Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3)

by Karice Bolton

  And he certainly didn’t understand what it felt like to put dreams on hold indefinitely. So while he was busy living his dream, I needed to invent my new reality, one that didn’t borrow on blind hope and mistaken chance. I had a family to support and bills to pay, and with that last thought, I felt into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  The doorbell chimed over my head, spinning me right off the couch with my heart pounding and my fists ready for a fight. The early morning light blazed through the living room window as I untangled myself from the pile of blankets and crawled to my knees. I glanced out the living room window, not seeing a soul.

  Yawning, I wiped the sleep away from my eyes and trudged toward the door, peeking out the peephole of the front door.

  Mary Stapleton stared back at me in a nurse’s uniform, holding a large bag and a clipboard. Her finger moved toward the doorbell again, but I flung open the door just in time.

  “Hey, Mary. Can I help you with something?”

  Her silver-flecked auburn hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her lavender headband securely plastered any flyaway strands to her head. The lack of makeup on her face only showed off her beautiful features even more.

  “Mr. Hill sent me over.” She glanced inside the home and brought her gaze back to mine.

  “Cole sent you over? He must want his fiancée back.” I laughed, leaning against the door.

  “Not Cole. Anthony. Anthony Hill,” Mary said, pressing her lips together to hide a smile. There was something about Anthony that just made women swoon, no matter the age. I pushed the thought aside and stared at her.

  “Anthony Hill instructed me to arrive at eight o’clock. He wanted me to give you this.” She wiggled an envelope free from her clipboard and handed it to me.

  The morning temperature was frigid, and I realized I couldn’t let Mary freeze to death on the stoop while I tried to figure out what was going on. I quickly invited her in, and she gladly accepted the invitation to step inside.

  Her eyes fell to the pile of blankets on the couch and floor.

  “It’s not as comfortable as it looks,” I joked.

  “Well, it doesn’t look particularly comfortable at all.” She smiled.

  “Exactly.”

  “Is your father up?” Mary asked.

  “No. Not yet.”

  “Shall we go over everything?” Her eyes fell to the envelope. “Or would you like a moment to read what’s inside? I’d like to do an evaluation and figure out the best care plan for his needs and yours.”

  Her words banged around in my head. I couldn’t afford this kind of care. I needed to buy myself some time.

  “I probably need a moment. Would you like some coffee? I’m about to make a pot.” I grabbed my phone.

  “I’m fine. Thank you.” Mary had always been extremely friendly, but she had her professional hat on and seemed far more reserved than normal.

  I’d known Mary for as long as I’d been on the island. She’d worked off and on at the hospital while her kids grew up, and then her daughter, Eileen, became a CNA after Mary opened up a healthcare agency. Eileen was only a year or two younger than me, and we’d gotten to know each other over the years. I also knew Eileen was the caregiver who helped Anthony when he’d broken his foot several months back. She’d given me the inside scoop and confirmed many of my suspicions about his type.

  I measured the ground beans and poured the water into the coffeepot, trying to put off opening the letter. I didn’t feel comfortable accepting help from Anthony, and I certainly couldn’t imagine a legitimate reason in the world for him to send Mary over to provide her services. As the coffee brewed, I took a deep breath in and slid my finger along the envelope, popping the flap open.

  It was a letter to Mary from Anthony, informing her of our needs and directing his account to be charged for care. It was dated yesterday with an early-evening timestamp. He’d sent the email to Mary before I’d even arrived at my dad’s. This was before my stepmom surprised us all by taking off.

  But would she return?

  My hands trembled at the enormous generosity, but I was unable to accept this gift . . . or whatever he might call it. There had to be another way, and I was determined to figure out what it was. One thing in life had become abundantly clear, and that was that I didn’t want to owe anyone anything.

  Mary wandered into the kitchen and stood next to me.

  “He wanted me to tell you that he needs your help on his home, and the best way to ensure a job well done is to take care of any distractions that might creep up.” She reached for a coffee mug that hung from the stand and poured a cup of coffee, sliding it toward me. “So you had no idea he had this planned?”

  I shook my head. “We barely know one another. I only agreed to help him decorate his house.”

  “All island kids know one another.” She smiled and glanced around the kitchen. I was grateful that Natalie and I had managed to pick up a little last night. “We take care of each other on Fireweed.”

  “I’m friends with his brother Cole, but beyond bumping into each other as kids, I honestly didn’t know him until a week ago. And this” —I waved the letter— “is too much.”

  “You’ve obviously made an impression.”

  I shook my head. “I think he got bored his last week on the island.”

  “So how has your father’s care been going?” she asked, keeping the conversation on track.

  “Cindy, my stepmom, was taking care of the day-to-day tasks, and I’d help whenever I could.”

  “What about his speech and occupational therapy?”

  “The insurance stopped covering that months ago, so we continued where they left off, and I found things online to help.”

  She nodded. “Well, we can bring in our therapists and see how far we can get.”

  I shook my head. “I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to waste your time, but I can’t accept your services. I have no way to repay him, and I never will.”

  “Anthony’s already been charged for the day, so let’s see what we can get done and look at how we can organize your dad’s medical needs.”

  I let out a deep sigh, knowing I wasn’t going to get very far. Mary obviously had instructions.

  “So your stepmom takes care of his daily needs.”

  “Well . . .” I cleared my throat. “She did until last night. She just left my dad.”

  Mary’s eyes widened and she looked out the window. “Oh, dear.”

  “But she might be back.” I slumped into the chair as the reality from the night before slammed into me. “Anyway, I need to call Anthony and tell him there’s no—”

  “You can’t trust the tabloids. It could’ve been an old photograph,” Natalie interrupted. I glanced behind me as she came into the kitchen.

  “Huh?” I asked, completely mystified. “A photo? What are you talking about?”

  Natalie—still in yesterday’s outfit, her brown hair tangled, and eyeliner halfway down her cheek—glanced at me and then over at Mary. “Hey, Mary. What’s going on? Did Sophie call you?”

  “She didn’t. Anthony did.” Mary’s brows rose. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way. Can I see the ring?”

  Natalie held up her fingers and wiggled them.

  “Beautiful,” Mary gushed as my mind spun to Natalie’s words. There were a couple of things that stopped time for some women on Fireweed, and those were engagement rings and newborn babies. I didn’t fall into that group, because neither of those things did it for me.

  “It is,” I agreed. “But can we get back to what you said on your way into the kitchen, Natty?”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Natalie mumbled, lumbering toward the coffeepot.

  “You said something about photographs,” Mary said. “And tabloids.”

  “Oh, nothing. I thought I misunderstood what Sophie was talking about.”

  I studied her and could tell she was lying, but now wasn’t the time.

  “I was just telling Mary that
I couldn’t accept Anthony’s help. We come from very different worlds, and I don’t feel comfortable with what he’s trying to do.”

  “Your worlds aren’t that different,” Mary said, taking a seat at the table.

  “Ha,” I erupted.

  Natalie started to open her mouth but closed it quickly.

  “He came from a wealthy family—a perfect family—and went on to travel the world and conquer the music industry. My family is about as screwed up as a family can be, and I’m about to move back in with my dad at the age of thirty.”

  Mary took in a deep breath, and I noticed Natty bite her lip as she debated what to say.

  “Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep and I’m all over the place,” I said half-apologetically.

  Natalie’s eyes connected with mine, and a grimace surfaced along her pretty features.

  “They didn’t have a perfect family,” Natalie said, taking a sip of her coffee. “Far from it.”

  “How do you figure?” I asked, picking up my phone and sliding it on.

  Without thinking, I glanced at Yahoo News and my breath caught.

  Splashed across the front page of the screen was a photo of Anthony biting it on the sidewalk. He looked completely out of it, a leg up in the air and squinting at the cameras with a hand up as several women, dressed in tiny sparkly dresses, surrounded him. Mary’s and Natalie’s voices turned into a low hum as I clicked on the article.

  Several more pictures of him popped up on the screen, and my heart literally stopped as I witnessed how he’d spent last night. He was dressed in the same clothes as when I’d met him at the library, even with the beanie still pulled over his head. My stomach started churning as I glanced up to see Natalie watching me.

  This was his life. We weren’t dating, and I had absolutely no reason to be upset about these pictures, but I was livid.

  I was only angry because he kept insisting on inserting himself into my life.

  I didn’t need this kind of problem in my world. I already had my hands full, and I certainly didn’t need to be tied to someone who was this all over the place.

  “Sophie.” Natalie snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I scowled at her.

  “So this is what you were talking about?” I held up my phone and Mary whistled.

  “You didn’t hear a word we said, did you?” Natty asked, not answering my question.

  “It doesn’t matter. This just proves my point. His life is all about him. Even sending Mary over is just to suit his needs so I don’t back out on decorating his house.”

  “It’s not like that,” Natalie objected. “There’s a lot you don’t know about the Hills.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Let me get the violin out.”

  “She’s right,” Mary said, taking a seat at the table. “The Hill boys had it rough.”

  “How do you figure?” I asked, doubting any of the Hills ever had to rough much of anything, but something in the room changed. The air clung to a thick silence, and traded glances between Natty and Mary told me there was so much more to be said, but I knew neither of them planned on telling me a thing.

  Promise me you won’t believe everything you read. The words he’d told me before he left bounced around my mind as I glanced back at the article, and I wondered if I was strong enough to handle another added complication.

  “CJ, I can’t do this by myself. Having you come over on Sundays is certainly not asking too much. The fact that I’ve managed to get my friends to help more than my brother speaks volumes.”

  My brother’s name was Charles Junior, but we all called him CJ for short.

  “I have a family,” he said, breathing deeply into the phone.

  “Yes, you do, and I’m sure Dad would love to see your wife and two kids for the next several Sundays. It would give him something to look forward to.”

  “Sophie, I know the brunt of things has fallen on you, but it’s not your responsibility to solve the world’s problems.”

  “I’m not trying to solve the world’s problems, just our dad’s.”

  “If we sell his house, we can use the money for his care,” he said quietly.

  “The money wouldn’t last more than a couple of years,” I protested. “And then what?”

  “And then state money would kick in.”

  “Do you realize what you’re even saying? He would wind up in a nursing home or worse.”

  “Don’t you want a life? I’m trying to give you one,” CJ said, exasperated by what, in particular, I wasn’t sure—possibly being bothered at all.

  “My life is perfectly fine. All I’m asking from you is one day a week until I can get a handle on things.”

  “And how do you suppose you’re going to do that? Working extra shifts at Loxxy? You think that’s how you’ll get rich?”

  “You’re such a creep.”

  “I’ll be there on Sunday, but I can’t promise I’ll be back after that.”

  “I’ll take what I can get.”

  CJ ended the call, and I sat back on the couch.

  Mary had taken my dad out on the back deck and was working on speech therapy with him. She would be here for another thirty minutes or so.

  Even though I told her we couldn’t afford her services, she’d shown up for the last three days. I’d left several messages for Anthony and sent several texts, but he hadn’t answered a single one. As promised, he had sent over the information regarding his island home, but I hadn’t even had a chance to look at it.

  It was early evening on Tuesday, and Natalie, Cole, Nick, and Jewels were coming over for dinner any second. I’d worked my day shift at the Loxxy and thankfully didn’t have to work at Island Bluff tonight, so I could treat my friends to a thank-you meal of baked spaghetti.

  Even though it had only been three days since my stepmom left, I swore I saw an improvement in my dad. I set the phone down and walked over to the slider. Mary was laughing, and my dad wore a crooked smile as she held up flashcards and he attempted to enunciate each syllable. There was a sparkle in my dad’s eye as she pointed at the image. The careful movement of his lips warmed my heart, and I knew I needed to talk to Anthony. I needed to thank him.

  These last few days had done wonders for my dad’s spirits. I couldn’t accept what Anthony wanted to give us, but seeing the changes in my dad made me feel selfish in the oddest way. Why would I turn down something that could make my dad’s life better?

  Because there were strings attached. There had to be.

  Not wanting to interrupt my dad’s progress, I went back over to the phone and dialed Anthony’s number. My call got directed to voicemail almost immediately. I left a voicemail thanking him again and asked him to return my call.

  Again.

  “I’m starving,” Natty said, tapping the front door while opening it. Jewels was right behind her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I also invited Tori and Mason. She had some great ideas about what we could do, but if I had to relay it all, things would definitely get lost in translation.”

  “Wow. She doesn’t mind?” I asked, walking over to give Natty and Jewels a hug.

  “Not at all. She’s a teacher. Helping is in her blood. Besides, your pasta is world famous.”

  “Only to the people you brag to.” I chuckled.

  Tori Aickens was one of the many who found their way back to the island. It didn’t hurt that she fell in love with the hot contractor helping to redo her family home, but she was a sweetheart, and so was her boyfriend, Mason Rhodes.

  “How’s your dad doing?” Natalie asked, throwing her coat on the armchair. “Cole will be over later, by the way.”

  “I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I swear in these last few days he’s actually improved.” I smiled and pointed out on the deck.

  “Mary certainly seems happy to help,” Natalie noticed.

  “Well, Anthony won’t return my calls and she just keeps showing up.” I ushered them into the kitchen so I could finish the salad.

  “
About that.” Natalie looked at her sister and then brought her gaze slowly back to mine. “I’m sorry for getting you tangled up in things.”

  “In what things?” I asked.

  “I thought Anthony had kind of beaten back his demons, but he’s gone off the rails.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is going to make Cole sound like such an awful person.”

  I reached for a bag of tomatoes and rinsed one off. “I doubt Cole could ever sound like a bad person.”

  “I don’t know. This is kind of horrible,” Jewels agreed with her sister.

  “Anthony’s got a bad boy image to uphold,” Natalie began.

  I rolled my eyes but stayed cautious in an effort to not slice off a finger.

  “As you know, Cole is a PR master and reps Anthony and Crimson Strings.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Cole lined up several appearances for Anthony, tipped off the paparazzi, and tried to drum up some press coverage. What Cole didn’t count on was Anthony getting out of control and having those images be the ones that got shopped around.”

  “What do you mean, out of control? It looked like a typical night for Anthony.” I tossed the tomatoes into the salad bowl and glanced over at her.

  “You remember how Anthony broke his leg?” Natalie asked as Jewels set the table.

  “Yeah. I remember. Mary and her daughter took care of him off and on while it healed.”

  “He broke it because he’d been drinking too much and fell off a ladder.”

  “Ouch,” Jewels whispered.

  “Well, hopefully he’s learned that heights and booze don’t mix.” I walked the salad over to the table and looked outside to see Mary and my dad laughing. It had been a long time since I’d seen my dad smile, let alone laugh. I wasn’t even sure he was capable of it since the stroke.

  “He learned booze doesn’t mix with a lot of things,” Natalie continued.

  “What are you getting at?” I asked, turning back around.

  “Anthony had cut back on his drinking until Friday night, and now we don’t know where he is. Cole feels responsible because he put him up to the club appearances, and now he can’t even track him down.”