by Ciara Knight
And in that next second, when she raced to the shoreline, he knew for certain he felt something he hadn’t felt since he had a schoolboy crush. Open to anything, excited about everything, frightened of something—no, someone—ruining this promise of a brighter time in his life.
“Hey, you. Glad you could join us.” She offered a hand to help him from the front of the boat, and he took it and her into his arms.
“Nothing would keep me away.” And he meant it. Yes, things would be complicated even if Marsha was pregnant with his child, but he would figure out how to make Julie happy and care for the child at the same time. She already knew how to be an excellent parent.
She kissed him—in front of everyone—with such passion, he thought the sand beneath his feet would melt. When she pulled away, she blushed and eyed nearby ladies clearing the beach of trash.
One woman, with a sophisticated yet alluring green bathing suit, sauntered up. “I’m assuming you are the Trevor Ashford we’ve heard so much about?”
He reluctantly released Julie and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Kathryn Stein, but you can call me Kat. I need to inform you that this beach is not meant for the likes of you.”
“Kat,” Julie scolded.
“Likes of me?” he asked, worried that somehow they’d already discovered his predicament with Marsha.
“Male. You’re the wrong species to inhabit our Friendship Beach,” she said, as if a judge in a courtroom. “But we’ll allow it for now. You know, to help.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Kat held up one pointed-nail finger. “But there is one condition.”
He looked to Julie, who appeared uncomfortable but didn’t say anything to make Kat change her tone. “What’s that?”
“You swear, never, under any circumstances, to ever bring another person here. That includes for your business, or a friend, or another girl here. Clear?”
“As the water in the Bahamas.” He tried to use humor, but based on her body language, she wasn’t amused. “I swear.”
As if he’d capsized her anger and let it float to the bottom, she reappeared as if excited to meet him. “Great. Now that we have that settled, come meet the gang.” She ushered them to follow her to the edge of the trees. “You already know Bri, I assume.”
“Yes, I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Told you he was a gentleman,” Wind said with a theatrical giggle.
“And apparently you’ve met Wind.”
“Yes.”
“That only leaves Trace. She’s the one out there organizing the gator relocation project.” Kat pointed through a break in the mangroves at the lady who’d waved him into the canal.
“She’s your friend who works with sea creatures, right?” Trevor asked.
“You remembered?” Julie said more as a question than a statement.
“I remember everything you’ve told me.” Wow, he sounded like a teenager trying a new line to pick up a girl. He’d never been this clumsy around a woman before.
“Riiiight. Okay, let’s get to work.” Kat clapped her hands and plopped her oversized brimmed hat onto her long brown hair and headed for the other side of the little island.
“Come on. We’re on lagoon duty. There’s some trash we need to finish cleaning up.” Julie folded her fingers between his and led him down the beach to the other side. In that moment, he thought he could follow her anywhere, but would she want him if he told her the truth? It was too early in their relationship to face such an extreme situation.
Julie paused at the edge of the water and held both his hands so they faced each other. His pulse quickened at the thought of another kiss. “I know they can be overwhelming, but they’re good people.”
“What?” He realized he’d been in deep thought about his issues and decided he had to tell her something. “I think they’re great. Everyone around you is great, even Houdini. And you’re the best.” He tugged her a step closer and touched his forehead to hers, willing himself to tell her everything and for her to accept him and all his drama.
“Then what is it?” she whispered.
He let out a seven-year-old failed-marriage sigh and inhaled the hope of a new beginning. “I’m afraid my ex-wife, Marsha, has created another media storm, and her waves have reached me once again.” He lifted his chin and faced her, eye-to-eye, to tell her the truth. “I want you to know that I thought that all the drama was behind me. I’d left it and her back in Seattle, but she has a way of mucking the waters.” He took in another breath, this one caught somewhere between his lungs and the truth. “She’s creating issues, and I would never want them to reach you. I-I don’t want you hurt in any way.”
She leaned in and stood on her toes. “Shhh.” Her lips pressed to his cheek, to the corner of his lips, to the other side of his mouth before she lowered to her heels once more. “You’ve been dealing with my issues since day one. My back and forth with guilt and fear and want.” She blinked up at him. “Trust me as I’ve trusted you. I won’t let your ex-wife run me off.”
“But…” He opened his mouth to tell her everything, to confess the situation that could change things between them.
“Hey, you two. Back to work. You can play kissy-face later,” Kat yelled through the trees.
Julie popped up on her toes again and placed a chaste kiss on his lips and then went to work.
Since here, in front of everyone, wasn’t the right place to share such news, he went to work. He picked up trash and moved branches for hours alongside Julie. Chance after chance presented itself, but he didn’t say anything. As the day faded, he knew he had to tell her the first chance he could, before she found out from Wind and her internet snooping.
With two bags in hand, he dropped them into the dinghy, brushed off the sand on his legs and hands, and turned to march across the beach to tell her they needed to speak, alone, after they finished.
Trace tied up her dinghy. “Gator’s relocated. It’s safe now.” She hopped out and looked at Trevor. “Sorry I couldn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Trace Latimer. I was Julie’s best friend growing up.”
He offered his hand, but his gaze remained on Julie and the horrible task awaiting him.
“You know, in all my years I’ve known Jewels, she’s never once looked as excited or passionate about a man as she does now.”
He let out a nervous chuckle. “Except for when she met Joe, I’m sure.”
“No. I mean ever.” After dropping her info bomb, she waltzed away, leaving Trevor with a knot of indecision in his gut. If he could prove Marsha’s child wasn’t his, he wouldn’t have to upset Julie at all. And he never wanted to cause her any trouble. He only wanted to make her happy. She deserved that, not the drama of Marsha. He knew it was a mistake, but he could only hope that he could clear up the mess before Julie found out about the baby. He didn’t want anything to ruin his chances with Julie before they were beyond the starting line of their relationship. Who was he kidding? He’d fallen in love the minute he followed Houdini to Julie’s shop that day. And when he saw her on the beach that night, she’d stolen his heart, and he never wanted it back.
Chapter Eighteen
Julie’s friends and Bri plopped down around her in her room on the bed, desk chair, and floor. Houdini skittered from her lap up to his shelf on the wall. Kat, dressed way too fancy for Cassie’s Catch in her stiletto-heeled sandals and puffy-sleeved dress, set a gold box with a big red ribbon around it on the comforter. “Before we go out for stage one of Operation Jewels’s Birthday Celebration, we need you to open this.”
Julie eyed the box, unsure what her friends had up their sleeves. “What’s in it?”
“Open it to find out, silly.” Wind scooted the desk chair closer and nudged into Julie’s side.
Julie looked to Trace for any sign of what to expect.
“Don’t look at me. I wasn’t involved in this part of the operation. I’m in charge of the finale.”
Bri
sat up on her knees. “I’m not a member yet, so I have no idea, but I’m excited for you to open it.”
Julie eyed Kat. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I know, I know. We could save time if you stop saying things like ‘this is too much’ or ‘I can’t accept this’ and move forward with this week.”
“Okay.” Julie decided she’d shoot the level six rapids of their plans instead of trying to swim upstream and ripped open the box to find a sexy summer dress. “Ah, you bought something for yourself and gave it to me?”
“No, silly.” Wind pulled out the dress—well, Julie thought it was a dress, but maybe it was a shirt. She leaned into the box and sifted through the tissue paper.
“What are you looking for?” Kat raised a brow at her.
“The rest of the material.”
Bri burst into laughter. “This gives new meaning to the term hot mama.”
They doubled over, sounding like a bunch of dolphins in heat—Julie didn’t know exactly what that sounded like, but she imagined it sounded like this. “Seriously, you don’t expect me to wear that someday.”
“Nope. Of course not,” Wind said, twirling around the room as if to make the dress dance. “Tonight, silly.”
“To Cassie’s?” Julie pushed the box out of her way and headed for the door. “No way. No how.”
Trace intercepted before Julie could reach the door. “I’ll even wear a dress.”
“What?” That stopped Julie’s escape. “Tonight?”
“No, I actually can’t make it tonight. I have to finish up with the gator relocation, including paperwork and taking the guys to a nearby dive bar as a thanks for their help. But on the night of your big birthday bash. That’s when I’ll wear a dress.”
“Oh, Cracker Jacks and all that is holy, now you’ve got to wear that tonight. How could you refuse a chance to see Tomboy Trace in a dress?” Wind turned to Trace. “That doesn’t mean a skort, right?”
“Nope. I’ll wear a dress.” Trace released her grip from around Julie’s arms.
Julie eyed the dress and then Bri. “I can’t.”
“Try it on.” Bri stood up and took the dress from Wind, holding it to Julie’s shoulders. “Oh, yeah, if this doesn’t get Trevor drooling like a hound dog, I don’t know what will.”
“Thanks for the visual. Fine. I’ll try it on, but I won’t promise to wear it.”
Houdini stood on his hind legs and chirped.
“Great, not you, too.” She stripped off her shirt and shorts and shoved the dress over her head, tugging it down to a presentable length. Only, Kat came up behind her and yanked it higher and adjusted the straps.
She turned to gasp. Houdini covered his eyes and bowed his head as if he couldn’t look at her.
“No way. No how.” Julie tucked her fingers under the hem to pull the dress over her head and away from her body.
“Wait.” Bri stilled Julie’s movement. “Mom, look.” She turned Julie to face the mirror, and to her shock, she didn’t look like a beach bimbo. Yes, the dress was tighter and shorter than she’d normally wear, but it had a sophistication to it that screamed Kat had had a say in its purchase.
Julie took a step toward the mirror, turning side to side. The dress pushed her average-sized breasts into a thirty-year-old position. The straps weren’t overly tight over her shoulders because it fit so well around her chest, so it didn’t cut into her skin to cause the back fat flap. The color was unique—not silver, not blue, more whale shark than dolphin but with a hint of a deep ocean hue. “I will confess one thing. You and Wind are an unstoppable team when it comes to clothes shopping. This is sophistication with sass.” She turned to look at them both. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”
Wind didn’t say anything. She only blinked at Julie as if this was the most shocking news she’d heard in her life.
“Wow, I think you stunned Wind silent.” Trace waved her hand at Wind as if to pull her from a daydream. “Never thought that was possible.”
Wind shot into Julie’s arms and held her like a preserver in a life storm. “I’ve missed you so much, too.”
Kat swiped at her eyes but kept her distance. “Yeah, same here.”
Had her perfect friends who’d had fulfilling, amazing lives actually thought about her and her quaint existence over the years? “I didn’t know you ever thought about me.”
Wind pushed her to arm’s length. “Are you kidding? How many times did I try to come back after Joe passed? Only to be told you didn’t need me.”
“I thought you were being nice, but you had a life in New York. You don’t belong here in the sleepy town of Summer Island.”
Wind pushed Julie’s hair away from her face. “Oh girl, my place has always been here. If not in body, then in soul. My life has never been full without the three of you.”
Looking into Wind’s gaze, Julie believed her words. It wasn’t theatrical or attention-seeking. Her tone was honest and pure.
“I had no idea. I’ve always thought my little life here was a letdown to all of you. I never wanted to hold any of you back.”
“Hon, I’d trade all of it for the happiness you found.” Kat joined them and opened the circle hug to Trace, who summoned Bri in with them.
“See, Mom, I told you that your friends didn’t forget about you, because you’re unforgettable.”
Trace tilted her head toward Julie’s body. “Especially in that dress.”
“I can’t wear this,” Julie protested, but when the four of them turned her to face herself in the mirror once again, she had to see that she wasn’t the old, widow hag she’d thought but still a vibrant woman with years left to live.
“Hair and makeup next,” Wind announced, grabbing her ridiculously large duffel of tools and dropping it with a clatter onto the small desk.
Before Julie could protest, she was forced into the chair. After a minute of her friends surrounding her, it didn’t matter what she wore. Even if they hadn’t picked out the perfect dress, even if they had chosen a potato sack, she would wear it with pride. Because in that moment, she realized she’d never lost her friends. They’d always been there, waiting for her to invite them back into her life.
When they were done curling hair and lashes, painting lips and cheeks, and fluffing hair and boobs, they stood her up in front of the mirror once more. In that moment, she knew one thing. It was time to move forward with her life. Tonight would be the night she’d tell Trevor that she was ready to move things forward between them. That she enjoyed every minute she spent with him, and hopefully in this dress, she would hook him into wanting the same with her. She felt alive, excited, ready to take on the world. Nothing would thwart her now, and she owed all of this to her long-lost-but-now-found, best, lifelong friends.
Chapter Nineteen
Trevor straightened his button-up shirt and combed his hair once more, eyeing the small mirror in his bathroom. “I have to tell her now.”
Dustin clapped him on the back, trying to see around Trevor’s shoulder. “Dude, not tonight.”
“I thought you were the one urging me to come clean.” Trevor moved away from the small mirror, knowing that Sir Primps A Lot would never leave until he made sure every last hair was in its perfect place.
“Yes, but not when it’s a celebration for her. That would be insanely selfish.” He picked up his toothbrush and loaded it with whitening toothpaste. “You can’t ruin her evening to unload your conscience. Besides, you haven’t even spoken to Marsha yet.”
“I tried calling her. After her fifty missed calls to me, I finally returned it and she didn’t answer. That woman doesn’t just play games. She invented relationship drama strategies. I won’t let her ruin this with Julie.” Trevor abandoned the bathroom and snagged his jacket. Despite the heat, he wasn’t sure how formal the party would be, so he opted to take one in case. “This woman is different than any I’ve ever dated.”
“I’d say so. For once you found one who suits you instead of me.” Dustin began
brushing his teeth with his electric toothbrush, so Trevor went to the doorway so he could be heard loud and clear.
“What are you talking about?”
Dustin kept brushing, making Trevor stand there waiting for him to finish so he would answer—or was the man buying time?
“You know, I’m starting to think you and Marsha would’ve been better matched.”
Dustin spit out the toothpaste and turned off the brush. “Exactly.”
“What?” Treavor harrumphed. “Did you have a thing for Marsha?”
“Dear God, no.” Dustin plopped his toothbrush back on the charger and pushed past Trevor. “That drama dressed as a diva is all yours, bro.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that she is the type of woman I would go for. The type a guy dates, has a fling with, and then moves on. Not the type you marry. That’s your problem.”
“What are you talking about?” Trevor held his coat tight to his chest, preparing for the insanity about to spew from Dustin’s mouth.
“Come on, you’ve got to see it, man. Ever since your fresh-out-of-college sweetheart wanted to get married and have a family, you’ve been torn between happily ever after and the happily for now game. Dude. I’m a firm player in the now game, but you’ve always been meant for the ever after.”
“Then why did I wait to marry till my forties? Huh? And to a woman like Marsha?”
“Because you were told you couldn’t have children. When one doc told you that he believed you were sterile due to a horrible case of chickenpox as a child, you decided you would save that childhood sweetheart with the white picket fence fantasy from a life with a sterile man. You’ve avoided relationships ever since by dating my type of woman.”
“Your type?”
“Yes… Fun, exciting, and noncommittal.”
Trevor thought back over his love life. “But I did marry a younger woman who’s pregnant.”
“Yes. She told you she never wanted kids because she had to keep her body looking good for modeling. I swear the minute she said that to you, the ever-after compromise switch in that brain of yours flicked and you were racing down the aisle. You’ve been wanting a forever and settling until you could have it. Now, you might have more than you bargained for, bud.”