Trouble After Dark

by Marie Force

  “Sounds like a good first day.”

  “It was. Did you need something?”

  “Nope. Just checking on you.”

  Deacon wanted to tell him he didn’t need to be supervised, but he bit his tongue. Fighting with Blaine would keep him from Julia that much longer.

  “Tiffany wants me to invite you to dinner some night.”

  “Does it cause you pain to invite me to your house?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  Deacon threw his head back and laughed. “You’re such an idiot.”

  “So you like to tell me. Dinner or not?”

  “Sure. I can’t tonight, but maybe tomorrow?”

  “Fine.”

  “Can I bring Julia?”

  Blaine stared him down for a long moment.

  Deacon refused to blink.

  “What’s going on with her?”

  “We’re friends.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Is that any of your business?”

  “It will be if my friend Owen is unhappy because my brother broke his sister’s heart. Then it becomes very much my business.”

  Carrying the net to drop in the dumpster, Deacon got off the boat and brushed by his brother on his way to the ramp that led to the parking lot where he’d left the bike that morning.

  Blaine grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”

  Deacon pulled his arm free. “Fuck off. I’m not on duty and don’t have to put up with your crap. My off-duty life is none of your business.”

  “Until you do something to piss off one of my friends, and then it will be.”

  “I hope you sit around at night holding your breath waiting for that to happen. That’d be a good use of all the extra time you seem to have to waste bothering me.”

  “If you hurt Julia Lawry, I’ll hurt you.”

  Deacon walked away before he did something stupid like flatten his new “boss.” He fumed all the way home, where he showered and quickly changed his clothes before setting out for the hotel on the bike. He absolutely hated the way his older brother thought he was nothing but a fuckup. He drove past Tiffany’s shop and decided to stop to get a present for Julia.

  He parked, went inside and was happy to see his sister-in-law behind the counter.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling warmly at him. “How was your first day?”

  “Good until the very end.”

  “What happened?”

  “Your husband happened. He’s such a pain in my ass.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  Deacon shrugged. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. He said you want me to come to dinner.”

  “I do. Maybe tomorrow night?”

  “I’d love to. Can I bring a friend?”

  “Of course. A friend named Julia maybe?”

  “Maybe. I want to get something for her. I want something pretty and sexy but not too sexy, you know?”

  Tiffany rolled her lips together to keep from laughing.

  “What?”

  “You’re cute.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Are you going to help me or what?”

  “I’ll help you.” She came around the counter. “What message exactly are you trying to send?”

  He had no idea what that meant.

  Thankfully, she realized that. “Are you looking for ‘I like you a lot’ or ‘I’d like to get to know you better’ or ‘I think you’re hot, and I want you in my bed’?”

  “Um, all of the above?”

  Tiffany laughed. “Which one is at the top of the list?”

  “I like you. A lot.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet.” She sorted through racks of frilly bits and lacy things, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed. Clearly, she took her business seriously. “How about this?” She held up a dark maroon silk robe. “It would be lovely with her dark hair.”

  Deacon agreed. He could picture her in it, and the thought of that would’ve made him hard if he’d allowed his brain to wallow in that image. But because now was not the time and certainly not the place, he forced himself to think about what Blaine would say about him sporting wood in front of his wife rather than how Julia would look in that robe.

  As always, Blaine was a buzzkill.

  “I’ll take it.” Deacon followed her to the counter. “Can you throw in a bottle of that fancy lotion there, too?” He felt like a total idiot, but then again, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d bought a gift for any woman who wasn’t related to him. Even his relatives went without more often than not.

  He stood at the counter and watched Tiffany go through an obviously well-practiced ritual of wrapping his purchases in fancy paper sealed with a gold-foil Naughty & Nice sticker. “Do you by any chance offer free advice with every purchase of sexy lingerie?”

  “Not every purchase. But for you? Sure.”

  He thought for a second about how he wanted to word his question. “When you first met what’s his name, was there something different about it or did that take a while?”

  Tiffany looked up at him, seeming intrigued by the question. “I knew the first time I saw him that he was different from anyone I’d ever met.”

  A distinct feeling of panic came over Deacon at learning it could happen that fast. “Were you guys together from then on?” He felt a little ashamed that he couldn’t recall the details of how Blaine and his wife had ended up together.

  Tiffany laughed. “God, no. I was still married to my first husband and going through a contentious divorce. It wasn’t until many months later that Blaine and I were able to act on that initial first impression. And when we did? Phew.” She fanned her face dramatically. “Hot.”

  “Gross.”

  “Not even kinda.” She flashed a dirty grin. “Tell me the truth.”

  “About?”

  “Do you feel something ‘different’ for Julia?”

  “Um, well… Maybe… Yeah, I guess I do.”

  Tiffany laughed again. “You’re a bit of a red-hot mess, aren’t you?”

  “I know! I can’t figure out what’s going on. I met her three days ago, and here I am buying her a present and counting the minutes until I can see her again. What the hell is that?”

  Tiffany pinched her lips together in an obvious attempt to hold back more laughter at his expense. “Do you really want me to tell you, or would you prefer not to know?”

  Deacon shifted his weight from one foot to the other as a prickle of elation mixed with panic settled in the vicinity of his heart. “I’m afraid to answer that question.”

  She met his gaze, her eyes dancing with delight. “Could I give you one piece of advice?”

  “Please do. I’m at a total loss here.” He gestured to the red-and-white striped bag as he handed over his credit card. “I don’t do this shit.”

  Tiffany ran the card and handed it back to him. “Meeting Blaine, falling in love with him, marrying him… He’s the very best thing to ever happen to me, other than my daughters. Don’t be a fool and miss out on something that could be the best thing to happen to you just because you ‘don’t do this shit.’”

  Deacon absorbed her words of wisdom, trying to sort out how they applied to his situation with Julia.

  “If you feel something different for Julia, Deacon, figure out what it is and be careful with it. She could be one of your best things ever.” She handed over the bag to him. He had to give her credit—the bag was a work of art by the time she finished with it. “One other thing I want to say. The Lawrys... They’ve been through some heavy crap.”

  “I know. Julia told me.”

  Tiffany seemed surprised to hear that. “Owen and Katie don’t say much about it, so I’d take it as a pretty big deal that Julia actually told you. I would just ask you to be gentle with her. She’s been hurt enough. If you aren’t serious about her, stay away.”

  “How can I be serious about someone I met days ago?”

  “You’re in here buying he
r gifts and talking to me about her. I hope you and I will be great friends, but we just met, too. I don’t know you very well yet, but I think it means something that you talked to me about her.”

  She was right. It did mean something that he’d unloaded on the sister-in-law he’d only just met. Julia meant something to him. What exactly, he couldn’t say. Yet. But Tiffany’s warning about hurting Julia resonated with him. The last thing he’d ever want to do was hurt her when she’d already suffered enough hurt in her life. “Thanks for this, Tiffany. The gift and the words of wisdom. For what it’s worth, I think my brother is a lucky man.”

  “You’re damned right he is, and he’ll be getting even luckier tonight.”

  Deacon pulled a disgusted face. “You had to go and ruin it, didn’t you?”

  Tiffany was still laughing when he left the store, eager to get to Julia. He couldn’t wait to be with her again, even if he still had no idea what it meant that she seemed to be all he could think about.

  Chapter 19

  Mac came to slowly, trying to figure out where he was and why his mouth was so dry, he could barely move his tongue. And why were his parents there, and why was Maddie crying?

  He tried to sit up.

  His father’s strong hand on his shoulder kept him reclined. “Take it easy, son.”

  “Maddie.” Why did his voice sound so weak and strange? What the hell was going on?

  “I’m here, Mac.” It took her a second, but she managed to stand, get her bearings and sit on the edge of his bed.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  She wiped her tears and then reached out to fix his hair the way she always did.

  “You don’t remember collapsing earlier?”

  He’d collapsed? Mac racked his brain but couldn’t remember anything after the meeting with Julia Lawry. She was going to start tomorrow and save his life. He’d been on his way somewhere after meeting Julia, but he couldn’t recall where.

  “You were coming to meet me for the appointment, and you collapsed inside the clinic door.”

  Mac couldn’t remember any of that. “The babies…”

  “They’re fine and so am I, as long as you are.”

  “You had a major anxiety attack, son,” Big Mac said. “David checked your heart, and everything is fine, but he said you need to ease up on the stress before anxiety turns into something much more serious.”

  Mac tried to process what his father was telling him. This was the second time that’d happened. The first time had been in Miami, right before he came home to Gansett and ended up staying after he met Maddie. He rubbed his chest where residual pain confirmed what his father was telling him—just like before.

  This was the last freaking thing he needed going into the busiest season of the year at the marina and the construction company. He had no time to be sidelined by fucking anxiety, of all things.

  “David says you have to take it easy for the next few weeks.”

  That wasn’t going to happen, but Mac couldn’t say so. Not now.

  “I’m going back to work full-time at the marina,” Big Mac said. “You’re relieved of duty for the summer. Luke and I have it covered.”

  “And until Shane gets back from his honeymoon, Riley is in charge of the construction company,” Maddie said. “He was here earlier and said he’s happy to help in any way he can.”

  “We also postponed the family party at the Wayfarer until you’re feeling better and Shane is back on the island,” Linda said.

  “Christ,” Mac said. “How long was I out for?”

  “Long enough to scare the shit out of everyone who cares about you most. Your sisters and brothers have been here for hours, hoping to see you.” Big Mac wore the strain of the last few hours in his face and eyes. “This is nonnegotiable, son, so you’d better just wrap your head around the fact that your days of being Superman are over.”

  Mac hated to see his parents looking so stressed out, but it was Maddie who truly got to him, with her eyes red and swollen from crying over him. She was under enough pressure carrying their twins without him adding to it. “Fine, whatever you guys want.”

  “Really?” Maddie asked, her eyes flat with surprise.

  “Really. I don’t want to cause you any more strain than you’re already under. And we’re getting that nanny now. I’m not discussing that any further.”

  “Okay.”

  Mac crooked his finger at her and then chuckled at how her ungainly belly made it impossible for her to get much closer to him. He sat up so he could kiss her, ignoring the way his head swam from the sudden change in position. “Everything is fine. I promise.”

  “We’ll give you kids a minute alone,” Big Mac said as he and Linda stepped out.

  “Scared me.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “Please don’t leave me, Mac. I’d never survive it.”

  “You’ll have me to kick around for the next fifty years.”

  “That’s not long enough.”

  He closed his eyes and held her as close to him as he could get her with the belly in the way. “Love you, Madeline.”

  “Love you more, Malcolm.”

  Mac cringed at the name he hated. “That’s not possible.”

  “Yes, it really is. Seeing you collapse… I’ll be having nightmares about that for the rest of my life.”

  “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

  “You’re going to do what David tells you and take it easy, do you hear me?”

  “Yeah, baby, I hear you.” Taking it easy went against everything he believed in, but he’d do it to put her mind at ease.

  As Maddie pulled back from him, her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.

  “What?” Mac asked, instantly alarmed.

  “A weird pain.” She winced when it happened again.

  “Victoria!”

  * * *

  Julia showered and dried her hair until it flowed in waves down her back. As she applied mascara, she realized she was nervous but excited, too. It had been only a few days since she met Deacon, and she was breathless with anticipation to be with him.

  Was she falling into old traps and habits, or was she finally beginning what could be a healthy relationship with a man? She had no idea, and the not knowing was worrisome. However, she’d decided to take the advice of her mother and grandmother and give him a chance.

  When her cell phone rang, she left the bathroom to take the call.

  “Hi, Julia, this is Kevin McCarthy. I got Katie’s message. I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you.”

  “No problem. I understand you just had a baby. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. She’s a doll. I’m taking a few weeks off, but I’d be happy to find an hour for you if you wouldn’t mind coming to my house.”

  “That’s all right. I don’t want to intrude.”

  “It’s no problem at all. I promised Katie we’d get together soon. Can you come by at some point?”

  Julia realized there was no point in trying to put him off. “Sure, when are you thinking?”

  “Late afternoon seems to be the quietest time around here. Would five o’clock tomorrow work for you?”

  “I can do that. Do you mind if I have a sleepy puppy with me?”

  “Not at all. I’ll have a sleepy baby with me.” He gave her his address. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Thank you.”

  Julia hated that Katie had forced him to see her during his time off and would tell him so when she saw him. He sounded like a nice guy, though, although there was no way Katie would send her to someone who wasn’t great at what he did.

  Her phone chimed with a text from Luke Harris, who said he worked with Mac and wanted to let her know that the get-together at the Wayfarer had been postponed because Mac wasn’t feeling well. Luke said he’d meet her in the morning at nine to let her into the construction office and get her started.

  Julia wondered what was
wrong with Mac and hoped it was nothing serious. She typed in a response to Luke, while wondering what could’ve happened to Mac in the short time since she’d seen him.

  Thanks for the update. Hope Mac is okay. See you in the morning.

  She settled the puppy in the crate her grandmother had unearthed from the hotel basement, took her phone so she wouldn’t miss a text from Deacon and went down the hall to Owen and Laura’s suite. From outside the door, she heard babies crying and Laura’s low, calm voice. How her sister-in-law managed to remain calm in the midst of never-ending chaos was amazing to Julia. She knocked on the door, hoping Laura could hear her over the din.

  When Laura opened the door, she had baby Jonathan in her arms while his twin, Joanna, cried on a playmat on the floor. Holden was toddling around his sister until he tripped, fell and bumped his head on the floor.

  “I’ll get him,” Julia said when Laura stepped aside to let her in.

  “Welcome to Bedlam, where the inmates have taken over the asylum.”

  Over the next half hour, the two of them worked together to settle and then play with the three children.

  “This moment calls for some ‘Baby Shark,’” Laura announced as she turned on the TV. “It makes them into zombies, so we don’t let them watch the video very often. And I apologize in advance for the earworm.”

  Sure enough, one minute after the TV was on, all three kids were captivated, and Julia understood the warning about the earworm. “That song is awful.”

  “I know! We hate it, but they love it, as you can see. Come.” She grabbed Julia’s arm. “Let’s have a drink and some adult conversation while we can.” In the kitchen, Laura pulled a corked bottle of white wine from the door of the fridge. “Wine?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Laura poured healthy glasses for each of them. “They’ve driven me to drink today.”

  “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “I love every second of it. Don’t get me wrong. But three is a lot. I blame your brother for everything. He’s the one who knocked me up with twins.” She followed the words with a smile and a wink. “It’s a good thing I love him so much.”