by Marie Force
“Here goes nothing,” he said as he got busy with a chain saw. He was working out months of frustration on Evan’s brush when the man himself appeared on an old Honda motorcycle that looked like it had seen better days.
“Am I hallucinating?” Evan said after Alex cut the motor to greet his friend.
“I know I deserve that, but it’s probably not wise to harass a man with a chain saw, especially in this heat.”
Evan held up his hands and laughed. “Stand down. I come in peace.”
“Sorry it took so long to get here. Things have been…complicated.”
“How’s your mom?”
Alex was prepared for the question, as he answered it often enough in the course of each day. “She’s declined rapidly, but we’re coping, thanks to the generosity of a lot of people.”
“If there’s anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. I mean it, Al. Anything.”
“Thanks. Your mom and the other ladies from church have been incredible. They’re propping us up.”
“If you can bust loose tonight, Owen and I are playing at the Tiki. Everyone’s coming, so it should be a good time.”
“I’ll have to see what the situation is at home, but if I can get there, I will.”
“Call me if I can help.”
“I will. Appreciate it.” Alex eyed the brush. “Better get back to it. This is going to take a while.”
“My family and friends will be grateful for your efforts. Lots of bitching about scratched cars and trucks when they come to visit.”
“I’ll get you fixed up.”
“Thanks, man. Come up to the studio if you need to cool off.”
“I might take you up on that.”
“See you later.” Evan started the bike and took off down the lane toward the studio.
Alex fired up the chain saw and got back to work. The mindless task gave him plenty of time to think about what had happened the night before with Jenny. He’d spent a lot of hours staring up at the ceiling when he got home, reliving every exquisite minute he’d spent wrapped up in her.
She’d claimed she didn’t do things like what they’d done together, but he’d known that before she told him. She might as well have the words good girl tattooed on her forehead. Despite her reservations, she’d responded to him like a bad girl—a very bad girl—and he’d loved it.
He’d responded to her, too. In fact, he hadn’t responded to anyone the way he had with her in a long time. Even Aimee, the woman he’d dated for two years in DC, hadn’t stirred him the way Jenny had. She was an intriguing paradox—part innocent, part vixen—and he couldn’t wait to see her again. Even though she’d told him theirs was a one-time interlude, he didn’t believe for a minute that she’d honestly meant it. She’d been embarrassed by how far she’d let him go and had been reacting to that.
How could she not be curious when they’d ignited like a powder keg together? He was pretty damned curious about what it would be like to actually have sex with her, but he couldn’t think about that right now, because a raging boner would only add to his extreme discomfort in the heat.
Frustrated, roasting and exhausted after the sleepless night, Alex turned off the chain saw and went to the truck to grab one of the bottles of water he’d frozen in anticipation of another scorcher. He’d left them to melt in the truck while he worked. As he chugged the cold water and dumped another bottle over his head, Alex knew with absolute certainty that he’d be visiting the lighthouse again—as soon as he possibly could.
Chapter 6
Arriving home after another twelve-hour day, Alex wanted a shower, a cold beer and some food—in that order. What he found, however, was a gathering of employees outside the greenhouses, where his brother was arguing with their mother, who was naked as a jaybird.
Standing before her, Paul held her bathrobe in his hands and had obviously been trying to get her to put it on.
“Oh my God,” Alex whispered as he exited the truck and took off at a run to help Paul, who brightened when he saw Alex heading toward them.
Marion’s back was turned, so she didn’t see Alex approach, but he could hear her sobs.
“I want you to get your father right now and bring him to me, do you understand?”
“I can’t do that,” Paul said, looking imploringly at Alex.
“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. You’ll do what you’re told.”
Ignoring the crowd of employees that watched their sad drama unfold, Alex approached his mother and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I’m here, Marion,” Alex said gently in a voice not all that different from his father’s. “I’m right here, and I’ve got you.”
She reached up to grasp his hands. “Oh, George. I’ve been waiting for you to get home. The boys have been unmanageable this afternoon.”
Paul approached them tentatively.
“I’m here now.” Alex took the robe from Paul and put it around their mother’s shoulders.
“Why are we outside?” she asked Paul, anger replaced now with confusion.
Paul’s face was lined with exhaustion and despair unlike anything Alex had ever seen, except for when their father was dying. “You wanted to come find Dad after your shower.”
“But Daddy died, didn’t he?” she asked in a small voice that made Alex want to sob with the utter injustice of this horrific illness.
“Yeah, he did,” Alex said, saving Paul from having to say the words. “Let’s go home and have some ice cream, Mom.”
“Not before dinner,” she said in a scolding tone that reminded Alex of the mother he used to know.
Paul turned to the employees who’d come out of the store and greenhouses to see what was going on. “Show’s over,” he said somewhat harshly. “Get back to work.”
“I think I’d like to take a nap,” Marion said when they got back to the house.
“The ladies are coming to take you to bridge night at church,” Paul said. “You want to go, right?”
“Of course I do. I’ve been looking forward to that. Wake me up in time to get ready, will you?”
The moments of lucidity were almost harder to bear than the departures from reality.
“Sure, Mom,” Paul said.
Alex walked her into the master bedroom and helped her into bed. He lowered the blinds and returned to the bed to adjust the covers over her. Bending, he kissed her cheek. “Sleep well, Mom.”
“Was I naked in front of all those people, Alex?”
“Just for a second. They understood you forgot your robe. Don’t give it another thought.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You couldn’t help it. They know that.”
“You and Paul shouldn’t have to deal with this. You should be off having families of your own and instead—”
“We’re right where we want to be, Mom. We love you, and we’re happy to take care of you. Now don’t fret. Get some rest so you can enjoy the night out with the ladies.”
“I love you, too, Alex. And your brother. Tell him, will you?”
“I will.” Alex left her to sleep, wishing he were alone so he could indulge the need to howl with rage at the entire situation. In the family room, he found Paul sitting in one of the easy chairs, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. “She told me to tell you she loves you and she’s sorry for putting us through this.”
Paul’s head whipped up, his tearful eyes widening with surprise.
“Totally lucid,” Alex said.
“Son of a bitch,” Paul said through clenched teeth.
“What happened?”
“Mrs. Connor called to tell me she had to leave because her grandson got sick at summer camp, and she had to go pick him up. She locked up before she left, and Mom was here alone for maybe twenty minutes. When I got here and found her standing naked in the yard, I ran into the house to get her robe. In the time I was inside, she went down the driveway toward the greenhouse, calling for Dad.
“I chased aft
Alex got them each a cold beer, opened them both and handed one to Paul before he sat in one of the other chairs.
“How long had you been there when I got home?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Shit…”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
Paul waved off the apology. “You had no idea what was going on.”
“Where do we stand with the nurse candidates?”
“We set up a Skype interview in an hour with one of them, Hope Russell. She’s the one who has the young son. The other candidate bailed out because she doesn’t think island life would suit her. So it’s down to Hope.”
“Her name is ironic, huh?”
“No kidding. I said that to David. He’ll be by around six to sit in on the conversation.”
“Will Mom be here?”
“Mrs. Feeny is due to pick her up a little before six for bridge night.” Though Marion could no longer play the game, her friends were faithful about making sure she got to attend anyway. “We planned the interview for a time when she wouldn’t be here. Can you make it then?”
“Yeah, sure. I’d like to hear what she has to say, too.” He thought of Jenny and how badly he could use another hour or two wrapped up in her softness, but the despair on his brother’s face took priority at the moment. “After that—you and me? We’re going to eat a couple of gigantic, artery-clogging steaks and then go see Evan and Owen play at the Tiki.”
“Oh, we are?”
“We are. Mom will be out until at least eleven, so we’re going out, too. Maybe we’ll even get totally fucking hammered.” As much as he couldn’t wait to see Jenny again, Paul needed him more.
“You’re on,” Paul said grimly, raising his beer bottle in Alex’s direction.
Grace ran up the stairs from the pharmacy, determined to shower before Evan got home. The air-conditioning in the store had been no match for the oppressive temperature, and she felt disgusting after the long day in the swampy heat. On the way upstairs, she noticed the motorcycle parked under the stairs and groaned.
“Hope he doesn’t get too close,” she muttered as she opened the door and stepped into their place, where she found him sitting on the bed, head in his hands. Forgetting all about how she might smell, Grace dropped her bag and keys on the floor and went directly to him. “Evan.”
He looked up, seeming startled to see her there. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“What’s wrong?”
Shaking his head, he held out a hand to her. “Nothing, honey.”
She sat next to him. “Please don’t lie to me. Whatever is wrong, we’ll figure it out, but if you lie to me, we have a much bigger problem.”
He leaned his chin on their joined hands. “Apparently, Buddy Longstreet has managed to wrestle my album from the Starlight bankruptcy proceedings.”
“Wait. So what does that mean?”
“It means it’s going to be released under the Long Road Records label.”
“Oh.” An astounding array of implications cycled through her mind in about thirty seconds of stunned silence. “When did you hear about this?”
“First heard it might happen last night, and Jack called today to confirm it’s a done deal. The judge ruled today that Buddy can take ownership of the album by paying the court for the rights.”
“You’ll have to promote it.”
“Probably.”
“Which means you’ll be gone for weeks at a time.”
“Possibly.”
“What about the studio?”
“I don’t know. That’s one of many things I’m sitting here trying to figure out, when I should be heading for the marina to meet Owen.”
Grace noticed his guitar cases lined up like soldiers next to the wall by the door. He’d brought them home from the studio for the gig tonight. What would her home be like without him and his guitars and his oversized shoes all over the place? Her stomach ached and her chest felt tight as she tried to get air to her lungs. “This is really good news, Ev. You worked so hard on it, and for no one to ever get to hear it would be horrible.”
With his head still propped on his hand, he glanced at her, smiling. “You always see the bright side, don’t you?”
“What’s the point of seeing any other side? It’s happening, so we have to deal with it.”
Evan caressed her face. “You’re amazing. My amazing Grace.”
She knew he’d written a song with that title, but he hadn’t played it for her yet. He’d said he was saving it for a special occasion.
“I don’t want to be away from you for one day,” he said, “let alone weeks on end.”
“You’ll do one tour to promote the record and then come home and pick up your life here. That’s what you’ll do.”
“I might be gone for months, Grace. And then what if it takes off?” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can do it. Buddy will want me to tour with him, which means huge arenas.”
“You’re worried about the stage fright.”
“Yeah. Despite how insanely hot it is, I break into a cold sweat every time I think about performing in front of that many people.”
“Could you maybe refuse to do it?”
“After Buddy paid God knows what for the rights? You think he’s going to just let me get away with doing nothing to promote it?” He ran his hand over the stubble on his jaw. “I hate to say it, but I’ve got to go meet Owen. We’re on in an hour, and I need to set up.”
“We’ll talk about it later. Go have a good time tonight. Nothing’s going to happen immediately, so we’ve got time to figure things out.”
“True.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Try not to worry, okay? It doesn’t change anything that truly matters. I promise you that.”
Grace smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. “Take the car. I’ll get a ride from Laura.”
“Are you sure?”
“You can’t take all those guitars on the bike, Evan.”
“How do you think I got them home?”
Her mouth fell open.
“Psych,” he said with a laugh. “Owen picked them up at the studio and brought them here earlier. I didn’t want them exposed to the heat, so he didn’t take them to the marina.”
“I wouldn’t put it past you to try to bring them on the bike.”
Smiling, he kissed her one more time. “I’ll admit to giving it some serious thought.” He got up and went into the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, he said, “Make sure you hydrate before you drink tonight. It’s hot as snot.”
“Believe me, I know. It was crazy hot in the store today. Will you be okay playing in the heat?”
“I’ll probably sweat my balls off, but I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t do that. I have plans for them.”
He froze, toothbrush in his mouth, eyes wide with shock.
“What?”
Removing the toothbrush, he said, “You never would’ve said that a year ago. I’ve been a terrible influence on you.”
“Nah, you’ve loosened me up. I’m a better version of my old self thanks to you.”
He spit out the toothpaste, splashed water on his face and combed his hair. Emerging from the bathroom, he came over to her and gave her hand a gentle tug until she stood before him. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her again. “I’m a much better version of my old self thanks to you, too.”
“Love you,” she whispered as she took a moment to wallow in the overwhelming love she felt for him.
“Love you more.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“We’ll fight about that later. Go to work.”
“See you there?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good, because I never have stage fright when you’re there.”
Grace hid her surprise at hearing something he’d never told her before. Watching him pick up all the guitars and somehow get them through the door, she felt a crushing sense of fear that everything they’d managed to achieve together could be threatened by this unexpected change of plans.
Jenny’s day had been dreadfully unproductive thanks to the nagging guilt and shame over her behavior with Alex. Everything she’d attempted to accomplish had been derailed by her lack of attention as much as the blistering heat that was literally sucking the life out of her.
At three o’clock she’d surrendered to the heat-induced exhaustion and gone upstairs to her bedroom to lie down for a while. She’d dozed off and slept fitfully, plagued by odd dreams that had her tossing and turning only to wake up throbbing with unfulfilled desire.
That was when she realized she’d been dreaming about Alex. “Oh God,” she whispered through dry lips. Every cell in her body was on full alert, the way it had been last night when he’d driven her out of her mind with desire so potent she’d been unable to shake off the sex-induced stupor all day.
Glancing at the clock, she gasped at the late hour, then dashed out of bed and ran for the shower with only twenty minutes until Linc Mercier was due to arrive. After a quick and very cold shower intended to cool her body temperature as well as her suddenly ravenous libido, she kept one eye on the driveway watching for Linc and another on the bathroom mirror as she attempted to do something with her hair.
But the heat and humidity had other ideas, and she gave up on trying to tame the curls that had formed around her face in the heat since she was a little girl. Toby had called them her banana curls for some strange reason, she recalled with a pang of nostalgia. She hadn’t thought of that in years.
Her face was so shiny with perspiration that she decided not to bother with makeup but applied some powder to combat the shine. This date was doomed to disaster status before she even left her own bathroom, and it was all Alex’s fault. He’d fried her circuit board with a gruff voice, sexy body and incendiary kisses.
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