by Cathie Linz
Pain vied with humiliation to get the upper hand but she couldn’t afford to give in to either one right now. Kelly told herself she wasn’t the first woman to make a mistake and she wouldn’t be the last.
“I never thought I’d see the day when conservative Justice would wear a Hawaiian shirt,” Barbie was saying.
“It wasn’t his. The shirt belongs to his friend who owns the beach house. Justice’s shoulder injury made wearing shirts easier than wearing his usual T-shirts.” Unemotional words, nothing there to make Kelly cry. But the tears came, anyway, out of the blue but from the depths of her broken heart.
“Are you crying?” Barbie asked in astonishment. “You are! I don’t understand. You never cry. Not even when Mother died.”
“I cried inside,” Kelly whispered, wiping away the tears with an angry swipe of her hand. But they kept coming, faster than she could wipe them away. Dropping to her knees, she hugged Chocolate, burying her face in his fur as the sobs started coming in earnest.
“There, now…” Her sister sounded completely at a loss. “There’s no need for a scene. I can buy another suit, you don’t have to feel bad about your dog ruining this one.”
Kelly leaned away from Chocolate to stare up at Barbie as if seeing her for the first time. “It’s always about you, isn’t it?”
“This is the thanks I get for coming to your rescue? Think what might have happened if I hadn’t walked in when I had.”
“I know what would have happened,” Kelly angrily replied, fed up with her sister’s constant self-involvement. “Justice and I would have made love. That’s what I wanted to happen.”
“He seduced you….”
“I seduced him more than he seduced me.”
Barbie’s mouth dropped open before she looked around in dismay. “We are not having a personal conversation like this in the middle of a public parking lot,” she whispered. “I rented a room at a resort nearby.” She named a well-known hotel. “I’ll drive us there and we can sit down and have a nice chat.”
Yes, Kelly decided, it was time she and her sister had a talk. “I’ll drive myself and meet you there.”
Barbie eyed her uncertainly. “Promise me you won’t take off. Promise me you’ll meet me at the resort?”
“I promise.”
“Cross you heart and hope to die?”
Kelly stared at her sister in surprise. “You haven’t said that since we were kids.”
“Cross your heart,” Barbie ordered.
“Fine. I cross my heart.”
“It doesn’t count if you don’t make the motion with your right index finger when you say it.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake. I cross my heart.” Kelly made the sign of an X over her heart as she spoke.
“You have to say what you promise before you cross your heart.”
Kelly narrowed her eyes at her. “Now you’re starting to aggravate me.” Actually, her sister had started doing that the moment they’d stepped into the boat back on the island.
Barbie apparently decided she’d pushed Kelly far enough because she backed down. “Okay, I’ll see you there. It’s only four miles down the main road, to the left.”
Kelly watched her sister drive away before moving toward her own car, which she’d left in the lot almost three weeks ago when she’d first come to see Justice. So much had changed in that time.
Woof.
“For one thing I’m a dog owner, now,” Kelly said, determined not to dissolve into tears again. She stopped at the marina store and got some bottled water for Chocolate as well as some beef jerky. They didn’t sell dog food. The clerk offered her a used leash and collar.
“My boyfriend left them behind in my car when he took off with our dog,” the girl told Kelly. “Men are the ticks on pond scum.”
“Yes, they are,” Kelly agreed.
“I’ve been meaning to get rid of the dog stuff. Go ahead and take it.”
Kelly did. Chocolate wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being leashed, but she didn’t want him running away. She offered the dog a stick of beef jerky as a reward.
“That will have to hold you over until I can stop at a grocery store. Right after I talk to Barbie, we’ll get your food and then head home to Nashville. You’ll like it there. No stubborn Marines within fifty miles of my town house.”
Despite the hot sun beating down on her, Kelly felt cold inside, as if she’d stashed her emotion on ice. Which was something Justice would have done. Emotions just get in the way, he’d told her. He was right. She should have taken a page out of his book and not let her emotions rule her head.
She felt like such an idiot. She’d been wrapped up in the possibilities of a future with Justice. To give him credit, he’d never lied to her and promised her anything. Not with words, maybe. But he’d promised plenty with those addictive kisses of his.
What would she have done if Barbie had come a day later? What if Kelly and Justice had already made love? Would that have changed anything? Or would his betrayal only have been deeper?
It all made sense now, his interest in her, his increasing passion after finding out about Barbie’s upcoming nuptials. Kelly had been too besotted to figure things out. She wasn’t the kind of woman to inspire passion in a man, especially a man like Justice. She should have figured something was going on. But he’d made her believe…
“Men are the ticks on pond scum,” Kelly repeated. “I need to stay angry at him,” she told Chocolate. “Otherwise I’ll start crying again. And neither one of us wants that, right? I can’t drive if I’m crying. So no crying, okay? That’s the rule.” She wiped away an errant tear and bit her lip. “No crying,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Absolutely not. No way. No crying. And no loving a man who still loves my sister.”
“What do you mean there are no more boats going to the mainland today?” Justice demanded at the ferry office. “I need to get off this island.”
“Sorry,” the wrinkled scarecrow of a man in charge of things said. His red plastic name tag proclaimed his name was Ned. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“But the schedule says the last ferry doesn’t leave until five and it’s only four now.”
Ned shrugged his bony shoulders. “It left early.”
Justice ground his teeth. “What if I had a medical emergency?”
“Then Marge would phone in a request for a helicopter rescue. But only Marge can do that.”
“Surely there must be someone with a power boat who’d be willing to take me to the mainland.”
“Is there a problem?” It was Marge or, as Justice called her, the turtle lady.
“This guy wants to get back to the mainland,” Ned replied. “I told him the ferry left already.”
“And there’s a Neptune’s Folly boat race today, so you won’t find many sailors or fishermen around,” Marge told Justice. “They’re all over on the other side of the island, at the marina with Earl. That’s where the race takes place. Well away from the turtle nesting area. Why do you need to get to the mainland today?”
“It’s personal.”
“Where’s Kelly?” Marge looked around as if expecting her to appear.
“She’s on the mainland,” Justice said curtly. “That’s why I need to get there.”
“You had a fight?”
What was this? An interrogation? All he needed was a damn boat and someone to skipper it.
Seeing his frown, Marge said, “I’m sorry I can’t help you but I don’t have a boat. If you went over to Earl’s, you might find someone there willing to help you out.”
Justice shuddered. Returning to that marina was the last thing he wanted to do. The last time he’d been there he’d almost choked over them all hailing him as a hero. Going back would mean facing that again.
Confessing his inner fears to Kelly had been what had gotten him into trouble in the first place today. Well, maybe not. Maybe letting down his defenses had been the smartest thing he’d ever done. The dumbest might have
been ever considering using Kelly for revenge against Barbie, even for a brief moment.
“Do you know the way to Earl’s?” Marge asked.
“I know the way.”
It was one of the longest walks Justice had ever taken. And his spirits didn’t lift any when Earl hailed him with the greeting, “Hey, it’s the Marine hero!”
“I ordered us some tea from room service,” Barbie said. “I don’t think the management approves of dogs in the room, though.”
“I couldn’t leave Chocolate in the car, it’s too hot. The temperature in a car can reach over 160 degrees within ten minutes this time of year.”
“How do you know things like that? You always had statistics and figures like that at your fingertips.”
Kelly remembered Justice teasing her just a few brief days ago, when he’d been regaling her with pirate ghost stories. What, you’re not going to recite some little-known fact about Blackbeard to me?
She wouldn’t be reciting anything to Justice ever again, and that knowledge was like a blade slicing through her soul.
“I just hope no one saw you sneak the dog in through the patio,” Barbie was saying even as she poured herself a cup of tea, leaving Kelly to help herself. “It’s lucky I have a room on the first floor. Anyway, enough about the dog. I’ve got so much to tell you about the wedding. It’s only in a few months now and I’ve finally decided on the caterer. They do all the big names in Atlanta. By the way, the dressmaker told me that you haven’t stopped by for your fitting for your bridesmaid dress. I specifically got that dressmaker in Nashville to help with your dress so that you’d be able to do the fittings.”
Kelly returned her cup to the saucer with a decided clink. “I can’t believe you’re sitting there calmly talking about your wedding after what I’ve been through today.”
Barbie stared at her if she’d grown two heads. “I’ve never heard you talk that way to me before.”
“Well, maybe I should have. Why did you come to the island today? Because I missed a dress fitting for your wedding?”
“Because I was worried about you,” Barbie said quietly. “You’ve always been the dependable one, the reliable one. I knew something had to have gone wrong for you not to make that appointment. I tried calling you but got no answer.”
“Dad could have told you that I was vacationing with a friend.”
“He did tell me. But that didn’t sound like you.”
Kelly frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve never taken a three-week vacation in your life.”
“So you went all the way from Atlanta to my town house in Nashville because you didn’t believe I’d taken a three-week vacation?”
“I was in Nashville with my fiancé, who was there on business. While I was there I thought I’d drop by your place to see if you were back yet and just not answering your phone or something. It’s just a feeling I had, okay? A feeling that you needed me. And you did.”
“I needed you after our mother died, but you didn’t help me then.”
Barbie was clearly startled by Kelly’s husky confession. “You were always the tough one. I thought you were fine.”
“I wasn’t. I wouldn’t have gotten through that time without the help of Mrs. Wilder.”
“Justice’s mom?”
Kelly nodded. “We’ve continued to keep in touch over the years. In fact, we’ve become friends, good friends. I never told you or Dad because I didn’t think you’d understand. She called me when Justice was injured and asked for my help. I’d do anything for Mrs. Wilder. She was there when I needed her.”
“When I wasn’t,” Barbie said quietly. “So this is all my fault. If I’d been a better sister to you after Mother died then you wouldn’t have had to rely on Mrs. Wilder and you wouldn’t have been called out to the island with Justice.”
“It isn’t a matter of whose fault it is. I’m an adult. I was afraid Justice might still be harboring some feelings for you, but I fell in love with him, anyway.”
“Oh, Kelly.”
“Yeah, I know. Stupid, huh? Expecting him to see me after being with you. You’d think I’d learn. I mean I’ve had a lifetime to get used to it.”
“Used to what?”
“To you being number one. First with Dad, then with Dave and always with Justice.”
“Hold on a minute,” Barbie protested, waving her perfectly manicured hand in the air. “I didn’t do anything with Dave.”
“You don’t have to do anything, you just have to be around a guy and they are your slaves.”
“Oh, please.” Barbie rolled her eyes in a movement more akin to something Kelly would do. “You think a guy never dumped me? Plenty of them have, starting with Justice.”
“But you said you divorced him and that’s why he wanted revenge against you.”
“I did divorce him, but Justice had left me emotionally before that. He just hates to lose, so he didn’t want to admit our relationship was over. As for Dad, he’s always bragging about how smart you are to anyone and everyone who’ll listen.”
“Only because I’m not beautiful like you.”
“And I’m not smart like you. You’re the sister with her act together, not me. The truth is, deep down, you’ve sort of intimidated me because of your ability to manage, no matter what.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Kelly said.
“No, I’m serious.”
“You never said anything like this before.”
“Well, neither have you.” Barbie set down her teacup and sat beside Kelly on the bed. “I admit I may be a bit self-absorbed, but I do care about you, you know.”
A second later Kelly and her sister were hugging each other and crying while Chocolate stared up at them as if they were aliens from another planet.
“I guess we have Justice to thank for bringing us a little closer together,” Barbie said with a small laugh.
“Yeah, we have Justice to thank for that,” Kelly agreed. And for breaking my heart, she silently added. Breaking it beyond repair.
“Thanks for coming back to my store,” Earl told Justice. “I know I went a little overboard the last time you were in and I’ve tried to tone things down this time. Wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything. Hope you don’t mind that I called you a Marine hero in front of everyone when you first walked in?”
“I’m no hero,” Justice began.
“Sure you are,” Earl interrupted him.
Justice felt the familiar sense of guilt creeping up on him, threatening to overwhelm him with darkness, when he heard Kelly’s voice in his mind. You are a hero, but you’re also human…the bottom line is that you would have helped that child no matter what because that’s the type of man you are. Honor, courage, commitment. They’re ingrained in you.
Yeah, well if that was the case, if Kelly really thought he had so much honor, then she should have known he wouldn’t use her as a tool for revenge. The thing was he had let the idea cross his mind a time or two and he’d been too damn stubborn to defend himself against an accusation that was only minimally true. Instead he’d done what he did whenever his emotions were challenged, he’d come up with an immediate diversionary tactic by fighting with Barbie.
He was afraid Kelly had seen his brief flash of guilt and that was what had put the nail in his coffin as far as her belief in him went. He had to get off this island and find her.
“Earl, I have a favor to ask you.”
“Sure, just name it.”
“I need to get to the mainland.”
“The ferry comes tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know. I need to leave today.”
“There some problem? Some medical emergency?”
Justice sighed. He’d already been down this road with the scrawny ferry guy and the turtle lady. “Look, Earl, can I talk to you man to man?”
Earl propped his thumbs beneath his suspenders and drew back his shoulders proudly. “Absolutely.”
“It’s Kelly.”
“Your wife? Is she sick? Does she have a medical emergency?”
What was it with medical emergencies and this group? They seemed to have a thing about them. “No, she’s already left the island.”
“Oh. She’s already left.” Earl nodded with the understanding of a man of the world. “You two newlyweds had a spat, huh?”
Justice wasn’t about to deny being married to Kelly. At this point he just wanted to find her ASAP. “Something like that.”
“I remember when Tilly and I were first married…” Earl launched into a lengthy story that Justice listened to as long as he could before interrupting him.
“What about a boat, Earl?”
Earl scratched his chin before shaking his head regretfully. “Well, the thing is, we’ve got this race going on now…”
“I know, but there must be some kind of boat you could use to get me back to the mainland.”
“There is one,” Earl admitted, “but I don’t think it’s suitable for a man like yourself.”
“Trust me, Earl, I don’t care what kind of boat it is.”
“Can’t you wait until tomorrow to talk to Kelly? Call her or something?”
Justice shook his head. “This is something I have to do face-to-face.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure, Earl.”
“Then I’ll take you myself.”
“Thanks, Earl. I owe you one.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen Neptune’s Folly yet.
When Justice did see the boat he almost didn’t believe his own eyes. He’d undertaken missions from mighty aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea, from Coast Guard cutters off the coast of Alaska, from Chinese junks in Shanghai. Even so, he’d never seen anything like this.
From starboard to port, the entire aft of the craft was covered in some sort of crepe-paper-adorned arbor, with a giant silver spear sticking out of the top. Perched on the cabin cruiser’s prow was a big-breasted wooden figurehead that would have made Blackbeard proud. It looked like something from a floating bordello.
“I’ve got her dolled up for the Neptune’s Folly boat parade tonight,” Earl explained. “Got me first place last five years in a row. Step carefully now. Don’t want to disturb Big Bertha up there.” Earl nodded toward the voluptuous and nearly naked figurehead.
