But if that were all she wanted, Sabrina wondered why the thought of returning to normal carved a hollow spot in the center of her chest.
Laughter was the first thing Sabrina heard when she opened her apartment door. She closed the door, tossed her bag on the desk, and followed the sound of Arielle’s soft voice. She found her cousin on the balcony, the phone cradled between her cheek and shoulder.
“That’s so true,” she was saying. “Oh, hi, Sabrina.” She pulled her bare feet from the railing. “Sabrina’s home,” she said into the phone. “Okay. All right.” Another chuckle.
Sabrina went to the kitchen and pulled the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge. She wondered who Arielle was talking to. It could be Aunt Bev, or Uncle Everett, or Jaylee. But Sabrina had a sinking feeling it wasn’t any of them. Through the mesh screen, she heard Arielle laugh again.
Sabrina poured a glass of tea and took a long drink. They’d been busy at the café. Evan had called in sick and they hadn’t found a replacement, so she’d bussed her own tables.
She heard the beep of the phone being turned off, then the grinding slide of the screen door.
Arielle stopped inside the door, all signs of laughter gone. “You told him I’m sick?”
Sabrina tried to decipher the source of her cousin’s anger. “You were puking at his house last night.”
“I feel better today. I told you this morning.”
“You said you still felt nauseous.”
“I said I felt a tad nauseous, but much better.”
What in the world? Her cousin set the phone in the cradle and passed her on the way to the fridge.
“He has tickets to the community theater tonight,” Arielle said.
“And . . . ?”
Arielle tossed her a look. “And now I can’t go because he thinks I’m sick. He said I needed to stay home and rest.”
“I thought you’d be relieved to avoid a few dates. I thought you’d be pleased.”
Arielle surveyed the contents of the fridge.
Cold air washed over Sabrina, raising gooseflesh. Clearly Arielle was not pleased about missing her date. Clearly Arielle wanted to be with Tucker. Sabrina tamped down the fear that perched on the stoop of her heart.
Arielle pulled out a bottle of organic juice and shut the door. “What’s done is done, I guess.” She passed Sabrina and called over her shoulder, “Oh, I told Tucker you’d accompany him to the theater tonight.”
She what? Sabrina followed Arielle to the living room, where her cousin had plopped on the sofa and flipped on the TV.
“You told Tucker I’d go with him?”
Arielle took a swig of her juice, taking her time, then set it on the end table and smiled sweetly. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
Sabrina’s own words came back to haunt her, and Arielle seemed to enjoy the fact. “Why can’t he just skip the dumb play?”
“His secretary has one of the lead roles, and this is the last night it’s showing.”
So what? Why did that require him to drag Sabrina along? Her heart was performing a traitorous show of its own. “Can’t he go alone?”
“He has two tickets.”
“Well, can’t he find someone else?” Her voice crescendoed.
Arielle changed the channel, surfing with a calmness that made Sabrina want to throttle her.
“I told him you loved the theater,” she said. “And there’s no need for his money to go to waste. He’s already underwriting the Nantucket Light Keepers,” Arielle so kindly reminded her.
Soundkeepers. Sabrina clenched her teeth. That was beside the point. Arielle knew how hard it was for her to be with Tucker. Then again, it was hard to see Arielle with Tucker too. Which was worse? Waiting for Arielle to return from her date or suffering through it herself?
Come on, Sabrina. Suffering?
Okay, so she enjoyed being with Tucker. That was the problem.
“He’s picking you up at five.”
“Five?” The play couldn’t start until seven or eight at least.
“You’re going to supper first.”
“Supper?”
“Are you going to repeat everything I say? He already had reservations.”
Oh, sure, reservations. That made all the sense in the world. Sabrina glared at Arielle, but her cousin seemed oblivious to her distress.
Finally, Sabrina wandered toward her bedroom, seeing her own dazed look in the oval mirror Arielle had hung in the hall. That thing was so coming down.
She was going on a date with Tucker.
You are going on a date with Tucker.
It’s not a real date. He doesn’t even want to be with you. You’re a substitute for Arielle. Keep that in mind.
If she remembered that, she’d be fine. The only question was, could she make herself remember it when she was staring into Tucker’s eyes across a candlelit table?
Sweetpea: Little-known fact about me: I haven’t worn heels since prom.
Harbormaster: Little-known fact about me: I haven’t worn a suit since I dropped out of law school. Little-known fact number two: I have a special appreciation for people who wear choking neckties.
Chapter Twenty-five
Le Languedoc was a restaurant and inn located downtown on Broad Street. The building featured cedar shake shingles, white trim, and blue shutters that matched the awning outside.
Sabrina fidgeted with the wispy strings of her belt as Tucker pulled into a parallel parking space. She pressed her lips together, unaccustomed to the sticky feel of lip gloss. “Just a little,” Arielle had said when she protested. “You already have those gorgeous thick eyelashes, but a little color on your lips will do wonders.”
Judging by Tucker’s expression when she’d answered the door, maybe Arielle was right.
Tucker turned off the engine, then helped her from the car. They hadn’t taken five steps when her heel caught in a crack on the sidewalk. She stumbled forward.
Tucker steadied her, his hands burning the skin on her arms.
Idiot! She couldn’t even walk a few steps in these ridiculous shoes Arielle had loaned her. Why hadn’t she worn flats? She felt like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes.
“I should’ve let you off at the door,” Tucker said.
“I’m a klutz in heels.”
He laughed, a deep and warm sound. “This from the server who balances five plates of food on a tray, skirting tables and waitstaff without a spill?” He smiled.
The host took them out to the terrace, a secluded garden covered with an awning. Over their heads, white lights twinkled.
They were seated at a blue checkered table in the corner of the patio. Patrons filled the other tables, their chatter creating a quiet clamor. They looked at home in this upscale restaurant with their expensive jewelry and name-brand handbags.
The evening was mild, and the patio shielded them from the ocean breeze. The delicious aroma of garlic and steak filled the patio.
“Have you been here?” Tucker asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
He looked so handsome in his crisp white shirt and blue tie that matched his eyes. He’s wearing a tie. She opened the menu, more to occupy her hands than anything. He opened his as well, and when the server came, they placed their orders.
Before an awkward silence could settle, Sabrina spoke, “So, your secretary is in the play?”
He propped his arms on the table, and she noted the sturdy thickness of his forearms protruding from his rolled-up cuffs.
“Dorothy. She’s sixty-something years old and half-blind, but she throws herself into whatever she’s doing.”
“So what’s the play we’re seeing?”
“Cinderella. She plays the fairy godmother.”
“Oh, for a fairy godmother! I can see where that would come in handy.” She cringed as the sentence ended and took a sip of water. She wished she knew what to say, how to act. It had been a long time since she’d had a date.
“You
don’t need one tonight. You look especially nice. I like your hair down.”
After staring at Arielle, she probably seemed plain as a weed next to an exotic orchid. “You don’t have to say that.” She immediately wished she could recall the words. He was going to think she was fishing for a compliment.
“It’s true.”
She glanced at him. His eyes turned down at the corners. She picked at the tablecloth, deciding not to argue. She didn’t need someone patronizing her, especially not Tucker. Even Jared had rarely commented on her appearance. She didn’t expect flattery.
Sabrina checked her watch, wondering how long the food would take and what they’d talk about until it arrived.
“Bored already?” The corners of his lips turned up.
“No, I just—I just wondered what time the play starts.”
“We have plenty of time.”
Great. Just what she wanted to hear.
“How was work today?” he asked. “You seemed busy.”
She was glad for the trivial subject. “Evan was sick, so we bussed our own tables, which made it pretty hectic.”
“Do you like working at the café?”
She shrugged. “I’m good at it, and it pays the bills.”
“What about your work for Renny?”
“I love it. I hope someday when she’s published and writing a couple books a year, she’ll want me full-time.”
The server brought their drinks. Sabrina sipped her tea. She’d thought Tucker might question her about Arielle, but he seemed content with casual conversation.
She had a flashback of the night he’d driven her home when it was raining. That night replayed itself often with vivid accuracy. The warmth of his palm on her wrist, his deep, throaty laugh. The woodsy smell of his cologne a breath away. The way he’d looked at her, as if she mattered.
Had Sabrina read more into the moment than there was?
Did it matter? There was no future for her and Tucker. Nothing beyond an email relationship.
And what would happen if Tucker and Arielle fell in love for real?
Tucker escorted Sabrina into the United Methodist Church, placing his hand on the small of her back as they navigated the crowd. She looked beautiful in the elegant navy blue dress. Her hair spilled around her shoulders like a dark veil, and it was all he could do to keep from touching it, from running his fingers through it. It had been a task keeping his eyes off her.
He greeted a few people, nodding on their way past. Normally he’d stop and chat, but he wanted Sabrina to himself. They found seats near the middle of the room next to an elderly couple who held hands. He wished he could take Sabrina’s hand, but he was supposed to be in love with Arielle.
When Sabrina set her purse on the floor, he sneaked a glance at her. Her hair swung forward, falling across her cheek. She sat back, tucking it behind her ear, and the fragrance of lilacs and something citrusy reached his nostrils. He inhaled deeply. This may be his one and only date with Sabrina. If only he could get her to confess what was holding her back. He couldn’t even email the question now. He was supposed to think Arielle was Sweetpea.
“You haven’t asked about Arielle,” she said, as if reading his mind. Her hands were folded primly in her lap.
“Was I supposed to?” A woman squeezed by with her teenage daughter.
“I thought you might ask my opinion of her.”
“What do you think of her?”
She tossed him a look. “She’s awfully nice.”
What could he say? He had to be careful. “She wears a lot of makeup.”
“I thought men liked that.” She reached over her shoulder, to toy with her ponytail, he thought, but when she found her hair unbound, she returned her hand to her lap, seemingly oblivious to the jingle of her charm bracelet.
“Some do, I guess. I always liked a more natural look.” His eyes took in Sabrina’s natural beauty. Sometimes nature couldn’t be improved upon.
He cleared his throat. “But you’re right, Arielle is nice. A little . . . flighty, but nice.”
She frowned at him, as though she were trying to look inside him.
“What?” he asked.
“I thought you liked her.”
Was he handling this badly? What did she want from him? Did she want him to want Arielle? Was he supposed to be singing her praises? “I do.”
She faced forward, the picture of calm. He would’ve believed it, except her hands were clasped so tightly her fingertips went pink, her knuckles white.
Ah, it’s getting to you, my little Sweetpea. He was torn between tweaking her jealousy and comforting her. He settled somewhere in between.
“She’s not exactly what I expected.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice sounded squeezed through a knot.
He didn’t know how to respond and wondered why he’d said it. The lights dimmed, and Tucker breathed a sigh of relief as the audience quieted.
“To be continued,” he whispered.
Sabrina’s mind wandered through the play. What did he mean Arielle wasn’t what he’d expected? Was that good or bad? Was he suspicious that Arielle wasn’t Sweetpea?
“There’s Dorothy,” Tucker whispered in her ear a few scenes later. His breath tickled strands of hair and sent a shiver down her spine.
Onstage, his secretary had made her appearance to a disheveled-looking Cinderella. The godmother’s sparkly silver dress hugged her thick waist, and she waved a magic wand as she talked. Her brunette wig matched her conspicuous glasses. As oddly casted as she was in the role, she played it well.
As the play progressed, Sabrina forgot the woman was sixty-something and wearing thick glasses. All the actors were talented and, by the time Prince Charming put the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot, Sabrina realized she’d lost herself in the story.
After the actors returned for a curtain call, Tucker and Sabrina followed the throng of people into the darkened night. He ushered her with his hand at her back, and Sabrina’s pulse sped at his touch. She could feel the heat of his palm through the thin material of her dress.
When they reached his car, he helped her in, then slid in behind the wheel. “What’d you think?”
Sabrina clutched her bag in her lap. “Bravo. Your Dorothy seems pretty feisty.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He tossed her a grin.
His right arm rested on the console between them, inches from her own. If this were a real date, would he take her hand? Would he lift it and press his lips to the ridges of her knuckles?
“I realized halfway through the play I left my cell phone on my boat,” he said. “Would you mind if I swung by the harbor and got it? They’re calling for rain tonight.”
“Not at all.”
Once they left the theater traffic, the roads were deserted. He turned toward the wharf.
The thought of a few extra minutes with Tucker gave her more joy than was healthy. Just a few extra minutes. What could it hurt?Tomorrow will be here soon enough, and he’ll be back with Arielle.
She didn’t want to think about that. She wanted to live in the moment for a change and not consider the ramifications.
She laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. For now, right this minute, Tucker was beside her. If she concentrated, she could hear him breathing above the whir of the car’s engine. If she inhaled, she could smell the woodsy fragrance of his cologne. If she tried hard enough, she could imagine the way his jawline would feel against the softness of her fingers.
“You look peaceful.”
Her eyes snapped open. He was parked outside his office, the streetlamp shedding a pale yellow glow on his features. How long had they been there?
“What were you thinking?”
A hot flush climbed her neck. “I don’t remember.”
“You had a little smile.”
Remembering the direction of her thoughts, her mouth went dry. He was looking at her like—like he wanted to look at her. Like there was no
place else he’d rather be. Like there was no one else he’d rather be with.
Absurd. He was in love with Sweetpea. Or Arielle. She wasn’t sure which. She wasn’t sure who was who anymore.
She cleared her throat. “You’d better get your cell.”
He looked away, out over the darkened water, and removed the key from the ignition. “Come with me.”
“Why?” His boat was a short walk down the pier.
“I want to show you something.”
In his boat? At night?
“Come on. Take a walk on the wild side. You don’t have to get up early tomorrow.”
He had her there. “True.”
“Come on.” He motioned toward the door with his head and exited the car.
Curious, she did the same, then followed him down the lit pier, careful of where she stepped. With her luck, one of her heels would catch between the boards and she’d fall flat on her face.
When they reached his boat, he helped her onboard. “Have a seat back there,” he said. “Are you chilly?”
“Are we going somewhere?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Do you always answer questions with questions?”
He smiled. “Only with you.” He untied the boat, then retrieved a thick blanket from a cubby and wrapped it around her.
Tucker sat in the captain’s seat, pocketed his cell phone, then started the boat.
Moments later, they were gliding slowly through the harbor, the lights from town growing distant. What were they doing out here? Why did he want to take her out on his boat when he should be eager to get her back to her apartment and see how Arielle was faring?
Why are you looking a gift horse in the mouth?
When they cleared the harbor, he accelerated and the wind kicked up, blowing her hair off her face. She drew the blanket tighter and closed her eyes, letting the cool air wash over her. What would it be like if Tucker were her boyfriend? What would it be like if he were her husband? If everything was different? If everything weren’t so complicated?
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