Up to the Challenge ai-2

by Terri Osburn

  Packing didn’t take long, even though he’d had to remove Drillbit from the duffel bag three times. She seemed to be the only creature in his life who didn’t think he was a piece of shit at the moment. Maybe he’d get a cat when he got home. His own little ball of fur to keep him company.

  Though with his hours, the animal would be alone most of the time. Based on Holcomb’s tone on the phone, he’d have to bust his ass even harder to get back in the good graces. The partnership wasn’t even a consideration until he straightened this mess out.

  Not that he regretted a moment he’d spent on the island. His family needed him and he was there. He’d done his duty, and now was leaving the restaurant in capable hands to return to his life. Earlier than planned, but that couldn’t be helped.

  When he stepped outside, pulling Sid’s front door closed behind him for the last time, Lucas was surprised to see Beth standing in the driveway.

  “If you’re looking for Sid, she’s not here.”

  “I know,” Beth said.

  “Then why are you here?” he asked, tossing his duffel bag into the car.

  She ignored his question. “You didn’t have to walk. I’d have driven you over.”

  “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

  Beth propped a hip on the front corner of her Civic. “I don’t blame you,” she said, pinning him with her eyes. “For leaving that is. They ordered you back, didn’t they?”

  Why couldn’t anyone leave well enough alone? “There’s a big case. They need me.”

  She nodded. “Right.” Her eyes slid toward the water. “Sid has a nice spot here. I’ve always liked it. Very peaceful.”

  “Sure,” he agreed, looking out to the waves, spotting a seagull swoop down for a meal. “Probably one of the nicest spots on the island.” There had to be a point to this conversation. A reason Beth had followed him. “I doubt you came over here to admire the view.”

  “She loves you, you know.” Beth kept her eyes on the water. “She doesn’t let many people get close. See how vulnerable she is.” She pinned him again. “But she’s different with you. Open. Trusting. And I think she could make you a better man.”

  Beth obviously didn’t know her new friend as well as she thought. Sid didn’t love Lucas.

  “That’s a nice speech. I’ll try not to be insulted.”

  “Don’t try on my account.” Beth slid the sunglasses from the top of her head onto her nose. “You’re still the sweetest and smartest guy I’ve ever met, Lucas. How you can be so stupid at the same time is such a mystery.”

  He watched her drive off. She had the nerve to wave from the road as if they’d just exchanged recipes and made plans for tea. This had to be some kind of record, even for Lucas. The two women he’d had the misfortune to fall for had both cut him at the knees in less than an hour’s time.

  Maybe he’d been a douche bag in a former life. He made a mental note. Any future pet would be of the male variety.

  After the encounter with Beth, Lucas had no desire to head back to his parents’ place so he sat in his car and debated where to go. Whether out of habit or due to newly developed masochistic tendencies, he chose Dempsey’s as his destination. Might as well settle things with Will to make sure the restaurant would be good without him.

  His early departure should have no effect on the business. As Will had proven more than capable, he had no concern on that front. The visit was more his version of closing a case. Tying up loose ends so he could put the file away without a second thought.

  Right. As if he’d ever be able to file away the last three weeks and forget about them. This visit to Anchor had changed him. For better or worse he had yet to decide. The corner office and fancy gadgets seemed less important now. He’d lived on Anchor for three weeks without his atomic clock, cell service, or a golf course in sight. And he hadn’t missed any of it.

  Quite an unexpected development.

  “I was wondering if you’d show up today.” Will turned her eyes to the clock. “About time. Sid called off so I pulled Annie in to cover.”

  “I’m just here to make sure you have everything you need.” He started pulling chairs off the tables. “Have Beth or Joe talked to you about tomorrow?”

  “You mean about you leaving?”

  Lucas nearly dropped a chair on his foot. “No,” he said, counting to ten to keep from throwing the chair out the window. “They’re planning an engagement party tomorrow night. Here. The staff needs to know. I’m sure they’re all invited, but someone will have to cook and serve.”

  “Beth didn’t mention it,” Will said, stacking glasses. “I’ll call Lola’s later to get the details.”

  They worked together in silence for fifteen more minutes. Until Lucas decided Will didn’t need him and he didn’t need the “fuck you” vibe she was sending. It seemed every woman on this godforsaken island intended to make him feel as low as possible.

  So he did what any self-respecting man would do. He went home to his mother.

  Sid strolled into Dempsey’s thirty minutes after opening time and grabbed an apron.

  “I thought you were taking off today,” Will said. “I called Annie in to cover.”

  Leave it to Will to be efficient. “I didn’t feel good, but now I’m better.”

  “And now you’re not needed.” Will removed the cap and placed a beer in front of her. “Beth told me about this morning.”

  “Curly has a big mouth.” Sid grabbed the bottle and plopped down on a stool.

  Will tossed the cap in the garbage. “She’s worried about you, and so am I. Are you okay?”

  That was the question of the day. Sid didn’t have an answer. “I’ve had better days, but life goes on. Like I said, this was always a temporary thing.” She picked at the label on the bottle. “Randy made me feel a little better, even if he was talking out his ass.”

  “If your brother really wanted to help, he’d kick Lucas’s ass from here to Currituck.”

  Sid appreciated Will’s loyalty and indignation on her behalf. “Randy wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Will snorted. “Are we talking about the same person? The big guy who looks like he could give the Hulk a run for his money?”

  “They may be similar in size, but Randy really wouldn’t hurt a fly. I know it’s a cliché, but in his case it’s true. I’ve seen him catch them in a glass and let them go outside. Once he even herded one out an open window.”

  Will leaned her elbows on the bar. “How do you herd a fly? And if he’s that friendly, why does he bench-press tugboats in his spare time?”

  Another good question. “I don’t know,” Sid said. “It’s just his thing. He’s all into being healthy. Goes with the Zen thing.”

  “Zen? Like meditating?”

  “Yep. He’s even a vegetarian.”

  Will’s jaw fell open. “No way.”

  “Yes way. And look here. We’ve been talking about something that has nothing to do with my once again nonexistent love life. See? Life goes on.”

  “Uh huh.” One brow shot up. “That’s why your eyes are all puffy and red. You want to hang out here, I’m good with it. But we don’t need you on the floor today.” Annie rattled off an order for three sodas from the end of the bar. As Will filled the first glass, she said, “Crap. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. I heard that offer on Fisher’s garage was a no-go. Buyer changed his mind or something.”

  “Really?” Sid said, feigning ignorance. “How did Fisher take that?”

  “I believe the phrase Deb used was ‘mad as a hornet.’” Will filled the second glass. “Started ranting that he wants this place off his hands. If you can, I’d suggest you make a move now.”

  Sid nodded. That had been her plan. To focus on the garage once Lucas was gone. Tips had been good, and with Fisher desperate and frustrated, she could probably talk him down.

  “Maybe that’s what I can do today. I’ll check out the numbers and give Deb a call.”

  Sid backed off the stool into
a solid chest behind her. Spinning, she looked up to see Manny.

  “Oh,” she said. “Hey, Manny.”

  He was smiling down at her, blue eyes alight. “I heard pretty boy is headed out.”

  The Anchor grapevine. Fastest gossip line on the planet. “That’s the rumor.” She didn’t want to talk about Lucas, especially not with Manny. Why couldn’t he go bark up Kinzie’s tree? Didn’t men have a thing for women who could cook?

  “So how about dinner? Artie’s got a Godfather marathon going tonight.”

  Wouldn’t a Godfather marathon take days? Gangster films were never her thing. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work, Manny?”

  “The rain grounded the parasailing.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “So what do you say?”

  Sid shoved her hair out of her face. It was time to set the boy straight. “Manny, I appreciate the offer, but it’s a no. It’s a no tonight, a no tomorrow, and it’ll still be a no every day after that. Get the idea?”

  His face fell and Sid felt as if she’d just kicked a puppy.

  “Right. That’s cool.”

  She squeezed his face in one hand. “Manny. Listen closely to what I’m about to tell you. Ask. Kinzie. Out.”

  “Kinzie?” he asked. Or tried to through his scrunched-up lips.

  “Yes,” Sid said, letting him go. “Now. How about you go buy some cupcakes?”

  The man looked as if she’d asked him to rattle off the number pi, so she waited. Slowly the words seemed to penetrate. Sid imagined this was what it must be like to watch chimps learn sign language.

  “The guys would love it if I brought back cupcakes.” Sid ran a hand over her face, ready to shake the shit out of the puppy. Until he leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “And I’ll see if Kinzie is up for dinner. Thanks, Sid.”

  Manny exited Dempsey’s like a man on a mission. About damn time. When she turned to Will, the woman was smiling.

  “That was a nice thing you did there.”

  “Yeah, well,” Sid said. “Curly isn’t the only one who gets to play fairy fucking godmother. Put the beer on my tab. I’ve got a garage to buy.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Lucas didn’t sleep well that night. He kept picturing Sid’s face. That calm expression, like nothing important was happening. Like she didn’t care if he left. When he did sleep, she heckled him in his dreams. Kissing him until he was on the brink of control, then walking away, laughing as if it had all been a joke. Once the laughter stopped, another scene came into focus.

  Sid was bent over the front of a car, her upper body hidden behind the raised hood. When he moved closer, the car disappeared to reveal Sid straddled over Manny.

  That one had jarred him awake somewhere around four a.m. He’d just gotten back to sleep when the overhead light filled the bedroom and blasted through his eyelids.

  “What the—”

  “Get up,” Joe said. “I need to talk to you.”

  Lucas pulled the pillow over his face. “What the hell time is it?”

  “Five thirty.”

  “Go away.” Nothing was so important it had to be discussed this early in the morning.

  “Come on.” Something heavy joined Lucas on the bed. Surely Joe was not climbing in with him.

  When he moved the pillow, a large, wet tongue slurped up his cheek and the foulest breath he’d ever smelt watered his eyes.

  “Get your damn mutt off of me.”

  “Dozer, sit.”

  The dog planted his ass on Lucas’s gut, hot breath still aimed at his face. “Fine.” Lucas pulled himself up until he leaned against the headboard. He brought the blanket with him as much as the boulder on his stomach would allow. “I’m assuming the house isn’t on fire so you better have a damn good reason for this early wake-up call.”

  Joe moved to the chair in the corner, an old rocker passed down through Patty’s family. “We need to settle some things before you go.”

  Three weeks and they’d barely had a conversation. Now he wanted to talk? “I won’t be leaving for hours. Can we do this after I’ve had a shower and coffee?”

  “I’ve got an early charter.” Joe rested a boot over one knee. “You’re not leaving because of the engagement, are you?”

  Lucas scrubbed his hands over his face. “No.” He didn’t see any need to elaborate. Best not to give opposing council anything to work with.

  “Beth believes the only reason you’d go back early is if they threatened you. Did you put your job on the line to come down here?”

  “No.”

  Joe stared but held his tongue. Damn it.

  “I was on leave before Dad had the heart attack. There was no reason I couldn’t come help. The firm had no problem with it at the time.”

  “At the time. But now?”

  Who knew Joe would be an expert interrogator?

  “Now, they want me on a case. Immediately. I tried to put them off, but they made it clear my tenure with the firm was at risk.” He crossed his arms over the blanket. “They left me no choice.”

  “There’s always a choice.” Joe tapped his boot. “Beth told you Sid loves you. She got the impression you didn’t believe her.”

  Lucas was still groggy enough to struggle with the sudden change in topic. “I’m sure Beth believes that, but she’s wrong. Sid made it clear yesterday that her heart is in no danger from me.” The words still rankled. He’d like to think the damage was to his pride, but the pain in his chest said otherwise.

  “I don’t know what Sid told you, but Beth isn’t wrong. Sid has been half in love with you since high school.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I’m still not sure how you never saw it,” he said, ignoring Lucas. “She went to every baseball game you played in. Waited for you by the bike stand every day after school, always hoping you’d notice her. And you never did.” Joe put the chair into motion. “Until now.”

  “By the time I was in high school, you were out on fishing boats full time. How would you know what Sid did or didn’t do?”

  “Some of us aren’t as blind as you are,” he said. “I went to your games. Picked you up on rainy days. What I didn’t see, Mom saw. Or Dad. But not you.”

  Lucas leaned his head against the cast-iron headboard. “High school is ancient history. A teenager’s crush doesn’t have anything to do with now. What’s the point of this, anyway? You don’t even like me. Shouldn’t you be happy to see Sid rid of me?”

  The chair stopped. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

  “Don’t approve then.” Joe had made it clear on more than one occasion how he felt about Lucas’s life choices.

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  Lucas shook his head. “What did you say?”

  “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about living away from here. You have every right to live wherever you want.”

  Maybe this was another weird dream. Any minute now, juggling clowns would march out of the closet and fill the room.

  “Why the sudden change of heart?” Lucas asked, not ready to accept the new brother sitting before him.

  “Beth has helped me see a lot of things.” His boot hit the floor and Joe lifted out of the chair. “A couple months ago, you woke me up and told me to stop being an idiot. To go after the woman I loved. I’m just trying to return the favor. Sometimes you have to be willing to give up what you think you want to get the thing you need.”

  He moved to the door and Dozer jumped off the bed to follow. Lucas could finally breathe again.

  “Either way, I hope you’ll be willing to stand up for me at the wedding. If not, I’ll understand.”

  Be the best man when his brother married his former fiancée? Lucas considered that twisted scenario, waiting for the bitterness to hit his tongue. All he tasted was morning breath.

  “I’d be honored.”

  “Good. Maybe someday I can return that favor too.”

  Then Joe turned off the light and was gone.

&nbs
p; The last of the rain and clouds cleared out overnight, leaving Anchor basking in sunshine and a warm, soft breeze. The day was perfect, which brought the tourists into the streets in droves. Lucas must have dodged ten bicycles by the time he hit the edge of the village.

  Saying good-bye to his parents had been tougher than he’d expected. Though his dad was looking better every day, there was still a fragility about him. The reality that his parents would not be around forever sat heavy on his chest, making him promise to come home more often.

  His bags had been packed the night before so there wasn’t much for him to do after Joe left. Going back to sleep wasn’t an option, what with his brain replaying Joe’s words and the lingering threat of more dreams about Sid. So she’d had a thing for him in high school. That was ten years ago.

  Though he did wonder how he’d missed the signs. Would he have cared if he knew? He tried to picture the Sid from high school. She’d been small. Quiet. At least around him. A memory teased at the back of his mind. A school dance. Bleachers. Lucas passed the wild horse pens on his left, and struggled to bring the memory into focus.

  There had been another kid. Dean Schnitzel. A jerk, Lucas remembered. No one was upset to see him move away in the middle of senior year. But Sid would have been a junior then. Why would he remember her with Dean Schnitzel?

  The scene came back to him. Dean and Sid under the bleachers. She was shoving him away, her shirt torn by the time Lucas interrupted them. How in the hell could he have forgotten that? He’d offered to give her a ride home, but fear and embarrassment shone in her brown eyes, illuminated by the field lights, before she’d run off without a word.

  He’d considered reporting Dean, but that would have put Sid in the spotlight. Let everyone know what had happened, and force her to face the questions and scrutiny of the island at large.

  So he’d let her go. Let her deal with the situation on her own. And Sid had done the same yesterday, run away after another asshole treated her like shit. Only this time, Lucas had been the asshole.