Bayside Promises

by Stacy Claflin

  “Thought you weren’t interested in some pretty face.” Logan grinned.

  Sullivan sat tall and looked at his brother. “I’m not. I was just trying to place where I knew her.”

  His brothers both turned to the blonde.

  “Don’t know her,” Shale said.

  “Oh!” Logan exclaimed. “Isn’t that Haley Faraway?”

  “Haley?” Sullivan leaned over the table and studied her. She was a lot more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair was longer, she was more slender, and most notably, she seemed happier. In high school, she had carried around an air of sadness. “You know, I think you’re right. I thought she was never coming back to town.”

  Logan leaned back. “Well, with her old man dead, maybe she changed her mind.”

  “Could be.” Sullivan’s mind wandered back to high school. Haley had been the long-term girlfriend of one of his closest friends, Jackson. Sullivan and Haley had always gotten along well and talked easily, but they had never been close. “I wonder how she is.”

  “Go find out what brings her back to town,” Logan said. “The way she left, I never thought I’d see her again.”

  “Tell me about it.” Everyone in town knew that Mr. Faraway was a jerk, and Sullivan had always suspected her chronic sadness was due to him. After she had skipped town, he was sure of it.

  “So, go talk to her.”

  Sullivan took a sip of the champagne in front of him and considered it. He’d planned on avoiding women at the reception, but it wasn’t like there had ever been anything romantic between him and Haley. Their friendship had been so platonic that she may as well have been one of the guys.

  “Yeah, I should.” He finished off the drink and rose.

  Haley stood in line, filling a plate with food. Sullivan hurried over and got in line behind her before a family with four kids got in between them.

  “Haley?” His voice was deeper than he’d intended.

  She turned to him, her bright brown eyes wide. “Oh, hi… Sullivan.”

  “How are you?” He piled some fruit on his plate. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since graduation.”

  Haley shook her head. “I skipped the party and left town that night.”

  Sullivan nodded knowingly. “You look good. I mean, you must be doing pretty well for yourself.”

  “I stay busy. How have you been?”

  “Busy, too. Hey, if you don’t have anywhere to sit, you’re more than welcome to sit with my brothers and me. I’d love to catch up.”

  She piled some cheese squares on her plate. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

  “Never.”

  Haley’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks. It’s weird being back after so long. I feel like I don’t belong.”

  “You? That’s crazy. Come on. Sit with us.”

  Three

  Haley laughed, nearly choking on a piece of bread. It was surprising how quickly Sullivan had not only broken through her nervousness, but had managed to get her to forget about not wanting to be in Enchantment Bay. She hadn’t even cracked a real smile since arriving, and he actually had her laughing.

  Jensyn came over to them, carrying a tray of dirty plates. “We’re clearing the tables for dancing.”

  The others around the table pushed aside their plates and rose from the chairs.

  “Is it okay if I meet you at home?” Haley asked. “You’ll be okay?”

  Jensyn tucked some blue hair behind an ear and nodded. “Yeah. I might be a little while, though. There’s this party…”

  Haley turned to Sullivan. “Pardon me. I need to speak with my sister.”

  “You’re staying, right?” he asked.

  Her mouth gaped. Did he want her to? “Well, I was planning on heading back home.”

  Sullivan flicked a nod toward one of the bridesmaids. “If you stay and dance with me, you save me from having to dance with my cousin.”

  Haley’s cheeks warmed. “We can’t have that, can we? Sure, I’ll stay.”

  “Perfect.” He flashed his mind-melting smile and turned back to his brothers.

  “What was that?” Jensyn nodded with approval.

  “Nothing for you to worry about.” Haley pulled on her dress, adjusting the bodice. “Mom said no parties.”

  “She said no college parties,” Jensyn corrected. “This one is a high school party, Hales.”

  Haley narrowed her eyes. “I’m pretty sure she said no parties, period.”

  Jensyn pouted. “Don’t be like this. You know what it’s like to be seventeen. Let me have some fun.”

  “Where is it?” Haley hated being in the position to parent her younger sister, especially since she’d missed out on most of her life.

  “At the Brewster’s house. You know them—you babysat Phoebe. Remember, you’d bring me along so I’d keep her busy while you talked with your boyfriend?”

  “Are her parents going to be there?”

  “Maybe…”

  Haley’s brows came together. “I don’t like this. I’m responsible for you, you know.”

  Jensyn put the tray on a table and clutched her hands together over her heart. “Please. If anything goes wrong, I won’t ask to go to another party all summer. I swear.”

  Pain squeezed the base of Haley’s skull like a vice.

  “I’m really not as bad as Mom makes me out to be. Let me prove it.”

  A tall brunette in a pantsuit walked by and turned to Jensyn. “Back to work.”

  Jensyn grabbed the tray and loaded more dirty plates on it. “Please, Hales. Give me a chance.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Haley saw Sullivan waving her over. She turned back to Jensyn. “Be home by midnight.”

  “Midnight?” Jensyn exclaimed.

  Haley’s mouth formed a straight line and her nostrils flared.

  Jensyn cleared her throat. “That’s great. Thanks, sis. I’ll see you at eleven-fifty-nine.” She continued gathering plates, this time with a bounce to her step.

  “I hope this isn’t a mistake,” Haley muttered. At least she remembered where the Brewsters lived if she needed to drag her sister home, kicking and screaming. She clutched her purse and made her way over to Sullivan and his brothers.

  Everyone had gathered around the dance floor. A romantic song from their teen years played over the loudspeakers and the bride and groom danced, gliding across the floor with ease. Next, Dakota and her dad danced to a sweet song that brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Their mutual adoration was adorable, but also felt like a punch to Haley’s gut. Never once had her father looked at her with such obvious love and approval.

  After that father-daughter dance finished, the guests piled onto the dance floor. Much to Haley’s relief, the first song was a lively tune. She might have to flee if any slow songs played. Dancing like this was one thing, but a romantic dance was out of the question.

  Before long, she found herself having more fun than she’d had in a long time. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much. As they made their way around the room, Haley realized she was actually enjoying herself in Enchantment Bay, the place she’d vowed never to return to.

  A slow song started and all the couples around them moved closer to each other. Haley backed away from Sullivan. “I really should get going. I’m still settling in at my parents’ house and I need to, uh, call my boss.”

  He nodded and stepped away from the dancing. “Sure. Hey, maybe we can get together. It’s been nice to catch up.”

  She couldn’t deny that—and that was a problem. There was no way she was going to let herself make any attachments while in town. The plan was to return home as soon as Mom was done helping Great-Aunt Elma fix her house before moving to the retirement community.

  “There’s a concert at the beach tomorrow night,” Sullivan said. “We could grab something to eat and get there early for good seats.” He flashed her that heart-stopping smile again. “My treat.”

  How could she say no to tha
t? “Sounds like fun.”

  “Great. You’re staying at your parents’ place, you said?”

  Haley nodded. “But I’ll meet you at the beach.” No need to give the impression that they were going on a date. It was just two old friends catching up. No need to complicate things.

  “Okay. I’ll bring the food. Do you have a picnic blanket?”

  “Possibly.” Her family had hardly been the picnic-going type.

  “No worries. I’ll dig one out. Hey, can I get your number?”

  Now it was starting to sound more like a date. She hesitated.

  “Don’t worry. I promise not to sell it to telemarketers.” The corners of his mouth twitched.

  Haley laughed. She really was being ridiculous. It was Sullivan Hunter. She told him her number and he called. “Got it.”

  They both slid their fingers around their screens.

  “What time tomorrow?” she asked.

  He glanced down. “Looks like it starts at five. We should probably be there before four to get a good seat.”

  “Okay. I’ll plan on three-thirty, then.”

  “Great. I look forward to it.” He grinned like he meant it and joined Shale by the punch table.

  Haley stared at him for a moment, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It almost seemed like a date. But it wasn’t. That was why she was going. She needed to get home and get a few things taken care of if she was going to spend the next afternoon with Sullivan.

  She found Jensyn and reminded her to be home by midnight.

  “Eleven-fifty-nine.” Her sister spun around and swept a mess of spilled crackers.

  Haley went to the parking lot and slunk into her silver Audi. Her feet and legs ached. She wasn’t used to dancing or wearing heels. With as much walking as showing houses took, she preferred comfortable shoes.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up to the driveway of her childhood home. The blue two-story structure brought back a gush of unpleasant memories. She cut the engine and stared at the peeling, dirty paint. The house wasn’t in disrepair because they couldn’t afford to do anything about it. Dad had just loved to see how upset Mom would get before doing any kind of home repair.

  It seemed that Mom was still afraid of stepping on his toes, even a year after his death. Now she was helping her aunt fix her home when Mom’s own house needed so much work.

  Sighing, Haley grabbed her purse, got out of the car, and remote-locked it. Somehow, it still felt as though Dad were there. Almost like he could jump out from any corner and yell at her for any number of things. He’d always been so full of anger and always took it out on his family. Just seeing the home brought old insults and accusations to the forefront of her mind.

  “He’s gone. The house is empty.” She squeezed the keychain and walked up the walkway. Everything brought back memories. The pear trees in the front yard reminded her of the time Dad had screamed at her—with no care about the neighbors—because she’d scored low on some test. Haley couldn’t remember which class the test had been from, but she remembered every horrible name he’d called her that afternoon.

  She took a deep breath and unlocked the door, bracing herself for the flood of memories the inside would bring—that it had already brought back in the three days since her return. The first two days hadn’t been so bad. Mom had been so over-the-moon thrilled to have Haley back, she’d stayed and showered her with attention.

  Inside, the house was unusually quiet. It was almost eerie. She swore she could smell Dad’s cologne and beer, but all bottles had long since been removed.

  Haley walked through the living room, her gaze drawn to the framed family photos. Funny how they had managed to look so happy when they had been so horribly miserable. Not many more photos had been added since Haley had last been home the night of her graduation. Just some candids of Jensyn, no family pictures.

  She could almost hear her Dad’s accusations. “Because you refused to come back for those.”

  Haley stood taller and glanced around the empty living room. “That’s right. I did refuse—because you never changed.” She marched over to a family photo from when she had been fourteen and narrowed her eyes at the image of her father. His brown eyes stared at her, and she could see the anger seething beneath the surface. “The best decision I ever made was walking away from you. It was hard working my way through college, but it was liberating. You know why? Because you had nothing to hold over my head. I’m free of you and your lies now. We can only hope that your absence from Jensyn’s life is doing her some good.”

  It was tempting to spit on his face, but she couldn’t do that to Mom. She cherished those old family portraits. Instead, Haley spun around and hurried to her room to change into something more comfortable.

  All her things were still in the luggage. As much as she didn’t want to make the house home, she did need to unpack. She was going to be there all summer, after all. She slid off the pumps and rubbed her sore feet. Then she put on track shorts and a loose tank top. Much better.

  Her phone beeped. Just a text from her office back in Portland. She sent a quick reply, telling the new realtor where he could find the information he needed. As she went back to the main screen, her finger grazed the photo gallery. It opened to a picture of her most recent ex-boyfriend.

  Haley groaned. “I thought I deleted all of those.” She pressed the trash icon and removed the controlling jerk’s image from her phone and mind. Seeing his face was a good reminder of her pledge to stay away from dating.

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, then put away her clothes next to what was left of her old stuff in the closet and dresser. Not much had fit into her one suitcase and the few smaller bags she'd packed after graduation, so there was still a decent amount of clothing right where she'd left it. And now, all these years later, she was just as eager to leave again.

  Four

  Sullivan placed the to-go boxes in the trunk next to the picnic basket and pulled out the plastic containers that were part of the picnic set. He filled them with the restaurant food and placed them back in the basket. Then he readjusted the dishes, silverware, and cups, topping everything with a single yellow rose. That had been her favorite flower in high school. Jackson had always made a point to give her one for no reason.

  He closed the basket, then the trunk, and climbed into his black BMW. His pulse picked up speed as he thought about getting together with Haley. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since Dakota’s wedding. He'd been so distracted that he'd had to stop looking at the new house listings and put on a movie just to be able to get her out of his mind.

  On one hand, it was nice to think about something other than work, but at the same time, he needed to focus on it more than ever. He'd waited so long to purchase the business from Dad and couldn't let himself get lazy now. Or maybe it was time he allowed himself a little fun. It was summer and he had a date with a beautiful woman.

  Sullivan pulled into the parking lot at the beach. It was packed, as he expected. This time of year, everyone came out to enjoy the best part of Enchantment Bay—the bay itself. He drove around six full times before finally landing a spot.

  He grabbed the picnic basket and headed for the beach with a spring in his step. As he approached the entrance, he heard crying. Sullivan looked around and saw a boy hiding behind a tree, sniffling.

  It tugged on his heartstrings, so he approached the child. “Are you okay?”

  The boy wiped his eyes and stood taller, appearing embarrassed. He pointed to a group of three boys twice his size. “Those guys stole my ice cream money.”

  “Really?” Sullivan narrowed his eyes and studied the little punks. “Want me to get it back for you?”

  He shook his head. “They already used it.”

  “How much did they take?”

  “Five dollars.”

  “Ouch.” Sullivan dug into his pocket and pulled a twenty from his wallet. “Why don’t you take this and buy all the ice cream you wan
t?”

  The boy’s eyes widened. “For real?”

  “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

  “No.”

  Sullivan handed him the bill. “Come on. I’ll walk to the concession stand with you and make sure those jerks don’t try to help themselves at your expense again.”

  The boy stared at Sullivan like he was a hero. “Thanks so much.”

  “Think nothing of it. Come on.” He walked to the stand with the kid and made a point to stare at the group of bullies. They ran off after meeting Sullivan’s glare.

  The boy walked away from the stand with an ice cream in each hand and change in his pocket.

  “Enjoy.” Sullivan waved.

  “Wait. Don’t you want the change?”

  “Nah. Get yourself something else later.”

  “Thanks!” The kid ran off.

  Sullivan smiled and headed over to the main part of the beach, where concerts were usually held. In the distance, Haley sat on a blanket under a large umbrella. It was a good thing she’d remembered the blanket, because that was the one thing Sullivan had forgotten to pack. He darted around kids chasing each other and sunbathers scattered all around.

  A stream of water hit him across the chest.

  “Sorry, sir!” called a kid, running away.

  “No problem. It’ll dry.” Finally, he made it to Haley. She sat, shaded by the umbrella, reading a paperback. She wore a royal blue romper with a pattern of golden flowers sprinkled across it, and she had on a long beaded necklace. His breath hitched. She was even more gorgeous than the day before.

  He cleared his throat and set the basket down next to her. “I hate to disturb you, but I did bring food.”

  She smiled, tucked a bookmark in the novel, and set it aside. “Looks like you were struck by the water gun, too.”

  Sullivan pulled on his shirt. “Kind of hard to avoid them. Are you hungry?”

  Haley sniffed the air. “It smells delicious.”

  “I hope you like pasta.” Sullivan lowered himself to the blanket and opened the basket. He handed her the flower, enjoying her surprised expression, and then set out the plates.