Harbor Lights

by Sherryl Woods

  Of course, he could try selling her on the idea that the mix-up was all her fault. If she’d been living back at home where she belonged, she would have known about this trip as soon as he’d found out about it, and she could have been right here next to him, sipping a Bloody Mary and watching an action movie. Yep, that was the way he should play it.

  And then duck, when she took a swing at him.

  Kevin held tight to Davy’s hand in the crowded terminal and kept his eyes peeled for his mother. Based on the information he’d found in Mick’s office, she should be walking in from the gate area any time now. The arrivals board indicated her plane had landed five minutes earlier, which meant it probably hadn’t even reached the gate yet.

  “G’ma,” Davy said.

  He’d been practicing the word ever since Kevin had explained who they were meeting at the airport. Apparently tired of looking at a sea of legs, he held up his arms. Kevin hefted him up so he could see.

  “G’ma!” he shouted excitedly, pointing.

  Sure enough, there she was, striding toward them with a hesitant smile on her face.

  “This is a surprise,” she said, setting aside her carry-on bag to take Davy, who was practically crawling out of Kevin’s arms to get to her. “Where’s your father?”

  Kevin didn’t want to be the one to break the bad news. Instead, he told her, “He said he left you a voice mail. Maybe you should check that.”

  Megan frowned, but reached in her pocket, turned on her cell phone, then listened to her messages. Then, she clicked it off and snapped it shut. “Well, that sounded familiar.”

  “Mom, it really was last-minute,” Kevin said, surprised by the need to defend his father. “I heard the phone ring really late last night, way too late for him to call you, and he left the house at the crack of dawn. He was already gone when I got up at six to go for a run.”

  “My flight didn’t take off till after ten this morning. The recording says he didn’t call till nearly eleven, after I was in the air.”

  Kevin could see how angry she was and could almost understand it. For once, he realized how many times she must have been an afterthought when some crisis changed Mick’s schedule at the last minute.

  “He mentioned something about you joining him in Seattle,” Kevin said. “I’ve checked and there’s a flight leaving in two hours that has seats available.”

  Megan shook her head at once, her jaw set in a too-familiar stubborn line. “I’ll come with you, if that’s okay. Now that I’m here, I’d like to spend some time with Davy and the twins. I’ll fly back to New York tomorrow.”

  Kevin winced. His instructions had been to get her to Seattle or to keep her here. It seemed she wasn’t inclined to cooperate with either plan. Big surprise.

  “You won’t wait for Dad to get back?” he asked.

  Her quelling look was answer enough. Kevin grabbed her bag. “Any other luggage?”

  She shook her head, then focused her attention on Davy, who was exclaiming over everything he saw en route to the parking garage.

  “I’m predicting this one is going to be a journalist someday,” Megan said with a laugh as she settled him in his car seat with surprisingly practiced skill. “He has a keen eye for details.”

  Kevin chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it. Me, I think of him as a little motormouth.”

  “Broadcast journalism, then,” she said, climbing into Mick’s SUV. She turned to Kevin, her gaze warm. “I’m glad Mick sent you in his place.”

  “That was Dad being devious,” he admitted. “He hoped my presence would distract you, so you wouldn’t be quite as mad at him.”

  “Well, that didn’t work,” she said. “I can still be plenty mad at him and happy to see you at the same time. At least we’ll have some time to talk.”

  “Mom, don’t,” he said, his mood promptly turning dark. “Let’s not go over the same old ground again.”

  “I wasn’t going to bring up the past. I was merely going to ask how you’re doing. I hear you bought a fishing boat.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Have you gotten your captain’s license yet?”

  “No, I have a few more classes before I can be certified.”

  She leaned back, her eyes closed. “I remember how much you loved fishing,” she said, her expression nostalgic. “It didn’t matter how tiny the fish or how big, you’d get so excited when you’d reel it in.” She glanced over at him with a smile. “And then you’d want to throw it back. Being so softhearted isn’t an especially good trait for a man running a fishing charter.”

  Kevin sighed at the observation. “Tell me about it.” This wasn’t the first time it had occurred to him that he wasn’t as well suited for this new career as Jess had assumed. He’d seized on it only because he hadn’t been able to come up with an acceptable alternative.

  “You know what I always thought you’d do?” Megan said.

  Curious, he shook his head. He couldn’t imagine that his mother had even the slightest insight into what kind of man he’d become. He’d been sixteen when she’d left, a year younger than Abby and light-years from having any direction in his life.

  “I thought you’d follow in your uncle Thomas’s footsteps,” Megan said. “I was so sure you’d become an environmentalist, work to protect the Chesapeake or some other fragile, endangered ecosystem.”

  Even as the words left her mouth, Kevin felt an odd stirring of excitement. “We used to talk about that, didn’t we?”

  She nodded. “Whenever Thomas was around for holidays, you’d pester him with a million questions.” She gave him a sideways glance. “Maybe you should talk to him now, get a feel for what he’s doing these days. Have you even seen him recently?”

  Kevin shook his head. “You know how it is with him and Dad.”

  “I also know how persuasive Nell can be. She wants them reconciled, so sooner or later it’s bound to happen, and I don’t just mean the polite lip service they pay to each other on holidays.” She shrugged. “You don’t need Mick’s permission to see your uncle.”

  At Kevin’s frown, she immediately said, “I’m not trying to tell you what to do.”

  “No, I know that. I’m just thinking about how Dad would react if I turned into one of those tree huggers he’s so disdainful of.” Even as he said it, he grinned. Mick would be appalled, especially if he thought his brother had influenced Kevin into joining forces with the enemy.

  “I think you’re selling your father short. Mick might not be the activist that Thomas is, but he cares about the bay. He made a lot of compromises with Chesapeake Shores—perhaps not enough to suit his brother, but enough to make a difference. He respects what Thomas does.”

  “Really? Then why aren’t they speaking?”

  “Because they can rile each other faster than a rattlesnake can strike. They do it without thinking, and then stubbornness kicks in.”

  Kevin laughed, thinking of how many ridiculously small rifts in their family had quickly escalated out of control. “You could be right about that. It’s definitely a family trait.”

  “Unfortunately, one I apparently possess, as well,” Megan admitted with obvious regret. “Without even having the O’Brien genes.”

  “That’s what happened with you and Dad, isn’t it?” he asked with sudden insight. “You had a fight, then both of you dug in your heels.”

  She nodded. “Not that we didn’t both make mistakes, but they were definitely compounded by the heat of anger and pure stubbornness.”

  “Don’t do that again, Mom,” Kevin said, surprising himself by trying to play peacemaker. “I know what Dad did today is wrong, but he wants you back more than anything. I’ve had a hard time accepting that, but I do know it’s true.”

  “And yet he’s in Seattle and I’m here,” she said quietly.

  “You could join him,” he suggested mildly. “Or at least stay here till he gets back. Don’t compound his mistake by making one of your own.”

  She met his gaze
, her chin set, then sighed. “We’ll see.”

  Kevin turned aside so she wouldn’t see his satisfied grin. Mission accomplished. More than that, his mother had given him a whole lot to think about in terms of his future.

  Saturday was Shanna’s busiest day at the store. Thankfully, she’d been able to get a new shipment of books in on Friday and the shelves were once again fully stocked. Today, there’d been no lull, no chance to run over to Sally’s to grab a quick sandwich, not even long enough to call in a take-out order and pick it up.

  When Kevin walked in the door around three o’clock, she was so relieved to see him, she almost threw her arms around him.

  “If you can pick up a sandwich for me at Sally’s, I will love you forever,” she told him, barely aware of the startled expression her comment elicited. “I neglected to bring lunch with me today. I keep forgetting that Saturdays are too busy for me to get out of here. I’m starving.”

  Kevin pulled a familiar white sack out from behind his back. “Tuna on rye, chips and a diet soda,” he told her.

  She did throw her arms around him then. “You’re an angel.”

  He lifted a brow at that. “Hardly. I passed by earlier and could see you were swamped, so I took a guess that you wouldn’t have time for lunch unless it magically appeared.”

  “I do love magic,” she said, ripping into the bag. She took a bite of the thick sandwich and sighed as if it were gourmet fare. “Did you get something for yourself?”

  “I ate earlier at the house.” He hesitated, then added, “My mother’s here.”

  Her hands stilled and she met his gaze. “You don’t sound entirely happy about that.”

  “We have our issues,” he admitted. “But, actually, today it went okay. She mentioned an idea that I haven’t been able to shake.”

  “What kind of idea?” Because he looked more excited than she’d ever seen him, she set the sandwich aside to listen.

  “About what I should be doing with myself.”

  She gave him a puzzled look. “I thought you were getting your captain’s license so you could do fishing charters.”

  “That was the plan,” he agreed. “But she reminded me I always threw the fish I caught right back out to sea.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “Which means?”

  “I might not make the best fishing charter captain,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes. “Fishermen usually prefer to take their catch home. They might not appreciate a captain who snatches it right back out of their hands.”

  “Aha,” she said as understanding dawned. “But she planted another idea in its place.”

  “She did. You know my uncle Thomas is an environmentalist?”

  “Of course I do. He’s mentioned in just about every article I’ve read on what’s happening to the bay.”

  “My mother thinks I should talk to him.”

  Again, Shanna saw the excitement lighting his eyes. It definitely hadn’t been there when he’d talked about fishing. “What do you think?” she asked carefully.

  “That she’s right. I have to say it grates a little that she knows me so well, but I’m not going to ignore the idea just because it came from her. Do you have any books in here about the bay? Not tourist books, but the more serious stuff?”

  “Of course,” she said, her sandwich forgotten as she went to the right shelf. Kevin followed.

  “Here are a couple,” she said, handing him two heavily illustrated volumes. “I’ve glanced through these and I think they’re the most comprehensive.” She tapped her finger on the top book. “And your uncle is quoted extensively in this one. He’s also acknowledged in front by the author.”

  “Perfect. I’ll take them,” Kevin said, setting them beside the register, then drawing a second stool up beside the counter.

  Shanna sat back down, took another bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly. “You know,” she said eventually, “it might be interesting to have your uncle give a talk in here sometime. I’ve been wanting to do that kind of thing. I could ask him which books he recommends, then have plenty of stock of those titles, and he could get people excited about the fight to save the bay.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Kevin said with enthusiasm. “Want me to ask him for you?”

  “If you’re planning to speak to him anyway, please do,” she said, warming to the idea. “Saturdays are insane in here, but maybe on a Friday evening, late enough that the weekenders could attend. I could serve wine and cheese or have Jess cater something light.”

  “I’d come to that,” a customer chimed in as he appeared from the back of the store, where he’d apparently found an armload of science fiction paperbacks.

  “Me, too,” another one said as she waited at the register.

  Shanna went to handle the sales, then turned to Kevin. “This could be a really good thing. I think more people than we know care about saving the bay, but maybe they don’t know what they can do. I hope your uncle will agree to come. This wouldn’t just be good for business. It would be a great public service.”

  “He’ll come,” Kevin said confidently, then grinned. “If only to annoy my dad by giving the lecture right here in Mick’s town.”

  “I thought they developed Chesapeake Shores together. Doesn’t he live here?”

  Kevin shook his head. “No, he lives in Annapolis. He vowed not to set foot in this town after he and Dad fought over every single tree that Dad took down when he was building here. The irony is that because of my uncle, Chesapeake Shores is probably the most ecofriendly development anywhere around here. Thomas just thinks Dad could have done more.”

  “No one’s ever going to be a hundred percent happy in this fight,” Shanna guessed.

  “Not if they’re an O’Brien, anyway,” Kevin said.

  “Where do you come down on the issue?”

  “I can see both sides,” he admitted. “But I lean toward my uncle’s point of view.”

  “Which means working with him might suit you perfectly,” she concluded.

  He nodded. “I’m beginning to think it might.”

  She met his gaze. “Which is going to make that boat you bought a very expensive toy.”

  He shook his head. “Where better to study the bay than on a boat in the middle of it?”

  For the first time since Shanna had met him, she saw a sense of renewed energy and purpose in Kevin’s eyes. It appealed to her on a whole new level. If she’d thought him devastating to her system before, this man was beyond seductive. He was all but impossible to resist.

  First thing Monday morning, Kevin turned Davy over to Abby, who was working from home for the day, and drove to Annapolis to his uncle’s office, glad that he had his little hybrid car rather than his dad’s gas-guzzling SUV. Otherwise, Thomas would have started their meeting with a stern lecture on his carbon footprint.

  After reading the books he’d bought from Shanna, Kevin was more intrigued than ever about joining the fight to preserve the Chesapeake and its delicate ecosystem. It felt right to him in ways the fishing charter never had.

  The offices of the Chesapeake Preservation League were housed in what had once been a ramshackle warehouse along the Severn River. The exterior had been spruced up with gray vinyl shingles and the interior had been carved into offices, but there was no mistaking the building’s origins. Kevin thought Mick must cringe at the lackluster, piecemeal renovations every time he walked inside, assuming he ever did.

  Kevin asked for his uncle and was directed outside to a dock. He found Thomas on board a boat that looked as if it was only days away from sinking straight to the bottom of the river. It mostly seemed to be held together by rust. To add to the impression of disrepair, his uncle had the motor apart on a grimy drop cloth and was studying it intently.

  “I assume you know how to put that back together again,” Kevin said, leaping on board.

  “Of course I do,” Thomas said, grinning up at him. The youngest of the three O’Brien brothers, he wasn’t yet fifty. His skin was
tanned and weathered, his curly hair sandy, as Nell’s had been rather than black like Mick’s, and without a single thread of gray. His eyes were the same vivid blue as the rest of the family’s. He looked younger than his age.

  He gestured toward the motor. “Of course, putting it back together’s a whole lot different from fixing it.”

  Kevin hunkered down beside him. “What’s the problem?”

  “Old age.”

  “Looks to me as if that’s affecting more than the motor,” Kevin said, glancing pointedly around the boat.

  “Yeah, we’ve budgeted for a replacement next year. In the meantime, I’m trying to baby this old girl along.”

  “I might have a solution for you,” Kevin said.

  Thomas lifted his perplexed gaze from the motor and studied Kevin. “Oh?”

  “I just bought a fishing boat a few weeks ago. You’d have to take a look at it, but I’m pretty sure it could be outfitted to do the kind of work you need.”

  He definitely had his uncle’s full attention now.

  “You want to give us a boat?”

  Kevin nodded. “I’d come with it. At least if you think I could make any kind of contribution.”

  Thomas wiped the oil off his hands with an old rag and stood. “Let’s go inside and talk. It’s too hot out here for me to be sure I’m not hallucinating.”

  Kevin grinned at his reaction. “Took you by surprise, did I?”

  “Not exactly,” his uncle said. “I’ve been wondering what took you so damn long to figure this out. And now that you apparently have, what Mick has to say about it.”

  “Dad’s out of town. He doesn’t know about this yet.”

  Thomas shook his head. “This gets more interesting by the minute,” he said, leading the way inside and filling two glasses with iced tea. He handed one to Kevin, then shoved some papers off the only spare chair in his office. “Sit down and talk to me.”

  Kevin filled him in on the epiphany he’d had over the weekend, thanks to his mother.