by Carol Ross
Carlisle shrugged. “I’ve never kept that a secret.”
Chuckles all the way around.
Gale added, “Can’t say I blame you there, sir. That’s all I ever wanted to be, too.”
“Smart man. Eli tells us you’re from Connecticut?”
“Yes, sir, I am. Grew up with the Coast Guard all around me. How could I resist?”
Gale graced Heather with his movie-star smile. “Thank you so much for having us over tonight, Mrs. St. John.” He pointed at a distant wall. “I see that you’re a fan of analytical realism. That piece is stunning. Is that a contemporary artist? I don’t believe I’ve seen anything by that artist before.”
“Why, yes, I am. And it is. Do you paint?”
“I don’t. But my mother does and she...” Gale’s voice trailed off as they moved off to study the painting and presumably discuss art.
Gale fit in here, Eli thought. Which wasn’t surprising. He was pretty sure the Kohens were even wealthier than the St. Johns. But then again, his friend seemed to fit in anywhere, from the seediest bar to the fanciest dress ball. His good looks certainly didn’t hurt, but with Gale it was more than that. The guy could give Prince Charming a run for his money. He also possessed a resiliency that Eli envied; it reminded him a lot of Aubrey’s now that he thought about it.
Carlisle had excused himself to greet other guests, leaving Eli and Alex a few moments to reminisce.
“Remember the time we made our own surfboards?” Alex asked.
They’d spent weeks sawing and sanding and gluing cedar planks that Tim Pelletier had left over from building a fence. They’d finally dragged their makeshift boards down to the beach to try them out, whereupon Alex had promptly caught a wave. And just as quickly fallen off. The board had conked him on the head, knocking him silly. He and Aubrey had then set about “rescuing” him.
“I think about that now and I cringe at how easily I could have drowned. So lucky it didn’t knock me out. And that you guys were right there.”
Eli agreed. “That was quite a gash, though.”
Alex rubbed the back of his head. “Ten stitches.”
“All the stunts we pulled, we’re all three so lucky we never fared worse.”
“So true. Your friend Gale is a good guy, huh? He and Aubrey would make a nice couple. She needs someone who would treat her like a queen without being overwhelmed by her...moxie at the same time.”
Eli followed Alex’s gaze to where Aubrey and Gale appeared to be deep in conversation. Their heads were bent together and suddenly she broke into a bout of laughter. Come on, Gale, he thought. Lucky he trusted his friend. He was trying to figure out how to head that direction without being too obvious when movement beside Aubrey caught his eye. A man slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled at him, then spoke to Gale, presumably performing introductions.
The man turned. Eli froze. For the briefest second he considered slipping out the French doors behind him, jumping the deck railing and taking off down the beach. Like he and Alex had done hundreds of times in their youth. But the feeling didn’t last long.
Because he’d known this day would come. He’d prepared for it. He just hadn’t expected it quite this soon, not tonight anyway.
There, standing in the foyer and assessing the crowd like the arrogant king of the world he believed himself to be, was Aubrey’s father, Brian Wynn.
* * *
ELI MANAGED TO fake his way through dinner. Enough people had been invited—neighbors, friends, fellow Coasties—that Eli could avoid Brian at least temporarily. Thankfully he wouldn’t have to stare at him over the dinner table. Heather had arranged a casual meal with the food served buffet style. People filled their plates at their leisure and then found a spot to eat at one of several small tables arranged for the occasion throughout the house’s great room.
He fixed his plate and sat with Alex, Gale, Nina, Camile and Aubrey. Alex was on his game, entertaining them all with tales of town council chaos. No one seemed to pick up on Eli’s tension, except maybe Aubrey, who kept casting curious glances his way. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Mr. and Mrs. Wynn settle at a table on the other side of the room.
“Alex, no way,” Nina was saying, as he tuned back into the conversation.
“Scout’s honor,” Alex replied, raising a hand. “It’s against ordinance to use any outbuilding as a chicken coop within the town limits, so Ned Bittles built one inside his house. The inspector went in to take a look at it one morning and Ned shushed him because his ‘chickens were still roosting.’” He added a chuckle and a shake of his head.
“So, Gale, what are you doing for Christmas?” Camile asked after the laughter died down. “Will you be heading home to Connecticut?”
“No, actually, I won’t. My parents like to travel in the winter, too. They are in St. Croix and I have no desire to spend the holidays there. They don’t really celebrate it, anyway, so I’m going to hang around here and see what kind of trouble I can get into. And Alex’s mom already invited me here for her Christmas Eve party.”
“Good,” Camile said. “Then you can come over to our parents’ place for Christmas dinner?”
“Thank you. I would love to.”
Camile turned an expectant look on him.
“Eli, you’re invited for dinner too, of course. I’m sure Aubrey has already invited you.”
“Thank you, Camile. I’ll let you know. Dad mentioned flying up, but I haven’t heard for sure.” Aubrey hadn’t invited him. He almost laughed out loud at the idea of spending Christmas with Brian Wynn. Not happening. He could barely stand the thought of getting through the rest of this evening.
A couple of hours later he was thinking that he’d managed to do just that and was anxious to get out of there. While Gale went to say his goodbyes, Eli stepped out onto the deck for a breath of ocean air. He heard the door open behind him. Hoping Aubrey had followed him out, he turned to find himself face to face with the man he’d been trying to avoid.
“Well, if it isn’t the Cove’s very own boy from across the highway done good,” Brian Wynn exclaimed, reaching out a friendly hand. Eli stared at it for a millisecond. He really didn’t want to shake it. “Eli, how are you, son? Congratulations on your recent promotion. How does it feel to be back on your hometown turf-and-surf?”
But he did, he extended his hand, because this certainly wasn’t the time or the place to have it out with the guy. Problem was, it likely wouldn’t ever be. Not if he wanted to maintain any kind of relationship with Aubrey. And he did. At this point, he didn’t know what that relationship would or could consist of, but he’d take whatever he could get.
“I’m doing well, sir, thank you. How are you enjoying retirement?”
“Honestly?” He reached inside his coat pocket and removed a cigar. He offered it to Eli.
“No, thank you.”
“This is just between you and me, because I have a feeling you’ll understand.” He leaned casually against the railing next to Eli. “I miss the hell out of my job. I miss the ocean. I miss the wind, the sounds, the smell. There’s nothing like the smell of the ocean, right?”
He produced a butane lighter and proceeded to fire up the stogie. He let out a puff along with a chuckle. “There’s not even one decent harbor to be found in the middle of that desert. Don’t tell Susannah I said that. She loves it down there.”
He raised his voice a couple octaves and asked, “‘Don’t you love this dry heat?’ And, ‘Oh, this sunshine? I love it, don’t you?’” He paused to chuckle at his own bad impersonation. “She’s always asking me stuff like that and I want to say, ‘Hell, no, I don’t love this endless, blinding sunshine. I miss my gray skies. I miss the salty air of home. I miss the way my clothes feel damp even when it hasn’t rained in two days.’ But, she’s been so patient all these years, so supportive. It’s her turn now, right? She deserves it. So for that, for her, I’ll tolerate endless, boring blue skies and dry heat that makes
me feel constantly parched.”
Eli stared, dumbfounded, at the man now trying to relight a cigar in the ocean breeze. He literally could not think of a single word to say. He used his hands to help shield the cigar and tried to pin some enthusiasm to his expression. This...geniality...wasn’t at all what he’d expected. He’d been expecting... He wasn’t sure now that he thought about it.
It dawned on him then—he didn’t know.
It had never occurred to Brian Wynn that Eli was privy to the circumstances of his father’s transfer. Which made sense now that he thought back on it. Eli had barely been eighteen. What father would tell his eighteen-year-old son that he was having an affair with his friend’s wife? His would. Tim Pelletier was unusual in that way. Probably because it had always been just the two of them, he’d always been unfailingly honest with Eli. He wondered now if there was such a thing as too much honesty in a situation like this?
“I talked to your dad last week. I really need to get down there one of these days and go fishing.”
“You talked to my dad?” How could Eli not know that his dad and Brian were still in touch?
“Yeah, before that I hadn’t heard from him in a few months. He sounds really...good. I haven’t heard him sound this good in a long time. I’ve worried over the years about his depression. I was so sorry to see him leave the Guard. I really tried to help him out...” He trailed off with a shake of his head. “But I’ve learned there’s only so much you can do to help someone, right? I’m sure you learned that yourself years ago, tough as it is to accept.”
And that’s when Eli’s defenses crumbled. What else didn’t he know? Because, clearly, this was a man who loved his wife deeply. With few words, he’d conveyed how much he still cared about his dad and understood his condition, and even sympathized with Eli’s struggles as his son.
After they’d left Pacific Cove, Brian Wynn had gone on to advance in the Coast Guard, eventually making captain. By all accounts he was a good man and a stellar officer who’d been decorated for bravery. Come to think of it, he’d never even heard his dad say bad things about him.
Eli tried to think back to that time. His father had always been prone to bouts of depression. He’d been in the midst of a particularly bad episode. Eli had been worried about him. One evening, after a couple beers, his father had confided that he was in love with Susannah Wynn. He was in trouble, he said, and he was being transferred ASAP. Eli had been under the impression that his leaving had to do with an affair. He’d said that Brian had arranged the transfer to get him out of Pacific Cove as quickly as possible. Could he have gotten it so wrong?
“You’ll have to stop by and shoot the breeze with me. I’d love to hear about your SAR work during that flooding in Texas last year. Carlisle told me a bit about it. Susannah and I will be around through February at least. Best move I made hanging on to our house here. At least I get holidays and summers on my beach. Tell me about your assignment here in Astoria. Alex was saying...”
As he eagerly rambled on about the Coast Guard, Eli could tell how much the man loved it. He missed it, too, that was obvious. It occurred to Eli that he was one of those guys who should never have to retire. Was it possible that for twelve years he’d been harboring feelings for Brian Wynn that might not be completely fair?
Which brought him back to an earlier thought. What would have happened if he didn’t know, if he’d never known, the circumstances behind his dad’s transfer? What if his dad had never told him the truth? Scarier still, what if the “truth” he’d believed all these years wasn’t entirely accurate?
CHAPTER TEN
“WHAT DO YOU mean ‘disqualified’?” Aubrey stood in the marble-floored lobby of Pacific Cove’s administrative offices gaping at Mayor Hobbes. “There must be some mistake.”
“I’m afraid not, Aubrey.” His voice held evidence of his own disappointment. His brown-black eyes were brimming with sympathy. She could see how difficult this was for him even as her shock began to morph into despair. “How can this be?”
“They got us on a safety violation.”
“Safety violation? What safety...? We had all the necessary permits for the crab feed, plus a couple I don’t think we even needed...”
The mayor executed a slow, sad head shake. “It was the Visit with Santa, when Toby Paxon jumped the line. The judges said you—we—we should have had the street closed. They extended us a courtesy by letting us know now in case we wanted to suspend our further scheduled events and activities.”
She squeezed her eyes shut as the weight of this news bore down on her like the pressure of a deep-sea dive. The judges were right; she should have closed the street. When she thought about what could have happened to Toby if Eli hadn’t been there, it made her physically ill. She’d been going over and over the event in her mind; why hadn’t she thought to close the street? Better yet, why hadn’t she had Santa walk down the boardwalk instead?
“Jack, I am so sorry. This is all on me.”
A fierceness transformed his handsome features. “No way, Aubrey. I will not allow you to take the blame here. I should have thought of this. Any one of the council members could have considered it. Plus, we have a lot of business owners on the committee. They could have spoken up, too.”
In that moment she realized she was almost as disappointed for the mayor as she was for herself. He’d really wanted that commercial, believing it was the answer to their “stagnant population growth” and a surefire way to increase tax revenue for the city’s skimpy coffers. She’d had her hopes up; aside from Toby’s near-miss, the first two events had gone so well. Everyone had been talking about them, comparing them to events in neighboring towns. She’d been allowing herself to dream about the future of the pool.
Alex came rushing up to join them. “Aubrey, I’m so sorry. Jack told me what happened. This is my fault. I’m on the committee. As a member of the town council, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this. With all the events ASJ Engineering & Construction has done, I should have—”
“Alex, stop.” She held up her hands. “Thank you, both of you, for trying to make this easier on me. The decorations in town are phenomenal. The crab feed couldn’t have gone any better. And Santa’s visit was...almost perfect. At least the kids loved it, and the parents, too, for that matter.”
Alex asked, “Do you want me to cancel the treasure hunt and the variety show?” These were the last two events on the roster.
“No. No way. The prize shouldn’t be the only reason we’re doing this. Did you see those kids with Santa? It was worth all our hard work for that. We’ll see this through and make this the best Christmas Pacific Cove has ever seen.”
“Absolutely!” the mayor enthusiastically agreed. Aubrey adored him for it. Alex, on the other hand, looked skeptical.
“Aubrey, are you sure—?”
“I’m positive, Alex. This spirit of kindness and giving we’ve been seeing throughout the community is reward enough as far as I’m concerned.”
* * *
ELI DROVE STRAIGHT to the pool when he heard about the disqualification. A bolt of relief shot through him when he saw Aubrey’s SUV in the lot. Somehow he’d known she’d be here. Chalk it up to years of knowing her as well as he knew himself—better in some ways. The front of the building was dark, the ancient, glass double doors securely latched. He went around to the back to discover it was unlocked. “She should know better,” he murmured and walked past the offices and headed to the pool area.
The only lights on inside the room were those illuminating the water in the largest of the three pools. A good third of those were burned out, he noticed. She sat on a bench with her back to him and didn’t even look up when he approached.
“Aubrey?” He squelched the urge to add a term of endearment.
“Hey,” she said flatly. “I’m guessing you heard?”
He came around and sat next to her. She stared into the water, clearly fighting tears. She was always so strong. It killed him to
see her like this. Telling himself he was simply comforting a friend, he slipped an arm around her shoulders. She allowed him to pull her close, resting her head against his chest. He placed a cheek on the top of her head, the silky feel and sweet vanilla scent of her hair poignant and so achingly familiar.
“Alex told me. I’m so sorry.”
Her sigh nearly tore him in two. “I know. It’s just... It probably sounds ridiculous, but I worked so hard on this competition. I’ve been planning and working on it since July. I mean, yes, I knew there was no guarantee we would win. But I was feeling confident. And to go out like this? It’s... Ugh. I’m not used to losing, Eli.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“And when I do lose, I can always rest knowing I gave it my all. And this doesn’t just affect me. So many people in the community stepped up and worked on this. And the pool. The kids I teach... Especially the ones who I know probably wouldn’t be here if not for this program. You should see them. Like little Eleanor you saw here the other day? When they learn to swim—the pride and confidence it builds, the satisfaction, the sheer joy.”
He stroked the hair away from her brow.
“I mean, I know my time as a rescue swimmer is limited, but my time as a swimmer will last forever. My ability to teach these kids will last forever. How can I do that without a pool?”
Eli knew better than to spout platitudes and point out that there were other pools in neighboring communities. That wouldn’t help in this moment. This place was a part of her and she wasn’t ready to let it go. Plus, she was right. You couldn’t beat the convenience, and one could certainly argue for the importance, of having a pool right here in Pacific Cove.
“What can I do?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. Right now, I just want to feel bad.”
“But I don’t want you to feel bad. I hate it when you feel bad. You feeling bad is worse than me feeling bad.” Eli kissed her temple. He knew he was close to crossing a line here, but he ignored the warning.