Mine After Dark

by Marie Force

“How so?”

  “We were, you know, fooling around a little, and she kind of panicked.”

  “Panicked how?”

  “She couldn’t breathe.”

  “Damn,” Finn said, exhaling his way through the single word.

  “I swear to God, Finn, everything that happened between us, she was into as much as I was. It was all good until it wasn’t.”

  “Did she tell you what happened?”

  “Not really, but she gave me an out. She said she’d totally understand if it was too much for me.”

  “It being what?”

  “There was an incident with a guy back in college.” He played it down to protect her privacy. “I don’t know the details, but she said there’s really been no one since then.”

  “Whoa. So you’re basically navigating an emotional minefield.”

  “I guess.”

  “And you don’t even have all the info on what happened. You could go online—”

  “No. I’m not doing that, and neither are you, you hear me?”

  “I hear you, but how are you supposed to handle this if you don’t even know what you’re dealing with?”

  “I’m going to handle it by focusing on other things. She wants to renovate her grandmother’s kitchen. I’m going to help her do that.”

  “What about the fact that you’re hot for her?”

  “It may come as a shock to you that I can control myself.”

  “That’s not what I mean, Riley, and you know it. You like this girl. She likes you, for some unknown reason. Does this mean you’re hands-off until she figures things out that happened years ago?”

  When Finn put it like that, the challenge before him seemed rather daunting. “For now.”

  “Is that realistic?”

  “Is what realistic?”

  “Hear me out. You like her. She likes you. Something happened to her a long time ago that makes her panicky when it comes to guys. What’s the endgame for you in that scenario?”

  “I don’t know yet. All I know is that I want to find out. I like being around her. If she’s not capable of bells and whistles right now, then that’s fine. I’ll wait.”

  “For how long?”

  “For as long as it takes.” Riley surprised himself as much as his brother with the emphatic statement.

  Finn stared at him for a long moment before he cleared his throat. “I wish you the best. It’s clear that you care about her, but if it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, get out before you get hurt. Will you do that, please?”

  Riley didn’t want to tell him it was already far too late for such warnings. If it didn’t work out with Nikki, he was going to hurt like hell. “Yeah, I will.” He said what his brother needed to hear. “Don’t say anything about this to anyone, okay?”

  “I never would. No one loves to bust your balls more than I do, but I know that this is different.”

  “It really is.”

  “Be careful, Ri,” Finn said.

  “I will.”

  “Get some sleep. The news said tomorrow night’s gonna be a snowmageddon.”

  “Hey, Finn? Thanks. You know, for listening.”

  “Any time.” Finn left the room, closing the door behind him.

  For a long time, Riley lay awake reliving the special joy of kissing Nikki and wondering if he’d ever get to do it again.

  * * *

  Despite the emotional overload of the night before, Nikki slept surprisingly well and woke to a text from Riley.

  Syd can see us at noon if that works for you? She said to bring pictures of the kitchen for now, and if you decide to use her, she can come take measurements later.

  That works for me!

  I’ll pick you up at quarter till.

  Thanks. See you then.

  Nikki wanted to add something about what’d happened the night before, but he didn’t seem to be dwelling on it, so she wouldn’t either. He’d already proven himself worthy of her time and attention by following up on his promises. That put him hundreds of points ahead of any other guy she’d ever dated.

  For the first time in days, Nikki sent a text to her sister. This was the longest they had ever gone without talking. Even when Jordan had been on her honeymoon, they’d texted just about every day.

  Thinking about you and hoping all is well.

  Nikki sent the text and put down her phone to spend the next few hours cleaning out kitchen cabinets full of mismatched plates, glasses and other items collected over fifty summers.

  An hour into the project, Evelyn called for her daily check-in.

  “Gram, you’re a pack rat.”

  “I am not,” Evelyn said indignantly.

  “Yes, you are, and I can prove it. I’m switching to FaceTime.” She switched the call over and smiled when her grandmother’s pretty face popped up on the screen. “You have a collection of rooster pitchers.”

  White curls framed a youthful face, and blue eyes danced with glee at the sight of her granddaughter. “I love roosters.”

  “Do we need thirty of them?”

  “You’re not going to make me part with my roosters, are you?”

  “I’m afraid so. Their time has come and gone.”

  “You’re breaking my heart.”

  “Really?”

  “No, I’m just teasing,” Evelyn said. “Most of the stuff in that house I wouldn’t even miss, so you can decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I only care about the photos and the things you girls made for me over the years. Don’t get rid of those treasures.”

  “Like this?” Nikki held up the dead starfish she’d painted yellow and decorated with stick-on eyes at an island summer camp years ago.

  “That’s Starry! You were so proud of him. Don’t you dare get rid of him.”

  “You’re an overly sentimental pack rat.”

  “Sticks and stones, darling. Tell me you’re doing more than cleaning out the cabinets. Where’s your friend Riley?”

  “He was here last night. We went to the party at his cousin’s house. It was fun.”

  “Isn’t Janey great?”

  “She’s very nice, and her husband is, too.”

  “Joe is a sweetie, and when you live on an island, it’s always good to be in tight with the man who runs the ferries.”

  “Very true.”

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “Who? Joe? No! He’s married.”

  “Nicole Elizabeth, do not get sassy with your old granny. You know I’m talking about Riley.”

  Giggling at the face her grandmother made, Nikki said, “He might’ve kissed me, and I might’ve let him.”

  “Did you now?” Evelyn’s smile lit up her face. “This is such good news.”

  “It was until I had a panic attack.”

  “Oh no. Oh, honey.”

  “It wasn’t the worst one I’ve ever had, but it messed up our evening. He was great about it. Very sweet.” Nikki couldn’t bear to think about it. “But, you know. It was embarrassing.”

  “You can’t help it. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

  “When you’re making out with a hot guy who you really like and then suddenly you can’t breathe—and not in a good way—it’s definitely embarrassing.”

  “I’m sorry that happened, honey. I’d rather hoped the panic attacks were a thing of the past.”

  “You and me both. It was a major bummer, to say the least. But Riley… He was really amazing. I tried to give him an out, but he said he’d talk to me in the morning, and I’ve already heard from him. He’s taking me to see his friend Sydney, who’s an interior designer. She can help me come up with a plan for the kitchen renovation.”

  “Your Riley sounds like a lovely young man.”

  “He is. I just hope he’s not so weirded out by me and all my issues that I’ve ruined any chance of something coming of it.”

  “You should tell him the rest, honey. It would help him to understand.”

  “I hate to think about it, let a
lone talk about it.”

  “I know, but it would be unfortunate if your chance to make something of your friendship with Riley got sidetracked because he doesn’t have all the info he needs to truly understand you.”

  “You’re right,” Nikki said, sighing. “I know you are, it’s just…”

  “Hard.”

  “Yeah.”

  “People like to say that time heals all wounds, but some wounds run so deeply that all the time in the world can’t cure them.”

  Nikki blinked rapidly, trying to contain the tears that appeared out of nowhere. You’d think she’d be used to that by now. Before Griffin and the assault, she’d never been ruled by her emotions. Afterward, she’d been an emotional disaster area.

  “Talk to him, Nikki. Tell him the whole story. Give yourself—and him—an honest chance at true happiness. If it’s the real thing with him, I promise you’ll never regret taking that chance.”

  “Thank you, Gram.”

  “Don’t thank me, honey. All I want is for you and your sister to find what I had with your grandfather. Then I could die happy.”

  “Stop! Don’t even say it.”

  “I’ll die happy many years from now. Better?”

  “No. You can’t ever die. I won’t allow it.”

  Evelyn laughed. “Enough of that morbid business. Tell me more about my new kitchen.”

  Chapter 14

  Riley pulled into the driveway at Eastward Look right on time. He’d been to the gym and to the grocery store to shop for what he needed to make dinner for Nikki later. Depending on Finn’s plans for the evening, he’d either invite her to their place or bring it to hers.

  He still had questions about what exactly had happened last night, but for now, he was choosing not to dwell on that. Rather, he planned to focus on the renovations she wanted to do and how he could help her. That was far less complicated than thinking about why their great night had gone so wrong.

  He’d texted to let her know he was on his way, so she came out when she saw his truck in the driveway.

  She wore a white turtleneck sweater under a down vest with jeans and duck boots. Other than the hint of dark circles under her eyes, she looked fresh and pretty and much better than she had the night before when the devastation had dampened her natural sparkle.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said, saving him the trouble of thinking of a way to say hello that didn’t include the questions he was dying to ask. Are you okay? How did you sleep? Will you please tell me what happened last night?

  “No problem. Syd is great. You’ll love her. She’s married to Luke, who’s Mac’s partner in the construction business—and the marina. They’re like brothers from another mother.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting her and Luke.”

  “They also have a baby girl named Lily. Luke is crazy about that baby. He shows us pictures every day at work.”

  “That’s cute.”

  “He waited a long time to get married and have a family. Mac told me that he and Syd were together for four years when they were younger, but then she went to college, met someone else and married that guy. They had two kids together, and when the kids were seven and five, their car was hit by a drunk driver. The kids and her husband were killed. She lost her whole family that night.”

  “Oh my God. That’s so awful.”

  Riley noticed tears in her eyes and was touched by her compassion for a woman she’d never met. “She and Luke saw each other again a year or so later. They’ve been together again ever since, and now they have Lily.”

  “I give her credit for picking up the pieces that way and taking another chance with Luke. That couldn’t have been easy for her.”

  “From what Mac said, it wasn’t, but Luke never gave up on her. He never stopped loving her, even when she was married to someone else.”

  “That’s very sweet.” After a long period of quiet, during which Riley still wanted to ask her if she was okay, she said, “There was more to what happened to me in college than what I told you last night.”

  “Oh,” he said, feeling woefully unprepared for this. His dad would know exactly what to say and how to deal with whatever she had to tell him. “Okay…”

  “After we see Syd, maybe I could buy you lunch and we could talk?”

  “Sure.” He rubbed the tight knot of stress that formed in his chest as he tried to imagine what she would say and how it might change everything.

  * * *

  Sydney welcomed them into her home with a gracious smile as she held her baby girl on her hip. Her long reddish-blonde hair was captured in a high ponytail, and the house, while stylishly put together, was clearly devoted to the baby and her toys.

  “Pardon the mess,” she said. “Lily has been on a tear this morning.”

  “No problem,” Nikki said. “I appreciate you seeing me on short notice.”

  “When Riley told me you’re Mrs. Hopper’s granddaughter and want to do some renovations to Eastward Look, I jumped at the chance to meet with you.” She put Lily down on an activity mat on the floor. “I’ve always loved the lines of that house and have been dying to see the inside.”

  “Come over whenever you’d like. I’d be happy to show it to you.”

  “I’ll take you up on that.”

  “I absolutely love this room,” Nikki said, taking in the scenic ocean views through big plate-glass windows.

  “Thank you. It was one of my first designs. Can you believe that used to be a wall?” she asked, gesturing to one of two big windows.

  “No, I can’t. Good move to bring in the view.”

  “I thought so, too. Riley says you’re interested in redoing the kitchen and bathrooms at your grandmother’s house?” She picked up an iPad from the coffee table and began to make some notes as she kept a watchful eye on Lily.

  “Yes, they’re original to the house, which means 1950s.”

  “Are you thinking complete gut of the kitchen or partial or what?”

  “My grandmother said to go for it, so probably complete.”

  “That’s exciting! We can reconfigure it any way we want with a full gut.”

  “I have a few ideas about how we might do it. I took some photos of what’s there now, so you can see what I mean.”

  They spent the next hour going through photos and discussing options, while Riley offered construction advice.

  “I’d like to show you the kitchen we just did at the Chesterfield,” Syd said. “It’s similar in size and scope to yours, and Lizzie wanted a coastal theme, too.”

  “I’d love to see it. If you’ve had house curiosity about my grandmother’s home, I’ve had it for the Chesterfield.”

  When Lily began to fuss, Syd scooped her up off the floor and snuggled her, immediately calming the baby. “Jared and Lizzie James have done such a beautiful job of restoring and renovating the public rooms. I’m sure Lizzie would be happy to show you. She’s very proud of it, and rightfully so.”

  They made plans for Syd to come to Eastward Look on Monday morning, and from there, they’d drop by the Chesterfield.

  “I’ll give Lizzie a heads-up,” Syd said. “I hope you don’t mind if I have my little peanut with me. She’s my full-time business associate.”

  “Of course not,” Nikki said. “She’s adorable.”

  “We quite agree.”

  The baby had her mother’s strawberry-blonde hair. Where Syd’s eyes were blue, her daughter’s eyes were more gray than blue. They were wrapping up the meeting when a handsome dark-haired guy came in through the sliding door off the kitchen.

  Lily squealed at the sight of him.

  “Daddy is very popular around here.”

  “I’m coming,” Luke said from the kitchen, where he stopped to wash his hands before joining them.

  “Luke, this is Nikki Stokes, Mrs. Hopper’s granddaughter. Nikki, my husband, Luke Harris.”

  “Good to meet you.” Luke shook Nikki’s hand and took Lily from Syd. “I love your grandmot
her.”

  “We have that in common. She’s awesome.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  After they filled Luke in on the purpose of their meeting, he said to Riley, “You don’t get enough of this stuff eight hours a day?”

  Riley shrugged. “What’s a few more hours to help a friend?”

  “A long-ass day,” Luke said, teasing.

  “I can handle it,” Riley said. “We’re only young once. Have you been working on a boat?”

  “Yep. A 1957 Century Coronado.”

  “Riley told me about your boats.” Nikki asked, “Could I see?”

  “Sure.” To Riley, he said, “Hit the barn on the way out. It’s unlocked. I’m going to spend some time with my girls before naptime.”

  “How do you have time for restoring boats after working eight hours a day?” Riley joked.

  “Ha,” Luke said, grinning. “Touché.” Bouncing the baby on his lap, he smiled when she giggled. “I’m not doing as much of it as I used to. Now I have much better things to do with my time off.”

  “I need to come see the latest with the Wayfarer,” Syd said. “I haven’t been there in weeks. I bet you guys have gotten a lot done.”

  “We’re getting there,” Luke said. “Still got miles to go.”

  “We’ll get it done for the season,” Riley said. “Has Mac said any more about hiring someone to run the place for us?”

  “He’s put out some feelers, but nothing yet. It’s a big deal for someone to move out here for what’s basically a seasonal job.”

  “And an intense one at that.”

  “What kind of person are you looking for?” Nikki asked, feeling a spark of interest—and excitement—at the thought of being involved in a project like the Wayfarer.

  “Someone with banquet, food and beverage experience, some management,” Luke said. “I haven’t seen the full job description. Mac has it.”

  Nikki licked her lips and took the plunge. “I think I’d like to see it.”

  “Really?” Riley asked, his brows lifting.

  Nodding, Nikki said, “I worked for a banquet facility for seven years while I was in high school and college, I worked summers at the Lobster Pot, and I managed my sister’s very high-profile career for the last three years. I think I might be qualified.”