by Jill Sanders
“Why?” She set the empty box back onto her cart and glanced at the older woman again. The woman sighed and glanced out of the window once more.
“It’s hard.” Her eyes moved towards Missy’s. “Living alone. Being alone all the time.” She shook her head and Missy thought she saw a tear pool in the corner of her eye before she turned her head to look back out towards the water. “We’re not meant for it.”
“Mrs. Met—”
“Ruth.” The woman turned towards her. “You’ve been delivering my groceries for how many years?”
Missy blinked. “A little over six.”
“And in all that time, you have never once been unkind to me or shown me anything but respect. You should be able to call me by my first name. Ruth.”
Missy nodded and smiled. “Ruth, are you sure everything is all right?”
Ruth smiled and nodded. “Your first name is Missy, correct?” Missy nodded. “Missy, do me a favor…”
Missy’s heart sank as she thought about making another trip back to the mainland to grab an item Ruth had forgotten.
“Don’t let life pass you by without letting someone into your life. Someone who’ll love you.” She turned her head and looked out the window again. “Someone to be there in the silence of the night and hold you tight.”
When Ruth’s eyes moved back to hers, Missy nodded. There was a knot deep in her throat, which she tried to swallow the entire trip back to Dog’s Landing.
When she walked through the door of the store almost an hour later, she heard Jenny laughing in the back room. Walking towards the sound, she stopped cold when she saw the back of a man’s head, leaning over her employee.
“Oh!” she exclaimed and started to turn away. She’d never seen Jenny involved with anyone before, even though she knew the girl had in the past had a few boyfriends.
“Wait.” Jenny rushed after her. “It’s not like it looked.” She giggled. “Roman was just…”
Nothing else Jenny said could get past the loud ringing she heard in her ears.
Roman.
Roman.
She’d just been thinking about her Roman, thanks to the conversation with Ruth.
She blinked a few times when Jenny’s fingers dug into her shoulders. Then her hearing returned.
“Are you okay?” Jenny was frowning at her as they stood in the small hallway just outside of the break room.
The knot that had built in her throat from her talk with Ruth had traveled farther south and now sat directly over her heart. Missy’s fingers shook. She felt a slight sheen instantly coat her skin as she moved her eyes slowly towards the man who was standing just inside the doorway.
He’d changed. A lot, she thought, just as everything faded to white.
Chapter Two
Roman carried the lax body in his arms and laid her on the small sofa in the break room. Jenny was almost hyperventilating and he had to make her sit down before she passed out from worry.
“It’s okay, she’s just in shock,” he said, rushing over to the sink and grabbing a towel, then splashing cold water on it and making his way back to the petite blonde who had passed out at the sight of him.
Not that he hadn’t thought of doing the same, but there was something more than surprise that had crossed his mind.
Looking down at her, he noticed all the changes. Her hair was shorter, cut just above her shoulders. It was still the rich honey blonde that he remembered. Since her eyes were closed, he couldn’t see if they were still their warm caramel color.
When he laid the cool cloth over her face, she jumped up and pushed it aside, her eyes going huge as her sexy mouth hung open.
He’d always loved her mouth. Even when he shouldn’t have noticed how appealing it was.
“What are you doing here?” she blurted out.
He chuckled. “I work here.”
She blinked a few times and he was pleased to see her mouth move silently as she tried to talk. Finally, she swallowed and he watched her control return a bit. “You what?”
He smiled and stood up from his crouched spot in front of her. “I work here. As of a few minutes ago.” He glanced over at Jenny, the pretty blonde that had hired him less than ten minutes before.
“No you don’t.” Marissa stood up, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. “I don’t want you…”
He took her shoulders and shook her lightly. “Do you really want to do this? Here? Now?” His eyes bore into hers and he felt her stiffen under his hands.
Finally, after she’d glanced towards Jenny and then back at him, she sighed and he felt her shoulders relax.
“Why?” The word was a whisper as he dropped his hands. After all this time, he still couldn’t trust himself to touch her.
“Why am I here?” His eyes moved over to Jenny, who was making a slow retreat out the door. Smart girl, he thought, and then he looked back to Marissa, who shook her head slowly.
“Why do you want to work here?”
His smile was quick as he took a step closer to her. “I have a few questions for you as well.”
He watched her breath hitch as she swayed a little. His hands went back up and took her shoulders once more. “Easy,” he murmured.
“I…” She blinked a few times as she looked up at him. Her hand went to the side of her head. “I can’t…” Her eyes moved to the empty doorway and her face got even whiter than it had when she’d seen him standing there. “I have to go.” She jerked her shoulders from his hold and rushed from the room quickly.
It took him a few moments to convince himself that she wasn’t bolting for good again. He wanted nothing more than to rush after her. Instead, he sat back down and took several deep breaths to calm his anger and his desires.
“Is everything okay?” Jenny’s sweet voice sounded from the doorway. He’d liked the young girl immediately upon meeting her.
“Yeah.” He looked up at her and frowned. “Sorry.” He shook his head as she walked over and sat down in front of him.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”
He sighed and rested his hands on the table between them. Then he shrugged his shoulders. Where should he begin? Was it his place? Looking over, he frowned and shook his head.
“I think that’s best for Marissa to tell.”
Jenny’s eyebrows shot up when he used her full name. He sighed and shook his head, remembering that she’d called her Missy instead. A nick-name he’d always used for her.
“I know everything there is to know about Marissa.” She said the name slowly. “I’ve known her for almost seven years. She’s never once in all that time mentioned you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
He rolled his shoulders and stood up as he glanced out the large window and watched a boat full of teenagers, along with two older men, dock. “Looks like that’s my first job.” He nodded towards the window and the loud noises coming from the crowd of people on the docks, hoping the girl would take the change in discussion.
“Roman.” Jenny stood and reached for his arm before he could leave. “I stand behind my decision to hire you, but if I think for one minute that you’re bad for Missy, I won’t hesitate to fire you on the spot.”
He smiled quickly and nodded. “Gotcha.” He liked her even more for saying so.
Then he walked out the back door to get trained for his new job, knowing he would do whatever it took to stick as close to Marissa—Missy—as possible.
***
Missy slammed the door behind her and locked it. Then, for good measure, she leaned against it and braced herself. She’d run too fast to glance over her shoulder to see if he was following her. She’d always been able to outrun Roman.
When everything remained quiet, she chanced a peek out the window and sighed when the street in front of her home was empty. Rushing to the back door, she opened her key drawer and pulled out the keys. She jumped behind the wheel of her car, her eyes darting everywhere as she pulled slowly out of the garage
behind her house.
She couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the V8 engine in her classic ’65 Ford Falcon. She’d put less than two thousand miles on the baby since she’d sprung for it a few years back, but when she peeled out of her driveway this time, she planned on putting a whole lot more miles on it.
As she drove, even the car mocked her. She’d only bought the classic because Roman had always talked about getting his hands on the exact car one day. She couldn’t remember how many times he’d mentioned that he’d dreamed of the day when he could afford one, how he’d spend his time and money fixing it up.
Fighting the urge to bang her head against the steering wheel, she gripped it tighter. It had been an impulse buy. She’d seen it sitting just down the street from her shop and had instantly felt like she knew the car. Maybe it was her subconscious telling her that she could be close to him.
For years, she’d fought the urge to go back and see her family, to be a part of their lives again. Several times in the past, she’d chanced a day trip to Spring Haven. But each time she’d come back, empty hearted and full of fear that she’d been seen.
By the time she finally pulled in front of the school, she had somewhat talked herself out of leaving, like last time. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake she’d made when she was young and stupid. After all, this time was different. This time he was in her town. Her home. Her business. After all, who was he to waltz in and turn her life upside down?
It wasn’t like he scared her. No, just the opposite. After all, it wasn’t fear that had shot through her veins when he’d touched her.
She tried not to think of how her body had responded to his touch. Or what it meant to her to see him again.
She took a few moments to calm herself down before walking into the front office. Even though it was summer, she knew that Reagan would be totally engrossed in his studies. When he’d begged her to enroll him in the summer reading program, she’d hesitated. In the end, it had been a blessing, since he didn’t have to spend all of his summer stuck down at the store with her.
When she walked towards the doorway of the small room, filled only with three kids and Mrs. Miller, the principal of the school, she sighed as she leaned her head against the glass in the door and watched her son.
His dark head was down as he read from a book. She knew his dark eyes would take in every detail of the words he was silently reading. Even though he had already read the required summer class reading, he was totally engrossed in what he was doing. He always read when he was bored with his regular homework during the school year, which meant he was ahead in all of his classes. He’d always been ahead of his classmates, but this summer program was pushing him even farther ahead. She’d thought about moving him up a grade, but so far, she’d held off making that decision.
Mrs. Miller’s eyes moved to the doorway and met hers. Her eyebrows shot up in question. Missy had never visited during the summer before.
“Is there a problem?” she asked after opening the door for her.
“N…no.” She shook her head and took a breath. “I…” She sighed. “I just…”
“Mom?” Reagan rushed over to her and hugged her. “We’re reading Holes again.” His entire face lit up. “I’m at the part—”
“Reagan, maybe your mother would like to come in and sit with you for a while?” Mrs. Miller smiled and opened the door a crack.
Missy felt her eyes tear up, so she nodded quickly and let her son lead her into the room.
“Can I take her to the reading corner?” Reagan asked eagerly. The reading corner was an old claw tub filled with over-sized pillows.
Mrs. Miller smiled and nodded, and Reagan continued to pull her towards the back of the classroom.
She settled in the old tub with her son on her lap, his head resting on her shoulder, and listened to him read her one of his favorite books. Only then did everything become crystal clear. Everything she’d done in the last eight years had been for one reason. Their son.
***
It was late afternoon, just before sunset, when Roman finally saw Marissa again. He’d gone out on two runs with the older gentlemen showing him all of the ropes. Since he was already up to speed on how to drive the boat, he spent most of his energy learning how to safely secure the parasailers and deal with the gear properly.
By the end of the day, he knew all there was to know about parasailing and keeping customers safe. When he walked into the store with Bob and John around closing time, Missy was standing behind the counter instead of Jenny.
She had glanced up with a smile on her face until her eyes moved over him, then her smile faltered and fell away quickly.
“How was it?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the older gentlemen.
John walked over and leaned on the counter next to her. “You know how it goes.” He smiled. “You win some, you lose some.”
She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder playfully. John was a bear of an old man at six foot three and two hundred fifty pounds, unlike his partner in crime, Bob, who stood only five foot five and probably weighed as much as a teenage cheerleader.
The two of them were a very likable duo who’d peppered him with a million questions once he’d climbed aboard the boat and informed them he was a new hire.
One of the first questions from Frank had been, “Aren’t you a little old to have a job like this?” He’s just raised his eyebrows and glanced slowly at the two of them, and they had laughed and slapped him on the back. That hadn’t stopped the barrage of questions, most of them tailored around his career choices and if he was single.
“This new guy of yours…”—Bob slapped him on the back as he walked by to hang the boat keys on a hook behind the counter—“sure has a way with the ladies.” Bob winked at him behind Marissa’s back.
Marissa started coughing and turned beet red. “He’s…” She cleared her throat. “He’s not mine.” She frowned. “I mean.” Her eyes traveled everywhere but near him. “Jenny hired him.”
He chuckled and leaned against the counter. “Yeah, but knowing our history…” He smiled when he saw her eyes heat and finally zero in on his.
“Oh!” John chuckled. “You two have a history?”
Bob walked over and leaned against the counter, making a point to nudge Marissa.
“So, tell us all.”
She closed her eyes, and he heard a soft growl coming from her throat. He smiled. “Sure, why don’t you tell them all about it.”
Her eyes flew open and he saw her caramel eyes heat further. He knew he was pushing her, but after all she’d put his family—him—through, she deserved it. At least a little.
“He’s…” She blinked and he heard a slight chuckle. “It’s complicated.” He smiled and leaned closer to her and nodded.
Good, he thought. That’s exactly how he felt about her. He leaned against the counter until the older men and customers had left. He liked watching the way she dealt with people. He especially liked watching her as she moved around the small space behind the counter as she closed out for the evening. Even with him crowding her, she handled herself well. She’d always been light on her feet and moved almost like a dancer.
“Will you please go wait in the back,” she finally growled out. He smiled back at her and shook his head no.
“What?” She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you think I’m going to run away?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Again?” He thought about it, looked around, and slowly shook his head no. “Not this time.” It came out more as a warning than an answer.
She blinked and tried to back up a step, only to have his hands reach out and take her by the shoulder. “Don’t,” he said softly. He hated seeing the fear that had jumped into her eyes.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. “What do you expect? After all this time, you show up here. Like this.” Her eyes met his.
“It should have never had to come to this.” His voice was soft.
“You knew.” She backed up a step and he let his hands drop next to him. “You knew why I had to leave.”
He shook his head, his eyes still glued to hers. “No. I didn’t. No one knew.” He’d always wondered if it had something to do with him. With their relationship, but other than that, he was just as clueless as the rest of the family. Shortly before she’d disappeared, she’d shocked him by going out on a date with his buddy Tommy. Which had done nothing but piss him off. They’d fought about it a few days before she’d gone, but he’d always believed that they’d worked it out and that she’d decided to end the short-lived relationship with Tommy.
“I saw you.” She broke into his thoughts, her face turned red.
“When?”
“That night.” Her chin dropped a little.
He frowned. “The night you left?”
She swallowed and nodded slowly.
“Marissa, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t see you the night you left. No one did. All we had was the note you’d written Cassey.”
Upon hearing their sister’s name, her eyes filled with tears and she looked down at her hands nervously.
“But…” She blinked and he watched the tears stream down her face. “I saw you in your room.”
He slowly shook his head, not really trusting his voice.
“I saw you…” Her eyes flew up to his and she almost shouted. “With Susan Shaffer.”
Chapter Three
Missy watched him blink a few times as he took a step back. Then he started to laugh. Hard. He laughed until she felt like walking over to him and punching him as hard as she could.
When he looked up again, she was staring at him like he’d gone mad.
He walked over to her and took her shoulders with his hands then pulled her close. “You saw Marcus with Susan.”
“No,” she ground out. “I saw you and Susan… on your bed. Together.” She still remembered the hurt the scene had caused her. The years of pain that had caused her to never allow herself to get close to anyone since.
She’d always chalked it up to him being made about the one date she’d gone on with one of his friends. To be honest, she couldn’t even remember the boys name. She’d been foolish enough to think that she needed to try seeing other guys to gauge if she would ever feel different about Roman. Since she knew there was no way they could ever be together. Not when they were both Graytons.