House on the Beach

by Linda Barrett

  “You can put me down now,” she said.

  “I’m never letting go,” Matt replied. “Never again.” He carried her to the bed as though her five-foot-seven-inch frame weighed nothing at all. But when he leaned over to place her on the mattress, she tightened her clasped hands and pulled him down on top of her.

  “Now I’ve got you where I want you,” she whispered. “Kiss me again.”

  He obliged immediately. And somehow, between kisses, his shirt came off and hers did, too. Then pants, and bra and briefs. And then, she was skin to skin with Matthew Parker, the man she loved, and the tears threatened again because she thought she’d lost this kind of shared magic forever.

  “Shh, darling. Don’t cry.” Matt’s deep voice rumbled in her ear.

  “Just let me…do…wonderful things to you.”

  How could he know what she was feeling?

  “I love you, sweetheart.” And he showed her how much with his hands and his tongue, as she thrashed and squirmed until she couldn’t move at all, until she felt as taut as a violin string.

  “Matt, Matt…” Her breath came short and hard until…until the string finally broke, and she was able to drag in deep gulps of air. She reached for him, pulled him on top of her and wrapped her limbs around him.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” said Matt.

  How could he notice at a time like this when all she wanted was to feel him inside her?

  Seconds later, she did. And then lost track of time altogether as she soared once more to the music of a violin that only she heard.

  And when she finally floated back to earth, she turned toward Matt, who’d shouted his pleasure just moments before, and said, “You’re beautiful, too.”

  He grinned. “The word’s ‘handsome,’ darling. Men aren’t beautiful.”

  Matt was beautiful to her, but she didn’t argue the point.

  And he was beautiful as she gave him a tour of her body, explaining each scar and what had happened to her. He asked questions, winced at times and kissed each part of her that had been affected.

  “Even as we speak, Matt, more breakthroughs are happening. Early detection is the key.”

  He nodded. “Valerie never had a chance.”

  “I’m so sorry, Matt. So sorry.” She’d never discussed Valerie with him before. Never expressed her sympathy. She stroked his arm. “But my situation is different. I found my lump when it was small.”

  She studied Matt carefully and detected the fear that was still there. He’d need more time to process everything and arm himself with knowledge. He’d need more time to relegate her experience to the back of his mind, instead of allowing it full rein at the front.

  “When’s your next checkup?” he asked, confirming her thoughts.

  “It’s six months away. Relax!”

  “Easy for you to say,” he grumbled, taking her in his arms again.

  Easy? She shook her head at the absurdity and twined herself against him. Being wrapped in Matt’s arms was the best place of all for her.

  “I’m so lucky,” she whispered, and felt Matt’s arms squeeze her gently.

  “That makes two of us.”

  Laura smiled to herself. Surely, all the hard times were behind her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  TWO WEEKS LATER Matt stood in front of his bathroom mirror and tried to reknot his tie for at least the hundredth time. Good Lord! It had been so long since he’d had to follow the convoluted twists and turns that he’d almost forgotten how. And he wanted to look perfect. Well, as perfect as a hands-on small-business owner and single father of two boys could look. He sighed and pulled the tie off completely. Matthew Parker was not graced with the talent to look perfect. But he knew someone who could help out.

  “Pop,” he called as he ran down the stairs.

  “In here,” said Sam.

  Matt walked into the kitchen to see Sam setting up for one of his Friday-night poker games with the ROMEOs. Good. His dad would be pleasantly occupied while Matt was out with Laura at a concert in Symphony Hall. It was a beautiful May evening. He had visions of a romantic cruise into Boston Harbor.

  “Well, look at you! Special night?” asked Sam, running his eye over Matt. “Haven’t seen you in a suit since I can’t remember when. But you’re a good-looking boy.”

  Only his father would still refer to him as a boy! Matt held out the tie. “Can you help?”

  “Sure,” Sam replied, reaching for the material. “Going to pop the question tonight?”

  Matt swallowed. “How can you tell?”

  Sam’s laughter was all the response he got. “Do the kids know?”

  “Nope. They’ll be too disappointed if she turns me down.”

  Suddenly Sam stopped moving. “Any chance of that?” he asked quietly.

  Matt didn’t think so, but the unexpected potholes on his romantic path had left him less than a hundred-percent sure. “She’s been happy with the way we are since getting everything out in the open. The last couple of weeks have been…well, almost like a honeymoon. But I want more. I want marriage. I love her, and I want a life together, every day.”

  “Then go for it!” Sam leaned forward and hugged him. “And good luck.” He stepped back again. “And, by the way, don’t worry about me. If she’s concerned at all about privacy, I’ll rent an apartment.”

  Stunned, Matt stared at his dad. “Where did you get that crazy idea? You’re staying right here with us.”

  But Sam put up his hand. “I don’t want to be in the way, son. Things change. You do what you have to do.”

  His dad was sincere, and Matt’s concern grew. “What I have to do,” said Matt, “is give you a shot of Scotch and bring you back to your senses. You’re not just a convenience to this family, Pop, you’re vital to this family. We love you. Now, stop the nonsense.”

  Sam emitted a long sigh. “We’ll see, Matt. We’ll see. Now give me that tie.”

  Ten minutes later, Matt was out the door and in the car after getting a lot of oohs and aahhs from the kids. Apparently they weren’t used to seeing him dressed up either except for weddings and funerals. And there hadn’t been either of those in a long time. But that was changing. Next month, the Chief and Dee would tie the knot. And hopefully, he and Laura would follow suit.

  He sucked in a big breath at the thought, then forgot to breathe altogether when Laura answered his knock on her door. He had the same reaction every time he saw her no matter what she was wearing, but tonight she’d surpassed herself. Royal-blue beaded dress that matched her eyes, glittering long earrings and high-heeled shoes that showed off her long, shapely legs.

  He exhaled hard and, with a lingering glance at calf and ankle, refocused on Laura’s face. “You look…great,” he said. “You’re gorgeous.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Only in your eyes, Matthew Parker. And that’s good enough for me.”

  “It is?”

  Laura squeezed his hand and pulled him inside the house. “Of course, it is.” She studied him. “I love you, Matt. Yours is the only opinion that matters—in addition to my own, of course.”

  “Then why won’t you marry me?” The words fell out of his mouth, echoing the uncertainty that plagued him earlier. Laura’s shocked expression had him reeling. What had he done? He’d ruined everything!

  “Why won’t I marry you?” she repeated in a small voice, peeping up at him from under her lashes. “Maybe because you…haven’t…asked…me?”

  It took a moment to sink in, and then…pure joy! From deep inside him, happiness welled to a crescendo as big as the highest wave ever surfed on any ocean in the world. Like flying without a plane. He opened his arms and when she walked into them, he held her close, vowing never to let go.

  “Laura, Laura, Laura,” he murmured between the kisses he showered on her. “There is no one else for me.”

  Her arms tightened around him, and when she looked into his face, her eyes shone with gladness and love.

  LAURA STEPPED i
nto the shower at Sea View House a week later, a week after agreeing to marry Matt, eager to feel the hot water against her tired body after a late-afternoon five-mile run. The expression on Matt’s face at her response to his proposal still had the power to make her laugh out loud.

  As she reached for the shampoo, her left hand crossed her line of vision. She paused, staring at the ring on her fourth finger. A twinkling diamond that reminded her of how the ocean waves sparkled in the afternoon sun. She’d argued with Matt about the expense. She didn’t need diamonds to know she was loved. And she didn’t want funds diverted from his business if cost was a problem. He’d kissed her arguments away, and when she’d looked into his loving eyes, she saw the pleasure that it gave him to give her the jewel. Now she wore it with comfort and ease.

  She rinsed her hair and started lathering her body, her hands sliding over slippery skin. Arms, legs and breasts. And then she paused. What the heck was that? Her fingers explored something new. Something that hadn’t been there last week, and shouldn’t have been there today. Not on her breast. Dear God! Not again.

  She couldn’t breathe. Fear slammed her, top to bottom, inside and out. Her stomach clenched. She doubled over and grasped the spigots as much to keep her balance as to shut the water.

  “No, no. Oh, no!” Her throat was tight, her protest choked, unrecognizable. Déjà vu. Been there, done that. And she couldn’t…she just couldn’t go through it all again. The baldness, the queasiness, the surgeries, the radiation.

  Breathe! Breathe. She inhaled. Exhaled. It was a start.

  Think! Use your brain. It can’t be happening again. It’s too soon. And most lumps are not cancerous.

  Laura clutched the shower door and stepped out to the bathroom floor. The cooler air shocked her already stunned body, like an unexpected fall into a frozen pond, and she shivered all over, breathless again.

  Grabbing a towel, she wrapped her dripping hair, then reached for a second cloth to dry her body.

  “Buck up, girl. Buck up.” Talking aloud helped. “It can’t be anything.” Of course, that’s what she’d said the first time, too.

  “You just had a checkup a month ago. You just had blood tests. They were negative. And you are not a coward. You come from strong stock, Laura McCloud.” Okay, she was breathing again. And touching a small protrusion on the side of her breast. So, what the hell was it?

  Only one way to find out. She dressed in a hurry, went to the kitchen, and pulling her calendar toward her, picked up the phone. Dr. Berger’s office answered in two rings.

  Her appointment was for ten the next morning, and relief filled her. She’d expected that Dr. Berger would want to see her. And as usual, his staff had been calm and professional, exactly what she needed.

  Laura walked to the stove and put the kettle on to boil. If ever she needed a strong cup of tea…maybe with a dash of good Irish whiskey…if she’d had any, which she didn’t. But Matt probably did.

  Good God! Matt! What was she going to tell him? Laura grabbed hold of the chair back and focused on the floor. What was she going to tell him? A moment later, the answer came. The only answer.

  Absolutely nothing.

  He didn’t need to know. There was not one good reason for him to know. He couldn’t fix the situation; he couldn’t change it. Why should they both have a sleepless night when tomorrow would come soon enough? And when the cyst proved to be nothing, she’d tell him about it, and they’d laugh together in relief. But now…no. Too much uncertainty. Wasn’t this Matt’s worst nightmare, too?

  She pictured him in her mind’s eye. Those eyes that glowed with raw heat seconds after seeing her, his broad smile and broad chest. She heard his deep laughter, his voice in song. He was a moving picture in her imagination, tossing Casey into the air, pitching a baseball, hugging Brian.

  How could she possibly throw him a curve ball so soon after he’d found his equilibrium? So soon after he believed in love again. So soon after he fell in love with her. No, it wouldn’t be fair.

  The kettle whistled, and she poured the hot water into her mug and wrapped her hands around it. The warmth helped. A little. Wrapping her body around Matt would have helped a lot more. But she shook her head. Not tonight.

  She sat at the table and dialed the phone again.

  “Matt? Hi. It’s me. Slight change of plans. I’ve got an early appointment in Boston tomorrow, so I’m going to do a little work now and get to bed early, too…oh, yes. I’ll be back by midafternoon. Maybe earlier if all goes well.”

  She chatted a while longer before saying goodnight, pleased with her performance. All those acting classes had come in handy. And she hadn’t lied a bit. Just left out the details. And if Matt believed she was going to meet with her agent or a recording crew, so be it. In this case, ignorance really was bliss.

  Laura brought her cup of tea with her into the den where her equipment was set up. She did intend to work.

  But first, she paused in front of the mirror. She raised her hands to her head and combed her fingers through her hair. Her wavy, thick, wild hair that Matt was crazy about. She pulled it back, gathering it tightly at the nape of her neck and stared at herself.

  “Only babies should be bald.” She watched a lone tear travel down her cheek as her engagement ring sparkled in the mirror. “Dear God, I’ll never…complain about wavy hair again…if only…”

  She swiped the tear away. Forget it. If God-bargaining really worked, her mom would be alive, and no one would have cancer. She reached for a new script. At least in fairy tales, she could count on a happy ending.

  THE PHONE AT PARKER PLUMBING rang early the next morning as Matt was overseeing a delivery of new inventory at the store.

  “It’s Bartholo-mew Quinn,” said Blanche Gold, with raised brow and accent on Bart’s first name.

  Matt grinned, making a silent bet that the older man needed a little favor and that Matt was just the guy to do it. A proud man, Bart often used his whole moniker when in a pinch because he really didn’t like asking for favors. The big name reminded folks that Bartholomew Quinn was a person to be reckoned with, a person who had done lots of favors for others over his lifetime.

  “Good morning, Mr. Quinn,” said Matt.

  “It will be a very good morning, Matthew, if you have a spare minute to check out a little problem at Sea View House. Laura left a message yesterday on my office machine. The window in the master bedroom’s bothering her. Said it keeps her up at night. Maybe it’s the shutter, maybe it’s the frame. Would you take a ride down there, check it out…being as you’re a constant visitor anyway!”

  Matt frowned. He’d been in that house two nights ago and didn’t remember hearing anything. “Sure, I’ll go, Bart.” He checked the progress the delivery men were making. “Laura’s out this morning, so I’ll pick up the key in about twenty minutes. Not to worry.”

  “Thank you, my boy. Don’t want to let anything go. We’ve got a new tenant for the summer already. Starting with the Memorial Day weekend.”

  Matt tripped over Bart’s announcement. The month was flying by. But the older man was right. Laura’s rental agreement ended before the holiday weekend. She’d just have to move in with him and the family. No hardship there!

  Their wedding was set for the third weekend of June. Laura wanted a sunset ceremony on the beach with a champagne toast, and a reception at the Wayside Inn right here in town where her sister’s family would be staying. Matt would have agreed to anything. All he wanted was Laura. But in his heart, he liked the idea of taking his vows at the water’s edge, at the beginning of infinity, where anything and everything was possible.

  The store was quiet. Matt blinked and looked around. Blanche and Ethel were staring at him and grinning.

  “Off in those daydreams again, Matthew?” asked Ethel.

  “The wedding can’t come soon enough,” said Blanche. “We’d better recount the new stock. Come on, sis.”

  And he’d better get out of their way. He selected some extr
a long nails he might need and waved to the ladies. “See you later.”

  “Take your time,” they responded together.

  But there would be no reason to linger at Sea View House. Laura was in Boston.

  He stopped at Quinn’s Realty, chatted with Lila for a moment and got the key from Bart. “The house is in good shape, Bart. I’ve checked the upstairs and downstairs plumbing recently, fixed some small leaks, too. And submitted a bill, don’t forget.” He loved to tease the man.

  Bart harrumphed. “I did the paperwork. Funds come from the trust, you know.”

  Matt knew very well. He and his dad had been watching over Sea View House for years and were familiar with the payment process.

  “I’ll have Ralph Bigelow check the electricals,” said Bart. “It’s standard procedure whenever we rent to a new tenant.”

  “And a good idea.”

  Matt took the keys and ten minutes later let himself through the back door of Sea View House. Midnight greeted him in the kitchen. He quickly put his toolbox on the kitchen table and scooped up the big kitten and placed her on his shoulder. “Okay, girl. Let’s keep each other company.”

  Midnight’s purr of contentment vibrated through his ear, and Matt chuckled. Seemed they both missed Laura.

  He reached for his toolbox and glanced at the calendar on the table. Such neat handwriting. Such organization. Maybe she had an unexpected audition today. He pulled the calendar toward him and pinpointed the date. The one box where the handwriting was big and shaky.

  Dr. Berger. 10:00 a.m.

  What? He flipped the pages backward. Hadn’t she told him about a great checkup a month ago? Yes. There it was. A neatly notated appointment in April. He turned back to May and stared at the current date with the messy writing. Messy writing…which meant…good Lord!

  He spotted the doc’s number at the top of the calendar and grabbed the phone.

  He got the address. He made the nine-thirty ferry. A never-ending thirty minutes. Then a cab ride. And Laura wasn’t in the waiting room when he finally reached the place.