by Hope Ramsay
“No. I was giving myself a break. Honey, I can’t play as fast as you do.”
“What?”
She smiled. “You’ve become a much better violinist than you were at fifteen.”
“Guess that means there is some value in country music after all,” Granny said from her post in the kitchen.
“I guess so, Momma. Shall we do it again? You play first violin,” Mom said.
They practiced for an hour and a half, and by the time they were finished, the piece was almost performance ready. Even more important, they hadn’t had a single argument, and the music did nothing but make Mom smile. Ella realized that Mom had been stressing out about a lot of things recently. So this duet had been a really good idea.
They put away their violins and joined Granny at the kitchen island. “How’s it going?” Ella asked.
“Almost done.” Granny dropped her pen and flexed her fingers. “Y’all were great.”
“Thanks,” Mom said. “But now my aging bladder is calling. I’ll be right back.”
Mom headed off to the powder room, and Granny leaned forward and spoke in a voice even quieter than usual. “You want to explain the other day?”
Ella got up and headed toward the fridge as her adrenaline spiked. She’d been waiting for Granny to ask this question. All morning at church, and even before that. She’d expected a phone call.
But evidently, Granny wanted to have this conversation face-to-face and privately.
“There’s nothing to explain.”
“I know my hearing isn’t what it used to be, but I distinctly heard you say that you and Dylan were off for a night to remember. Sugar, I’ve been concerned ever since that night Jim and Brenda caught Dylan wrapped up in that beach towel. You and Dylan aren’t…you know…?”
“No,” she said with her back turned as she pulled the iced tea jug from the fridge.
“Y’all looked chummy the other evening.”
“Granny, have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?” Ella reached for three glasses.
“No, can’t say as I have.”
“Well, there aren’t that many places to hang on.”
“Y’all were barely moving at the time, sugar.”
“Well, we were stopping and going, you know. Kind of jerky motion. And to be honest, I was terrified. And as for what I said, you’ve got that all wrong. A Night to Remember is a catering place on the East Side.”
She turned and met her grandmother’s probing stare just as Mom came down the hall from the bathroom. “What’s this I hear about catering?”
“We booked a place called A Night to Remember. Jude St. Pierre recommended them. And I found out that it’s perfectly okay for us to have a chocolate fountain.”
“Oh, fun,” Mom said with a gigantic grin, while Granny kept staring at Ella as if she’d just told an enormous fib.
Which she had. Not about the chocolate fountain, but about every other thing related to her ride on Dylan’s Harley through the middle of town.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The ten days leading up the Dad’s engagement party passed in a blur for Dylan. He was insanely busy at work, scheduling interviews with potential nurse practitioners, covering for Dad at the free clinic, and finding moments, when no one was looking, to spend time with Ella.
Outwardly, they were working on the engagement party, but really, they had delegated most of the work to An Evening to Remember. Ella kept track of the phone RSVP list, and Dylan kept track of the online RSVPs. And they’d booked a photographer.
Other than that, they spent many an evening chilling with Netflix over at his place. He’d gotten used to getting up with the chickens in order to have her back to Howland House in time for the morning breakfast service. This had, of course, required her to leave a few things at his place. Suddenly his shower had collected a bottle of girlie shampoo, and his sink had an extra toothbrush.
He welcomed these things. Somehow she filled up the empty places Dad had left when he’d moved out. He was even starting to think about painting the master bedroom and maybe buying some new furniture for that room. He didn’t think he’d like the idea of entertaining Ella on the bed his parents had once shared.
In fact, if he could find a few minutes of spare time, he might invite her out for a shopping trip to the mainland. Or maybe they could just cuddle on the couch and peruse the options on Wayfair.com.
But he never quite found the courage to suggest either of those things because he was afraid that if he said it out loud, she’d turn away and stride right out the door. Ella didn’t seem to know what she wanted in life. And far be it from him to pressure her into settling for something.
Besides, he didn’t want to be the guy she settled for. So instead, he was eyes wide open, sure that he was the rebound guy. And in fairness, maybe she was the rebound girl. The one who was so obviously different from Lauren that she would help him excise the unhappy memories.
The day of the party dawned like every other day, with him up early to drop Ella off and then off to shower and shave and show up at work. It might be Dad’s engagement party, but someone had to see patients, because Dad was taking a personal day.
At least it looked as if the weather was going to cooperate. The forecast was for a high in the low eighties with relatively low humidity. Perfect, in fact.
Which was a good thing because everything else about the day turned sour the moment he stopped at the dry cleaners to pick up his gray suit only to discover that they’d put a hole in the jacket. Unfortunately, that was his only tropical-weight suit. So he’d have to wear his blue blazer and khakis to the party. Which seemed wrong. He wore the blue blazer and khakis most days. He ought to dress up for his father’s party, right?
And then his workday unraveled fifteen minutes after his second cup of coffee, when Milo Parker came in complaining of chest pains. A quick EKG suggested something serious—no surprise considering Milo’s out-of-control diabetes and the fact that he ate at Annie’s Kitchen at least two times a week.
But what could Dylan do? He had to call the ambulance service and dispatch Dad’s longtime patient to the hospital on the mainland. After that, he was so far behind he couldn’t catch up, especially when a second emergency arrived in the form of a tourist who’d cut her foot on something wading in the ocean. She needed sutures and a tetanus shot. And she put him almost an hour behind. In the end, he had to have Lessie, his office manager, call a couple of patients and reschedule them.
And even so, he missed lunch and was a good half hour late getting to the pier where Synchronicity Too was docked. He was sweating a little under his jacket by the time he’d sprinted down the pier and stepped onto the yacht’s gleaming deck. Dad was standing there checking his watch, which was bad. But on the good side, Dad was dressed in his own blue blazer and khakis.
“Hey,” he said, giving Dad a quick man-hug. “Sorry I’m late. I had intended to be here an hour ago to help with last-minute details, but Mr. Parker came in with angina. I sent him off to the mainland, and he was admitted to the hospital. They’re going to do a cardiac cath tomorrow morning. But after he showed up, it was a zoo.”
“I should have been down at the office,” Dad said.
“No, it’s fine. We had to reschedule some patients. But we’ll catch up tomorrow.”
“Look,” Dad said under his breath. “Brenda is a little stressed that you’re late.”
“But I got here before any guests arrived.” The last thing Dylan needed right now was Brenda getting on his case for nothing.
“I know. But she feels as if you left Ella to handle everything.”
“The caterers handled everything.”
“Just lie low, okay? You’re in the doghouse with her right at the moment. I would advise you to avoid her as much as possible.”
“You think that’s wise?”
“Yeah. Just don’t say anything to her. She’s in bridezilla mode.”
“That bad?”
Dad chuckled. “Well, not really that b
ad. But stressed, you know. She wants everything to be perfect.”
“There’s no such thing.” Dylan quoted his father.
“I know. I’ve even told her that a time or two. But forewarned is forearmed. And not to change the subject, but how are you doing on hiring that nurse practitioner?”
“I’m working on it. I’ve been interviewing all week. There are a lot of candidates to choose from. It’s not an easy decision.”
“Good. We might want to consider adding another doc.”
“Dad, are you okay?” His father looked tired. Not at all the look of a man who was about to marry the woman of his dreams. Was he sick? Was that what this was about? Was he pushing Dylan to take over because he needed to make sure the practice was in good shape?
A raft of worries assailed Dylan as he looked into his father’s eyes. There seemed to be more fine lines around them than there had been a few months ago.
“I’m fine,” Dad said. “I’m just tired of trying to manage the free clinic, the practice, and a full life is all. A nurse practitioner could handle a lot of the load at the free clinic, and another doc would help you. You need to have a life too, you know.”
“I have a life,” he said.
“No, you don’t. When was the last time you went fishing or sailing? I can see that you’ve been spending your time at the office or working on this party. That’s not exactly a life. And I’m thinking it’s my fault.”
“I’m happy with my life.” Especially the last couple of weeks, but he could hardly tell his father that he was falling in love with his fiancée’s daughter.
“You need to move into the master bedroom and redecorate.”
Dad’s words almost made his head explode. Did he know what was going on? Or maybe Dad was simply worried that Dylan was feeling lonely in the big house all by himself. Which was true, except for when Ella was there.
“I’m fine,” Dylan said in a tone that might have conveyed just the opposite.
“You should find a nice girl, Dylan.” Dad gave him a wink, his blue eyes catching the bright sunshine.
This was the second time Dad had suggested this. What was it, guilt for moving out? Or had Dad become like all the other engaged people in the world who thought everyone should join them in the bliss of holy matrimony? “So, what kind of girl do you think I should find?” he asked, just for fun.
“A pretty one…with brains.” Dad gave him a swift elbow to the ribs, the way he used to do when he was teasing. God, it had been a long time since he’d seen that twinkle in Dad’s eyes.
But Dylan didn’t have a chance to laugh out loud because Ella came up the ship’s ladder and strolled in their direction, and damned if she didn’t look exactly like the kind of girl Dad had so recently described. Instead of laughing, a gigantic hole formed in his chest. He’d found the girl. But he didn’t think the relationship would work out.
As if to punctuate the point, Brenda followed Ella up the ladder. They were dressed almost like twins in free-flowing flowered dresses. Brenda’s was dark blue. Ella’s was forest green—a color that made her fiery hair seem all the redder. She had it piled on top of her head in a somewhat neater bun than usual, but the sea breeze had already started to tug at the hairpins, leaving wisps to fall down her neck and cheeks.
He wanted to nibble those cheeks and kiss that neck. His fingers itched to take all those hairpins out, and his brain stalled on a searing memory of her kneeling above him in his bed, her hair falling down over her shoulders all the way to his chest. His mouth went dry.
“I need a drink,” he muttered, when what he really wanted was to take her in his arms and give her a big hello kiss. But he couldn’t do that, and besides, Dad had told him to keep his distance from Brenda. So he had a good excuse to become scarce.
* * *
Ella watched her mom’s back stiffen the moment Dylan walked away without a word of greeting. His casual dismissal had hurt Mom. And who could blame her?
Mom was out of line blaming Dylan for being late, even though Ella was perfectly capable of dealing with the caterer and Jude St. Pierre’s people. And Dylan’s receptionist had called a couple of hours ago to tell them that Dylan’s day had spun out of control.
But Dylan was still out of line for walking right past Mom without even saying hello. Why had he done that? Was he reneging on his deal? Was he still trying to break Mom and Jim up? Ella didn’t think so. But she wasn’t happy with him walking past Mom like that. And she hated the fact that she was the one who had to run interference between the two of them. Would that become a habit?
“I need to go check on the bar setup,” she said to Mom, providing an excuse to break away. “I’ll be back before guests start arriving.”
Mom nodded. “Thank you, honey. You’ve outdone yourself. Everything is perfect.”
Wow. In her lifetime, Mom had never said anything like that to her, ever. She gave Mom a big hug. “Thanks, Mom. Now stop worrying. Jim loves you. And I love you. And Granny loves you. We’re going to have a wonderful time tonight.” She let go. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She turned away and headed down the ship’s ladder into the salon, where she found Dylan accepting a drink from the bartender.
“Hey, get it together, okay?” she said in a low voice. “You just hurt Mom’s feelings.”
He studied her over the rim of his glass. The amber flecks in his eyes were the same color as his drink. “What? How? Dad told me to give her a wide berth, and that’s what I did.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Ella rolled her eyes. “Did he tell you that? I can’t believe it. Don’t listen to him, okay? She’s been all worried that you were going to be late.”
He blew out a long breath. “I’m sorry. Without Dad at the office, things got crazy. I was fully intending to be here to help you deal with the caterers and stuff, but I had a very sick patient that put me behind.”
Oh no. Now that she was standing in front of him, Dylan looked exhausted. Too many late nights, too much work at the clinic. He deserved a break.
“I was fully capable of dealing with the caterers on my own. What happened? Did you have another patient pass away?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. But I had to send one to the emergency room. And my day was a zoo after that.”
“Is your patient going to be okay?”
He shrugged. “He was admitted with angina. My guess is that he’s going to need coronary bypass surgery.”
“I’m sorry.”
He took a gulp of his drink. “It’s okay. He’s been heading in that direction for a long time. Dad and I tell him to change his lifestyle, and he ignores us.”
“Frustrating.”
He nodded.
“But you should still go upstairs and give Mom a hug.”
“I will go upstairs and be civil. I promise. Although giving your mother a hug would probably blow her mind.”
“Yeah, probably. But the guests will be here any minute, and we need to be upstairs to greet them.”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his eyes. He seemed so weary right at that moment that Ella threw caution to the wind and threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. She’d intended the hug to be sisterly but it morphed into something a whole lot more erotic when he pressed his body against hers.
They stayed that way for too long and didn’t break apart until they heard someone coming down the ship’s ladder. Ella’s face went hot as she turned to find Ashley Scott standing at the base of the ladder giving them both a sober look.
“Y’all should be upstairs with your parents greeting the guests,” she said, then headed for the bar.
Behind her, Jackie, Ashley’s plus-one for the evening, came rushing down the ladder. “Isn’t this cool?” he asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Ella said.
“Oh, wow, chocolate.” The kid’s eyes grew wide as he spied the chocolate fountain in the corner of the salon.
“Help yourself,” Ella said as she turned away from
the Scotts and headed up the ladder with Dylan close on her heels. With each step, she started constructing the lie she’d need to cover for what Ashley had seen. It would start with Dylan’s hospitalized patient, which was probably seriously bad karma. But what else could she say if she was confronted?
She couldn’t tell the truth. Not tonight of all nights.
* * *
Brenda breathed deeply and told her heart to quit bouncing around her chest. She was supposed to enjoy this event, but things had gotten off to a rocky start. As near as Brenda could see, Ella was doing all the work, and Dylan was along for the ride, probably taking notes and waiting until the right moment to try to create a scene.
And what better place than at this party?
She pasted a reception-line smile on her face. Ashley Scott and her son, Jackie, had been the first to arrive. They hadn’t seemed to notice Ella and Dylan’s absence. So maybe it would be all right. A few more guests came over the gangplank before Ella finally materialized at her elbow, checking names off the RSVP list. Dylan followed her and took up a spot next to his father.
Momma was playing hostess down at the front of the boat, where the ship’s crew was handing out glasses of champagne. Finally, everyone was in place, and for this moment, it looked as if they were one happy family. It was a sham, of course, and Brenda hoped to God they avoided the drama that had blown up Easter Sunday. But just as she started to relax and actually enjoy herself, Jim stiffened noticeably.
The next guest in the informal receiving line was Preston Everly, a former member of the town council and Magnolia Harbor’s newly elected state representative. He’d won a landslide victory in a special election last fall to fill the seat recently vacated by Caleb Tate, who had resigned under a scandalous cloud involving several shady real estate transactions. Rep. Everly was squeaky clean, had run on a reform platform, and was a longtime member of the Magnolia Harbor Yacht Club.
Brenda had wanted his name dropped from the list, but Ella had told her that Dylan insisted. Evidently, they went way back or something. In the end, Ella had negotiated several names with Dylan, including Rep. Everly’s, and had managed to get Jackie Scott added as a concession for allowing this politician’s name to remain on the list. Ella had become fond of the little boy and hadn’t wanted him to miss out on a cruise.
