by Jamie Pope
“Unless you have a secret woman stashed on this island, I’m assuming Hallie is here.”
They had said nothing to his parents when he first arrived. Carlos’s aunts had arrived a few moments after he did. It was too happily chaotic to mention it then.
“She’s from here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t know before today when I ran into her in town.”
His mother raised one of her perfectly arched brows, showing a bit of displeasure. “You didn’t know where she was from?”
“The name of the town never came up. And who would have thought here of all the places? This tiny island.”
“It is quite the coincidence. I thought you told me she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
“She wasn’t that day.”
“And now you’re in love with her?”
He nodded. There was no use in denying it.
“After a month?”
“After a month.”
“I can’t very well say anything to you, can I? Before your sister got married, she fell in love with every poet and starving artist within a hundred miles.”
“And she’s moved across country for a few of them, too.”
Dr. Andersen gave him a slight smile. “You think I’ve forgotten that? Hallie is a lovely girl. But if you didn’t even have the time to find out her town, how could you know all the other important things about her?”
“Mom, I—”
She held up a hand, stopping his reply. “I’m just telling you to be cautious.”
“I’ve never been happy playing it safe.”
“No. Neither of my children are. I’m not sure where I went wrong.” She smiled and gave him a little wink. “Go. You have someone waiting for you.”
“Tell everyone goodbye for me.”
“Will do,” she said as he rushed through the house and toward his rental car.
Chapter 14
Hallie walked quietly toward her mother’s bedroom, hoping her mother was asleep. She usually was in bed by nine thirty every night. Her mother had always joked that one of the benefits to having an older husband was getting to go to bed early. It wasn’t true, though. Her father used to stay up late, sometimes all night if he was designing something. Even up to his final days he would make plans for fantasy structures, build models for them while his wife was slumbering.
Just as Hallie suspected, her mother was fast asleep. She was glad for that. She wouldn’t have to give an explanation to her face or hear the inevitable questions that would follow. She stuck a note to her door that said that she was meeting a friend for a drinks and that she might be back very late.
“Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” She heard from behind her.
She turned around to face her grandmother who was in a floor-length long-sleeved nightgown. Her white hair swept up elegantly.
“Hi, Nanny. Just going out to have a drink with a friend. Don’t wait up.” She took a backward step toward freedom. “I’ll have my cell phone on. Call if you need me.”
She turned and tried to make a break for it.
“You’re going to see a man, aren’t you?”
Hallie let out a gasp. She couldn’t even lie her way out of this one. Nanny would know. She walked closer to Nanny so that her sleeping mother wouldn’t hear. “How did you know that?”
“I was listening at your door when you were on the phone.”
“Nanny!”
“I may be old but my hearing is spectacular. Who is he? You haven’t been home long enough to meet someone.”
“He’s my neighbor from New York. He lives down the hall from me and we have been seeing each other for a while. His twin sister is Virginia Bradley.”
“Ah.” Nanny nodded. “And you’re in love with this boy?”
“What?”
“Dear girl, I know your hearing isn’t bad. You heard what I said. You’re in love with him. I heard it in your voice when you spoke to him.”
“We’re just dating. That’s all.” She had barely admitted to herself that she was in love with him—how could she admit it to anyone else? “I like him a great deal. A whole hell of a lot.”
“But you’re gun-shy. That Brent boy hangs out here more than he should, and certainly way too much for a man who broke our baby’s heart. He makes it clear that he wants you back.”
Hallie shook her head. Her mother had mentioned Brent showing her pictures of one of his listings. She should have figured he had come here to do it. “There’s no going back. I can’t go backward.”
“No. It wouldn’t be very productive, would it?”
“You don’t think I should go back with him, do you?” She held her breath: her grandmother’s opinion was very important to her.
“Please, child.” She rolled her eyes. “I’d rather you die a spinster with nine cats than go back to that fool.”
“I love you, Nanny.” Hallie grinned at her grandmother. She really had missed her while she was in New York and she hadn’t realized how much until she was with her again. It was infinitely nice to have someone older and wiser to turn to.
“I love you, too. Now go meet that man and have a good time.”
“Don’t tell Mom. I would like to tell her about Asa myself.”
“Asa? It means healer.” Nanny nodded approvingly. “Your heart needed a little healing. Your secret is safe with me.”
Hallie gave her grandmother a quick hug and then rushed out of the house to meet Asa. Seacoast was one of the nicest streets in town. Not because it held large luxury homes, but because it had been perfectly planned. Lush landscaping, and unique architecture. Each house had a view of the ocean and the perfect orangy-purple sunsets that engulfed that island. It was in the middle of town, but it felt quiet and intimate and homey. It felt like Hideaway Island should feel, like it had been for the past hundred years.
She took her time walking up to Asa’s house and the door swung open.
“You walked?” He looked annoyed.
“Yes. My car is in New York.”
“You walked through town at night. Alone.”
“It’s fine. My parents’ house is three blocks over. It’s less than a ten-minute walk.”
“Anything can happen in ten minutes.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.
“I grew up here. It’s safe. It’s so safe the cops are bored and have taken to helping the townsfolk with their housework during the days.”
Asa shook his head, looking unconvinced.
“I walk alone at night in New York. It gets dark so early there in winter—it’s dark before five.”
“I don’t like you alone then, either.” He wrapped her in a hug and held her tightly to him. “I missed you.”
He was never afraid to say it. He was never afraid to show affection anywhere. He never wanted or required her to act a certain way. She felt special with him and it made her wonder if a love that bloomed so quickly could live forever. “You smell good.” She pushed her nose into the crook of his neck and inhaled. “You look good, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a polo shirt before. I like your arms out. It’s very sexy.”
“You’ve seen me naked before. Me in a shirt is sexier?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She just held on to him, enjoying this closeness. There had been no danger since she had been back here, but for the first time in a week she felt safe, protected.
“What did you tell your mother?” He smoothed his hand down her back.
“Nothing. I left her a note. My grandmother knows, though. She was eavesdropping on our conversation.”
“We didn’t say anything dirty, right?”
“No.” She laughed. “What did you tell your mother?”
“The truth. But then again, she was eavesdropping on me, too.”
“I think your mother and my grandmother would get along well.”
“I’m sure they will. How long can you stay?”
“The whole night. I just need to be back by six. My grandmother may know what I’m up to, but I don’t need my mother to know yet.”
“She loves your ex, doesn’t she?”
“Like a son. She took the breakup harder than I did.”
“It’s hard to get over your daughter’s first love,” he said and she laughed. She pulled away slightly to look up at him. She could see the exhaustion in his face. She knew he had worked late last night. He probably hadn’t gotten any sleep.
“Let’s go to bed.” She took his hand. “Show me where we’ll be sleeping tonight.”
“You just want to sleep? You don’t want me to make love to you?”
“I’ll always want that and we can. I just thought you were tired. I know you didn’t get much sleep yesterday.”
He nodded. “I’m tired, but I want you.” He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes for a long moment before he kissed her gently. Her heart pulled painfully. He had been touching her that way since the day they met and it never failed to give her flutters and butterflies and every other girly emotion there was out there.
He broke the kiss slowly and she stood there with her eyes closed for a long moment. “You’re so good at that. It just makes me want to say damn.”
He gave a small chuckle and took her hand. “Let’s go to bed.”
“To sleep? Or to bed?”
“To sleep. I know you’ve had a long day, too.” He led her to the large master suite that was beautiful in a sleek way but didn’t have that homey feel. The décor of the house didn’t match the block it was on.
“Don’t deny yourself on my account.” She looked at the enormous bed they were about to climb into. “I’m happy to do all the work while you lie back and enjoy.”
“It’s not just about sex with us.”
“No.” She tossed her purse on the dresser, pulled off her dress and kicked off her sandals. “But it’s very good, though.”
“We talk and we do things together and we like each other.”
She wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t.”
“Sometimes couples just sleep together.”
“I know, which was my suggestion in the first place.”
“I’m just letting you know that this is not a fling for me.”
“Are you telling me or yourself that?”
“Both.”
She blinked at him. “I’m not sure what you are getting at here.”
“I’m not sure, either.” He shook his head.
“Should we have a where-is-this-going conversation?” It had just been a month, but this felt serious. This felt like something that wouldn’t burn out in a few weeks.
“Yes.” He pulled his shirt off over his head. “But not tonight. Since I saw you this afternoon the only thing I’ve really wanted to do was crawl into bed with you.”
She took a step closer to him and smoothed her hands over his bare chest. “I’ve missed the sight of this. I think you would do well down here. It’s eighty degrees in the winter. You could go days without wearing a shirt.”
“What if I gained fifty pounds and lost all my hair?”
“Then I would dump you like a bag of garbage.” She grinned at him just before she leaned in to kiss him. “It doesn’t matter what you look like. It’s the way you treat me that matters. It took a long time for me to realize that.” She unhooked her bra, revealing her body to him. She noticed the way his eyes swept over her figure, taking it in as if he had never seen it before. Hallie had never felt so confident about her body before, but things had changed with Asa.
There was appreciation in his gaze and she was beginning to think she was becoming addicted to seeing him enjoy seeing her.
“Can you give me something to sleep in?”
He nodded and turned away from her and she climbed into the massive bed. It was supremely comfortable and even though she knew that her body was humming with arousal she could feel the sleepiness settling in. It had been a long, emotional day.
He handed her a T-shirt, crawled into bed beside her and as soon as she was done putting on his shirt he reached for her. “This bed.” He groaned. “Is it just me or is this bed something special?”
“It is good.” She shut her eyes and settled deeper into the mattress. “How was the rest of your day?”
“Good. Good... My sister is pregnant.”
“Really?” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He looked peaceful and she knew that in a few moments that he would be out cold. “Your family must be so excited.”
“They don’t know yet.”
“What! How do you know and why are you telling me?”
“I got off the ferry today and took one look at her and just knew something was different. I can’t explain how but I just knew. She isn’t announcing it till their big Christmas party. I’ve got to keep the secret.”
“You didn’t, though. You just told me.”
“Of course I told you. I tell you everything. Just don’t tell anyone else.”
“Damn. There goes the full-page ad I was going to take out in the paper.”
He smiled, his eyes still closed. “I guess I knew that this day was coming, but it’s still weird to know the person you used to share a crib with and who used to cry when you threw spiders at them is going to be someone’s mother.”
“Your sister is going to be a wonderful mother.”
“I know. We’re competitive. I think I might have to have a kid just to prove that I can out-parent her.”
“Are you serious?”
“Only a little. I didn’t think men had fantasies about their future families and kids, but I guess I did. Whenever I thought about having a family, I pictured my kids growing up with my sister’s kids. Which is not something that’s possible because her life is here and mine is in New York.”
“I’ve always pictured raising my children here,” she quietly said, knowing that he loved his life in New York while she merely tolerated it. “I’m not sure I could raise them anywhere else.”
He made a soft noise and pressed his lips to her forehead. She wanted to know what he was thinking. Of course it was too early to be having a conversation about kids and where they saw themselves. Today was the first time she’d called him her boyfriend. But he had to know that New York wasn’t permanent for her. Hideaway Island was. New York had been an adventure but this place was home.
“How was the rest of your day?” he asked her.
She inhaled deeply. “Up and down.”
“Why? I thought you went shopping with your cousin.”
“I did. I ran into my ex.”
“Oh?” He opened his eyes.
“He said he wants to talk.”
His face looked perfectly neutral, but she knew that his feelings didn’t match. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. I walked away. I couldn’t pretend like everything was okay between us after how badly it ended.”
“Have you spoken to him since you broke up?”
“No. I moved to New York.”
“Has he tried to contact you?”
“About three months ago. But I didn’t answer. We’re done. I wanted him to get that message. It’s kind of hard when he and my mother are still so close. He visits the house a lot. I didn’t realize how much until my grandmother told me. Luckily, he was away on business for the past week and didn’t ambush me at the house.”
“He knows you aren’t going to be there the other times he visits. Maybe he just likes your mother.”
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“He loves my mother. He’s not very close with his own. I think they are plotting to get us back together.”
“Did you tell him you were seeing someone?”
“No.”
“Did you tell your mother you were seeing someone?”
“You know I haven’t yet.”
“Maybe you would have avoided all of this if you had just told them.” He was trying to keep his voice even but Hallie knew he was irritated with her.
“It doesn’t matter if I have a boyfriend or not. The thing that should matter to them is what I want instead of conspiring against me and treating me like they both know what’s best.”
“How is your ex supposed to know what you want if you don’t tell him? Tell him to back off. Tell him there’s no hope. Talk to him.”
“I don’t want to talk to him. I’m still mad.”
“You shouldn’t be holding on to feelings from a relationship that is long over.”
“That was five years of my life. I’d had the final fitting for my wedding dress. Our plane tickets for our honeymoon had been purchased. We’d put a down payment on a house. I’m not supposed to be angry about all of those plans we had being destroyed in one second without seeing it coming? If he wasn’t happy he should have told me a long time before then. I think he owed me that.”
“I don’t think you’re over him.”
“I am over him, damn it! I’m just not done being angry yet.”
“Why are you talking to me about this anyway? The last thing the new boyfriend wants to hear about is the ex.”
“I’m telling this to you because you’re not just the person I’m sleeping with, you’re my friend and the person I turn to when I’m feeling sad or hurt or scared. I’m telling you this because I thought I could talk to you about everything.”
“You can.”
“But not about this.” She shook her head. “That was a big part of my life before you, and—” ”
He cut her off her with a kiss. She knew he only kissed her because he no longer wanted to talk about her past. He didn’t want to start a fight. She wanted to keep talking about it. But why? What did that say about her? Did she still have feelings for her ex?