Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series)

by Marie Force

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Send her in, please.”

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in the exam rooms.”

  David felt his face heat like an embarrassed schoolboy. “Victoria!” he said in a low growl.

  “I’m going, I’m going!”

  Rattled by Victoria’s insinuations—and how close to home they struck—he ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it after the long day at the clinic and stood to tuck in his shirttail. Why was he primping for her?

  She came around the corner a minute later, her sweet smile leading the way as she proceeded hesitantly. Her long blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and her big blue eyes were luminous and bright with excitement. Even though her face still bore the yellowing bruises from Truck’s assault, she looked a little better every day.

  He’d enjoyed watching her become less timid and more confident as she recovered from her injuries. After a few days of checking on her at home after work, David had stopped himself from going back again. She was on the mend and didn’t need to be checked every day.

  Once he’d stopped going to her, however, she’d started coming to him. He told himself it didn’t mean anything. They’d struck up an unlikely friendship after the incident with her ex. That’s all it was. Except that he’d come to look forward to talking with her, to hearing her opinions and insightful thoughts on whatever was on his mind.

  “David? Are you okay?”

  He realized he was staring at her and blinked—twice—to clear his muddled brain. “Yes, sorry. Come in. Have a seat.” It had taken some doing to get her to call him by his first name, and he was pleased she’d taken that step.

  “Am I bothering you?”

  He sat in the chair behind his desk. “Not at all. I was just catching up on some paperwork.” Gesturing to the stack of charts on his desk, he said, “It never ends.”

  “I brought you some of the pot roast one of my friends made for me.”

  David’s mouth watered as the smell reached him at the same moment the words pot roast registered in his brain. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “If you keep forgetting to eat, you won’t be much good to your patients.”

  “You sound like my mother.”

  Her soft peal of laughter made David feel ten feet tall. “Something tells me that’s not a compliment.”

  “She likes to fuss over me, too.”

  “Is that what I’m doing? Fussing over you?”

  “I’m not sure. Are you?”

  “I…I probably shouldn’t have come.” She looked uncertain again, and David hated himself for messing with her hard-won confidence.

  “Why did you come, Daisy?”

  Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth.

  David fixated on her mouth, which was almost too lush for her small-boned face. It occurred to him that he’d thought about that mouth and those lips far more often than he should have over the last few days. What was wrong with him? She was a patient, a woman who’d been battered by the man she thought she loved. She didn’t need him thinking about her mouth, for crying out loud.

  “David?”

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  She stood. “I should go.”

  He rushed to his feet. “No, don’t.”

  “I, um…”

  “Please stay. Tell me why you came.”

  “Are you listening this time?”

  Smiling, David went around the desk and leaned against it so he was closer to her as she settled back into the chair. “Yes.”

  “I was saying that I enjoyed talking to you when you came to see me. I thought maybe you might’ve enjoyed it, too.”

  “I did.” He glanced at the container she held. “That smells really good.”

  She tipped her head and studied him, seeming amused. “Tell me the truth—did you forget to eat again?”

  “Maybe. We’ve been slammed with the stomach flu that’s led to lots of dehydrated patients. I admitted several of them, in fact, so I’ll be staying here tonight.” He stopped himself when he realized he was rambling. “But you don’t care about that.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m interested in your work.”

  “Oh. You are?”

  She nodded and handed him the container. “It needs about two minutes in the microwave.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate this.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said with a shrug.

  “It’s not nothing. It’s very thoughtful.”

  Her smile lit up her sweet face, and David was astonished by the wave of tenderness and longing he experienced when he made her smile. “Are you in a rush?”

  “Nope. Nowhere to be until next week when I go back to work.”

  “In that case, maybe you could stick around to keep me company while I eat?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Adam left his parents’ house and walked into town, checking all the usual haunts he and his brothers preferred along the way, but no one had seen Grant all day. In town, he thought about walking to the end of the breakwater to see if Grant had been foolish enough to venture out there alone—in the dark—but thought better of it. If he was out there, he was on his own. Adam didn’t see the point in risking his own safety on what was probably a fool’s errand anyway.

  At the Sand & Surf, he ducked inside to see if Grant had turned up there. His cousin Laura was working the front desk and let out a happy squeal when she saw him. She got up fast and then sat back down just as quickly.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as he went around the reception desk to hug her.

  “Bouncing back slowly from the stomach bug,” she said, grimacing. “Too slowly.”

  On closer inspection, he discovered her face was unusually pale and drawn. “I heard it whipped through the island.”

  She nodded. “I was one of the unlucky ones who got it, but I can’t seem to shake it off. It lasted twenty-four hours for everyone else. Figures, right? But you’re not here to listen to me complain. I was sorry I couldn’t make your dinner. Our front-desk person called in sick, so I’m covering for her.”

  “You missed the grand unveiling of Gansett’s newest couple.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Seamus O’Grady and Carolina Cantrell.”

  Laura’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. “Get outta here. Really?”

  “Yep. Although I think he’s a lot more relaxed about it than she is. She broke out in hives in the middle of dinner.”

  “Holy cow! This is huge! Janey has been holding out on me.”

  “On everyone, apparently. Besides Joe and Janey, who only recently found out, no one knew except for my mom, and she only heard about it today.”

  “Very interesting. I’ll have to get the scoop from Janey. So what’re you doing home?”

  “Came to check on the boys and see my folks. Crazy doings around here lately.”

  “You know it,” Laura said, shaking her head and making her blonde ponytail swing side to side. Her blue eyes filled with tears. “That was one long-ass awful day.”

  Adam hugged the cousin who’d been like a second sister to him.

  “I cry every time I think about it,” Laura said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “You haven’t seen Grant tonight, have you?”

  “No, he hasn’t been in.”

  “Does he usually come by?”

  “If Steph is working, he stops in for a drink or dinner. I haven’t seen her tonight, though.”

  Laura’s fiancé Owen Lawry came in from the porch, carrying his guitar like a backpack. “I finished my set, babe. Want to get something to eat? Oh, hey, Adam. What’s up, man?”

  Adam greeted his old friend with a hug. “Just looking for my wayward brother.”

  “Which one?”

  “Grant.”

  “Haven’t seen him today. Did you look at Sam’s? Or Celtica?”

  Adam nodded. “Checked all the usual places. No one’s seen h
im, and he’s not answering his phone.”

  Owen and Laura exchanged glances.

  “What?” Adam asked, as a sinking feeling attacked his stomach.

  “He’s been…kinda off since the accident,” Owen said. “Definitely not himself.”

  “So I’ve heard and seen for myself. If you see him, give me a call, will you?”

  “Sure,” Owen said. “Will do.”

  “You don’t think he’s with Abby, do you?” Laura asked softly.

  Thunderstruck, Adam stared at his cousin. The thought had never occurred to him. “As far as I know, he doesn’t even know she’s home.”

  “Still,” Laura said, “might be worth checking.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “While you’re home,” Laura said, “I could use your expertise with our reservation system. It’s giving us fits.”

  “I’d be happy to take a look.”

  “Thanks.” Laura covered her mouth and braced a hand on her desk.

  Owen stepped closer to her, gripping her shoulder. “Babe? What’s wrong?”

  “Nauseous. Again.”

  “Ugh, that damned flu is hanging on. Let’s get you upstairs. I’ll get Holden from my mom, and she can come down to cover for you here.”

  “She’s got a date with Charlie tonight.” For Adam’s benefit, she added, “She’s been seeing Stephanie’s stepdad.”

  “Sounds like an outbreak of romance around here. Good for them.”

  “We think so, too,” Owen said, as he held out a hand to Laura.

  “I’ll watch the desk until Sarah comes down,” Adam said.

  “Thank you.” Laura gave him another quick hug. “So nice to have you home, cousin.”

  “Good to be here. Feel better.” As Adam watched Laura and Owen go up the stairs arm in arm, he experienced a pang of yearning. He’d had that—or so he’d thought. Watching his cousin and friend together, so obviously in love, made Adam long for what they had, to have what each of his siblings had found with their partners in the last few years.

  Growing up in a family of five kids, surrounded by cousins and friends, there hadn’t been much opportunity to be lonely, and he’d been too damned busy building his business over the last fourteen years to have time for loneliness. But now, leaning against the reception desk at the Sand & Surf, Adam felt more alone than he had in a long time.

  “Here I come, Adam!” Sarah Lawry called a few minutes later as she came down the stairs.

  Adam snapped out of his funk as she approached the registration desk, out of breath from the sprint through the hotel.

  Sarah gave Adam a peck on the cheek. “So nice to have you home, and thank you for covering the desk.”

  “You must not have had much faith in my abilities if you ran from wherever you were to get down here to relieve me.”

  Sarah laughed and patted his arm. “We had full confidence, but Laura said she was certain you had better things to do than watch our desk.”

  “I was happy to do it.”

  Stephanie’s stepfather, Charlie Grandchamp, came into the hotel. His gray hair was cut into a severe-looking buzz cut, but his entire demeanor softened at the sight of Sarah at the desk, and his blue eyes positively twinkled. There was no other word for it.

  Sarah’s face turned bright red, which Adam thought was adorable. “You know Grant’s brother Adam, right?” she said to Charlie.

  “Sure.” Charlie shook hands with Adam. “Good to see you.”

  “Likewise.” Watching the way Charlie and Sarah looked at each other, Adam experienced yet another craving to be part of something so sweet and sincere. He hadn’t found it yet. Sasha had never turned red at the sight of him. That was for sure.

  “I can stay if you guys have plans,” Adam said.

  “It’s nothing that won’t keep,” Charlie said.

  “The overnight girl gets here in half an hour,” Sarah said.

  Charlie plopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the lobby reception area. “I can wait.”

  Adam was about to say his good-byes and continue the search for Grant when Stephanie came in.

  “Oh, hey, guys,” she said, bending to kiss her dad. “What’s going on?”

  “Just waiting for Sarah to be done with work,” Charlie said.

  “Any sign of Grant?” Adam asked.

  As Stephanie shook her head, her lips set with displeasure. “I went home to see if he was there. He wasn’t, but his phone was, which is why he’s not answering. I can’t imagine where he is. I was going to check on the restaurant and then head over to the Beachcomber to see if he might be there.”

  “I’ll do that,” Adam said.

  “Thanks, Adam. Send me a text if you find him.”

  “You do the same.”

  “I will.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine, honey,” Charlie said to his daughter. “Probably went for a walk or something and lost track of time.”

  “Yeah,” Stephanie said. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”

  Adam could tell by the tension he saw around her eyes and mouth that she was downplaying her concerns, which made him even more determined to find his brother.

  Chapter 7

  With the sun heading for the horizon, Kara Ballard brought her launch to a smooth landing at the floating dock next to McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and helped her passengers disembark. After an endless day on the water, she was ready for some dinner and some peace. She would get the former, but the latter was hardly assured.

  Her routine over the last week had been to work all day, pick up something for dinner and then head over to Dan Torrington’s place, where she helped him by typing up the notes he’d made during the day for the memoir he’d been working on before the accident. Fortunately, he was left-handed so he could still write longhand, but the bulky cast on his broken right arm made it impossible for him to type.

  They’d talked about getting software that could type for him, but Kara was helping him edit as they went along, so this system was working for him. With his book deadline looming, he needed all the help he could get.

  Kara had willingly volunteered to type for him, but he’d been grumpy and out of sorts since the accident. Not that she blamed him. He’d been through a traumatic thing, but sometimes she wanted to remind him that his injuries and limitations weren’t her fault. She was trying to help him, not that he seemed to appreciate that very much.

  For a brief period this afternoon, she’d considered taking a night off from going to Dan’s, but her worries over what he’d eat for dinner as well as her concerns about his deadline had her turning over the launch to her relief driver and heading up the main dock at McCarthy’s.

  She stopped at home to shower off the sunscreen and salt spray, changed into shorts and a tank top, grabbed a sweatshirt and called in a takeout order to Mario’s. By now she knew that Dan was extremely fond of Mario’s fettuccine alfredo. Despite her efforts to get him to try something else, he asked for the same thing every day and always insisted on paying for the food.

  So they’d slipped into this odd routine without a mention of the night they’d spent together or the awkward parting the morning after when he left to join his friend Grant and Grant’s brothers on the ill-fated sailboat. It was like the night of amazing sex had never happened.

  Kara tried to tell herself that was because he was recovering from painful injuries, but she couldn’t help but wonder if or when the Dan she’d known before the accident would ever reappear. That Dan had been positively besotted with her—or so it had seemed. He’d pursued her relentlessly until she finally broke down and went out with him—and slept with him on the first date, breaking her own personal rules about such things.

  Their uncomfortable exchange the next morning had haunted her during the long day of waiting to hear if he’d survived the horrific accident. Over and over again she’d regretted telling him that despite the best sex of her life, she wasn’t interested in a relationship with him. She’d told
him nothing was going to happen, and he’d accused her of using him to get laid.

  Kara had been a mixed-up jumble of emotions after he left to go sailing. The night with him had been her first sexual encounter since her longtime boyfriend dumped her two years earlier for her sister. With the hindsight of a week and a horrible day of not knowing whether Dan was alive or dead, Kara now knew that she’d been frightened by the powerful connection she’d found with him.

  She’d never experienced that, even with the man she’d once planned to marry. Dan had rocked her in every possible way, first with his relentless determination to get her to go out with him and then in bed with lovemaking unlike anything she’d known before. Now she could see that she’d been frightened, which was why she’d pushed him away.

  He was too damned much for her and had been from the start. But then the accident happened, and he’d been the most severely injured. He’d asked for her that night, and she’d been with him ever since, except for the hours she spent at work. She even slept most nights on his sofa after working long hours to type his manuscript for him.

  After seven days of this routine, Kara was running on fumes but determined to help him make his deadline. Perhaps when the book was done they would talk about the mess they’d made of their fledgling relationship. A big part of her didn’t want to talk about it. He was still too much for her, and always would be. The drama of the accident and its aftermath hadn’t changed that fact.

  She picked up the order at Mario’s and arrived at the house Dan was renting from Ned Saunders, the island’s resident land baron and cab driver. The small house was nestled in a wooded area near the island’s south coast. In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks reminded Kara of how close they were to the shore.

  Bags in hand, she let herself into the house and followed the sound of Dan’s voice to the living room. He was on the sofa with his broken arm resting on a pillow, papers scattered around him, his dark hair standing on end as if he’d been tugging at it, and he wore a look of bemused aggravation on his face. Even with the dishevelment, he was sinfully handsome. Smiling, he waved her in, seeming happy to see her as always.

  She was never certain if he was happy to see her or if anyone would’ve done after the long day alone.