Don't Let Go (Hope Harbor Book 3)

by Ann B. Harrison

  “Ah, no. I was hoping to catch up with Aggie, actually. She is home, isn’t she?”

  Atticus smoothed down his moustache and smiled. “As a matter of fact, she is. Let me go and get her for you.” He turned away and walked down the hallway, peeking at Liam over his shoulder before he tapped on a bedroom door. “Aggie, you have a visitor.”

  “Who?” She brushed past her father and came into the living room, pulling up short when she saw him, pleasure then confusion on her face. “Liam? What’re you doing here?”

  All the reasons why he shouldn’t be doing this raced through his mind. It felt sick to celebrate the death of a man from natural causes. But he needed to talk to someone and she was the obvious choice. “I got the report today. The coroner called me directly.”

  Her eyes widened and she reached out a hand to touch his arm. “And?”

  “Brain aneurysm. There wasn’t anything I could’ve done.”

  She breathed out a heavy sigh. “That’s gotta be tough. I mean, you didn’t want to be at fault, but at the end of the day, the poor guy is still dead.”

  She understood. Liam loved her even more. “Yeah. You see my predicament.” He rubbed his hands together and winced at what he was about to say. “So as much as I want to celebrate the fact that I wasn’t to blame, I don’t want to come across as callous, but I don’t want to be alone with this either.”

  “Can you celebrate the fact that he didn’t suffer? He didn’t, did he?” Her eyes clouded over with worry.

  “No. It would’ve been instant.”

  “Nothing wrong with being relieved, Liam. Pretty sure the family will also feel a certain sense of ease to know you did everything you could.” Atticus came back into the living room and perched on the arm of the couch. “I would’ve been terrified waiting for that news.”

  Aggie gave him a soft smile. “He was, Dad. Became my assistant baker just to give himself something to do to keep his mind off things.”

  Atticus nodded in Liam’s direction. “Is that so? Well, I’ll leave you two young ones to chat. I’m going for a walk down to the shop for a newspaper. Catch you around sometime, Liam. Aggie, if you’re staying out late, you know where the key is. See you tomorrow.” He walked out before either of them could say a word.

  * * *

  “That wasn’t awkward.” Aggie saw the twitching of Liam’s lips and chose to ignore it.

  “Would you like to come and celebrate with me, Aggie? I need to share time with someone who understands.”

  She stared at him, trying to find a way to say no, but something in his eyes pulled at her. As if he was coming out of a dark place, a place she knew well.

  What could it hurt? She had the night off, and they were friends after all. “What did you have in mind?”

  The shadows flickered away as a smile curved his lips. Lips that she’d had over every inch of her body. Don’t go there now. Just don’t.

  “I thought maybe we could grill a couple of steaks and enjoy a quiet evening on my back lawn. Share a bottle of wine. Talk like old friends in a place we were both comfortable growing up. Maybe reminisce about the days we spent with my grandmother, our time at the beach. Whatever you like.”

  “Is that all?” Sure, Liam.

  “Depends. I’m open to some good conversation, a joke or two to lighten the mood. Heck, I’ll even be happy to watch a movie if that’s what you want to do. I just want to spend time with you.”

  “Because you got the report that clears you?” She had to make sure of his feelings even though it was already too late to put a halt on her own.

  “Yes. And I like you as a friend. Isn’t that enough for now?”

  She stared at him, took in the slight flickering of his right eyelid, the one that showed when he was nervous. She loved that about him. He might come across as confident and wise, but he was still the boy she grew up with who couldn’t bear to be the reason why anything went wrong. He was the most honest guy she knew, so why couldn’t she believe him when he said her assault would never change his feelings for her?

  She tossed that over in the back of her mind every single hour. Still no answer came to mind to give her comfort.

  “Give me five.” Aggie ran back to her room and found something comfortable to wear. As much as she loved her old yoga pants and sweat top, there was no way in hell she’d wear them out of the house. Besides, she had the urge to look like a woman tonight.

  She flipped through the clothes in her wardrobe and pulled out a peasant top in rich greens and a pair of faded but comfortable jeans. She paired them with a pair of casual loafers and a spritz of soft perfume over her throat. She even put on a pair of earrings. Her mood was so much better now. The freedom she’d gotten from training twice now with Ben and the other women, plus hearing Liam’s news, made her heart lighter than it’d been for ages. Tonight she was going to enjoy herself and be the friend he needed. Just like old times.

  Chapter 18

  Smoke filled the backyard and Liam waved his hand, trying to disperse it. “I think I should’ve taken you out to dinner. This is getting messy. Seems my grilling skills are lacking.”

  Aggie laughed, a sound he didn’t hear very often. “It’ll keep the mosquitos away, if nothing else. Besides, I like smoked meat.”

  Liam turned the steaks and put the lid down again. He strolled over to the table and picked up his glass of wine. “I can’t believe this last week. I thought it would never end.”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  The tone of her voice made him shudder. How could he have been so insensitive? If he could take away what happened to her, he would. But instead he was left with such unimaginable guilt that he hadn’t been there for her.

  It was something he couldn’t seem to get over, and not being able to help her now didn’t make it any better. Maybe he was the one who should be talking to Bradley. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound like I’ve had it worse than you. I was making conversation.”

  Aggie put her glass down and leaned forward in the chair, clasping her hands in front of her. “How about we make a deal? You forget what I told you. Let’s pretend that conversation never happened. Then you won’t have to keep apologizing for everything you say.”

  “If that’s the way you want it. But before we do that, how about we have it all out in the open, then I promise I won’t bring it up again?”

  She threw her hands up, and her laugh this time was cynical—all traces of humor had gone. “Why? Why can’t we just leave it the hell alone, Liam? Why do you feel the need to go over it?” She tucked her feet under her body. “It won’t change anything. No matter what you say, it won’t take away what happened. I have to live with it every single day so how about we just drop it?”

  “No. I want to make you see it doesn’t matter.”

  “And talking about it will do what exactly?”

  “How about make you realize that it wasn’t your fault? That the guy who did it would’ve attacked anyone because that was the way his mind worked that night. That you don’t have to live your life locked away from what you want because you’re punishing yourself for what he did. How about that to start with?”

  She jumped up, knocking over her glass in her hurry. White wine spilled over the table but neither of them cared. “How about we just leave it alone, Liam? You said you wanted to have dinner with a friend, not stir things up with me. If this is all you’re going to do, we won’t be repeating the evening. I can tell you that now for free.”

  Liam pushed himself out of his chair and grabbed her arm to stop her bolting away. “I’m sorry. Really, I am.”

  She looked up at him, hurt in her eyes. “I thought I could trust you.”

  He shook his head, sorry he was such a fool to bring it up again. But Liam had thought talking about it would help. “You can. I’m really sorry. I thought if I could make you understand that I don’t believe you’re second-hand goods or that I know you didn’t deserve what happened, maybe we could move forward, nurtu
re a relationship. I’m not ready to give up on that, Aggie.” He touched his forehead to hers. “You need to let go and enjoy life. And I want that to be with me.”

  “I can’t. I’d love to, but something keeps holding me back. I’m sorry.”

  Liam rubbed a hand over her back, and she relaxed into his chest. “We’ll deal with it then. Forgive me for being such a fool. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She shrugged but didn’t say anything.

  “Hey. Want to help me make a salad before the steaks are burned?” He felt her relax more and gave himself a mental slap. Bradley had said to prove to her that he was genuine. He’d never said anything about making her face up to her fears. Good move, Liam. Good move.

  By the time the steaks were done, Aggie seemed to have forgiven him. “That was good, despite the burned edges.” Aggie pushed her plate away and reached for her glass. She held it between her hands and stared at the stars overhead. “It’s so pretty here. You were lucky to get this cottage, Liam. I’ve always loved it.”

  He gazed out over the back yard at the small garden. He’d grown up spending his holidays here, and when his grandmother passed away, his parents had rented it out for holidays before putting it on the market. They hadn’t even thought he’d be interested in buying it, considering his job at the time was in Seattle. They hadn’t known he was keen to make the move back to Hope Island until Drew offered him the job. Everything had fallen into place once he’d signed on the dotted line and collected the keys.

  A patient who was a keen gardener kept the yard looking good for him. The cottage was on the outskirts of town, slightly above the houses in front of it.

  “Yes, I was fortunate to get it.”

  Her head turned and she stared at him. “That sounded ominous. I sense a but in there.”

  “Not meant to be, but I’d like more one day—a family of my own. Watching Drew get married brought it all home. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want to live alone forever.”

  “I can’t see that happening, Liam. You’d make a great husband and father with the right person.”

  “But I’m only interested in one girl.”

  * * *

  He stared at her with his heart in his eyes.

  “Don’t go there. If that is what you want to talk about, I’m outta here.” She wouldn’t let him railroad her again, no matter how much she wanted to believe that everything would be all right between them.

  “Sorry. You can’t blame a guy for trying. Hey.” He swiveled around to face her, his smile full of excitement. “Guess what I have in the freezer?”

  “A body?”

  His shoulders dropped and Aggie giggled.

  “Seriously? Are you ever going to let that go?” It’d been the standing joke ever since Liam had entered medical school and had an early aversion to dissecting cadavers. Luckily it was something he’d outgrown, because it was a necessary part of training. “And yes, maybe I do.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and she giggled again.

  “I have homemade honey ice cream from a very satisfied patient. We could cover it in chocolate sprinkles and pig out in front of a movie. What do you say?” Ice cream dipped in sprinkles had always been her favorite growing up, and Liam had never forgotten.

  “Well, since you make it hard for a girl to refuse, thank you. Make mine a big serving. I feel the need to make the most of it.” Aggie helped clear their plates and load them into the dishwasher while Liam pulled the ice cream from the freezer. He held the door open wide enough for her to see there was no body inside.

  “Smart ass.” She nudged him with her hip and he slid his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her lips. She froze, her emotions tumbling through her stomach. He let her go. Aggie lifted her fingers to her lips and touched them, the zing of his kiss still on the surface. She walked over to the lounge windows and looked out, not seeing a thing. Aggie glanced over her shoulder and watched him spooning ice cream into bowls, marveling at the effect he had on her.

  “Is this enough for you?” He turned to her, a bowl held out. Liam’s eyes widened and he put it on the counter. “Aggie. Are you okay?”

  She blinked and stared at him. “I guess.”

  He stepped up to her, his face inches away as he stared into her eyes. “Was it something I did?”

  Before she could reply, his lips touched hers and his hand went around the back of her head.

  Aggie sighed into his mouth and slid her arms around his waist, feeling the heat of his body against hers. She pressed her tongue between his lips and explored his mouth, hungry for something to hold onto, something to make her feel normal again, even if only for a moment.

  Liam took everything she had to offer, bringing out the passion she’d kept under lock and key. With him she could be wanton and take what she needed. She could feel almost normal and needed. Not dirty or used. But she also felt mean for leading him on when this wouldn’t going to work. He wanted more than she felt comfortable giving him. Once the passion died off, her fears would be realized. He’d overthink her past, try to make her feel better, and end up making things worse.

  Aggie pulled away reluctantly and took a few breaths. “Sorry. We shouldn’t have done that.” She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away. She had to get a hold of her emotions and not let him derail her.

  “You okay?” Genuine concern, not condemnation, resounded in his voice. He wasn’t going to give her a lecture or insist on more. Liam wasn’t like that.

  She plastered a smile on her face and turned back to him. “Yes, fine, thanks.” Aggie pointed to the ice cream dish. “Is that mine?”

  Liam handed it to her and then took a packet of chocolate sprinkles from the cupboard, holding them out.

  Aggie took them and covered her dessert. Perhaps he was better for her self-esteem than she’d thought.

  Chapter 19

  Aggie stumbled out to the living room and glanced at the clock. Great. She had a couple of hours before she had to head to work. The sun was still shining on the water so she made a cup of coffee and padded out to the front deck to enjoy the last of its warmth. When she opened the door, a bouquet of flowers sat at the top of the stairs.

  She pulled the envelope off them, knowing who they were from before she opened it.

  Aggie, Because you deserve your own flowers. Thank you for last night. Xoxo, Liam

  She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Aggie picked up the bouquet and carried it inside to put on the table.

  “Oh, how lovely. Are they for you? Who’re they from?” Gigi floated into the room, her usual bright caftan flying behind her.

  “Yes and I’m sure you already know, Gigi.” Aggie put her nose into the blooms and sniffed.

  “Such a lovely boy. You could do much worse, you know.” She put a hand on Aggie’s arm and Aggie saw the paint on her aunt’s fingers.

  “Been working, I see.” Anything to change the subject.

  “Yes. Finishing off one for Drew and April. I wanted it done before they get home tomorrow, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “Oh, crap. That came around fast. It’ll be good to see them.”

  “It will. It’s been chaos with me living at the house looking after the children, and my time isn’t my own, but I don’t mind. I’ll probably miss babysitting them, to tell the truth.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll still get to play great aunt. With April working so much, she’ll need your help.”

  “Especially with the new baby on the way.” Gigi smiled and turned to get a glass of water.

  “You knew?” Aggie had been sure they weren’t telling anyone until they got back from the honeymoon.

  “Your father guessed, actually. He said she had that glow about her and now you’ve just confirmed it. But don’t worry; I won’t tell her we know.”

  Aggie sighed in relief. “Good. Because they wanted to make sure the prenancy was okay before we all got excited. You know, with what happened to Mom and all. She
doesn’t want anyone panicking and hovering over her for the whole pregnancy.”

  “I gathered that, honey. But in the meantime, I’ll use my enthusiasm to get excited over you and Liam. It sounds as if you’re weakening where he’s concerned.”

  How come she couldn’t get anyone to believe her? “We’re friends, Gigi, and that’s all. Don’t go getting all worked up over it.”

  “I hate to state the obvious, darling, but after your dance together and the bouquet catching, well, you can hardly blame me for hoping.”

  “Nope. Friends. That’s it.”

  “If you say so, my darling. But he is the perfect man for you.”

  Aggie shook her head and walked outside, shutting the door between her and her well-meaning but nosy aunt. Bless the woman, she’d helped her father bring them all up after her mother died, suddenly leaving him with twin newborns and three toddlers, but that didn’t make her an expert on love, more was too bad. Still, her common sense couldn’t be faulted. Most of the time anyway.

  Gigi hid her affair because she probably thought they couldn’t handle her having a life of her own. As if they were going to get upset because she wanted her own love life after everything she’d done for them. But what did her aunt know about love and loss when she’d spent all her adult life helping her brother raise his family instead of focusing on herself? Not as much as Aggie did.

  She leaned on the front deck railing and stared at the ocean. The Hope Island ferry pulled into the wharf on its final crossing of the night. Barely a handful of passengers got off and that suited her fine. The fewer strangers around town, the better for her nerves.

  Even after all this time, Aggie still worried when someone came out of the shadows, or a stranger bumped into her in the supermarket. Her training with Ben was helping while she was at the class but after she went home, that confidence more often than not flew out the window. Three classes down, seven to go. She might think about taking it again if it was offered. Aggie was terrified that if it came down to it and she was attacked, she’d forget everything Ben had taught her.