by Terri Osburn
“Son of a bitch,” he said, and turned the wheel hard.
Sid couldn’t sit in the house. She kept seeing Lucas on the couch or at the stove. The bedroom was the worst. She’d given up by two in the morning and dragged a blanket out to the couch. Then she learned why they put infomercials on in the middle of the night. She’d been so tired, she actually considered buying a belt that claimed to create six-pack abs with electrical pulses.
The guy on the commercial had been wearing the thing while eating ice cream. In the light of day, it was crazy. At four a.m., the damn thing looked like a brilliant idea.
By eight she’d showered while naming every tool in her workshop in her head to keep from thinking about Lucas. By the time she got to hacksaw, she wanted to saw her own head off. Now she was strolling through her backyard, listening to the waves and watching the gulls dip down for breakfast.
Without thinking, she found herself on the pier, standing in the same spot Lucas had served her dinner. When she closed her eyes, she saw him stepping from behind the umbrella, tanned skin glowing in the morning sun. Lips wide in that grin that made her toes curl. She dropped down onto the boards and dangled her feet over the water.
The spray misted her bare feet, but the water felt good in the heat of the day. The movement of rain out of the area meant less humidity and a warm breeze. She closed her eyes and let the wind whip through her hair. A drop of water landed on her hand and only then did Sid realize she was crying.
Not the heavy sobs of the day before. This felt more like a cleansing. A mourning. Randy was right—Lucas had a choice, but she hadn’t let him know what all of his choices were. She never asked him to stay. Never told him how she really felt. Not that she believed that would have made a difference, but she couldn’t blame him for going when she practically put him on the ferry herself.
Still, the tears came. She didn’t have any tissues so she used the sleeve of her T-shirt. A new one she’d ordered online had arrived the day before. She was behind on laundry so she’d worn it. The phrase on this one, “The Universe abhors a vacuum … so don’t be a sucker,” seemed apropos somehow.
“Hey,” came a voice from behind her, then a warm body sat down at her side.
Sid blinked, certain she must be hallucinating.
“Hey,” she said, tentative. Waiting for Lucas to disappear.
He looked up at the sky. “Beautiful day.”
The weather? He was going to talk about the weather?
“Yeah.” She sat straight, her face turned away from him. Trying to be inconspicuous, she wiped a tear on her sleeve.
Silence prevailed, and Sid felt every muscle in her body tense. Why was he here?
“I stopped to say good-bye to Drillbit,” he said, as if reading her mind. “She told me you were out here.” She turned to see if he was serious and caught the grin. “I thought that might get your attention.”
Lucas wiped one of her tears away with his thumb, and Sid’s heart tried to fling itself out of her chest. “Why are you really here?” she asked, surprised she found the power to speak.
He looked out over the water. “I was heading for the ferry when I got this idea.”
“An idea?”
“Yeah. An idea. It involves you, so I thought I’d come over and run it by you.”
She’d thought any ideas involving her had ended yesterday. Her eyes dropped to her hands twisted in her lap. They were gripped tight enough to turn her fingers purple. “What’s the idea?”
Would he ask her to go with him? That had to be it. She was ready to scream yes when he said, “I’ve got one more challenge for you.”
Sid clamped her eyes shut. How stupid to think he’d take her with him.
“I don’t think I’m up for any more challenges.”
“That’s too bad,” he said, turning his body to face her. “This one could be a win-win for both of us.”
What was the man babbling on about? Why wouldn’t he just leave?
“Sid,” he said, and waited. Knowing he’d sit there forever until she turned, Sid gave in.
“What is it?”
He looked very serious and a little scared. Sid’s breathing slowed and the sound of waves and birds faded until she couldn’t hear anything but her own heartbeat and the man before her. “I was thinking about setting up a law office on the island, but I’ll need someplace to live. Do you think I could live here? With you? For the rest of my life?”
Sid sat blankly for a moment, processing what he’d just said.
Then she choked on the joy rushing through her system. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t breathe. If this was a joke, she’d kill him.
When she didn’t respond, Lucas scooted closer. “What do you say? Are you up to the challenge?”
“Fuck yes,” she said, and launched herself into his arms.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Anchor Island is a product of my imagination, but wholly inspired by Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The layout, street names, and even the weather are liberated from this tiny island at the base of the Outer Banks. So it goes, Dempsey’s Bar & Grill has a real counterpart as well. Howard’s Pub is one of the first establishments you’ll see as you drive into Ocracoke village. A lively restaurant with a friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, and food that will have you coming back for more. If Anchor and Dempsey’s sound like places you’d like to visit, I highly recommend scheduling your next vacation around this beautiful and historic area of the mid-Atlantic coast.
The heroine of this novel, Sid Navarro, is one of my favorite characters. She’s brash and confrontational, but still vulnerable and sweet. Though she’d be quite put out to know I called her sweet. Sid sports an interesting wardrobe, and all of her (somewhat inappropriate) T-shirts can be added to your own closet if you look hard enough.
No author gets to this point alone, and I am no exception. My agent, Nalini Akolekar, is always in my corner and I cannot thank her enough. My editors, Kelli and Becky, helped me make this book the best it could be, and my beta readers (Marnee, Jeanne, Maureen, and Lynnette) are always a source of great insight and support. That said, any imperfections in this book are solely mine.
My daughter gives up much for me to pursue this endeavor, and for that I will always be grateful. The pets are not as understanding, but they try.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Crystal Huffman
Born in the Ohio Valley, Terri moved below the Mason-Dixon line in the early 1990s after experiencing three blizzards in eighteen months. Seeking warmer climes and a career in the music business, she landed in Nashville and learned fast that getting a job on Music Row is not as easy as it sounds. Ironically, it wasn’t until she left Nashville and moved to Arkansas that she found her way into radio. Being a disc jockey was the perfect job for this extrovert, being paid to talk for several hours a day, listen to endless amounts of music, and if a listener changed the channel (rejection!), she had no idea. Looking for a change, Terri moved to the East Coast, settled near the ocean, earned her bachelor’s degree while raising a daughter, and joined cubicle land once again. But love of the written word pulled her into an amazing online romance community and she started putting words on the page. Five years later, in 2012, she was named a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest. Shortly after, she signed with an agent and moved into publication. Meant to Be was her debut novel. As for hidden talents, she makes a killer lasagna.
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