by Jessica Ames
Alex brought me to The Lighthouse to get some Dutch courage before I head over to Loretta’s cottage. Mace is meeting me there.
“Well, I guess I understand that,” Alex finally says, “but you know Mace is going to go off the deep end, right?”
I sigh. Mace adored his sister; he’s not going to be happy I’m moving on.
“I can’t live my life based on what everyone else wants.”
“You can’t,” Alex agrees. “I’m just saying be prepared for backlash.”
“Yeah, I will be.” I drain the last of my pint and stand. “Wish me luck.”
“I’m not going to wish you anything. You’re not doing anything wrong, so you don’t need luck. I will come with you, however, if you need me to. I will happily punch his lights out if required.”
His words make my brows draw together. “What’s going on with you pair? You’ve been grouching at each other for weeks and why would you happily punch his lights out?”
“Because he’s a dick.”
Mason can be a dick (as can Alex) but he’s also a good man—and he was always a good brother to Mara. He does a good job on the boat as a deckhand.
“Okay, something is going on. What is it?”
Alex gives me a petulant glare before he rolls his eyes. “He’s been asking around the markets about buying a trawler.”
This makes me jolt in my seat. “Come again?”
“Jacob Lamfrey said he’d been and looked at one for sale down in Portsmouth a couple of months back. I didn’t think too much of it until I heard from Corin Mann that he’d asked about his dad’s boat. He’s thinking about jumping ship. Mutinous bastard. And when I asked him about it he told me to mind my own business.”
While I can’t pretend this news thrills me, I’m also not wholly surprised by it. Mace is always pushing for more responsibility on the boat; honestly, he should have been made first mate years ago. Alex part owning the boat put a stop to that though; he was happy to take first mate while I took the captain’s seat. And I was more than happy to take charge, given how irresponsible Alex can be sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, he’s good at his job, but he’s not cut out to lead, and he recognised that himself.
But Mace considering striking out on his own really shouldn’t be news to either of us. It was inevitable. Clearly, Alex is taking it personally.
“Well, he might decide to go after I unveil my news.”
He shakes his head. “If he does he’s an idiot.”
“He’s just ambitious, Alex. He wants to make his own mark, and I can respect that.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t. It’ll leave us right in the shit in the middle of the season.”
“It will, but we’ll figure it out.” And we will. We can’t make Mace stay if he wants to go and I wouldn’t either. “I better head off,” I tell him.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to punch him? It wouldn’t be a hardship.”
I head over to Loretta’s cottage, my hands dug deep in my coat pockets. It’s chilly tonight and I can feel the spring hasn’t quite made way for the summer yet. But the island is still, as ever, beautiful. I can’t wait to show Sadie the beaches and coves, and all the things that make Kildirk stunning. But first I have to survive this meeting. Hopefully, he won’t roll me off the dock into the sea.
Loretta’s porch light is on as I approach and as I knock I’m hit with a powerful flashback of doing this when me and Mara were younger. Many days were spent in Loretta’s house over the years and I have a lot of good memories. In many respects, Loretta is like my second mother. Maybe my third, because I’m sure my aunt would lose her mind if I said that.
The door opens and light from the hallway has me blinking. Loretta smiles at me, although it’s a smile that doesn’t touch her eyes. Her smiles rarely do since the death of her husband and then her daughter.
I steel myself mentally for what I’m about to do as I lean down and kiss her cheek.
“Evening.”
“Come in out the cold,” Loretta tells me, ushering me towards the kitchen, the main hub of the Coleman household. There’s a huge Aga style cooker that Mara and me used to sit by in the colder months and I can’t help but smile at that memory. My smile quickly fades as Mace pushes up from the old oak dining table and gives me a back-slapping hug.
“Can I get you a coffee, Callum?”
I shake my head at Loretta. Probably not the best idea to give them ammunition to throw at me.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Loretta gestures for me to take a seat at the table, which I do. I cast a glance at Mace before bringing my gaze back to Loretta.
“I’m just going to get right to the point of this visit,” I tell both of them while rubbing the back of my neck. “I didn’t want you to find out from anyone else and I wanted you to hear it from me.”
I dip my tongue out to moisten my lips.
“Hear what?” Mace presses when I don’t say anything more.
Here goes nothing…
“I’ve met someone.”
Loretta’s eyes flare wide before her brows contract. The emotion on her face is gut wrenching. Shit, maybe I shouldn’t do this. But then I think about Sadie and the life I could have with her and it’s worth the short term hurt it will cause.
When no one says anything, I add, “I just thought you should both know.”
“You’ve met someone?” Loretta says softly. “A woman?”
I nod, casting a glance at Mace who has neither spoken nor acknowledged my words. His face is painfully and concerningly blank.
“She’s from London, and she’s amazing. I want to bring her here but I didn’t want to blindside you both.”
Loretta lets out a sad breath. “I knew this day would come eventually. It’s not good for you to be on your own forever, darling boy. I’m not going to pretend it’s not hard or painful to hear you are moving on because it’s always going to make me think about my girl, but you can’t stay wedded to the past, son. You have to make a life for yourself.”
Relief floods me at her words. “Thank you, Loretta. And I want you to know I will never not have Mara in my heart. She’s a part of me, no matter what, but I think I can be happy again with Sadie, and I want to try.”
“Then you need to try.”
I turn to Mace who still hasn’t said anything or moved. “Mason?”
His eyes slide towards my face, and then his fist lashes out.
38
Sadie
“Mel?”
My second-in-command, right hand woman and all-round personal saviour pops her head around my office door.
“You called?”
I shake the list I’ve been staring at for the past five minutes in her direction. I’m definitely hallucinating. There is no way in hell I can’t be because if I’m not somebody in this building needs to burn in the ninth circle of hell. Immediately.
“Why is Richard on the plus one guest list for the gala?”
It was on my desk when I arrived at work this morning. Plus ones are the last to be confirmed and their names are given more as a courtesy so we can make the place cards. I was flicking through the list absently, not really focused on it when I saw his name and my heart nearly stopped.
Mel blanches and then winces—both of which tell me she knew he was and yet failed to tell me.
“Yeah, about that… I meant to talk to you about it yesterday but you left before I could.”
I blink at her and then shake the paper at her again as she slips into my office, shutting the door behind her. Probably so the rest of the team don’t hear me lose my shit, which is definitely about to happen.
“Why is he on the list?”
I have no clue why my ex-fiancé would be on a guest list for a gala being hosted by the company I have shares in, that is owned by my stepfather and my mother and that he has absolutely no reason to be near.
Mel’s gaze goes towards the ceiling as she takes a deep breath.
“Oh, Lord.”
“What does that mean? Why’s he on this list?”
She’s not giving me answers, which is both annoying and concerning. Why isn’t she just explaining why the man who told me ten minutes before I was supposed to marry him that he was done with me is on this list?
Finally, Mel lets out a long drawn out breath.
“He’s a plus one for Davenshore’s.”
Davenshore’s is one of our main clients and its CEO, Frank, also happens to be an investor and member of our company’s board. I don’t have a clue how Frank knows Richard. They don’t exactly run in the same circles.
“Frank Davenshore is bringing my ex as his plus one?”
“Not Frank.” She winces. “Karen.”
I wrack my brain for a Karen and finally realise the only Karen I can think of is Karen Hendry, who heads the company’s operations. She’s never come to a gala before.
“Karen is bringing Richard to the gala?”
“Apparently they’re sort of seeing each other.”
I blink at her words as they settle over me. Richard is seeing Karen?
“I saw him a few months ago in a restaurant with a woman who was most definitely not Karen Hendry.” What a total bastard. “So, is he just trying out a host of different women since he shook off the ball and chain or is he cheating on her?” Mel opens her mouth to answer and I hold a hand up, silencing her. “Actually, don’t. I don’t think I want to know. In fact, I don’t think I care enough to know.”
Although I do care. This event is going to be stressful enough without having to deal with my idiot ex.
“What do you want me to do?”
I stare at his name, immortalised on this stupid guest list.
“Hire a hit man?”
She snorts then sobers. “You’re not being serious, are you?”
A little but I shake my head. “Of course not. There’s nothing we can do. Davenshore’s is a huge client, not to mention an investor here. I throw my weight around with this one it’ll cause a heap of shit for Henry and the business.”
The sympathy in Mel’s expression annoys me a little, but I’m rational enough—just about—to know my anger is not directed at her. What in the hell is Richard thinking by coming to the gala? Unfortunately, I suspect it is because he wants to rub my face in how much he’s moved on.
I sigh. “It is what it is. Just make sure you seat him at the other end of the room from me. In fact, in the next room would be preferable.”
“I’m sorry,” she says to me, and I wave away her apology.
“Don’t be; this isn’t your fault.”
I hate that he’s worming his way into things that are mine, not his. This is my world, my event, my family. Why he has to be there, I have no idea. How he can have the audacity to turn up at it, I also don’t know but Richard is arrogant as hell; he probably doesn’t think it would be inappropriate to come to an event arranged by his ex-fiancée with his new woman in tow. It probably wouldn’t enter his tiny little brain that it could be difficult for me. I’m not entirely sure he cares anyway, to be honest.
My mobile phone starts to ring and I lower my gaze to it. CALLUM CALLING. Even despite my mood my spirits lift a little.
“I have to take this. Make sure he and Karen are the other end of the room when you do the seating plan.”
“Will do.”
As she shuts the door behind her, I swipe across the screen and answer the call.
“Hey,” I say into the phone.
“Hey, babe.”
I smile at his words which are fuzzy through what sounds like a hell of a wind storm.
“It sounds like it’s blowing a gale.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty breezy, but we’re doing okay. We’ve had one haul already and we’ve just stopped for lunch before we head out to look for another.”
“That’s great. Hopefully you get some bites this afternoon.”
“How’s your day?”
“Busy.” Frustrating. I glance down at the plus one list. “I need to finalise the guest list for the gala. Do you think you can make it?”
He lets out a breath. “I will be there, with bells and whistles. I’m looking forward to it.”
This makes me full on guffaw. “First off… bells and whistles? Like a Morris dancer?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Morris dancer.”
“I don’t think I have either actually.”
“And secondly?”
“You can’t be looking forward to it. I’m not even looking forward to it.” Especially now that I know Richard is going. The last thing any girl wants is her current boyfriend in the same room as her ex.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with you, and getting to see you in your dress.”
Despite my mood, I grin. “I knew there was an ulterior motive.”
“It’s not ulterior,” he says and I can hear the humour in his tone. “I really do want to see you in it.”
“I feel the same about seeing you in a suit.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited. I only own one and the last time I wore it was four and a half years ago at Haley’s wedding.” He pulls away from the mouthpiece and mutters something I can’t make out before he comes back on the line. “Babe, I’ve got to get back to it; we still have a shit ton of fish to catch before we can head back to port. I’ll speak to you later.”
“You be safe.”
“Always. Have a good day.”
He hangs up and I can’t help but think it’s probably a bad thing Cal is going to the gala because he may see how much of a psycho I am when I throttle my ex.
39
Callum
I end the call with Sadie and I can’t help but smile. She’s a bright spark in an otherwise dark day, and it has been dark. Mace turned up this morning, which surprised the hell out of me, but he hasn’t spoken more than two words to me—or anyone else for that matter—all day. In fact, I suspect he’s only here because he needs the money, especially if he is doing as Alex thinks and looking to buy a trawler and go at it alone.
I tried to clear the air straight away this morning, even though I’m pretty sure he is in the wrong here. He’s not the one with an almighty shiner—a shiner I have no fucking idea how to explain to Sadie when I see her tomorrow for the gala, and I’m going to have to tell her what happened because no way am I lying about it after that freak out she had in London over my white lie. The problem is I don’t want her to feel bad about this. Mace was in the wrong; he should not have hit me, but I don’t know what Sadie’s reaction will be to my getting slugged.
For now, my black eye is at the bottom of a list of other problems—including what the hell to do about Mace. I hate that the guy is annoyed at me, but I can’t fix that. I do feel bad for the others though because the atmosphere on the boat has been tense and unpleasant. Tanner and Alex are used to Mace being an ass. Usually though it’s him and Alex going at it—not me.
For my own sanity, and because I needed my crew out in the water, I haven’t told anyone my black eye is courtesy of Mace. I don’t have time for the shit fit Alex will pitch. We need to fill the fish tank and get the hell back to shore before the dusk comes in, and we’re running out of daylight as it is.
I slip my mobile into the zip pocket on my thick jacket and head out onto the deck. Mace and Tanner are at the lines, staring into the water.
“Okay, let’s get baited up and get started.”
“Fuck you, Cal.”
It’s the first thing Mace has uttered all day, and it’s laced with so much venom I actually consider if I might have a real mutiny on my hands here.
“What?”
He turns from the rail and glares at me. “Fuck you.”
“Mace—”
I barely get his name out before he’s eaten up the space between us and has me by the front of my coat. Mace is a huge guy compared to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hardly a shrimp myself, but he’s over six foot two and I’m barely five-ten, meaning he t
owers over me.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to take his shit though. Yeah, I’m not a pushover, and he knows it. So as soon as my back slams against the chest lockers on the deck, I fight back. I come up swinging and catch him in the jaw. His head snaps to the side and I take the opportunity to put a hand to his chest and shove him back.
Mace tries to come at me again, but Tanner gets between us, Alex too.
“What the hell is going on?” Alex demands, and I can see the concern in his and Tanner’s faces.
I’m not surprised. Shit like this can’t happen on the water. This gig is dangerous enough as it is.
I drag a hand over my face and try to calm my raging anger.
“Ask him.”
“I’m asking you both.”
Mace snarls at me, “Did you just forget about my fucking sister? Does her memory mean nothing to you?”
I drop my hands to my hips and glance up at the sky as I try to remember this guy is my friend and was once family.
Tanner looks bewildered as his gaze darts between us both, but he keeps a hold on Mace, which I’m grateful for because right now I’m not sure he wouldn’t throw me overboard if he got hold of me. I get why he’s confused though; Mara’s been gone for years.
My back is starting to throb from where I hit the locker. Thankfully, I’m able to mostly ignore it. Working on the boat, I’m used to getting bruised up. A bad roll can take the legs right out from under you. I’ve had my fair share of bruises that way over the years.
Alex’s eyes scan my face, zeroing in on my black eye.
“You didn’t get that shiner from the boat, did you?” I don’t say anything because I already lied once to him about how I got a black eye; I’m not doing it again—not to protect Mason after that showdown. “He do that?” I still don’t answer and Alex’s expression morphs into fury as he turns to Mace. “You fucking hit him?”
“Tanner takes his hands off me and I’ll do more than hit him.”
Alex starts to move and I grab the sleeve of his jacket. This situation is already a cooking pot; I don’t need Alex adding to that.