by Violet Paige
Blair’s tough facade started to crumble a bit when her friend pointed out the unintentional joke, and she cracked a smile.
“Funny, you should mention college,” Blair said. “After our all too brief make-out session, we started talking about our futures. You know the basic what-are-your-hopes-and-dreams chat. And you know what he said?”
Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“He just wants to stay on this island,” Blair said. “Like forever. No ambition to ever see the world or do anything else but build boats, fish, and drink beer. Isn’t that ridiculous? No ambition in life whatsoever. I don’t know why he even bothered to go to college.”
“That sounds a little judgmental. Justyn seems smart,” Maggie said, trying to calm her red-faced friend. “They just started a new business. That’s not what I would call ‘no ambition.’ Plus, why are you so worried about where Justyn’s going to be in the next ten years? Who cares if he decides to open a tiki hut on the cape and sell umbrellas to the tourists? All you care about is this summer. As long as he’s interested in you right now, don’t worry about it.”
“You’re right,” Blair said, smiling. “Thanks for the pep talk. I get so frustrated. I can’t remember having to work for a kiss this hard in, well, never.”
“But it sounds like your hard work finally paid off,” Maggie said, lifting herself out of the swing. “Come on. Let’s go get ready. I’m sure the boys will be at Shirley Lane tonight, so we have another opportunity to dazzle them with our stunning good looks.”
“Look who’s getting all full of herself now that she’s locked lips atop the lighthouse,” Blair taunted, following Maggie into the house. “What are you going to wear?”
“Not sure yet. Maybe my mint green dress with the deep V in the front and the back. You?”
“I was thinking about my pale yellow shorts. And that top that ties at the neck,” Blair described.
“Good call,” Maggie said. “Let’s go put together ensembles these island boys won’t be able to forget.”
Three
Reid
Reid hung his head and shoved the phone in his pocket. Dammit. Another investor turned them down. This one was supposed to come through. They had all but given him a verbal on the phone last week.
Justyn strolled into the office. “You’ve got that look on your face. What happened?”
Reid shook his head. “It’s not good news. We lost the Potter Woodworks backing.”
“I thought that was a sure thing.” Justyn sat across from him. “We’ll find a new backer. Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry about it? We have bills coming due.” Reid glared at the stack of mail in front of him. He hadn’t even opened the envelopes from the past two days. Justyn had no idea how close they were to losing everything.
“Let’s deal with it tomorrow. Shirley called and wants us at the party tonight.”
“I’m not going. I’ve got too much to do.” An island party was the last place he wanted to be.
Justyn stood and slapped him on the back. “Of course you’re going. Maggie’s going to be there. Work can wait until daylight.”
Reid shuffled the Potter file to the back of the stack. That one was a lost cause. “No, cuz. I don’t have time for that shit tonight.” He turned to face Justyn. “And since when are you big on hanging out at Shirley Lane? I thought you hated it.”
Justyn shuffled his feet, kicking up sawdust on the floor. “You know, thought I’d see Blair. See what she’s up to tonight.”
Reid knew Maggie would be at the party, and of course, she would be waiting to see him. After the night at the lighthouse, he would expect that. It was a moment he’d replayed in his head, but not tonight. He had let things slip too far, and it was starting to crash down around him. Sure, she was cute, but cute didn’t pay the bills or bring in cash flow.
“You are going to Shirley Lane tonight.” Justyn spoke sternly. “You owe me for all of those damn cruises.”
“I can’t make it.” He shook his head.
Justyn grabbed the files from his hand and slammed them on the desk. “One hour. You owe me one hour. Then you can cut bait and get out of there. Deal?”
Reid knew he had him there. He had dragged Justyn on cruises with the girls for the past couple weeks because he wanted to spend more time with Maggie. Suddenly, he realized what a mistake that had been. Why had he been trying to convince Justyn all summer to have fun with what they should have been doing was buckling down and focusing on the boats?
“I’ll give you one hour, but if they aren’t there, I’m not sticking around. You’re on your own with Blair.”
“Got it. Now go get your pretty clothes on. We have a party to get to.” Justyn winked.
Four
Maggie
The sun was setting behind them, and the party crowd on Shirley Lane was already in full swing by the time Maggie and Blair pulled into their hostess’s driveway. Blair had switched outfits four times before settling on the original yellow and white choice.
“Ready?” Maggie looked to Blair, who was applying lip gloss and practicing a pout.
“I don’t know why I even bother,” Maggie said, adjusting her curls. “I worked for hours on the hair, and one blast of this island humidity blows it all to hell.”
“You look great,” Blair said, eyeing her, who, as promised, sported a green sundress dotted with tiny flowers. “Very unkempt but sexy. Like you’ve been making out on top of a lighthouse. We’ll call it beach sexy.”
Maggie playfully pushed her friend. “You are never going to let me forget that are you? Come on. We have part two with the boys to finish tonight.”
She hopped out of the car and headed around the side of the house toward the back porch, following the sound of Sixty Minute Man blaring through the night air.
“Oh, they’re shagging,” Maggie said, recognizing one of her favorite beach music songs. “I want to dance.”
“Right here, darlin’. At your service,” Henry said, grabbing Maggie by the waist and spinning her out onto the makeshift dance floor in front of the porch.
Maggie giggled and shot a please-rescue-me look at her friend. Shirley’s husband seemed to be a fun-loving man who reminded Maggie of a sweet and quirky grandfather. However, she wasn’t sure if dancing was one of this islander’s talents. He was all over the place, almost clobbering Maggie’s left foot as he twirled and then dipped her.
Blair giggled and shrugged her shoulders, giving Maggie a you-asked-for-it look before turning toward the house.
“I’m going inside to look for some drinks,” Blair called. “Y’all have fun. See you later, G.”
Five
Maggie
Maggie had definitely worked up a sweat, if not a thirst, dancing for the last thirty minutes with Henry. The first rule of dancing on Shirley Lane is you never do it without a drink in your hand. As the final notes of Carolina Girls drifted away, Henry dashed to the bar to fetch Maggie a beverage and returned with a plastic wineglass full of her favorite pinot. These island men sure were thoughtful, she decided, taking her first sip. Maggie’s glass was never more than half-empty again as Henry or JoBeth’s husband, Willis, dashed to the bar between songs for refills.
Almost seven songs later, Maggie needed a break from her aching feet and buzzing head. In addition, she’d been meaning to talk to Reid and hadn’t had the chance. She thought she’d spied him standing on the edge of the dance floor, leaning against the porch columns. He might have been looking at her a couple times, but she wasn’t sure as Henry swirled and twirled at a rapid pace.
“Thanks for the great dancing,” Maggie said as she stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed Henry on the cheek. She turned toward the house.
“Aw, we’re just getting started,” the islander said, twirling Maggie one more time. “Stick around.”
“Thanks, Henry, but I need to grab a drink of water and check on Blair. And I don’t want to hog you all night. The other ladies are missing ou
t.” She winked.
“It’s been a pleasure, darlin’,” he called.
“Pleasure’s all mine, Henry.” Maggie glanced over her shoulder as she climbed the steps onto the porch, and reached for the screen door that would lead her into the kitchen.
Whew, she felt like she was still spinning a bit. Maggie wasn’t sure if was the wine or the constant twirling. She resolved to make hunting down a bottle of water her top priority.
“There you are, sweetie!” Shirley grabbed her into a bear hug. “Was my honey holding you hostage out on the dance floor? That man has two left feet, but he thinks he belongs on Dancing with the Stars. Lord, help him.”
Maggie giggled and shook her head.
“I had a blast, Shirley,” she assured her hostess. “It’s a little wild at times out there, but Henry is a great dance partner. He definitely keeps you on your toes, if you know what I mean.”
“Don’t I ever, sweetheart? After being married to him almost twenty years, you see why I stay in here and keep people full of food and drinks while he’s out there with the music,” Shirley said, ushering Maggie into the kitchen. “Speaking of drinks, what can I offer you? I’ve got plenty of wine, and JoBeth over there is about to mix up another batch of Harkers Island margaritas.”
“Right now, I’d really love a water,” Maggie said. “You know, to catch my second wind. I’ll take you up on one of those margaritas in a little while.”
“Coming right up,” Shirley said, and then spun around. “Reid! Make yourself useful and fetch one of those bottled waters out of the fridge for our sweet Maggie here.”
There he was, leaning on the counter beside the refrigerator. Reid had a clear view of the margarita making in the center island, and the group of people gathered at Shirley’s bar enjoying the smorgasbord of hors d’oeuvres. Maggie had been so distracted with Shirley’s gripping hug and the subsequent dancing discussion that she hadn’t even bothered to take note of her surroundings.
She sucked in a breath as she took in the tall frame that had been dominating her thoughts all day. He was wearing a blue oxford shirt, but it was years old—faded and loose fitting. The sleeves were casually rolled up, showing his tan forearms. His dark hair was a tad rumpled by the wind but incredibly sexy as usual.
“Here you go.” He held out a cool bottle to her.
“Thanks,” she managed, looking up into those brown eyes that she’d last got lost in last night. Was it last night she’d kissed him? It almost felt like it had been a few minutes ago. Her face grew warm.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“Oh yes! I haven’t danced like that since I was a kid. I don’t care what Shirley says. Henry is a doll. Never a dull moment out there,” she said, nodding toward the back porch.
“That’s for sure. He sure had you spinning all over the place,” Reid said.
“You were watching?” Maggie asked.
“Had to go out a couple times to grab a beer.”
“Oh.” Maggie took another sip of water. Uh-oh. This is so not going well. “So what did you do today?” she tried to break the ice again. “It was another perfect summer day.”
“Worked on the boats with Justyn,” Reid replied.
Ok. Maybe I should try another tactic.
Maggie ran her right hand through her hair, and looked up at Reid again, this time blatantly fluttering her eyelashes. She softly touched his wrist with her left hand.
“I had a really good time last night,” she said, taking a step closer to the handsome sailor. “Thanks again for taking me to the lighthouse and making sure I got to the top safely. It was amazing. Maybe we could do it again sometime?”
“Yeah, it was a pretty fun time,” he offered. “But you know, I’m going to be really busy the rest of this summer with the boats. We’ve got to finish the next orders, and there’s a meeting with the investors.”
“Sure, I understand. I know you’re busy. I just thought—”
Reid cut her off. “Look, we can still be buddies and all, but I don’t know how much time there will be for any more late night cruises and the like.”
Hurt like she had been unexpectedly bitten by a previously sweet, lovable puppy, Maggie pulled her hand from Reid’s arm.
“Right. That makes sense,” she managed. “Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
He just stared ahead and avoided her gaze. “I just need to hunker down in the boathouse and get the work done.”
“Ok, well, good luck with that,” she said. If he wants to act like last night never happened, two can play that game. “I’m going to go hunt down Blair, and then take Shirley up on that margarita.”
She turned on her heel.
“You don’t have to go get all huffy on me. Justyn and I are going to be busy for the rest of the summer. But there might be a couple of nights we can go cruisin’ before you leave.”
“Just as friends?” she asked.
“Yeah, you know the four of us,” he said.
Friends? What the hell? No friend I’ve ever had kissed like that. This guy doesn’t know what he wants, and I’m not going to throw myself at him—pact about entanglements or not.
“Like I said, I need to go find Blair.”
Six
Maggie
Maggie lowered herself into the hammock and peered at the brilliant stars above. They twinkled against the sky, and for the thousandth time since her arrival, she was amazed at the sheer blackness of an island night. The stars seemed more vivid here than anywhere else on earth.
With a deep sigh, she stretched her legs, crossed her feet, closed her eyes, and felt the world tilt a bit. Too much wine and margaritas, she thought, and immediately opened her eyes to keep her head from spinning.
After leaving Reid standing alone by the kitchen counter, she found Shirley and took advantage of a couple of those famous island margaritas. She chatted with Blair and Justyn for a while before deciding she needed a break from all the revelry.
A light wind played with her hair. She wiped the brown tendrils away from her forehead and searched the sky for the Big Dipper. She could hear the sound quietly lapping against the bulkhead behind the grove of oaks, where the hammock hung.
Faint sounds of beach music drifted into the salty evening air. Maggie looked ahead and could see through the gigantic picture window. The remaining members of the party crowd now danced and sang inside Shirley and Henry’s house. Shirley, Budweiser in hand, was shouting the words to some favorite song while twirling around and pumping her free hand in the air. Maggie spied Blair playfully cajoling Justyn to join the dancing crowd. He looked reluctant but finally yielded to her spirited persistence.
Maggie grinned in spite of herself. That Blair. She and Justyn made quite a pair. The tall islander gave himself away every time he looked at Blair, though he would be the last to admit the way he felt, Maggie guessed.
Sometimes it was hard to believe they had met such hot guys this summer.
The guys. Damn, what was it about Reid that provoked her into making a complete idiot out of herself tonight? She could see him through the window, standing over by the bar. He leaned his towering frame against the corner of the counter. Like Shirley, he stood with a beer in his hand. Even from fifty feet away, Maggie could make out the way his shirt clung to his sexy swimmer’s arms.
She closed her eyes and let the wine and tequila-induced spinning overtake her. The wind whipped her hair again and sent a chill through her flesh as she rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms.
Maggie heard the faint murmurs of country music. She tried to block out the party sounds, and concentrate on the water’s repetitive lapping. She jumped as a shadow passed across her face. Her eyes fluttered open with alarm.
“Reid! I-uh,’’ she gasped.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,’’ he said, giving her a shy half-grin.
He was at her feet, leaned against the tree. He propped himself against the gnarled oak, beer still in hand
&nbs
p; “Looks like you’ve got the best seat in the house,’’ he said.
“Mmm,” Maggie said as she shivered, and this time it wasn’t because of the wind. His eyes were all over her. She could feel his glance penetrate her entire being. It lasted for less than a moment, but it felt like he was taking in her every detail. Yet, he had said he wasn’t interested, hadn’t he? She shook her head to try to clear her senses.
“So what brings you away from the party?’’ she asked. “Looks like it’s really cranking up in there.”
He took another swig of his beer, glanced over his shoulder, and slowly released a breath. “I could ask you the same,’’ he said.
“Just wanted to get some air. You know, sometimes, I get carried away in there. The music, the people, the drinks. Too many drinks. I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but sweet to me since we met, and I thought we …’’ she trailed off.
What’s the use? I’m drunk, and if I don’t shut up, I’m going to tell him he’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. She closed her eyes again.
Maggie felt the swing shift abruptly. “What the?” She opened her eyes.
Reid was lowering himself into the hammock.
“Slide over,’’ he said. “No, get up. What are you doing facing the house? We gotta look at the water. We can see the lighthouse from here.”
“You need to get out first. I’m stuck,’’ Maggie said. “You do weigh the thing down some,’’ she continued, looking at him half-in, half-out of the roped swing.
He clambered out, rolled to the ground, and Maggie felt the hammock jolt back and forth.
“Reid, I’m already tipsy. I don’t need this.’’
He grabbed both sides of the swing and stopped the motion. Looking down, he gave her one of those killer smiles she was starting to get hooked on.
Reid held out a hand.
“Come on.’’ He pulled her to her feet. Surprisingly, the spinning in her head stopped a bit. “Now, here’s the game plan,’’ Reid said matter-of-factly. “I’m getting in first, and you’re climbing in beside me,’’ he said, lowering himself into the swing, this time facing the water. “Come on.’’ He patted his chest.