Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  “Including the juiciest ones!” Aubrey chimed in, making everyone laugh.

  “That is true,” Charlotte said. “Aubrey, you were the first person I told about my feelings for Beau, and you helped me so much in those early days, pushing me in your not-so-gentle way to just go for it when I was scared to death. Nothing could make me happier than knowing my best friend and her charming, handsome man have been touched by the magic of the inn just as Beau and I have. Here’s to Aubrey and Knox, who I hope will have a long, happy life together!”

  Everyone cheered, and Jillian hollered, “Maybe you could toss some of your inn’s magic my way!” causing another round of laughter.

  Zev tapped his glass unceremoniously to Pepper’s. She looked at him curiously and said, “You’re usually in the middle of all the action. You okay?”

  “Yeah. Work’s just got me sidetracked.” It wasn’t a total lie. Between seeing Carly and being on the cusp of making the biggest discovery of his life, he didn’t know which way was up.

  “Jilly didn’t give me any specifics, but she said that you found something off Silver Island. When I was developing the seizure alert necklace, it was all I could think about. You must be itching to get back out on the water.” Pepper was a brilliant scientist. Her sister Amber had epilepsy, and when Pepper was in graduate school, she’d developed a seizure alert necklace that she’d since patented and now sold all over the country.

  Zev downed the champagne and set his glass on a table. “If it were any other night, I’d be on my boat with my team, pumped to get back in the water and see what other pieces of history we could unearth.” As Jilly sidled up to him, he said, “But I’m here for the next week, watching Beau and Char’s animals.”

  “I’ve heard all about the Chickendales,” Pepper said softly. “Leave it to a romance writer to name her chickens after hot actors.” Charlotte had named her chickens after the actors in Magic Mike.

  “When Zev’s not chasing chickens, he’ll be getting reacquainted with Carly,” Jillian said in a low, teasing voice.

  Zev shook his head, though if he had it his way, he’d be doing exactly that.

  “I did hear something about you and Carly having once been an item,” Pepper said inquisitively.

  “It was a long time ago—” As Zev spoke, Bandit darted around the side of the house with something in his mouth, followed by Trace Jericho, Pepper’s brother-in-law, who was carrying his baby girl like a football against his chest.

  “Take Emma Lou!” Trace hollered, barely slowing down enough to pass his tiny bundle to Zev. “Bandit’s got Brindle’s breast pump!” He took off after the dog.

  A cacophony of noise erupted as several of their friends and family ran after them, calling out, “Bandit!” Zev’s parents were doubled over in laughter as Bandit barreled around the yard, darting between trees, leading everyone in a zigzag chase.

  Zev held the adorable baby with both hands wrapped around her rib cage, his arms straight out in front of him. Emma Lou’s lips curved into a frown. Her eyes slammed shut, and a shrill wail spewed from her tiny lips.

  “No, no, no, baby. Don’t cry,” he pleaded, which only made her cry louder. “It’s okay. Shit. Uh…Pep? Little help?”

  Pepper set down her glass and reached for the baby. “And here I thought you’d be a natural.”

  “Nope. I don’t do babies.” He picked up her glass and downed the champagne. When he and Carly were together, they’d talked about having kids and raising them to be little adventurers. But Tory’s death had changed his view on many things, including having a family. Why bring something beautiful into a world where tragedy could strike at any time and cripple everyone it touched?

  “That’s a shame,” Pepper said, cradling the baby. She bounced her a little, calming her into silence. “There’s nothing more attractive than a cute guy with a baby in his arms.”

  “I get by all right without the extra appendage,” Zev said. “I don’t see you rushing to have babies. Why didn’t you bring a date to the wedding?”

  Pepper caressed the baby’s cheek and said, “Because I don’t have a man in my life who I want my family pushing me to marry.”

  He knew the feeling. “But there is someone keeping your bed warm?” Her sisters claimed she never dated, but Pepper was too smart, pretty, and kind for him to buy it.

  Her cheeks pinked up. “I’m not Sable. I don’t talk about my personal life.”

  “Should I take that as a no?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she said uneasily, gazing out at the yard, where Beau and Trace were trying to corner Bandit and her sisters were hollering directions on how to do it more effectively.

  “You didn’t have to. That’s cool, Pep. I’m picky, too.”

  “I got him!” Beau hollered, hanging on to his big, black, spoiled dog’s collar. Bandit dropped the breast pump, and whoops and cheers rang out. Everyone headed back toward the patio.

  “My sisters call you Foreplay,” Pepper said, looking at Zev with a serious expression. “I highly doubt your definition of picky is the same as mine.”

  “Clue me in to your definition.”

  Pepper gave him a scrutinizing look. “I think a man needs to treat a woman like a diamond before he’s treated like he’s worth a penny.”

  “Ouch. That’s harsh.” He chuckled.

  “Told you we were different,” Pepper said. “What’s your definition of picky?”

  “Let’s just say, every gem is worth a look, some are even worth polishing, but there’s only one Holy Grail.”

  The others arrived at the patio at once, out of breath and talking over each other, bringing an end to Pepper and Zev’s conversation.

  “That was crazy!” Brindle reached for her baby and said, “Thanks for watching her, Auntie Pepper. Looks like I’ll be buying a new breast pump tomorrow.”

  Zev stepped away to let the girls talk.

  Sable jogged over to him and said, “Hey, Foreplay, we’re heading inside to play quarters. Want to come?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right there.” He pulled out his phone, navigated to the internet, and began thumbing out Divine Intervention.

  A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. There was no mistaking his father’s aftershave. He’d worn the same scent for as long as Zev could remember. While their mother was the glue that held their family together, always reaching out to touch base with each of their six children and the significant others of those who had them, their father was the solid foundation on which their family relied. Clint Braden had always been meticulous, careful, and steady. He could weather a storm without yielding to the wind and carry the weight of his entire family on his back without his legs buckling.

  “How’s my boy?” his father asked.

  “Great, Dad. You?” Zev pocketed his phone.

  “My son just married the woman who brought him back to us. I’d say life is pretty damn good.” Before meeting Charlotte, Beau had spent almost as much time traveling as Zev did, and he had been days away from taking a job in California that would have kept him away from Pleasant Hill for most of the year. Charlotte pulled him out of the dark place in which he’d buried himself and taught him how to live and love again. Now they split their time between Colorado and Maryland, and Zev’s parents couldn’t be happier to have their son back.

  His father motioned toward the lake and said, “Walk with me. It’s been a while since we’ve had any time alone.”

  Usually when his father wanted to talk, it was about getting Zev to visit more often. A couple one- or two-day visits a year weren’t enough for his family, but it was about all Zev could handle before guilt swamped him.

  As they walked across the lawn, his father made small talk about the wedding and how happy his mother was to have another daughter-in-law. They talked about half a dozen other things as they made their way along the water’s edge. Eventually his father brought up Zev’s work, which was probably where the conversation was headed the whole time.

  “When
will you hear back from the attorney?” his father asked.

  “Hopefully by the end of the week.”

  “I hope that goes smoothly for you.” His father slid a hand into the pocket of his slacks and said, “I always thought it was odd that the courts treated shipwrecks like criminals. Arresting the vessel is such an odd way of looking at things. I mean, you can’t really put a sunken ship under arrest, and you haven’t even found the ship, so there’s nothing to arrest.”

  “There’s no doubt that admiralty law is an oddity, but it’s a necessity. I’ve got enough historical and scientific documentation showing the changing shoreline and pinpointing where the ship was believed to go down to prove that what remains of the ship is probably buried within a four- or five-mile radius of the vicinity of where I found the concretions. The concretions and the X-rays also support that data.”

  “I guess they have to start somewhere.”

  “Absolutely. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if word got out that a shipwreck worth millions was found and there were no laws of ownership in place? That kind of money brings all sorts of crazies out of the woodwork. Without the laws, anyone could dive for the treasure, and I’d imagine, people would kill for it.”

  “You’re probably right,” his father said. “This must be hard for you, being here for so long after the discovery you’ve made.”

  “Yeah. A week feels like a month.”

  “It always has with you. You live more life in a day than many people live in a week. I’ve always admired that about you. What’s your plan while you’re here? And is this another five-year project like the one with Luis?”

  Shortly after Zev’s hookup with Carly in Mexico, he’d joined an expedition with another treasure hunter, Luis Rojas. They’d hit it off, and then they’d hit it big when they’d discovered the wreckage of the Black Widow, a sunken pirate ship, in international waters between the United States, the Bahamas, and Cuba. They’d spent five and a half years there unearthing millions of dollars in jewels, coins, and other treasures. Once they’d found the bulk of the known artifacts, Zev had taken his millions and gone out on his own to look for the only treasure that really mattered to him, the Pride.

  “While I’m here, I’ll be working at Noah’s lab to extract the artifacts from the smaller concretions I shipped. But as far as timing goes for the expedition, that’ll depend on what we find when we get back in the water and how fast we find it. It could take eight to ten years, or much longer, to find the bulk of the treasure, assuming it’s there. Luis’s team will be searching the Black Widow site for another two decades, until it’s bled dry. And you know how New England winters are. We’ll take advantage of all the weather windows, but it’s hard to estimate timing for a month, much less a decade.”

  His father stopped walking and gazed out at the moonlight shimmering off the inky water with a troubled expression. “Ten years? You’ll be almost forty.”

  “Your point?” Zev had never been someone who worried about getting older. He welcomed it. It was far better than the alternative.

  “I’m not sure I have one,” he said lightly. “I was just thinking that when I was forty, I had six kids and a chaotic, fulfilling life.”

  “If you’re pushing for grandkids, you’re barking up the wrong tree. You should be taking a walk with Beau or Graham.”

  “I’m not vying for grandchildren, although I’d surely welcome them. I miss having little ones around. Brindle and Trace’s baby sure is darlin’.”

  “She’s cute, but loud.”

  A single deep laugh fell from his father’s lips. “Everyone’s loud, son. But some of the loudest voices are the ones only a parent can hear.” He met Zev’s gaze and said, “I guess I do have a point to this talk.”

  “You usually do.”

  “It’s no secret that your mother and I worry about you.”

  “I know you do, and just in case I ever forget, Jilly reminds me every time we video chat.” He pushed a hand through his hair, turned toward the lake to avoid his father’s keen eyes, and said, “I’m fine, Dad.”

  “Yeah, I know you are. We’re blessed that our children can handle themselves in this world. But parenting is an endless job. I’ll worry until the day you bury me six feet under.”

  He glanced at his father and said, “How about we hold off on that for a while?”

  “Fine by me.” He studied Zev for a moment before saying, “Remember when you made your first big discovery with Luis?”

  “Best day of my life.” That wasn’t the truth, but it was the only one he could voice. He’d had many even better best days, but they all involved Carly.

  “Do you remember what you said to me?” He didn’t give Zev a chance to answer. “You told me that was what you were meant to do, and I believed you, son.”

  The way he said it gave Zev pause. “You have doubts now?”

  “Not really. But sometimes people are meant to do more than one thing with their lives. I saw you talking with Carly at the reception, and I have to tell you, Zev. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the light that she brings out in you shining as bright from anything else, including that discovery.”

  He hadn’t expected his father to bring up Carly. His chest felt too tight, and he tried to fill his lungs with the crisp evening air. It burned all the way in. “Yeah, well, we have a lot of history.”

  “You have a lot of love,” his father countered.

  Zev bent to pick up a rock, and threw it across the lake, wrestling with his father’s words. “Someone should have told me she lived here and that she’d be at the wedding. I was blindsided.”

  “Sometimes being surprised is better than having time to try to figure out how to handle things. Your mother claims so, at least, and she’s a smart woman.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “So, you and Carly? Did you tell her you’ve found the ship you two had planned on searching for?”

  Zev scoffed. “No, Dad. We’ve got a lot to deal with before I throw that out there. It would feel like bragging. According to Carly, I don’t know who she is anymore.” But just like when he’d seen her in Mexico, the second their eyes had connected, he’d felt that hook she’d always had in him digging beneath his skin and reeling him in. He’d suffer a thousand hooks if she were at the other end of the line.

  “There’s probably some truth to that. Tragedies change people. Life changes people.”

  “I don’t know, Dad. Sometimes I think I’m the same stupid kid I was before I left home, just a whole lot richer. But other times I can’t remember who that kid was.”

  “Maybe you’re not meant to figure all that out by yourself.” His father kicked at a quarter-size stone and bent to pick it up. He studied it, turning it over in his hand as he said, “You know, you can unearth treasures until the day you die, and I’ll support your every endeavor.”

  He always had. When Zev had left home to travel, he’d taken a backpack full of his belongings and the money he’d saved while working through high school and his first year of college. When he’d contacted his father to get some engineering advice about an apparatus he and Luis wanted to build in order to clear away sand on the seabed, his parents had helped fund the project by giving him the money they’d saved for his college education. If it weren’t for those funds, he and Luis might never have found their way to the wreckage.

  “I appreciate that, Dad.”

  “This is the only time you’ll ever hear me say this.” His father’s expression turned thoughtful, and he said, “You’ve been searching for a very long time, and I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished and of the man you’ve become. But I’m not sure you’ll ever find what you’re looking for, and I’d hate for you to end your life with your pockets full of money and an empty heart.”

  “That’s deep, old man.” And scarily spot-on for how Zev had felt when he’d woken up to an empty bed in Mexico and reluctantly let Carly slip away. He’d believed it was for the best because it was what she’d
wanted. But it had damn near killed him, and every time he thought about it, it drove that knife deeper.

  “Sometimes you have to turn those searches inward and dig deep to find what you’re really looking for. I thought you might need a nudge.” He picked up another stone and said, “Forgiveness starts from within, but I think that’s only half the battle you’re fighting.”

  Zev gritted his teeth against his father’s ability to see right through him.

  “You are worthy of her forgiveness, Zev. Give yourself the chance to prove it to her.”

  “Dad, I left—”

  “Don’t bother telling me. I know what you did, and I believe I know what you think you did, too. I’ve never been a meddling parent, but I’ll fight you on this one, son. You need to do this, if only so you’re able to move on without regrets. I see it in your eyes, and when you were with Carly today, I believe I saw it in hers, too.”

  Zev ground out a curse and turned away.

  “Love’s a wicked bitch, Zev, but the best kind of bitch,” his father said, picking up a few more stones. “Once she sinks her claws in, you don’t have a chance in hell of escaping.”

  Zev’s blood pounded through his veins. He didn’t want to escape. He wanted to drive to Carly’s house and make her talk to him. But from what he knew about Carly, there was no making her do anything. “Considering the indifference she tried to portray this afternoon, I have a feeling I’m the last person she wants to hear from, much less let into her life.”

  “And what do you think about that?” his father asked.

  He paced, trying to quell the ache inside him and stop the truth from coming out. But if Carly had unearthed his long-ago-buried emotions, his father had just shoveled them onto the shore, and his words burst free. “I think it’s bullshit. She’s scared. Hell, I’m fucking scared. I came here wondering who I could get to watch Beau’s animals so I could take off and get back to hunting. But I can’t do it, Dad. I can’t walk away from her again. Not without knowing for sure if what we had, what I still fucking feel today, can be salvaged.”