by Kay Correll
Probably.
He headed back to Whitney’s shop, strolling slowly down the sidewalk in the warm spring sunshine. He passed by Happy Paws Pet Shop and Lucille Sanderson hurried out with a little white fluffy dog in her arms. He glanced in each direction and saw there was no escape, so he pasted on a welcoming smile.
“Miss Sanderson.”
“Will, there you are. I was going to stop by Whitney’s shop and talk to you. I wondered if you could do me a big favor.”
Will eyed her suspiciously. What in the world could he do to help Lucille Sanderson? “What is it?”
“Well, my great-niece, Maggie, is in town from Georgia. I thought that maybe you could take her out? Show her around? She’s such a sweet girl.”
Will pictured a younger, carbon copy of Lucille and his mind started racing, looking for an excuse. “I’m pretty busy helping out Whitney.”
“Surely you could find time.”
“I have to help out with Warren, too.”
“No time at all?” Lucille threw him an I-don’t-believe-you look.
“I’d love to but I… uh… kind of have a girlfriend.”
“You do?” Lucille looked at him doubtfully.
“Yes.” His mind scrambled for an excuse she’d take. “I… I’m seeing Ashley Harden.”
“Well, you don’t say. You two were an item back in the day, weren’t you? Well, I wouldn’t want you to cheat on her, of course not. You and Ashley. You don’t say.”
He couldn’t believe he did say.
“Well, then. I’ll have to find someone else to show Maggie around. I’m sure I’ll find someone. She’s a lovely girl.” Lucille put her fluffy pup down on the sidewalk. The dog had a pink, jewel-studded collar. Lucille’s high heels matched the pink in the dog’s collar exactly. “Come along, Princess.”
Princess. Will hid a smile. He shook his head as he watched Lucille head down the sidewalk.
Will sighed and ran his knuckles along his chin. What had he done? He wished he could take back his excuse. He could have said he had a girlfriend back home. Why in the world had he said he was dating Ashley? Lucille was sure to spread the news all over town that he and Ashley were back together.
Only they weren’t.
Chapter 12
Ashley poked her head into Whitney’s shop on her way home from work, a workday where she’d seen exactly three patients. She wanted one last look at Whitney’s hand and figured a house call—or place-of-business call—was the easiest way to accomplish that. It wasn’t that she was hoping to see Will.
It wasn’t.
No one was in the front room of Coastal Creations when she entered. Ashley browsed around looking at some of the jewelry displays thinking Whitney would come out from the backroom at any moment. Finally she decided to call out. “Whitney? You here?”
Will came walking out of the back room. His navy blue t-shirt fit his frame like a second skin. His worn jeans covered his long legs and he had on his inevitable sandals. She swore he’d even worn them in the dead of winter, such as winter was in Indigo Bay.
“Ash. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I… uh… I was looking for Whitney. Thought I’d check her hand one last time.”
“She left to go home already.” He lounged against the doorframe.
“Oh.”
“You could probably catch her there.”
“Yes, I should do that.”
“I told her I’d lock up the shop when I finished up.”
Ashley stood for a moment as the awkwardness swirled around them. “I was looking at her jewelry. She has some fabulous pieces, doesn’t she? She’s so talented.”
“That she is.” Will hadn’t budged from the position he’d taken, barely a step into the front showroom.
“Well, I’ll go check on her at the cottage.”
Will nodded without saying a word.
She turned and fled out onto the sidewalk, anything to get away from the uneasy atmosphere in the shop.
She was reasonably confident she and Will were going to be a flop at this let’s-just-be-friends thing.
Will waited until he was sure Ashley would have had plenty of time to check out Whitney’s hand before he headed back to his sister’s cottage. He didn’t want to run into Ashley again. Two times in one day had been his limit.
He strolled along the streets in the evening light, wandering his way back to the cottage. A breeze picked up with the faint scent of an approaching storm. That was fine with him. He wouldn’t mind sitting by Whit’s large picture window and watching a storm come in. Some thunder and lightning suited his mood just fine.
He climbed the stairs and entered the cottage.
“We’re back here.” Whitney called out.
He walked through the cottage and saw Warren sitting at the table. There was no sign of his wheelchair, but a walker sat near the wall. He must be getting better. Whitney stood by the stove putting the finishing touches on dinner. “I made roasted chicken and potatoes. There’s a salad in the fridge. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
He walked to the refrigerator and pried open the door. He swiped a cold bottle of beer and popped off the top. He took a long swig of the cool, golden liquid.
Whitney looked at him. “You okay?”
“You betcha,” he lied.
Whitney wrinkled her forehead. “Ashley seemed a bit off when she stopped by this evening. Did you guys argue?”
“Nothing to argue about.” He took another sip of the beer.
“If you say so.” Whitney shrugged. “Did you see Dad’s using a walker now? He’s getting stronger.”
What did his sister want him to say? Warren’s progress was not his concern.
Whitney glared at him and turned back to the stove. He went to the cabinets and pulled out the dishes to set the table.
“Sit. I’ll get the rest.” Whitney motioned with a fork.
He sat at the table across from Warren, who was working on a crossword puzzle. “Five letter word for a fool.”
“Sucker.” No, that’s six. “Chump.” That was easy. Will shook his head.
Whitney put the rest of the meal on the table and slipped into the chair beside Warren. The three of them sat at the table, just like they should have so many years ago. Only then it had most often been only Will and Whitney.
“I missed a lot of these meals over the years. I’m sorry. I should have been there.” Warren’s eyes held a look of regret.
A shiver went through Will, like his father—no, Warren—could read his thoughts.
“I can’t make it up to you two, and I can only offer my apology.” Warren turned to Whit. “And I can’t thank you enough for taking me in while I recover.”
“Of course, Dad.” Whitney smiled at him.
“It’s more than I deserve.”
“That’s all in the past, Dad. I’m sure you did the best you could at the time.”
“His best was to not be here for us?” Will couldn’t help himself.
“I am sorry, son.”
Will gritted his teeth at the word son.
“How many times are you going to make him say he’s sorry, Willie?” Whit glared at him.
“A couple of meals together doesn’t make us a family.” Will stabbed a piece of chicken from the serving tray.
“You can be the most… stubborn… thickheaded… chump.” Whitney waved her fork his direction. “Must be nice to be so righteous and never make a mistake.”
“It’s okay, Whitney. He’s right. I was a lousy father.”
Will finally agreed with something that was said at the table tonight.
He escaped to the beach as soon as dinner was finished.
“Don’t worry about the mess. Really. I’ll do the dishes…” Whit called after him as he firmly slid the door closed behind him. Her sarcastic tone of voice was not lost on him.
Ashley sat on the sand and watched the approaching storm. She should probably head back in before the lightning
got any closer, but the luminous display over the ocean fascinated her. Brilliant flashes of light slashed through the gathering clouds and illuminated the whitecaps on the waves. She pulled her legs up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them for warmth.
Just a few more minutes and she’d head in.
“You should go in before the storm hits.”
She looked up to see Will. He dropped down to the sand beside her. “If we stay much longer, the rain is going to hit.”
“I know. I love to watch the storms come in though.” The electricity of the storm and the energy between them crackled around her.
It didn’t help when he dropped an arm around her. “You cold?”
“A bit.”
She ignored the warmth of his body next to her. “Did you have a nice dinner with Whitney and your father?”
“Whitney and Warren?” He corrected her.
“You know, you might want to try to get along with him. I’m not sure what your falling out was, but he’s your father. You’re lucky to have him.”
“Lucky. Right.”
She whirled to face him. “You are lucky. I’d give anything to have my father back. I miss him. Every. Single. Day. You’re throwing away the gift of family.”
“Look, Ash. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean, I’m sorry about your father. Sorry you miss him so much. It must be nice to have had a great dad like you did. But that doesn’t have anything to do with Warren and me.”
“You’re so pigheaded sometimes, Will. You get it in your mind that you’re right and everyone else is wrong. There’s no middle ground with you.” She shrugged off his arm and pushed off the sand as drops of rain started pelting them. “Have you ever forgiven anyone for making a mistake? Do you just hold grudges forever?” Without missing a beat, the storm let loose and the rain started dumping on them, soaking her to the skin in moments.
Will jumped up. “Hurry.” He grabbed her hand and started tugging her towards her cottage.
She wanted to yank her hand back, but instead left it in his warm grip and raced through the pouring rain to the safety of her home. They pushed through her door and stood dripping on the rug by the doorway.
She flipped on the light switch and nothing happened. “Electricity must be out. Stay there. I’ll get some towels.” She hurried down the dark hallway, felt around for towels in the linen closet, and returned to Will. “Here.” She handed him a towel.
He took it, reached up, and roughly dried his hair. He shucked off his shirt and ran the towel over his bare skin. She could not quite see his hardened muscles in the low light but darn well knew they were there.
She turned away from him and wrapped the towel around her. “I’ll be back.” She fled to her room, fumbling in the dark, and slipped on dry clothes, a thick sweatshirt emblazoned with her med school, and comfortable yoga pants. With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and headed back out to Will.
He stood in the big picture window, his silhouette framed with the almost constant flashes of lightning.
“Here, you must be cold.” She dropped another towel around his shoulders and handed him a large t-shirt she used as a sleep shirt.
He toweled dry and slipped the shirt on.
“Your jeans are sopping, but I can’t help you there.”
“Thanks.” He turned to her, his voice low. “You know, both you and Whit said the same thing to me tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“That I’m stubborn and don’t forgive easily.”
“You are, and you don’t.” No use mincing words.
“Maybe I should try harder to make peace with Warren… and by try harder I mean try at all.”
“I think you should. For Whitney’s sake and for yours. You don’t have to tell me what happened between you two, but whatever it was, it’s been a long time. People change.”
“I’m not sure I can believe Warren has changed.”
“You could give him a chance. Take time to find out.” She placed her hand on his arm and felt his muscle tighten under her touch. “People deserve second changes. We all make decisions that we regret later.”
Right now she was regretting her firm decision to just be friends with Will because the urge to lean over and kiss him in the flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder was almost unbearable. A boom of thunder roared through the cottage and shook the walls. She jumped and bumped into Will, who reached out to steady her. His firm handhold seared her skin with memories of being in his arms.
“Ash? I think you and Whit are right. I should give Warren a chance.” His voice was a low caress in the darkness.
“Good.” She swallowed, ignoring the heat between them.
“And one other thing…”
“Hm?”
“I’m going to kiss you again.” He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. The water dripped off his jeans onto her bare feet and puddled around them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. He leaned down and kissed her gently, then pulled away, a growly sigh escaping his lips.
That sigh was her undoing. She reached up on tiptoe and pulled his lips to hers.
Yep, she was certain she and Will were going to be a flop at the whole just friends thing.
Will stayed with Ashley as the storm crashed around them. They sat in front of the picture window and watched as the tempest faded away.
At least the one outside.
Inside? A hurricane of emotions swirled around them. He held her tucked against his side and couldn’t help but think that she belonged there. He’d been surprised she’d let him kiss her again after her whole speech about being friends.
But the raw wildness of the storm had raged around them, and he had wanted—no, needed—to kiss her. And he’d needed her to kiss him back. She had, with the same urgency that had surged through him.
They sat for hours and talked about everything and nothing. Finally the storm settled down to a gentle rain.
“I should probably go and let you get some sleep.” He didn’t loosen his hold on her.
“Probably should.” She snuggled closer.
“The rain’s let up enough for me to run back to Whit’s without getting soaked again.”
“Yes, it has.”
“I don’t want to leave.” He pulled her closer.
“I… I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice sounded reluctant.
Was she reluctant for him to leave or reluctant that she wanted him to stay?
So they sat for another half an hour, not saying much, just holding each other.
He finally pulled away and stood. “I’m going to go now before… well, before… I don’t.” He reached down and tugged her to her feet. She followed him to the door and kissed him one last time.
He slipped out into the cool night air and headed back through the wet sand to Whit’s cottage. A misty rain surrounded him as he slowly walked the distance. He turned back once and saw Ashley standing on her deck. She gave a small wave and went inside.
Loneliness wrapped around him, his arms heavy with emptiness. He didn't know what they were doing, or where they were headed, but he knew he wanted to spend time and find out.
Even though it broke every rule he’d made for himself.
Even if it meant he had to forgive her for breaking his heart all those years ago.
He wanted to try again with her, he did. He couldn’t be certain, when all was said and done, that she wouldn’t leave him again, and he didn’t think his heart could go through that again.
Chapter 13
The next morning Will decided to have breakfast at Sweet Caroline’s to avoid the whole family thing. He did think he’d take Ashley’s advice and try talking to Warren. Maybe they could find some tentative common ground. Maybe the man had changed. Will needed a bit of time before he was ready to approach Warren.
He finished his meal and walked over to Coastal Creations. He pushed through the door and saw his sister standing by the display counter
, a look of concern etched on her face. A uniformed man stood next to her taking notes on a pad of paper.
“Whit, what’s going on?” He quickly crossed the room.
“I have two display cases of jewelry missing. They were here when I left yesterday.” Whitney pointed to two empty displays.
The uniform man held out his hand. “Officer Moore.”
“Nice to meet you, officer.”
“I know I locked up when I left last night.” Will thought back over leaving the shop. He was sure he’d checked the back door and locked the front door when he left.
“Were these pieces here when you left?” Whit motioned to the two empty displays.
“I honestly don’t know, sis.”
“Miss Layton said she left early yesterday. Did anyone come in after she left?” The officer looked at him, and Will had the slightest feeling he was being questioned as a suspect.
“No.” He paused. “Well, just Ashley.”
“Ashley?” The man scribbled a note.
“Ashley Harden.”
“Was she alone in here?”
“No.” Will paused. “Well, I was in the back and didn’t hear her come in, so I don’t know. But Ashley wouldn’t have taken Whit’s jewelry.” Will looked at the man. “And, for the record, neither did I.”
“He’s right. Ashley’s a friend. She didn’t take these and of course Willie didn’t.” Whitney pointed to the displays.
“Um, hm.” The man kept taking notes. “Well, there’s no sign of forced entry that I can see.”
“Ashley had nothing to do with this. You can put that in your notes.” Will didn’t think the man was listening.
“Have there been any other break-ins or thefts in town?” Whitney’s forehead creased.
“None that have been reported.” The officer closed his notebook. “I’ll do some checking around. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything. And, ma’am? It’s probably best if someone is always in the front room if the door is unlocked, or install a chime to ring in the back office if the front door is opened.”