by Marie Force
“Please do stay,” Big Mac said. “The island is a wonderful place to recover your footing.”
“I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” Betsy said.
“It would be no inconvenience,” Linda said. “We’d love to have you.”
“A change of scenery would be a welcome relief,” Betsy said. “Since Steve’s memorial service, I’ve been rattling around in my house, feeling aimless and lost.”
Linda smiled and squeezed Betsy’s hand. “No need to be lost and alone when you can be among new friends.”
“You’re all very kind. I appreciate your offer, and I accept your hospitality.”
The front door slammed shut, and Stephanie came rushing in, looking teary-eyed and dismayed. She found Grant in the group and came right over to him.
“Someone called you,” he said, surprised to see her. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised that one of his brothers would’ve thought to call his fiancée. Grant had never been so happy to see her.
She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him, telling him everything he needed to know without saying a word.
Relieved and a little less burdened than he’d been earlier, Grant held on to her for dear life.
After Grant left with Stephanie, Dan asked Mac to take him down to the docks so he could see Kara. Reeling after what he’d learned about the accident, he needed to be with her.
“You should come to Luke’s tonight,” Mac said as he drove down the hill. “It’d do you good to be among friends.”
“I’ll see how I feel a little later.”
“Can I say something?”
Dan liked Grant’s brothers a lot, and had become closer to them since he’d lived on the island. “Can I stop you?”
Mac uttered a quick laugh. “I don’t know you very well, but I can guess how I might feel after hearing what you just heard.”
“And how’s that?”
“Guilty, overwhelmed, questioning why you lived and he died, wondering how you possibly go forward from here knowing what you now know.”
“Pretty accurate assessment.”
“Here’s the deal. He died. You lived. There’s no changing that fact. So it would seem to me that there isn’t much point to beating yourself up over something you had no control over.”
“You remind me a lot of my brother, Dylan.”
“How’s that?”
“Always the big brother.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to overstep.”
“You didn’t. I miss him. It’s been a long time since I’ve been big-brothered.”
“He died?”
Dan nodded. “Afghanistan. 2005.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Thanks, and thanks for the words of wisdom. I do appreciate them.”
“Any time you need a big brother, it’s one of the few things I’ve ever been truly good at.”
Crooking a brow at Mac, Dan said, “By whose estimation?”
“My own, of course.”
Despite the pain it caused his battered ribs, Dan laughed harder than he had in more than a week. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Come to Luke’s.”
“I’ll try.”
Frustrated by how long it took him to do even the simplest things, Dan eased himself out of the truck and shut the door, waving at Mac as he drove off. Dan walked slowly down the main pier, scanning the pond in search of Kara’s maroon launch, but didn’t see any sign of her.
He took the ramp to the launch dock and eased himself onto the bench, which was empty of passengers. The throbbing pain in his ribs and arm indicated his pain pills were wearing off. He’d learned to stay on top of the meds, even though he’d rather forego them. However, not taking them wasn’t an option. He’d never experienced pain quite like that of broken ribs.
Sitting alone, watching the action in the harbor, he had time to absorb what he’d learned that afternoon and to think about what Mac had said. Dan thought of his parents, who’d already lost one son tragically, and his two older sisters, who’d lost a brother. Dylan’s death had been horrible for all of them, and Dan was grateful that his family had been spared another sudden loss.
Yet it was difficult to separate his own gratitude from the profound sense of grief he felt over Steve’s death. He’d spent only a morning with Steve but had enjoyed his company, his sense of humor and his expertise with the boat. Steve had called himself the lucky one, the only member of his group who’d escaped the stomach bug.
Dan was pondering the deeper meaning of luck and fate when Kara’s launch came into view, zipping between boats as she made her way back to the floating dock where she picked up and dropped off passengers. She was almost there when she noticed him waiting for her.
Her expression was full of consternation and questions as she competently brought the launch to a smooth stop against the dock, looped lines over cleats, conversed with disembarking passengers and offered a hand when necessary. After the last passenger had gone up the ramp to the main pier, she got off the boat and came over to him.
Hands on hips, ball cap perched on her head, she gave him a look of annoyance that any mother would respect. It occurred to him right in that moment that she would be a wonderful mother someday. “What are you doing here, Torrington?”
“I was missing you.”
“How’d you get here?”
“Grant and Mac.”
Kara sat next to him on the bench, taking a perusing inventory of his features. “Are you in pain?”
“A little.”
“Did you take your pills?”
“Earlier.”
“So they’re wearing off.”
“Maybe.”
“Dan! What’re you doing here when you should be home on the sofa?”
“It sort of happened like this…” Dan told her about Grant coming to visit, going with him to his parents’ home and the emotional discovery of what had really happened after the accident. “I was right up the hill from you, and I wanted to see you. I needed to see you.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, cupping his face with her hand as she contended with a flood of tears. “It must’ve been so shocking to hear all that.”
“It was upsetting, to say the least, and then to have to face Steve’s mom, knowing how it had gone down. Poor Grant was a mess. I knew it was bad for him out there, but I had no idea how bad.”
She hugged him, and Dan sagged into her embrace. Her fingers curled around his nape, cradling him. Resting against her, any doubt that he’d fallen in love evaporated into the soft spring air. They stayed that way for a long time; all the while, Dan prayed for her customers to stay away.
“Kara?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to tell you something right here on the dock where you and I began.”
“Is this where we began? Or was it in Luke Harris’s kitchen when I took one look at you and knew you were going to be big trouble for me.”
He pulled back from her, grinning like a loon. “Big trouble, huh?”
“Very big trouble.”
“I love you.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted ever so slightly, making him want to take full advantage of the invitation. “You do?”
On pins and needles waiting for her to say she loved him, too, he studied her expressive face, looking for a sign that she felt the same way he did. Any sign would do.
“Is that okay?” he finally asked after a very long pause.
“I think so.”
“You think so? What does that mean?”
“You haven’t met any of my sisters yet. There’re still a few single ones—”
He kissed her as hard as he’d ever kissed her before, pouring every ounce of love he felt for her into the meeting of lips and tongues and teeth. He kissed her until he had to stop because of the screaming pain in his side. “I don’t care if you have a hundred single, fetching sisters, you’re the one I want. The only one I want.”
“
You say that now, but—”
Pinching her lips together, he said, “Kara, listen to me. Please listen. What your ex-boyfriend did with your sister was despicable. It was despicable on both their parts. But I’m not him. I’ve waited a long time to feel this way again, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to continue feeling this way for as long as I possibly can. I feel this way for you. I love you. Your single sisters can go straight to hell for all I care.”
She was smiling when she leaned in to kiss him, taking the lead this time and blowing him away with the force of her desire. “I love you, too, you knucklehead. I was just testing you.”
Her words filled him with overwhelming relief and satisfaction and a tad bit of annoyance. “That was not nice.”
“I know, but it was funny listening to you send my poor sisters straight to hell when you haven’t even met them yet.”
“That wasn’t my fault. You set me up.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk way too much?” she asked, kissing him again.
“I’ve heard that a time or two in my life.” Thrilled with her, he lost himself in the kiss, forgetting all about the pain in his ribs and the pain in his heart he’d carried for so long after his ex-fiancée cheated on him.
A throat was cleared behind him. “Ah, excuse me, Kara?”
She broke the kiss and pulled back from Dan.
He turned—carefully—to find one of her drivers standing behind him, looking embarrassed to have caught the boss making out on the dock. For her part, Kara didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed, which pleased Dan tremendously. Only a few weeks ago, she would’ve been mortified.
“Oh, hey, Tim, is it six already?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Let me get my stuff off the boat, and then it’s all yours.”
Dan never took his eyes off her as she gathered her belongings and went over a few things with Tim. When she was done, she got off the boat and came over to him. “Ready to go?” She held out a hand to help him up.
He took hold of her hand and got up, grimacing at the pain in his ribs.
“We need to get some meds into you.”
“I won’t say no to that.”
They went up the ramp to the main dock, where Dan dropped her hand and put his good arm around her, hugging her as close to him as he could get her. He kissed the top of her head and was delighted when he felt her arm curl around his waist, her fingers hooking into one of the belt loops on his jeans.
His body ached like a bastard, but his heart… His heart had never felt better.
Chapter 18
Abby dashed across the street to the Sand & Surf a little after seven. Inside Stephanie’s Bistro, she spotted the table full of women across the big dining room and headed over to join them, relieved that Janey had saved a seat for her. She was the one Abby knew best and felt most comfortable with. Since she planned to stay put on the island from now on, she was looking forward to getting to know the other women better.
In addition to Janey, the group consisted of Maddie, Tiffany, Sydney, Grace and Laura, as well as a blonde woman Abby hadn’t met before.
“Do you know everyone?” Janey asked after greeting Abby with a hug and kiss.
“Almost everyone,” Abby said glancing at the blonde.
“Jenny, I don’t think you’ve met my friend Abby Callahan. Abby, Jenny Wilks, our esteemed lighthouse keeper. We’ve got her to thank for organizing this girls’ night out.”
“Nice to meet you,” Abby said as she shook Jenny’s hand across the table. “Any excuse for a night out with the girls is fine by me.” When the waitress approached the table, Abby ordered a glass of Chardonnay. She was anxious to see if she liked it better than the pinot grigio.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Abby. I’ve heard great things about the store you used to have.”
“She’s opening a new store right here in the Surf,” Laura said proudly.
“That’s great,” Maddie said. “Thomas misses the Attic something awful. Will the new store be like the old one?”
“Laura and I are still working out the details.”
“I told you to do whatever you want with the space,” Laura said.
“In that case,” Abby said, “it’ll be Abby’s Attic at The Surf, only a little smaller than its predecessor.”
“I love that!” Laura said.
“Thomas won’t care if it’s smaller, as long as there’re toys,” Maddie.
“I’ll be sure to consult with him before I place the order,” Abby said.
“So there was a method to my madness in organizing a girls’ night,” Jenny said, “and I’m afraid if I don’t put it out there right away, I’ll chicken out. And I promised myself I wouldn’t chicken out.”
Jenny had the full attention of every woman at the table.
“What is it, Jenny?” Sydney asked. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything is better,” Jenny said tentatively. To Abby, she said, “I lost my fiancé in the World Trade Center on 9-11.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Abby felt like she’d been punched. And she thought she had problems?
“Thank you. It was a long time ago, but I’ve been kind of… stuck ever since. Then I came here last year, met some lovely new friends and began a wonderful new chapter in my life. And now… This is the part I don’t want to chicken out of, so don’t let me, okay?”
“You got it,” Grace said. “We’re all behind you one hundred percent.”
Sydney slipped an arm around Jenny’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
“I’m counting on that,” Jenny continued as she leaned into Syd’s embrace, “because I’ve decided I might be ready to date again. I’m not looking for anything serious, but I’m getting tired of my own company and… And, well, that’s it. If you all know of anyone who might be fun to go out with, keep me in mind.”
Laura whipped out a notebook and pen.
“Hold on a minute…” Jenny said, gazing at the notebook with trepidation.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” Sydney said. “If you think we won’t take this job seriously, you don’t know us at all.”
Jenny moaned and dropped her head into her hands as the others laughed at her dismay.
“How about Mason, the fire chief?” Tiffany asked. “He’s very cute if you like the big, burly type.”
“Excellent,” Laura said, making a note. “Who knows him well enough to feel him up?”
Maddie choked on a mouthful of wine. “I think you mean feel him out.”
“What did I say?” Laura asked.
They spoke as one, loudly, “Feel him up.”
Their hysterical laughter had heads turning in the dining room.
“Pipe down, you guys, or Stephanie will have us tossed out of here,” Janey said.
“Where is she anyway?” Grace asked. “I thought we’d see her if we came here.”
“Apparently,” Maddie said, “Grant had a really rough day. I…I don’t think it’s my place to say what happened.”
“Is he okay?” Janey asked the question that Abby was dying to ask, but she didn’t dare.
“He will be. Eventually. Stephanie is with him.”
Abby wanted to know more about what’d happened, but the question couldn’t come from her. Maybe Adam would know. She’d have to think of some way to ask him without seeming too interested in Grant.
“So who knows Mason?”
“Blaine does,” Tiffany said. “He’s also friends with the Coast Guard officer who runs the Gansett Island installation. Linc Mercier.”
“Putting him on the list,” Laura said.
“You really think Blaine will be willing to play matchmaker on behalf of someone he barely knows?” Jenny asked.
Tiffany smiled sweetly. “He’ll do it if I ask him to.”
Maddie let out a low whistle that inspired cat calling among the other women.
Tiffany’s smile only widened. “What can I say?
I’ve got the power.”
“And she knows how to use it,” Maddie added.
“You said it, sis.”
“What about your brother, Laura?” Sydney said. “He’s not seeing anyone, is he?”
Laura chewed on the end of her pen. “No, but I’m not sure he wants to. I’ll feel that situation out myself. Let’s put him in the maybe column.”
“We’re all relieved that you’re not planning to feel up your own brother,” Janey said.
“Har-har,” Laura replied. “Speaking of brothers, how about yours?”
“Which one?”
“The single one.”
“Adam? Hmm.” Janey seemed to think it over while Abby held back the urge to tell them he wasn’t available. He was hers.
The instant she had the thought, she wanted to hit rewind and un-have it. He wasn’t hers. They were hanging out, having fun. It would be foolish of her to put her eggs in his basket when things were so unsettled for both of them. He lived and worked in New York. While his business might be lost to him, all his contacts were there. Even though she knew his departure was probably inevitable, the thought of him leaving filled her with irrational sadness.
Laura looked directly at Abby. “I heard Adam might be seeing someone.”
Abby squirmed as all eyes landed on her.
Janey’s mouth dropped open. “Shut. The. Front. Door. You and Adam?”
“Maybe. A little.”
“Oh my God! You said I might know the guy you’ve been seeing, but you never said it was my brother!”
“I’m sorry.” The other women were hanging on her every word. “We’ve spent some time together. It’s no big deal, so don’t make it into one.”
“So you’d be okay if we fixed him up with Jenny then, right?” Laura asked with a conniving smile.
“Well, um…”
“Don’t answer that, Abby,” Jenny said. “He’s all yours.”
“He’s not mine. I never said he was.”
“Mac said he’s going back to the city,” Maddie said. “Something to do with his business.”
Maddie’s words struck Abby like a punch to the belly. She’d been living a fantasy with him, picturing a life on the island with her running the shop and him working as the island’s resident computer guru, solving everyone’s problems. All along he’d been planning to go back to the city, while she’d been putting down new roots that she couldn’t pull up a third time. Not even for him.
