Mine After Dark: Gansett Island Book Series, Book 19

by Marie Force

  “No, you’re not. You’re being careful, and I shouldn’t have come here at this hour. I didn’t think it all the way through until I saw you were scared.”

  “Jordan says I’m a wimp and need to toughen up.”

  “That’s not nice.”

  “She’s often not nice to me,” she said with a laugh that did amazing things for her pretty face. “That’s her job as my sister.”

  “I have a brother with the same job.”

  She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen, where a large pizza sat cooling on a cutting board. “Want some?”

  “I’ll have a slice if you can spare it.”

  “I’m certainly not going to eat this whole thing,” she said, laughing again.

  “Are you putting up a Christmas tree in January by any chance?” He gestured to the boxes surrounding a large artificial tree in the cozy living room.

  “You caught me,” she said with a shy, adorable smile. “Jordan was in no mood for Christmas this year, so we skipped it. I love Christmas, and I figured who would know if I put the tree up.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” He slid onto one of the barstools at the expansive island and took a bite of the pizza she served him, picking off the pepperoni, even though he wasn’t particularly hungry after having eaten at the Beachcomber. “This is delicious.”

  She rolled her eyes at his compliment. “Frozen pizza is one of my few culinary specialties. What can I get you to drink? I’ve got iced tea, water and beer.”

  “A beer sounds good.” He hadn’t finished the second one at the bar, so one more would be okay.

  She fetched two bottles of imported beer that required a bottle opener and put one of them down in front of him.

  “Cheers,” he said, holding up his bottle. “Welcome back to Gansett.”

  “Thanks.” She touched her bottle to his. “It’s good to be here.”

  They enjoyed the pizza and beer in silence for a few minutes before Riley decided to address the elephant in her life.

  “Did she really go back to him?” Riley asked, hesitant to bring up what had to be a sore subject but concerned for her nonetheless.

  “She really did,” Nikki said with a sigh. “How did you hear?”

  “I saw it on one of those entertainment shows. My dad’s fiancée had it on in the bar.”

  “That didn’t take long to get out. It must be big news in light of what caused their breakup in the first place.”

  “How do you go back to someone who’d do that to you?”

  “Beats me, but the exposure from the video added seven million new Twitter followers and three million new Instagram fans, so in Jordan’s mind, that’s a win.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Don’t feel bad. I don’t either.” She met his gaze across the countertop between them. “I quit my job as her assistant.”

  “Wow. How did that go?”

  “As you might imagine. She pleaded with me to reconsider, and I pleaded with her to do the same when it came to Zane. Neither of us was willing to budge, so here I am. She’s in Nashville with him, or that’s where she was last night. Who knows where he’s playing tonight? It’s no longer my job to care.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing.”

  She gave him a measuring look. “It’s worth a lot. I’ve been doing some second-guessing about walking away from her, but I can’t take the nonstop drama anymore. She loves it. I can’t bear it.”

  “Then you’re wise to take a break.”

  “This isn’t a break. It’s a breakup. It’s time. We’re twenty-seven. It’s long past time for us to lead separate lives.”

  “I’m twenty-eight. Almost twenty-nine, actually, and still living with my brother. The only time we haven’t lived together was my first year of college. He came to the same school. We lived together after that, and we have ever since.”

  “That makes me feel a little better about staying with Jordan as long as I did.”

  “She was paying you to be there, so there is that. Sometimes I think Finn ought to pay me to live with him. He’s such a slob. We were just fighting about our shithole house tonight.”

  Nikki laughed at the face he made. “Would you miss him if you moved out?”

  “Yeah, I would, even though I work with him, so I’d still see him every day. Will you miss Jordan?”

  “Not right away, but I’m sure I will eventually. Things have really changed between us since she met Zane and got the show.”

  “I’ve seen the show a few times,” he confessed.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Is that right? You’re not exactly the target demographic.”

  “There was nothing else on.”

  She laughed. “Good save.”

  “And,” he said, hesitating for a second, “I was curious about what’d become of you after you left last fall.”

  “One reason we left was because Jordan was contractually required to return to taping the show. I wanted to stay here, but her lawyer told her to get her ass back to LA or she was going to be sued. Later, I found out she’d been talking to Zane, and he’d been pleading with her to come home so they could work things out.”

  “That explains why you guys disappeared overnight.”

  “The network sent a plane for us, so we had to go. I wanted to let you know we were leaving, but I wasn’t sure how to reach you.”

  Hearing she’d wanted to talk to him before she left was an antidote to the funk and left him feeling unreasonably elated. “I was bummed when I realized you were gone.”

  “You were?”

  He nodded.

  “How come?”

  “I liked talking to you.”

  “I liked talking to you, too. I thought of you after we left and hoped that you’d gotten the roof fixed without falling off. My Gran said you did a great job.”

  “That’s nice of her to say—and PS, I’m a professional. I don’t fall off.”

  She giggled, and the sound did something to him, something strange and unexpected. He wanted to make her laugh again, just so he could listen to the joyful noise. “I didn’t mean to wound your ego.”

  “I accept your apology,” he said in a haughty tone. “But you could make it up to me by having dinner with me tomorrow night.” The words were out of his mouth before he thought through the implications of officially asking her out. To hell with implications. He liked her. She seemed to like him. After all, she’d confessed to having thought of him after she left. That meant something, didn’t it?

  She looked down at her plate, appearing less than thrilled to have been asked out by him. “Is anything open this time of year?”

  “A few places. Domenic’s, for one.”

  “That’s my favorite restaurant on the island.”

  “Then we’ll go to Domenic’s. If you want to, that is.”

  “That would be nice. Thank you.”

  She seemed to be forcing herself to say yes, but he chose not to delve deeper into that since she’d agreed to go. “You want some help with the tree?”

  “I’d love that. I was just thinking I needed a ladder to get to the higher branches.”

  “I’ll do it for you.” He took their plates to the sink, washed them and propped them on a wooden rack to dry. When he turned, he caught her watching him and saw her face flush with embarrassment. “What?” he asked, drying his hands on a dish towel. “Never seen a guy do dishes before?”

  “In fact, I haven’t.”

  “Then you’ve been hanging out with the wrong guys.”

  “That’s a fact.”

  There it was again, that same unsettled vibe he’d sensed when he’d asked her to dinner. Someone had hurt her. Badly. The thought made him want to roar with outrage. But he suppressed that impulse and followed her into the living room, where she presented him with a Clark Griswold-worthy knot of tangled lights.

  “Why do I feel like I’ve just been thoroughly manipulated?” he asked, crooking a brow in a
musement.

  That little giggle… It did things to him, weird, crazy things that made him want to settle in and get comfortable with her. Was this what it’d been like for Mac when he met Maddie or Evan when he met Grace? Had they wanted to settle in and get comfortable with a woman for the first time in their lives?

  Thoughts that would’ve unsettled him not that long ago now had him wondering about things he never thought about as he spent forty-five minutes unraveling the lights with her sitting beside him on the sofa, helping in between fits of laughing at his frustration.

  “Do we even know if these lights are any good?”

  “I haven’t tested them yet.”

  He glanced at her, feigning annoyance. “Seriously? Did we just waste an hour we’ll never get back unraveling lights that don’t even work?”

  “Possibly?” she said with a smile.

  Riley shook his head and looked away from her, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Moment of truth.” He went to an outlet to plug in the lights, which were all connected. “Ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He pushed the plug into the wall and watched the entire strand come to life.

  Nikki clapped, her big brown eyes dancing with what could only be called joy. “That’s a relief. I was pretty sure I’d be out of luck if they didn’t work. Something tells me that Christmas lights might be hard to come by around here in January.”

  “Everything’s hard to come by around here in January. We had three days around Christmas when the ferries didn’t run because of the blizzard, and we ran out of beer. That was nearly a full-blown crisis in the McCarthy family.”

  “God forbid. Three days without beer!”

  “You have no idea what we went through. I was afraid there might be a riot if the ferries didn’t start running soon. I happened to be in town when the first boat arrived after the storm, and three huge pallets of beer were the first thing unloaded. The villagers went crazy cheering in the streets, and everyone was happy in the land that night.”

  “That’s funny,” she said, feeding him the lights as he wound them around the tree, working from the top down. “I’m picturing parades and parties.”

  “You’re not far off. There was a tremendous sense of relief.”

  At six-foot-two, he had no trouble reaching the top. With her standing by his side, he realized he was a foot taller than she was.

  “How many people live here year-round?”

  “The Gansett Gazette had a story this week that reported nine-hundred and forty-nine year-round residents on the island.”

  “I’m surprised there’re that many.”

  “Seems like far fewer this time of year when everyone hibernates.”

  “Am I a weirdo because I love winter?”

  “Yes.”

  She laughed at his quick reply. “I know! It’s so wrong, but I love the cold and the snow and Christmas and the fireplace and how everyone hunkers down to ride it out. It’s my favorite time of year, especially here. In Southern California, we don’t get much of a winter. But there’s nowhere I’d rather be than here in the winter.”

  Listening to the reasons she loved winter, he decided he could easily become a fan of the season that had always been his least favorite, but only if he got to hunker down with her. “Well, I, for one, am very happy to have you as our nine-hundred and fiftieth resident.”

  Chapter 4

  Riley arrived at work the next morning in a vastly better mood than the day before, which, of course, his brother and cousins noticed.

  “Did you get laid last night?” Finn asked in front of everyone as they drank the coffee Mac brought for them every morning.

  “Shut the fuck up.” He said that no fewer than six times a day to the brother who alternatively amused and annoyed him.

  “Well, did you?” Finn asked, undeterred.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I didn’t.”

  “Huh… Coulda fooled me. You got that freshly fucked look to you.”

  Riley appealed to his cousin for help. “Mac…”

  “Shut up, Finn,” Mac said. “Leave him alone.”

  “You guys are no fun,” Finn said.

  Shane laughed. “I can name many, many people who would say otherwise about the entire lot of us. We’re known for being a good time had by all.”

  Luke Harris snorted with laughter. “I’ll attest to that.”

  “Everyone except Riley,” Finn said. “He’s a good time had by no one lately.”

  He’d had a damned good time with Nikki last night, and he was fairly confident she’d enjoyed their time together, too. He couldn’t wait to see her after work.

  Today, they were installing windows, which was frigid work this time of year. Riley was thankful for the intense activity that kept his brother too busy and too cold to continue busting Riley’s balls. By late afternoon, they were all frozen and tired.

  “Go home, everyone,” Mac said at four thirty when they’d installed more than twenty windows that would provide a panoramic view of the beach from the restaurant and bar. “Get warm, and we’ll pick it up in the morning.”

  Riley didn’t have to be told twice. After stashing his tools, he headed for the main doors.

  “Riley, wait up,” Finn called after him. “You wanna grab dinner tonight? I’m in the mood for pizza.”

  “I’ve got plans.”

  “What plans?”

  “The kind you make with people who are not your brother.”

  “Ouch. That hurts my feelings.”

  “You don’t have feelings.”

  “Ha-ha,” Finn said. “Seriously, though… What’re you doing?”

  “I’m going out.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Nope.”

  “So she was glad to see you, huh?”

  Riley ignored the question and kept his head down against the wind as he walked to his truck, thankful that he and Finn had driven separately today. Finn had still been asleep when Riley left at eight, eager to get his hours in so he could get to the best part of the day—after work.

  Finn grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Come on. Don’t be a dick.”

  “I’m not being a dick just because I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Even with me?”

  “Especially with you.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “I don’t want you busting my balls right now. That’s what it means.”

  Finn held up his hands. “I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”

  Riley gave him a skeptical look as he unlocked his black pickup truck.

  “I will! I mean it.”

  “I’ll see you at home.” Riley got in the truck and fired it up, blasting the heat. He was frozen to the bone after the long day. Today was an exception to the norm. They were inside most of the time. According to Mac’s plan, they would start on the outside of the building as soon as the weather broke. The job at McCarthy’s Wayfarer would take them most of the winter and well into the spring. Their goal was to be ready to open by Memorial Day weekend, which would be a close call.

  But if anyone could get it done in time, Mac could. He did an impressive job of coordinating the delivery of building supplies to the island, the timing of which could be tricky. However, the fact that Mac’s brother-in-law Joe Cantrell owned the ferry company helped to simplify the process. Mac could get trucks on the boat pretty much whenever he needed to, especially this time of year, when things were quiet on the island.

  On the way home, Riley stopped at the island’s only liquor store and bought a six-pack of beer. He wasn’t a big drinker, but he did enjoy a beer at the end of a long day at work.

  When he got home, Finn was already there and had begun cleaning up. He had hip-hop playing so loudly, it was impossible to talk, which was fine with Riley.

  He wanted to take pictures to document the unprecedented event of his brother cleaning, but he didn’t want hi
m to stop. So he didn’t say anything. Rather, he pitched in. It took an hour, but they got the kitchen and bathroom cleaned and a load of laundry done.

  Riley rewarded his brother by sharing the beer he’d bought.

  They each opened a bottle and clinked them together.

  Finn tipped his head back and drank most of his in one big gulp.

  Riley took his a little slower. He wasn’t looking to get buzzed when he had to drive soon. He’d told Nikki he’d be there around six thirty. At lunchtime, he’d made a reservation at Domenic’s, not that they’d need it this time of year. But he was leaving nothing to chance tonight.

  He went into his room to text Nikki. They’d exchanged numbers last night, which had been another significant development. He took comfort in knowing he’d be able to reach her, even if she had to leave for some reason. Got out of work early. You need help finishing the tree before dinner?

  She wrote right back. Watching the little bubbles dance as she typed her reply had him holding his breath in giddy anticipation. That’d be great! I didn’t get to it today.

  Be there in thirty or so.

  Sounds good! She punctuated her reply with Christmas tree emojis that made him smile.

  “Is your widdle girlfriend sending you sexts?” Finn asked, attempting to look over Riley’s shoulder at his phone, which Riley quickly hid from him before ducking into the clean-smelling bathroom to shower.

  Standing under the warm water, it occurred to Riley that it might be time to get his own place.

  * * *

  Filled with nervous energy, Nikki went around straightening up a house that didn’t need straightening. She fluffed pillows in the living room and wiped down the outdated kitchen countertops that screamed for an update. What she wouldn’t give to be able to get her hands on this place and put to use all the otherwise worthless info she’d gained from hours of watching HGTV.

  The kitchens and bathrooms were woefully out of date and the old hardwood floors so scuffed, they barely retained the varnish. She’d thought about asking her grandmother if it would be okay to do some work on the house but didn’t want to offend the older woman who’d been so good to her.