by Jillian Neal
“Put the knife back in the holder. My granddaddy gave me that knife when I was eight. Tends to piss me off when people put their grubby hands on my knives. I don’t react well.”
“Your grandfather was one of the Gypsies that decided to claim this beach, wasn’t he?” the officer retorted, as if that were a crime worthy of a lynching.
“Yeah, you got a problem with that?”
“Come on, Sinclair, all fishing boats have knives on them. Put it up. Don’t be stupid,” Bevins stepped in.
“Yeah, but this one’s been cleaned recently.”
“No fisherman worth their salt leaves blood on a knife,” Nate huffed, but Bevins had left his post leaving the hull exposed.
“Why was there blood on it?” Sinclair demanded.
“Fish blood, you moron.” Grady shook his head and turned to Daddy’s Boy and all of his friends. “If you want Robert to filet for you, it’s five bucks a fish. If not, bag ‘um and get off my ship.”
Sinclair moved towards the hull and narrowed his eyes. “What’s that?”
Bevins and Nate shared a quick glance. He sighed. “What’s what?”
“That. Looks like a crack or opening or something?”
“Only ships with cracks in their hulls are sitting on the bottom of the ocean, Sinclair. Don’t be that way. We’re officers of the great state of North Carolina. You leave your prejudices at the door when you put on that uniform. Innocent until proven guilty, and never the other way around. You got that?” Bevins bellowed.
Just as Grady allowed himself to draw one full breath, he heard it. “You get off my boy’s boat! He ain’t done nothing. Grady’s a good boy. He’s taking care of those kids you won’t help!”
“Aww, fucking hell!” Nate hissed as he leapt over the bow and landed on the dock. “Pops what are you doing here?”
Officers swarmed around Grady’s father.
“What’s he talking about?” Sinclair was back in full form. “What kids?”
“I have no idea.” Grady willed his heart to remain inside his ribcage. “Pops has dementia. He’s confused. He hasn’t had his medicine today.”
“Come on, guys. Everything here is legal. Leave the man some dignity. What if that were your dad?” Bevins saved Grady’s ass yet again.
An hour later, Nate and Grady were loading up the cooler of extra fish in the back of Grady’s Ford F100 circa 1960. Beau was taking Pops back home. “We can’t keep doing this. We’re gonna have to stop until they figure out who’s breaking into all those houses. We’re gonna get caught.” Nate was still frantic.
“They have to eat, Nate. We’ll be fine.” Grady slammed the door on the bed and checked his wallet. Returning to the office, he added a little more cash from the register before he headed into town.
“You coming to the fire tonight, or not?” Nate wouldn’t let it go.
“Why in God’s name would I go? I’m not all that interested in sharing my Gypsy heritage with the tourists. If you haven’t noticed, that’s why they’re making our life hell. If Mac Montgomery needs to tell me something about all of this, he knows where to find me.”
“Nadya might be there,” Nate challenged just as Grady headed back outside. He spun back and glared at his brother.
“And?”
Nate rolled his eyes. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Grady, but you can’t lie to me. I know you want to see her. You want to make sure she’s all right, and you’re for damn sure wondering if maybe, just maybe, you could put it all back together.”
“We don’t always get what we want, Nate. Thought you figured that when mom left Beau in my arms when I was six years old and skipped town.” It was a low blow and he knew it, but dammit, he didn’t need his brother playing psychologist.
With that, he slammed the office door, making the panes shudder in the frame. The truck motor bellowed as Grady pumped the gas.
Before he could execute his escape, Nate climbed in the passenger seat. “Not letting it go,” he defied. “So, what you’re saying is that you do want that. You want to try it again.”
Grady rolled his eyes and headed towards town. Nate chuckled and shook his head at his big brother when he instinctively slowed as they passed the Inn. Grady’s traitorous eyes studied the windows and porch methodically. He couldn’t order them away.
“And we’ll just call that Exhibit A.”
An annoyed grunt was Grady’s only response.
“Come on, man. It’s me. I put you back together when she left. I know you’ve never gotten over her. She’s back. Molly told me she’s divorced. She’s got money now. Had the whole damn country she could have moved to, but she came back here. She came back to your beach. Something to that. Don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think. She’s from here. She came back to see Mac and Molly. If she wanted to see me, she’d come out of that Inn.”
“Maybe, but maybe she doesn’t think you want to see her. And whatever happened to her has to have affected her, man. She’s probably terrified.”
If his brother had twisted his granddaddy’s old knife in his chest it wouldn’t have hurt as bad as him pointing that out. Clamping his jaw shut, Grady ignored Nate all the way to the Food Lion.
They slid out of the truck and went about their standard routine. They’d been doing this every other week for the last decade, ever since the state had cut off Ms. Cinderson’s food stamps because she was keeping kids in her house. She’d been doing it for years. The only option for parents in the area. Currently, she was caring for ten kids from the neighborhood whose parents couldn’t afford to pay for childcare on their wages. It hadn’t been all that many years ago that she’d looked after the Haven boys — and Nadya, for that matter. She never turned anyone away, but they all had to eat. The parents gave her what they could, but it wasn’t enough for her to survive.
Nate loaded four boxes of diapers in his cart while Grady piled containers of formula and wipes in his. They picked up boxes of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese and Ramen Noodles, what they’d been raised on. When they had enough supplies for a week or two, they headed to the registers.
A half hour later, Grady leapt from the truck and smiled at the twins headed his way.
“Grady’s here! He has popsicles!”
Nate chuckled as they pulled the ice pops from one of the coolers and handed them out.
“Thank you, Grady!” Mary Beth threw her little arms round his right leg. Grady reached down and lifted her up into his substantial embrace.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
Mary Beth nodded, but then buried her face against his neck. “Daddy had to go away again.” Confusion and fear perforated her tone.
“Are you staying here with Ms. Cinderson while he’s gone?”
“Yes, sir, and he said he’d be back in this many days.” She held up both of her little hands, and Grady’s heart ached. Her father was a tobacco farmhand in Winston Salem. He worked grueling hours and rarely made minimum wage. When he needed extra money, he’d volunteered extra shifts, often sleeping out in the fields. “He said when he gets back we can get me a bike.”
Nate’s eyes closed in horror. Grady tried to smile at her. They would have gotten her a bike if that’s what her father was earning extra money for.
“Boys!” Ms. Cinderson appeared, carrying a toddler in each of her arms. “Thank you so much for this.”
After ten years, she still seemed surprised that they’d shown up again.
“Of course, Ms. Cinderson. We got you a ton of fish. Enough meat for two weeks for you and the kids.”
“I don’t know what I would do without you boys.” She set the kids down so they could have a popsicle and hugged Nate and Grady.
“It may be a little longer between times we can come by. Patrol’s harassing the beach again,” Nate lamented.
“Oh, it’s all right. I don’t want you getting into any trouble on my account. I was almost out of diapers all together. I really can’t thank you enough.”
G
rady and Nate carried the supplies inside her double-wide. Nate played kickball with the kids while Grady fried enough fish for a feast. Judging by the way the kids devoured the catch, they hadn’t had enough to eat in several days. He was going to have to figure out how to get out there more often.
Just before sundown, they headed back to the beach with the slight satisfaction of knowing that none of the kids would go to sleep hungry that night. The Havens boys knew all too well what it was like to try and sleep with nothing in your belly.
The sky was painted in deep azure blues and burnt oranges. The full moon took on the orange heat. Perfect weather for a fire. A small crowd was just starting to gather when Grady parked the truck in the expansive garage built for the boats.
“Just come with me. I don’t want you moping up here alone all night long. You said yourself she’s hiding out at the Inn. She won’t show down there. Maybe Mac found something out. We need to know everything we can so we can get food to the kids more often.” Nate picked off Grady’s defenses like a line of beer cans on a fence. The aroma of burgers being grilled on the beach further tempted his resolve. His mouth watered. Refusing to eat anything they got for the kids, his stomach was beginning to protest his lack of lunch.
“Just for a little while, then we’ll come back.”
“Fine, but if she’s there, I’m not staying. I’m not pushing anything on her.”
Seven
“You’re sure you don’t want to come?” Sienna had been begging Nadya to go to the full moon fire with them all afternoon, but seeing every resident of Gypsy Beach was the very last thing she would ever agree to.
Grady used to make fun of the fires. When they were kids, they’d sneak away and hang out in the bed of his truck. He’d turn on the radio, and they’d stare up at the stars and talk about anything or nothing at all.
She doubted he would be attending tonight, but Nate and Beau were sure to be there. Beau may not have told Grady that she was back in town, but Nate and Grady were joined at the hip. If he saw her, he’d talk.
Her heart couldn’t seem to locate a steadying beat. The thought of being all alone in the Inn terrified her. She shivered and tried to order the cold away from her. She was the girl that wasn’t afraid of anything. What had happened to her?
“I’ll be fine,” she lied again. “I’m going to finish those bracelets I started. I want to get them up on the site tonight.”
“We can stay in. We don’t have to go,” Ryan offered gallantly. If he could tell she was scared, she had no hope of convincing anyone else that she was fine. He hardly knew her.
“Don’t be silly. Go. I’ll be fine. I promise.” She tried unsuccessfully to guide them out the door.
“Well, we won’t stay long, and if you need us just come get us. We can leave anytime,” Sienna pled.
Nadya managed a nod. You’re going to be fine. You’re a grown woman. Stop being such a baby, she commanded herself. Truthfully, Nadya had always been a little afraid of being alone. Her mother used to leave her for days at a time to go hang out with her boyfriend on the other end of town when Nadya was barely old enough to use the stove. She’d usually head for Grady’s Dad’s house or for Mac and Molly’s, but tonight, she was going to do this. She was going to prove to herself that she would be fine on her own.
She forced an exuberant wave as Ryan carried little Evie outside and accepted Sienna’s tenth hug of the afternoon. Closing the door, she leaned back against it and drew several deep breaths. She barely recognized herself. Why was she still so scared? Peter was long gone.
Ordering herself to the kitchen, she fixed a sandwich and a glass of Sienna’s sweet tea. Locating chips in the storage room, she decided to turn on the old radio that she and Sienna used to dance to when they were eleven.
She’d managed to will her breaths to steady as she ate when the front door slammed open. She leapt from the table and searched for something she could use for a weapon.
“I’m sorry.” Sienna rushed into the kitchen just as Nadya had wrapped her hands around the handle of Ruth Cooper’s old rolling pin. “Evie had to go potty.”
Nadya jerked her hand away, lest her friend discover just how bad off she really was. “Oh, no problem.” She forced a smile and tried to nonchalantly slide back into her seat at the table.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. You just startled me.”
Sienna nodded her acceptance of the lie.
After they left, Nadya finished her sandwich and rushed upstairs to her room. She locked the door and slid the desk chair in front of it. Tears burned fevered tracks down her face. When would she feel normal again? When did this part of leaving an abusive relationship go away?
“Where’s my beautiful, niece?” Mac corned Sienna near the food table.
“I couldn’t get her to come out. I’m really worried about her, Mac.”
“Me, too.” He sighed. “Molly says something’s on her horizon. Molly’s sure something better is coming, but I can’t stand it to know Nadya’s hurting.”
“I think Molly’s right. She’ll be okay. I gave her a bunch of supplies that Nana saved for her, and for a little while she seemed back to normal. So, maybe she’s getting better.”
Mac slid a glance to Nate Havens. He was trying to coax Grady out of the shadows to no avail.
Throwing herself back into her work, Nadya gently painted the Permalac lacquer on the bracelets she’d created that morning. Smiling to herself, she wrinkled her nose. She hated the way the lacquer smelled, but the bracelets looked fantastic. She still had it.
Her jaw clenched, but she ordered herself to keep working as the Inn began its customary creaks that came with the tide winds. She’d heard them before. She’d spent the night there with Sienna dozens of times, whenever she couldn’t go to Grady’s. The window rasped, and she dropped the bracelet in her lap, spilling the lacquer on her skirt.
Dammit, Nadya. Get it together. She cleaned up the mess and changed into a pair of knit shorts and a long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirt. She draped a blanket over her lap and ordered her hands to stop shaking. The lacquer burned her nostrils and cloyed at her throat as she tried to draw deep breaths.
She finished the first bracelet and moved on to the second with slightly more steady hands. The wind picked up and the branches of the Sabal palm trees brushed against the house. It’s just the trees outside. She repeated the words out loud, but when she was certain she heard the lock on the back door shake, she flew from her chair and raced to the stairwell.
Peering through the darkened hallway, she tucked herself against the wall and tried to hear over the hammer of her heart in her ears. None of those sheriffs were there now. What if she wasn’t imagining things? What if someone was breaking into the Inn? There’d been break-ins. Everyone was talking about them.
The backdoor creaked again, and she was certain she heard footsteps on the back deck. Suddenly, something crashed. She hit the light switches, flooding the Inn with light and took off out the front door without looking back.
Grady saw the lights inside the Inn burst through the indigo skies. Suddenly, Nadya was rushing towards him. Fear lit the hollow black of her onyx eyes. At one time, fire had resided there. The fiery orange light of the moon caught the gleam of a tiny diamond stud in her adorable nose that she’d gotten since the last time they’d seen each other. Instinctively, he set down the beer can that had been in his hands and rushed towards her. Something was wrong. It didn’t matter what had happened between them. He couldn’t stand for her to be afraid. She did need him. He knew it.
“Uncle Mac!” She screamed as she flew into her uncle’s strong embrace. He’d stepped in front of Grady, halting his approach.
“Nady! What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he panicked.
Grady stopped short. She hadn’t been rushing to him after all. The pain of that robbed him of breath. He’d been so stupidly certain that it was him she wanted.
“I think I heard someone on the back
deck of the Inn.”
Ryan, Brock Camden, and Wesley Miller took off towards the Inn.
“Okay, stay right here with Sienna. I’ll be right back.” Mac squeezed her tightly, still careful with her side, and then released her to follow after Ryan.
She lifted her head and stared into the desperately piercing hazel eyes of Grady Havens. His gaze locked onto hers as they both stood transfixed. She swallowed down her terror and felt her chin tremble. Time seemed to stand still in that moment. She tried to hear the roar of the ocean waves or the music that people had been dancing to before her outburst, but silence permeated her body in a frantic deafness. She tried to smile and to speak an infinite number of apologies for all that had happened through that gesture.
Ryan and Mac returned short of breath.
“Lost a decent sized branch off one of the palms near the back deck. It hit the door. That’s what you heard, Nadya. I’m sure it was loud,” Ryan tried to save her from her own embarrassment. She managed a half nod of understanding, but couldn’t pull her gaze away from Grady’s. A million words formed on her tongue. She could make none of them verbalize. Her heart flew, but this time it wasn’t from fear. Longing set its chokehold around her neck. Of its own volition and without any allowance from her brain, her body took a step closer.
Grady was aware of his brothers’ rushed whispers somewhere in his general vicinity. Beau stepped to the center of the crowd. “This a beach fire or not? Let’s dance.” People very rarely turned Beau down. His baby face and goading grin got him everywhere he wanted to go. Following his charisma, Nadya’s interruption was quickly forgotten.
Grady ordered his feet to return to the houseboat, but they remained rooted in the sand. She was still staring at him. His heart pricked. God, please don’t let her cry, he pled to the ether. He couldn’t stand it when she cried. It undid him.
Beau smirked. “And hey, how about a throwback to Wellsley High? Come on, Nadya, you owe Grady a dance.”
