Barefoot Bay_A Family for the Holidays

by Karen Ann Dell

  Mike caught Kelly’s tiny shrug that said it all. “My name is Mike, Elizabeth.”

  She smiled at him and discovered the jigsaw piece she held in her hand. “It was very nice to meet you, but I have to finish this puzzle before dinner or they won’t let me eat.” She scanned the puzzle, instantly absorbed.

  A tear slipped down Kelly’s cheek, and she absently brushed it away. She reached around her mother’s shoulders and closed the locket, then hugged her from behind. The woman in the chair took no notice of either action.

  Without another word, Kelly turned and walked toward the door. Mike caught up and slipped an arm around her shoulders again.

  She leaned into him. “I gave her that locket last Saturday. It was her birthday. I hoped the photos would help her remember.” She gave a small sob, then fiercely wiped the moisture from her face, squared her shoulders and put her arm around his waist. “Let’s go get dinner.”

  ~~~

  Eight more hours. In eight more hours Mike would be gone and she’d be alone. Possibly more alone than she’d ever been in her life.

  She hadn’t wanted to ruin their last evening together, so she’d shoved the sadness back, far back in her mind. There would be plenty of time to wallow in self-pity later. Right now, she wasn’t sure how she would get through the next twenty-four hours.

  Because, as wonderful as the week had been, as great as it was to laugh, and talk, and wake every morning with the warm, solid presence of Mike in her bed, as fantastic a lover as he was, there was one thing missing. A big thing.

  Mike had carefully avoided any mention of what the future held—for them. He seemed willing enough to consider opening his second fitness center here in Florida. But he never indicated in any way that one of the reasons he might re-locate to Mimosa Key was because he wanted to be near her.

  She leaned on the railing of the deck off her bedroom and watched the sun slide toward the gulf. When the bottom edge touched the horizon, she half expected to hear a sizzle and see steamy clouds curl up from the dark turquoise water. The golden path stretching toward Barefoot Bay seemed to be melted sunlight floating on the water. Gorgeous pinks, lavenders and tangerines tinted the sky. Mimosa Key was beautiful. She loved living here.

  “Hey, I thought you could use one of these.” Mike nudged her elbow and offered a wide, salt-rimmed glass full of margarita. He tapped his Corona against her glass and they both drank.

  No toast to living the good life here, together. Yeah. So. Get over him. This is not going to work out the way I hoped.

  “I’m not sure how you’ll take this, especially after today, but how about coming to Philly for Thanksgiving? AJ and his mom are coming. I think you should be there, too.”

  Really? He’s inviting me to meet his family? Hope blossomed in her heart, the sensation so strong, it was almost painful.

  “Mom told me to ask you, but with all the other stuff going on,” he brushed her hair back from her cheek and nudged her chin up to meet his smiling eyes, “it sort of slipped my mind.”

  The fragile bud of hope withered. Stomped into dust by his cavalier mention of “stuff.” The invitation came from his mother, not Mike. Her heart cracked in half, a different kind of pain.

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  “Don’t say no, Kel. If you think you should stay here to be with your mom, I understand how you feel, but really? Do you think she’ll even know it’s Thanksgiving? Will she even know it’s you?”

  She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. Everything Mike said was probably true. “Thank you for inviting me, Mike. I appreciate the thought. But even if my mom doesn’t know what holiday it is, even if she doesn’t recognize me, that won’t matter. I’ll know. After my dad and my sister died, we spent every holiday together. It doesn’t feel right to stop, just because…”

  I’ve fallen in love with you. Damn it! I tried so hard not to.

  Mike set his beer on the rail and wrapped his arms around her. “Damn it, Kel. I hate to think of you all alone down here. Ever since Sky started to live with you, I’ve thought of you as family. I wish you’d change your mind.”

  If I was part of your family, I might. But, since that’s not going to happen, I think staying here will actually be easier.

  “We’ll see. I promise I’ll think about it.”

  Chapter Five

  They’d been airborne a good half-hour before Owen put the plane on autopilot and said, “So. Tell me. What’s the scoop?”

  “Shit if I know,” Mike grumbled, gazing out the side window to avoid his brother’s piercing stare.

  “What’s that supposed to mean? You spent the last week on Mimosa Key with one gorgeous hunk of woman. You telling me nothing happened between the two of you?”

  “Oh, plenty happened,” Mike said, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth. “But I’m not the kind of guy who kisses and tells. Especially not to you.”

  “I’m going to let that last remark go. And I’m not asking for details. I’m asking if anything—important—happened.”

  “Well, I checked out the properties. Only one is in the running. It’s in Naples. Good location. Plenty of room. Reasonable rent. Shouldn’t take much to whip it into shape.”

  “So. That’s it? Seven days and I get seven sentences?”

  “You said you didn’t want details.” Mike returned his gaze to the clouds below.

  “You are dumber than a box of rocks, you know that?” Owen shook his head in disgust, flipped off the autopilot and grabbed the yoke.

  Silently, Mike agreed with his brother’s assessment. The truth was, he didn’t know what the hell happened in those seven days. Other than he’d broken his vow and slept with Kelly. That was stupid. And wrong. And stupid. But the damage was done, and now he felt like an ass. A heartless, soulless, thoughtless ass. A cowardly ass. That was the worst. He had no balls.

  He’d spent the week with the nicest, sexiest, funniest woman he’d ever met. And, yes, that included Sarah. He’d slept with her, fucked her six ways from Sunday, and— No. I didn’t fuck her. I made love to her. Hot, sexy, satisfying love. But I didn’t have the stones to admit it. Not to myself. Not to her. I am a spineless, dickless, worthless piece of shit.

  “I slept with Kelly.”

  Owen spared him a brief glance. “I’ll alert the media.”

  “Asshat.” Mike shot daggers from his eyes.

  “What? You got a mirror over there?” Owen’s mouth curled up at the corners.

  “I don’t know what to do about it.”

  Owen’s brows hit his hairline. “Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t use protection?”

  “Shit, no. Of course we used protection.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest and blew out a long sigh. “Christ, I knew I shouldn’t talk to you about it.”

  Owen twitched his shoulders in a minimal shrug and checked his instruments.

  Silence reigned in the cockpit for twenty minutes.

  Mike threw up his hands in surrender. “I invited her for Thanksgiving.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s not coming. She doesn’t feel right about leaving her mom. Even though it would be a miracle if her mom knew what day it was.”

  “Mm. That bad, huh?” Owen’s expression was sympathetic.

  “Yeah. We went to see her. She not only didn’t recognize Kelly, she said she didn’t have any children. Kel looked like she’d been kicked by a mule. Man, that is one shitty disease.”

  “Guess that’s what makes is so hard on the families. They feel bad because their loved one doesn’t know them anymore, but they can’t bring themselves to stop caring. So Kelly would feel awful to abandon her mom on Thanksgiving, while her mom couldn’t care less whether Kelly was there or not. Talk about a lose-lose situation.”

  “Owen. We’ve got to do something.”

  “Bro, you almost sound like you actually care about Kelly.”

  “Of course I care about Kelly. I think I might love her.
”

  “Bingo.” Owen grinned. “For a while there, I thought you might never see the light.”

  “Asshat.”

  “The mirror? Again?” Now Owen was laughing.

  “You know, if I only knew how to fly this damn thing, I’d punch your lights out.”

  “Now, now. Don’t take the shock of your self-discovery out on me. I’m just an innocent bystander. Besides, I have a plan.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “While you were getting laid on, or up against, every flat surface in Kelly’s condo, I made a deal to buy another plane.”

  “Another plane? Jeez, what’s that, like, eight, now?”

  “Nine, but who’s counting?” At Mike’s look of disbelief, Owen shrugged. “If I want to compete in the private corporate jet business, I need aircraft of varying sizes to cover all my bases. And, lucky for you, I had planned to fly Sky and AJ up from Naples for Thanksgiving, using the Citation I just bought. That plan was for Wednesday, but I can change it, assuming Sky and AJ don’t mind, and have the plane leave Naples at 2 p.m. on Thursday. That way, Kelly can visit with her mom, have Thanksgiving lunch, fly with Sky and AJ and still get to our place in time for dinner. What do you think?”

  “Holy crap, Owen. I’m speechless with admiration.”

  “Another first.” He smirked. “We’ll check with Sky, make sure the change is okay, and you can call your love and tell her it’s a command performance. She has to be at our place for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “I don’t deserve to be a member of the most awesome family in the world.”

  “True. But Mom said you were so cute when she found you in that basket on the porch, she couldn’t give you away.”

  “Asshat.”

  Owen chuckled. “Sometimes.”

  By the time they got home, Sky and AJ were about to leave. They’d driven down from Boston the day before and slept in later than they’d planned.

  “Hi, Owen. Hi, Mike.” Sky hugged each of them in turn. “How was the flight up?”

  “Interesting,” said Owen.

  “Good,” Mike added.

  Sky gave Owen a narrow-eyed glare, and he tilted his head at Mike in response.

  “We need to talk a minute before you leave,” Mike said.

  “Owen, Mike, I’m so glad you’re back.” Mike’s mom hugged them both. “I breathe easier when I know you’re safely on the ground again.”

  “Mom, I’m safer in the air than you are on the Sure-kill Expressway on a Saturday night.” Owen kissed his mother’s cheek.

  “I know better than to drive the Schuylkill Expressway, on any night,” she replied. She ruffled Mike’s hair. “How was your visit with Kelly? Did you find a rental space for your next gym?”

  “I found a space that I think will work. It’s in Naples, but that’s not far from Mimosa Key. I still have to run the numbers, though.”

  “And Kelly?” Sky asked. “She didn’t mind you staying at the condo, did she?”

  Owen snorted, and it was Mike’s turn to glare. “She didn’t mind at all. It was a great visit, with one exception.” He wasn’t about to blurt out his newly discovered feelings for Kelly in the middle of this crowd. “Which brings me to my reason for wanting to talk to you, Sky. While I was there, Kel and I went to visit her mom. It was not a fun time. Her mom didn’t know her at all, and Kel took it pretty hard. When I invited her to come here for Thanksgiving, she turned me down.” Which might have gone differently if I’d mentioned I was falling for her, first. “She didn’t feel right about not spending time with her mom on Thanksgiving, regardless of whether the woman recognized her or not.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad, son,” his mother said. “I really hoped she could be with us for the holiday.”

  “Yeah, me, too. But Owen came up with a solution that I think might work.” Mike transferred his attention to Sky. “As long as you and AJ don’t mind waiting until about 2 to fly up on Thursday. That way, Kel will be able to spend lunchtime with her mother, then fly with you guys and be here in time for dinner.” He searched everyone’s faces. “Would that be okay?”

  Sky hugged him, then Owen. “You two are the best brothers ever.” She slipped her arm through AJ’s and smiled up at him. “We don’t mind waiting at all, do we?”

  “Heck, no. Sounds like a good plan,” AJ agreed.

  Their obvious happiness made Mike realize what he’d missed, keeping his heart shielded so tightly all these years. “Okay, then. I’ll give Kel a call and see if she’ll come.”

  “Let me talk to her, Mike. I know I can convince her,” Sky said.

  Maybe that would be better. A phone call to Kelly right now might be awkward. He’d much rather bare his soul to her in person, where he could read her reactions face to face. “Okay. I’m counting on you, Skylark. Don’t let me—us—down.”

  Sky arched a brow at his plea and pressed her lips together to smother a grin. Mike cocked his head. She knew. His younger sister had a nose like a bloodhound for discovering his feelings.

  “We need to hit the road, guys. It’ll be past midnight before we hit the Florida-Georgia line as it is.” Sky kissed her mother’s cheek. “See you again at Thanksgiving, Mom.”

  “I packed some snacks and bottled water for you two,” she said, handing a bag to Sky. “Drive safe.”

  AJ nodded. “Always.” He and Sky shared another smile. “See everyone again for Thanksgiving.”

  ~~~

  Kelly rolled over and felt for the warmth of Mike’s body. Her hand instead found cool sheets. She sighed. Six nights sleeping next to Mike had quickly become addictive, and now, she was going through withdrawal. She squinted at her alarm clock. 3:45 a.m. The full moon had risen as she slept, and its bright glow cast shadows from the palm trees across the deck outside. The night breeze fluttered the sheers framing the opening. Kelly threw off the covers and slid back the screen door, stepping outside. The moonlight washed out most of the stars, and Venus was the only other light visible in the cloudless sky She sat on the chaise and remembered making love with Mike there. He’d been especially tender, taking his time to explore every inch of her body and slowly bringing her to a shattering climax that seemed to last forever. Was it only two nights ago? It already seemed longer ago than that. She wanted to hold on to all the memories of the past week, because she’d sensed the change in their relationship even before Mike’s plane disappeared into the sky.

  After she refused his invitation, or rather, his mother’s invitation, to join them for Thanksgiving, he’d acted more quiet and reserved than usual. No doubt he sensed that she hoped for some indication of continuity, if not permanence, to their relationship, but he was either unwilling or unable to offer her any. That, in itself, was all she needed to get the message there was no future for them together. So she’d treasure this past week as a special gift. A small chunk of time she could keep in a box and open when she was especially lonely.

  Like tonight.

  She stood and went to the railing, her elevation allowing her to see the shadowy waters of the gulf in the distance. Below her, a car turned into the parking lot and pulled up in front of the townhouse. She recognized AJ’s Mustang and watched silently as Sky got out of the driver’s seat. AJ opened the trunk and retrieved Sky’s bag, then came around to take her place behind the wheel. He must be going back to the players’ dormitory tonight. They shared a lingering kiss before Sky walked to the door.

  Kelly went downstairs and flipped on the light in the kitchen.

  “What are you doing up at this time of night?” Sky asked. She dropped her bag and gave Kelly a hug.

  “Couldn’t sleep. I was about to howl at the moon when you two drove up.” She got a bottle of water from the fridge. “Want one?”

  “Good Lord, no. I’ve been drinking bottle after bottle for the past fourteen hours. I might have a cup of coffee, though.”

  “Coffee? At this hour? Don’t you want to get some sleep?”

  “I’m too wired from driving to
sleep right away. As long as you’re up and about, I’ll tell you all about my trip. And you can tell me all about your week.” She gave Kelly a sly grin, and wagged her eyebrows.

  Kelly bit at her lip. “You first.”

  “Okay, but there’s not going to be much interesting in my tale. We drove up to Boston and stayed with AJ’s mom in Beacon Hill. Beautiful house, lovely furnishings and the neighborhood was, shall we say—upscale?” Sky waved her hand in front of her face. “Julia is a delightful lady, Kel. I’m getting a wonderful mother-in-law to make up for AJ’s obnoxious grandfather. Then we went to Cambridge, and AJ showed me around Harvard. The campus has history seeping out of the walls and up through the brick walkways. It was a great time of year to visit up there. Fall was always my favorite season back home, so I got a good dose of it this week. The fall color was just about over in New England, but I still got some good shots. Here, take a look.” She passed her phone over to Kelly and sipped her coffee while Kelly flipped through the photos.

  “Sounds nice. Did you decide on a wedding date yet?”

  “No. I’d like to do it around the holidays because I’ve always wanted a Christmas wedding, but AJ thinks we should wait until January so in the future our anniversaries won’t get lost in all the holiday hoopla. He’s sweet to want our wedding day to be its own special holiday, so I’m kind of leaning in that direction.” She gave a wry twist to her mouth. “Any guy who wants a wedding date he’ll remember twenty years from now can’t be wrong, don’t you think?”

  Kelly nodded. “You’re really lucky, Sky. AJ is charming, handsome, smart—everything a woman could want in a spouse.”

  Sky smiled and put a hand to her chest. “I know. Sometimes I think I don’t deserve to be this happy. So a wedding date in January won’t be a problem for you? You do realize I want you to be my maid of honor?”

  Kelly put her bottle on the table. “Really? I assumed you had girlfriends up north who would get that spot.”

  “Nope. I was such a tomboy growing up that I didn’t have many girlfriends, and those I did hang out with were casual friends at best.” Sky reached across and squeezed her hand. “You’re my BFF, Kel. There’s no one else I’d rather have as my MOH.”