by Marie Force
“There’s some in the garage freezer,” Stephanie said. To Evan, she said, “This might hurt.” She did her best to clean the huge scrapes on his face without hurting him, but he winced more than once.
“Oh my God,” Grace said when she came into the kitchen and stopped short when she caught a look at Evan’s battered face. “What happened?”
Evan went completely rigid.
“Man versus surfboard,” Stephanie said. “Surfboard won.”
Grace came in for a closer look. “Are you okay?”
Stephanie stabbed Evan in the back with her fingernail, hoping to snap him out of his stupor. She really wanted to smack him upside the head!
“I’m fine,” he said without looking at Grace.
Reaching into the first aid kit, Grace found a particular tube of ointment and handed it to Stephanie. “Use this. It’s antibacterial.”
“Why don’t you take over?” Stephanie said. “I’ve got stuff in the oven I need to tend to.”
Evan started to get up. “Wait a minute.”
Stephanie reseated him with a hand to his shoulder. Bending down close to his ear, she said, “Man up.”
As she walked away, she felt his stare burning holes right through her.
Evan wouldn’t have believed this day could get any worse. The last person he’d expected to see at his parents’ house was Grace.
As she dabbed ointment on his wounds, she went out of her way to avoid eye contact. He wanted to ask her why she was there, but he assumed Stephanie had invited her. Or maybe she’d come hoping to see him again? And how did he feel about that?
His every nerve ending felt like it was on fire and not because of his injuries. No, it was her. She was doing it again—whatever it was that she did to him. It was like a spell or something. She only had to touch him and he forgot all about his plans and his rules and his aversion to anything that even resembled a relationship.
“Just so you know,” she said as she dabbed at his wounds, “I’m here because Stephanie asked me to be and not for any other reason.”
“I never thought otherwise,” Evan said, lying through his teeth.
“Good. I wouldn’t want you to think it had anything to do with you, because it doesn’t.”
Well, he thought, that wasn’t very nice, but it was probably the least of what he deserved. He sat still for as long as he could before he grabbed hold of her hand and withdrew it from his face. “That ought to do it.” He tried to ignore the current that traveled through him like lightning when his skin came into contact with hers.
“But there’s a whole area—”
“It’s fine.”
She shrugged and tossed the ointment into the first aid kit. “Suit yourself.”
The potentially awkward moment was diffused by the arrival of Dr. David Lawrence, Victoria Stevens, the nurse practitioner at the clinic, and Seamus O’Grady, who made a beeline for Grace.
Evan watched in stunned amazement as Seamus greeted Grace as if she was his long-lost best friend, making a big production out of hugging her and kissing her cheek.
And Grace! She giggled like a schoolgirl. What the hell was that about? How did they even know each other?
“Gracie, my love, help me find a beer,” Seamus said in the ridiculous accent that made the women swoon. Whatever! “This has been the longest day in the history of long days.”
He thought he’d had a long day? And her name was Grace, not Gracie. Why didn’t she tell the bloody bloke that?
Seamus tucked Grace’s hand into the crook of his arm and whisked her away. She never so much as glanced at Evan as she took off with the Irishman.
After what they’d shared just twenty-four hours earlier, who did she think she was, flaunting another guy right in front of his face? Apparently, she was pissed he hadn’t called her. Maybe he hadn’t called her yet. Had that occurred to her?
Couldn’t a guy take a few hours to get his head together after a woman turns his well-ordered world upside down? And what was with her telling her friends about what’d happened between them? As if a guy could do that and get away with it. Total double standard!
Grant handed him a beer. “Looks like you could use this more than me.”
“What’s the latest protocol on next-day phone calls?” Evan asked his older brother. He kept an eye on Grace and Seamus, who were standing far too close on the back deck. She was wearing a dress that showcased her abundant curves, and Evan rolled his hands into fists to keep from going out there and dragging her away from that Irish charmer.
“What do you mean?” Grant asked.
“You go out with a girl, have a good time and want to see her again. How long do you have to call her before you’ve officially blown it?”
“Define ‘have a good time.’”
“You know. A good time.”
Grant sighed with exasperation. “Sex or no sex?”
Evan wished he’d never started this conversation. “Option A.”
“With sex, I’d say a day. Two at the most.”
“So I’m not a jerk because I left before she was awake and didn’t call her today. I knew it.”
“Wait, whoa. You left before she was awake, and you didn’t call her all day?”
“You just said—”
Grant looked at Grace, who was laughing at every word Seamus had to say. To Evan, her laughter had never been more inappropriate.
“I hate to say it, but you might’ve blown it, bro.”
Hearing his brother say those words, Evan wanted to hit Rewind and undo this entire day. Everything he’d done had been wrong. He wanted to be there when she woke up, share breakfast in bed with her, entice her into the shower and spend the entire day with her. He couldn’t have blown it beyond repair. Not yet.
He stood and headed for the deck.
“Evan!” Grant grabbed his arm. “Wait! Don’t go out there spoiling for a fight. Think about what you’re doing.”
Evan tried unsuccessfully to shake off his brother’s iron grip. “I want to talk to her.”
“She’s talking to Seamus right now. Bide your time. Wait until she’s alone.”
“I don’t want her talking to Seamus,” Evan said, consumed, for the first time in his entire life, by a fit of jealousy so fierce it stole the breath from his lungs.
Grant, that son of a bitch, threw his head back and laughed. “Welcome to the club, my friend.”
Infuriated by his brother’s laughter, Evan said, “What club? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s a super-secret club for guys who’ve lost their minds over a woman. I’m a new member, but Mac, Joe and Luke are veterans. They can probably advise you better than I can.”
“Keep your damned club. I haven’t lost my mind or anything else over her.”
“Then why do you look like you want to go out there and disembowel poor Seamus?”
“I do not look like that.”
Luke hobbled up to them on his crutches. “Whoa,” he said when he got a good look at Evan’s battered face. “Definite improvement.”
Evan scowled at Luke.
“Don’t mind him,” Grant said. “He’s pissed because his lady is talking to someone else.”
“He has a lady?” Luke asked as Mac joined them with Hailey asleep in his arms.
“Who has a lady?” Mac asked
Grant nodded to the deck. “Evan.”
“Evan has a lady?” Mac asked, incredulous.
“I like Grace,” Luke said. “Syd and I met her on the ferry. She’s great.”
“Everyone likes her,” Grant said. “Especially Evan. Right, Ev? Apparently, Seamus likes her, too. That’s making our boy good and mad.”
Since he wasn’t allowed to talk to her at the moment and didn’t feel like listening to any more of his brother’s bullshit, Evan headed upstairs to take a shower.
Their laughter followed him all the way up.
Chapter 20
Emerging from the shower, Evan blotted wate
r from his face, which was starting to seriously hurt. He threw on shorts and a T-shirt and sat on the bed in his childhood room. Everything was just as he’d left it—surfing posters, trophies, photos of Cindy Crawford, his first celebrity crush, posters of the metal bands he’d loved back then, and the mystery novels he’d devoured as a kid. When was the last time he’d read a book? He couldn’t remember.
Looking to kill some time before he returned to the party (because he refused to hide out and he wanted to know if Grace was still talking to Seamus), Evan picked up his cell phone to return the call from his manager, Jack Beaumont.
“Evan,” Jack said, sounding relieved. “I’m glad to hear back from you.”
Jack’s unusually somber tone put Evan instantly on alert. “What’s going on?”
“I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”
Evan sat perfectly still as he listened to Jack’s recitation of how Evan’s recording company, Starlight Records, had filed for bankruptcy over the weekend and how all its assets—including Evan’s record—were tied up in the legal proceedings.
He should’ve known. It had all been too perfect. From the first meeting with Starlight to the recording process to the demos, it had been too smooth. Something was bound to go wrong, because it would’ve been too much to hope that the CD would be released on time and launch the career he’d worked so hard for all these years.
“There is some good news,” Jack was saying when Evan tuned back in. “Are you still with me? Evan?”
Clearing the lump from his throat, Evan said, “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Word is that Buddy Longstreet’s company, Long Road Records, has been in touch with the attorneys for Starlight. Buddy wants to buy your record from them and put it out under his label. If that happens, you’re totally golden—even more so than you would’ve been with Starlight.”
He didn’t have to tell Evan that. Long Road was one of the top dogs in Nashville whereas Starlight was small potatoes. Nonetheless, Evan had been thrilled to ink a deal with them after years of trying to get noticed in the business. “And if it doesn’t?”
“Well, then I guess you’re fucked until the bankruptcy proceedings wind through the courts.”
Jack didn’t have to tell him that would take years.
“What would that mean for the tour?”
“I haven’t heard anything for certain, but I assume there’s no tour without the CD. We’ll have to wait to hear from Buddy’s people.”
As he tried to frantically process the implications, Evan’s head spun and his stomach churned.
“I know this is a huge disappointment to you,” Jack said. “Hell, it is to me, too. But there’s still a chance it’ll all work out. Say your prayers.”
“I’ll get right on that. Would it help anything if I came there?”
“Nah, sit tight and let the suits figure it out. I’ve got our attorneys working the phones. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything more. I’m real sorry, Evan.”
“Me, too.” As he ended the call and tossed the phone aside, Evan wished he’d never bothered to return the call. Ignorance was truly bliss. After a day this crappy, there was really only one thing to do—get good and stinking drunk.
With that goal in mind, Evan got up and headed back downstairs.
Grant gathered everyone into the family room, keeping a watchful eye on Stephanie. He’d been shocked when she suggested they host the party for Abby. It was awfully good of her to be so generous toward his ex-girlfriend. When he’d said as much to her, she’d replied, “She’s no threat to me. She’s in love with Cal.” Grant smiled, remembering how he’d added, “And I’m in love with you.”
Watching Stephanie interact with his family and friends as if she’d been part of their lives for years rather than months, Grant was filled with excitement about all they had to look forward to. In a few months, after they got her stepfather out of jail, Grant would ask her to marry him. Since she’d been denied so much in her life, he wanted to give her everything, including a proposal she’d never forget.
But tonight was all about Abby, so Grant gave a short whistle to quiet the boisterous group. When he had their attention, he turned to the woman who’d been at the center of his life for close to a decade, until she got tired of waiting for him to pay attention to their relationship. Grant was thankful they’d been able to maintain their friendship after they broke up.
“Abby, we’ve all come here tonight to wish you—and Cal—well in your new lives in Texas. We want you to know we’ll miss you both, and we hope you’ll get back here to visit once in a while. We’re also pulling for Cal’s mom to make a full recovery.”
“Hear, hear,” Ned Saunders said.
With tears in her big brown eyes, Abby stood to hug Grant. “Thank you, Grant—and Stephanie—for hosting this lovely party,” Abby said, wiping her eyes as she spoke. “I’m so happy to be able to see everyone before I leave but also sad to know it’ll be a while before we’re together again. Please know how much I love you and how much I’ll miss you. Any time you feel like getting off the island, come on down to Austin. Our door will always be open.”
As Abby handed out hugs to her friends, Grant noticed Evan had reappeared and was hovering in the doorway. Immediately, his brother zeroed in on Grace, who was sitting next to Seamus on the sofa. Evan, the poor bastard, looked like he’d been hit by a bus. Grant wondered if he’d looked that pathetic when he’d been fighting what he felt for Stephanie. With hindsight, he could see what a stupid waste of time that had been.
Watching her hug Abby as if they were old friends, Grant decided if he’d been pathetic, it was well worth it. She was well worth it.
The party was starting to wind down when someone pounded on the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Mac said. On his parents’ front porch was a man he’d never seen before. He was tall with gray hair and a scowl on a face that might’ve once been handsome. “Hi, there. Help you with something?”
“I’m looking for Francine Chester and her daughters, Maddie and Tiffany. Someone told me they might be here.”
Instantly on alert, Mac stood up a little straighter. “Who wants to know?”
“None of your business. Just answer the question.”
Mac pushed open the screen door and stepped onto the deck, pulling the inside door closed behind him. “Since this is my family’s home and one of the women you’re looking for is my wife, I’d say it’s very much my business.”
“So you’re the McCarthy kid Maddie married.”
The statement was said with such disdain and condescension that Mac chose not to dignify it with a response. “And you are?”
“Your father-in-law.”
Even though he was shocked, Mac went out of his way to deny Bobby Chester the satisfaction of the big reaction he so clearly wanted. “I don’t have a father-in-law.”
“You do now. I want to see my wife and daughters. Immediately.”
“They don’t want to see you.”
“And you speak for them?”
“You bet I do. The only thing they want from you is a divorce so Francine can marry the man she loves—the man she’s always loved.”
Bobby’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”
Mac caught a whiff of liquor on the older man’s breath. “It means, you son of a bitch, you can’t come back here thirty years after you left them and think you can pick right up like nothing ever happened. You’re nothing to them. In fact, you’re less than nothing.”
Bobby’s right hand rolled into a fist.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me like that. This is none of your business.”
“Anything that affects my wife and her family is my business. Now, I want you to turn around and get the hell out of here before I call my friend the police chief to come out here and take out the trash.”
The inside door swung open. “Mac? Are you out there?”
/> “Go back inside, Maddie. I’ll be right there.”
“Does the little woman always do what you tell her to do?”
It took all the self-control Mac possessed not to deck the guy.
Despite Mac’s overwhelming desire to protect her from ever having to see her deadbeat father again, Maddie came outside. She rested a hand on Mac’s arm, which had an instant calming effect on him. He had no idea how she did that.
“What do you want?” she asked her father.
“I want to talk to you and your mother and your sister.”
“We have nothing to say to you. You should go now.”
Bobby crossed his arms over his chest in a mulish gesture that reminded Mac of something Thomas might do. “I’m not going anywhere until I talk to the three of you.”
“Come on, Mac,” Maddie said, taking Mac’s hand. “Let’s go back inside to our friends.”
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, young lady,” Bobby said.
“Why not?” Maddie amazed Mac with her calm when he knew she had to be falling apart inside. “Isn’t that what you did to me?”
Mac could see that her comment scored a direct hit with her father.
“I need to talk to you,” Bobby said, sounding more desperate than belligerent now. “Please.”
“I’m sorry,” Maddie said, unfailingly polite even when she had no reason to be. “But that’s not going to happen.”
“Until you and your sister spend some time with me—and I’m talking more than five minutes—there’ll be no divorce.”
With that, Bobby finally got Maddie’s attention. She stared at him, agog. “You can’t be serious.”
Mac slipped an arm around her, wanting to shield her from the pain and hoping to hold himself back from physically harming her father, since he knew she wouldn’t appreciate that.
“I’m dead serious. If I give her the divorce, I’ll never see any of you again.”
“You lost the right to see us when you walked away without a word.”
“I was young and stupid and overwhelmed by the responsibility.”
Maddie’s entire body stiffened. “Do you think I’m not overwhelmed by the responsibility for my children? Do you think I wasn’t overwhelmed when my son’s biological father left me without even knowing I was pregnant? I never once, during the most difficult years of my life, considered leaving my child. Not once.”