by Donna Alward
They were half an hour outside Jewell Cove when Charlie’s face brightened. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to ask you. Have you heard anything about the stuff Josh found out at Aquteg Island? Apparently he found a locket and coins or something.”
Lizzie felt her face heat. “I heard,” she answered, not wanting to elaborate. “Any news about what he’s going to do with it?”
“It’s all hearsay. Dave heard it from Rick, who was down at the waterfront, but apparently the coins are real and he gets to keep them. He took the locket to Abby and Tom, to see if it belongs to Tom’s family. Abby’s found a lot of photos at Foster House, and Tom’s family probably have some, too. I guess the locket has a picture of a man who might be Charles Arseneault. Isn’t it exciting? I haven’t been here long and even I know the story of the rumored treasure out there. People will be going crazy now looking for more.”
The idea of the island crawling with treasure hunters made Lizzie feel a little bit ill. She’d started to think of it as her and Josh’s little paradise, wild and untouched. Which wasn’t accurate at all, but lately none of her feelings seemed logical.
“What’s he going to do with it?” Lizzie hadn’t asked Josh any questions. Asking about the leather bag and its contents would only remind them of that afternoon, and she was trying to avoid that as much as possible.
“No one knows. He could sell the coins and make a killing, I’m guessing. Though Josh doesn’t strike me as someone who cares too much about being rich.”
No, he didn’t. Josh was just … Josh. Lizzie had often heard the saying “enough is as good as a feast,” and that definitely applied to him. She flashed back to a memory of him splashing into the water, diving under, and coming up with his eyes twinkling. Perhaps Josh had had enough heartache in his life that he focused on appreciating the simple things.
Charlie winced and let out a breath. Lizzie frowned as she glanced over. “You okay?”
“Just Braxton Hicks. I’ve been having them for a few weeks now. They’re just uncomfortable. Twingy.”
“You’ve got a plan if you go into labor, though, right?”
Charlie nodded. “Dave’s got his cell on him at all times now. My hospital bag is all packed. First babies take a while anyway, Liz. We’ll have time to get there.”
“You call me if you need anything, though, okay?”
“I know. And if my feet puff up like mad or I get a blinding headache I’ll call you. I know my BP is up.”
“You’re patronizing me, but I don’t care as long as you mean it.”
Charlie smiled. “I love you, Liz.”
“Well, right back at you.”
* * *
Dave was waiting for them, standing on the front step when Charlie arrived. Lizzie watched as Charlie got out of the car, an awkward motion due to her advanced pregnancy, with a bright smile for her husband. Dave was so big that when he hugged her she all but disappeared in his arms, and Lizzie felt that stupid pang again in her chest.
She was jealous. Not that she begrudged her best friend one iota of happiness. But no one had ever looked at Lizzie like that.
Except once. At the top of the island, there’d been a moment when Josh had gazed into her eyes and it had been like lightning. Boom! Crash! In that brief moment, no one else in the world existed.
And she’d thrown it away.
CHAPTER 18
After looking for the treasure on Aquteg Island for the whole of his life, it seemed, now Josh didn’t want anything to do with it.
He sat at his kitchen table and stared at the leather bag. When he looked at the pouch all he could see was Lizzie’s face as she picked up the blanket to fold it, her hair blowing in the wind and a stubborn expression on her face. And he second-guessed himself constantly. He’d said he wasn’t “built that way,” but the truth was he missed her. Seeing her every day at work was nothing short of torture. His brain was thinking just fine, but his body hadn’t gotten the message, because every time they passed in the narrow corridor all he wanted to do was press her against the wall and kiss her senseless.
But he didn’t. He watched her go by with her tidy hair and starchy white coat and told himself it was for the best.
Ian Martin, one of the town’s lawyers, had looked into the matter and it turned out that the coins, which were genuine, belonged to Josh. He didn’t care about their worth, but he knew someone who did. Or rather something. The Jewell Cove Historical Society. They’d been trying to set up a permanent home for years and had lobbied hard for Foster House when Abby had inherited it. Right now they made their home in a smaller house on Schooner Street, just one block off Main. It was a hundred and fifty years old and always needed renovating and restoration. Josh figured that he’d give them half the coins for their collection and the other half he’d let an agent auction for him and he’d give them the money to make some changes to the house. It only made sense. He certainly didn’t need the money.
The locket, on the other hand, was a different matter. After he went through the faded photos from the Arseneaults and at Foster House, not to mention the few the historical society had, it had been easy to identify the man in the photo as Charles Arseneault. They also appeared to confirm that the woman in the opposite photo was his wife, Constance Arnold.
Josh felt Tom was more entitled to the locket than he was, so he gave his cousin a call and they made plans to meet at Josh’s on Friday night, as long as the weather held out. The forecast model showed a tropical storm forming in the Atlantic, and if the path was right Friday night and Saturday could get messy.
Which made him think of Lizzie at the cottage all alone. If the storm strengthened to a hurricane, she’d need to do some prep.
And then he reminded himself that she was a grown-up, competent woman. And that Tom was the landlord of the cottage and he’d see to any preparations that needed doing.
Lizzie had made it perfectly clear that she didn’t need Josh … at all.
* * *
Lizzie hopped in her car and put the bag containing her supper on the passenger seat. The spicy scent of Pasta Pomodoro filled the air, and she’d splurged on a salad and order of tiramisu. It had been a hell of a day. First of all, seeing Josh for eight solid hours was enough to try any woman’s willpower. Then she’d had the world’s grumpiest senior citizen in with a case of gout, a chain-smoker with emphysema wondering why he was having more trouble breathing, a fifty-something woman on the wrong side of menopause, and, to end the day, a four-and-a-half-year-old little girl who was deathly afraid of needles needing her immunizations before she started school.
Every day had its difficult patients, but today it seemed like they all ended up in Lizzie’s exam room at once. To top it off, there was no need to worry about the broken condom. She’d gotten her period, and she was grouchy and crampy and ready for the day to be over.
She was really, really looking forward to some of Gino’s spicy sauce, pasta, and a big glass of a Montepulciano she was fond of.
When she finally turned into the drive of the cottage, her appetite suddenly took a nosedive. There was no mistaking the Mercedes in the driveway. It was Ian Fortnam’s. What in the world was he doing here?
She pulled in beside his car and turned off the ignition. Nerves twisted around in her stomach. Sure, she’d been thinking more and more about Springfield lately and her job there, but she was utterly unprepared to find Ian at her home.
Correction: at the cottage. It wasn’t her home. She bit down on her lip. Even if it felt very much as if it were.
She got out of the car, noticed his was empty. But when she shut her car door, he appeared around the corner of her deck. “Lizzie!” he called, smiling and waving.
“Ian. What a surprise.” Wasn’t it, just. She pasted on a smile and reconciled herself to the fact that dinner would have to wait. She had to find out what he wanted first. He looked exactly the same as she remembered. Khaki pants, perfectly pressed; button-down shirt, expensive; reddish-brown hair, precisely cu
t and with a hint of product to keep it in place.
“This place is great. So rustic and … isolated.”
She frowned. It was, but did he have to make it sound so unappealing? “It’s very peaceful,” she replied. “Especially in the mornings, when I run on the beach.”
She went to the front door. “Hang on a minute. I’ll let you in through the patio doors.”
She dumped her bags on the counter and went straight to the doors, flipping the latch and sliding them open. “Come on in. I didn’t know you were coming or I wouldn’t have stopped on the way home from the clinic.”
He gave a cursory look at the cottage. “Wow. This is really roughing it for you.”
She forced a smile. “You think? I mean, it’s simple, but it’s got all the amenities and a gorgeous claw-foot tub. I’ve been very comfortable this summer. Plus the breeze off the ocean is fabulous.”
“Yes, you do have quite a view. I was enjoying it as I waited for you to come home.”
“Can I get you something to drink, Ian? Then we can go out on the deck and you can tell me what brought you all the way to Jewell Cove.”
“A gin and tonic if you’ve got it.”
Lizzie blinked. Right. G&T was Ian’s preferred drink, and in her condo she’d always had some on hand in the liquor cabinet. “I’m afraid I don’t,” she apologized. “But I can offer you a glass of wine or a beer. And I think I have a few sodas in the fridge.”
Ian’s eyebrows rose. “I guess I’ll have a soda. I’m not much of a beer man.”
She went to the kitchen, aware that Ian was behind her.
“Wow, there’s not much room in here.”
She shrugged, more annoyed by the second. “There’s just me, and you know I’ve never been much of a cook. I don’t need a big kitchen.”
Which reminded her that her pasta was still on the counter and she was damned hungry. What was he doing here that he couldn’t say with a phone call, anyway?
She took out a can of soda and handed it to him, then took the bottle of open pinot grigio and poured herself a glass. She was dying to ask him why he was here but wanted to be patient. Cool.
In control. Resigned, she put her food in the fridge.
“Shall we sit on the deck?” she asked. “It’s nice out there, and I’ve been inside most of the day.”
“Sure,” he answered, and she led the way back outside. From the way he was looking at the cottage, she could tell it wasn’t quite up to his standards. Maybe it was a bit rustic, but it was cozy. She’d thought so from the beginning.
They settled into a pair of chairs and Lizzie let out a sigh. This was her favorite time of day, really. At the end of the summer the sun was mellow, the ocean beautiful, and the breeze fresh.
“Tired?” Ian asked, tipping up his can. She realized she hadn’t even bothered to offer him a glass with ice. She wondered why she cared so little. Ian was her boss. Or had been, until her leave of absence. He was the one in the position of making things right again. He might have news of the lawsuit. And right now she was more concerned with her pasta and empty stomach. It made no sense, because with things being awkward between her and Josh her position at the hospital was more important than ever.
“Not really tired,” Lizzie replied, taking a sip of the crisp wine. “Just chilling out. My schedule’s a dream here, really.” She chuckled a little. “I just had some crotchety patients today. I earned my wine.”
“I never thought I’d see you at a family practice. Especially not in a small town.”
“Life is full of surprises,” she answered dryly. “I had to do something. I didn’t have a job, Ian. I wasn’t about to sit in my condo and take up basket weaving or macramé or something.” Bam. If he thought she was going to avoid the subject, he was sorely mistaken. It was what it was and she wouldn’t pretend otherwise.
“About that…,” Ian started the subject, then halted a little.
“Is that why you drove all the way out here, Ian? What is it? Do I not have a job to go back to? Is it something to do with the lawsuit? Because you haven’t called once all summer. Not that I expected you to, but finding you on my doorstep is a bit of a surprise.”
He put his soda can down on a small table, then turned his chair so he was facing her. “It’s good news, actually. The hospital is settling the suit. You don’t need to worry about that.”
It surprised her that she didn’t really react to his news. Truthfully, she hadn’t been worried—much. She’d spent far more time wondering about the family affected than any civil litigation. She wondered, as she looked into Ian’s handsome face, if he ever felt the same sort of qualms or fits of conscience.
“I made a mistake, Ian. It cost that family their baby. I really wasn’t thinking too much about a lawsuit.”
“Of course.” His eyes softened. “I understand that, Lizzie. You’ve got a good heart. You always did.”
“Is that why you came? To tell me about the lawsuit, tell me what a good person I am?”
His gaze held hers. “Partly. I understand you’re angry with me. I hope you believe me when I say I was trying to do what was best. It wasn’t all in the interest of the hospital. I’m worried about you, too.”
“I was angry at first,” she admitted. “But I did need the break. I was on the verge of burnout. I stopped resenting you for that part of it a while ago.”
It was true, she realized. It bugged her that Ian had been right, because she didn’t like to be wrong. She wasn’t blind to her faults. But her time here hadn’t been so bad. Jewell Cove was a nice town with nice people.
And Josh. It seemed hugely inappropriate that she would think of him while sitting with Ian, but she couldn’t help it. The two of them were doctors but as different as rain is from sun.
She knew which she preferred, and it made her uneasy. She’d left Ian behind without too much difficulty. Josh was going to be a lot harder to forget.
“I’m glad,” Ian replied, relief evident in his voice. “Look, Lizzie, I wanted to see how you’re doing, if the time off has been good for you. I can see it was. You’ve got that sparkle back in your eyes and you look rested. I’m so glad.”
“My schedule isn’t quite as demanding as I’m used to.”
He chuckled. “I bet. Are you longing to get back to the craziness of the ER? I can’t picture you really being happy here. Nice for a vacation, but it’s not you in the long term. You’re not happy unless you’re in the middle of the action, with something new to challenge you every day. Ingrown toenails must get a little boring after a while.”
It bugged her that Ian would presume to tell her about herself. He’d only known her a few years.
What bothered her more was knowing that he was right. That he was describing the old Lizzie to a T. Hadn’t she thought the exact same thing when she’d arrived?
“Are you offering me my job back, Ian?”
“I am. It’s not the same without you, Lizzie. I know you took this job out of spite, that you were unhappy with me. But that’s all over now. We can move past it, can’t we?”
She stared at him, unsure of what to say, wondering if she should actually say anything at all. What was he saying? That he wanted her back as well?
“You mean the leave of absence thing, right?” She sat back in her chair a bit, considering, doing a lot of tongue biting because she didn’t want to say anything rash.
“That,” he said softly. “And other things as well. I’ve missed you.”
She hadn’t missed him. Not that way. “Ian,” she said, wanting to be clear but tactful, too, “we got together because we had things in common and, well, it was convenient. But I’m not in that place anymore. Those reasons aren’t enough for me.”
His smile faded. “They used to be. And it was more than that, Lizzie. I cared for you. I still do.”
“And that’s why you didn’t call me all summer?”
He blushed a little.
“I didn’t call you, either.” She vaguely re
membered a rumor at the hospital about Ian seeing someone new just before Lizzie left. Not for a second did she think that had anything to do with her leaving. Ian did have some integrity, after all. “You were with someone else for a while. Didn’t that work out?”
The blush deepened, an unflattering shade next to his reddish hair. “It didn’t, no.” He swallowed and looked at her. “She wasn’t you.”
Lizzie had the odd feeling that she should be happy. That Ian was here, offering her not only her job but also a second chance at romance. She knew for sure she didn’t want the relationship, and she had no idea how she felt about the job. How was that possible when only weeks ago she’d been furious at being let go?
He put his hand on hers and twined their fingers together. “Lizzie, we can work things out, can’t we? We’re the same sort of people with the same goals and dreams. I know what makes you tick. I want to try again. I want to go back to how things used to be.”
Lizzie pulled her hand away. She couldn’t stop thinking about Josh, the way he looked at her that day on the island when they’d made love. She didn’t want to, but she suspected that he was now the man who’d set the bar for her, and right now Ian wasn’t coming remotely close to measuring up. She was starting to see herself a little more clearly thanks to Josh.
“Things won’t be like they used to be because I’m not like I used to be,” she said quietly. “I’ve changed, Ian. And I don’t feel that way about you anymore. I want someone who can blow my mind, who can surprise me. Who can make my life exciting and an adventure. We have too much in common. I don’t want to be the woman on your arm because we fit or could be this great power couple.” She blinked against a sudden stinging in her eyes. “You know what I want, Ian? I want a grand passion. I want to be swept off my feet. And it might not always be comfortable and it might not be easy, but that’s okay. You and I would never have that kind of relationship. And it’s not fair to you for me to pretend. I need to be honest with you from the start.”
