Blackout After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 23

by Marie Force

  “I’ll wait for you out front.”

  “Thanks.” Shannon was so good about rolling with her crazy schedule and the way babies arrived at the most inconvenient of times, such as when she had a lunch date with her love.

  Victoria joined David in the delivery room, where he was talking to Jessie about the baby. “We’re just going to take a quick look to make sure she’s nice and healthy. Is that all right?”

  “Sure.” She handed the baby over to him, and he took her to a nearby table with a warming light and the items he needed to fully assess her. “She’s okay, right?”

  “She seems perfect,” David said. “We’re just making sure. So how long have you lived on Gansett?”

  “Just about a month or so. I came to work at the Beachcomber this summer.”

  “Are you planning to stay for the off-season?” Victoria asked, making an effort to keep the questions casual and friendly.

  “I… I’m not sure yet.”

  “Is the baby’s father here with you?”

  Jessie shook her head and looked away, sending the message that the subject was off-limits.

  “I have to be honest that I’m concerned about you going home with a newborn if you don’t have any support,” Vic said. “Especially with the power out for who knows how long.”

  “We’ll be okay. I… I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

  “Do you have a car seat?”

  “I don’t have a car, so I don’t need a seat.”

  “What about a crib?”

  “I was going to use a dresser drawer to start with. My mom did that with us.”

  “Is your mom around? Could she come and help?”

  “She died six years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too. She was my best friend.”

  “Do you have a friend here on the island who might be able to help out for a while?”

  “Not really. I haven’t been here that long.”

  “Are you staying in the Beachcomber’s employee housing?”

  “Yeah.”

  Victoria didn’t think that was the right environment for a baby, as the seasonal employee housing tended to be party hot spots. “This community is pretty awesome, and if I put out the word that we have a new mom in need of some help and support, people would be happy to help.”

  “I’m not looking for charity.”

  “I’m not offering charity. I’m talking about the kind of help that every new mom needs.”

  “I… I just don’t know.”

  Victoria squeezed her arm. “Think about it. No need to decide anything right this minute.”

  David brought the baby back to Jessie. “She’s robustly healthy and scored high on all her tests.”

  “Oh good,” Jessie said as she took the baby from him. “That’s good news.”

  The awkward way in which she handled the baby indicated to Victoria that she hadn’t had much experience with newborns.

  “Make sure to support her head.” Victoria adjusted the baby so her head was better positioned. “Her neck isn’t strong yet.”

  “How do people know this stuff before they have a baby?”

  “Well, there’re books and websites and stuff. I have a couple of books I could lend you, if you’d like.”

  “That would be great. I don’t know much about babies.”

  “And that’s why I’d like to get you some help, Jessie. I know of an awesome group of women who’ll take you under their wings and show you the ropes. All you have to do is let them.”

  Jessie rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Are you sure it’s not charity?”

  “I’m very sure. It’s people helping people.”

  “I guess that would be okay, then.”

  “Great, while you girls get some rest, I’ll make a few calls.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s no problem at all.”

  David followed Victoria from the room. “What’s your plan?”

  “My first call will be to Lizzie James.”

  He snorted out a laugh. “Calling in the big guns.”

  “Go big or go home. Will you keep an eye on them while I grab a quick lunch with Shannon?”

  “Yep.”

  “You want anything?”

  “I’m good. Daisy made me a lunch.”

  “You’re so spoiled.”

  “I know! I tell her she doesn’t have to, but she wants to. She loves her new kitchen so much that she’ll take any chance she gets to be in there.” He patted his belly, which was as flat as ever. “She’s trying to fatten me up before the wedding.”

  “She’s only got a few weeks to go. I hope she’s cooking round the clock.”

  “Every chance she gets.”

  “You hearing anything about the power?”

  “Only that it’s out to the entire island.”

  “Fantastic. It’s gonna be a hot night in the old town tonight.”

  “Sure is. Go have lunch. I’ll be here for a while longer.”

  “Thanks.” They were both due to attend Charlie and Sarah’s party later, but they’d come in that morning to see patients who worked during the week and couldn’t get to the clinic. Jessie had shown up earlier in full labor.

  Victoria grabbed her purse from her office and ran out to join Shannon, who was between runs on the ferry. Since he had to leave again at one thirty, they had an hour. “Sorry, sorry,” she said when she found him sitting on one of the benches outside the clinic, his face tipped into the sun. “Babies don’t care about lunch plans.”

  “They don’t care about anything but themselves,” he said in the lovely Irish accent that had become the soundtrack to her life with him. “Selfish buggers.” He slung an arm around her shoulders. “How about outside at the Wayfarer today? I heard they’re cooking burgers on the grill, but that’s about it with the power out.”

  “A burger sounds good.” Since it was only a few minutes away, they walked down the hill into town.

  “So what’d she have? A boy or girl?”

  “A girl, and the poor thing had to give birth with crappy AC in this hideous heat. What’re you hearing about the power failure?”

  “That it’s island wide and could be out for days.”

  She groaned. “God, that would suck. It’s so hot.” As they walked, Victoria sent a text to Lizzie James, wife of billionaire investor Jared James, who’d once told her to reach out if she heard of anyone in need. Give me a call when you have a minute. Her phone rang ten seconds after she sent the text. To Shannon, Vic said, “Sorry, got to take this.”

  “Do your thing, love. No worries.”

  He was the best at rolling with the never-ending demands of being the island’s only nurse practitioner-midwife and someone almost always needing her for something.

  “Hey, Lizzie. Thanks for calling.”

  “No problem. How’re you holding up over there without power?”

  “Not great. The generator is running, but the AC is tepid at best.”

  “Ugh, hope it won’t be out for long. What’s up?”

  “You mentioned once that I should call you if I encountered someone who could use some help. I have a young single mom at the clinic. She came out to work for the Beachcomber this summer and just had a baby. I don’t think she has anyone or anything—”

  “Say no more. I’m on it.”

  “You’re the best. She’s a bit overwhelmed, to say the least.”

  “I can only imagine. We’ll take care of her.”

  “Thank you so much, Lizzie.”

  “Thanks for calling me. I’ll come by the clinic this afternoon to see her.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Victoria ended the call and put the phone in her pocket, determined to give Shannon her full attention for the rare moment they’d stolen in the midst of a workday. Ever since they’d committed to spending their lives together, he’d been making a huge effort to ensure she was happy—and doing a fantastic job of it by inviting her to lunch between
runs, among many other things that had made her feel loved and settled in their relationship.

  He was like a different man since he’d unburdened himself to her by sharing the devastating details of his love Fiona’s murder and the years of horrific grief that’d followed. More important, though, he’d given himself permission to be happy again, which had been key to their ability to move forward together.

  “So my aunt, my mam and my da are talking about coming for a visit in the fall,” he said.

  “Your aunt who’s Seamus’s mom?”

  “That’s the one. My mam and da want to meet the young lady who has me tied to a tiny island in the US.”

  “You’re not exactly tied.”

  “Aren’t I, though? Roped and shackled.” He made a dramatic display of dragging a pretend ball and chain attached to his leg.

  “Be careful, O’Grady. Or your ball and chain won’t be friendly at bedtime.”

  His laughter delighted her. “You know I’m happily chained to the smart, sexy, beautiful Nurse Stevens who saved me from myself by forcing me to fall in love with her.”

  “I did some of my best work with you.”

  “That you did, love. So I was thinking, as long as my family is going to be here, maybe we could, you know, make our arrangement a little more… you know, official.”

  Confused and charmed by his stumbling words when he was usually the king of elocution, Victoria looked up at him just as he stopped walking and dropped to his knee right there on the sidewalk in downtown Gansett. “What’re you doing?”

  He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I had this whole thing planned for tonight, but I can’t wait another minute to ask you…” He looked up at her with gorgeous green eyes filled with love and the hint of sadness that would forever be part of who he was now.

  “Ask me what?” she asked, breathless. She needed to hear him say the words.

  “Will you marry me, Vic? Will you—”

  “Yes!”

  Smiling up at her, he said, “I wasn’t finished, but ‘yes’ is a good word.”

  She reached for him, tugging him up and throwing herself into his arms.

  “If you’d let me finish, you would’ve heard about how much I love you and how completely you saved my life by loving me back.”

  “I love you just as much, and I can’t wait to marry you. Thank you for asking me.”

  He gazed down at her, smiling as big as he ever did. “Thanks for saying yes. When we get home, I’ll give you the ring I got you.”

  Chapter 11

  Lizzie gathered her things into the bag she’d brought out to the pool—sunscreen, e-reader, lip balm, water bottle, towel.

  “Where’re you going?” Jared asked from the next lounge where he’d been dozing.

  They’d been enjoying a rare day off together when she got the call from Victoria. She was between weddings at the Chesterfield, and he’d taken the power failure and the subsequent internet outage as a sign that he should take the rest of the day off from managing his portfolio online. “I’m needed in town.”

  “You’re needed here.”

  Lizzie stopped by his chair to give him a kiss. “I’m needed more there.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Victoria Stevens called from the clinic to tell me there’s a new mom with no support of any kind.”

  Jared reached up to take her hand. “Are you sure that’s something you should be getting involved in?”

  “I’m fine. I swear.” After bending to leave him with another kiss, she walked inside to get ready.

  She loved him for asking whether she ought to be going on this mission, especially right now. Their third round of IVF had recently failed, and they were both still recovering from the disappointment that seemed to get bigger with every subsequent failure. This one had been particularly devastating for her, mostly because she wasn’t sure she could go through the process again. It’d been grueling—appointments, procedures, shots, tests—and all for nothing in the end.

  Lizzie hadn’t said much to Jared yet about how she was feeling, but she’d hit her limit, for now anyway. He’d been wonderful through it all, supportive, loving, encouraging, optimistic. She couldn’t have asked for anything more from him, but the toll on their emotions had become almost unbearable.

  As she took a quick shower and got dressed, she thought about what they’d been through in the last nine months and how they were no closer to having a baby than they’d been at the start. And what was worse, none of the many specialists they’d consulted could tell them why she was unable to conceive.

  If only they knew why, at least it would make some sense. As it was, nothing made sense. By all accounts, they were a perfectly healthy young couple who should’ve been able to conceive without a problem. But that hadn’t happened, and now the realization was setting in that it might never happen.

  Which was the reason for Jared’s concern about her getting involved in a situation that involved a newborn. Hell, she was concerned, too, but she couldn’t bear to know of someone in need of help that she could easily provide. That’s what she did. She got involved and lent a hand to anyone who needed it. She’d married a fabulously wealthy man, even though she’d had reservations about how she could continue to be true to herself while being married to someone with his resources.

  What she’d since learned was that she could do a lot of good with his money—or as he liked to remind her, their money—and she’d taken full advantage of his willingness to make her happy by investing in things like the Chesterfield Estate and the senior health care facility they’d founded on the island. The center was now fully occupied with residents who’d be living on the mainland, away from their families, without their facility.

  Her life with Jared was wonderful in every possible way, except for their inability to have a baby. She knew she had nothing at all to complain about, but her heart ached, nonetheless.

  Her gorgeous husband was waiting for her when she emerged from their master bathroom. He sat on the bed, bare-chested, his jaw scruffy and his blond hair messy and still damp from a recent dip in the pool. To look at him in his relaxed state, you’d never guess that he was a self-made billionaire. But underneath his casual exterior was a sharply intelligent, brilliant, loving man.

  “Whatcha looking at?” he asked with a playful grin, even as he gazed at her with concern she recognized from the last few difficult months.

  “My sexy husband. That’s allowed, right?”

  “Hell yes, that’s allowed.” He held out his hands to her, and she went to him, letting him wrap his arms around her as he pressed his lips to her abdomen. “I need a favor.”

  “What’s that?” she asked as she straightened his messy hair.

  He looked up at her, his gaze full of love. “This new mom in town who needs help… Let’s give her money and stay out of it otherwise.”

  His softly spoken plea went straight to her heart, leaving a lump of emotion in her throat.

  She certainly understood what he was asking her and why, and she’d had the same thoughts herself.

  “I love you so much for so many reasons,” he said, “but mostly I love your big heart and how giving you are to people in need. But this… This is too much right now, honey.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, and I love you for being concerned about me, but I’m okay. And I’m not just saying that. Yes, I’m disappointed and heartbroken that the latest round didn’t work, but I’m trying to accept that it’s just not meant to be for us. At least not now.”

  “You’ve been so strong, but the last thing you need is to be involved with a newborn.”

  “Maybe it’s just what I need, to see that life goes on even when I’m disappointed and heartbroken. I promise you, if it’s too much for me, I’ll make arrangements for her to have what she needs and come home. I promise.”

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right.” His phone chimed with the tone he’d set for his brother
Cooper, a farting noise that always made them laugh, and now was no exception.

  “Leave it to Coop to break the tension,” Jared said as he released her to fish the phone out of the pocket of his cargo-style bathing suit.

  “What’s he up to?”

  As Jared read the text, his eyes widened. “He says he’s coming out on the three o’clock boat so he can be here for Quinn’s wedding. I can tell him this isn’t a good time for us.”

  “No, let him come, Jared. He’s always fun to be with, and we could use some comic relief around here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. It’s fine.” She leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll be back in a while.”

  “Take care of my sweet Lizzie and her soft heart, you hear me?”

  “I will. I promise.”

  He gave her another tight hug, let her go and then got up to walk her out to the car. “Drive carefully,” he said as he closed the door on her silver Land Rover.

  She waved as she backed out and headed for town, hoping she could handle this mission she was embarking on.

  Chapter 12

  “I’m so hot I feel like I’m going to expire right on the spot,” Jenny Martinez said to her husband, Alex, as they worked together at the retail store attached to Martinez Lawn & Garden. While their baby son, George, slept in a portable crib in the back room, they were trying to reconcile the day’s receipts by hand since their computer had gone down when they lost power.

  “I’m having memories of flying tomatoes,” Alex said, grinning as he referred to the day they met.

  “I think it’s hotter now than it was then, and I wouldn’t have thought it possible to be hotter than that.”

  “We do our best work in the heat.” Alex came up behind her to cup her ass and give it a squeeze. “Remember that first week?” He kissed her neck and took a little nibble that sent a zing of sensation through her that converged in a twinge between her legs.

  “How could I ever forget?”

  “We should do a re-creation out at the lighthouse.”

  “I heard there are new keepers moving in. We don’t need to shock them on their first day.”