Island

by Mary Davis

  ❧

  Seagulls dotted the grass in front of Brent as he stood by the statue in the middle of the park. Several contingents of tourists—fudgies, as Haley would call them—congregated for lunch. Would she come? She had said “we,” but maybe only Justin would come. Should he have come? Was he doing the right thing? He could leave before they got here. No, he had said he would be here. He had to keep his word.

  A blond kid about nineteen or so swaggered toward him and stood chest to chest with him. “Stay away from Haley.”

  “And who are you?”

  “A friend. A real close friend.”

  The young man was implying they were more than friends, and from the look in his eyes, he was jealous. Was there something between him and Haley? He didn’t want to believe so, but the boy’s attitude told him Haley meant something to him. And Brent had trodden on his territory. Was this the boy from the wagon the other day? “Are you Jason?”

  “What of it?”

  “Just curious.” He wasn’t about to get into a scuffle, verbal or physical, with one of Haley’s friends over nothing.

  “Just stay away from her.” Jason poked him in the chest.

  Brent kept his hands deep inside his pockets. He wasn’t sure how much to read into the boy’s words or actions.

  Seemingly satisfied, Jason turned and strutted away. Brent was glad that was over.

  The sun broke through a small opening in the cloud-covered sky, and he looked up. Lord, please let this meeting go well. He gazed across the park and saw two people walking bikes across the grass, Haley and a teen—Justin.

  His pulse picked up its beat at the sight of her, and he let out a long breath. Lord, guard my tongue and help me say the right words.

  Haley introduced Brent, then presented Justin as Shane Peters.

  He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you—Shane.” Haley had made a point to introduce him by his alias, so Brent would go with that for now.

  Justin shook his outstretched hand. “It’s Justin Mikkelson. Wow, it feels good to admit that.”

  Haley leaned against the base of the statue with her arms folded, watching him like a mother hen protecting her young.

  Brent kept Haley in his peripheral vision. He wanted to focus on her and straighten out things between them, but this meeting was about Justin. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

  “Kristeen’s baby isn’t mine!” The words practically erupted from Justin, and he seemed to relax a little having said them.

  He wanted to believe the boy, but he needed more than his word to take back to Mr. Jackson for this to be over for Justin. “But she claims it is.”

  “It can’t be. We never—you know.”

  “Then why is she saying it is?”

  Justin told him the story of the older man and how Kristeen was lying to protect him. Justin relaxed more as he talked.

  Brent believed Justin, but convincing Mr. Jackson might be another story. “Do you know who the father is?”

  Justin looked down at his feet. “I promised not to tell.”

  “I can respect that. I’ll see what I can do to convince Mr. Jackson to search elsewhere.” He glanced at Haley. Her flat expression never wavered.

  “How is Kristeen doing?”

  He turned back to Justin. “She’s doing as well as can be expected. She’s going to have her baby soon.”

  “This is all my fault. I talked her out of having an abortion.”

  “None of this is your fault. You were only trying to help her.”

  Haley pushed away from the statue and took hold of her bike to walk it. “Shane, we need to get back to work.”

  Justin looked at his watch. “Sorry, man—I gotta go.”

  “Can we talk again this evening? I’ll buy you dinner.” He noticed Haley wouldn’t call him Justin.

  “If you’re buying, I’m there,” Justin said.

  He figured an eighteen-year-old boy could always use a free meal, and he appreciated his coming. “Tell me where to meet you.”

  Justin picked a restaurant and gave him directions.

  Brent turned to Haley. “The invitation is for you, too.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  He ached to reach out and hold her but knew she wouldn’t let him. “May I see you after dinner?”

  “I don’t think so.” She turned to leave.

  Justin shrugged and grabbed his bike, then jogged to catch up with Haley. “All this talk about food is making me hungry. I’m starved.”

  Haley laughed as she and Justin were walking away. Brent followed in the same direction a few paces behind them to hear her reply.

  “Come to the barn with me. I have a box lunch under my carriage seat. You can have it.”

  “Really?”

  Brent stopped and let Haley walk away from him, but he could still hear her next reply. “I’m not going to eat it.”

  Brent smiled. But she had to eat sometime.

  ❧

  Haley was waiting for her afternoon passengers to board when Brent stepped up to her carriage. She hadn’t expected to see him. He held up a bag and a cup. “I heard you give your lunch to Justin. I figured that was partly my fault, so I bought you a hamburger, fries, and a cola.”

  She had to admit he had been nice to Shane—or rather, Justin. And now he held up a peace offering. So why did she feel as if he were trying to buy her affections? “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not hungry. Also I can’t eat while I’m driving.”

  He lowered the bag and cup, disappointed.

  “I hate to see food go to waste. Shane—that is, Justin—is working maintenance around the island school. He could eat two or three lunches. That’s where it will do the most good.”

  He simply nodded. “Where’s the school?”

  “Take Main Street until it turns into Lake Shore Boulevard. You’ll be heading northwest. The school’s on the right.” She had to admit he was trying. But she couldn’t go back to the way it was that one perfect day. Maybe the day had been too perfect. She wished he’d quit coming to her. She didn’t want to keep rejecting him. She wanted to put this all behind her and move on with her life.

  Fifteen

  Brent sat across the restaurant booth from Justin, waiting for their order to arrive. He wasn’t sure why he’d asked to meet Justin tonight. He had all the information he needed; but the young man was his link to Haley, and he wanted to hold on to what slim thread he could.

  Justin took a long drink of his soda and drained it down to only ice. “Hey, thanks again for the hamburger at lunch.”

  “Sorry it was a little cold. I bought it for Haley. She told me to take it to you.”

  “Oh, sorry. She can’t eat while she’s driving.”

  “That’s what she said. I was hoping to make some headway with her. I think she would be happy if she never saw me again.”

  “I don’t think so. She wouldn’t be this upset if it didn’t matter so much to her.”

  “Thanks. I never meant to hurt her.” He leaned forward on the table. “You know her pretty well. How do I undo this?”

  Justin shrugged. “Beats me.” The waitress came with their food, and Justin turned toward his plate with round eyes. “If you figure out girls, let me know.” He wrapped his mouth around the double-decker burger. He had already consumed an entire order of onion rings.

  Brent thanked the waitress as he took his hamburger.

  Justin wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Jason’s always doing stupid stuff, and it doesn’t seem to bother her at all. She likes you in a different way from how she likes Jason.”

  Different? Was different good? “So do you think she’ll forgive me?” He bit into his burger. It was much better than the ones he’d cooked at Dalton’s.

  Justin picked up the ketchup bottle and shook some onto his plate. “I would like to say yes, but it’s so hard to tell with girls. I had a friend in high school whose girlfriend broke up with him. She claimed she loved him and cried every time she saw him. I’
ll never figure that one out.” He picked up a fry and dipped it into the ketchup. “Girls are weird when it comes to emotional stuff. They shouldn’t work so hard to make it difficult.” He popped the fry into his mouth.

  So Justin didn’t have any more insight into women than he did. If Justin, who knew Haley better than he did, couldn’t help him and Dalton, who had been married, wasn’t much help, then he was on his own to figure it out.

  Except for the drone of the other patrons talking, they ate in relative silence until Justin finished his hamburger and was mopping up the last of his ketchup with his final fry. “I want to go back with you.”

  “That’s not necessary.” He left his remaining fries and pushed his plate aside.

  “I want to see Kristeen. Could you get Mr. Jackson to let me see her?”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? You could be done with this here and now. I believe you, and I’ll convince Mr. Jackson you’re not the father.”

  Justin nodded. “I want to see her.”

  “All right. I’ll make it happen. Mr. Jackson wants your signature on a release form. We tell him you want to see Kristeen first—which is only right. If you’re going to shine a light on her lie, it would be good for her to know first. After you’ve seen her, I can break the news to Mr. Jackson, if you’d like.” He wished solving his problem with Haley would be so easy.

  “Are you full?”

  Justin shrugged. “Not really.”

  “Would you like to order another burger?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  That meant, I’m still starved and could probably eat this table, but I won’t. Brent remembered what it was like to have a metabolism that worked faster than he could eat. “If you’re still hungry, I don’t mind buying you more food.”

  “You’ve already done enough, but thanks.”

  He wouldn’t push it. The waitress came then with refills of their drinks. “May I have the bill?”

  “Sure.” She took their empty plates away.

  Brent turned back to Justin. “Do you think Haley will talk to me again?”

  Justin was taking a drink through his straw but stopped and swallowed. “I wish I could tell. I never would have guessed she’d get this upset about such a little thing. It’s not like you’re Kennith—oops.”

  He could take a wild guess as to who Kennith was. “Her ex-fiancé with the girlfriend?”

  Justin’s eyes rounded. “She told you about that?”

  “Sort of. She was kind of yelling at the time.”

  Justin nodded. “I can understand her running away from him. But something like you looking for me? I wouldn’t have guessed that would have made her so mad.”

  “I don’t think it was that I was looking for you; it was that she didn’t know about it.”

  “I don’t see what difference that makes. I can try talking to her for you.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” The bill came, and he nodded an acknowledgment to the waitress.

  “You’re really crazy about her.”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “I know how you feel. I’m that way with Kristeen.”

  “May I pray with you?”

  Justin’s eyes widened in what looked like both surprise and gratitude. “Sure.”

  Brent prayed for Justin, for Haley, and for himself, that the Lord would work out His will in all their situations. Then he put enough money down on the table to cover the bill and tip. “You ready to go?”

  Justin stood. “You don’t have to catch a ferry yet?”

  He looked at his watch as they headed for the exit. “The last one’s not for a while.”

  “Why don’t you hang out at the park? I’ll get Haley to go over there.” Justin smiled mischievously.

  “I don’t think that would be too good. You won’t try to force her to see me, will you?”

  “I’ll strongly encourage—and maybe throw in a little guilt. I’m sure deep down she wants to talk to you.”

  “Justin, that’s not fair.”

  Justin smiled and winked. “All’s fair in love and war. And I think this might be both. You’re going to help me see Kristeen. I’m returning the favor. Just be in the park.” He jogged off before Brent could protest any further. Not that he wanted to.

  ❧

  “He’s at the park.”

  Haley glared at Shane, who was standing outside her door. “Well, that’s nice for him. I’m not going.”

  He smiled.

  What was that smile for? She narrowed her eyes. “What?”

  “You’ll go.”

  She folded her arms. “No, I won’t.” And she wouldn’t let him talk her into it.

  “You will.”

  She was more stubborn than he. “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because he’s waiting for you.”

  “Grr. You are so infuriating.”

  He held out his elbow like an old-fashioned beau. “I’ll walk you over.”

  “Well, if you’re going to the park, you might as well tell him I’m not coming.”

  “If you don’t go, then neither will I, so he’ll still be waiting for you.”

  She balled her hands and stomped her foot. “You are impossible.”

  He had the gall to smile—again. “Shall we go? We don’t want to keep Brent waiting.”

  Haley yanked her jacket off the end of her bed. “I may never speak to you again for this.”

  “Sure you will.”

  She turned and glared at him. “Don’t be so sure.”

  “But I am, because I’ll be waiting for you to talk to me again.”

  She threw up her hands. “I give up.” She headed out the door, knowing he would be right behind.

  Now more than ever, she didn’t want to see Brent. He was manipulating her by waiting, knowing she would come. Manipulation was akin to using. She didn’t like either. Well, she would give him a piece of her mind before she left him standing there.

  Shane took her arm to stop her before she entered the park. “Haley, one more thing. I told him to wait in the park. He didn’t want to do it. Didn’t want to force you to see him.”

  “Shane!”

  He smiled and turned to go. “He made you happy.”

  She watched her friend walk away and was unsure what to say to Brent now. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, then marched toward him where he was leaning against the statue.

  Brent stepped forward. “You came.” He sounded relieved.

  “Only because of a little manipulation.”

  He held up his hands. “It wasn’t my idea.”

  “He told me, but that doesn’t make me like it any better.”

  Brent motioned toward a bench. “Would you like to sit down, or are you planning to leave?”

  “I’ll stand.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to leave?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Then I’ll talk fast.”

  “No, I’ll talk. Shane said he was leaving with you.” She still couldn’t think of him as Justin. “Promise me you’ll have him come back right away. If he takes only a few days for a family emergency, he can return to his job and still get the bonus.” He had told her he was leaving just before he told her Brent was waiting for her in the park.

  His eyebrows pulled slightly. “I can’t make that promise. I have no more control over Justin than I do you. I can try, but I can’t force him. I promise I’ll come back.”

  “That’s not the promise I want. I want him to go to college, as he’s been dreaming of doing.”

  “I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.”

  She searched his eyes to see if that were true.

  Then he said, “I’m sorry my actions looked as if I was using you. I never set out to do that.”

  “Why couldn’t you tell me from the start you were an investigator looking for Shane?”

  “I should have, but Kristeen’s father wanted everything hush-hush. I can
’t change that now. But you have to believe me that I never meant to hurt you.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  He held out his hands. “I’ll do whatever I can to make this up to you.”

  “I let my guard down here.” She fisted her hands. “I felt safe. This place is so perfect. I didn’t think anything could hurt me here.”

  “I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to prove it to you.”

  She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know how to trust you, how to trust myself.” She fought to hold back the moisture in her eyes. “Maybe nothing between us was real. I thought it was real with Kennith and was wrong.”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “I’m not Kennith. I’m nothing like him.”

  The earnestness in his gaze tugged at her. “I have to go.” She twisted out of his grasp and turned away from him.

  “Haley,” he said, then more insistently, “Haley.”

  She picked up her pace, but he snagged her arm and pulled her to him and kissed her.

  She pushed away and kept her gaze down. “Brent, I can’t do this right now.” She struggled against the tears. “Please let me go.”

  He put his finger under her chin to raise her head. “I’m afraid if I let you go, I’ll lose you.”

  She met his gaze. “You can’t lose what you don’t have.”

  “Please don’t say that.”

  “I have to go.” She turned and walked away as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  ❧

  The next evening, Haley stood off to the side with Veronique as Shane and Brent unloaded Shane’s luggage from the horse-drawn taxi. She just couldn’t think of him as Justin. He would always be Shane to her.

  He walked over to her. “Brent bought me a ticket.”

  “I can’t believe you are leaving.”

  “Kristeen needs me. I’d still do anything for her.”

  “But you are coming back?”

  “I don’t know yet.” He rubbed his short blond hair with his hand. “If staying will be more help to Kristeen, then I’ll stay.”

  “What about college?”

  “I’ll get a job there.” He looked over toward Brent standing by the ferry ramp. “Go over and say something to him.”