second floor sooner. Like next week.”

  Liz took a breath. “The second floor. Where I’m currently living.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Great.” She stared at her socked feet and picked dog hair off her jeans. Jasper and Diggory paced the porch and settled at the foot of the steps. Waves crashed against the cliffs below the garden, and a few gulls flew off into the darkening sky with mournful cries. “Well. I suppose I could go back to New York. I could find another job there.” But the thought terrified her.

  “And I’ll repeat what I said last night,” David growled. “Men like your ex don’t give up. He’ll track you down.”

  “If he wanted to track me down, he’d have done it already.”

  “Doesn’t matter. If he makes any contact, I know what’ll happen. You’ll get sucked back in.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Elizabeth.” Her brother gave a low curse. “If I had a dollar for every time you’ve said that over the past couple years . . . Look, I’m not trying to be difficult, but come on. Is it worth the risk?”

  Liz slipped her trembling hands beneath her legs. No, it wasn’t worth the risk. Going back wasn’t going forward. It was giving up.

  At twenty-nine, she’d certainly expected to have her life in better order, maybe even be married. No kids, of course—she wouldn’t go completely crazy. But a few months into their two-year relationship, the first time Laurence had shown his true colors, Liz discovered dreams didn’t always come true.

  She drank the remainder of her coffee and sighed. “I can’t afford a place of my own here.” Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t be able to afford New York either.

  David frowned. “I thought you had a good amount put away.”

  “Some. But Laurence still has a lot of my money.” She hated talking about her ex-boyfriend. Hated even thinking about Laurence Broadhurst.

  “How much money are we talking?”

  “Enough, David.” The actual amount filled her with self-loathing, and David’s dark look did nothing to abate the feeling. She’d been paid well over the few years she’d served as legal counsel at Laurence’s investment company. She did have a tidy amount tucked away, but the rest was in a joint investment account. She’d trusted Laurence, and that had been her biggest mistake.

  “I never said I was smart.” But she should have been. Instead of listening to logic, she’d been swayed by her heart and had to live with the consequences of that flawed decision.

  “Okay.” David groaned and shook his head. “And you’re going to get it back how?”

  Liz watched a line of ants disappear through a crack in the cement below her feet. Thunder rumbled overhead with the threat of rain. “I don’t know yet. I don’t suppose I could just ask for it.” Legally, Laurence wasn’t entitled to any of it. But she’d given it to him freely. A court case would be complicated, and costly.

  David blew out a breath. “You could threaten to expose him. He owns the business. It’s a big company. He’s not going to want bad press.”

  It was something she had c
onsidered, but only briefly. “It’s my word against his, Davy. I can’t prove how many times he slammed me against the wall.”

  David hesitated, rubbed his jaw, and picked at a hole in his jeans just above the knee. “Gray has pictures.” He spoke quietly, as though the words pained him.

  Liz stiffened and a shiver shot through her.

  An unwanted memory surfaced. Pictures. Spread out in front of her in a darkened room. Fear fierce and damning took hold that day, so many years ago, and the prickling on the back of her neck said it still held its ground.

  “Liz?” David touched her arm and she startled. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. She had to get past this. It didn’t matter. That part of her life was long buried. “Gray has pictures? Of me? How?”

  Her brother met her eyes. “When you came home over the summer, that last time Laurence beat you up, Gray snapped a few shots. He was discreet about it, but he . . . we . . . thought you might need them one day.”

  “Look at yourself, Elizabeth! Is this what you call love? If it is, you’ve got a pretty warped idea of the concept.” The words Gray spoke that awful night still rang in her head, still stung and brought a fresh wave of panic. She had believed Laurence loved her. The last incident had been the final tipping point. Prior to that, it was mostly verbal lashings, angry outbursts. Sometimes he got physical, but not always. She accepted his tearful apologies, took the lavish gifts he offered, and pretended it was all right. Denied the truth to friends and family for far longer than she should have. She’d made up excuse after excuse.

  Even told herself she deserved it.

  But that night . . .

  Fresh fear coiled tight and set her pulse racing. The very idea of confronting Laurence Broadhurst, the man she’d once thought hung the moon, was more than she could handle.

  “It wouldn’t be enough.” Liz exhaled and glanced upward. “We couldn’t prove it was him.” Didn’t want to try. They said healing would come in time, but she wasn’t counting on it. “I’ve got enough in savings for now, until I make some final decisions.”

  “Okay. No pressure.” He sent her a small smile. Liz understood his heart. David took his role as the oldest Carlisle sibling seriously, but with only two years between them, Liz knew she was the one he confided in. And he’d always looked out for her. Stuck up for her when the others teased her for always having her nose in a book, always studying, being the brainiac of the family. David had been there when she needed him. Until she’d finally pushed him away, afraid of what he’d do if he found out how bad things really were.

  He had found out anyway, and their relationship had suffered for it.

  “I’m sorry, Davy.” She wiped her eyes. “This isn’t easy. I’m walking away from everything I’ve worked so hard for. You know?”

  “What was it worth if it didn’t make you happy?”

  The question wound around her like a scarf pulled too tight. What was happiness, really? Liz wasn’t sure she’d ever found it. Wasn’t sure she’d recognize it if it came up and kissed her full on the lips. Happiness, true love, romance . . . those were the things of fairytales, movies, and Nicholas Sparks novels. Real life was cut and dry. Work hard, have a little fun, no harm done, but in the end, nobody really wins. Happy endings didn’t actually exist.

  Childish laughter floated down from the windows above the porch.

  David glanced at his watch. “They’ll be coming down to say goodnight. But listen, earlier when I said I knew a Matt Stone? He’s a friend of mine. He’s got a place on his property he was talking about renting. I don’t think it’ll be too expensive.”

  “Oh.” Liz sighed. Perhaps she could just move in with her father at the nursing home.

  With everything going on at the house, moving Dad was the best decision, but also the hardest they’d had to make. They’d all wanted to keep him here as long as possible, but as nice as the idea was, his progressing Alzheimer’s made the move the only logical choice. And not having Lynette around when it happened made for a far less dramatic transfer.

  “Do you want his number?” David pressed. “Check the place out?”

  “Who is this guy? You’re sure that kid from this afternoon doesn’t belong to him?”

  “Nah. He doesn’t have a family. Matt’s from Boston. Used to come over for summers every year when we were kids. Moved over the beginning of summer. I thought he was only here for the season, but he told me he’s teaching art at the high school now, so I guess it’s permanent.” David fished out his phone. “The place is out by Jetties Beach. Belonged to his grandparents. I haven’t seen it in years, but he’s a decent sort. I think it’d be worth having a look.”

  “A decent sort?” Liz scowled.

  “You might have even met him. Yacht club crowd. Crewed with him a couple races.” David smiled at her apprehension. “He’s all right, Liz.”

  “Married?”

  “No.”

  “David . . .”

  He held up a hand. “From what I understand, the place is completely separate from the main house. You’d probably never see each other. I think it’d be okay.”

  “I don’t know.” She didn’t need okay. She needed Fort Knox.

  “I’ll come with you to see it if you want.”

  Liz stretched her arms above her head and groaned. “I can go by myself.” Not that she wanted to, but honestly. How long could she live constantly looking over her shoulder? “Text me the number. Since I’m soon to be homeless, I don’t have much choice.” David winced and she regretted her words. “Oh, relax, I won’t pitch a fit. The renovations need to happen. I’ll be all right.”

  “Hey, you two.” Josslyn poked her head around the door as the twins charged across the porch. “We’ve come to say goodnight.” Dressed in cozy pajamas, squeaky clean and beaming, their childhood innocence tugged at Liz’s heart.

  David put his phone away and picked up Brandon, while Bethie skipped over to Liz.

  “Up, Iz.” She raised chubby arms and looked up at Liz with an imploring gaze.

  As usual, she couldn’t resist Bethie’s smile and lifted her into a hug, not even pulling back when her niece hugged her neck and planted a kiss on her cheek. She smelled like shampoo and Mr. Bubble. “Are you all ready for bed? Do you want me to read you a story?”

  “Yay!” The little girl nodded enthusiastically. “Cat in the Hat!”

  Liz followed them in, the sound of her own laughter ringing in her ears and surprising her. She’d better call this Matthew Stone, at least have a look at the house or apartment or whatever it was. And perhaps this was the push she needed. If she was going to start over, she had to take the first step.

  “Auntie Iz?” Bethie snuggled against her and whispered in her ear as they approached the staircase.

  “What, Bethie?” Liz whispered back, smoothing down the child’s unruly blond curls.

  Bethie giggled a bit, pressed her nose to Liz’s and hugged her neck harder. “I love you, dat’s all.”

  It was their favorite saying of late.

  I love you, that’s all.

  Liz’s eyes burned, but she nodded, smiled, and let a little hope in. “I love you too, Bethie.”

  Yes, she would survive this. She had to.

  two

  “Go away! I hate you!”

  Matthew Stone leaned against the closed door of his niece’s bedroom and dragged a hand down his face. “I can live with that, and you’re still going to school tomorrow. Dinner is ready. You can come out and eat with me or stay in there until morning. Your call.” He’d given Mia a day at home to cool off after yesterday’s little joyride. He’d taught in the morning and then come home, and they’d argued for most of the afternoon. He wished now he’d sent her to school.

  Back in June, moving to Nantucket seemed like the right decision, especially after the teaching job came up, but three months in, Mia was still miserable.

  “I’ll come out when I’m ready!”

  Or hungry. Matt gave a
silent nod and clenched his jaw.

  He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and strolled down the hall. The old wood floorboards creaked beneath his feet, the tired sound a match for his own exhaustion. Friends warned him living with a teenager wouldn’t be a walk in the park. But he worked with adolescents, knew how to handle them. Still, the kids in the high school art class he taught seemed like angels compared to Mia. He’d had no idea parenting could be this difficult.

  He lifted the lid of the Crockpot and stared at the beef stew he’d thrown together last night and turned on this morning. It smelled good, but he wasn’t all that hungry. Yesterday’s adventures with Mia had zapped his energy and his appetite, and he’d lost a few hours’ sleep worrying about what could have happened to her in that Jeep. Thank God she hadn’t been hurt. Or hurt anyone else. Matt shook his head. What was that saying his grandmother had been so fond of? No use wearing yourself out over things you can’t fix.

  Didn’t mean he wouldn’t try though.

  As he straddled a stool at the counter, a bowl of stew in front of him, his cell buzzed. The knot in his stomach hardened. He was beginning to loathe that sound. He really wasn’t up for another conversation with his sister.

  Matt glanced at the number and exhaled. It wasn’t Rachel.

  Nicholas Cooper. Hesitation stayed his hand. Nick either wanted him to crew in his next race or it’d be a work-related call. Since Nick was managing the bank now, Matt hoped it was about the race.

  “Hey, Nick.” He pressed his cell to his ear and moved the spoon around the thick stew.

  “Matt, glad I caught you. I’m just wrapping things up at the office, and we haven’t heard from you yet.”

  Work related. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” Matt jumped off the stool and crossed the small kitchen to the fridge, pulled a beer from the case of six he hadn’t touched since he’d bought them on Saturday, and sat again.

  The recent news of Anthony Cooper’s cancer had rocked everyone, but from what Matt could tell, they were handling it pretty well. All things considered. Nick had stepped into his father’s shoes quite neatly, taking over his position at the bank like he was born for it. Few people knew the truth. Nick’s dream of becoming an architect was now on hold again.