Heartbreaker

by Monica Robinson

  Scott returned the hug, berating himself for waiting so long to visit. Well, he was here now and he vowed not to let so much time pass before coming home again.

  “I missed you, too.” He withdrew and handed her the flowers. “I hope you like them.”

  Wiping her eyes on the back of her hand, she nodded before taking the bouquet. “They’re beautiful. Come in. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” She pulled open the screen door and ushered him inside. “Your father went to the store for me, but he’ll be right back. I just can’t believe you’re here.”

  “I’m fine, Mom,” he laughed at her excitement. “I took a couple weeks off and I wanted to come see you. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. Forgive me?”

  She sniffed the flowers before peering at him. “Of course I forgive you, but if you do it again I’ll—I’ll ground you.”

  “I’m thirty years old. Don’t you think I’m a little old to be grounded?” When she harrumphed, he continued, “Besides, I think there’s someone who would be upset if you grounded me without asking her first.”

  She paused. “Her? You’re seeing someone?”

  Scott nodded.

  “Is it serious? I mean, there aren’t too many chances for you to have a serious relationship on that ship of yours. Don’t tell me you’re dating one of your co-workers. Those sorts of relationships are difficult to maintain and can get you into trouble if things don’t work out.” She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen. “Here, let me get these in some water and you can tell me all about her.”

  Scott did as instructed, noting that his childhood home hadn’t changed a bit since he’d left. The walls were still a pale blue, while the hardwood floors shined from a recent scrubbing. He could still smell the wood soap in the air and he grinned. How many times had he come home filthy from football practice and had to re-mop the floors because he’d tracked mud on his mother’s clean floor?

  Entering the kitchen, the scent of a pie baking surrounded him and he had to will himself not to open the oven door to look like when he was a kid. No, nothing had changed. Funny how he kept expecting things to be different when the only person who’d changed was him.

  “So, tell me about this woman,” his mother said a few moments later, easing herself into a chair at the table. “What is she like?”

  Scott sat across from his mother and leaned back in the seat. How to describe Charity? Her smile warmed him, while her quick wit left him laughing more than he had in years. She was smart, talented, and sexier than any runway model he’d seen. Her lack of self-esteem was troublesome, but he attributed that to the assholes she’d dated prior to him. If he had any say in the matter, he would see to it she never doubted herself again.

  More than anything, Charity made him want things he never knew he wanted. Less than a week ago, he’d been content to spend his life on the Hedonna. But now, it wasn’t enough. Granted, superficial hookups were uncomplicated, but that’s all they were—meaningless hookups.

  Being with Charity meant something and he wanted more than a part-time relationship with her. Call him selfish, but he wanted his cake and to eat it, too.

  “She’s beautiful—”

  “Big surprise,” she teased. “All of the women you date are beautiful.”

  “—she’s adventurous, to say the least. A bit quirky, but I like that about her. She has a big heart and the most amazing sense of humor. She’s driven when it comes to her job, but not to the point where it consumes her. My only regret is not noticing all of these things about her sooner.”

  A whimsical smile touched Brenda’s lips and she patted his hand. “The point is you see it now. She sounds wonderful, Scott. I think I’d like to meet the woman who finally tamed my son.”

  “Funny you should say that, Mom. You already know her.”

  “I do? Who is she?”

  Scott glanced at his mother’s hand over his. “Cherry.”

  “Cher—Charity? Charity Kendrick?”

  He nodded.

  “Hallelujah! I always hoped you two would get together. Wait a minute. Charity has a boyfriend, honey. Nick something-or-other. A weasely looking man, but I’m not one to judge.”

  “She dumped him,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Turns out he is a jerk.”

  She frowned. “I should have known. He wasn’t mean to her, was he? It would just break my heart if he was mean to her like Bobby was.” She squeezed his hand and rose. “Not that any of that matters now. She has you, and I know you’ll be sweet to her.”

  Bobby? Who in the Sam Hill was Bobby? Scott didn’t say anything at first. He couldn’t focus on anything except his mother’s comment about Charity’s ex being nasty. His mind raced and his jaw clenched at the horrific images playing in his head.

  “Are you saying one of her exes hit her?” I’ll kill the bastard myself.

  She hesitated. “I can’t say for sure if he physically hurt her, but I know he was verbally unkind. Bobby had no problem putting her down in public. I wasn’t the least bit sorry when Joe knocked him a good one. My only regret was when the police had to be called to break up the fight.” She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. “Enough of that unpleasantness. I want to hear how you two became reacquainted. That’s quite the coincidence.”

  Coincidence indeed. The more time Scott spent with Charity, the less he thought their meeting was by chance. He’d never believed in fate, but how else could he explain the last four days? Everything had fallen into place too conveniently. Just the same, he wasn’t about to waste the opportunity presented to him.

  “I ran into her at the club during the meet-and-greet. To be honest, if I hadn’t heard her laugh, I probably wouldn’t have recognized her.”

  “Why’s that?”

  The back of Scott’s neck burned. “Her back was to me and I was demonstrating to a friend how to approach an attractive woman.”

  His mother chuckled. “Oh my. I take it the surprise was on you.”

  He nodded. “The first thing I said to her in over a decade was, ‘you’ve got to be shitting me’.”

  “You always were a charmer. What did she say?”

  “She was as shocked as I was. It was a pretty awkward night, but we worked it out.” Scott looked at his hands and drew in a slow breath. “Did you know her dad is remarrying?”

  His mother nodded. “Of course. Your father and I are invited. We’re still up in the air about going. It’s a little last minute for our liking, but Rick has been a friend of ours for over forty years. It would be difficult to tell him ‘no.’ I can only assume Charity knows.”

  He pressed his lips together and lifted his eyebrows. She knew all right and wasn’t the least bit happy about it. “She knows.”

  “Will she be attending?”

  “Not unless Joe was able to talk her into it. She likes Clorette, but a part of her feels he’s trying to replace her mother. Which reminds me, why didn’t you tell me Mrs. K died? I would have been here if I’d known.”

  “How would you have gotten here? You were at sea when Meredith passed. What good would it have done to send you a message when there was nothing you could do about it? Believe me, it wasn’t an easy decision.” The timer on the oven buzzed and she rose. “After that, I don’t know. I guess I never found the right moment to tell you. I was always too happy to hear from you to think of giving you such bad news. It doesn’t make it right, but it was the way of things, I suppose.”

  Scott watched her move to the oven and remove the pie. Blueberry. His and his father’s favorite. Scrubbing a palm over his mouth, he tried to erase the guilt threatening to overcome him. For the last four days, he’d dealt with the remorse for not contacting Charity, but now it was apparent his absence had hurt his mother as well. He felt like slime. Worse than slime. Was there such a thing? He didn’t know, but if there was he would be it.

  “Think Jack Dauber will sell me his bar?”

  She turned to him. “You want to buy the Sand Bar?”

/>   The thought had crossed Scott’s mind the day Charity told him the bar had been put on the market, but he’d dismissed it. Now, it seemed like the perfect solution. He couldn’t stand the thought of the local landmark disappearing, and it would give him the chance to be with Charity on a more permanent basis.

  “Cherry told me Jack is getting too old to run it himself, and I practically lived there when I was in high school. I have quite a bit saved up, so I think I can make him a fair offer.” He shrugged. “Cherry deserves more than a part-time boyfriend and her career is here. What do you think?”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to move back to San Rico?” Scott started to reply when she held up her hand. “I know you care for her, but neither of you will be happy unless you’re certain this is what you want.”

  She was right, of course. If their roles were reversed and it was Charity who wanted to alter her life for him, he would want to be certain she was doing it because she wanted to and not in some misguided attempt to make him happy. Was he ready? Sort of. He knew he didn’t want to be apart from Charity and, after seeing how happy his mother had been to see him, he wasn’t sure he had the heart to leave again.

  “The more important question to ask, is San Rico ready for me to move back? When I left, I burned a few bridges I probably shouldn’t have.”

  “Funny thing about bridges,” came a male voice from the doorway. “There’s always a chance to rebuild.”

  Scott twisted in his seat to see his mother take two sacks of groceries from his father. She placed a kiss on his cheek before nodding her head to Scott.

  “Scott’s thinking of moving back and buying the Sand Bar.”

  His father returned his wife’s kiss and chuckled. “So I heard.” He turned his attention to his son and his smile softened. “It’s good to see you, son. I’ve missed you.”

  He had? Scott forced the thought from his mind before it could take root and stood. He extended his hand for his father to take, only to be surprised when Dad pulled him into a hug.

  “It’s good to see you too, Dad.” When he pulled back, he cleared his throat. “When I left, I said a lot of things I regret—”

  His father shook his head. “Don’t. You were right to tell me to go to hell. I was pressuring you to do things you didn’t want to do. It took me a while to realize that, but I get it. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on any opportunities. By the looks of it, I’d say you’ve got that covered.”

  “And he wants to buy Jack’s bar,” his mom interjected from over her shoulder. “Sorry, I think it’s a great idea. Then again, I’m a bit biased.”

  “I’m sure Cherry will share the sentiment as soon as I tell her,” Scott replied and returned his attention to his father. “I, um, majored in business management, but I don’t know much about bank loans. If I buy the Sand Bar, I want to renovate it but I won’t have the cash to do it. “

  “Say no more,” Dad said and opened the refrigerator. He retrieved two beers and handed one to Scott before gesturing with his head to the back door. “I won’t let those vultures get one red cent more than necessary. Now, what’s this about Cherry? I thought she was seeing someone.”

  Scott caught the small grin on his mother’s face and followed his father out onto the back porch. Who would have thought that, after everything the two men had said to each other all those years ago, they’d be sitting on the deck, having a beer, and talking about girls? Scott certainly hadn’t. He’d sworn the day he boarded that damn bus that his father had closed the door on him the same way his best friend had.

  “She is. Me. It’s a long story. How familiar are you with KORK’s ‘Ask the Expert’?”

  ****

  “Wait a minute. Tom sent you undercover to report on Fantasy Cruises and you hooked up with the bartender?” Laney Adams asked in amazement. When all Charity did was nod, she continued, “You realize most people bring back T-shirts for souvenirs, not crewmembers.”

  Charity laughed. “I told Joe that last night. Oddly enough, he wasn’t as amused by it as you are.”

  Laney’s lips twitched with the threat of a smile and she shrugged. “Perhaps that’s because your brother is wound up tighter than a drum. As for myself, I think it’s about time you did something this crazy. Emily is always telling me how adventurous you were in college, but I haven’t seen it. Now, on a scale of one to ten, how was it?”

  Considering that Scott had been able to make her do things no other man had, she didn’t think there was a number high enough to describe the experience. She glanced up from the roast she was preparing and winked.

  “You know how the national deficit is in the trillions?”

  Laney nodded.

  “I’d start there.”

  “I’m so jealous,” Laney muttered with a shake of her head. “I haven’t had sex in so long, I hear there’s talk of reissuing me a V-card. I suppose that’s what I get for waiting for a certain doctor who will remain nameless to ask me out. I’m still pissed at him, by the way.”

  Charity rolled her eyes skyward. “I’ve told you before, Joe is ridiculously shy around women. Your best bet is to ask him out yourself. I guarantee he’ll say ‘yes.’ Oh! I didn’t tell you. Joe set it up with the radio station for me to join Merlin for a payback show. It seems Nick brought all of the jerks out of the woodwork that morning.”

  “Really?” Charity nodded. “Hmm. I still think Joe should have recognized Nick’s voice, but I guess I can forgive him since he arranged this for you. I’ve got to know, what did you come up with for Tom? Obviously there’s something to the rumors or else you wouldn’t have scored yourself a crewmember.”

  Charity hesitated. She wasn’t about to tell her friend about the Heartbreaker or about how Scott’s boss used him to fuel sales for the Hedonna, but she needed to tell Laney something. Or did she? She wouldn’t be so cruel as to make her wait for the story to come out. Perhaps the best way for Laney to know what went on was for her to experience it herself.

  And if my plan works right, Joe will finally pull his head out of his ass. “My hooking up with Scott isn’t for public consumption. One, no one in San Rico wants to hear about my sex life and, two, if his captain ever found out he slept with me while on duty, he’d be in serious trouble.”

  “Good point,” Laney mused. “I didn’t think of that. So you mean to tell me, you didn’t see anything that might be constituted as inappropriate?”

  Caught up in the conversation, Charity didn’t hear the front door open as she shook her head. “Nope. Not unless you count extreme PDA as inappropriate. Fantasy Cruises is exactly what it claims to be. How you experience it is entirely up to you.”

  “I don’t know. I’m rather fond of extreme PDA,” came a deep voice.

  Both women glanced up to see Scott leaning against the arm of the sofa. While Laney stifled a tiny gasp, Charity grabbed the dish towel beside her and wiped her hands before entering the living room to walk into his outstretched arms. She allowed him to pull her in for a quick kiss that warmed her from head to toe.

  “As am I, but the readers don’t need to know that.” In a quieter voice she asked, “How did it go with your parents?”

  Scott slid an arm around her waist before walking with her back to the kitchen. “Better than I thought. Mom’s ecstatic that we’re dating and Dad’s shocked you didn’t smack me for my less-than-tactful greeting at the Cleopatra.” He paused to look at Laney. “Are you going to introduce me?”

  Charity slipped out of Scott’s hold and placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Scott, I’d like you to meet my friend, Laney Adams. Laney, this is Scott Nolan. Probably the most patient man I know.”

  Laney laughed and wiped her hands before extending one to Scott in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Scott. Cherry speaks highly of you.”

  Scott returned the handshake with a sideways glance in Charity’s direction. “The pleasure is all mine, though I’m sure she exaggerates.” He turned his attention to the meal they were
preparing. “Do you two need any help? My specialty may be mixed drinks, but I’m pretty handy with a paring knife when the need arises.”

  Charity stuck out her lower lip and shook her head. “I think we’ve got it covered. Joe should be here in an hour or two. He said he needed to stop by Dad’s house first. Probably to tell him I haven’t changed my mind about attending the wedding.”

  “I still think you should go,” Laney muttered. She ignored Charity’s warning look and continued, “Well, I do. If this woman makes him happy, what difference does it make if he marries her now or a year from now? Weren’t you the one to tell me you were happy he found Clorette?”

  Not the point. Or maybe it was the point and she was too pigheaded to see it. Was it fair to punish her father because she didn’t like the thought of him replacing her mother? She was reminded of her conversation with Scott at the Hedone and released a tired breath. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t replacing her mother. After all, they had been dating close to a year, so it wasn’t as though he’d jumped into anything.

  “Yes and I am. How would you two feel if all of a sudden one of your parents announced he or she were getting remarried?”

  Laney nodded her agreement. “True that. Why don’t you try telling him? Even if you ultimately decide not to go, I’m sure he’ll appreciate your honesty. Who knows? He may have a reason for the quick decision you never thought of.”

  Her friend was right, of course. Judging by the crooked smile edging Scott’s lips, she could only assume he agreed. After putting the roast in the oven, she eyed both of them for a moment.

  “Fine. You two win. I’ll call Dad later and tell him how I feel. Can we change the subject now?”

  Scott held up his hands in surrender. “I never said a word.”

  “I was only telling you what you and Emily would say to me if the roles were reversed,” Laney replied and resumed slicing tomatoes. “So how did you two meet? I figured it was on the ship, but I’m curious how it happened.”