Return to Gray Harbor

by Bryant, J. J.

  Return To Gray Harbor

  By

  J.J. Bryant

  Copyright © 2015

  http://www.jjbookspress.com

  http://www.jjbryantbooks.com

  Praise for Return to Gray Harbor:

  “With charming characters and the picturesque setting of coastal Maine, Return to Gray Harbor is easy to enjoy. This classic American Romance is fun and sincere, and should satisfy any lover of the genre.”

  – Jessica Woodard, Author of the Once Upon a Romance Series

  Book Summary:

  Michael Malone has everything a man could want: money, success, looks, even an apartment in New York City. He had never planned on going back to Gray Harbor, but his mother needed him. And there was no way he would ever stay in Maine. At least that’s how he felt before Beth Adams. The talented chef is nothing like what he thought he needed, but now she’s all he can think about.

  Then trouble at work pulls him back to the city and back into the life he worked so hard to build. And while it no longer seems to be everything Michael wants anymore, he can’t simply leave everything he knows behind. Or can he?

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Table of Contents

  Legal Notes

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About The Author

  Coming Soon!

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 J.J. Bryant & J.J.I Productions, LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author and publisher constitutes piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the author at jjbryantbooks@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  JJ Books are published by J.J.I Productions, LLC.

  Somerville, MA

  Cover Design by M. Weiskind

  Edited by J.Imbriani and ebookeditingpro

  First published as an ebook and as print on demand: May 2015

  ISBN-13: 978-0692445082

  ISBN-10: 0692445080

  Dedication

  To my family new, old and chosen – you can always change course and always return to those that matter and start over. This book is for all of you. Thank you for believing.

  Acknowledgements

  Big thanks to Lisa, Laura, Jessica, Noel, Beth, Dana Blu, Carissa, Alan, Brian, Chris, Miriam and Penny who all inspired and supported me. And a big thanks to the rest of my family. This book would never have happened without your patience, advice, love and coffee!

  Prologue

  “What do you mean, you’re moving to New York?”

  Though James Malone said the words in a quiet tone, eighteen-year-old Michael Malone knew better.

  He was in big trouble.

  What else was new? He always disappointed them because he could never live up to the memory of his football star brother. Michael had dreams, dreams that didn’t involve gutting fish his whole life or living in Maine under the shadow of his brother’s tragedy.

  Michael relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath, then began to state his case.

  “They’ve offered me a full scholarship. It’s one of the best schools in the country.”

  What he left out was that he intended to study Corporate Finance. He also didn’t mention that in addition to NYU, he had applied to half a dozen other schools even farther away from Gray Harbor, Maine. He just had to get away from his hometown. And more importantly, he had to get away from Malone’s Market, his father’s prized business.

  His father was always a tough one. He always got his way. Everyone followed his lead. And if you didn’t, you had to be prepared to hear it: a long winded lecture that started quietly and ended like a shipwrecked boat. It wasn’t going to be that way this time. Michael was always the quiet one, but not anymore — things were going to change.

  Before his brother Jessie died, Michael’s father had talked about how once Jesse and Michael both finished college the store would become Malone and Sons’ Fish Market. They would study business like he did and together, they would make Malone’s more than a fish market, but a destination in Maine. James felt that someday everything on Penobscot Bay, especially Gray Harbor, would become a tourist destination.

  He always said, “anything by the water, especially in Maine, is gonna be a money-maker someday. After all, this is ‘Vacationland,’ so of course someday people will come to Gray Harbor, and when they do we’ll cash in.”

  Michael’s thoughts were interrupted by his father’s voice, which had risen slightly. “You already have a scholarship.”

  “The University of Maine is a damn good school. Your grandfather went there, I went there, your brother Jesse was going to go there … and YOU are going to go there!”

  The quiet voice had turned to rage. His dad started to shuffle things around on the dining room table as if the conversation were over, case closed. The great James Malone had spoken.

  Michael just couldn’t take it, he pushed his slightly too-long brown hair out of his eyes, adjusted his thick horn-rimmed glasses, and said, “Well, Dad, maybe it’s just not good enough for me.” He tried to say it with confidence, though he looked anywhere but into his father’s eyes. “I’m moving to New York. School starts in August.”

  “Oh, Michael, think about this,” said his mother, Marty, sounding disappointed as she walked into the room. Michael let out a sigh. That’s just what he did, he disappointed everyone, he thought to himself.

  “He doesn’t need to think about this, he’s not going. He has a responsibility to this family.”

  “It’s too late, Dad...” Michael said, and lifted up his head defiantly.

  James straightened and dropped the mail he had been sifting through onto the dining room table, which he frequently used as his office, and leaned forward.

  “You accepted and decided to move four hundred miles away without even talking to us first?” James was almost yelling now. He had always had a temper. Whenever he got angry, what appeared to be a large vein throbbed on the forehead of his handsome face and he turned red.

  In his most mature sounding voice, Michael said, “I’m eighteen, and I don’t need permission.” He swallowed but the lump in his throat just wouldn’t go away.

  “Annie got married when she was only twenty and no one batted an eye...”

  “You are my son, not Annie, and that is different,” said James in an exasperated tone.

  Annie had married her soldier boyfriend, Tom Mendelson, before he shipped off for a tour overseas. Everyone in the family loved Tom. The Mendelsons were a good family and came from a long line of soldiers and lobstermen. Annie was finishing up school at a local commuter college and planned to work for Malone’s Market full-time when she was done. Even though she had gone and married young against her parents’ wishes, she was still falling in line in her own way by staying local and working for the f
amily business.

  “That’s the problem, isn’t it, Dad? I’m not Annie and I am certainly not Jesse, right?”

  “That’s enough, Michael!” his mother exclaimed, her voice shaking. “We don’t compare you to anyone, you are just you. We would never even try to compare you to your brother or sisters.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow at that one. Maybe she didn’t compare him, but he knew his Dad did. He just didn’t measure up. Whenever he missed a few points on an exam, his Dad would say, “Where are the other two points? Why can’t you focus more? Jesse never had any issues in English class.” Or whatever class or sport. You take your pick. But no one cared that Jesse screwed up that night. They just ignored it and made him out to be some kind of hero.

  “This discussion is over, Michael. You will call New York University and tell them no. And you WILL go to University of Maine this fall. End of story.”

  “I am going to NYU and forget about August. I am leaving tomorrow. And you are right about one thing, sir. This conversation is over.”

  Michael’s tone was self-satisfied and snide … and maybe just a little scared. Marty looked at her husband and then at Michael.

  “How do you plan on getting to New York? Where will you live? You’re supposed to be working at the market the rest of the summer and you can’t move into the dorms until the end of the summer anyway.”

  What Michael’s mother was saying was all true. He knew she was trying to be reasonable but he just couldn’t — not this time. He was always playing it safe. But he didn’t want that anymore. He wanted a change.

  “I’ll figure it out,” said Michael, trying to sound self-assured.

  “Now listen, son,” James said, trying to appear calm. He leaned both hands on the worn mahogany table and leaned forward. “You’ll do what I say—”

  “Or what, Dad?” Michael asked in an exasperated tone.

  Whatever his father said wasn’t going to change his mind. Nothing was going to change his mind. This was his chance. His chance to be his own man, to only have to measure up against his own self, not his brother, not his sister, not anyone but himself.

  Michael leaned his own hands on the table and stared his father in the eyes, ”What are you going to do?”

  “That’s enough! Michael, you apologize right now,” exclaimed Marty.

  “Marty, I’ll take care of this,” James said, as he nudged his wife back.

  “So you really want to leave all of this that badly. Can’t wait a few months, you couldn’t wait to talk this through like a man. You’re going to leave us and your responsibilities at the market with no notice. You just went ahead and did whatever you wanted without caring about the rest of us, huh?”

  For a moment, Michael debated what to say next. Instead he just said, “Yes. I want to leave here that badly.”

  Before he could stop himself the words were out. They hung in midair and everything seemed to stand still for a moment. He debated whether to take the words back, or whether he even could. He couldn’t though, because it wouldn’t be true. But those thoughts quickly changed once his father spoke.

  “You want to go off, son? Fine then, go right ahead. Be my guest. Just go. But I want you to remember this. If you walk out that door, you’ll get nothing from us. No money, no tuition help, nothing … not even a goddamn Christmas card,” said James, a self-satisfied and assured look on his face.

  “Now just wait you two — let’s take a little time to discuss this rationally. Calmly. This is all just getting a little out of ha—”

  “No, Marty. No,” James said with force.

  “It’s time Michael learned just how easy he has had it here. Boy, you go off, take off tomorrow for all I care. You’ve had a good thing here, but you aren’t going to learn that till you are out of here. Hell, maybe you’ll grow up a little. Maybe then you can call yourself a man.”

  Michael’s palms were sweaty. It was really happening. He was really going to be leaving. He’d have to leave without his family's support, no coming home for holidays, no writing to ask for money if things got tough. It wouldn’t be easy but he was going to do it. He’d be on his own. His own man.

  “I don’t need you, or your money. I can do this alone.”

  “Hah!” James cackled. “We’ll see what you say in a few months, heck, maybe in a few days. You’ll realize what you are throwing away, son. You might not see it now, but you will.”

  “No, I won’t, Dad. I don’t need you and I never will. I am never coming back here, not ever.”

  “Michael, don’t say that this isn’t your home, it always will be and I’ll always be here for you,” Marty pleaded, and shot her husband a look. A look that said ‘not another word.’

  His father said nothing more. He just wore a self-satisfied smile and was silent. He stood there in his “Malone’s Market” shirt looking like he was above everything and everyone, especially his son. In that moment, Michael knew he was making the right decision. He couldn’t stay in this house, he couldn’t stay in Maine any longer. He was tired of being compared to his sister, his dead brother, the past and his father’s dreams. He would never live up to them. But he would show them, he would succeed and he would never come back. His mother started to cry softly as Michael walked out. He couldn’t look at her or he might change his mind.

  As Michael walked away, Marty looked at James. He moved towards her and brought her into his arms and said, “He’ll be back. This is where he belongs, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

  Chapter 1

  The morning sky was glowing pink and the air smelled of salt. The low humming of Michael Malone’s rental car seemed a little out of place as he pulled up the dirt road to a ramshackle house that looked like it was badly in need of repair. The Penobscot area was now known as one of Maine’s most picturesque escapes. He stepped out of the shiny black mustang coupe in a two piece suit and necktie. They weren’t Armani, but you could tell they were expensive despite the understated look. He halted in front of the faded red door of the sea-worn Cape Cod home.

  “What happened to this place?” he mumbled as he stared at the worn shingles that were left clinging to the home. Definitely not picturesque, that’s for sure, he thought. The cedar shingles were either missing or faded and worn beyond the usual salt grey that New England homes had become known for. It had been thirteen years since he’d been back home. It felt like forever and just yesterday all at once.

  He was home. His skin prickled with goose bumps and a sense of uneasiness spread through him. Instinct screamed at him to head back to the car and get as far away from Gray Harbor as soon as possible. But he had to be there for her, for all of them.

  He had seen his mother and siblings periodically since his impassioned vow almost thirteen years ago never to return, but he had kept true to his words until now. He had not once come back since that fateful day. He had wanted to many times but felt like he would never be welcomed by his father after the blowout they had about Michael going to college in New York.

  Since then his family, all but his father, had come to New York once a year after Christmas. He’d take them to Radio City, to the Russian Tea Room for High Tea, and, of course, to a New York City institution: Midtown Comics — a favorite of his little brother Jonah. During all that time, he had not once truly spoken to his father. And his father never once made an effort to reach out to Michael either, not on his graduation from undergrad, the completion of his MBA, or landing the job he had worked so hard to land. When Michael called home, his father would barely grunt and then just passed the phone off, completely ignoring anything Michael said to try to make things right. Now Michael took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and raised his hand to knock. Before he had a chance, the door flew open.

  “I can’t believe it you actually showed up,” said Jonah, barely looking at him.

  “Whoa, check out the car. What is that? It’s wicked!” His brother, who was not so little anymore, was clearly more excited about the car than he was about Mic
hael. Michael told Jonah it was just a rental and then put him in a headlock, for old times’ sake.

  “Jeez dude, no need to mess up my hair,” Jonah exclaimed, and then he screamed “Mom, Annie, Judy … Mikey is here and he’s trying to kill me!”

  Mikey — It had been a long time since anyone had called Michael by his old nickname. Everyone in town had called him that, well, almost everyone. He stopped going by it once he went to New York. Michael had felt more mature than “Mikey.” He felt almost silly thinking that now, though. He really didn’t care either way now that he was an adult. Thinking about it, he could hardly believe he had left home when he was around Jonah’s age. Jonah reminded Michael a little of himself. Jonah’s six-foot frame and blue eyes mirrored Michael’s. His dark hair was longish and swept to the side. He was tan and vibrant, in the way only twenty-year-olds can be. Jonah’s “Malone’s Market” t-shirt, worn jeans, and Converse sneakers were a contrast to Michael’s clothing — and Jonah smelled faintly like fish. It served as a reminder of why Michael had not been back all these years.

  Sometimes he felt like he had changed too much to come back. The calm of Maine inside Michael had been replaced. He was now an on-edge New Yorker. Michael mussed up his brother’s hair one more time while Jonah struggled to get out of his reach. Michael remembered the day he left — Jonah was just seven years old. Michael had snuck into Jonah’s room and promised that no matter what, he would always be his big brother and help him in any way he could. Michael tried his best to keep that promise. Although he couldn’t be there in person, he called Jonah all the time on the cell phone he purchased for him and he was always available to give his brother advice when he needed it. When it came time for college applications, Michael edited all of his essays. Jonah was a smart, good kid who everyone loved. And like Michael, Jonah also was focused on his passion and his dream: computers. The only difference was that Jonah didn’t totally follow his dream, which was to study computer science at Stanford. He did exactly what was expected of him and stayed in Maine. So did his little sister Judy. Michael had tried to be a good brother to Judy, too, but for some reason they had not bonded as much. It was probably because she was just four years old when he left.