by Marie Force
“What’re you oh-ing about?”
She took him by the arm and all but dragged him into the sitting room. “Did you sleep with her?”
“None of your business.” Shane tried to wrench his arm free from her freakishly strong grip.
“It is too my business! She’s Owen’s sister!”
“Um, I know?”
“So how can you say it’s none of my business?”
“Because it is, in fact, none of your business. We’re both adults. We can do what we want.”
“So you did do it with her.”
“I never said that.”
She looked at him with those shrewd blue eyes that had seen right through him since they were little kids. He never had been able to lie to her. “Your lips are swollen and you look all…” She waved her hand in front of his face. “Pleased with yourself. The signs are all there.”
Shane laughed at her annoyed expression. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon or something? Go find your husband and butt into his business and stay out of mine.”
“My husband who happens to be her brother? Is that who you mean?”
“Laura, come on. Don’t do this. We’re hanging out and having fun. Don’t blow it up into a bigger deal than it is.”
“She means the world to him,” Laura said softly. “If you hurt her, it’ll hurt him—and me.”
“I have no plans to hurt her. I like her—a lot. I thought you’d be thrilled to see me going out with someone else after everything.” He didn’t need to spell out what “everything” meant in this case. She certainly knew.
“I am thrilled.”
“You don’t look thrilled.”
“I worry about Owen. He’s been through so much with his family, and he’s finally getting some peace now that we’re married, his dad is going to jail and his mom is happy with Charlie. I’d hate to see anything happen to mess with that.”
“I’d hate that, too. He’s not just my brother-in-law, Laura. He’s also my friend. Do you honestly think I’m going to do anything to harm his sister? I saved her life, for crying out loud.”
Shane’s phone dinged with a text. He took a quick look and saw it was from Mac.
Going to the mainland for a few days. Hold down the fort for me. Will be in touch.
“That’s odd.”
“What is?”
“Mac. He’s going to the mainland for a few days. I was just with him earlier, and he didn’t say anything about leaving.” Shane returned the text. Got it. Everything okay?
No, but I’ll tell you about it when we get back.
“Shit.” Shane shared the exchange with Laura. “What do you suppose that means?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound good.”
“He was headed to Maddie’s appointment at the clinic when he left me earlier.”
“Oh God…” Laura took the phone out of his hand and began dialing.
“Who’re you calling?”
“Janey. She’ll know what’s up.” She paused before she said, “It’s not Shane. It’s Laura, and I’m with Shane. He just got a cryptic text from Mac. Do you know what’s going on?”
Laura held the phone so Shane could hear their cousin as she said, “At Maddie’s appointment today, they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat.” Janey sounded like she’d been crying.
Laura deflated before Shane’s eyes. “Oh no.”
Shane put his arm around his sister, and she leaned into him, her hand curving naturally over her abdomen.
“They’re going to the mainland because David didn’t want to take any chances on complications here,” Janey said. “They’re staying at your dad’s house in Providence tonight, and she’s having a procedure in the morning.”
“God, poor Maddie,” Laura said, sniffling. “And Mac. They must be so upset.”
“My mom said they were in pretty bad shape. She and my dad are staying at the house with the kids.”
“Tell your mom to let me know if I can do anything to help. Anything at all.”
“I will, thanks.”
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow.” After ending the call, Laura handed the phone back to Shane and then hugged him. “Sorry to sob all over you.”
“Any time,” he said, rubbing her back.
That’s where Owen found them when he came downstairs, wearing only a pair of gym shorts and carrying the handheld baby monitor. “There you are. I was wondering why you didn’t come back up.” He took a second look. “Are you crying? What’s wrong?”
Shane handed his sister over to her husband.
“You tell him,” Laura said.
Shane passed along the news they’d gotten about Mac and Maddie.
“Oh God,” Owen said, putting his arms around Laura.
“Sorry to be so emotional. It just hit me hard.”
“Of course it did,” Owen said soothingly.
“It must’ve been so shocking for them,” Shane said. “Mac was excited about the baby when I saw him earlier.”
Their conversation was interrupted when several hotel guests came in through the main door, forcing Laura to wipe away her tears and be cheerful for her guests, who had questions.
“I thought you were out with Katie tonight,” Owen said to Shane.
“I am. I was on my way to get a pizza for us when I ran into Laura.”
“So you’re not going out.”
Shane called upon every ounce of self-control he possessed not to squirm under Owen’s intense glare. “We decided to hang here and watch a movie.” He was saved from further questioning when Laura rejoined them.
She took hold of her husband’s hand. “I want to go to bed.”
“That’s my cue to get the heck out of your honeymoon,” Shane said. “See you both in the morning.” He headed out the main door, feeling as if he’d made a narrow escape. Hopefully, Laura wouldn’t share her suspicions with Owen. Not that he was worried about what Owen might say. But he and Katie had a right to a modicum of privacy, despite where they were currently living.
Maybe it was time to talk to Ned Saunders about a rental. Now that he knew Mac was counting on him to stay past the summer, Shane felt confident about putting down some roots on the island. The one thing stopping him from jumping on an immediate rental was the thought of moving away from Holden. Though they’d still live on the same small island, Shane liked having his nephew a few doors down the hallway from him.
At Mario’s, his pizza wasn’t quite ready, so he took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mac and Maddie and what they must be going through and how horribly devastated they must be. And then he thought of Katie, waiting naked in her bed for him to return. Fearful of embarrassing himself in public, he refrained from reliving every second of their earlier encounter. He’d have plenty of time to think about that later.
Someone slid onto the stool next to him, and Shane realized it was Ned. “Speak of the devil. I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh yeah? Whatcha thinkin’ ’bout?”
“A possible rental.”
“Stickin’ around, are ya?”
“Starting to look that way.”
Ned glanced at him with watery eyes. “Ya talk ta Mac tonight?”
“Yeah,” Shane said with a sigh. “A short time ago. I feel awful for them.”
“’Tis a terrible thing indeed. They were so excited ’bout that little one.”
“Francine must be upset, too.”
“Poor gal’s been cryin’ all afternoon. I offered ta pick up dinner.” He shrugged and sighed. “Feels bad ta not be able ta do nothing fer them.”
“We can rally around them when they get home,” Shane said.
“True.”
One of the restaurant staff appeared with Shane’s pizza and salad. He tossed a twenty on the bar and gestured for the bartender to include Ned’s beer, too.
Ned raised his bottle to Shane. “Thanks.”
“Any time.”
Shane smiled at the older man. “You really are a mind reader, aren’t you?”
“Nope. I just pay attention.”
He squeezed Ned’s shoulder. “I’ll call you.”
“Have a good night.”
“You, too. Tell Francine we’re all thinking about her and Maddie.”
“I’ll do that.”
Pizza in hand, Shane walked the short distance back to the hotel, his mind spinning with thoughts of Mac and Maddie, of Katie and of Ned and the possibility of a rental close enough to town that he could still see Holden any time he wanted to. While his heart ached for Mac and Maddie, the rest of Shane’s life was looking more promising than it had in a long time.
He had a job he enjoyed, working for a cousin he considered a close friend, and he had his sister and her family nearby. His dad was living on the island, and now there was the start of something promising with Katie. After years of slogging through the nightmare of Courtney’s addiction and their subsequent divorce, Shane felt like the sun was finally emerging from behind the clouds.
Back at the hotel, he took the stairs two at a time, eager to get back to Katie. Would she still be naked in bed, or would she have gotten up and put on some clothes? He hoped she was still naked. The third-floor hallway was blessedly deserted as he made his way to her room, entering without knocking to find her exactly where he’d left her.
She was propped up on one elbow. “I thought you forgot about me.”
“No chance of that. I ran into Laura downstairs and was subjected to the third degree. Then I got an odd text from my cousin Mac about an unexpected trip to the mainland, which Laura naturally had to investigate further.”
“Did you find out what’s up?”
“Yeah.” Shane sighed as he put the pizza on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed. “It seems his wife is miscarrying, so they’ve gone to deal with that at a medical facility more equipped for it.”
“That’s so sad. I’m sorry to hear it.”
He caressed her arm and bent to kiss her cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about how excited he was earlier when he was on the way to meet her at the appointment.”
She held out her arms to him, and Shane went willingly into her embrace, breathing in the clean, sweet scent of her shampoo. “So Laura gave you the third degree, huh?”
“I was hoping you’d missed that part of the story.”
“No such luck.”
“She tried to give me the third degree. I wouldn’t tell her anything.”
“Which, of course, tells her everything.”
“I suppose we were naïve to think we could get away with anything surrounded as we are by family here.”
“It’s okay. I don’t care if they know we’re seeing each other or whatever it is we’re doing. If you don’t.”
He tugged at the sheet she hugged to her breasts. “We’re definitely seeing each other,” he said when her breasts were fully revealed to him.
Her husky laughter had him forgetting all about the pizza or how hungry he was. As she drew him back into bed, he decided the pizza could wait.
Chapter 18
After the clinic closed for the day, David Lawrence spent an hour on charts and other paperwork, barely making a dent in the never-ending stack on his desk. He sent Daisy a text to let her know he’d be a little later and then locked up the clinic. Days like today made him question his choice of profession.
Having to tell Mac and Maddie that their baby was no longer viable had broken his heart—and Victoria’s. He’d found her sobbing in the break room after they left. In a small-town practice like theirs, you became personally invested in your patients and their families. Their sadness became your sadness.
Though Mac and Maddie were still young and could have other children if they chose to, that didn’t take the sting out of having to deliver such devastating news to people he’d known all his life.
Victoria had passed along Mac’s message about Lisa Chandler, which was why he was on his way to her house now, hoping she’d allow him to assess her condition and not let pride stop her from accepting his help. Their island community was a mishmash of extremely affluent families, extremely poor families and everything in between.
Lisa and her sons fell on the lower end of the scale. David had checked her chart before he left the clinic and realized she hadn’t been seen in more than three years. Her children, however, had regular checkups and their vaccinations were up-to-date. That didn’t surprise him. He often saw low-income parents go without to ensure their children had what they needed.
As he approached Lisa’s house, he saw her neighbor, Seamus O’Grady, by the side of the road, getting his mail. David slowed to say hello to Seamus.
“Evening, Doc,” Seamus said in his thick Irish brogue. “What brings you out to our neck of the island?”
“Stopping by to see Lisa and the kids,” David replied vaguely.
“The boys aren’t sick, are they? I just saw them yesterday. They’re around all the time. We sure are going to miss them out here when they move into town.”
“They’re fine.”
Seamus glanced at the driveway next to his. “I know you can’t talk about their private business, but if they need anything—anything at all—come to me. Caro and I get a kick out of those kids.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. You have a nice evening, Seamus.”
“You, too, Doc.”
David took the left-hand turn into the dirt driveway that led to a small house, thinking about what Seamus had said and how much he appreciated living on an island where neighbors looked out for each other. He wasn’t at all surprised to learn that Seamus and Carolina knew the boys and were fond of them. People reached out here. He wasn’t sure if it was the isolation or the quiet or what, but the island’s residents were far more engaged with each other than people seemed to be elsewhere these days.
Predictably, the boys were running around the yard with their dog chasing after them. As they dashed over to greet him, David noticed they were dirty from a long day of play and both their noses were red from the sun.
“Doctor David!” the older boy, Kyle, said as David emerged from his car. “What’re you doing here? Do we hafta have shots?”
David laughed at the predictable question. Everywhere he went in town, children shied away from him as if they thought he carried hypodermic needles in his back pocket. “No shots today, boys.”
“Oh, good,” Jackson said, his lips puckering adorably. “I hate shots.”
“Believe it or not, I hate giving shots. Is your mom around?”
“She’s inside,” Kyle said. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
“Hang on one second.” David retrieved his medical bag from the trunk of the car and then followed the boys to their mother. Inside the cluttered house, he was surprised to find her asleep on the sofa. David knew her well enough to know it wasn’t like her to leave her young boys unsupervised. “Has she been asleep for long?” he asked the boys, trying to keep his tone casual. At first glance, he could see that Lisa had lost a tremendous amount of weight she hadn’t had to lose.
“A little while,” Kyle said.
“Have you guys had dinner?” David asked.
“Not yet,” Jackson said. “We’re gonna make PBJs tonight.”
“We know how to do it ourselfs,” Kyle said proudly.
David’s heart sank at the realization that the boys were apparently fending for themselves quite frequently. “Will you do me a favor and see if you can wake up your mom for me? Be gentle so you don’t scare her.”
They kissed her until her eyes fluttered open. She did a double-take when she saw David.
“What’s going on?” she asked before a coughing fit overtook her.
That did not sound good.
“I heard you were feeling poorly and thought I’d stop by to check on you,
” he said.
She sat up slowly, as if her entire body ached. “You didn’t have to do that.” More coughing. “Sorry.”
“How long have you had the cough?”
“I don’t know. Awhile.”
“All summer,” Kyle said. His brother nodded in agreement.
Jesus, David thought.
“Not that long,” Lisa said.
“Yes, suh,” Jackson said.
A knock on the door had the boys and the dog scurrying from the living room to see who was there.
David heard Seamus’s distinctive voice as he told them Carolina had made lasagna for dinner and did they want to come have some.
“Let me ask my mom,” Kyle said.
The boys came running back into the living room, both speaking at once as they conveyed the invitation.
Lisa looked up at Seamus, who stood in the doorway to the living room. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not. We love when they come ta visit.”
“They’re filthy after playing outside all day.”
“We’ll wash our hands,” Jackson said gravely, making all the adults laugh.
“In that case, sure,” Lisa said with a grateful smile for Seamus. “Thank you.”
“No problem. We’ll send some back for you.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“Let’s go, boys.” Seamus herded them toward the door. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had my Caro’s lasagna.”
When David returned his attention to Lisa, he was shocked to see tears rolling down her face.
“Everyone is so nice,” she said softly.
“That’s Gansett for you.”
“I think I’m really sick.” She looked down at the blanket that covered her lap. “As in really, really sick.”
“Why haven’t you come to see me before now?”
Her small smile didn’t reach her eyes as she met his gaze. “I’ve been in denial. I kept thinking I’d shake it off the way I always do.”
“Do you mind if I take a listen?”
When she gestured for him to go ahead, he withdrew his stethoscope from his bag, and with just a quick check, he could detect abnormal breath sounds. He continued to listen carefully in multiple locations until she let loose with another coughing fit that had him seriously concerned.
