by Marie Force
“I’m still trying to decide my next move,” she said. “Ned has been very kind about allowing me to rent month-to-month, which has really helped. Being here has helped. All of you have helped.”
“Good,” Frank said tentatively. He honestly didn’t want to hear that she was planning to leave. The time they’d spent together had been good for both of them, and he was hoping for much more of it.
“At some point, I should probably go back to work.”
“Do you have to work?” he asked before backtracking. “Not that it’s any of my business. Sorry.”
“It is your business, Frank,” she said softly. “You’ve been such an amazing and supportive friend. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through the last few months without you and your family. My friends at home are all so heartbroken over Steve, which was hard for me to be around. They’re wonderful. Don’t get me wrong. They all want to help, but they don’t know how. Here, most of you didn’t know him, so while you’re sad for me, it’s not nonstop grief everywhere I go. I’ve needed that.”
“I’m glad we were able to help.”
“And no, I don’t need to work. I received a very generous settlement from my husband when our marriage ended, and I invested it wisely. The office where I work has held my job for me. I suppose I owe them the courtesy of letting them know if I’m not going to be back.”
“You don’t have to decide anything right away.”
“I can’t stay in limbo forever. At work or with you.”
He was surprised by her unusually blunt assessment of their friendship. “Is that where we’ve been? In limbo?”
She graced him with the shy smile that had been bowling him over all summer. “I’m aware of the fact that you would like to be more than friends.” She paused and then blushed. “Unless I’ve read this terribly wrong. In that case, I’m beyond embarrassed.”
Frank reached across the table for her hand. “You haven’t read anything wrong. I’m very interested in you. And in us.”
Eyeing him with equal parts interest and curiosity, she turned her hand up and linked their fingers. “Would you have told me that if I hadn’t brought it up?”
“I was sort of hoping you might come around to being ready for something more in your own time. I didn’t want to rush you. I know how difficult the grief process can be, although I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose my only child. That’s a whole other level of heartbreak.”
“It’s been so incredibly devastating, but I’ve decided I would rather have had the time I had with Steve and lost him too soon than never to have known him or loved him.”
“That’s a very nice way of looking at it. I didn’t know him, and I’ll always be sorry for that, but I bet he’d be damned proud of the way you’ve handled yourself since he died. I know I am. For what it’s worth.”
“It’s worth a lot. Thank you.”
He squeezed her hand and winked at her, hoping to lighten the mood. “So does this mean you want to be my girlfriend?”
“Aren’t I a little old to be considered someone’s girlfriend?”
“You’re not even fifty yet, and probably far too young for an old dude like me.” He was fourteen years older than her forty-eight years, but the age difference had never been an issue between them.
“You’re not old. You’re young and vital and…”
“And what?” he asked, delighted by the flush that occupied her cheeks. Since they were sitting in the shade, it couldn’t be attributed to the warm sunshine.
“You’re very handsome, which you already knew.”
“No one has told me that in a very long time.”
“Then all the women in Providence must be blind and dumb.”
Her indignant reply made Frank laugh out loud, which drew the attention of his kids across the yard, both of whom seemed intrigued to see him holding Betsy’s hand. Not that they should be surprised. She’d spent a lot of time with him and his family during the summer, and they’d all become fond of her.
“It’s been a long time since I was anyone’s girlfriend. I may not be very good at it anymore.”
“Oh I think you’ll be great at it.” He rolled their joined hands back and forth in a cajoling manner. “What do you say?”
“Your kids are looking at us.”
“My kids are not kids anymore, and they like you almost as much as I do, so don’t worry about them.”
“Are you sure they don’t mind me taking up so much of your time?”
“I’m sure.”
“Did you actually ask them?”
“I don’t have to ask them. I know them well enough to state without hesitation if they had issues with me seeing you, they would’ve said so by now. All they’ve ever said, without reservation, is how much they enjoy your company. If they didn’t, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation because, as you know by now, they’re my world. That doesn’t mean, however, there isn’t room in my world for other people, too.”
“People plural?”
She amused him. She challenged him. And at times like this, she delighted him. He’d been falling for her almost since the day they met, shortly after the tragedy that had claimed her son, and this conversation had been coming for a while now.
“One person. Only you, sweetheart.”
“Why, yes, Frank. I think I’d very much like to be your girlfriend.”
His heart did a weird little happy dance that made him feel breathless over a woman for the first time since he lost his wife half a lifetime ago. “Does this mean you might be sticking around to see what autumn is like on our fair island?”
“This means I might be very tempted to consider it.”
“I’ll have to see what I can do to convince you.”
Chapter 7
Joe waited until everyone had eaten before he stood and let out a sharp whistle to get their attention. His mother and Seamus sat to his right. Janey, holding their son, was to his left. Sharing the day with them were all the other people they loved.
“I was asked to be Seamus’s best man about five minutes before the wedding, so I didn’t have much time to prepare anything eloquent.”
“Time wouldn’t have helped,” Mac said, which made Joe laugh.
“True. I just wanted to say to my mom and Seamus that this was a really great surprise. And… Well, if I’m being honest, at first I didn’t know what to make of you guys together, but over time, I’ve come to see that the two of you make perfect sense. My mom and I were by ourselves for a long time. Now we’re part of a family of five, and it’s a pleasure to welcome Seamus today. You’ve been a great friend and colleague since I had the good sense to hire you to run our business. Of course I never pictured you married to my mother, but I’m glad it all worked out the way it did.” He raised his beer bottle in tribute to his mother and her new husband. “To Seamus and Carolina. May you have many, many happy years together, and if he does drive you to commit murder, Mom, I’ve got you covered with bail money and a shovel.”
Everyone laughed and clapped as Carolina wiped away tears and kissed her husband.
Janey reached out to him, and Joe took her hand as he sat back down.
“I’m proud of you,” she whispered so only he would hear her.
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh. This wasn’t easy for you at first, but you’ve put your mom’s happiness first, and that makes me proud.”
“If you’d asked me growing up or even a couple of years ago if she was happy, I would’ve said definitely. But I realize now, after seeing her with Seamus, that she was content, which is an entirely different thing.”
“Yes, it is, as we both know all too well.”
Joe put his arm around his lovely wife and nuzzled her soft blonde hair. He gazed down at the baby asleep in her arms and knew a moment of pure happiness—and contentment. Bringing their son into the world had been a traumatic ordeal for both of them, one they were still recovering from in many ways. Bu
t the only thing that mattered to Joe was that they were both healthy and safe.
“Joe?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I might be ready to, you know, get back to normal.”
For a second, Joe’s brain totally froze. “By normal, do you mean…”
She nodded.
They hadn’t made love since before the baby was born, although Janey’s doctor in Providence had cleared her to resume normal activity two weeks ago. Joe had sensed she wasn’t ready yet, so he had made a conscious effort not to push her or give her any indication he was dying for her, which he was. That was nothing new. Since they’d gotten together two years ago, he always wanted her.
“How soon can we leave?” Joe asked.
Janey laughed, and the sound of it warmed his heart. He was so damned grateful that she’d survived their baby’s traumatic arrival. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the overwhelming fear of that day. “It’s your mother’s wedding. We should be the last to go.”
“Maybe P.J. will act up and get us out of here earlier.”
“We can only hope.”
“Janey, I want you to know… There’s no rush on my part. I don’t want you to feel obligated or—” He completely forgot what he was going to say when her hand landed on his thigh and traveled upward to cup him intimately under the table.
“Any questions?” she asked with a coy, calculating smile that made his blood pump faster through his veins, all of it seeming to land in his groin.
“Just one. When is he going to wake up and give us an excuse to escape?”
“Soon. Very soon.”
“Good.”
Grace, Laura and Abby planned their attack stealthily. They waited until Charlie and Sarah walked away to get fresh drinks before they pounced on Stephanie, who’d been standing with her dad and Sarah for quite some time. Grace and Laura each linked an arm through Stephanie’s and walked away from the group as Abby followed.
Laura had to talk Abby into joining them. Since she opened Abby’s Attic in the Sand & Surf Hotel where Stephanie’s Bistro was also located, the women had spent a lot of time together. They’d long ago gotten past the fact that Abby used to date Grant and had become close friends. Laura enjoyed their company around the hotel and had enjoyed watching the two of them get closer over the course of the busy summer season.
“What’re you guys up to?” Stephanie asked her friends.
“This is an intervention,” Abby said.
“An intervention? What the hell?”
“We want to talk to you,” Grace said kindly.
“About?”
“Grant.”
“What about him?” Stephanie asked, a mulish expression occupying her face.
“Don’t shoot the messengers,” Laura said, “and he’d probably never admit it, but you kind of hurt him back there with how you brushed him off.”
“How did I brush him off?”
“By getting up and walking away when he tried to get you to talk about your wedding.”
“I didn’t do that.”
“Um, yeah, you did,” Grace said. “Is something wrong, Steph? You know you can talk to us if you need to, right?”
“I can make myself scarce if you’d rather not talk about Grant in front of me,” Abby said.
“I don’t care about any of that,” Stephanie said. “It’s ancient history, and you’re happy with Adam.”
“I’m so happy with Adam,” Abby said with a goofy grin that made the other women laugh.
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on, Steph?” Laura asked. “Is something wrong between you and Grant?”
“No, nothing is wrong. Did he tell you to ask me that?”
Laura shook her head, concerned by Stephanie’s obvious torment. “Whatever it is, you’ll feel better if you air it out with your best pals.”
“There’s nothing wrong,” Stephanie insisted.
“Then why don’t you want to talk about getting married when you’ve been engaged to the man you love for almost a year?” Grace asked.
“I don’t know.” Stephanie’s shoulders drooped with defeat that tugged at Laura’s heart. “I just don’t know why I don’t want to talk about it. I love him. You guys know I do.”
“Anyone can see that,” Abby said.
“Everything is fine the way it is. What difference will it make if we’re married?”
“I don’t pretend to speak for him, but I think it’ll make a difference to Grant,” Laura said. “He wants kids someday, and he’s already thirty-six. That’s probably part of the reason he’d like to get married and get on with having a family.”
“I don’t know if that’s what I want.”
“You don’t want a family?” Abby asked.
Stephanie shrugged. When her eyes filled with tears, she closed them and seemed determined to will away the tears.
Grace put an arm around her, and Steph dropped her head onto Grace’s shoulder.
“I’d probably be an awful mother,” Stephanie said softly, so softly Laura almost didn’t hear her.
And then suddenly, she understood. “No,” Laura said emphatically. “You’d be a wonderful mother.”
“How can you say that?” Stephanie asked. “My own mother was a horror show. I have no idea how to take care of a kid who deserves someone who knows exactly what to do.”
“You’re nothing like her, Steph,” Grace said. “Look at all you’ve done and accomplished by getting Charlie out of jail and opening your own business, all while having the most wonderful relationship with Grant and the rest of us. How can you say you wouldn’t know what to do?”
Weeping openly now, Stephanie shook her head. “That’s really nice of you to say, but there’s no way to know whether or not I’d mess it up until it happens, and I can’t take that risk. It wouldn’t be fair to the kid or to Grant. He deserves better. He deserves so much better than me.”
“God, Steph,” Laura said. “You have no idea how much he loves you if you can say something like that.”
Stephanie wiped the tears off her cheeks. “I know you guys mean well—”
“Ladies,” a deep male voice said behind them. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take it from here.”
They spun around to find Grant standing there.
Laura looked to Stephanie to see what she wanted them to do.
“It’s okay, you guys. This conversation is probably long overdue anyway.”
Each of them hugged and kissed Stephanie before they walked away to leave them to work it out. Laura squeezed her cousin’s arm as she walked by, afraid of what might become of him if he lost the woman he loved.
A knot of fear settled in her gut as Stephanie eyed her fiancé’s unreadable expression. “How much did you hear?”
He kept his hands in the pockets of the plaid shorts she’d bought him for his birthday earlier in the summer. She’d had to talk him into wearing them, and now he loved them. “Enough.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shared with them something I’ve been unable to share with you.”
“Why is that? Why have you been unable to share it with me?”
“Because I’m afraid.”
He took a step closer to her. “Of what, honey?”
“Of losing you.” Despite her effort to contain the emotional wallop of exposing her deepest fears, a sob escaped from her tightly clenched lips.
Grant closed the distance between them and put his arms around her, drawing her into his familiar and comforting embrace. “That’s not going to happen. There’s nothing you could say or do that would keep me from wanting you or loving you. I thought you knew that.”
Sometimes she still felt like she didn’t deserve this amazing man. “I don’t know if I want kids.” Saying the words out loud filled her with an unreasonable level of fear that she’d kept locked inside for months as she dodged his efforts to pin her down on a wedding date.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because! After t
he way I grew up, I have no business taking that kind of chance with an innocent kid who deserves better than a mother who doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing.”
His soft chuckle surprised and infuriated her.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No, babe. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the notion that anyone knows what they’re doing when they bring a child into this world. Look at Joe since P.J. arrived. He hasn’t got the first clue of what to do with a baby, yet he’s figuring it out. And he lost his dad when he was seven. Sure, he had my dad to show him how fatherhood is done, but he probably felt no more prepared to be a father than you do to be a mother. And what about Laura? Her mother died when she was nine. No one is showing her how to do it, but would anyone deny that she’s a wonderful mother to Holden?”
“No,” Stephanie said in a small voice.
“Look at what she’s going through to bring the twins into the world. She got pregnant again knowing that pregnancy doesn’t agree with her, and she did it anyway.”
“I think that might’ve been an accident,” Stephanie said, desperately seeking some levity in the midst of her emotional firestorm.
“At their age, there’re no accidents.” He drew back from her, but only enough so he could see her face. “I believe in my heart that you would be an amazing mother. I believe that you would take one look at a child of ours and decide you’d do anything for that baby. I believe you’d give your own life to keep a child of ours safe. I believe all these things because I know you, Stephanie. I know you, the real you. I know your heart, and I know what it’s like to be loved by you. Nothing you can say would ever convince me that you won’t love our child the same way you love me—with all you’ve got to give.”
Sobs hiccupped through her as he held her close and rubbed her back. “It’s not fair.”
“What isn’t?”
“Someone ought to warn a girl that when she gets involved with a writer, she’s going to be powerless when he unleashes his words on her.”