Married 'til Monday

by Denise Hunter

  Abby shook the memory away. The last thing she needed was a trip down Memory Lane. If she was going to remember something, it should be their last year together. Maybe then she’d keep her head on straight.

  Boo was on her heels as she crept from the room. She stopped at the bathroom, then let the dog out the back door and perused the cupboards and fridge.

  She was frying up eggs when the stairs squeaked behind her. Perfect timing. The eggs were almost finished, and she only needed another few minutes on the bacon.

  She turned at the approaching footsteps. Her smile fell at the sight of her dad filling the doorway.

  “Dad. I thought you were working.”

  “Sorry to disappoint. I promised your mom I’d take the day off.” He helped himself to the coffee she’d brewed.

  Abby stiffened at his nearness. Her hands shook as she flipped an egg. The yolk broke, and the orange liquid ran into the grease, bubbling as it fried.

  “Never were much of a cook.” Dad shoved the carafe into the cubby.

  Abby startled at the sudden noise, then tucked her hair behind her ear to cover. “Happy anniversary, Dad. Are you looking forward to the party?”

  He sipped his coffee, then turned his dark gaze on her. “It’s your mom’s thing, not mine.”

  “Thirty-five years is a big deal.” She flipped the second egg and kept the yolk intact. The smell of his Old Spice made her stomach twist. She wished he’d move away.

  “I guess even you’ve managed to hang on to your husband for a few years, eh, Abby?”

  She pulled her shoulders back. She was not letting him do this to her. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. Nothing he said was true. Especially the last thing. She hadn’t hung on to Ryan at all.

  “Things seem kinda strained between you though.” He leaned back against the countertop. “Your marriage already falling apart, little girl?”

  Footsteps sounded, and Abby turned to see Ryan enter the room, dressed for the day. He was looking at her dad, and Abby wondered how much he’d heard. Enough, judging by his knotted jaw.

  Her face heated as she replayed the conversation in her mind.

  “Morning, Ryan,” Dad boomed as he wandered over to the table.

  “Good morning.” Ryan eased up behind her, setting a hand on her waist. “Morning.” He brushed a kiss against her heated cheek.

  “Morning.”

  After her dad’s accusations, she couldn’t be upset with Ryan for the display of affection, not even after her warning the night before. She scooped the eggs onto plates, then scooted over to flip the bacon, making his hand fall from her waist.

  “Smells good,” Ryan said, settling into the spot against the counter that her dad had occupied a moment before. “Makes me sorry I have to leave.”

  “Tell Beau I’ll see him tonight.”

  “The keys were on the dresser.” Ryan held them up, and she nodded her permission.

  He looked at her dad, who was now hunched over a copy of the Harbor Tides. Ryan’s eyes toggled back to her. “Why don’t you come along? We can go out to the lighthouse afterward. You can show me around town.”

  He was giving her an out, and she wanted to take it. Badly. But she couldn’t hide behind Ryan anymore. He wasn’t her husband, much as she wanted her parents to believe otherwise.

  “No, you go on. I’m going to go wake Mom for breakfast.”

  He stared long and hard as she removed the bacon from the skillet. She was sure he could see right through her, right down to the scared little girl who couldn’t seem to do anything right.

  “You sure?”

  She tried for a real smile. “Of course.”

  The newspaper rattled as her dad flipped the page.

  Mom chose that moment to descend the stairs. A weight lifted off Abby’s shoulders as her mother entered the room with a bright, sunny smile.

  “Morning, all!”

  They returned the greeting as she leaned down and pecked Dad on the cheek. “Happy anniversary, honey.”

  Dad squeezed her hand. “You too.”

  Mom appraised Abby. “You didn’t have to make breakfast.”

  “I wanted to. Just have a seat. It’s almost ready.”

  Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of Abby’s head. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. Be ready to show me the sights.” A few minutes later she heard the sound of her car pulling from the drive.

  Ryan grabbed a window table at the café and caught up on his texting while he waited for Beau. His assistant coach wanted feedback on a new play, Madison asked if he knew about the storm moving up the coast, and Daniel had checked in. PJ finally replied to a text he’d sent her, and Dad wanted to know when he was coming home.

  When he was finished, his thoughts turned to Abby, back at the house. He wondered if he should check on her. He hadn’t wanted to leave her there with her dad, even with her mom up and about. He’d heard more than enough before he’d entered the kitchen—enough to want to knock the man into tomorrow. No wonder Abby was afraid to tell him about the divorce. He made her feel like a complete failure.

  “Heard there’s a flatlander somewhere in this place.”

  Ryan looked up to see his buddy approaching in jeans and a Red Sox T-shirt. He pushed back his chair, grabbed Beau’s hand, and pulled him in for a shoulder hug. “Good to see you, buddy. Been a long time.”

  “Ah-yuh. Too long.”

  Ryan smiled at Beau’s barely there New England cadence. Texting didn’t quite capture it, and Abby had long since lost her accent.

  They sat down and ordered when the server appeared. Ryan wondered if his own face showed as much wear and tear as Beau’s. Not that he wasn’t still a good-looking dude, with his black hair and dark eyes. Girls had flocked around him in college. They probably still did.

  “How you doing, man?” Ryan asked.

  Beau ran his hand across the scruff of his jaw. “Not gonna lie, it’s been rough the last couple months. My brothers are reeling.”

  Like Ryan, Beau was the oldest of his siblings. “And you’re holding it all together.”

  “You know how that goes.” He smiled distractedly as the server returned and filled his mug with coffee. “He was our anchor, you know? It feels odd that he’s gone. Surreal. It still hasn’t sunk in completely.”

  “It was sudden, that doesn’t help.”

  Ryan let him talk, knowing he needed to get it out. Beau had likely been the rock for his brothers. Someone needed to be there for him. Their food arrived a few minutes later, the plate-sized omelets steaming and fragrant.

  Beau talked more about his dad’s business as they ate. He was trying to keep up the farm and do his deputy job too, but something was going to have to give. He was burning the candle at both ends. That was obvious just from the dark circles under his eyes and the new lines creasing his forehead.

  As they fell into a comfortable silence, Ryan’s thoughts returned to Abby and the afternoon ahead. He wanted to get her away from the house, away from the bad memories, and show her some fun. It hadn’t been a pleasant trip for her. He longed to see the guardedness fall from her eyes, a spontaneous smile form on her lips. It was all he wanted—just a few hours where she could relax in his company.

  Finally Beau forked his last bite and sat back in his chair. “Well, I’ve used up all my words for the day. You gonna tell me what all this is about?”

  Ryan stabbed his last piece of bacon and scooped the remaining baked beans onto the fork. “What all what’s about?”

  “Come on, Ryan. You and Abby? What’s going on?”

  He wished he could level with Beau, but he couldn’t take a chance on Abby getting wind of it. There was too much riding on this. He was already running out of time and hadn’t made near enough headway.

  “I hitched a ride to see you, man.”

  Beau regarded him with steady brown eyes, his quiet study making Ryan squirm. Beau was one of those still-waters-run-deep kind of people. He didn’t miss much.

  Ryan checked
an incoming text, but it was only his dad’s reply, so he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and drained the last of his orange juice.

  “All right, fine, don’t tell me.” Beau leaned forward, regarding him steadily, elbows braced on both sides of his empty plate. “But don’t hurt her, Ryan. You’re my friend, and you’re as good as a man can get, but by Godfrey, if you break her heart again, I’ll lay you out flat.”

  Ryan couldn’t even work up a little indignation at the threat. How could he when Beau was only looking out for the woman Ryan loved? “That’s the last thing I want to do.”

  “She’s been through a lot. I want to see her happy.”

  “Then we’re both after the same thing.”

  Beau considered Ryan for a long moment, then drained the last of his coffee. “Just so we’re clear.”

  Chapter Twelve

  ABBY PICKED HER WAY CAREFULLY OVER THE ROCKY shoreline leading out to Lighthouse Point, Ryan on her heels. Up ahead Boo stopped and turned, waiting for them.

  Low dark clouds hung in the sky, blanketing the sunshine. The point was deserted today, the townsfolk no doubt buckling down for the coming storm. It had been all the talk in town. The waters were calm so far, and only a slight breeze drifted across the ocean.

  She stopped at the end of the point where a massive rock jutted out into the sea and dropped off suddenly a few feet above the water.

  Ryan stopped beside her, staring at the old white lighthouse, not even breathing hard from the rigorous walk. “Can we get in?”

  “It’s not open to the public. But you can walk around it if you want.”

  Abby dropped onto the rock and stretched out her legs. The sun peeked out, and she let her head fall back, closing her eyes. The surf splashed on the rock below her. She breathed in the smell of earth, pine, and sea, and let the stillness of the moment calm her restless spirit.

  A scuffling sounded as Ryan dropped beside her. They’d walked through town, stopping at various shops before their long walk along the coast.

  Abby had run into a few locals, including a girl she’d gone to high school with. She’d kept expecting Ryan to reach for her hand as they’d walked or drape his arm around her shoulder as she caught up with her old friend, but he hadn’t touched her since this morning in the kitchen. She told herself she was glad, but she couldn’t deny the sting of disappointment.

  What was going on with her? She couldn’t be thinking of Ryan that way. He’d already broken her heart once. Would she never learn?

  “Is that a lobster boat?” Ryan nodded out toward the horizon.

  Abby cupped her hand over her eyes. “Looks like a fishing charter. How’s Beau doing?”

  “He looked tired. Trying to hold it all together.”

  “He’s going to wear himself out. He needs to choose one job or the other.”

  “That’s what I said. He doesn’t want to see his dad’s legacy die, but he doesn’t know if the farm will be enough to live on. He’s thinking of expanding it to include other seasonal activities for tourists, but doesn’t know if it’ll go over.”

  “It would if the town leaders would stop being so wicked stubborn.”

  Ryan’s lips twitched, calling her attention to a feature she’d always loved—those full, soft lips. And the look in his eyes. Like he found her adorable. She’d missed that look.

  A stiff breeze tossed her hair, and she brushed it back. “What?” she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

  “Nothing. Just like seeing the Mainer coming out in you again.”

  She pulled her gaze away from him. The look in his eyes unsettled her. It would be so easy to let him back in. She wondered if he wanted that. He seemed to, but at what cost? Hadn’t they hurt each other enough?

  “The wind’s picking up,” he said.

  “It’s always windy out here. It’ll breeze up tonight though.”

  “Are you worried about making it out tomorrow?”

  She nailed him with a look. “We’re leaving in the morning.” She didn’t care if her little car blew all over the road, she wasn’t staying another day. She’d already had enough of her dad, and the sooner she and Ryan parted ways the better.

  Ryan popped to his feet, agile despite his size. “I’m going for a swim.” He tugged off his T-shirt. “Come with me.”

  “This isn’t Florida, Ryan. The water’s all of sixty degrees.”

  He kicked off his sandals. “We’ll warm up in the water.”

  “It’s pretty deep here.”

  He smirked. “You might remember, I know how to swim. Come on, Abby.”

  “No, thanks.” She gave his shorts a nervous glance, wondering if they were coming off too, but he stepped to the end of the rock and jumped.

  A few cold droplets hit her leg. Boo lifted her head, curious, then dropped it back down. She wasn’t having anything to do with the water.

  “Water’s fine,” he said when he surfaced. His hair was smoothed back, exposing his handsome face. She followed a droplet of water as it trickled down his temple to his jaw.

  “Sure it is, if you like swimming in a cooler.”

  “It’s not so bad. I’m already adapting.” He rolled onto his back, giving Abby a nice view of his taut stomach, then stroked out several feet, floating.

  She pulled her eyes from his form and scanned the horizon. A lobster boat headed in toward the harbor, gulls flocking around, their calls carrying over to the point.

  A few minutes later Ryan let his legs sink under him as he came upright.

  “You’re gonna freeze when you get out,” she said.

  “Come in with me.”

  “I don’t have a suit.”

  “That didn’t stop me.”

  She looked around the empty point. Only Ryan would take a dip in the frigid water in his clothes.

  Boo sighed and rolled over on her side as the sun peeked out again.

  “Come on, I dare you.”

  She shot him a look. “I’m not a kid anymore. I can say no to a dare.”

  “That’s not what Beau says. Come on.” He gave that charming smile that had suckered her in too many times to count. “Triple dog dare you.”

  Those old childhood words tugged at her. Lord have mercy, the things she’d done on a dare from her cousins. They knew it was the only way to get her outside her comfort zone, and they’d used it against her mercilessly. The only girl, she’d somehow felt honor bound to prove herself.

  “Stop thinking so hard. Just do it. Jump in.”

  She’d never admit it out loud, but it was the smile that made her do it. Shooting him a look, she stood, kicked off her sandals at the edge of the rock, and jumped.

  The frigid water enveloped her, and she stifled the urge to suck in a breath. The cold seemed to seep into every pore as she kicked and broke the surface.

  “It’s freezing!”

  He laughed. “You’ll get used to it. Swim out to the rock with me.” He turned and was off to the big rock jutting out of the water about twenty yards away.

  “What for?” she asked the lapping water. She sure wasn’t getting out to sunbathe.

  Her teeth chattered, and her skin pebbled in a desperate attempt to warm itself. Boo still lay on the rock onshore, watching them. Abby called herself all kinds of fool as she pushed off toward the rock.

  Moving helped. Infinitesimally. Salt water seeped into her eyes, bringing the familiar sting, and her limbs remembered how to move in the water, though it had been years.

  She surfaced near the smooth face of the rock and paddled the remaining few feet. Grabbing on beside Ryan, she dipped her head back to get the hair out of her face.

  Her T-shirt clung to her skin, and her shorts rode up her legs as she kicked to stay afloat. It was going to be a long, cold walk back to the car.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

  Ryan’s eyes sparkled, his lips curling in a mischievous smile. “If only I’d known your weakness for dares when we were married.”

&n
bsp; She flushed under his perusal. “No telling what you would’ve coerced me into doing.”

  “Best I can remember, I never had to do any coercing at all.”

  “No talking about the past.” She pushed water at him, catching him in the face with a bigger splash than she expected.

  Ryan blinked his spiky lashes, running his hand over his wet face. He was getting that look in his eyes. “Did you just splash me?”

  She backed away, hand over hand. “I didn’t mean to.”

  He advanced, his eyes locked on hers.

  She pushed off the rock, paddling backwards toward shore. “Come on, Ryan, it’s too cold for this.”

  He kept coming. “You’re going down, girl.” His eyes punctuated the promise.

  She’d never outswim him. “Stop. I’m wearing contacts.”

  His eyes narrowed on her as he turned his face slightly to the side. “Since when do you wear contacts?”

  “Um . . .” A laugh bubbled in her throat. “Recently?”

  He smiled, delivering the threatened splash. “You’re a horrible liar, Abby.”

  She squealed as the cold spray of water hit her face. She turned toward the shore, kicking, stroking as fast and hard as she could.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” he called over the surf.

  She felt him at her feet within seconds, his hands pulling on her calf.

  She let out a shriek as his arms wrapped around her middle. She came upright, splashing, fighting.

  His arms circled her, shackling her own to her sides. Her feet kicked furiously to stay afloat. She wiggled and struggled, but her efforts were futile against his firm grasp.

  The laugh that bubbled inside escaped. “Uncle!” She stilled, her breaths coming hard against his forearms as he kept them afloat. “Uncle. No fair. You’re a competitive swimmer.”

  He smiled against her temple. “Maybe you shouldn’t go picking fights in the water.” His voice, so close to her ear, made her shiver.

  She became aware of his heat against her back, of his arms around her middle, and her heart worked overtime to keep up with her labored breathing.