by Skye Taylor
“When was the last time a state trooper got shot and killed?”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Two thousand eight. Most officer deaths are from automobile accidents, and that could happen to anyone.”
“You do ride a motorcycle, though.”
“The last trooper who died in a motorcycle crash was in nineteen thirty-six.”
“Really?” Ben sat back, apparently mulling this bit of information over.
The silence stretched, and Will’s mind continued on the what-if treadmill it had been on since Diaz told him about the list.
“So, now you’re rethinking this special team thing?”
Will nodded. “Accepting that post might just about guarantee I’d never get her to take a chance on me.”
“You’re really in love with her, aren’t you?”
“I’m totally cooked.”
Ben got up and gave Will’s shoulder a squeeze. “So what are you going to do when they call to offer you the chance to go?”
“I don’t know.”
Chapter 16
THE INVITATION TO join the Cameron family at Will’s parents’ home on the beach came as a surprise. Bree let the phone drift away from her ear as several totally conflicting thoughts ran through her head.
Will’s mother Sandy sounded so genuinely friendly and eager for Sam and Bree to come. Zoe would be there with her new husband, Will’s younger brother Jake. One big happy family. Except she and Sam weren’t family.
Will would be there, too. Bree’s pulse quickened at the thought.
“C-can I bring something?” she asked, doing her best to keep the sudden breathlessness out of her voice.
“Anything you’d like, but don’t feel you have to bring anything. Just you and Sam,” Sandy Cameron replied. “You can ride out with Will. That way I won’t have to try giving you directions. I’m awful with directions.” Will’s mother laughed at her own failing.
“Thanks for inviting us. Sam will be thrilled.”
“Cam and I are looking forward to meeting you again. Jake’s wedding was beautiful, but I didn’t get much chance to mingle and talk. See you on Saturday. Bye.”
Bree looked at the phone and set it slowly back in its cradle. Why had Sandy Cameron invited her to join a family gathering? Had Will asked Sandy to include her? Or was it because Sam had already been there, and it was Sam who was being invited, and Sam’s mother was just part of the package?
Why had she let the warm feeling filling her at the thought of a day spent in Will’s company override caution and wisdom? Because she liked him. A lot more than she ever expected to.
After overhearing the conversation at the café, her resolve to keep Will at arms’ length seemed to be the right thing to do. He was way too attractive, and his interest in her was not just flattering. It was reminding her of feelings and needs she’d done her best to bury.
Each new thing she learned about Will confused her and made her resolve harder to hang onto. He was easygoing and generous, but he loved action, especially the kind that scared the crap out of her. He was smart and ambitious, and now he was vying for an even more dangerous job than he already had.
She had done some online sleuthing and found several articles on the Rapid Response Team the state was pulling together. Basically, it was a SWAT team. Once Will was on the team, he could be called out at a moment’s notice to put on the gear and walk straight into places where gunfire was almost a given. Her heart squeezed painfully just thinking about it.
If she let herself fall in love with him, and Will was snatched away from her in a heartbeat, where would she be then?
Sam didn’t remember much about his dad. Ed had been gone more than he’d been home. Sam had seemed stoic in the face of his father’s death, but in reality, he hadn’t known Ed very well. If anything happened to Will, Sam would be hurt a lot worse. But how could she explain to Sam why he shouldn’t hang out with Will so much? Sam’s hero worship had already taken over his imagination if not his heart.
Sam was growing up and becoming more independent. Protecting him from everything life could dish out was no longer possible, no matter how much Bree wished otherwise. Last December, when Sam had gotten into a fistfight at school, Bree had been called into the principal’s office, not to fix the problem for Sam, but to be included in deciding what punishment he would face. It hadn’t mattered that Sam had been standing up to a known bully to protect a younger boy. Fighting was not allowed, and Sam knew it. Therefore he had to suffer the same penalty as the bully.
Protecting him from getting emotionally hurt was turning out to be just as impossible.
Bree prayed she was not making a huge mistake in letting Sam grow ever closer to Will.
THE CAMERON home was a perfect blend of everything Bree liked about homes near the beach. Set high in the dunes on the barrier island facing the sea with its back decks overlooking the waterway and the setting sun, the house had been there for over fifty years. Will explained on the drive out that his parents had bought it from an old man they had met on the beach shortly after they were married.
The man had been trying to dig a shutter out of the sand after a storm, and Cam had stopped to help. That chance encounter had turned into a friendship, and when the old man decided to leave the home he and his wife had shared for all their married life, Cam had bought it from him. The friendship hadn’t ended though. Still missing his deceased wife and being childless, he’d adopted Sandy and Cam and become an honorary grandfather to their kids.
“Grampa Phil was one of my favorite people,” Will said as they climbed out of the Jeep. “He lived to be a hundred. Died on his birthday in fact. He told us he was planning to round out the century, but no one believed he’d be so exact.”
“Your grandfather was a hundred years old?” Sam asked, his eyes round with disbelief.
“Yup. He’s the one who taught me how to whittle.” Will ruffled Sam’s dark hair. “So, I’m passing his legacy on to you.”
“But he’s not my real grandfather.”
“He wasn’t mine either. Except that he loved me just as much as if I’d really been his grandson. You don’t have to be related to love someone.”
“My grandfather doesn’t know how to whittle. He doesn’t even have a jackknife. But he’s good at writing and drawing. He wrote me a story when I was little.”
“You’ll have to read it to me sometime.”
“I will.” Sam beamed at the request. “It’s got pictures too that my grandpa drew. Hey, there’s Rick.”
Sure enough, Rick was hanging over the railing, gesturing wildly for Sam to hurry up. Sam took off at a run.
“Your dad sounds like an interesting guy,” Will said as he lifted the rear door and reached in to grab the totes filled with dry clothes and towels.
“He’s an editor for the Star, and he’s written two non-fiction books about the history of the Navy in World War II.”
“Was he in the Navy?”
“He was. He was in communications. Pretty much the same thing he’s doing now, but for the Navy. One of his postings, long before I was born, though, was on a ship in the South China Sea.”
“Sounds like Sam thinks he’s pretty special. How come—”
“How come what?” Bree grabbed the bag with the pumpkin bread and cream cheese she’d brought for the meal and closed the hatch.
“Probably none of my business.”
Bree smiled at the man walking beside her. “Since when do you worry if it’s your business or not?” One of the things she liked about Will was his honesty and straightforward concern. It might frustrate her, like when he was lecturing her on exploring the Jolee Plantation, but it came from a real consideration for her welfare.
“I was wondering how come Sam doesn’t spend more time
with your dad. Your parents live in Wilmington, right?”
It was the boy needing a man in his life thing. Even Will saw it. “Dad doesn’t get around very well since his arthritis got bad. He taught Sam how to play chess, but they really go at it with Risk. Dad has the Star Wars version. Sam has the standard one. They love it.”
“I used to play that game with my brothers when we were kids, but I haven’t even thought about it in years. I’d challenge Sam, but I think I should leave that as something he shares with your dad.”
Sometimes Will’s thoughtfulness surprised her. He could be totally alpha one minute, then he’d show another side to his personality that always caught her by surprise. It shouldn’t, since he’d started off bringing her an ice cream sundae and then kept her son busy for an entire day while she recovered from a nasty bug.
“Brianna. Don’t you look nice. I’m so glad you could come.” Sandy Cameron greeted them at the top of the stairs and relieved Bree of the food tote. “Come inside. Meg and Zoe are already here. Kate’s on the way, but she’s always late.”
Bree glanced at Will. He winked at her and dropped their beach things next to the railing and headed around to the front of the house.
“He won’t go far.” Sandy laughed as if she knew something Bree didn’t. “I promise.”
Bree followed Will’s energetic mother into the house.
The entire first floor was an open arrangement. Surely not the original design given the house’s vintage. An enormous double-sided fireplace dominated the center of the room. Bree could see through it to the kitchen and dining area. Comfortable leather furniture was arranged about the room. One could sit on one end of the right-angled sectional to enjoy a fire in the fireplace or the other end to watch the big flat-screen TV mounted on the far wall. A braided chenille carpet in multicolored beach tones filled the space between the sectional and the fireplace with a big square coffee table planted in the middle. Side tables with lamps made of clear glass and filled with shells flanked the ends.
“What a beautiful room!” Bree exclaimed. What she wouldn’t give for a living room just like it.
“Why, thank you. We like it. It’s functional, comfortable, and easy to keep up. But come check out the kitchen. That’s where you get a view of the ocean that will take your breath away.”
And take away her breath it did. Bree could not imagine getting any work done with all that ocean to capture one’s attention. But apparently work did get done here. Cooking at least.
The large center island at one end of the space was crowded with dishes, some of which flowed over onto the counters beyond. The fireplace she’d been able to see through from the other side took up a good portion of the center wall, and a table big enough to feed a small army ran along the bank of windows overlooking the beach. As she thought about it, Bree guessed they needed a table that big considering Cam and Sandy Cameron had five kids, three of whom were married, and eight grandchildren. And frequent extras if her and Sam’s inclusion today was any example.
“Color me green,” Bree said as she ran a hand along the black granite counter.
“We’re all green.” Meg laughed. “You’ve seen my kitchen.”
“And mine.” Zoe hurried over to envelop Bree in a hug. “I’m so glad you agreed to come today,” she whispered in Bree’s ear.
Bree turned at a commotion behind her. Will’s sister Kate came sailing into the kitchen with two little girls in tow. She stopped when she spotted Bree and glanced at her mother with her elegantly shaped blond brows arched up in a question.
“You remember Zoe’s matron of honor?” Sandy introduced her. “Brianna, this is my hoyden of a daughter Kate and her girls Jenny and Becca.”
“Oh, please!” Kate drawled. “I’m only a hoyden when I’m trying to fend off my brothers.” She pulled Bree into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re brave,” she said with a wink so like Will’s that the familiarity of it hit Bree in the gut.
“Leave her be,” Will said, coming up behind his sister and lifting her off the ground.
Kate wriggled free and kissed her brother on the cheek. “See what I have to contend with?”
“Now that Kate’s here, we can eat,” Sandy cut into the fun. “Go tell the rest of the crew to come and get it.”
Will bussed his mother on the cheek and left.
A few moments later the kitchen was overrun with kids and men grabbing plates and helping themselves to the lavish spread.
When lunch had been consumed and the kids were shrieking and tearing around on the beach, the adults lounged on the deck in a collection of beach chairs, deck furniture, and a woven hammock. Will grabbed Bree’s hand and tugged her toward the stairs.
“Go for a walk with me?”
Bree hesitated. She loved walking on the beach, but who was watching Sam?
“He’s safe.” Cam grinned up at Bree and winked. “He gave up trying to drown his girlfriends when he was twelve. And I’ve got my eye on the kids.”
“Thanks,” Bree mumbled as she let Will lead her down the stairs to the beach.
The sun was warm, and Bree was glad she’d chosen to wear a sundress. It had a little matching jacket that was perfect for today’s weather. That it made her feel pretty and very feminine was another of those contradictions she was battling lately, because she’d worn it specifically with Will in mind, and his compliment when he’d come to pick her up had warmed her cheeks as well as her insides. They were supposed to be just friends. She wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Or be giving anyone the wrong impression. Like Will’s father.
“Your father thinks I’m your girlfriend.”
“He just wants all his kids to be happy, and he knows I’d be happy if you were my girlfriend.”
Bree bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m sorry to disappoint him, then.”
“And there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”
Bree let go of Will’s hand. She looked out over the unusually placid blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. “You should find a woman who would suit you better than I ever could.” The idea of Will with another woman bothered her, but she had no right to feel that way if she continued to rebuff his advances.
“You suit me just fine.”
“You hardly know anything about me.”
“Sure I do.” He reached for her hand again, but she shoved her hands into her armpits to dissuade him. “You’re a single mom with a terrific son. You’ve got a pretty sweet job at Kett’s that I know you enjoy. You’re damned good at Scrabble, and I like your taste in music.”
“That’s just surface stuff. You don’t know who I am inside.”
“I know you’ve been hurt. I know you’re afraid to fall in love again. I know—”
“You don’t know anything!” She stopped walking and turned to face him. “You have no idea what it’s like to spend every waking moment of your life worrying that the man you love might never come home again. You don’t know how dead I felt inside when it finally happened. Or how scared I was that I might never get over him. I can’t do it again. I just can’t.”
Tears sprang to Bree’s eyes, smarting and threatening to spill over. She turned away from Will and started walking again so he wouldn’t see them.
Will caught up with her and pulled her into his arms. She fought him, but he was stronger. “I’m sorry, Brianna. I’m so sorry you had to live through all that.” He rocked her against him, murmuring against the top of her head as she buried her face in the soft fabric of his sweatshirt and gave in to the feeling of being cared for.
She managed not to cry all over his shirt, but it took longer than it should have before she pulled herself together and stepped away.
“You’re too nice.”
Will’s brows rose. “Me? Nice?”
“You make it awfully
hard to dislike you.”
“But I don’t want you to dislike me. I want . . .” He hesitated. Then reached for her hand yet again. “I want to be your friend.”
“Not your girlfriend?”
“Just my friend.” He swung their hands between them as he urged her to continue their amble along the water’s edge. “Since you’re so sure I don’t really know you, tell me, as a friend, what do you want from life? Beyond what you’ve already achieved?”
She shrugged. She hadn’t really thought about it. Her life right now was about being the best mother she could be. And a decent provider so Sam could have all the things he deserved.
“What would make you happy?” Will persisted.
She sighed. “I am happy. Most of the time. I’ve got Sam and great friends and a good job. What about you? What would make you happy? And don’t say me.”
Will dropped her hand and sat down in the sand. He began taking his sneakers off. “Take your shoes off.” He gestured to the sand beside him.
“Why?”
“So we can splash in the water. That always makes me happy.”
“We’ll get soaked.”
“So?” He peeled his socks off and shoved them into his sneakers.
Bree bent and pushed the heels of her sandals off. As soon as she finished, he jumped to his feet and grabbed her sandals out of her hand. He trotted up the beach a bit, dropped their shoes on dry sand, and trotted back.
“Okay, so this is what makes me happy.” He rolled up his jeans and walked into the water. “C’mon.”
With his hands jammed into his pockets, Will splashed along in the gently eddying waves. In spite of having rolled his jeans up, they were getting wet anyway, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Your mom must have been after you all the time about getting soaked.”
“She was.” He bent suddenly and picked up a shell. He fingered the pearly inside, then handed it to Bree.
Bree took the shell and ran the pad of her thumb over the shiny wet lining. “Pretty,” she murmured and started to hand it back.