Barefoot Beach

by Debbie Mason

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jasper hurrying after Rosa and Kitty with an envelope in his hand. He caught up to them at the yellow fisherman shack. Probably because the crowds and the life-size mermaid display rack slowed the two women down.

  He wondered what they’d gotten up to now. Whatever it was, Kitty seemed to be agreeing with Jasper, nodding solemnly. No surprise, Rosa was arguing with the man.

  Jasper pointed to someone or something in the crowd, looked like he’d demanded a promise from them both, and then strode off in the opposite direction. Rosa perused the iridescent swimsuits hanging off the mermaid’s arm until Jasper was out of sight, and then she grabbed Kitty by the hand.

  “What’s going on?” Theia asked, coming to lean beside him in the window.

  “I think we’re about to find out,” he said as his grandmother dragged Kitty to the food truck. “Hey, ladies, what can I get you today?”

  His grandmother went up on her toes, reaching out with both hands to pinch Marco’s left cheek and Theia’s right. “Look at them. Look how cute they are together, Kitty.”

  “Ma, let go. You’re too rough.” He glanced at Theia. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I—”

  Rosa talked right over Theia. “Tell them, Kitty.”

  Both hands pressed one over the other against her chest, Kitty smiled softly at them and then shook her head. “I can’t. I promised Jasper I’d wait. He says—”

  “Oh, don’t listen to the bag of bones. Who better to share the wonderful news with her than her own grandmother?”

  Theia jerked out of the window, banging the back of her head on the edge. Reaching around to rub her skull, she glanced at Marco. “She wasn’t looking at me when she said that, was she?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, she was,” he said, staring into Theia’s distinctive sapphire eyes. Gallagher-blue eyes. He should have known. But how could he when she didn’t know herself. Or did she? “This is a surprise? You had no idea?”

  “None. None at all.” She shook her head. “It can’t be true. He would have told me.”

  “Who? Who would have told you?”

  “Oh God.” She buried her face in her hands. “Of course he knew. He knew from the moment he saw me. He’s been using me all along.”

  “Do you mean Daniel knew and didn’t tell you?”

  Her head came up. Her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal. “Daniel? Is that who my father is?”

  The door opened, and Kitty and Rosa crowded into the food truck. Kitty elbowed Rosa aside and then turned on her. “You see, Jasper was right. This wasn’t the time or the place.” Kitty reached out to touch Theia’s arm. “I’m so sorry, dear. You shouldn’t have heard the news this way. Jasper’s gone to get Daniel.”

  Marco shot his grandmother a disappointed look. She avoided his gaze, instead picking up a dish towel to mop up an imaginary spill on the counter.

  “Daniel’s my father?”

  “Yes. I’d begun to have my suspicions when you were here last fall. Your story about how your mother and father met seemed familiar, and then there were your eyes and your voice. It’s beautiful, just like your father’s. There’s also your name. Daniel’s girls were all named after Greek goddesses.”

  “I’m sorry, but I think you’ve made a mistake. My father never knew about me. You can’t just assume I’m his daughter because of my eyes, my voice, and my name.”

  “We didn’t, dear. We—”

  Theia touched the back of her head. “The day I arrived, Jasper pulled out some of my hair, didn’t he? The important package he was waiting for today. That was the results from the DNA test you ran, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry we went behind your back. We didn’t want to say anything until we were certain.”

  Marco felt bad for Kitty, who’d obviously seen this playing out differently. Maybe she thought Theia would be glad to finally know the identity of her father or belong to a family as loving as the Gallaghers. But the majority of his sympathy went to the woman standing beside him. She was pale, clearly in shock.

  “Did he know?” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she cleared her throat. “Did Daniel know?”

  “No, of course not, dear. Whatever his faults, that’s not one of them. He would have told us, told you had he known. He always owned up to his mistakes.” She clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. “That’s not what I meant. We don’t think of you as a mistake. We already love you, and we barely know you. Please, give us a chance.”

  Rosa put a protective arm around Kitty. “Don’t blame her. It was my fault. I was excited and let myself get carried away by the moment.”

  “Theia needs a minute, Ma. This is a lot for her to take in. Let’s get out of here. It’s crowded and hot.”

  Theia nodded, and he placed his hand at her lower back to gently guide her to the door. “Ma, take over for me. I’ll get one of the girls to relieve you.” When she didn’t argue, he knew she felt genuinely bad for what she’d done.

  He gave Kitty’s arm a comforting squeeze as she moved out of the way. “Everything’s going to be okay, Mrs. Gallagher.”

  “You’ll take care of her? Make sure she’s all right?” she asked, wringing her hands as she looked at Theia.

  “Of course. I’ll bring her back to the manor in a couple—”

  Daniel threw open the door to the food truck, his face as stricken as Theia’s had been moments before. “I didn’t know, lass. I swear to you. I had no idea you were mine.” He dipped his head, his cheeks ruddy, then he raised his gaze to meet hers. “I canna lie to you. I don’t know who your mother is.”

  She lifted her chin. “Aislinn. Aislinn Kelly. My aunt and uncle adopted me when she died.”

  He briefly closed his eyes, swallowing hard before saying, “Aye, I remember her. I remember her well. I…I’m sorry. I’m sorry she’s gone.”

  “She looked for you. Every summer. She dragged me from Dublin to Cork to Galway. We hit every pub where you supposedly sang for your supper. No one had ever heard of the Mick O’Shea we were looking for.”

  He winced. “I’d gotten myself in a bit of a jam. I was running with a bad crowd and changed my name. Left Ireland for England not long after your mother and I were together.” His gaze moved over all of them as if trying to gauge their reactions before returning to Theia. “I need a moment with you in private. Please.” When she tried to move past him, he reached for her. “It’s important.”

  She looked at him, then nodded. He led her to a tree behind the food truck.

  Jasper came to stand beside Marco. “I should have kept the results to myself until later this evening,” the older man said.

  “Rosa was at the manor with Kitty when you got them?” Marco guessed.

  “Yes, and of course Kitty had to share the news with your grandmother. They were gone before I knew what they were up to. They took the limo. I had to borrow Sophie’s car.”

  “She and Liam know anything about this?”

  “No, but it’s only a matter of time before everyone in Harmony Harbor does. Kitty and I thought we’d organize a small welcome-to-the-family party tomorrow evening, but I think it might be too soon.”

  “Yeah, I think that might be pushing it.” He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of familiar voices heading their way. Sully was walking with Daphne, while Penelope and the twins trailed behind. This had the potential to go from bad to worse.

  He jogged to Sully. “Hi, ladies, boys. Sully, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Marco, have you seen our dad?” Penelope asked. “Someone said they saw him run this way and that he looked upset.”

  “Yeah. I’d give him a minute. He’s okay, though. Just, ah…” What was he supposed to say? “Give me a minute. Sully.” He motioned for the other man to follow. “I need a favor. Can you give me the keys to your boat? I’ve gotta get Theia away from here for a bit.”

  “Sure.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Tank’s full, and
the fridge is stocked. Anything else I can do?”

  “Yeah. Keep Daphne and Penelope away from here for another ten, fifteen minutes.”

  “You got it, but what’s going on?”

  He filled him in.

  “Wow, all right. I’ll, um.” He started to laugh and then put up a hand. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not funny, but c’mon. You just warned me away from Daphne and—”

  “Shut up, Sully.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hey, you okay?” Marco asked from where he sat beside Theia in the white leather captain’s chair.

  It’s the first he’d spoken to her since they’d boarded the boat. He’d given her time to process all that had happened. Comfortable to leave her to her thoughts, comfortable with the silence. She appreciated that, appreciated him. He knew better than she did what she’d needed after learning she was Daniel’s daughter, a member of Harmony Harbor’s first family, heir to the Gallagher family estate and Greystone Manor.

  What he didn’t know was that she’d been betrayed by Caine, a man who’d been the best friend she’d ever had. A man she thought of as family. A man who she was a hundred percent certain had known exactly who she was the day he sat beside her at the bar in Dublin more than two years before.

  The warm, humid ocean air blew her hair around her face, and she held it back with her hand to respond to the handsome man beside her. Instead of lying out loud, she nodded. She wasn’t okay. The hurt of Caine’s betrayal went soul deep. But that wasn’t what Marco was talking about. He didn’t know about her involvement in Wicklow Developments’ plan to buy the estate out from under the Gallaghers. From herself, ironically. If Daniel had his way, Marco would never find out. No one would.

  Part of her wanted to break her promise to Daniel. To rip the bandage off and get everything out in the open. She imagined Kitty and Jasper and the rest of the family wouldn’t be so interested in having her stick around if they knew. But she couldn’t do that to Daniel, or to his daughters. Her half sisters. Imagine that.

  No, she wouldn’t do that to the man who was her father. It wasn’t like he’d knowingly abandoned her and her mother. He didn’t really have anything to make up to her. Penelope and Daphne were a different story. If they learned he’d brought them here just to get them to sell their shares to Caine, he might lose them for good. She wouldn’t be the reason he did.

  She felt the weight of Marco’s gaze and looked up from her lap. “Thank you for this. I couldn’t face all of them. I didn’t know what to do. Where to go.”

  “I thought you might take off in your plane and we’d never see you again.”

  Only it wasn’t her plane. She hadn’t just lost her best friend, she’d lost a job she mostly loved and her ability to cover tuition and expenses for Holden’s son. She turned her head so Marco wouldn’t see the tears she couldn’t keep from falling. As she wiped at her eyes, he powered down the boat, bringing it to a stop in the middle of the ocean. The anchor made a whizzing sound as he released it.

  “You don’t have to stop. I’m okay,” she said, her voice and nose clogged with tears.

  He didn’t respond. Just got up from the chair and gave her neck a gentle squeeze with his warm hand before making his way down to the starboard cockpit.

  The wind had died down now, and the boat gently rocked in the wake of the other speedboats. They were out in the middle of nowhere. Nothing for miles. She shivered, reminding herself she trusted Marco before nerves got the better of her. Marco and the sleek, powerful boat he expertly captained. She wondered if there was anything he didn’t do well. Crying women, it seemed.

  He proved her wrong seconds later when he returned, handing her a box of tissues, a chocolate bar, and a bottle of water. Then he sat, turning to face her. “Don’t try not to cry because of me. You’ve met Rosa. Tears don’t scare me.”

  She took a tissue, wiped her eyes, and then blew her nose. “I’m fine, really.”

  “You’re forgetting, I lived with Rosa. Kinda still do.”

  “You live—”

  He motioned for her to drink the water. “The bottom half of our house is the deli, the upper half family apartments. She has a key to mine and comes and goes as she pleases. Now, back to the point I was making before you tried to distract me. I have a sister, and I’ve dated a few women. Fine never means fine.”

  “You’re forgetting your mother.”

  “It won’t work, you know. Ask anyone, I’m a determined guy. I don’t give up until I get the truth. Now, are you going to come clean, or do I have to badger you until you do? Again, I’ll remind you: Rosa.”

  She swallowed. She didn’t want him to know the truth about her after all. She opened the bottle and took a sip of water before answering, “How about I don’t ask you about your relationship with your mother and you let me pretend I’m fine?”

  “One condition. You talk to me if you need to. When you’re ready to. No judgment. I’ll just listen. I’ve been told I’m a pretty decent listener. It might be one of the reasons I’ve been a groomsman in sixteen weddings.”

  She smiled, thinking that despite being off-the-charts gorgeous and no doubt a bit of a player in his day, he was a good guy. “That’s a lot of weddings.”

  “Tell me about it. I could have had a hefty down payment on a house for what I’ve spent on being a groomsman and best man.” He took her hand, caressing her palm with his thumb. “Seriously though. I’m here for you. Whatever you say stays with me.”

  And looking into his eyes, she believed him, which might have been why she told him a truth she’d never told anyone else. “Would you mind if we went closer to shore?” Her cheeks warmed as she admitted, “I get nervous this far out.”

  “Of course. You should have said something sooner.”

  She liked that he didn’t try to talk her out of her nerves or make her feel bad for having them. Her uncle’s and cousins’ merciless teasing over the years had ensured that she never admitted her fears. “Actually, I’m scared spitless this far from shore.”

  He sighed. “Cara, do you even like being on the boat?”

  She smiled at his reaction, but her own disturbed her. She had an overwhelming urge to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. “Yes. I love it.” A more honest answer would have been that she loved being with him as much as she loved the wind and the sun on her face, the adrenaline rush, the sense of freedom and adventure. “It’s just being out this far. The water’s so dark and deep.” She shivered once again as the memories of the accident returned.

  “I’m sorry. I thought…” He gave his head a slight shake. “There’s a life jacket under your seat. Put it on.”

  “You’re not taking me back to Harmony Harbor, are you?” she asked as she reached under her seat, even though she knew Marco made her feel safer than a life jacket would.

  He looked around, twisting his lips to the side. “How do you feel about a private island? Great white sand beach with a view of the harbor.”

  “Sounds perfect. Do you know the owners?”

  “Yeah, you.” He winked, then made a face. “Sorry. It’s probably too soon to be teasing you about your new family.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to being teased.” Although this was hardly the same.

  “The cousins again. I’d really like to meet those guys.”

  “And beat them up for me?” Maybe because she sensed he respected her and knew she could handle herself if she had to, she didn’t get defensive at the idea of him wanting to fight her battles. Instead it made her feel a little warm inside.

  “Yeah. And word of advice, you might not want to share with your new cousins what the Lawson boys put you through growing up. They’ll track them down, and it won’t be pretty.”

  “I don’t know what’s worse.”

  “Look, I get that you’re overwhelmed right now and still coming to terms with everything, but the Gallaghers are great. You couldn’t have picked a better family to be born into. They’ll follow your le
ad, you know. If you need some space, all you have to do is tell them.”

  “There’s a lot of them,” she murmured, her mind circling back to her secret. Even if she wanted to be a part of the family, and deep down she thought it might be nice, she couldn’t.

  It didn’t matter that she no longer worked for Wicklow Developments. She’d emailed her resignation to Caine before boarding the boat—no explanation other than I know—and then she shut off her phone. She’d played a role, no matter how small, in trying to bring the family down. And now, because of her promise to Daniel, indirectly she still was.

  “You have that look on your face again. You might feel better if you got whatever’s bothering you off your chest.”

  She leaned back against the seat as she got a glimpse of a small cluster of islands in the distance. The sailboats were still so far away that they looked like whitecaps on the waves. Her head resting against the seat, she looked at him. “I’d like to rewind the day to a few minutes before your grandmother delivered the news.”

  His eyes lowered to her mouth. “Works for me.”

  Reminded of what she’d done minutes before the older women arrived at the food truck, she nibbled on her bottom lip. “Uh, yeah, about that kiss.”

  “It was nice.”

  “Nice?”

  His amused gaze met hers. “Really nice.”

  “Maybe we should practice some more so, you know, Callie and Johnny believe the act.”

  “Trust me, I think they’re pretty convinced we’re dating.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. Kissing Marco earlier had pulled her out of her head. She’d gotten lost in the sensation of his warm, firm lips, the lazy strokes of his tongue, the feel of his hard body pressed against her. She wanted to lose herself completely in him. To shut off all the thoughts about the Gallaghers, her sisters, her father, and Caine.

  She’d loved her mother and her aunt. But for very different reasons, she hadn’t been able to count on them or trust their love. She’d counted on Caine’s completely.