Suddenly One Summer

by Barbara Freethy

  One shot followed another, until she lost track. Propelled by anger and tequila, she decided to have it out with Andrew. She stumbled across the beach toward him, almost falling into the fire at one point. Someone pulled her back—Shane Murray. He gave her a scornful look then moved on. But she didn’t care what he thought. She just needed to find out why Andrew didn’t like her anymore.

  Andrew had his arm around Pamela now. “Andrew,” she said. “Can I talk to you?”

  “What are you doing, Charlie? You’re drunk.”

  “So what? Come with me. We have to talk.”

  “I’m busy. You should go home. Get Teri to take you. She’s leaving soon, and she hasn’t been drinking.”

  “I don’t want to go home with Teri. I want to talk to you.”

  “He can’t talk to you right now, because we’re going skinny dipping,” Pamela interrupted. She stepped away from Andrew and pulled off her shirt, revealing full breasts supported by a hot pink bra. Charlotte’s jaw dropped. No wonder Andrew wanted Pamela. She was a woman.

  Pamela grabbed Andrew’s hand and they ran toward the water, stripping off their clothes along the way. The other kids followed suit, until there was nothing but clothes on the beach and naked teenagers in the water.

  Tears burned Charlotte’s eyes. She looked for Beth but couldn’t find her. She must be in the water, too. Teri wasn’t around, either. Charlotte was all alone, looking like a stupid idiot. She felt like crying, but she couldn’t make herself look like a bigger fool. Her stomach churned. She thought she was going to throw up. She ran down the sand, through the trees, toward the parking lot. She saw some headlights go on. Maybe Teri hadn’t left yet. Maybe she could get a ride home. And then a hand came out of nowhere…

  “Charlotte,” Andrew said, his voice shocking her back to the present.

  She blinked in confusion.

  “Are you all right?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

  “I’m—fine,” she said.

  “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  “Not quite that far.”

  His gaze settled on her face and she saw something that looked like regret.

  “You were remembering that night on Refuge Beach, weren’t you?” he murmured.

  “The one where you and Pamela Baines stripped down and went into the water? Yes, I was.”

  “Not my proudest moment,” he admitted.

  “It was a long time ago.” She shrugged, hoping he would leave it at that, but of course he didn’t.

  “You wouldn’t talk to me after that night. I wanted to apologize for the way I’d acted, but you wouldn’t take my calls.”

  “It was just one call, Andrew. You didn’t try all that hard to reach me.” She knew; she’d waited by the phone. She hadn’t called him back after the first time because she’d wanted to make him sorry, assuming he’d call again. She’d assumed wrong.

  “I was a stupid kid, Charlie. I made mistakes.”

  “So did I. I never should have slept with you. Or rather, had sex in the backseat of your car.”

  Andrew cast a quick look over his shoulder. “Let’s not talk about that here.”

  “Don’t want to ruin your reputation?”

  “Or yours,” he said pointedly. “You know, I didn’t intend to get into all this tonight. I thought we’d say hello and talk about the festival.”

  That would have been a far better way to go. “You’re right. This isn’t the time or the place.” She turned to leave, but he fell into step alongside her.

  “I did love you, Charlotte,” he said.

  His words shocked her. She stopped abruptly. “How can you say that? Why the hell would you lie to me now?”

  He looked taken aback by her reply. “I’m not lying. You scared me back then. I didn’t know how to deal with what I was feeling. I didn’t want to be in love. I was too young.”

  “I was young, too. Did you think I knew how to handle what I was feeling?”

  “You wanted more than I could give.”

  “You didn’t want to give anything,” she returned. “And how could you know what I wanted, when I didn’t even know myself?”

  “I messed up,” he said quietly. “I screwed things up with you when I hooked up with Pamela. I know you must have heard what happened between us, because you couldn’t look at me after that night.”

  She couldn’t look at him now. Not just because of what he and Pamela had done, but because of what she’d done. “Let’s just forget it, Andrew.”

  “I’d like to start over, Charlie. We were friends once.”

  “You’re probably a big believer in that whole ‘turn the other cheek’ thing, but I’m not so much. You hurt me, and even though it was a long time ago, I haven’t forgotten.”

  “You can still forgive me.”

  She sighed. “Fine. It’s forgiven and forgotten. Are you happy now, Reverend?”

  He smiled at her tone. “You always hated being wrong.”

  “I’m not wrong.”

  “And you always hated being told what to do.” He put up a hand as she opened her mouth to protest. “Let’s change topics. I’m really sorry about your dad’s passing. He was a good man. I won’t come close to filling his shoes.”

  She gave him a thoughtful look. “Why did you become a minister, Andrew? I don’t even remember you liking church. You snuck out with me a few times.”

  “I actually enjoyed the services, but I didn’t think it was cool to admit that, especially to you.” He paused. “When I left here to go to college, I let go of a lot of my values—went a little crazy, in fact. I finally woke up one day and wasn’t proud of the life I was living. I started going to church and I got on track again, and realized that being a minister was what I really wanted to do with my life.”

  “And your path led you back here,” Charlotte said.

  “You came back, too,” he reminded her. “Looks like we have a second chance, Charlie.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the look in his eyes. Andrew couldn’t possibly want her now, after all these years. But even if he did, did she want him? No other man had ever touched her in quite the same way. But still…

  It was too much, too soon. “I have to go,” she said abruptly. “I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”

  “At least you didn’t say no,” he called after her.

  She hadn’t said yes, either, but she knew someday soon, she would have to come up with an answer. If not for him, then for herself.

  The first person Joe saw on the beach was Charlotte—but then, she seemed to be the first person he saw anytime there was a crowd. She seemed to be having a heated conversation with the new minister. Joe knew that Andrew Schilling had grown up in Angel’s Bay; he just hadn’t known there was a relationship between Andrew and Charlotte. He frowned at the thought.

  “Joe.” Rachel tugged on his hand. “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing. Sorry.” He smiled at her. He’d gotten her to the beach; now he had to make sure she had a good time while he was working. He perused the crowd, relieved when he saw Kara Lynch. Kara was in real estate and knew a ton of people. She was the perfect woman to help introduce his wife around town.

  “This is so not my scene,” Rachel said. “I’m used to Malibu and beach clubs, where people serve me champagne and don’t kick up sand,” she said as a group of kids ran by.

  “We used to go to Manhattan Beach, where you watched me surf,” he reminded her. “There was no champagne back then.”

  “In those days I just liked seeing you with no shirt on,” she said, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

  “And I enjoyed seeing you in a bikini. Maybe we should come down here tomorrow and re-create the old days.”

  “We’ll see. Too much sun can add years to the skin.”

  “Well, we don’t want that. Come meet some of my friends. Kara,” he said as they drew near. “I’d like you to meet my wife. Rachel, this is Kara Lynch.”

&n
bsp; “Rachel, it’s so wonderful to meet you,” Kara said with genuine warmth. “Joe has talked a lot about you.”

  “Hello,” Rachel said, shaking Kara’s hand.

  “Kara is married to Colin Lynch, one of my officers,” Joe added. “And we owe them a couple of barbecues.”

  “Well, you’re the barbecue king,” Rachel said.

  “Joe tells me you’re in real estate,” Kara said. “I work at a local real estate office here in Angel’s Bay. We could always use another salesperson.”

  “Really?” Rachel’s eyes lit up. “What kind of property do you list? Joe showed me some of the new developments going up. Are those being handled by your office?”

  “Some of them. There are two offices in town, and with the new developments, we’re both getting a lot more business.”

  Joe let out a sigh of relief as Kara and Rachel discussed the real estate market. One problem solved. He glanced around the crowd, wondering where Charlotte and her friend had gone. They were nowhere in sight. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The only thing he did know was that he really shouldn’t care.

  Turning his head the other direction, he saw Jenna Davies sitting on a blanket. Some distance away, Reid Tanner appeared to be watching Jenna. Joe’s gaze narrowed. He knew a reporter of Reid Tanner’s caliber was interested in more than angels. He also knew that Jenna Davies acted like a woman with something to hide. Put the two together, and it was all very interesting.

  Maybe he needed to find out more about both of them.

  SEVENTEEN

  Reid hadn’t felt so eager to see someone in ages. That sense of anticipation disturbed him, made him pause. He felt almost optimistic, and that wasn’t a feeling he knew how to handle. For eleven months he’d wanted to check out of his life, but tonight he found himself looking forward instead of back. He wanted to think of Jenna as only a story, but he couldn’t forget the way she tasted, the feel of her breasts in his hands, the softness of her body under his. He’d had to take a long, cold shower after she left his hotel room. He was involved with her, whether he liked it or not—whether she liked it or not. And he was worried that the real problem was that he liked it too much.

  Jenna wore her long hair down tonight. It was dark and tangled from the ocean breeze, and he imagined himself running his fingers through it, cupping her face with his hands, staring into those big, beautiful, haunted blue eyes, sliding his mouth against hers, taking them both to another place. He wanted to chase the loneliness and fear out of her eyes, to see her smile, hear the catch of her breath when his lips touched hers. He wanted to unleash the passion she kept so rigidly under control while pretending to be an ordinary suburban mom.

  Jenna had gotten into his head, under his skin. She’d woken him up, and there was no going back. So he walked across the sand and took a seat next to her on the blanket.

  Jenna gave him a wary smile. “Took you long enough. You’ve been watching me for a while. Second thoughts?”

  “A few,” he admitted.

  “Lexie and I are not your problem. You can still walk away if you want to.”

  Her offer only reminded him of how generous she was. Terrified, in danger, and completely on her own, she was still offering him a way out. “I don’t want to. I’m in.”

  Jenna brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She wore faded blue jeans, a knit shirt that clung to her curves, and a soft sweater. Her feet were bare, and Reid smiled at the red polish on her toenails. He had a feeling he was catching another glimpse of the real Jenna. She must have caught him looking, because she quickly dug her toes into the nearby sand.

  “Don’t worry. The red polish won’t give you away—Juliette.” He deliberately used her real name.

  “Shh,” she said quickly, looking around to be sure no one was eavesdropping.

  “Relax. No one can hear us.” Lexie was playing tag several yards away with her friends. “You seem more like a Jenna to me,” he mused.

  “I’m starting to feel like a Jenna. Juliette fit the old me—classical, romantic, a little removed from mundane reality. But that’s certainly not my life anymore. How did you find out my name?”

  “The Internet. It wasn’t difficult once you gave me Brad and Kelly’s names.” He spoke quietly. They were separated from the crowd, but he didn’t want his words to carry. “The facts you have correlate with the police reports. It still surprises me that Brad has managed to keep Lexie’s whereabouts a secret. He must be concerned about keeping up the pretense indefinitely. He has friends, neighbors, people who will begin to question where his daughter is.”

  “He put his house up for sale,” Jenna said. “My contact keeps me up to date on his movements.”

  “That would certainly eliminate questions from the neighbors.”

  “Maybe that’s the reason he did it, but it bothers me. He’s putting some plan into motion, and we would be safer if I knew what it was.”

  Reid didn’t tell her not to worry. Her brother-in-law was a dangerous man, and Jenna needed to feel the danger. She couldn’t relax and let down her guard. She had too much on the line.

  “I have some things to tell you,” he said briskly.

  Her mouth curved down as she sighed. “Am I going to like them?”

  “No.”

  “You’re always so honest. Don’t you know there is nothing wrong with a little sugar-coating?”

  “There is when your life is at stake.”

  She turned to face him. “Okay. Go ahead.”

  Reid pulled out the email Pete had sent him. Dusk was turning to night, but there was enough light left for Jenna to see the photo. “Do you recognize this guy?”

  Jenna stared at the picture for a long minute. “I don’t think so. Should I?”

  “His name is Brad Winters.”

  “That’s not the man my sister was married to.”

  “I know. But he has the same Social Security number, went to the same school, and worked at the same places that Brad claimed on his application to the police academy.”

  “I don’t understand, Reid.”

  “Your Brad stole this guy’s identity,” he said bluntly.

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. “That can’t be true. Brad Winters is a common name. This has to be a mistake.”

  “It’s not. I asked a PI friend of mine to do a rush background check on your brother-in-law.” He took out the other image he’d printed, the one of her brother-in-law and the carjacking story. In the photo, Brad had put a hand up over his face. Now Reid knew why: he’d been trying to avoid getting his picture in the newspaper. “This photo was taken about three weeks before Kelly died. Your brother-in-law was a local hero.”

  “Kelly never told me about this,” she said, taking the paper from his hand.

  “But your sister did tell you that someone had recently come to her with information about Brad.”

  “I don’t see the connection.”

  “The timing fits with when this article appeared. There is a possibility that this newspaper photo tipped someone off. They recognized your brother-in-law, and knew he wasn’t Brad Winters.”

  “So who is he?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “This just gets worse and worse.” Jenna’s gaze moved toward Lexie, who was making a sand castle with her friend. “He’s her father, Reid. What am I ever going to tell her? How will I make this right for her?”

  He heard the anguish in her voice and knew that there was no way to make it right. “You’ll help her deal with the truth when it’s time.”

  “I can’t allow Lexie to go back to him, Reid. I have to find a way to prove that Brad murdered Kelly.” Her chin came up.

  Jenna was a fighter. Her determination was probably what had gotten her to the top of the classical music world. Even though she’d collapsed under that pressure, it just made her more human, more likeable. Because while she’d fallen, she’d also gotten up again—and maybe that was all that mattere
d. Maybe that’s what he was supposed to do. Get back up and fight, instead of letting the weight of his guilt keep him down.

  “Lexie will never be able to handle the fact that her father killed her mother,” Jenna continued. “She’ll always be scarred.”

  “What have you told her so far?”

  “That her father is sick and needs to get help, and he has to be by himself to do that. Kelly must have prepared Lexie for an escape, because she knew that she was going to be called Lexie and that her mom was going to be Jenna.” She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “Kelly was supposed to be Jenna, not me. I don’t know why she picked the name. But using it makes me feel close to her, like it’s a bridge between us. It’s as if both of us died, and we became one person—Jenna. Does that sound crazy?”

  “No, it doesn’t. I think your sister would be very proud of you.”

  “I hope so. Is there any way that Brad will find out your detective is checking up on him, and that he’ll be able to trace your inquiry back here?”

  “I used a middleman. I covered my tracks, Jenna.”

  She nodded, relieved. “So if Brad isn’t really Brad, then who is he?”

  Reid shrugged. “Someone who wanted to escape from his past.”

  “What about the real Brad Winters? If Kelly’s Brad was using someone else’s Social Security number, then wouldn’t the other guy have found out at some point in the last eight to ten years?”

  “I’m hoping to get more information, but there’s a good chance that he’s not alive.”

  Her face paled. “You think that Brad didn’t just steal this man’s life—he took it?”

  “I could be wrong.”

  “Or you’re not. Kelly must have found out. That’s why she started making an escape plan.”

  “It’s possible that the other Brad isn’t dead, that he was the one who showed up and told Kelly what was going on. Or it could be someone else entirely,” he said. “It could be someone who knows who Brad really is. We have no idea what kind of past your brother-in-law was running from. If someone saw his photo in the newspaper and had something on him, they might have considered going to Kelly and not to Brad. We’ll be able to figure it out when we get more pieces of the puzzle.”