by Marie Force
Laura rested her hand on top of his much bigger one. “And new friends.”
His smile transformed his face. She wondered if he knew that. “That, too.” He cast his eyes down at their joined hands. “So, um, do you want to go to Abby’s party with me?” The question was asked with a hint of shyness and uncertainty that touched her.
“Sure, that would be fun.”
He seemed relieved that she’d agreed to go with him. “How’s the belly?”
“Much better. It always is after I get good and sick. I wish it didn’t wipe me out the way it does, though.”
“Why don’t you take a nap?”
“I need to get to work around here. Your grandparents didn’t hire me to nap the day away.”
“You’ve got all winter to get this place whipped into shape. Taking care of yourself and the baby is your top priority.”
“You won’t tell them I’m slacking?” she asked with a teasing smile.
He brought their linked hands to his lips and placed a tender kiss on the back of hers. “Your secret is safe with me.” Releasing her hand, he added, “Get some rest. The party is at six, so I’ll meet you downstairs a little before?”
“Sounds good.”
He got up and headed for the door.
“Owen?”
Turning back to her, he raised a brow.
“Thanks.”
“Any time, Princess.” Owen closed the door behind him. In the hallway, he leaned against the wall and let his head fall back as his eyes closed tight against the desire to rush back in there and take her in his arms, to show her how much he’d liked kissing her.
But he couldn’t do that. No, he had to keep his distance. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’d finally met a woman he could picture spending the rest of his life with, and she wasn’t available. It was comical, really. Mr. Footloose and Fancy-Free brought low by a woman he couldn’t have.
If you’d told him a month ago that he’d be rearranging his life to accommodate a woman who was married to another guy and pregnant with his kid, Owen would’ve laughed his ass off. Now he couldn’t conceive of a day that didn’t include her. Funny, huh?
“Freaking hilarious,” he muttered on his way downstairs.
As he landed in the lobby, the hotel’s main door opened, and Grace poked her head in. “Oh, hi, Owen. I knocked, but no one answered.”
“Come on in, Grace. What’s up?”
“I was wondering if Laura might be around.”
He glanced at the stairs. “She’s in her apartment on the third floor, but she’s not feeling too hot this morning.”
“Is it the baby?” Grace asked, full of concern.
Owen was surprised to realize Laura had told her new friends about the baby. He’d sort of liked that it was their little secret, which was ridiculous. It had nothing to do with him. “Morning sickness. She’s plagued with it.”
Grace winced. “That’s awful. I can come back later.”
“The worst of it’s over for today.” As if he were some sort of authority on the pattern of Laura McCarthy’s morning sickness. “She might welcome the company.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure she’d want to see you.” Because, of course, he was also an expert on what she might want. “Third floor to the right.”
“Thanks, Owen.”
Sputtering to himself, Owen went off to find his surfboard. He needed to expend some of the energy zinging through his veins before he did something really stupid.
Chapter 16
Grace headed up the stairs, hoping she wouldn’t be bothering Laura with her visit. She tapped on the door bearing the word “Manager” engraved on a gold plaque.
“Come in,” Laura called.
Grace stepped into the cozy apartment, where Laura was snuggled into bed and chatting on her cell phone.
Smiling, she waved Grace in and patted the bed in invitation.
For someone who’d dreamed all her life of having girlfriends like Laura, the warm welcome was a balm on Grace’s lonely soul. She sat on the other side of the bed and listened to Laura’s end of the conversation.
“How did you get talked into cohosting a party for Grant’s ex-girlfriend?”
When Grace realized Laura was talking to Stephanie, her eyes widened. She and Grant were hosting a party for his ex? Oh, that would be interesting.
“Grace just got here, and no, I don’t have any scoop yet.”
“Tell her I owe her fifty bucks,” Grace said, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.
With a shriek, Laura shared the news with Stephanie and put the phone on speaker so Grace could hear Stephanie’s answering shriek.
Grace laughed at their reaction. “What can I say? You were right about the McCarthy powers of persuasion.”
“I told you!” Stephanie said.
“Yes, you did.”
“So,” Laura said, “was it fabulous? And spare me any gory details involving my cousin.”
“Totally amazing.” That earned more shrieks. “But let me ask you… Is it weird that he was gone when I woke up?”
Laura’s smile faded a bit at that news. “Did he at least leave a note?”
“No, nothing.”
“Oh my God,” Stephanie said. “I’ll kill him!”
“Why?” Grace asked. “I’m sure he’ll call me later.”
Laura sent her a sympathetic look.
“He’s not going to call, Grace,” Stephanie said bluntly as she swore under her breath.
The fruit Grace had for breakfast was suddenly sitting like a brick in her stomach. “Why do you say that? Maybe he had somewhere to be.”
“He’s freaking out,” Stephanie said.
“And he’s running away,” Laura added. “Typical.”
Grace felt like she was watching a foreign language movie without the subtitles. “Would one of you please explain this to me? Because I don’t get it.”
Laura reached for Grace’s hand. “Honey, you must’ve blown him away. That’s the only possible reason for him acting like such an ass.”
“He hasn’t acted like an ass—yet,” Grace said.
“He acted like an ass the minute he left your room without a word to you,” Stephanie said. “Must be the day for McCarthy men acting like asses. His brother has a bad case of asshole-itis, too.”
Laura grimaced. “Uh-oh. What happened?”
“First of all,” Stephanie said, blowing out a deep breath, “we had a huge fight about the screenplay last night. I mean, is it possible that I know better than him what actually happened when my stepfather was accused of kidnapping and molesting me? Was he there? Noooo. You’d think he’d been right there for the whole thing, since he’s such a freaking expert about it all.”
“Yikes,” Laura said. “That sucks.”
“You know it. If I hear one more time, ‘But, honey, we have to take some artistic license with aspects of the story if we’re going to sell it to distributors,’ I’m going to freaking smack him. It’s my story, and either he’s going to tell it the way it happened, or he’s not going to tell it at all.”
“Um, didn’t you sell him the rights to the story?” Laura asked.
“I haven’t signed anything yet, and at this rate, I’m not going to.”
“How did you end up cohosting a party for his ex?” Grace asked.
“I mentioned to him yesterday, before we had the big fight, that someone ought to do something for Abby. One thing led to another…”
“That’s rather magnanimous of you,” Laura said, grinning at Grace.
“No kidding,” Stephanie muttered. “If I don’t kill him—and his brother—before the party, it’ll be a miracle.”
“Don’t kill Evan on my behalf,” Grace said. “He was very clear that he wasn’t interested in anything long-term.”
“I don’t care if he used the words ‘one-night stand,’” Stephanie said, “he still owed you more than waking up to an empty bed, especially after your firs
t time.” She paused before she added, “He did know it was your first time, didn’t he?”
“He figured it out.”
“Grrrr,” Stephanie said. “Lame.”
“She’s right,” Laura said. “He’s my cousin, and I love him dearly, but it was shitty of him to take the coward’s way out by leaving before you woke up.”
Grace felt like a balloon after all the air had been let out. She’d been sort of okay with what Evan had done until her friends spelled things out for her. “How sad is it that I’m so naïve I didn’t even know I should be mad until you pointed it out to me?”
“There’s nothing naïve about thinking the best of people,” Laura said with a kind smile.
“You guys are coming to the party,” Stephanie said. “I need reinforcements.”
“I’m not going,” Grace said. “This is Evan’s turf. It wouldn’t be fair for me to show up out of the blue at a party with his family if he’s not interested in seeing me again.”
“You did nothing wrong,” Stephanie said. “Why should you slink off like you have something to be ashamed about? If anyone should be ashamed, it’s him! If I have to help throw a party for my boyfriend’s ex, I can invite anyone I want to.”
“I want to be you when I grow up,” Grace said with a sigh.
“Me too,” Laura added.
Stephanie barked out a laugh. “You don’t need to be anyone other than who you are—either of you. You’re both perfect. Your choice in men, however…”
“Listen to her, all full of herself,” Laura said to Grace. “You should’ve seen her mooning over Grant before the ‘I love yous.’ It was downright pathetic.”
“That’s not nice,” Stephanie said.
Laughing, Laura said, “But it’s true!”
“Let’s talk about you and Owen,” Stephanie retorted.
Laura got very still all of a sudden. “What about him?”
“You’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind to miss the sparks between you two,” Stephanie said. “So what gives?”
“We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Grace?” Stephanie said. “Is she lying?”
Grace took a good long look at Laura. “She does have a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights look to her.”
Laura scowled playfully at Grace. “Traitor.”
“Spill it, sister,” Stephanie said. “What’s going?”
“My ex called last night. He got the divorce papers and was flipping out as if it was some big surprise to him that I want out. He says he won’t sign them now or ever.”
“Shit,” Stephanie said.
“I was upset after the call, and Owen was really great. We went out for pizza and played video games at the arcade. It was… It was fun. He makes me laugh when there’s absolutely nothing funny about my life right now.”
Grace let out a dreamy sigh that made Laura roll her eyes.
“And that’s all that happened?” Stephanie asked.
“You’re a pain in the ass,” Laura said, laughing at Stephanie’s persistence.
“Yes, I am. Now fess up.”
“When we got back to the hotel…he might’ve kissed me.”
Stephanie let out another unholy shriek. “I knew it!”
“Don’t get all excited,” Laura said. “I told him it can’t happen again.”
“Why?” Grace and Stephanie asked in stereo.
“Because! Technically, I’m still married to Justin and will be for God knows how long it takes him to sign the damned papers. And when he finds out about the baby…” Laura shuddered, as if she couldn’t bear to think about that.
“The guy cheated on you,” Stephanie reminded her.
“He says he never actually cheated.”
“Only because the woman he made the date with was a friend of yours seeing if he would keep the date,” Stephanie said. “Who knows what else he’s been up to?”
“Are you sorry you left Justin?” Grace asked, even though she wasn’t entirely comfortable asking her new friend such a personal question. But since she’d told them everything that’d happened with Evan, turnabout was fair play.
“No! I can’t even stand the sound of his voice after what he did.”
“Then why can’t you date Owen if your marriage is truly over?” Grace asked.
“Excellent question,” Stephanie said.
“It is truly over. I could never go back to him.” Laura fiddled with the blanket, flipping it back and forth between her fingers. “Owen doesn’t want the same things I do. He likes his life the way it is with no commitments or no obligations beyond the next gig. I’m going to have a baby. My whole life will be about commitments and obligations for the next eighteen years. Besides, what guy wants to be saddled with someone else’s kid?”
“Mac took to fatherhood like Thomas was his own child,” Stephanie said.
“That’s different. Mac was ready for a family. Owen doesn’t want a permanent address, let alone a baby that isn’t his.”
“Is it possible,” Grace said, “that what he wants might be changing?”
“A tiger doesn’t change his stripes overnight,” Laura said.
“That tiger looks at you like he wants to drag you back to his den and have his wicked way with you,” Stephanie said.
Grace nodded in agreement. “What she said.”
“You guys are crazy. Owen is totally happy with his life. There’s no point in talking about something that’s not going to happen.”
“Whatever you say, tiger,” Stephanie said skeptically. “I’ve got to get back to work. Can I count on you guys having my back tonight?”
“I’ll be there,” Laura said.
Grace thought about it for a moment and decided Stephanie was right. She hadn’t done anything with Evan that he hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed. There was no reason to avoid him, especially when someone she hoped would be a good friend in her new life was asking for help.
“Grace?” Stephanie said. “Come on, be a pal.”
“I’ll be there.” The words were out of Grace’s mouth before she could take any more time to ponder the implications.
“You can come with me and Owen,” Laura said.
“Bring that fifty,” Stephanie said, laughing as she ended the call.
Grace left the hotel and headed for the nearby ferry landing. Her leg muscles were tired and sore from the workout she’d put them through the night before, and her heart was heavy after her talk with the girls. She could no longer deny the implications of what Evan had done. He’d meant it when he said there couldn’t be anything more between them. Grace had to admit that she’d entertained the slightest hope that she might be the exception to his rule. Apparently, that was not the case.
It didn’t take years of experience to get that something significant had occurred in that hotel room last night, and knowing that she’d rocked him gave her a measure of satisfaction. If he was too much of a coward to face what’d transpired between them, she had no choice but to get on with her life and file away the experience as something special and magical to remember on lonely nights. That didn’t mean she wasn’t good and mad about him being a coward, though. While she wanted to nurture the anger, more than anything, she was disappointed when she thought of what could’ve been.
She approached the window where ferry tickets were sold.
“May I help you?” the woman working the counter asked.
“I need to speak to someone about moving household goods to the island.”
“That’d be Seamus O’Grady, our general manager. Let me see if he’s available.”
“Thank you.” While she waited, Grace studied the breakwater that formed the northern end of South Harbor. The surf crashing against the rocks sent spray high into the air. Off in the distance, she made out the hulking shape of the next ferry heading toward the island.
“Would you be the lass looking to move to our fair island?” a man asked in a lovely Irish accent.
Grace turned to him and caught herself b
efore she could let out a gasp. What was with the men on this island? To call him a redhead wouldn’t do him justice. His hair was a rich auburn, his eyes a startling green and his smile full of the devil. In short, he was positively dreamy, a word Grace hadn’t used since middle school when she was lusting after Trey. “Um, yes,” she said, giving her head a slight shake to regain her focus. “I’m the one looking to move.”
“Well, isn’t that fortunate for the single men of Gansett?” With a teasing grin, he added, “I call dibs.”
Oh my God, was he flirting with her? Grace wished she could press Pause, call Laura and get her over here to read the subtitles. She decided she could at least attempt to flirt right back. It was good practice. “How do you know I’m not married with five kids?”
Feigning shock, he rested his hand over his heart. “Are you?”
“No,” she said, laughing at his outrageousness.
With a wink, he said, “Thank God for that. Follow me, lass. We’ll get you squared away.”
Grace went with him into the ferry company’s main office, located across the parking lot from the ticket area. Once inside, he gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of a desk scattered with binders, coffee cups and stacks of paper. A khaki-colored Gansett Island Ferry Company ball cap sat on top of the disarray.
From one of the desk drawers, Seamus produced a form and walked her through the scheduling of a midsize moving truck on the ferry. “Nothing flammable like propane tanks, for example, can be packed in the truck,” he said, drawing her attention to the list of rules. He fired up his computer and scanned through a complicated-looking spreadsheet. “Next available date for a truck of that size is two weeks from today. You could bring it over in the morning and send it back the same evening. Would that work for you?”
Grace had already arranged to hire her college-aged brother to drive the truck and help her move in. “That’d be great.”
“It’s all yours, Gracie, my love.”
Yes, definitely flirting. She didn’t bother telling him that no one called her “Gracie,” but she liked how the dreaded nickname sounded coming from him.
