“Eight years!” whispered Sam.
“Eight years,” Bart agreed. “And we’ve got little Katie to show for it.”
“And Jason has no idea at all. Oh, what he’s missing!”
So Katie was Sam’s granddaughter, too. The relationships clicked into place as Daniel watched the meaning of friendship unroll before his eyes. Maybe that’s why the ROMEOs appealed to him so much. They worked hard; they played hard. They knew how to laugh and how to cry. And didn’t apologize for any of it.
Dan waited until the group broke up after breakfast before pulling the former chief aside.
“What can you tell me about George Delaney? Incidentally, did you know he’s now a member of the Parker Plumbing baseball team?”
“He’s getting a hundred bucks an hour for playing baseball with a bunch of eight-year-olds!” exclaimed Rick.
Now Dan’s jaw dropped, and he was glad no camera was in sight. “A hundred dollars?” He started to laugh. “Boy, the candidate really knows how to waste money. He’ll get nothing worth anything from George no matter how many rolls of film are shot.”
“That may be true,” admitted Rick, “but I bet Shelley wants him gone. No one likes knowing they’re under surveillance.”
“That’s a fact,” said Daniel. “But he hasn’t been around since the practice Monday night, and today’s Wednesday. I was hoping he’d given up.”
But Rick was shaking his head. “No chance. As long as Anderson is paying, George Delaney will be shooting film.”
“SON OF A GUN, he’s taking pictures of us again!” Shelley jumped from her chair on the back porch that afternoon, her plastic glass of iced tea spattering all over the floor. Her fear had changed to unadulterated anger over the past few days.
Ignoring Dan and her family, she ran to the beach—practically flew—her eyes focusing only on the man and his camera. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. She barely felt the sand beneath her feet as she covered ground.
He was taller than she’d thought. He stared at her, but snapped pictures at the same time. She was almost abreast of him and his camera when she felt a strong arm around her waist. She twisted in Daniel’s hold, but he didn’t loosen his grip. She glared at him, but his attention was riveted on George.
“You had ample opportunity for pictures at the baseball practice. You should have been content.”
“I’ve got a right to take pictures anywhere.”
“I know all about rights. And I know all about the guy that hired you. I did a little research myself. So, you go back and tell him he’s wasting his time.”
“Everybody says that when they’ve got something to hide.”
“Something to hide?” began Shelley, outraged, her voice an octave higher than usual. Then she felt Dan’s arm tighten against her once more.
“The joint-custody agreement hasn’t been breached by willful negligence,” said Dan.
The other man paused. “What do you think you are? A lawyer?”
Dan chuckled in his usual easy-mannered way. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
The guy looked startled, then recovered. “Then you know I’m within my rights—”
“To waste as much film as your employer wants you to. But here’s a message to take back.”
Suddenly, Shelley found herself free to move around. But ironically, she couldn’t budge. In front of her was a Daniel she’d never seen before. All traces of humor had disappeared. His easygoing manner was gone. His eyes darkened as he focused entirely on the other man.
“Tell your boss,” said Daniel slowly, “that he’s now playing in the big leagues. And he’s beginning to piss me off—which is definitely not a good thing.”
Silence followed. Shelley glanced at the retired cop. His expression said it all. He’d gotten the message.
Suddenly, coming from behind her, a small tornado in the guise of Joshua Anderson touched ground between Dan and the cop, snatched the camera and ran like the wind back to Sea View House.
Shelley started to follow and heard Dan say, “Seems you ticked off someone else around here, George Delaney. But hang on.”
Then he was at her side. “Josh has to return the camera.”
“I suppose.” Personally, she wanted to smash the thing.
Josh was in the kitchen, the camera on the table. Open. The film exposed. He looked at Shelley and Dan. “Lucky he didn’t use a digital.”
A smiled tugged at the corners of Shelley’s mouth. She wanted to laugh out loud, and glanced at Dan to see his reaction. His eyes were twinkling, but his expression was serious as he sat at the table next to her son.
“It wouldn’t matter how many pictures he took, pal. Digital or not.”
A look of surprise crossed Josh’s face. “How come?” he asked Daniel.
“Because, Josh, we have nothing to hide.”
Josh’s face crinkled in confusion. “Hide what? I don’t understand. First, I thought he was just helping us with baseball. But he’s always taking pictures, and Mom doesn’t like it. So I thought he was hanging around because Mom’s so pretty, and he liked her.”
Shelley placed kisses on Josh’s forehead. “Sweetie, I don’t really know why he’s taking so many pictures, but I don’t think he’ll be hanging around anymore.” Not after she called Carl that evening, he wouldn’t.
“We’ve got to return the camera, pal,” said Dan. “Otherwise, it’s stealing.”
Josh shrugged. “Okay.”
The P.I. had moved closer to the house. Josh held out the open camera. “Sorry.”
“I’ll bet,” murmured the investigator before turning to Shelley and Daniel. “Looks just like his old man.”
Dan replied instantly. “The resemblance ends right there—on the outside.”
And that’s when Shelley fell totally in love with Daniel Stone.
DANIEL ACTUALLY HATED to leave Pilgrim Cove the next morning to return to the Harvard campus. After his early run on the beach with Jessie, he showered and gently tapped on Shelley’s back door.
“Hi.” Her cheeks turned rosy. Her soft voice and her smile held more than a mere greeting. Dan gulped. “Have time for a cup of coffee?” she asked.
He shook his head with regret. “Sorry. Not if I want to get back for the kids’ practice. Can’t disappoint them, or more importantly, the coach.”
“There is no possibility of that. Absolutely none.”
“Shel…?” He could barely speak. “Remember that fence we talked about? The one I’ve been sitting on…”
She nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“I’m jumping.” He dropped his briefcase on the floor and reached for her. And then she was in his arms, matching his hunger, the hunger he hadn’t felt in so long…so long.
He couldn’t get enough. She tasted like coffee and mint and sweeter than the sugar she used. He crushed her to him and she pressed against him, on her toes reaching for more. He moved his mouth over hers…again and again…until a voice from afar called, “Mom-my.”
He stepped back, his breathing harsh. Panting. Shelley wasn’t much better off. In fact, worse. Her lips were full, her eyes…the pupils filled them almost completely. Dark eyes. Now warm and sultry.
“See you later.” He grabbed his briefcase, stole another short kiss and closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath and looked around. Was the sun brighter than usual? Was the air crisper? The sky bluer?
He boarded the ferry, then took a taxi to the university and wasted no time in tracking down the dean of the law school. Fifteen minutes later, he had the names of three colleagues whom he’d contact about representing Shelley. He looked at the list and smiled. Hell, yes. He knew them all by reputation, and he’d hire them as a team if they’d prefer.
Dan couldn’t function as Shelley’s attorney himself, not only because of the conflict of interest, but also because he hadn’t sat for the bar in Massachusetts yet.
“One more thing,” he said to his boss, “and then I’ll get out of your hair.”
Daniel blinked. His private tragedy wasn’t a secret—Nikki’s life would always be a part of him—but he hadn’t expected anyone at work to take more than a cursory interest in his personal life.
“Don’t look so surprised, Dan. We want you to be productive and happy—so that you’ll stay with us and not return to the West Coast after a year or two.”
The day was getting better and better. “I—I came East with the intention of staying, but thank you. Thanks very much for the vote of confidence. Funny, when I haven’t taught my first class yet.”
The dean laughed. “I’ve seen your excitement as you’ve been setting up the new curriculum. I’ll be the first one to register for the class!” He sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach, his eyes not wavering from Dan’s face. “So, is there another book in the works, Professor Stone? Another book to set the establishment on its keister?”
Daniel laughed with delight. “But Harvard is the establishment! Want me to shake ’er up?”
“I think we can handle it.” The dean sat forward in his chair. “I’m proud of this school. We’ve got some of the brightest minds in the country here. The brightest minds in the world! And that includes you.”
“Thank you. I don’t know the format yet, but I want to integrate a series of roundtable discussions….”
An hour passed. His excitement grew, and for the second time that day, Daniel felt as if he’d gone from living in a black-and-white world to one painted in Technicolor.
He got up to leave, shook the dean’s hand and then remembered the question he’d forgotten to ask. “By the way, what can you tell me about a rather prominent alumnus named Carl Anderson?”
The dean shot him a speaking glance. “I can tell you that he’s running for Congress and I’m not surprised.” Howard Dorn waved his hand at Daniel’s chair, and Dan sat down again. This would be time spent well.
AFTER BREAKFAST that morning, Shelley cornered her parents. “Would you mind taking the kids to the library? I need privacy to call Carl. I’m not allowing this intrusion into our lives to continue.”
“No problem, Shelley,” replied Ellen. “We’ll take them to the library and then out for lunch at the diner. And maybe we’ll squeeze in a haircut for Dad. Bart recommended the Cove Clippers.”
Shelley glanced at her father. Yes, his hair was longer than usual, but it was his worried eyes that held her attention. “You want me to stay with you while you call him? Mom can take the kids.”
Shelley shook her head. “No, no. I’m a big girl. I keep reminding myself that Carl really does love his children, and those words keep me sane.”
Her dad looked at her and shook his head. “You are quite a woman, Shelley Elizabeth Duffy Anderson. And I’m proud of you, girl. You knew what you were doing all along.”
She blinked rapidly, her dad’s words of praise unexpected and touching.
“Thanks. Thanks very much.” She kissed him on the cheek, then turned to her mother. “I can’t ask for a better cheering section than the two of you. I’m glad you’re here.”
“So are we,” replied Ellen. “Now, let’s get the children.”
Fifteen minutes later, the house was quiet. Shelley stared at the wall phone in the kitchen for a long minute. Then she picked up the receiver and dialed. Carl answered after one ring.
“This is Shelley. Do you have a minute?”
“Absolutely,” replied Carl Anderson. “In fact, sweetheart, you beat me to the punch. You were next on my agenda.”
She ignored the “sweetheart.” “Well, good. What I’m calling about shouldn’t take long. I want you to get rid of your private spy, Carl. He’s scaring our son.”
“Oh?” He elongated the short word, lacing it with a trace of disbelief. “The story I heard had a totally different spin, Shelley. Seems that Josh got scared after seeing his mother run like a madwoman after a poor guy who was minding his own business on the beach.”
Now she ignored the “madwoman.” “Minding his business, Carl? I think not.”
“Now, let’s see. He wasn’t stalking you. Too far away for that. He wasn’t breaking any laws. Furthermore, he’s licensed, and he’s an ex-cop. I’m pretty sure I’ve covered all the bases. The man knows what he’s doing.”
Shelley’s grip tightened on the receiver. “If he really knew what he was doing, Carl, I wouldn’t have detected him at all. Would I?”
Carl chuckled, an unpleasant sound. “Touché, my dear. But I consider that a small price to pay. He’s giving me what I want. Every picture I’ve got has you and your neighbor together. Living right upstairs, isn’t he? How convenient for you. But, more important, how convenient for me.”
Any trace of affability disappeared. “I’m going after my kids, Shelley. And I’m going to get them. No judge will find in favor of a woman whose child almost drowns while in her care. So what was that all about? Too busy with lover boy to watch Emily?”
Blindsided totally by his attack, words stuck in her throat. Shelley could barely breathe let alone speak. Carl was a lawyer, a smart lawyer who knew how to use information to advantage. What if he got full custody, and she had to beg for visitations? Shelley collapsed onto the nearest chair.
“Unless…” continued Carl, his voice tuned with pitchfork precision before pausing.
She’d heard that note hundreds of times over the years as he spoke with clients, associates or opposing counsel and had never given it a second thought. But now he was using that trick on her. Playing her.
She caved. “Unless what?”
“Join me on the campaign trail as a family. A wonderful endorsement. Unique. A former wife who still believes in her first love. It might even work out better than if we were still married.”
She doubled over on the chair, tasting the vomit in the back of her throat.
“Think about it,” continued Carl smoothly. “And in the meantime, I’m coming for the kids next weekend. Fourth of July. A full itinerary visiting seniors’ centers on the third and attending the annual Boston Pops concert on the Fourth. All great photo ops.”
She took a deep breath, a spark of hope rising inside her and sat up straight again. “Josh has a game on each of those days. The first actual games of the season. Not just practices. He lives for baseball, Carl.” Surprisingly, her own voice was steady.
“Then you’ll just have to help him reset his priorities. Won’t you?”
Without replying, Shelley gently placed the receiver in its cradle. The man was the most selfish, manipulative…and now threatening…individual she’d ever dealt with. She pictured Josh’s sweet face and his disappointment, and burst into tears.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ONE LOOK at Shelley’s face that afternoon, and Daniel knew her day hadn’t gone nearly as well as his. The kids’ baseball practice prevented any private conversation, however, and after twenty minutes, Shelley seemed almost like her normal self. Her parents sat in the bleachers today, watching the team, and when the time came, her dad volunteered his help with batting practice. Emily and Jess stayed with Shelley’s mom.
“Okay, team. Listen up,” called Shelley.
Daniel waited to see what his partner had in mind. They’d had no time to chat before coming to the field today. He’d gotten back to Pilgrim Cove with almost no minutes to spare. “One at a time, each of you will have five turns at bat. Everyone else will start out by playing their field positions. But when your batting turn is over, you’re going to replace the person in the field who’s coming in next to bat.”
Dan frowned. What the heck was she doing? The kids were so new at this, they should be playing their own positions just to get comfortable, not filling in unnecessarily at positions where there were
already assigned players.
“Coach Stone is going to pitch to everyone. Keep your eye on the ball. Let’s go!”
Daniel gathered several baseballs and put them in his pockets, then walked over to Shelley. “What’s with the new routine?”
She turned toward him, her eyes so shadowed, Dan’s muscles tightened against an unseen enemy. He cupped her cheek. “What’s wrong, Shel?”
Tears welled and she blinked rapidly. “I’ll tell you everything later. Bottom line is that Josh won’t be here for his games next weekend. I need to get some other kids to try out second base somehow.”
Dan glanced at Shelley’s son, who was happily jogging to his position right now. “He has no clue, right?”
She nodded.
“Carl?”
She nodded again. “He knows about Emily almost drowning,” she whispered. “He said he’s going after the kids, and that he’s going to win.” She blinked hard a few times. “I can lose them, Dan. I can lose my children.”
“No! No, you won’t.” With difficulty, Dan lowered his voice. For the second time in recent memory, anger filled him to the point of explosion. When Nikki was killed he’d raged against the bus driver, the torrential rain, God, himself. But Nikki’s death had been an accident. A true accident. Carl’s behavior was purposeful and premeditated, aimed not only at unnerving Shelley, but also at manipulating her.
“What happened with Emily wasn’t your fault,” said Daniel. “It could have happened no matter who was in charge. No judge is going to change custody orders based on that. I promise you.”
He leaned into her and kissed her quickly on the mouth. “We’ll walk and talk tonight. On the beach. It’s going to be okay.”
She looked only marginally better, but he had to be content with that for the moment.
He walked to the pitcher’s mound, checking to make sure the kids were all in position. “No matter where the ball is hit, throw it home. Step into it and throw. Everybody ready?”
Eleven children in the field nodded. The twelfth gripped the bat.
“Batter up!”
Dan pitched the ball, caught the ball, coached the kids and kept his eye on Shelley while operating on automatic pilot. His mind was listing options for Shelley’s defense against Carl.
No Ordinary Summer Page 15
