by Louisa Neil
They drove for half an hour before Alan reached over to switch on the radio, pausing before he did. “You know, it might have been fun,” he whispered, before playing with the dials and buttons. Rae heard him, but chose to ignore his comment. Instead, she chose a different tack.
“So when you get back to your home in Chicago, what will you do?” Alan recognized her switch. His almost nonexistent nod gave her credit for driving home her point.
“Definitely look for a new place to live. Maybe with a garden and lots of lawn that needs tending. I haven’t really made any plans. Up until the last minute, I kept wondering if the sale would fall through or if I would back out. Neither happened. It’s a done deal.”
“What did your company do?”
“We manufactured a new type of gull-wing door that funneled water into holding tanks for firefighting planes. It was an automatic system that could be retrofitted for existing planes.”
“Your design?”
“Yes.” As if it was painful to think about, he distracted them by changing the radio station, his turn to effectively change the subject. Rae drove through the outskirts of Brunswick, realizing how affected he was by it. Must have been like selling a loved one, she decided.
They discussed his plans for the day as well as her appointments, deciding to meet at six o’clock in one of the well-known restaurants in the heart of the city. Dropping him off, she swore under her breath at Charlie. Just once, she might have liked to see what would have happened if there hadn’t been Charlie’s push. Rae drove to her first stop, wondering if Alan would have made any type of move, and if so, what type it would have been.
She was seated by the window, a tall glass of iced tea before her. Glancing at his watch, Alan was relieved to see he was a few minutes early from their rendezvous time. Weaving his way through the crowded restaurant, he slipped in the chair across from her, smiling as he did.
“How did your day go?” he asked her with a smile. Nodding to a passing waiter, he pointed to Rae’s glass and got a nod in return. “Have you ordered yet?”
He watched as she shook herself from the trancelike state she seemed to be locked into, and she smiled back at him. “Great, completed my list. How about you? Where did you go? What did you see?” Waiting while the waiter placed his drink in front of him, the smell of the warmed rolls was too much. Tossing back the linen covering on the basket, he held it to Rae, waiting while she chose a slice of cornbread. Alan did the same, stopping only to slather it with a thick layer of butter. After the first bite, he sprinkled salt on it and took a second bite, his grin letting her know he now enjoyed the bread.
“That’s better. I skipped lunch. What are you ordering?”
“Crab cakes, of course,” she said. After giving their order to the waiter, Rae seemed to relax slightly. “Where did you go today?” For the next few minutes, Alan described his first tour of Brunswick. He had been surprised at the historic tone and homes in the city.
They finished their salads, and Rae asked him a question that got the conversation going again.
“How did you get involved with firefighting planes?” He stretched his legs under the empty seat next to her, feeling the stress lines on his face relaxing as he decided what to tell her. He explained that he had been a volunteer firefighter the summer before his freshman year of college. “I spent time in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Washington over the next summers.” He paused and sipped his tea. “I was an engineering major, and something about the planes always fascinated me. It’s what led me to get my pilot’s license during my senior year. That last summer after I graduated, I got to fly some of them. After watching them for years and then actually flying them, the idea had just struck me—how easily I could maximize efficiency with the door I designed. The funnel shape allows the plane to take on more water in a shorter time. My system also allowed the release in several shifts or all at once, depending on the situation.” He sat back as they were served their crab cakes. They took time to enjoy the first bites of the delicate treat.
“Go on. Tell me more,” Rae prompted.
“I was given a small grant from the university to develop a proto-type. From there, my fleeting idea had become a reality and a thriving business, custom fitting the system of doors to existing planes.” He paused and took a few more bites of food. “It took fifteen years to get the company running to capacity when I was threatened with a hostile takeover. I’d already lost my marriage to the business. After much deliberation, I decided to take the deal the larger manufacturer had offered. In the end, I knew a prolonged struggle would bankrupt the company and jeopardize my long-term employees’ futures. With the sale, I was given assurances that my original employees would remain employed with the new management.” He paused and lifted his tea glass, then put it down without drinking. “I was gone from the team. It felt like I was leaving my first baby behind along with a small piece of my soul.”
“So here you are, ready to make a fresh start. It explains why you were so nervous on the plane ride to the island. Wanted the controls for yourself?”
“Yeah, something like that.” For some reason, Alan found her easy to talk to, especially after halting any further relationship ideas as she had that morning. Making it clear romance, let alone a vacation fling, was not in the picture, he found he could tell her things that he probably wouldn’t have under different circumstances. “All the time I was working, I kept thinking that one day I’d have time off, do anything I wanted. Now that it’s here…”
“I remember when I first came home. My mom was ill. I wanted to spend some time with her. It drove me crazy not to have a fax machine those first few months. Being out of the loop took away a part of my identity. Without my job, I was just Rae. I hadn’t been just her in a long time. I can tell you it took some getting used to.”
“I thought you ran the island, that you were the president of the company?”
“Charlie handed down the business a few years back. But before that, when I still thought I was just back for a few weeks, I felt like a caged animal.” She gave him a favored laugh. “Can you imagine me caged on a paradise the size of Breakwater Island? It was ridiculous. I was outside every day, riding or walking, swimming or just relaxing, yet I couldn’t let go of the need to do the job that was waiting for me.”
“How did you finally let it go?” he asked over their second cup of coffee. It was his turn to watch her as she chose her words carefully.
“Ultimately, it boiled down to the fact that when I went back to Chicago, neither my husband nor my sacred job were the same. After losing my mom, my priorities had changed. Charlie was in over his head with the island, dreams of grandeur on empty pockets. My husband was wonderful, considering the situation. I was spending half the week in Chicago and half at the island. Gradually, the island became more important.” She let out a soft sigh, Alan wondering if she were wishing her past could have been different. “Eric just couldn’t understand the island thing. You either get it, or you don’t. He was a city boy. All he got was allergy attacks and bug bites.” He got an instant image of a man in glasses with zinc oxide layered on his nose and red splotches on his face and arms. He pushed down the laugh that threatened to spill out.
“Eric? The Eric from your phone call on the plane, you still work for him?” Alan pushed back in his chair, watching the strangest look overtake her features.
“I consult for him on occasion. Eric has a habit of leaping before he looks. Occasionally I do the looking for him. I came to realize that side of him mirrored Charlie.” Rae watched Alan’s face, and he knew she read his confusion. “We were able to come out as friends, good friends. We care about each other, but have grown to respect that our priorities changed from the halcyon days of college. Real life has a habit of doing that to you if you’re not careful.” Her face was deadpan straight, until finally she started to snicker, hiding it behind her napkin. Slowly, she let the laugh spill out.
Chapter Four
The ri
de back to the island passed in a flash, their lively conversation about flying easing the miles with each new story. Pulling into the main parking area close to ten, the man stationed at the reception desk came out to help Rae unload. Alan thanked her for the day in the city then gracefully disappeared into the darkness. Letting out a long-held breath, Rae was glad there was no prolonged good-night.
Walking Thor before retiring for the night, Rae wondered if he might meet her at the beach. She was both relieved and disappointed that he didn’t. The next morning she made a point of approaching Alan during brunch. He was warm and outgoing. Rae took it as a good sign. She hadn’t offended him with her blunt talk about relationships.
Cornering Charlie before the dining room started to fill up, she had pulled him onto the veranda of the lodge, choosing two rocking chairs at the far end. He had listened patiently to her monologue about him not setting her up with the guests. Nodding at the appropriate times, he only smiled at her, shaking his head when needed. Rae held back a laugh when he almost ran from the seat when her lecture was over. Back in the dining room, she saw her talk had no lasting effects on him as he schmoozed with the customers, pausing to point her out to a new guest as she passed.
A few days later with the afternoon cookout over, most of the guests were relaxing by the large campfire. Rae had kept busy most of the day, her head and hands in the engine of one of the pontoon boats they used to give tours and rides. She had been surprised when she looked up to see who was blocking her light, only to find Alan staring down at her. She groaned under her breath seeing it was him. She’d just gotten past wondering what they’d be like together in bed.
In the distance, she’d seen him walking along the shore after the huge Sunday brunch and hoped he hadn’t noticed her. Alan seemed surprised to find Rae fixing the engine. She wondered if he’d noticed there had been a major transformation in her clothing since the morning meal. Gone were the tweed slacks and blazer, replaced by worn overalls and a bandana wrapped around her head.
With a nod of his head, he indicated the pair of disposable surgical gloves she wore while she had her hands in the engine.
“That’s one way to save a manicure,” he told her, crouching down to get a better look at what she was doing. He watched as she replaced the spark plug in the engine and then went about putting it back together. “Need some help?”
“Thanks, no.” Glancing up at him, the wrench slipped from her hand. The loud clunking noise it made hitting the deck brought her out of the trance she had drifted into. Blushing, she put aside the thoughts she was thinking of Alan holding her to him, pressing her to his chest as his hands roamed up and down her back. She wondered whether his cock would be long and thick, and how it would feel inside her.
In the warm breeze, she felt her body shudder, another wave of heat flooding her cheeks. As if he could read her mind, he backed off, giving her some personal space. He changed the subject and talked about the engine and the boat. When she had put the housing back on, she stripped off the gloves, wiping her hands on a cloth from the top of her toolbox. “Say a prayer,” she told him as she went forward and started the engine. It caught the second time, taking a few seconds to find a rhythmic idle. She let it run, the noise an effective filter for any further conversation they might have had.
“Take me for a ride, Rae. Let’s test her out,” he told her, coming to stand next to her at the wheel. For a second, she thought she would give him an excuse, but she nodded toward the tie lines. What the hell, she decided. Alan tossed the ropes onto the pier, then held on to get his balance as she pulled away.
She motored out several hundred yards before making a turn. Slowly she took him around the island, pointing out different areas and improvements that had been made over the years. She was very careful to keep the craft as well as her verbal tour continuing the entire time they were testing the boat. She knew better than to let any small lapse in conversation leave them in an awkward moment. And Rae knew if there was such a moment, the overwhelming desire to touch this man might surface.
As they approached the pier, she was sorry it hadn’t lasted longer.
“Rae, what happens after next week? I won’t be a guest anymore.” Straightening behind the wheel, she slowed the engine, maneuvering the boat back into its slip. When it was tied off, she looked at him openly.
“Alan, I thought you understood. Yesterday after our talk…”
“Yes, I listened to your rules and policies. But after next week, that would all change.”
“You live in Chicago. I live here. That won’t change.” With the tone of finality in her voice, she dropped the subject. She did allow him to carry the toolbox back up to the pickup truck. Hesitating beside the driver’s door, she waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, she slowly entered the vehicle, pausing only to see if he wanted a ride back to the lodge. His negative response hurt her, but she knew from experience that she couldn’t foster any false hopes.
“Alan, you’re at a crossroads in your life. I can’t be a deciding factor for you in your decisions. By next month, I’ll only be a memory.” She paused, and then added, “A memory that lives halfway down the coast. I don’t belong in Chicago anymore. I don’t see you belonging here. That’s just the way it is. I’m not sure you like my bluntness, but it’s usually the best way to deal with any subject.”
“You seem to be so leery of a relationship with a guest. Who hurt you, Rae?”
He watched her freeze behind the wheel, knowing he had hit a home run. “I may be a guest, but I don’t want to hurt you. I suppose it’s just that we have a lot of common ground. You’re the first pilot, mechanic, and CEO I’ve ever met.” She gave him a shrewd look as his lips turned into a sexy smile. Instead, he held her gaze, daring her to continue their verbal banter.
Alan figured if he could just get her to relax, she might open up to him. Now he understood that somewhere, beyond the failure of her first marriage, someone had hurt her deeply, and she wasn’t going to allow it to happen again. From his perspective, it was a sane move. But it also eliminated any chance of getting to know her better. That was the frustrating part. He pulled himself back, forcing the smile to fade.
She was right. He didn’t belong here. He still didn’t know where he did belong, but this wasn’t it. Acknowledging she was right to curtail any relationship that would end within days, he hated that she was right. And it bothered him to wonder how many other men had tried to get close to her. If he let himself think in that direction, it would drive him out of his mind. And after the last few weeks, he was almost there already. He watched as the pickup pulled away, and walked slowly back to his cabin. Suddenly with his future looming before him, he was depressed once again. Reality would intrude on him soon enough. He resigned himself to kick back and enjoy the second week he had to decompress. Chicago would be waiting for him with all its possibilities.
Alan sat on the porch of his cabin, his feet propped on the railing, a half-empty beer bottle beside him on the old plank floor. He had no real family he had to worry about when making his decisions. At first, he figured he’d stay in the city. Now he was realizing that he no longer had any ties to the city, only that it was where he lived in the past. His future could happen anywhere. Maybe he’d try New York or San Francisco. His options were endless when he accepted he was alone and free to pursue any future he wanted. He headed inside for his laptop. He’d brought it out of habit, and it hadn’t been opened once. Now he waited for the machine to come to life as he debated a few key words to search on the Internet.
Alan was surprised when he opened the door to his cottage later that night and found Charlie standing there. After inviting him in, Charlie went directly to the fireplace and propped his left elbow on the mantle. As he lit a cigar, he offered one to Alan. He accepted it, along with a slow lighting, and chose the large couch to settle in, wondering what the visit was all about.
Charlie looked around the room, his smile wide as he noted that it was still in good
condition. Alan realized it was pride in his daughter and how she managed the island. Rae had seen to that, Alan knew, making small repairs when needed instead of letting it go for a while and having to deal with the larger problems down the line. From the short conversation they’d had about her taking over the island, he knew she’d managed to reestablish the comfort of each room in the lodge and the cabins in the short time since she’d taken over. Now, standing in the familiar room, Charlie chose his words carefully.
“Have you enjoyed your stay here, Alan?” He watched as Charlie shifted to reach a metal ashtray on the side table before answering. Alan realized after his day trip to Brunswick with Rae that Charlie felt he was right in whatever this round of meddling would be. He couldn’t fault the man for wanting his daughter to be happy. Apparently, in Charlie’s mind, Alan was her match.
“Actually, it’s been a good visit. You didn’t oversell me on the phone. The facilities are top-notch, as well as the golf course.” Charlie’s smile widened as he puffed on the cylinder of tobacco. “But that’s not why you’re here, is it?”
“Not completely. I was wondering if you’d like to take a ride in the morning. I have to check out a private section of the island, thought you might like to see it before your vacation is over.”
“I suppose so, but the real question is why you want me to see it.” Charlie gave Alan a wide smile, acknowledging he’d been caught at his own game. Realizing it, Alan watched Charlie’s ruddy cheeks turn a bit redder, but he noted the older man’s determination.
“Picked up on that, did you? Well, you seem like a smart man. I figured I might pick the engineering side of your brain for a few hours. You see, I have this idea for a section of the island, but Rae isn’t very excited about it. I was hoping a different approach might get her to hear me out.”