Last Chance Harbor

by Vickie McKeehan

  The venue provided a chance to get to know her neighbors. It also gave people like River’s archaeological crew—Julian Gustave and Laura Angleton and Sandra McFarland, away from home and stuck living out of an RV—a place to hang out for the day.

  Julianne used the opportunity to introduce the Kendall family around and make them feel at home.

  Ryder and her dad took turns manning the grill while she prepped simple food like deviled eggs and potato salad, opened bags of chips and dips.

  Soon her little cottage became a hub with rock music drumming in the background. She had to drag out another table from the garage to set next to the porch to hold desserts after Ethel Jenkins, Prissie Gates, and Ina Crawford brought an array of cookies and pies that wouldn’t fit next to the side dishes.

  “What a great idea,” Bree vaunted as she munched on the feast of food alongside Troy. “Zach will be along soon. He’s loading up another grill just in case you need it.”

  “Ryder will appreciate that. I’m thinking of making this a tradition.”

  “The Memorial Day barbecue? Fantastic. It’s brilliant you’re keeping them out of the house and making this an outside event.”

  Julianne giggled. “Picnics are usually held outside.”

  “Oh. Right. I’m planning to wear the lace dress I bought from you on Saturday to my graduation party—didn’t even need a single alteration from Emma Colter. How’s that for a having a good eye? I can’t believe you put together two parties in one week.”

  “The one on Saturday is planned while this one was more like impromptu at the last minute. Ryder thought I was crazy among a few others. I’m afraid it’ll soon get out that I’m a bit…spontaneous with my ideas.”

  “Nothing wrong with that at all.”

  “It’s just that I get these notions…and wham! I’m off and running then I have to deal with the weight of my actions.”

  “Yes, but your ideas have so far stirred us on to rename that wasted space and make it an actual park, have a movie night there, of all things, and a concert on the old pier. All good things that, up to now, no one else had ever thought of doing,” Bree pointed out.

  Troy looked at Julianne, echoed that sentiment. “You’ve inspired me to buy my own place. Ryder’s inspired me to go into business. If not for you two, I wouldn’t see that for myself, at least not for years down the road. Now I’m on this fast-track timetable.”

  “Nonsense,” Julianne uttered. But then she focused on what Troy had said. “You’re buying a house?” She saw his immediate glance at Bree. “Where?”

  He told her about the bungalow on Athena Circle. “It needs a lot of work though.”

  “More than this one?”

  “About the same as this one.”

  “Count me in when you get ready to renovate. Look at how everyone pitched in for me. Look at the results.” She turned in a circle, spread her arms out wide. “I’d planned to be moved in, of course, but nothing prepared me to have all the help getting settled. I want to return the favor, pay it forward.”

  About that time Troy spotted Izzy biking down the lane coming from the lighthouse. He stuck his hand in the air in a wave and watched as the striking woman slowed to a stop. Pushing away from the porch, he turned to Bree. “Where’s that brother of yours?”

  “Over there, he’s setting up the second grill.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Troy went over, grabbed Zach’s arm. “Izzy’s here. Try not to embarrass me.”

  Zach followed Troy’s gaze, smoothed down his wayward mass of hair. “But I smell like charcoal and smoke right now.”

  “Trust me, it’s a definite improvement over your usual sweaty scent at work,” Troy whispered. On approach where Izzy had parked her bicycle, he dragged Zach along with him.

  “You decided to show up. It’s about time you met some of your neighbors. This is Zach Dennison. Zach, this is Isabella Rialto. But her friends call her Izzy.”

  Zach saw a pair of sultry green eyes looking back at him, a full mouth. Both came together in a striking a face with her olive complexion. He wanted to reach out and touch all that silky golden brown hair. Instead he stuck out his hand. “Are you just here for the summer, Isabella?” He met her eyes, watched the captivating woman retreat into herself.

  “I like your little village. I appreciate you inviting me today but I can’t stay. Sorry.”

  Even though she’d taken his hand in a brief touch of skin, Zach noticed she hadn’t answered the question. So he asked it again. “How long will you be staying with us?”

  “A while. I’ll see you around, Troy. Nice meeting you, Zachary.”

  At the use of his full name, Zach rocked back on his heels and watched as Isabella and her long, lean legs climbed back on her bike and pedaled away. Although fascinated, he wasn’t stupid. “I thought you said she was Italian. She doesn’t even have an accent…of any kind. And you never mentioned that she was so snobby.”

  “She’s never been that way to me,” Troy said with a shrug. “She did seem standoffish today. Maybe she was in a hurry.”

  “Snooty,” Zach grumbled as he headed back to help Ryder grill the burgers.

  Julianne and Bree weren’t the only ones watching the exchange from the other side of the yard. Every person there interested in the woman occupying the keeper’s cottage, dived into conjecture mode about the woman’s past.

  At the same time Izzy took off down Ocean Street, Julianne listened to gums flapping amid speculation.

  “She’s too short to be a former ballet dancer. I’ll tell you that,” Ethel said, pointing a bony finger at Emma Colter. “Those dancers are usually tall and skinny. She couldn’t be more than five-foot-six.”

  “Doesn’t look like a nanny either. Doesn’t live with Logan and Kinsey, that’s for sure,” Ina Crawford threw in.

  “The girl looks more Spanish than Italian, if you ask me. I didn’t hear a foreign accent in there anywhere. Did you? Got to be a reason she keeps to herself like she does,” Prissie ventured.

  Julianne hated to stand by and be a party to so much gossip about another newcomer. She couldn’t help but wonder if these same women who were so eager to talk about Izzy did the same about her. She’d bet that none of the busybodies knew what it was like to start over in a new place. Because of that, she resolved to seek out Izzy and befriend her.

  At the end of the day, most everyone had headed home including her dad. Left alone, Julianne and Ryder sat on the porch looking southwest while fireworks cannon-boomed across the street over Smuggler’s Bay. Spectacular fireballs shot up and cascaded downward like shooting stars falling to earth.

  She could make out the oohs and aahs of children and adults alike. The entire neighborhood seemed to be watching the sky light up. For some reason her thoughts went to Izzy. She hoped the young woman had a thick skin against the whispers and gossip.

  “I think Bree and Troy are moving in together first chance they get,” Julianne finally said aloud.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “For one, Troy’s buying a house. Second, Bree has that look on her face that says ‘I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it.’”

  “It bothers you.”

  “It’s none of my business.” She turned to look at him in the shadowy darkness. “Were you ever in love?”

  “In lust maybe when I was around Troy’s age but it was never the real thing. Even before Bethany I was too cautious to give my heart to anyone. Then when I did trust I got burned. I’m still paying for my stupidity.”

  It hurt a little to hear him so callous. But she couldn’t do anything to change his past. If this thing between them was a simple matter of satisfying a hunger, how long would she be willing to settle for that? How long before all the gossip in town reached her front door?

  If Ryder couldn’t declare his love for her outright, did she want him to leave and never darken her door again? She’d wait and see before making that kind of decision. She let out a huge puff of breath, resign
ed herself to keeping what they had… Whatever it was, as playful as possible. After all, Ryder had been the first real relationship she’d had since Danny. She’d be damned if she’d let anyone taint what they felt together for as long as it lasted.

  Soon the long day caught up with them. The steamy summer night had them yearning for bed. When Ryder yawned, she tugged on his hand and pulled him into the house, and ultimately into her bed.

  Chapter Twenty

  Troy stared at his fire-capped goddess from across the room. He watched her excitement bubble to the surface as she put on her cap and gown. Someone offstage cued the music—the pomp and circumstance, a prelude to accepting her degree. His eyes watered and he looked around to make sure no one saw his state of mind. Everyone close to Bree was here. That made him just as happy as if he had a real family. He’d often heard the saying that family didn’t have to be blood. Today, more than ever, he felt like that was true.

  A graduation ceremony was a big deal to Julianne. That’s why she’d brought her Nikon with the zoom lens to capture the moment when Bree walked across the stage to accept her degree. Just as Julianne already knew, no one in the audience particularly cared that it was “just” community college. It was a big step, a start and meant Bree could build on the experience as well as the credits anytime she wanted.

  Since applying for the loan together, Troy and Zach seemed to have decided harmony might be better for Bree than conflict, especially today. The two men had been getting along so well Ryder noted the change as he took his seat in the auditorium.

  “It’s like a before and after. Peace between them on the job site, other than the usual good-natured ribbing, even a few tranquil trips to the beach spent surfing. It’s almost as though alien pods took over their brains.”

  “And are you learning? To surf?” Julianne wanted to know.

  “Enough to want to buy a board of my own and take you out on the waves one of these days.”

  She reached over, ran a few strands of his thick, black hair through her fingers. “I’d like that.”

  Back in Pelican Pointe, with Jordan’s culinary help and guidance, Julianne managed to pull off a small miracle with very little planning in order to give Bree an event to remember.

  Bree’s well-wishers packed the rooms to overflowing. They brought gifts and dropped off envelopes.

  Julianne noted Bree looked radiant in the vintage lace dress. “With your gorgeous red hair you look just like Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic.”

  “Today, I feel like her, too. Can you believe how many showed up?” Bree said, her voice dripping with delight. “So many people and every single one of them brought me a card. And guess what I found inside the cards?”

  Julianne breathed out a laugh at the woman’s excitement. “Oh, I don’t know? A few bucks maybe.”

  Bree grabbed her in a hug. “Cash and checks. I’m saving the money for when Troy and I move in together and get our own place.”

  Julianne frowned and shook her head. “Moving pretty fast there, huh?”

  “Not really. We’ve known each other since grade school. He’s always been one of the sweetest guys I know. There was a time we lost touch but now…”

  “But you’re young. You shouldn’t rush things. You know that cash is for you, right? Which means you should use it anyway you choose.” She turned around and spotted Troy in the middle of her little speech. “Hi Troy.”

  He wrapped his arms around Bree. “Don’t worry. I’ll see to it she uses it on herself.”

  “Right now, every twenty-dollar bill and check is going into my savings account first thing Monday morning.”

  Jordan walked in with an empty tray, picked clean by the partygoers.

  “And the food…” Bree said wrapping her arms around Jordan. “Is to die for. Thank you both for giving me such an awesome day.”

  “You’re welcome. Now get out of the kitchen and go mingle with your guests. Both of you,” Jordan ordered Troy.

  When the couple disappeared into the other room, Jordan got busy with more appetizers. “Just so you know the park dedication is next week. Even though we’ve had the wooden sign done for a week now, we waited for you to move to town before scheduling the event. Troy did the design and engraving. Everyone’s been great about pitching in to get the area cleaned up. The Plant Habitat donated the trees and the landscaping.”

  “I walked over and took a peek earlier. It’s beginning to look like a real park now, a completely different use of the space instead of a vacant lot.”

  Nick came in, overheard the last part. “Thanks to you.”

  “I simply made a suggestion.”

  “A good one,” Nick offered. “The town council had to stay after Ferguson to make sure he came through with the benches. But after several calls he finally delivered them Thursday. Murphy and I bolted them into the concrete yesterday.”

  “See, you guys are the ones who make things happen around here.”

  “Personally, I’ll be glad when Joe’s son, Tucker, moves here and takes over running the everyday hardware store operation so I don’t have to deal with the old man. I’ve never really liked Joe at all.”

  “I don’t know anyone in town who does. When will that be?” Jordan asked. “What if Tucker is like his father?”

  “August. I heard Joe and his wife are heading to Florida, retiring there. So I’m hoping to get off on the right foot with Tucker. It can’t be any worse with the son than it’s been with the father.”

  Julianne took the cheese sticks out of the oven, refilled the platter. “Thanks for giving Ryder the loan. It means a lot to him.”

  “I believe in this town. Ryder, Zach and Troy want a chance at making it grow. I think they deserve a shot at their dreams. Otherwise I never would’ve agreed to the loan. It’s a good investment for the bank. The boatbuilding idea has the potential to make money. Plus any time I can rent out one of those old storefronts, I’m going to jump on that.”

  Ryder came in about that time, making the tiny kitchen seem crowded. “Come on, guys. You can’t keep hanging out in here. People are beginning to wonder where you went.” He took the platter out of Julianne’s hand. “Let me have the food. I’ll circulate. Guests are beginning to get curious about Layne and Brooke. Brent was about to bring everyone up to speed.”

  By the time they got back to the living room, Brent was in the middle of what seemed like a Q&A. Like her party at Promise Cove, Julianne saw genuine interest on the faces of the guests. They all seemed truly vested in learning what had happened to the couple.

  The town cop held court while the throng closed in around him.

  “In my mind, there’s nothing more deadly than playing with someone’s emotions or their emotional state,” Brent said flatly. “In my line of work, I’ve seen it happen a hundred times.”

  “But what happened to them?” Noreen prodded. “Where are they? If the couple supposedly ran off which was the scuttlebutt at the time, then why didn’t they resurface at some point after Eleanor died?”

  “So what do you think, Brent? Are you any closer to knowing?” Joy Sullivan asked. “I’m one of the women who helped put together the Richmond wedding. I look back on those early years of Layne’s marriage to Eleanor and realize you could cut the tension with a knife. Those little kids weren’t stupid either. They knew what was going on?”

  “What was going on?” Donna Oden wanted to know.

  Another woman, Julianne didn’t recognize, added her two cents. “Brooke shouldn’t have been running around with a married man.”

  That statement took the buzz in a whole other direction. Sniping at each other broke out as more people leapt to Layne’s defense.

  Listening to people take sides, Julianne decided the entire situation had to be depressing for everyone involved.

  Which is one reason after the crowd thinned out that Julianne sought out Troy. She found him on the patio. “I want you to know I wasn’t trying to discourage Bree from moving in with you.”
r />   “I figured that out.”

  “Good. Because I think you’re one of the sweetest people in this town. You see, I’ve moved pretty fast before when I was young. At seventeen I fell in love with a boy.”

  “You?”

  She nodded. “At first, my father didn’t like it very much. But when he eventually saw that I truly loved Danny, he did everything he could to make sure we were happy. It’s a good thing too because, as it turns out, we didn’t have that much time together. Danny was killed by a drunk driver. We never got married because I was going to school. We got busy with other things. The reason I’m telling you this is because sometimes as we get older, we forget what it’s like to be young. When I was talking to Bree it was one of those times.”

  “But you are young.”

  She laughed, touched his cheek. “Not like you are. The light I see in your eyes when you look at Bree reminds me there was a time I felt the same way about a boy. I forgot about that feeling, Troy.”

  “What about Ryder?”

  “That’s why I said what I did to Bree. Don’t rush things. I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone I felt this way about again. Turns out… I did.”

  “Ah, I get it.”

  “As long as you remember that sometimes love happens at seventeen, or twenty-one, or thirty and beyond. No one should let a number get in the way of a single minute of happiness. Don’t let life bog you down. If you feel that way about Bree, be sure you let her know it. It’s never a bad time to let her know it.”

  “I have.”

  She smiled. “Good. Then you don’t need me giving you any more sage wisdom about your love life.”

  Back inside Julianne joined Ryder in picking up dirty plates as the two nudged Brent back into the discussion about Layne and Brooke.

  “Obviously the town refuses to forget them.”

  Ryder agreed. “Coming from the big city like I do, people go missing all the time. But here in Pelican Pointe it had to be an unusual occurrence. What bothers me is, after getting to know some of the players, I’d say the residents around town were freaked out about this disappearance more than the authorities were.”