Safe Harbor

by Jennifer Moore

  The boat rounded a bend and over the sound of the motor, he saw, rather than heard, Melanie gasp.

  The cliffs were covered with white puffins—some roosting, some diving and flying. Colorful parents tended to their small gray, fluffy babies. Birds walked along the rocks and bobbed in the water.

  She looked back, catching his gaze and pointed ahead.

  Seth nodded and gave a thumbs-up. He cut the motor and guided the boat to a clump of rocks. The small island was close enough to afford a good view of the puffins, but far enough away not to disturb them. He jumped out and pulled the boat as close as he could, securing it with the rope.

  The water came half way up his calves, but it wasn’t deep enough to get Melanie’s shorts wet. He was glad. Sitting in cold clothes would make for a miserable evening once the sun got low. “You might want to take off your shoes.” He held onto the side of the boat and reached an arm toward her.

  She slipped off her tennis shoes and took Seth’s hand. She teetered as she stepped over the side of the boat and grabbed onto his shoulder.

  He hooked an arm around her waist and eased her into the water. “Careful, the rocks are uneven.” He spoke to cover the awkwardness of holding her in his arms.

  Melanie nodded and stepped back, not meeting his eye. She pulled the ball cap back onto her head.

  Daisy jumped, landing mostly on the rocks and only splashing them a bit.

  They unloaded the boat and found a flat place to spread out the blanket.

  Melanie sat next to him, her gaze on the cliffs. She pointed at a puffin running across the water. The bird left a trail of splashes before getting the momentum to take off. Another dove into the water, emerging with a squirming fish in its colorful beak.

  Seth pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack and offered them to Melanie.

  She trained them on the birds across the water.

  And he found it every bit as charming to study her smile beneath the lenses as she watched. “What do ya think?” Seth asked.

  She lowered the binoculars and exchanged them for a sandwich. “They’re adorable. Their round cheeks and sad eyes. They look like clowns, don’t they? Especially their bright orange feet.”

  The explosion of words was more than Seth thought he’d ever heard from her at one time. He looked through the binoculars. “I know, there’s something so comical about the way they walk.”

  They sat quietly for a moment, Seth pretending to watch the birds while every sense was tuned in to the woman sitting beside him.

  “Can Daisy have some of my sandwich? She’s looking a little hungry.”

  He pulled down the binoculars. “Is she bugging you? I can tell her to get lost.”

  “No. I just don’t know what dogs can eat.”

  “Haven’t you ever had a dog?”

  Melanie shook her head.

  “Just don’t give her any chocolate. And I try not to let her have fruit. Sensitive stomach, you know.”

  She broke off a bit of her sandwich and offered it to Daisy, jerking away her hand when the dog took it.

  “She won’t bite you.”

  “Good girl, Daisy.” Melanie spoke in a soft voice. She gave the dog another bite of sandwich and patted her head. Once the food was gone, she brushed off her legs. “Thanks for bringing me here, Seth.”

  The sound of her saying his name made his heart squeeze. “I love this place.”

  “Let me guess, your dad used to bring you out to watch the puffins when you were a kid.”

  He shook his head. “My dad wasn’t really the outdoorsy type.”

  Melanie shrugged. “Mine either.” She kept her gaze on the puffins.

  Seth tried to imagine the tuxedo-wearing Senator Rutherford he’d seen on TV riding in a rusty boat and sitting on a scratchy blanket with the wind blowing his perfectly styled silver hair, and he found he couldn’t do it. He saw Melanie’s brows pull together and bumped her arm. “Thinking about your family?”

  “A little.”

  “Where are ya from, Mel?”

  “Here and there.” When the wind picked up, she held onto the brim of her cap. “I mostly grew up in DC. At least that’s where I went to high school. What about you? No wait, let me see. You don’t talk like you’re from Maine, and you’re a Sox fan. My guess is Boston.”

  “You got that right.” Seth grinned and noticed she didn’t turn away.

  “So, why Lobster Cove?”

  “I could ask you the same question.”

  Melanie pulled her knees to her chest, patting Daisy’s head when the dog made a protesting whine at the loss of her headrest. “You go first.”

  “After med school, I just couldn’t figure out where to settle down, ya know? My dad had a position for me at a hospital in Boston, but after a few months, I…I guess it just didn’t fit. I didn’t want to just be known as Leonard Goodwyn’s son. After spending my entire life trying to be perfect for my parents, I wanted to find my own way.”

  Melanie tipped her head to the side, leaning her cheek on her knee.

  She watched him with an expression he couldn’t quite identify, but she was interested in what he said, so he kept talking. “I came up to Acadia to do some hiking, I guess to find my head and figure out what I wanted. I pulled into this little town and fell in love. The people, the community, the ocean, everything. It just felt like home. It’s weird how I didn’t feel like that in my actual home, ya know.”

  “I do know.”

  Seth leaned closer to hear Melanie’s quiet voice.

  She rested her chin on her knees, staring at the puffin cliff. “I guess we’re each looking for something. Funny how we both landed here.”

  Seth thought if he stayed quiet, she might elaborate. Maybe tell him everything, who she was, why she was hiding. What was she looking for? He hadn’t missed how quickly she’d changed the subject when he asked where she was from.

  Melanie lifted her head and turned to Seth. “And so what about Daisy? You decided a house isn’t a home without a furry friend to share it with?”

  The dog raised her head at the sound of her name.

  He grinned and snapped his fingers for Daisy to move between them. “Atta, girl,” he muttered, scratching the dog’s stomach. “I found a half-starved puppy with a broken leg in the forest. Took her to the vet, brought her home, and she stuck around.”

  “She’s lucky you found her.”

  Seth shrugged. “I sorta feel like the lucky one.”

  “And why did you name her Daisy?”

  He was quiet for a moment before answering. “My sister loved daisies.”

  Melanie smiled softly and buried her hand in the dog’s fur, scratching the other side of Daisy’s belly.

  The dog’s tongue lolled out, and her eyes closed. With both of them scratching her belly, she must think she was in doggie heaven.

  Telling about Daisy was the perfect segue way. “Listen, Mel, about the team, I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have butted into something that was none of my business.” He pushed his fingers through his hair, praying she’d understand what he was saying. “But when I learned from Benny that the town didn’t have the funding. I thought of how disappointed you’d be, and I just couldn’t let it happen. Not knowing how much you love baseball.”

  She rubbed her arm. “I can do things myself, you know. I don’t need to be rescued all the time.”

  She’d spoken quickly, almost as if she hadn’t thought through her words. Seth felt like she’d pulled back a curtain and let him see backstage—just a glimpse, but it revealed so much. Melanie needed independence, and he was willing to bet she didn’t get it at home.

  The best way to earn her trust was to reciprocate—pull aside his own curtain and let her see his own secret. “I lost someone—my sister—a long time ago, and I guess trying to save everyone else is my way of making up for it.”

  “I’m sorry. Do you want…do you want to talk about it?” She stopped scratching Daisy and gave him her attention.
/>   “It’s not a very happy story.”

  “Only if you want to tell me.”

  Seth shifted, bending his knee and turning toward her. He blew out a breath, hoping to ease the ache in his chest as he remembered the day. “I’d taken Cassie to the park down the street from home. We’d been there a hundred times, and it was close enough we could see our front door from the playground. While we played on the swings, a bee stung her.” He picked at the blanket stitching, finding it easier to look at his hand than Melanie. “Nobody knew she was allergic. I had no idea what was wrong. I tried to figure out why she couldn’t breathe. I figured she’d been playing too hard and needed to rest. I told her to lay in the shade.” He cleared his throat, pushing down the lump that rose when he thought about his sister. “By the time I ran for help…Anyway, you can figure out the rest.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Eight. She was five.” Though over twenty years had passed, the tug on his heart was still as strong.

  “And that’s why you tried to be perfect all the time.”

  Melanie had only known him a few weeks, but her simple assessment showed how deeply she understood him. He hadn’t realized his fists were clenched until she placed a hand over his. He swallowed. “I didn’t mean to take over, or to imply you couldn’t make the team work without my help, really. I know I shouldn’t have interfered, and I’m sorry.”

  Melanie studied his face. She looked down at Daisy. “You help people.” She glanced up and smiled. “And dogs. And you shouldn’t apologize for that. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

  She took a breath like she would say more, but then furrowed her brow and blew it out. The open expression on her face became guarded once again, and he knew his chance of learning more about her had passed.

  “I…Thank you, Seth. From me and the kids. Maybe you want to come to a game sometime?”

  “I promise I’ll let you coach.” He held out his hand.

  Melanie’s face flushed red as she took it and shook. “I wouldn’t mind your help.”

  ****

  The trip home was silent, but not uncomfortably so. Each seemed lost in personal thoughts. As he remembered spilling his guts, Seth gritted his teeth. I might as well have handed out hankies for the cry fest. What in the world made him think he should share something so personal with someone he hardly knew? And what was he doing with her? From the first moment he’d met her, something about Melanie had pulled on him like a magnet. But what was the end game? How long was she staying in Lobster Cove? Was she truly hiding from her family out of fear? Or just making a point?

  By the time the boat was docked, the night was nearly dark. The two walked slowly up the pier as if they were reluctant for the night to end.

  Seth pulled on a sweatshirt and offered one to Melanie. “Let me just grab my keys, and I’ll drive ya home.”

  “My bike…”

  “We can put it in the trunk.”

  On the front porch, Melanie pointed to the plaque by the door. “Hyne House? Is that a family name?”

  “The realtor told me a lot of the houses were built by Scottish immigrants. Hyne means something like harbor, or safe.”

  Melanie drew a breath. “That’s beautiful.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. She walked ahead of him to the car.

  You’re safe here, Mel. Seth spoke the words in his mind, wishing he knew what Melanie was hiding from, and wishing he were brave enough to say them aloud.

  ****

  Melanie stood at her apartment window, holding aside the sheer curtain as she watched people gathering for the Fourth of July celebration. The carnival was in full swing at the park by Grant’s Lake. Even though the park was nearly two blocks away, the traffic around the town center was heavier than Melanie had seen in Lobster Cove, as drivers searched for a parking spot. She smiled as she watched residents greeting each other and families walking together, small children holding their parents’ hands and looking both ways before crossing the street.

  She caught sight of a Lobster Cove Trawler hat, and her chest warmed. This feeling of community was something she hadn’t realized she’d been missing. Now that she’d lived here for nearly a month, she found the acceptance of the townspeople, their friendship, and the sense of “belonging” made her feel a part of something important.

  Why hadn’t she felt that way before? She’d served on boards for various charities and knew her work had made a difference. But something as simple as volunteer coaching a kids’ softball team seemed so much more significant. And she knew the feeling of pride came down to the motives behind her service. The performance wasn’t merely for publicity, or for her father’s campaign, or because of her last name. She coached the team for the kids.

  She sighed, feeling like a fraud. What am I doing? Leaving home had seemed like the exact right thing to do. Showing her father she couldn’t be manipulated anymore had been crucial, and she didn’t regret her action at all. But now the thought of returning, of leaving Lobster Cove, made her chest feel empty. The situation had become more complicated.

  The sight of Seth crossing the street sent a quiver through her stomach. Much more complicated.

  She tied a sweatshirt around her waist and hurried outside, locking the door behind her and smiling as she always did when the knob clicked into place in the brand new doorframe.

  Seth waited at the bottom of the steps.

  The excited, nervous, quivery feeling returned, but guilt rose bitter in her throat, making her feel nauseated. What would Seth think if she told him the truth?

  He wouldn’t understand, or would he? How could he when she didn’t understand herself? He would almost certainly be angry at being deceived. How would he react? The sick feeling grew.

  Lobster Cove had started to feel like home. And Seth—her feelings for him were so complicated. He embodied everything she wanted to escape. An important person in town, used to telling people what to do, and if she allowed him, he’d take away her independence. But at the same time, with him, Seth’s intentions felt different. Seth had been completely honest with her. He believed helping people would ease his guilt over not saving his sister. Nothing underhanded, nothing deceptive. No ulterior motives. And she sensed he’d sponsored the team because he cared.

  But she couldn’t stay here forever. Couldn’t pretend forever. Her past would catch up with her sooner or later, and when it did, Seth would feel betrayed

  “Hey, isn’t that the coach of the Lobster Cove Trawlers?” Seth grinned when she reached the sidewalk.

  Melanie smiled back, but she was unable to shake the gloom that hung over her.

  He turned toward the park. “Just wait until you experience a small town Fourth. Nothing else comes close—” He broke off and pulled his brows together. “Hey, you doing okay?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Melanie tried to make her smile look as though nothing was bothering her.

  He took her arm, pulling her into the sunlight. “You sure? You look a bit pale.”

  “I’m sure, Doctor Goodwyn.” She forced her smile wider. His concern warmed her, but she didn’t want him to worry—or did she? What is wrong with me? Pull yourself together and stop acting crazy. Melanie wanted to roll her eyes at the absurd schoolgirl she was turning into around Seth.

  His expression didn’t relax. “Let’s grab something to eat before we go to the carnival. Just to make sure your blood sugar isn’t too low.” He glanced up the road. “How about something from Sweet Bea’s? She makes the best Irish brown bread on the planet.”

  “Sure.”

  They walked a few shops down. As Seth held open the door to Sweet Bea’s, the aroma of home-baked goods flowed out on a wave of Irish music. The interior of the café was warm and inviting with wooden tables and yellow curtains.

  “Morning, Beatrice,” Seth called.

  “Doctor Goodwyn! So nice to see you.” Beatrice O’Brien smiled from behind the counter. Her red hair flowed over her shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled. “It’
s been a few weeks.”

  “I don’t know how I’ve survived for so long without your brown bread. And it’s Seth when I’m not wearing a white coat.”

  “Glad you’re back, Seth.” Beatrice grinned and glanced at Melanie.

  Seth stepped aside. “Have you met Melanie Owen?”

  Melanie shrank back. Meeting new people was one of her least-favorite activities. She wished she could chat freely like Seth, but bashfulness was something she constantly battled. She forced her gaze to remain steadily on Beatrice. “Nice to meet you.” The words came out softly.

  Seth touched the small of her back, just casually.

  He understood her shyness and the small gesture of support sent a surge of assurance, spreading as heat from his touch. Just knowing he was there made her feel calm and her nervousness dissipated.

  “A pleasure.” Beatrice reached over the counter and shook her hand.

  Seth looked between the two women. “Melanie works over at Sang Freud.”

  Beatrice shot a smirk at Melanie. “That explains why the good doctor hasn’t been in for his morning coffee in a few weeks.”

  Shaking his head, Seth raised his hands. “You caught me.”

  “How do you like Lobster Cove?” Beatrice leaned her forearms against the counter.

  “I love it.” Melanie was happy to share her feelings about the place that had started to feel like home. “The town’s beautiful, and people have been so friendly.”

  “Where ya from?”

  Melanie felt Seth tense, and knew he was worried about her reluctance to talk about herself. “D.C.” She smiled at Seth to show him she was ok. “I was looking for something a little slower paced.”

  “Well, you sure found it, didn’t ya?” Beatrice waved her hand toward the large windows in the front of the café. “Doesn’t get much slower paced than good ol’ Lobster Cove, that’s for sure. Now, what can I get for you two?”

  The pair placed their order and sat at a round wooden table near the window.

  Beatrice delivered their bread and drinks, setting them on the lace tablecloth. And once she was assured that they didn’t need anything further, she walked back through the batwing doors into the kitchen.