“Don’t worry, Zoe, Mama likes Padric now. He came here and sang to her and everything’s all right now.”
Zoe waved her hands around her head as if trying to bat away mosquitoes. “Excuse me?”
“Well, not everything, because what if he’s in a coma or something?”
“Monica!”
“Oops, sorry, that was tactless. But the rest is true. Padric came here and sang so beautifully to Mama, and she held his hand. She likes him now.”
Zoe looked at her mother in utter confusion. Why hadn’t anyone told her about this? Maybe because her mother couldn’t really talk much yet, and she hadn’t seen the twins or Theo until this very moment? “Is that true, Mama?”
“True.” She managed to form that word perfectly. She pointed at herself. “Wrong.” Then jabbed that same finger in Zoe’s direction. “You. H-happy.”
Zoe raced down the hallway to the emergency room. “The man they’re bringing in, from the boat explosion. Padric Jeffers. Where will he be?”
“Are you family?” the charge nurse asked.
“No, but I’m the closest thing. I’m his best friend. His family doesn’t live here anymore.”
The nurse squinted at her. “Wait, you’re from the pizza shop.”
“Yes.” She tried some puppy-dog eyes. “Free pizza on me? For a month?”
The nurse lowered her voice. “You’re trying to bribe me with pizza?”
“I’m sorry, that was completely inappropriate. The thing is, he doesn’t have anyone here, and I don’t want him to be alone. Please?”
“Okay, I’ll make an exception because of that. Not the pizza. Mushroom-pepperoni,” she added in an even lower voice, before writing the room number on a piece of paper. “But if the surgeons or doctors need you to step out, you do it.”
Surgeons?
Oh my God. How badly was he hurt? Visions of blown-up limbs and bloody wounds chased her down the hallway. She caught sight of Nate and some other paramedics pushing a gurney through the ER and ran after them.
“Nate! Nate!”
He looked up and beckoned to her.
“How is he?” Breathless, she raced to the gurney and looked down at the exhausted face of the man she’d always loved, and always would.
“Ask him yourself,” Nate answered.
Padric gave her a tired version of his magical smile. “Zoe. Look at you. Running.”
A sob masquerading as a laugh burst out of her. “I guess I can run fast if it’s important enough. Are you okay?”
“Better now. I can’t hold your hand because I have to stay in this warming blanket. Hypothermia, frostbite, blah blah.”
Tears stood in her eyes. “But you’re in one piece?”
“Far as I know.”
“Yes,” Nate confirmed. “Pending full evaluation, all his parts seem to still be attached. Fucking amazing, considering the engine exploded.”
They reached the exam room and on a count of three, heaved Padric onto a hospital bed. Zoe had to back away while the medical professionals checked his vitals and asked him some questions.
Nate pulled her aside. “Listen, I have to go look into something. Are you going to stick around?”
“You couldn’t pry me away.”
“Okay, I’ll check in later and see how he’s doing. Are you okay?”
“No.” Her tears did the inevitable and ran down her face. “I almost let him go. I did let him go. And then I almost lost him.”
“Bet you’ll never let that happen again, huh?”
“Never.” It sounded like a vow, which was exactly what it was.
“Then you didn’t lose him, you found him.”
As soon as everyone else had cleared out, she came to Padric’s side. His exhaustion showed in his face, but his eyes were clear. “I love you, Zoe,” he said in his ocean-roughened voice. “I—”
She held up a hand to stop him from straining his voice any more. “Let me. I have loved you forever. I tried to love other men, but I could never quite manage it. It was always you, even when I thought you were lost to me. Let’s never let that happen again. Even if we just see each other between your tours, or if I come visit you on tour, or however we decide, we’ll make it work. I love you. With all my heart and soul. I should never have sent you away. I should have—”
He shook his head fiercely, then extracted his hand from under the blanket. She took it in hers, shocked by how cold it still was.
“Don’t. I understand. I spent some time with your mom and—”
“I know. The twins told me. I wish I’d been there to see that.”
“You left. No one knew where you were. I wasn’t sure I was going to see you again.”
“I wasn’t either,” she admitted. “I went to Banff, thinking it was my last gasp of freedom. When I came back, I thought you were already gone. I was planning…” She squeezed his hand, thinking again of him on his boat, the explosion.
“What?”
“I was going to write you a letter.” She shrugged at how lame that sounded. “A really, really good one, with some ideas about how we could still see each other. And then I heard about…”
“The boat?
She lifted his hand to her cheek. How cold it felt, and yet how wonderful. Instead of answering, she nodded. The thought of the explosion made her words dry up in her mouth.
“I was going to come back,” he told her. “That wasn’t going be the end of it. I sweet-talked your mother. You were next.”
“You don’t have to sweet-talk me. I’m yours. Yours forever.”
His eyelids fell shut as a smile drifted across his face. “I love you so much. I hope I’m not dreaming all this. Good thing Ruby made me put on that jacket. You aren’t an eagle, are you?”
“Excuse me?” Now he was just rambling, it seemed.
A soft snore was her only answer.
She tucked his hand back under the blanket. Then, since no nurse was around to tell her otherwise, she eased onto the bed next to him, careful not to disturb the warming blanket. It couldn’t hurt to add more body heat.
This way, he wouldn’t wake up alone and possibly confused. And she could revel in the pure joy of feeling his body against hers. The relief of hearing each raspy breath, which right now sounded better to her than any song could.
Padric was alive. They were together. They loved each other. Everything else would work itself out.
Chapter Thirty-Three
After a solid twenty hours of sleep, Padric felt a lot better. So much better that he used his newfound strength to get on the phone with his manager and thrash out an agreement. Zoe brought him his phone and curled up next to him as he talked.
“I’ll be in Stockholm on schedule,” he promised. “Can’t let a little thing like an explosion get in the way. The show must go on.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” said the man. “This’ll be huge. PR wet dream.”
Padric cringed. “No publicity about the explosion. Promise me. Otherwise I’m retiring.”
“Fine. Radio silence on your near-death experience. What else?”
“I want to cut back on touring. I want to build a studio in Lost Harbor and shift my focus to songwriting and producing. I want to offer studio time and help to younger artists.”
“No more tours?”
“I’ll still tour on occasion. But less. You can’t have a life while touring. I want a damn life, since I almost lost mine.”
Zoe spread her hand across his chest, as if checking to make sure his heart was still beating.
“One more thing. I need to be back in Alaska on September fifth.”
“That’s impossible. You have press scheduled for that—”
“Make it happen. I need to repay a debt.”
After some more grumbling from his manager, he ended the call. Zoe lifted her head and gazed at him curiously. “What debt?”
“The twins. They used their hard-earned money to help us. They knew if I sang to your mother, she’d soften. I owe t
hem. They’re good sisters to you.”
“I suppose they have their moments. I’m not complaining at all, I’ll love having you back even just for one day.”
“But after this tour, it’s for good,” he told her sternly, brushing a wild lock of hair away from her face. “And I want you to be able to go away, too. Art fellowships, for instance. And occasionally you might want to come on tour with me. This studio that I plan to build, I want it to be inside a house that we live in. Together. I know you’re worried about your mom, but she’s welcome to live with us, too. We can bring in caregivers to fill in as needed. We can afford it.”
“We?” She wrinkled her forehead at him. “Speak for yourself, superstar.”
“We,” he said firmly. “What’s mine is yours. I want to make it official. But not here. Somewhere less—”
Nate strolled in just then, along with Officer Maya Badger.
“Crowded,” Padric finished. But he knew from Zoe’s expression that she understood, and that her answer would be yes.
Good, because he wasn’t messing around anymore. Clarity. That was what he’d gotten from nearly getting blown up. Clarity.
“We caught him,” said Nate grimly. “We caught the fucking bastard.”
Maya put her hand on his arm to check him. “Cool it, Nate. He wants answers, not all your cursing and ranting.”
Nate flopped into the armchair and stretched out his legs. “You tell them, Maya. I don’t have the heart.”
Officer Badger gave Padric a steady look. “How are you doing, first of all?”
“A lot better. Thank you.”
“You ready for this?”
He interlaced his fingers with Zoe’s. With her in his life, he was ready for anything. “Shoot.”
“It was Willie Marsh, who was doing the training with you.”
Damn. He’d suspected someone from the program, but him?
“The retired longshoreman? The one whose granddaughter is a fan?” Padric sorted through all his encounters with Willie. At the fire station. At the auction. What did that guy have against him?
Maya was still talking.
“He tampered with the intake valve, so air was getting into the engine compartment. It took a while to build up, then went boom halfway across the bay. Says he didn’t want it to happen in a crowded harbor.”
“Boom? Ever heard of tactful phrasing?” Nate complained.
“Sorry. Padric’s fine, so I didn’t think—”
“It’s okay,” Padric reassured her. “Do you know why he did it?” He braced himself for the inevitable. “Was it because of the PJ brands?”
“Nothing to do with that. It was because of the Scandal, believe it or not.”
Zoe and Padric exchanged a look. “How? Why?” Zoe demanded.
“He was in love with your mother back then. He worked for a while at the Last Chance.”
“I remember.” Zoe looked mystified. “They were friends, I thought.”
“She confided in Willie, so he got a front row seat to all of her anger at Annie Jeffers. His own marriage had ended because of an affair, so it affected him deeply. After Zoe’s dad died, Willie made his move but Nicola told him she was done with men forever.”
“That’s true,” said Zoe. “She never considered a new relationship, as far as I know.”
Maya continued. “Later, his son got hooked on heroin and had some rough years. So he watched his son go in and out of rehab while the Jeffers kid got famous. His words. It all festered into a stew of hatred and resentment. When you showed up again, Padric, he went a little bonkers.”
Padric put his arm around Zoe, who was listening with wide, appalled eyes. “Did he send the baking soda, too?”
“It was all him. He’s Layla Drummond’s neighbor. He convinced Layla to bring Mrs. Bellini to the auction. He was hoping that would chase you away.”
“It nearly did. So why’d he go to the trouble of blowing up my boat?”
“Final nail in the coffin—so to speak,” she added quickly, after Zoe clutched at Padric in horror. “He claims he wanted to scare you so much you’d never come back.”
“Then he’ll be especially happy to know that I intend to move here and set up a studio.”
“Right on.” Officer Badger tucked her thumbs in her pockets. “Any questions about the investigation or what happens from here? We’ll need you to testify at the trial. We’re charging him with attempted murder.”
“Is there any chance he’s, you know, not all there?”
Nate piped up from the armchair. “That’s what I keep asking myself. Why didn’t I notice something was wrong with him? Why did I let him into the training? He shouldn’t have been able to come near you, the mother—”
“Okay, okay.” Maya stopped him with one sharp gesture. “I can think of a lot of things to blame you for, Nate, but not this. As for his mental state, that’s not up to me to determine. Padric, I suggest you focus on your recovery and your future and your,” she gestured toward Zoe, “second chance. Leave Willie Marsh to us.”
“Deal.” Padric leaned forward to shake her hand. “Thanks for the quick resolution.”
Maya shook his hand, then jerked her head toward Nate. “He actually had a lot to do with that.”
“Finally I’m getting some credit.” Grumbling, Nate rose to his feet. “Come on, let’s leave these two in peace. I want to know about these other things you’re blaming me for.”
“You really want to go there?”
Bickering, the two of them left the room.
Zoe nestled her head back onto Padric’s shoulder. “Interesting relationship they have.”
“That’s one word for it.” He gave a huge yawn. “Getting sleepy again. Will you make sure I’m up by five? They’re sending a charter plane to get me to Stockholm in time. There’s supposed to be a new guitar onboard and hopefully some clothes.”
“Of course. But wait, I almost forgot!” She jumped out of the bed and reached under it. “You know I have arrangements with a few fishermen and wilderness guides that they’ll bring me odd items they find washed up on the beach. Look at what Boris Clancy found!”
With a gesture of triumph, she heaved an object onto his bed.
His guitar case. Waterlogged, with a scorch mark on one end, and a sprig of seaweed stuck in one buckle.
“Have you opened it? Do you think it’s okay?” He touched it reverently. This seemed like almost too much of a miracle. “Where did they find it?”
“Just bobbing away in Driscoll Cove.”
“I know strange things happen around Lost Souls Wilderness, but this has to be one of the strangest.”
He flipped open the two buckles and peered inside. His poor guitar was definitely going to need some drying-out time. “I think I’ll stick with the one they’re sending me from home. I’m really glad to have it back, though. This guitar has seen me through a lot. Good and bad.”
He handed it back to Zoe, who stashed it against the wall. “How about I hang on to it while you’re gone? I’ll look online and find out how to fix it. I have stuff in my studio I can try. Desiccants for seaweed, that sort of thing.”
“Sure. Just promise me you won’t stick it in the pizza oven.”
“Darn it, you guessed my first trick.” Laughing, she bent down to give him a kiss. Their lips clung together for a long, achingly tender kiss. When they drew apart, they were both breathing fast.
“I’m pretty sure there’s a steam room in this hospital,” he told her. “Rehabilitation wing. I remember it from high school hockey. Should we sneak in before I have to leave?”
“Are you sure? You just went through a major trauma.”
“Yeah, the part where I thought we were through. That was the trauma. Nearly getting blown up? That was just practice.”
“Practice?” She frowned, looking a bit worried.
“Yeah. Practice for when I blow your mind in that steam room. And when I get back from Sweden. And when you’re mine every single night.”
Her face flushed in that way he loved. “I’ll just go make sure the coast is clear.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
And he always would be.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“So are we all agreed that next year, this festival will happen in midsummer instead of early September?”
Zoe stamped her feet to keep warm. Not that it was cold, exactly—freeze-up was still at least a month away. But the wind off the bay had a cutting edge to it and the sun kept whisking behind the clouds.
None of that bothered the twins. They were about as ecstatic as two over-caffeinated and under-slept teenagers could be. A healthy portion of Lost Harbor had turned out for this event. More people had come from elsewhere on the peninsula, and even some late-season tourists had joined the fun. The bands all rocked, people were dancing on the beach, bonfires were burning under the supervision of the fire department, and the boardwalk businesses were all thrilled. Normally at this time of year, things were slowing down drastically. A special event to draw one last burst of business would mean an extra cushion going into winter.
“They did good,” Padric agreed. He’d just flown in from Sweden that morning and was about to go onstage as the surprise headliner. His one condition in exchange for performing was that no one have advance notice, just in case he couldn’t pull it off. But his manager had come through, and Zoe had picked him up at the airport and they’d spent the rest of the day in bed.
Until now, of course, when he was about to step onstage.
He bent over the wheelchair in which her mother was sitting. “Are you keeping warm, Mrs. Bellini?”
She snorted. “This? I used to s-start the coal f-f-fire in our house before the kids got up.”
Zoe smiled proudly. In just a couple of weeks, Mama had made amazing progress. She still couldn’t walk more than few steps, but to be honest, she liked talking more than walking anyway. Being wheeled around like a queen suited her just fine.
Nate left the bonfire he was monitoring and ambled over to them. He gave Padric a “welcome back” hug, then dropped a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Look at you, up and about, looking more gorgeous than ever.”
Yours Since Yesterday Page 24