Seagrass Pier

by Colleen Coble

  He tried to recall if he’d ever seen her in a bright color but failed to remember a single time. She favored a caramel color.

  “It’s not just the colors though. She’s totally changed her style. When was the last time you saw her in a dress or skirt with heels?”

  “A few days ago.” And her long legs had looked terrific in that skirt. But try as he might, he couldn’t remember seeing her in a dress before that. Or heels. He hadn’t gone to her wedding, but Sara had told him Elin wore tennis shoes under her dress, a fact that hadn’t surprised him.

  Maybe there was more to this than he thought. Or maybe nearly dying had messed with her head.

  FIVE

  Woman, you are living in the outback!” Small suitcase in her left hand, Kerri Summerall stepped out of the boat and hugged Elin with her other arm. “But I have to say it’s gorgeous out here. Look at that house!” She stared with awestruck eyes at the big house on the hill.

  Elin had helped Kerri get the job with the organ procurement organization, or OPO for short, about three years ago after her divorce from Ben, and it had been fun working together. The two of them had even been mistaken for sisters, though Kerri’s hair wasn’t as vivid a red as Elin’s, and she was three inches shorter than Elin.

  Elin linked her arm with Kerri’s and guided her up the path to the house. “I love it here, and Josie is thriving in all the sea air.”

  “And your mother?”

  Elin’s smile faded. “Slipping by the day.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Kerri hugged her. “I’m here to cheer you up though. We’re not going to work all day, are we? I brought my swimsuit.”

  “I’ve missed you. It’s been hard to get used to working from home when I like office interaction.”

  Kerri laughed. “You mean office drama? Is that a subtle way of asking if I’ve murdered Jean yet? And to answer that, no. She is still looking over my shoulder and questioning every organ I award. Without you there to act as a buffer, I’ve been keeping Walgreens in business buying antacids.”

  Elin laughed. “It’s so good to see you! Why don’t you tell her you’re going to work from home too, and you can move right into my office.”

  Kerri groaned. “I don’t have a good excuse like you did. Besides, you’re the golden child who can do no wrong.”

  There was some truth to Kerri’s statement. Elin had gone to work at the OPO when her father died. He’d been a cop and had been injured while apprehending drug dealers. He died before he could get the new liver he needed. Her uncle was the HR manager, and he’d encouraged Elin’s interest in organ donation. He’d helped her get the job, and she knew she got a few perks no one else received. Right now she was so thankful for them. Without her uncle’s intervention, she would be without a job instead of happily working from home.

  They reached the house, and she opened the screen door for her friend. “I don’t have it completely furnished yet, but it’s looking pretty good.”

  Kerri gaped when she stepped inside. “Nice digs. On second thought, I’ll see if Jean will put in for me to work from home. You’ve got a spare room?”

  “Lots of them. Let me show you to your room. When you’re done freshening up, the office is there.” She pointed out the large room with big windows that looked out onto the ocean. “I’ll be in here with iced tea.”

  “A siren song if I ever heard one. I don’t really need to freshen up. Let’s get our work over so we can play.” She set her suitcase down by the door, then extracted her MacBook from the top zippered compartment. “We could have done this by phone, but I wanted to see you. I don’t know what got into Dragon Lady, but she agreed.”

  Elin lifted the lid of her laptop and navigated to the OPO website. “You went to the hospital to check out the donor?”

  “Just came from there. So sad. The family was happy to know his organs could be used though. He was fifteen and dove into a shallow pool. Broke his neck just above C4. They pulled him out and did CPR until the ambulance arrived, but brain death was declared a few hours later.”

  Elin winced. Nasty break. An injury above C4 would have required a ventilator for the victim to breathe. “We have such a large amount of organs to find homes for, this might take awhile. It depends on who we can reach.”

  Kerri’s smile faded. “They are such a nice family too. Three kids. The dad is a pediatrician and the mom is a nurse. They are Christians too, which was a comfort. They immediately knew the scope of the injury when they saw the MRI. They’d like the organs to go to recipients as young as we can find. I think that’s a reasonable request, but you know what Jean would say.”

  Elin nodded. “Follow the list. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the first ones up will be children.”

  “Maybe.” Kerri didn’t sound convinced. She moved a chair around so they could share the desk and she could see Elin’s computer screen. “What do we have?”

  “Let me run a search for tissue matching.” Elin executed a few keystrokes and let the computer do its thing. She noticed Kerri staring at her. “What?”

  Kerri’s smile was embarrassed. “I promised Isaac I’d say hello for him.”

  Elin’s cheeks heated. “That’s nice.”

  “I did my duty. The guy needs to learn to speak up for himself. Not that it would make any difference. You’re not ready for a new relationship anyway.”

  Their coworker was nice enough. Early thirties with a kind manner and smile. He’d tried to get Kerri to set them up a few times. What would Kerri think if she knew Josie’s father was in the picture now? She should tell Kerri and get it over with.

  “You have a strange expression, Elin. Is something wrong?”

  Kerri had been a huge help to her when the dreams started. She’d assisted her in finding the donor’s name and what had happened to her. She deserved to know the truth.

  Elin shook her head. “Not really wrong, but things are a little different in my life right now. You’ll probably hear about it sooner or later.”

  “You’re dating someone?” Kerri looked a little crestfallen.

  “No, no, nothing like that. Um, most people don’t know this, but Tim was not Josie’s biological father. I introduced Josie to her father a couple of days ago.”

  “What? B-But you’ve never said a thing.” She studied Elin’s face. “That explains why Ben used to make snide comments about you.”

  “About me?”

  “He thought Josie didn’t belong to Tim.” She studied her fingernails. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “He’s here on the island, by the way. He stopped by the other day.”

  Kerri rolled her eyes. “We have better things to talk about than my ex. So you told Josie’s father about her? Who is he?”

  “Marc Everton.”

  Her eyes widened. “Marc Everton?”

  “You know him?”

  Kerri shook her head. “Not personally, but I know the name. He’s heading up that homicide investigation.” Her expression cleared. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll try to let Isaac down easy.”

  Elin didn’t bother trying to explain her relationship with Marc wasn’t like that.

  Her cell phone rang, and she looked at the screen. Unknown. Maybe she shouldn’t answer it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Elin stared at the screen a moment longer. “I don’t know who’s calling. It might be that guy. But it could be an important call that isn’t picking up right.” She slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. “Hello?”

  No answer. Only the faint sound of “Music of the Night.” Nausea roiled in her stomach, and she quickly disconnected the call. “It was him.”

  Kerri touched her arm. “Get your number changed. Now. At least he doesn’t know where you live now. Once you get that changed, he can’t contact you.”

  Elin nodded and called up her phone server. “I hope you’re right.”

  The sea spray struck Marc in the face as his speedboat sliced through the rolling w
aves out to Seagrass Pier. It was a pretty spot on the north side of Hope Island. The widow’s walk around the top was a lacy white that sparkled in the sun. The three-story structure looked like it had grown up out of the rocky knoll that looked out to sea.

  A long fishing pier stretched out into the horizon. The pier looked like it could withstand about anything the sea threw at it. He motored past it into the small harbor where he anchored at a short dock. He tied up his boat, then strode up the pathway cut out of the rock. Maybe he should have called her first, but he didn’t want her to throw a roadblock in his way. In the last ten days, all he’d thought about was his daughter. He didn’t intend to go one more day without seeing Josie.

  He reached the big front porch and saw the front door was open. Before he got to the steps, he heard giggling from the side of the house. He changed directions and headed that way. When he rounded the corner of the house, he saw Josie dressed in white shorts and a pink top.

  She crouched beside an oleander bush and giggled behind her hand. “You can’t find me, Mommy.”

  Marc’s heart squeezed when he saw her dark curls and the shape of her face. My daughter. He wasn’t sure he could ever forgive Elin for keeping Josie from him. For cheating him out of these years. Josie still hadn’t seen him, and he let his gaze wander over her sturdy legs and feet encased in white sandals. Pink polish tipped her small toes, and a pink bracelet circled her left wrist. She was all girl. His parents would adore her, but he couldn’t quite put his head around telling them yet. There was so much to figure out about the future.

  He knew the moment she spotted him because her eyes went wide before she leaped to her feet and raced for the backyard. “Wait!” He went after her, but she’d already thrown herself at her mother’s legs by the time he reached the patio.

  Elin scooped up Josie and turned to face him. Her frosty gaze skewered him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you. And Josie.” He added the last in a firm tone. She looked beautiful this morning in a short khaki skirt that showed off her tanned legs. The bright-green top was an unexpected splash of color. Like Sara had said, he’d never seen Elin in bright colors.

  “You should have called first.”

  “And you shouldn’t have moved without telling me. Were you hoping I wouldn’t find you?”

  “Of course not.”

  He took a step closer, hating that his first meeting with his daughter was going so badly. Elin’s tone hadn’t helped. “Hello, Josie.”

  The little girl buried her face in her mother’s neck and didn’t look at him. Elin shifted her to the other arm. “She’s a little shy. This is Mr. Everton, Josie. Remember him? Can you say hello?”

  “No.” Her refusal was muffled.

  Elin’s lips twitched. “I suppose you might as well come in since you’re here. I was about to fix lunch. Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure. Is your mom here?”

  “She’s inside knitting. I tried to coax her to the beach, but she didn’t feel like coming outside.” Elin put her daughter down and led her to the back door.

  Marc followed her inside the back-porch area. A white washer and dryer were the only furnishings in the space, and the herbal scent of fabric softener wafted in the air. Through the whitewashed pine utility room was the kitchen. White cabinets lined one wall, and a vase of blue flowers atop the pine table added a welcoming touch in the dining area.

  “Mom,” Elin called.

  Marc stood with his hands in his pockets. Elin’s mother had always liked him, but would she still if she knew he was Josie’s father?

  Elin washed her hands, then poked her head through the door into the other room. “Mom, you want to help me fix lunch? We have a visitor.”

  When her mother didn’t answer, Elin stepped through into the living room, and Marc followed her. The pleasant room was empty. A skein of yarn and knitting needles lay on the floor by the sofa. The front door was open to the porch.

  A worried frown crouched between Elin’s eyes. “The door was locked when I went outside.”

  “It was open when I got here.”

  “Did you see Mom?”

  He shook his head. “I heard Josie giggling and went that direction.”

  “Wait here with Josie.” Elin transferred her daughter’s hand to his, then raced up the oak stairs to the second floor.

  Josie’s hand was so small in his. He liked the way her fingers curled around his before she snatched her hand back. “I’m not going to hurt you, honey. I’d like to be friends.”

  She stared up at him. “You’re too big.”

  He crouched beside her. “Now I’m not so big. But it’s good to have big friends. I can protect you.”

  “Mommy protects me.” Her glare softened. “Mommy wants you to go away.”

  “What makes you say that? She was going to feed me lunch, remember?”

  Her hazel eyes clouded. “Maybe you just scared her because you’re so big. She yelled at you.”

  “She wasn’t expecting me, but I’m Sara’s cousin. You know Sara, Mommy’s friend?”

  Her expression brightened. “Sara takes me for ice cream.”

  “I’d like to do that too. And we can go for a boat ride. I can teach you to surf.” There were so many things he wanted to say to his daughter, so many things he wanted to know about her too. It would take time to be part of her life, but in spite of his impatience, he had the sense the journey would be worth it. He handed her the pink gift bag in his hand. “I brought you something.”

  Her sudden smile made his heart surge. “What is it?”

  “You’ll have to open it and see.”

  She dug into the sparkly tissue and pulled out a box. “It’s an iPad! My friend Mina has one. She plays games on it.”

  “A mini. I loaded some games for you too.” He helped her open the box and pull out the tablet. “There are some princess games and a Mickey Mouse one.”

  She clutched it to her chest. “Can I play it now?”

  “You sure can.”

  She clambered into a chair at the table and pushed an icon. She acted like she was an expert with it already. Kids took to technology so quickly.

  Elin came back down the stairs at a gallop. “She’s not in the house.” Her panicked gaze went to the door. “She can’t swim.”

  He rose and went toward the door. “She probably just went for a walk. I’ll find her.” Why was Elin so worried? Ruby was a grown woman. She was allowed to go for a walk by herself.

  SIX

  It has to be here somewhere.” Ruby struggled through the waves lapping at her knees. Her husband had told her he’d hidden the ring in the water. If she could just find it, the discovery would erase the worry from the face of the young woman in the house. What was her name? It was on the tip of Ruby’s tongue. All she knew for sure was she loved the pretty redhead and her little girl. But where was Owen? He’d been here just a few minutes ago.

  She sat on a rock and rubbed her head. Why couldn’t she think right? There were so many things she couldn’t remember, and she didn’t like it. It made her feel out of control and lost. But she wasn’t lost. She was right here on the shore with Owen. He’d be back in a minute. They’d always been together, and he never left her for long.

  Then she heard his voice calling her name. She turned around and saw him jogging toward her with the redhead and her little girl right behind him. She rose and waved. “Owen, I’m here.”

  He reached her, and she flung her arms around him. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling and calling for you.” She pulled away and gazed up into his face. Had his hair always been so dark? And weren’t his eyes more turquoise rather than hazel? He was taller than she remembered too. How could she forget what her own husband looked like?

  She clutched his arm. “I can’t find it. You said it was here, but I’ve looked and looked.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “The ring you hid for me. My engagement ring.” The r
edhead’s brow was furrowed. Didn’t she know frowning aged a woman? She wanted to tell the pretty woman to always smile. Owen said he treasured her laugh lines. Her fingers found the tiny furrows at the edges of her eyes. Where was this place?

  The redhead picked up her left hand. “Your ring is right here, Mom. It’s safe and sound.”

  Ruby stared at the tiny diamond sparkling on her finger. It was worn, and the hand was wrinkled like that of an old woman. A twenty-year-old shouldn’t have wrinkly hands. She pulled away from the woman’s grip and put her hands in the pockets of her capris. The sun did funny things to her vision.

  Owen put his arm around her and turned her toward the woman and girl. “It’s time for lunch now, Ruby. Elin and Josie missed you. Elin can’t remember how to make your chicken salad, and she needs your help.”

  “My daughter’s name is Elin.” Her thoughts began to clear a bit, and she looked past him to her daughter. It had been so long since she’d seen her, and she was all grown up. Someone had kept Elin from her. What enemy would do that? “There you are, Elin. I couldn’t find you.” Relief coursed through her, and she reached to gather her granddaughter up. “Josie, you’ve grown two inches since I saw you last.”

  “Grammy, you saw me at breakfast. I did eat a lot of cereal though.”

  Ruby started to shake her head, then bit her lip and said nothing. The little girl didn’t need to be reminded of how little she understood the passage of time. She turned to stare at the woman again. “Wait, you’re not Elin. Elin hates green. Who are you?”

  The woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Let’s go fix lunch, and we can talk about it.” She took Ruby’s arm. “You can take a nap, and everything will be fine when you wake up.”

  “Oh, I hope so. I’m very tired. It will all be better after my nap.” She clung to the young woman’s hand and followed her to the big house on the hill.

  Her mother and daughter were both down for a nap. Seated at the pine table, Elin sipped her coffee laced with lots of cream and looked at Marc over the rim of her cup. Her pulse still raced, but no amount of self-talk convinced her it was still a reaction from seeing her mother with the waves up to her knees. It was not knowing what Marc expected from her. And she really didn’t want to share Josie.