Dune Drive

by Mariah Stewart

  “The police?”

  “Yes.” She held up her phone to show him that she had the private cell number for the chief of police as well as the police station.

  “So I don’t have to tell you to call if something doesn’t feel right or there’s something suspicious . . .”

  “No. I got that message from Owen and from Beck a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Okay. Bases covered. Now, come here and kiss me the way you did last night.” He held out his hand and pulled her into his lap. His arms around her tightly, he kissed the line of her jaw softly before moving on to her lips.

  It was easy to lose herself in him. He surrounded her and kissed her soft and sweet, then long and hard. She couldn’t decide which she liked better. She’d happily indulge in either, so she took his face in her hands and kissed him back, following his lead. She was just getting into it when the sound of a car door slamming made her jump.

  She looked out the window and saw Owen’s old Jeep in the driveway.

  “It must have stopped raining.” She glanced out the window. “Yep. Sun’s coming out. Bummer. I wasn’t done with you yet.”

  “Just getting started,” he murmured.

  She gave Jared one more quick kiss before getting off his lap and going to the door.

  “Hi, guys,” she called as Owen helped Ruby out of the car. “Did you have a good lunch?”

  • • •

  “I SHOULD BE on my way,” Jared said after the expected round of “How was the wedding?” and “Did you have a good time?,” mostly from Cass and Owen.

  He’d thought Ruby was relatively quiet but seemed a bit on edge. She may have overheard parts of Owen’s earlier phone conversation, or more likely, Jared thought, she could have sensed Chrissie’s fear. It wouldn’t have surprised him if she had. He was pretty sure she knew about Chrissie’s previous relationship, so it would follow that she might be hypersensitive to any possible threat to her great-granddaughter.

  Then again, she did know things.

  “Hey, nice sweats,” Owen had said when he came in. When he saw Jared’s clothes on the wall hanger, his eyes had narrowed suspiciously.

  “I got caught in the downpour,” Jared explained before Owen could even ask. “Chrissie found these upstairs, so she let me borrow them until my things dried. Which they still haven’t yet. I checked.”

  “You can bring them to the boat tomorrow,” Owen told him.

  “What’s tomorrow?”

  “Didn’t you see the email? We’ve been provisionally cleared to remove the artifacts from the sunken ship, as much as possible without disturbing the suspected settlement beneath it. I think they’re looking for a forensic anthropologist who can dive to see if there are any Native American remains down there. It’s doubtful, though. Ruby says the Native American graveyards are up over the ridge on the other side of the river, and she always seems to know these things. But all it means for us is that we can start diving again as long as we stick to the merchant ship.”

  “That’s great news.” Jared couldn’t help but grin. “I couldn’t see hanging around too much longer with nothing to do. I’m not used to loafing. I’m going to have to call back the guys I sent home last week.”

  “Bet they’ll be glad to get that call.” Owen slapped Jared on the back and said, “Come outside with me for a minute.”

  They went out onto the porch and stood there looking at each other, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Jared said, “Yeah, she told me. What are we going to do about it?”

  “Short of tracking this guy down first and giving him some of what he gave her—”

  “I’d be up for that,” Jared cut in. There was nothing he’d like more. He had no use for men like Chrissie’s ex, and would happily serve up a little payback on her behalf.

  “She’d have a fit. Besides, on the outside chance he’s moved on, we’d just be reminding him that she had the audacity to leave.”

  “I think the best thing we can do is just keep an eye on her and on the store as best we can. It would probably be helpful to her if we didn’t make too big a deal out of it, at least to her. I don’t think we need to continue reminding her what she went through. That’s only going to keep her frightened.”

  “If she’s scared, she might be more vigilant,” Owen said.

  “If she’s scared, she’ll stop living the life she’s made for herself here, and that’s important to her. I don’t know details, but I know she has issues about her father leaving her and her mother. She’s not close to her mother, apparently—”

  “No one is. Her mom, Dorothy, and my mom are first cousins, grew up together here on the island. Used to be best friends, according to my mom. She hasn’t heard from Dorothy in thirty years.”

  “So she’s been pretty much left behind by everyone in her family. Must be almost like being orphaned. It’s not hard to see how she fell hard for the first guy who paid any real attention to her. Then he turns out to be a monster, she finally gets the courage to leave, and settles herself somewhere she feels safe. She won’t feel safe if we keep telling her this guy’s coming for her. We just need to make sure he doesn’t get to her.”

  “You’re awfully involved in this for someone who only considers her a friend,” Owen said.

  “I did consider her a friend. I still do.”

  “But . . .”

  “But there’s more to it than that. She’s . . . she’s more than that to me.”

  “Geez, Chandler, you can get any woman you want. You have to go after my cousin.” Owen ran a hand over his face. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “She’s the woman I want, and I know what you’re thinking, but no, it isn’t like that. Chrissie isn’t like anyone else. I don’t know where this is headed, but I do know I will never hurt her in any way. I can promise you that.”

  “I can’t believe it. You and my annoying little cousin Chrissie.”

  “She isn’t annoying to me.”

  “Not to me anymore, either, but boy, she sure was when she was little. And now she’s all grown up and one of my best buds has his eye on her. My bud who was my partner in crime for how many years and through how many bars, late nights, and beach bunnies?”

  “Too many to count,” Jared replied. “But I remind you, you settled down. So if you could grow up, it could happen to anyone.”

  “What are you guys doing out there?” Cass opened the door.

  Owen shrugged. “Just talking.”

  “Well, come on in and have a beer with us. Chrissie made salsa and it’s out of this world. Lots of heat.”

  “A beer and some hot salsa sounds good,” Owen said.

  “I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” Jared told him. “I want to call the guys and tell them to start on back.”

  “I can’t guarantee there’ll be anything left if you take too long, bro.”

  “I won’t be long.” Jared took out his phone, sat on the top step, and began to make his calls.

  • • •

  JARED LAY BACK on the bed in the cabin of the Cordelia Elizabeth. He’d given his crewman, Ray, the night off since he’d been on board since Thursday, and sent him to shore in the outboard motor boat he’d rented from Alec earlier and tied up off the dive platform. The first thing Jared did after Ray left was to start up the Cordy E’s engine and move it to a spot right beyond the cove on the other side of the island. From here he had a clear view of the general store, and while he knew it was foolish to think he was close enough to see someone skulking around with the naked eye, it made him feel he was watching over Chrissie and Ruby. He removed the binoculars from his locker and trained them on the shore, and was satisfied he could see well enough if someone was on this side of the building. That left the side closest to the bridge unguarded, but then again, he was fifty feet from the shore, so how effective his watch could be was questionable. But it made him feel he was doing something, and he needed that.

  He’d been gutted by Chrissie’s confession
and he hadn’t tried to hide it. How could anyone have raised a hand to that sweet woman? He wasn’t kidding when he said he was up for tracking the weasel down and letting him feel a little of what Chrissie must have felt, even though intellectually he knew that wasn’t going to make things better for her and wouldn’t erase the past. What he really needed to do was help her to replace the bad memories with happy ones, to show her that she was unconditionally worth the best that a relationship could be. He wanted to be the man who did that for her.

  The weekend had opened his eyes to so many things. He’d been suspecting that his interest in their historic walking tours was based on something more than a budding fascination with St. Dennis’s past; the ice cream, however, had been a given. Rachel had been right about one thing: he didn’t do historic walking tours. The first time he’d gone with Chrissie he’d simply been looking for something to do, something to pass the time because he was bored and the cute blonde he’d tried to pick up in the lobby had more or less blown him off. But he’d liked being with Chrissie that day, so he looked forward to doing it again. When he took her out on the deadrise, it was because he’d wanted her to see the town from his vantage point, from the water.

  He’d enjoyed the weekend with her and his family, was happy that he’d had the good sense to ask her in the first place. It had pleased him to see the way she fit in with everyone, like the piece of a puzzle he hadn’t realized had been missing.

  While Chrissie’d been upstairs getting ready to leave, his father had taken him aside and said, “Chrissie seems like a special girl. You know I never comment on your girlfriends, but Delia and I like her very much. We’re hoping you bring her back for a weekend when things aren’t quite so hectic so we can get to know her a little better.”

  “That would be nice, Dad,” he’d replied.

  “Don’t run from it, son.” Gordon had put his arm around Jared’s shoulder. “Run toward it. Love is the most—”

  “Dad, no one’s using the L-word.” Jared had laughed nervously and held up both hands as if to ward off the word. “No one’s there yet. We’re really just starting to date.”

  “Do you know how long it took me to fall in love with Delia?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “About five minutes. I took one look at her and felt this pull, and I knew. Sometimes it happens that way. Sometimes it’s just there waiting for you to find it.” His father had slapped him on the back and said, “Talk to me again in another few months. I’m betting it won’t take that long. You both have that look about you.”

  Jared hadn’t planned on falling for her but he could see that was where this was heading—his father was right about that. He just hadn’t been ready to admit it. What he felt for Chrissie wasn’t something he could change or control, or even put into words just yet. It was just there as a fact of his life, that she was becoming part of that life, and while he hadn’t expected it, he wasn’t going to run away from it, either. Something else his dad had been right about.

  He reached over and turned off the light next to the bed. His crew would begin gathering early tomorrow; they were all as eager to get back to work as he was. Owen promised he’d be there early with coffee and a couple of the scones Chrissie was mixing when he left the store. He’d gone back to the inn, picked up the clothes he’d left there, then set out to the Cordelia Elizabeth in the small rented outboard.

  He fell asleep hoping that the feeling Owen had—that her troubles weren’t over—was wrong.

  Chapter Twelve

  The rain had washed away the pollen from the roof and the porches around the store, leaving the air clear and fresh until the breeze picked up to start distributing the yellow dust once again. Chrissie’d gone outside to tend to the garden she’d been meaning to plant. She’d worked the soil a bit here and there, but if she was serious about growing anything this year, she had to get going today. She’d bought flower seeds, but for the vegetables she wanted, she’d gone with plants that had been started in pots. She’d bought some from Clay Madison and a few strays from the local hardware store. Today they were going into the ground.

  She walked around the side of the building to Ruby’s garden shed and unlocked it with the key Ruby’d given her earlier. She selected a hoe, a spade, a trowel she stuck in one of the side pockets of her cargo pants, and a short-handled shovel. As she walked back to the garden, she glanced out at the bay and stopped in her tracks. There in the cove off Dune Drive was the Cordelia Elizabeth. She dropped the hoe and placed one hand over her heart. Jared had moved his boat to be closer to her, to watch over her through the night. The fact that he probably couldn’t have seen anyone if there was a break-in—and even if he had, he couldn’t have gotten there in time to prevent something bad from happening—wasn’t the point. She was pretty sure the point was to let her know he was there.

  How had so much happened since that first time he’d asked to join her on a simple walk around town?

  This wasn’t the first time in her life Chrissie thought she was falling for someone, but it was the first time she’d had her eyes wide open. This time if she fell in love, it would be for all the right reasons.

  After what she’d been through, the very thought of another relationship had made her cringe. But Jared was not Doug, and just by being himself, Jared had changed her mind about a lot of things. Kissing Jared had felt so right, had made her smile and want to kiss him again.

  Her life then, her life now. The contrast couldn’t have been greater.

  She was determined not to let the memories direct her future or destroy what could be her chance at lasting happiness. She would take each day with Jared and see where it led them.

  The garden soil was thick and damp from yesterday’s rain, but she’d made up her mind that this was happening today. She turned the heavy soil over and mixed in a little bit of peat moss that Owen had left in the garden the year before when he’d planted for Ruby. She’d just finished working it in when Ruby came out onto the back porch, a glass of iced tea in each hand.

  “Come here, girl, and have something cold. Your face be red as an apple. Need to set for a minute and get your right color back.” Ruby set her glass onto the small table that stood between the two rocking chairs and held the other glass out to Chrissie.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice, Gigi.” Chrissie leaned the shovel against the wall and walked through the gate to the porch. “It’s really heating up out here.”

  “Summer be here before you know it.”

  Ruby lowered herself into her favorite of the two chairs, and Chrissie sat on the top step, leaning back against one of the pillars that held up the roof and stretching her legs out in front of her.

  “I don’t think the temperature pays any attention to the calendar,” Chrissie said.

  “That be true.” Ruby began her slow, rhythmic rocking, which could hypnotize the unsuspecting if they stared too long. “Sun comes out when it wants, same with the rain.”

  Chrissie took a drink and pushed errant strands of hair from her face. It felt good to sit, and after what had seemed to be a never-ending winter, the warm air was welcomed.

  “You be quiet today,” Ruby said.

  “I guess I’m still tired from the weekend. Four days with Jared and his family was a lot. That is one partying group.”

  “Expected it to be so. Delia be a lively soul.”

  “She sure is. She asked me to give you her regards.”

  “That be nice of her. Always liked that woman, liked her books before I even met her. She be on an adventure with that man, though.” Ruby chuckled.

  “You mean Gordon?”

  “I do. He be a wandering soul, but now he has someone to wander with him. Hope that doesn’t slow down her writing those books, because I be a fan.”

  “He gave her a wet suit for a wedding gift,” Chrissie told her.

  “A wet suit? Why would he give her a suit that be wet?”

  “It’s made out of a material that’s sor
t of rubbery. You wear it when you dive. Like that black body-suit-type thing that Owen has?” she explained.

  “I didn’t know what it be called. Makes sense. You wear it in the water, it be wet.”

  “Jared said his dad took Delia diving for the first time and she liked it a lot and wants to dive again; that’s why he bought her a suit.”

  Ruby nodded. “Doing new things be good for the soul and the mind. Keep you learning.”

  “Jared wanted to teach me to dive, too, but . . .”

  “But you be afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid. Why would you say that?” Chrissie asked, defensive.

  “Because I know when you be afraid, girl. I can feel your fear.” Ruby never missed a beat in her rocking rhythm. “Like yesterday, you be afraid for me. Afraid that stupid boy had come around and done me some harm.” She stopped rocking and pinned Chrissie to the deck with a stare. “That boy come around here, he won’t know what hit him, that be for sure. I got no mercy when it comes to people like that. Old enough to be a man, but got a mind like a boy. Hmmph.” Ruby muttered something else but Chrissie didn’t catch it.

  “What was that last part you said, Gigi? I didn’t hear you.”

  “I said, be a sad day for that boy, he come around here. Don’t know what he be dealing with, and that’s all I have to say about him.”

  Chrissie guessed that Ruby’d gotten herself a little worked up over Doug, probably because of the way Chrissie’d reacted the day before. She thought Ruby was about to say something further, but she let it drop, so Chrissie did as well. She didn’t want to waste another minute of her life on Doug. She wanted to sit here, drink her tea, and think about the birthday party for Ruby she and Cass had talked about the night before.

  “Surprise party or no?” Cass had asked.

  “We can try for a surprise, but you know Gigi. She might see it coming,” Chrissie’d said.

  “True, but maybe even the pretext of a surprise might be fun. As long as no one actually tells her, we won’t know if she knows or not.”