Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay)

by V. K. Sykes

  It was still a total Hail Mary pass, but Aiden was determined to try to put the ball in the air. “You’re right,” he said to his brother. “But money’s not everything.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Bram said.

  Aiden blew out an exasperated breath. “You know I’ve always been there for you, so stow that crap. Besides, you need to start getting realistic about this situation. If you and Dad keep pushing this deal to the bitter end, you two could end up getting nothing. If the dock proposal doesn’t pass, Bay Island will dump the whole idea.”

  “That’s a hell of a big if,” Bram said with pigheaded stubbornness, “because the vote’s going to pass. There aren’t enough dinosaurs left on the island to stop it.”

  Dinosaurs? Lily and Morgan were hardly dinosaurs, and from what Aiden had seen and heard, opposition to the car ferry and the development was hardly restricted to the island’s old fogies. Still, even Lily acknowledged that the vote was going to be close. “You’d better hope so, if you keep pinning all your hopes on this deal,” he said sharply.

  Bram kicked at the dirt, sending a spray over the bluff. “Hell, you know where they’d want to build the kind of resort you’re talking about.” He swept his right arm around in a circle. “Right here. On your land and probably some of mine, because of the cliffs and the view. Dad got the worst land out of Mom’s will, so nobody would want to use his for a resort. He’d be screwed, Aiden. We couldn’t do that to the old man.”

  Aiden couldn’t argue that point. At best, based on what he’d seen at Coastal Harmony, he figured an ecoresort might take a quarter or so of the combined acreage of the Flynn lands, relatively little of which would be on Sean’s property. “We’d have to see what we could do about that,” he acknowledged.

  He’d been thinking about an idea since he left Castine, but he wasn’t ready to voice it yet.

  Bram eyed him morosely. “So when are you going to hit Dad with this shit? You better give me plenty of warning so I can get off the island until the lava cools down.”

  “Soon. I wanted to know that you’re okay with it first.”

  “It doesn’t even matter what I think, because Dad’s committed to Bay Island, period.” Bram snorted. “So bro, you’re finally going to have to choose between your girlfriend and your family. Or are you going to keep pretending that nothing is happening between you two?”

  Though every muscle in his body tightened, Aiden forced himself not to react visibly. All he’d told his brother about the trip—and he hadn’t said a word to his father—was that he was giving Lily a birthday present. Those two would obviously draw their own conclusions, but he didn’t give a damn.

  “All the pressure I’m getting is coming from the old man and you,” Aiden said, “not from Lily and her people.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Aiden was determined not to throw fuel on the flames. “No matter what, I’m going to do everything I can to help you. Don’t ever forget that.” He blew out a heavy breath. “But brother, you’re sure not making it easy.”

  Bram studied him and then slowly shook his head. “That’s the problem, isn’t it, Aiden? This whole thing should have been dead easy for you. Sign on to the Bay Island deal and get on with your life. But no, you got yourself mixed up with the Doyles, and it all went for shit. No, bro, you’re the one who’s making it hard, not Dad and me.”

  When Lily gave a tap on her horn, Morgan pushed open the screen door and dashed across the porch of the old Victorian her father now ran as the Golden Sunset B&B. She quickly climbed into the Jeep.

  “Oh, man, you so didn’t get any sleep last night,” Morgan said, as Lily made a three-point turn out of the gravel driveway to get back onto the road. “I want every last detail, and I want it right now.”

  Lily hadn’t looked in a mirror since she’d left Coastal Harmony a few hours ago, but no doubt the bags under her eyes were appalling. She was running on coffee, adrenaline, and sizzling memories of the best night of her entire life. She hoped that combination could power her through the rest of the day.

  “My room was a bit noisy,” she said. “Those ecotourists are total party animals.”

  Morgan laughed. “You’re such a liar. I’m betting the maid didn’t have to lift a finger this morning in one of those rooms. Or did you cavort back and forth between the two? Come on, give me some color, girlfriend.”

  “You’re not going to leave me alone unless I reveal every salacious detail, are you?”

  Morgan tucked her flying blond locks back behind her ears. “Oh, you know how I crave salacious detail. It’s because I don’t generate nearly enough of it myself.”

  Lily could never quite get Morgan’s near-celibate lifestyle. Her friend was so gorgeous and smart and hip. But she always claimed that her teaching duties kept her far too preoccupied to do any serious dating, and even when she came back to Seashell Bay for the summer, she almost never went out with a guy. Like Lily, she looked at island men like brothers, and vacationers were almost always married.

  “All right then,” Lily said, “but you’ll have to settle for the synopsis right now because we’ll be at Saint Anne’s in a few minutes. And I am not going to be talking about what I did last night within sight of my church.”

  Morgan rubbed her hands gleefully. “Unless you’re in the confessional, of course.”

  After some of the things Lily and Aiden had done, a confession might just have been in order. Who knew that sex could be that… explosive. In Aiden’s arms, she’d come apart again and again. It was as if they both had been determined to make up for fourteen lost years in one spectacular night.

  Especially when that night might wind up being all she and Aiden ever had.

  Lily stuffed that awful thought as far back as it would go in her mind. She took the sweeping turn past the town trash transfer station onto Bay Street. As they descended the hill toward the landing, she took a couple of minutes to fill Morgan in on her dinner with Aiden, their walk to the dock, and their hurried trip back to his room. That was all she was going to say about sex with Aiden Flynn—for her own sake. Thinking about him made her want him more than ever, and wanting him would end up badly for her.

  “God, it sounds dreamy,” Morgan said. “But are you sure you’re going to be okay after all that?”

  Her pal, bless her, hadn’t tried to talk Lily out of the trip up the coast, even though Morgan regarded Aiden as far from trustworthy when it came to her BFF’s heart. Her protective instincts on Lily’s behalf were fierce.

  Lily pushed her eternally sliding sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose. “I sure hope so.” She wouldn’t sugarcoat the situation, because Morgan wouldn’t buy it, anyway. “I’m not under any illusions that Aiden’s going to stick around, though he did tell me he’d stay awhile longer to help out on the boat.”

  Morgan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Awhile longer?”

  Lily attempted a smile. “I’ll be grateful for anymore help I get from him. Aiden saved my ass this summer.”

  “I do have to give him credit for that, if nothing else.” Morgan’s acknowledgment was grudging.

  Lily swerved out to stay clear of Peggy Fogg. Evidently on her way to the Pot, Peggy was resplendent in her old-fashioned waitress uniform. She was riding her bike up the wrong side of the road, as usual.

  “You shouldn’t be too hard on Aiden,” Lily said after waving to Peggy. “He’s changing. I feel it more every time we’re together. He doesn’t hate the island anymore. Not like he used to, anyway.”

  Morgan rested her hand on Lily’s arm. “Honey, is that your analytical brain doing the talking or something farther south? I mean, it’s hard to think straight after a night like you just had, right? You probably need a little time to put things in perspective.”

  Lily slowed to make the turn into the church driveway. “What I know for sure is that Aiden’s comfortable on my boat now. Actually, I’d say he’s even happy there—and happy to be fishing with me.” She braked to a grinding stop
on the gravel, parking in between Jack Gallant’s ancient F-150 truck and Miss Annie’s golf cart, its rear cargo carrier loaded with three banana boxes strapped down by bungee cords. Lily shifted to face Morgan. “Do you understand how big a deal that is? This was a guy who could barely even look at a lobster boat when he moved away, and yet he sucked it up and honored his bet. To be able to put those horrible memories behind him and start to enjoy himself on the boat—with me—well, I don’t know how much more you can ask a man to change than that.”

  Morgan didn’t look convinced.

  “I’ll be all right,” Lily said, patting her hand. “No matter what, I’ll be all right. I promise.”

  Despite her brave words, she struggled to take in a full breath as she envisioned Aiden standing on the deck of the ferry, waving good-bye to her. She hated that image to the very depths of her soul.

  As they got out of the Jeep, Morgan said, “Did Aiden give you any hints about selling his land or not? People are dying to know.”

  “Not really,” she hedged.

  Morgan slipped an arm around Lily’s waist as they started to walk toward the church. “No skating allowed. Come on, give.”

  Lily came to a halt. “Okay, maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I think Aiden might not mind if the car ferry vote went down in flames. That way the Bay Island deal would fall apart of its own accord.”

  “Holy Jesus.” Morgan cast a sheepish glance up at the cross on top of the steeple. “Sorry, Lord.” Then she grinned at Lily. “But that would be pretty amazing if it was true.”

  Lily thought so too.

  “Still,” Morgan went on, “we both know that the old man will never stop trying to get his way. Not even if we win the vote.”

  Lily didn’t know if she should reveal anything about the possible ecotourism resort idea. It seemed like such a total long shot, and Aiden had been pretty closed-mouthed about it on the trip back home. But Morgan had been her best friend since they were little kids, and Lily knew she could trust her completely.

  “You’re right,” Lily said, “but Aiden seems interested in pursuing some other kind of development. Something I think almost everybody on the island could live with.”

  “Are you kidding me? What?”

  Even though they were already late for the meeting, Lily quickly told her friend the basics and swore her to secrecy.

  “That would be absolutely awesome,” Morgan said, “if it ever came to pass. My only worry at this point would be whether Aiden’s father would blast him with his shotgun for even proposing such a thing.”

  Lily winced. Though Morgan was obviously exaggerating for effect, she couldn’t help but worry how violently Sean might react.

  Morgan shook her head. “I’m afraid it sounds like a pipe dream to me.”

  Her friend was likely right, but Lily refused to give up all hope. “Maybe, but the first thing we have to do is get every last person out to vote against the car ferry. Otherwise, it may be too late even to dream.”

  Chapter 19

  Aiden didn’t feel much like drinking, but he didn’t feel much like being alone either—not after his fight with Bram. So he was sitting at the bar in the Lobster Pot, despite the fact that it was a beautiful, sunny day, nursing a beer and making sporadic conversation with bartender Kellen Dooley.

  The muted TVs carried the Red Sox and Rays game from Fenway Park in Boston. Aiden tried not to watch, but every once in a while he glanced up, falling into his bred-in-the-bone habit of analyzing every pitch and the batter’s reaction to it. To him, doing that was like breathing. Unconscious. Natural. Essential.

  Essential? He sure hoped it wasn’t essential or else he was good and screwed. It was looking as if the only time he would set foot on a major-league field again would be if he took a stadium tour.

  Stop watching the damn game.

  There was no point in wasting mental energy on that frustrating exercise when he should be focusing on how he could possibly make Lily’s ecotourism resort idea work. The first order of business was to make some phone calls, but that couldn’t happen until later tonight. Every guy he knew was playing that afternoon, like they did every Sunday afternoon from the beginning of April until at least the end of September.

  When his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, Aiden grabbed it and glanced at the call display. His pulse rate zoomed when his agent’s name popped up. After their last disappointing conversation, Aiden hadn’t been expecting a call anytime soon, and his expectations were pretty much rock bottom.

  “I guess you’re calling to tell me I can hit cleanup for a beer league team in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, right?” Aiden said, trying to make a joke out of the crappy situation.

  Paul chuckled. “Glad to see you’ve got some of your sense of humor back, buddy. But actually I can do a little better than that.”

  Aiden surged to his feet. He knew his agent’s code for breaking news. A little better was Paul-speak for something he was probably going to like. “Well, be still, my heart,” he said, heading for the door. “Hold on a sec, okay?”

  Though there were only a half-dozen people in the bar, he didn’t want to be overheard. “Go ahead, Paul. I’m outside.” He cut around to the side of the building. It was quiet there, with a spectacular view over the bay.

  “It’s Oakland, Aiden. The A’s are interested in signing you to a minor-league deal. They’ll assign you to their Triple-A club for now, but that’ll probably change. Sacramento’s regular left fielder went down for the season, and they see you as taking over there. Their assistant GM told me you’d likely be the first guy called up if one of their corner outfielders gets hurt.”

  Aiden’s mind slowed to a crawl as he tried to process the news. Despite anything positive he’d said to Lily or anybody else, he’d been pretty much convinced he’d never get an offer again, and this one had caught him off guard.

  “The money’s not bad—standard stuff for the situation.” Paul named a figure. When Aiden remained silent, he asked, “You still there, man?”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” Aiden said. “Just thinking.” Wondering what the hell to do. The offer was a long way from what he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a nightmare either. So why wasn’t he more excited about it? He’d been telling himself for weeks that this was what he wanted—what he needed.

  “Look, Aiden, I know it’s not a major-league deal, but it’s a pretty good opportunity. A chance to show you can still be a productive player.” Again Paul waited for Aiden’s reaction. When none came, he added, “I have to tell you I think this is the best we’re going to get, my friend.”

  “I hear you,” Aiden said.

  A minor-league contract was bordering on humiliation for a major-league veteran with Aiden’s years of service. Paul was right, though—it was an opportunity to prove he could still play and get back to the Show. Aiden liked the idea of playing in Oakland too, or even Sacramento if he got stuck there for a while. He’d given some thought about retiring to the Bay Area, and this might prove to be a good chance to give that part of the country a test run.

  But what were the chances that a longer-term opportunity with the major-league club would come to him, no matter how well he hit in the minors? He knew the A’s already had productive veteran outfielders, as well as a solid young prospect on a fast track to the Oakland Coliseum. Then again, if Aiden played well for the A’s, they might trade one of their current starters, or even the prospect, and hand a regular job to him.

  Was that enough of an incentive for him to take the offer?

  Christ. His emotions and thoughts pinwheeled all over the place, and yet he’d have to make a rational decision that would affect the entire course of his life.

  And then there’s Lily. When had she become such a big factor in his decision?

  “When do they need an answer?” he asked, breaking the fraught silence.

  Paul groaned. “They expect a call back by tomorrow. But what’s the holdup?”

  I need more time to
think—about everything. “I’m in the middle of a family emergency, Paul.” That actually wasn’t far from the truth. “Look, just say whatever the hell you need to, okay? Try to buy me at least a day or two.”

  His agent cursed under his breath. “They’re interested, but I’m not sure they’re that interested.”

  Aiden was operating purely on gut instinct. He didn’t want to blow the opportunity with the A’s, but damned if he was ready to jump at it instantly. “You won’t know unless you give it a shot.”

  “I don’t get it, Aiden. I really thought you’d go for this.”

  “And I might,” he shot back. “I’m just not in a position right now to snap my fingers and say yes. I’ve got a hell of a lot on my plate, Paul.”

  Paul heaved a sigh. “I thought all you had on your plate these days was a big, fat, juicy lobster tail. What the hell is going on down there on that godforsaken island, anyway?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Just let me know what the A’s say, and we’ll take it from there, okay?”

  “Fine, Aiden, but it would be a mistake to let this one go. Time’s not on your side.”

  The second she heard a crunch of gravel in her driveway, Lily set down her cup of coffee and bolted up from the kitchen table where she’d been balancing her checkbook. After Aiden told her he’d drop by this evening, she’d barely been able to think of anything else. Every time she passed by the bedroom, her addled mind envisioned the two of them sprawled all over each other in her antique, four-poster bed. If tonight went as she hoped it would, it would be the first time she’d shared that bed with a man. Lily was glad she’d saved that particular milestone for a night with Aiden.