by Marie Force
“You need to put on some clothes.”
“I have clothes on.” Tiffany put her hands on her barely covered hips and met his mulish stare with an even more mulish stare of her own.
“That,” he said, gesturing to the suggestive outfit, “does not count as clothes.”
“Everything is covered.”
“Not covered enough.”
“I asked you to leave.”
“Not until you change.”
“I’m not changing, and you’re leaving.”
“Mac and his brothers are missing.” The moment the words left his mouth, Blaine felt like a total ass for telling her that way. “That’s what I was coming to tell you.”
Her lips parted, and her eyes filled with tears. “What do you mean missing?”
Blaine told her about the crash with the freighter. “There’s one confirmed fatality, but we’re keeping that info close until we know more.”
She bolted for the changing room. “Oh God, I’ve got to get to Maddie. Does she know?”
“Not unless one of the others called her.”
Tiffany emerged from the dressing room wearing jeans and a formfitting T-shirt that Blaine didn’t like much better than the skimpy sailor suit. The woman was too sexy for her own good—and his. When she reached for her purse and keys on the counter, her hands were shaking so badly she dropped the keys.
“I’ll drive you,” he said.
“I can drive myself.”
“Tiffany, you’re upset. Let me take you.”
“Not if you’re going to lecture me about how I choose to run my business.”
“I won’t say another word about it—for now. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Fine. I’ll let you take me to my sister.” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit a number on speed dial. “Mom, I need you to get Ashleigh and Thomas from camp and meet me at Maddie’s.” Tiffany told her mother what’d happened as she followed Blaine from the store. On the sidewalk, she stopped to tell Patty she was in charge at the store for the rest of the day.
“You got it, boss.”
On the way to Maddie’s house, the unusual silence between them grated on Blaine’s already frayed nerves. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I can’t even imagine what’ll become of my sister if he’s dead.”
“He can’t be dead. He’s too vital and too stubborn to die.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked, turning to him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw tears rolling down her cheeks and pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Come here.” He held out his arms to her and was relieved when she allowed him to comfort her. “Try not to think the worst until we know more.”
“It doesn’t sound good, though, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” He rubbed his hand over her back. “Try to get yourself together. She’s going to need you.”
“Yes, you’re right.” She wiped away the tears. “She’s always there for me, so I need to be there for her.”
“That’s the way. Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 24
Three hours later, a subdued group waited for news at McCarthy’s Marina. The unusual quiet in the normally boisterous group told the story of how concerned everyone was.
Big Mac paced relentlessly from one end of the restaurant to the other while Luke kept a watchful eye on him, as if he was waiting for the older man to make a break for his boat to go aid in the search.
In between bouts of weeping, Stephanie cooked for everyone, saying it helped her to stay busy. Grace, Jenny, Laura and Sydney helped her while Joe stood behind Janey, massaging her shoulders and trying to keep her calm.
Seamus O’Grady and Carolina Cantrell came rushing into the restaurant.
“We just heard,” Carolina said as she embraced Linda and then Big Mac. “What can we do?”
“All we’re allowed to do is wait,” Big Mac said, sounding angrier than he had all day. “I’m supposed to sit here and wait and do nothing while my boys are out there possibly fighting for their lives!”
Kara, who was sitting next to Linda, began to cry softly.
Linda slipped an arm around Kara and patted her shoulder.
“There has to be something we can do,” Owen said. He’d done almost as much pacing as Big Mac.
“The fog is as bad as it was earlier,” Seamus said. “Anyone heading out in it would only be adding to the coast guard’s burden.”
“He’s right,” Joe said. “As hard as it is, we have to wait. They’re doing everything they can.”
“They’re going to be fine,” Linda said, and all heads turned to her.
“How do you know that?” her husband asked.
“If they were gone, I’d know,” she said with her hand resting on her heart. “I’d know.” She went over to her husband and took his hand. “Come sit by me while I call Adam. We need to let him know what’s going on.”
Big Mac let his wife lead him to a table away from the others to make the call to their son in New York.
By the time another hour came and went, most of the townspeople had gathered at McCarthy’s to wait for news.
Blaine took advantage of the opportunity for a moment alone with Royal Atkinson. The rotund town councilman gave Blaine an earful about how he could be doing more to keep the “damned kids” from drinking on the town beach.
“You’re absolutely right, Royal. I’ll put some more people on that problem as soon as I figure out what to do about the drunks pouring out of the bars and the moped accidents, not to mention the regular occurrences of domestic violence, the break-ins at the empty summer homes—”
“All right, boy,” Royal grunted. “No need to get cheeky. I get your point.”
“We’ve got a lot of issues on this island—important issues that require the cooperation of all the town’s leaders.”
“I don’t disagree.”
“Then why are you wasting the council’s time trying to run off an honest, tax-paying businesswoman?”
“You talking about that smut shop in town?”
Blaine made an effort to keep his cool. “It’s not a smut shop. Have you been there?”
“I have not,” he said indignantly.
“Maybe you ought to at least stop by and see what it’s about before you decide she’s got no right to be there.”
Royal thought about that for a moment. “I suppose I could do that.”
“Think of it this way—if she’s a big success, the town benefits from the tax revenue. Couldn’t we use some additional revenue?”
“We’re always in need of more money,” he conceded.
“Don’t be too quick to run her off. I think she’s sitting on a gold mine over there.”
Royal’s eyes lit up at the words “gold mine.” “Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, maybe I’ve been a bit…hasty in my judgments.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. Shall I tell Ms. Sturgil she won’t have to worry about facing the council on Monday?”
“Even though Mayor Upton tried to remove it from the agenda because of something to do with his wife, it’s too late to take it off now. We’ve already publicized the agenda.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Blaine’s mind immediately began to race as he thought about how Tiffany might approach the council meeting. As much as she angered him with her advertising, he didn’t want to see her lose the store she’d worked so hard on.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like a pretty young thing as much as the next guy—”
Blaine’s hand rolled into a fist. “I get it, Royal. Enough said.”
“Tell me the truth, Chief. You got a shine for that pretty gal?”
Blaine continued to hold back the urge to punch the lusty look Royal directed at Tiffany off his face. “You could say that.”
“You’re a lucky man.”
When something tu
gged on his pants leg, Blaine looked down to find Ashleigh staring up at him with Tiffany’s big eyes. Ned and Francine had dropped her off at the marina after she had cried for her mother earlier.
She raised her arms to him. “Up.”
Charmed, Blaine reached down and lifted her. The smile she gave him, full of satisfaction after having gotten what she wanted, made him grin for the first time in hours. She would cause her mother a lot of trouble in a few years.
“Excuse me, Royal. This pretty girl requires my attention, and I never say no to pretty girls.”
Ashleigh giggled at him.
“By all means, Chief,” Royal said. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“How are you today, Ms. Ashleigh?” Blaine asked as he moved away from the nosy councilman. He felt the eyes of everyone else on him as he held Tiffany’s daughter. After this, everyone would probably know they were together, which was fine with him—as long as he could convince her to cut out the sex-kitten act in town. Otherwise, they had a possibly insurmountable problem. He’d be goddamned if he would allow his woman to behave that way in public.
His woman… When had he begun to think of her that way? If he were being truthful, probably the first time he ever laid eyes on her.
“I’m sad,” Ashleigh said, drawing him out of his ponderings. “I miss Uncle Mac.”
“I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
As she popped her thumb in her mouth and rested her head on his shoulder, Blaine breathed in the sweet strawberry scent of her shampoo. Like mother, like daughter. Across the room, Blaine caught Tiffany watching them. She’d been by her sister’s side every minute since they broke the news about the accident to Maddie. Like her mother-in-law, Maddie had been rock-solid in her conviction that if Mac were dead, she’d know it. Her cool calm in the face of crisis had been admirable.
Blaine watched as Maddie got up abruptly and rushed outside.
Tiffany followed her, glancing at Blaine to make sure he still had Ashleigh. He waved at her to go ahead and found a seat.
“Are you sad, too?” Ashleigh asked with her thumb still in her mouth.
“I’m more worried than sad.”
“Do you like my mommy?”
Amused by the shift in topic, Blaine said, “I like your mommy very much.”
“She’s a nice mommy.”
“Yes, she is.”
“And a pretty mommy.”
“Very pretty.”
“You’re nice, too.”
“Thank you,” Blaine said with a smile. Could she be any more adorable?
“I’m sleepy.”
“Use my shoulder as a pillow.”
“Okay.” She snuggled into him and let out a deep sigh.
Suddenly exhausted himself, Blaine closed his eyes and rubbed her back. He could get used to this, he decided. He could definitely get used to this, but first he needed to do something about the very pretty mommy strutting around town half naked.
Tiffany chased her sister down the main pier. “Maddie, wait!”
“I need to move. If I don’t move, I’m going to lose my mind.”
When they reached the end of the pier, Maddie stopped and stared into the murkiness. “I can’t bear that he’s out there somewhere, lost in the fog, cold and scared and worried about me worrying about him.”
“They’ll find him. He won’t give up—not when he knows you’re here waiting for him.”
“It’s been a long time, and the water is still really cold.” Maddie hugged herself and shivered. “It’s really cold.”
Tiffany couldn’t think of anything comforting to say to that and was saved by the ringing of Maddie’s cell phone.
“I don’t recognize the number,” she said. “Hello?” She closed her eyes and tears leaked from the corners. “Oh, thank God it’s you. Are you okay?” She paused to listen. “I knew you were fine. I knew it. What about the others?”
Overwhelmed with relief when she realized Mac was on the phone, Tiffany waited breathlessly to hear the report.
“I’ll be here,” Maddie said. “I love you so much. So much.” She ended the call and fell into her sister’s arms, sobbing. “I was s-so scared.”
“You sure didn’t show it,” Tiffany said, clinging to her as tears rolled down her face, too.
“He said they’ve got Evan. The captain was killed on impact, and they’re still looking for Grant and Dan.”
Tiffany said a prayer for them. “Dan has been such a good friend to me. I only talked to him this morning. He told off Jim.”
“Then that makes him my friend, too.” Maddie gave Tiffany a final squeeze before she let go. “Don’t give up hope.”
“We need to tell the others that Mac called.”
“Yes,” Maddie said, wiping her face. “Thank you for propping me up today.”
“That’s what we do for each other.”
Arm in arm, the sisters returned to the restaurant to share the news about Mac’s call. Their announcement was met with mixed emotions. While everyone was elated to hear that Mac and Evan were safe, they wouldn’t be able to celebrate until they heard that Grant and Dan had been found, too.
Stephanie, who’d been a whirling dervish all day, seemed to wilt after hearing there was no word about Grant. Her stepfather, Charlie, put his arm around her and led her away from the group. Tiffany’s heart ached for the pain she saw on Stephanie’s face and was thankful to Charlie for taking care of her friend.
Janey and Joe were talking to Kara, who was crying again after hearing there was no news about Dan.
Tiffany went over to them.
“Hi, Tiffany,” Kara said, brushing away her tears.
To Joe and Janey, Tiffany said, “Could I talk to Kara for a minute?”
“Of course,” Janey said, giving Tiffany a hug. “Thanks for all the support today.”
Startled by Janey’s spontaneous show of affection, Tiffany returned the hug. “I know it’s been an awful day for you.”
Janey’s eyes watered as she nodded. “They’re my stupid brothers, and I love every one of them. The minute I see them, I plan to smack the crap out of them for putting me through this.”
Behind her, Joe smiled. “I’ll help you.”
They wandered off to talk to her parents, and Tiffany sat next to Kara. “How’re you holding up?”
Kara shrugged. “All I can think about is what an awful bitch I was to him this morning.”
“This morning, huh? Does that mean the date went well?”
“You could say that. He loved the dress.” Kara wiped away more tears that seemed to keep coming almost against her will. “Now all I can think about is what if I never see him again and the last thing I said to him was that I didn’t want to see him anymore when that isn’t even true? I certainly got my wish.” She dropped her head to her folded arms, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Tiffany ran her hand over Kara’s back, trying to think of something she could say.
“He’s so annoyingly persistent, you know?”
“He must really like you.”
“I think he does, and I was so mean to him because he freaks me out with how into me he is. What if he’s… God, I can’t even say it.”
“As hard as it is, try not to think the worst until we know more.”
“I’m trying, but I’m not succeeding.”
Tiffany drew Kara into a hug.
“Thank you,” Kara said when she drew back. “You’re a good friend.”
Warmed by the compliment, Tiffany said, “Will you let me know if there’s anything I can do for you?”
Kara nodded and used her sleeve to wipe her face. “I was so mean to him.”
“He’s a big boy, and he doesn’t give up easily.”
“No, he certainly doesn’t,” Kara said with a small laugh.
A quick glance around the room indicated the tension was wearing on everyone, and since Maddie had received good news, Tiffany decided it was time to take Ashleigh home.
With As
hleigh sleeping in his arms, Blaine watched Tiffany come toward them.
“Is she asleep?”
“Has been for a while.”
“I should take her home.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“That’s okay. I can get a ride.”
Blaine wanted to scream. “I said I’d drive you.”
“And I said I don’t want you to. I wouldn’t want you to find some other reason to cite me. Maybe my trash cans are too close to the neighbor’s house or something.”
God, she could be infuriating. “You didn’t give me any choice.”
“We all have choices.”
He glowered at her, holding back a retort that would only make things worse.
“Thank you for watching Ashleigh.” She held out her arms. “Could I please have my daughter?”
“Not unless I can drive you both home.”
“Fine, but you’re not coming in.”
“Who said I wanted to?” Keeping a tight grip on Ashleigh, he stood and gestured for Tiffany to lead the way. She let Maddie know they were going, and as they went through the door, Tiffany stopped short. “What’re you doing here?”
Blaine glanced around her to see Jim staring daggers at him.
“I came to get my daughter,” he said.
“Why?” Tiffany asked. “It’s my night with her.”
“I figured you might be preoccupied with your precious sister and her latest crisis.”
“Watch your mouth, Sturgil,” Blaine said.
“What’s it to you, Chief?”
Before Blaine could fire off a reply, Tiffany said, “Ashleigh is fine. We’re taking her home to bed now.”
“We’re taking her home? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Blaine and I are taking Ashleigh home.”
Jim looked from Tiffany to Blaine and then back to her, his expression stormy. “You two are together?”
“What’s it to you?” Blaine asked, throwing Jim’s words back at him.
“That didn’t take long,” Jim said.
“We’d been waiting,” Tiffany said.
Blaine bit back a laugh and wanted to give her a high five for her audaciousness. She was truly magnificent.