Love's Stormy Gale (Heartsong Presents)

by Lynette Sowell

  “And we’re first in line.” Jonathan held out his plate. “Just don’t mess with Liv’s potato salad here. I’ve got first dibs on that.” Todd heaped several sauce-covered ribs onto Jonathan’s plate.

  “Why, thank you.” Olivia grinned, eyes sparkling. “I’ve never had anyone defend my potato salad before.” And then she gave a soft chuckle. Her honey-brown hair drifted around her shoulders.

  Jonathan felt a stirring within him when she looked into his eyes. He wanted to protect her, shelter her even though he’d been joking. The glimmer in her eye hadn’t been there since she’d given such a look to another man, namely Robby. Jonathan shifted his focus to his plate.

  Olivia made room for the ribs. “I suppose we could find somewhere to sit?”

  “Of course.” Jonathan led her to a bench at the edge of the patio. He could see the water from where they sat. A wayward gull flew in their direction, probably hoping for a tidbit of food.

  They ate in companionable silence.

  “I’m glad you came.” Olivia’s voice broke the quiet. “I didn’t realize until now how I’d lost touch with people here. I’ve missed out on a lot. Maggie’s going to have a baby, Kristi’s engaged.”

  Jonathan swallowed the last bite of barbecued ribs. “Believe it or not, we missed you. I know I did.”

  Olivia turned to him, her liquid eyes inscrutable in the July sunshine. She laid a hand on his arm, and paused as if she were about to speak.

  Maggie stood at the edge of the patio and bellowed, “Okay, everyone! It’s time for the scavenger hunt!”

  Great. Just when he was ready to kick back. He’d overstuffed himself and wanted to relax a little. Maybe Maggie wouldn’t harass them to participate.

  But instead Olivia turned to him. “I’m game if you are.”

  If she’d suggested they try to swim across Massachusetts Bay all the way to Cape Cod, he probably would have taken her up on it. Jonathan found himself tossing his dirty plate in the trash can and looking at a list, while Olivia stood next to him. A tiny crease appeared between her eyes and then disappeared as she smiled at him.

  Okay. He’d forgo zoning out for the afternoon. The Red Sox weren’t playing this weekend anyway.

  Chapter 4

  “She wants us to find what?” Olivia tried to eye the note in Jonathan’s hand and still keep watch on the road that led to town.

  “Two tomatoes. We have to go to Market Basket and buy two tomatoes, and we’ll get our next instructions.” Jonathan tossed the paper between them and cracked his knuckles.

  She couldn’t believe she’d dragged him along on the indignity of one of Maggie’s scavenger hunts. On the other hand, looking for assorted oddities throughout Fairport gave them something to talk about besides the past. Their growing collection from the scavenger hunt included a red-and-white fishing lure, a red T-shirt they’d found at a thrift store, plus a spool of red thread.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this.”

  “Don’t apologize.” His tentative grin made her focus her attention firmly on the road. She braked behind a carload of teens probably heading to Good Harbor Beach. “I’m in this to win. How about you?”

  “Yes, me, too. And I’m having fun getting more involved in the old church group.”

  Jonathan cleared his throat. “It’s changed some. Some have gotten engaged, moved away, dropped out. There’s a few of us still hanging around, too old for the college crowd.”

  “But when the Young Marrieds group gets together, we don’t fit with them either.”

  “No, not exactly.” Jonathan’s tone made her glance his way. Olivia glimpsed regret in his eyes.

  “What is it? Was there someone?” Instead of thinking, she’d spoken aloud. As if she had any right to ask. A warm flush washed through her and she sucked in a deep breath. Back went her gaze to the road.

  Jonathan shook his head. “Naw, she and I never got together.”

  A pang nipped at Olivia’s heart. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. It happens.”

  She wanted to tell him he deserved someone special, but held her tongue and instead concentrated on finding a vacant parking space in the Market Basket parking lot.

  “There’s one!” Jonathan jabbed at a spot at the end of a row. “And there’s Kevin and Julie running for their car.”

  Olivia responded by zipping into the parking spot. She shoved thoughts of lost love to the side for the moment. “Let’s go.”

  When they jogged to the store’s entrance, Jonathan gripped one of her hands in his rough one, his strength pulling her along.

  She pulled up short at the produce aisle, her heart pounding although the dash to the store had been a short one. Her fingers still remembered the texture of Jonathan’s hand. Olivia reached for a smooth tomato in the bin.

  “Do you see a note anywhere, or do you think someone already got the last clue?” Olivia whirled to see what Jonathan was up to and nearly collided with a sour-faced woman with graying hair. “Oh, Mrs. O’Leary.”

  “I heard you were back.” Frances O’Leary’s accusing glare seared Olivia’s face more than the summer sun could. Her look passed from Olivia to Jonathan, then back to Olivia again. “Watch her, Jon. She’ll push you, too.”

  Olivia fumbled for the words. She’d had no idea Robby’s mother still harbored anger toward her. “I don’t know what you mean by push—”

  “You pushed Robby into going on that last voyage. Always had to be telling him how to run things, you did. I just wish he’d called off the wedding and forgotten the whole idea.”

  “I really don’t think this is the place to be discussing what happened…” Olivia sensed Jonathan moving closer to her. “I think we should make a fresh start. I’m willing if—”

  Frances yanked a plastic produce bag from a nearby roll. “Fresh start. That’s easy to say. You’re not alone. First I lose Robby, then his father.” Frances wore the snarl of a wounded animal.

  “Don’t talk to Olivia that way. She lost Robby, too. Anyway, Robby wanted to go.” Jonathan’s words and his warm hand squeezing her shoulder helped take the sting from Frances’s words. “And you’re not alone. There are lots of people who care about you, too.”

  Frances slung a bag of unsuspecting tomatoes into the metal shopping cart. “Well, I can see she’s already made short work of charming you, too. Watch her, Jon, she’s bad news.” Shoulders tight, she stomped away, her shoes clicking a staccato beat on the linoleum.

  Olivia tried to relax her grip on the two tomatoes. “I never knew she was so angry.”

  “You can’t do anything about her anger. I tried going around to visit her after you left, but when Robby Senior got sicker, Frances started lashing out more and more.” He removed his hand from her shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

  “It would have come out eventually, but thanks for sticking up for me.” She reached for a square of paper taped to the lower edge of the tomato bin. “Find Blue Moon at The Music House.”

  Jonathan grinned. “We’ve got this game.”

  She nodded absently, still reeling from the effect of Frances O’Leary’s venom. Her first impulse had been a retort to Frances along the lines of, “Talk about pushy, lady, you wrote the book on it.” But instead she’d stammered and clung desperately to a remnant of Christian behavior.

  “Hey, are you going to be all right? We can stop hunting for stuff and just go back to Maggie’s.”

  Olivia would show him she wouldn’t crumble. “No, I want to keep going. I’m fine. Really.” She gave him her best smile in reassurance.

  *

  A faint pinkish smudge at the western horizon was the only remainder of daylight. Olivia turned to face east, watching the gunmetal gray surf pound the shore. The night sky met the water in a nearly indistinguishable line. A few stars had made an appearance. She shivered, wishing she’d thought to bring a windbreaker. Todd and Jonathan piled wood for a small bonfire on a sandy scrap of shoreline.

  Aft
er Todd lit the pile of wood, the flames reached upward, popping and cracking. At last the warmth reached her. Olivia stretched her hands toward the fire.

  She and Jonathan had won second prize in the scavenger hunt, a tacky-looking pair of red plastic lobsters nearly a foot long apiece, along with a gift card for dinner at a local restaurant. Olivia sighed and dug her toes into the still-warm sand. Frances had called her bad news. All she really wanted to do was get on with her life instead of worry about what people thought about her.

  “Warming up?” Jonathan eased onto the blanket next to her.

  “Yes, some.” Olivia raised hands to her hot face, and resisted the inclination to lean closer to Jonathan. He might have been her partner in the scavenger hunt, but she wasn’t pairing off with him around the fire.

  “Here.” He tugged a windbreaker around her shoulders.

  “Oh. Thanks. Are you sure you won’t need it?”

  “I’m fine. Borrowed it from Todd.”

  Olivia looked up to see Maggie and Todd, plus a guy from church carrying a guitar as they made their way on the winding path to the bonfire.

  Three songs later, Olivia realized she and Jonathan sat cross-legged, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, and knee to knee. She’d practically drifted onto his lap. From his posture, he didn’t look like he minded. She didn’t want to move, but caught a knowing glance from Maggie.

  Jonathan stood and stretched. “Maggie’s got some marshmallows and sticks over there. Want some?”

  “Sure.” Olivia shifted to her original spot on the blanket, now cool from her absence. Jonathan brought back sticks impaled with several marshmallows.

  She distracted herself by concentrating on her marshmallows, which ignited despite her attempt to ignore Jonathan’s silhouette so near to her in the firelight. She laughed, pulled the stick from the fire and blew out the marshmallows.

  “So…what are your plans after the summer’s over?” Jonathan asked, his brown eyes gently probing.

  “Well, the Cetacean Institute of Cape Ann has asked me to join their research department, pending my acceptance to the master’s and doctorate program at UMass.” Olivia tossed the charred remains of her marshmallows into the fire. “I’m submitting my application next week.”

  “Are you going to accept their offer?”

  “Yes, I’m here to stay.” Starting over was much different from picking up her old life where she left off.

  Jonathan offered her one of his marshmallows. “I’m glad.”

  Olivia bit into the sticky sweetness. Some of the goo stuck to her chin. She tried to wipe it off with her fingers. “Thanks. It’s the perfectly toasted marshmallow.”

  Her mind went blank when Jonathan cupped her chin with one hand and wiped the last of the marshmallow off with a roughened thumb. “There. You were just making things worse.”

  It was her turn to stand despite the dizzying sensations coursing through her. She wanted him to kiss her, and his eyes told her he wanted to do the same.

  “I need to rinse my hands.” Olivia headed away from the fire to the dark water spreading onto the wet sand. The water numbed her bare toes and swirled around her fingers as she squatted at the edge of the surf.

  She sprang up before more water splashed up onto her shorts. With her wet fingers she cooled her hot cheeks. The salty water cleared her head and stilled the sensation of Jonathan’s fingers on her chin. How could rough skin feel so soft? What had happened today to awaken something inside her, making her look at Jonathan—her old friend—as though he could be something more?

  Loneliness. That could explain her reaction to Jonathan’s attention. While in Pennsylvania, she hadn’t thought about being alone. She’d kept busy and kept the past at bay as best she could. Now that she’d been home for a while, the past had reinserted itself into her life. But she could no longer insert herself into her old life here. The inky water drifted over her feet, the waves providing a soothing sound as they rolled over on themselves.

  Olivia turned her back on the water to rejoin the others, dark shapes moving back and forth, blocking the glow of the fire.

  “Lord, I’m lonely. I admit it. Please don’t let me confuse friendship and kindness with anything more. It could hurt both of us.” She trudged through the sand back to the blanket by the fire.

  “So at the end of the month my cousin’s heading out for another trip, maybe as far as the Grand Banks,” the guitar player said. “Last time the lowest cut was close to five grand.”

  Jonathan whistled. “Good run.”

  “If you’re looking into trawling, it’s still a good living, though not as much money as the swordfish boats. But then you probably know that.” The man grinned and strummed a few chords.

  “I don’t mind.” The firelight showed a gleam in Jonathan’s eyes that Olivia hadn’t seen in years. “I’m just looking to get out there again. Pete Celucci’s selling his boat and I’m buying it.”

  “What?” Olivia sank to her knees as she stared at Jonathan. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m going out again. I’ve wanted it for a long time, and Pete’s selling. I believe the Lord’s given me another chance.” Jonathan grinned, the ocean breeze ruffling his hair.

  “You’re right. He did.” Olivia shivered under the jacket and slipped it from her shoulders. When Jonathan said nothing in response, she tossed her marshmallow roasting stick into the fire and rose. “Hey, Maggie, Todd, thanks for today. I had a great time, but I should go now. I might catch the fireworks on TV.”

  Maybe this was her answer to her whispered prayer. It was better she cut off any growing affection for Jonathan now before she ended up in the same heartache again. She snatched up her sneakers and socks, then jogged back to the house.

  Chapter 5

  Jonathan watched Olivia flee. What had happened to change her mood so suddenly? She’d responded when he swept the marshmallow from her chin. If he’d been more sure of himself and if things had been different, he’d have been glad to kiss the sweetness on her face. But now—

  “What was that about?” His friend from church placed the guitar back in its case.

  “I’m not quite sure, but I’ll find out.” Jonathan went after Olivia, wincing as he stubbed a toe on a rock. No way would he let her leave a wake of pavement behind her this time.

  Olivia crossed the patio ahead of him and entered the kitchen. Jonathan caught up with her in the foyer. She was fumbling in her purse.

  “Liv.”

  “What?” She clutched her car keys.

  Jonathan reached for her free hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. “Getting my own rig is my dream, even after what happened with Robby. Don’t look at me like that. I’ll say his name if I want to. You weren’t the only one who lost someone.”

  “I know that.” Her voice barely sounded above a whisper.

  “Then be happy for me.”

  “But your carpentry.”

  “I can still do that. But it’s important to me to get my business going again.”

  “Have you considered the risks?” She pulled her hand from his grasp.

  “If there’s anything I’ve learned, life is full of risks. We aren’t guaranteed the next day or the next breath. But God’s taking care of things for us.” Jonathan reached for her shoulders, but she stepped back.

  “Until the rug gets yanked out from under us on His whim.” Her voice quavered.

  “Liv, God’s not like that.”

  “So you want to put yourself in danger again?”

  “I’m not doing anything stupid. I know what I’m doing.” How else could he make her understand? He was losing this round. Olivia backed away toward the front door. Jonathan let her go before frustration got the better of him and before she really lost her temper.

  “Good night. See you at work.” With that, the front door clicked shut.

  He reentered the kitchen to find Todd and Maggie waiting for him. “Hey,” was all he said.

  “Olivia’s gon
e?” Maggie asked.

  Jonathan nodded. He saw the pair of plastic lobsters grinning at him from their perch on top of the microwave. She’d left their prize behind.

  “She got upset when I mentioned buying Pete’s boat.”

  Maggie frowned. “She’s scared, Jonathan. Liv’s done her best to be brave, coming back to Fairport.”

  “I know, but she grew up here. She knows what a fisherman’s life is like.” Why was he starting to feel like the bad guy all of a sudden?

  Todd wrapped his arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

  Jonathan saw Maggie dart a look over her shoulder at her husband as she said, “Yes. And I still pray every time you head out, even on an all-day charter. We’re only human, guys. We women try to be strong for our men and trust God with the rest.” But she laid a hand on her belly.

  “I know you do.” Except he wasn’t Olivia’s man. Jonathan wandered to the microwave and picked up the lobsters. “Listen, I should probably get going. Work continues tomorrow, and there’s this couple I know who want some bookcases finished.”

  They said their good-byes, and Jonathan left in his Jeep. Normally he’d stay until the last guest hit the road, but tonight he needed to drive. He wouldn’t head to the apartment. Nothing waited for him there. His Jeep took him toward town, then down some side streets until it stopped in the parking lot of Safe Harbor Beach.

  He crossed the walkway over the dune and faced the sea, the surf roaring the entire time. Like a magnet, the sea drew him closer. Just like seeing Olivia had drawn him to her again. Why now? Why were these feelings he had supposedly squelched years ago rising up?

  “I don’t understand, Lord. I’m acknowledging You in all my ways, and I believe Your Word says You’ll direct me.” Jonathan swallowed hard. “I also believe You’ve made a way for me to pursue my dream. I can hold my head high in town again. No more looks and silence when I walk into a room full of fishermen. No more feeling like I’m missing out. When would I get a chance like this again?”

  Jonathan prayed a while longer. He wanted, no, needed this chance. At least he could pray and drive tonight. Now he needed to pray that Olivia would understand.