Declan and I can’t suppress a chuckle at that one. As we laugh, Dad does too but he stops short. “I’m trying to be serious here, boys. She is worried about you two, and frankly I am too at this point. Even before all that crap five years ago, you two went out of your way to be hard and unforgiving to each other and not in that typical brotherly way Finn pretends to be to everyone. For real.”
Declan and I glance at each other with remorse. It’s not that we want to fight, it’s just that we have never found common ground. Declan pulls off his glove and scrubs his face with his hand as if trying to rub away the pained, annoyed look he’s been sporting almost this entire time. “I’m not going to disown him when you’re dead. I can tell Ma to her face if it’ll help.”
“Deck, buddy, just show her, don’t tell her,” Dad advises, his tone still sharp.
“And if it makes you feel any better, Declan, I remind myself every day of what I cost this family financially and emotionally,” I say and glance back over my shoulder toward the wheelhouse to make sure River isn’t listening. He doesn’t know about what happened. I will probably tell him one day when he’s a teenager so he doesn’t follow my path, but I’m not looking forward to seeing his expression change. To lose the way he looks at me right now—as a hero. “And I carry that man’s death with me every damn day of my life.”
“I don’t want you to ruin your life over this, Logan,” Declan barks at me. “Jesus, if that’s what I wanted, I never would have agreed to give his family that money. I would have let them drag your name through the mud, and I wouldn’t have agreed to mortgage the restaurant to pay for your rehab either. I want you to move past it. I want us all to. I’m just…I get frustrated it happened at all.”
“We all do,” my dad says, surprising me. He’s never said that before. “I wish I’d paid closer attention to Logan’s drinking. I wish I’d realized that he was out of control. But now Logan is clean and sober, and our business is making it. Sure I’m not going to Tahiti anytime soon, but I can make a mai tai and wear a stupid Hawaiian shirt right here in Maine. I don’t need no damn Tahiti.”
“Can you do me a favor and call me when you put on a Hawaiian shirt?” Declan replies with a smile finally tugging at his mouth. “So I can alert the media that hell has frozen over.”
“I think you should pair it with one of those straw safari hats,” I add and Declan starts to laugh. “It’ll complete the look.”
“You two are smart asses,” Dad says, shaking his head as he turns to hurl the newly baited trap back into the ocean. “I raised a bunch of smart asses.”
The conversation ends with that. We continue pulling in lobsters and pushing back our traps. An hour later we’re done and River is helping his gramps steer the boat back home. I stand beside them and listen to Dad give him gentle directions. River’s level of concentration as he holds the wheel is almost comical, and the way his face is lit up like a Christmas tree makes my heart swell in my chest.
“So…” Dad says to River. “Did you like staying at your dad’s house last night?”
“It was super fun. Chewie slept on the floor by my bed all night,” River says excitedly. “And a nice lady watched me while Dad was with Uncle Jake.”
My father’s head snaps towards me, his blue eyes wide with shock.
“The house across from mine had a fire last night. Mrs. Green’s house actually,” I explain. “It woke me up and the firefighters weren’t there yet, so I had to go see if anyone needed medical attention.”
“Is Nellie okay?” Dad asks about Mrs. Green, and when I nod, he has another question. “Who is the nice lady watching my grandson?”
I smile. Dad’s eyes grow even wider at my expression. “Chloe. My landlord.”
“I see…”
“Her favorite Star Wars character is C3PO, which was weird, but she had a scar like a hockey player, so I liked her,” River says as his eyes narrow on the sea in front of us. “But she and Daddy talked a loooong time, and he took forever to tuck me in.”
Dad bites back a chuckle at that and lifts an eyebrow in my direction. “I feel like there’s a little more to this landlord than I know about.”
“Yeah. There is,” I confess, and it feels good to say it to someone. “She’s also my girlfriend.”
“I see…” he says again and now he is grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“She makes a killer eggs benny recipe,” I say, hoping to divert him from asking any questions about her. “She mixes the hollandaise and lobster bisque and puts lobster meat on top of the egg, all over a potato pancake thingy that has bacon in it. I’d love for her to share the recipe with Ma.”
“She’s a good cook then? Like your mom? This one sounds like a keeper,” Dad says and laughs. “Don’t let me get ahead of you, son. I’m just happy for you is all. You’ve had enough choppy seas in your life, kiddo. You deserve some smooth sailing.”
“Logan, can you help me with the lines for the dock?” Declan says and startles me. He’s been so quiet, I forgot he was there. I nod and follow him to the back of the boat.
As we dock, Terra is waiting, bundled up in her ridiculous purple fake fur coat that is two sizes too big but she loves even though Finn, Jake, and I have told her repeatedly she looks like a Muppet when she wears it. I carry River off the boat and place him on the icy dock. Terra immediately takes his hand, and I can’t help but notice how happy and healthy she looks. She’ll never be a hundred percent because there is no cure for lupus, but she’s definitely been in a very long good period, which is amazing. I’m not sure it’s all related to the kidney Jake gave her either. I’m pretty sure it’s finally being with him, her lifelong crush, that really puts the pink in her cheeks. If I say it to her, though, she’ll punch me, so I just smile. “Grammy needs a taste tester for the batch of hot chocolate she just made.”
“I can do that!” River boasts loudly.
“She was hoping you’d say that,” Terra replies and winks at me as they turn and make their way back to the restaurant.
As we start hauling coolers full of lobsters up the dock leaving Dad to finish up on the boat, I turn to Declan. “I’m sorry for being nosy about you and Nova. It’s not my business. For the record, Finn and I care about your feelings too. If anything ever happened to you or you feel like you did back in high school…”
“That is never going to happen again,” Declan says with a bite to his words. He’s not angry, but determined. “I’ve made peace with who I am and made a life I can live with. It’s going to be fine. Nova and me and everything. Please don’t keep pushing that, okay?”
I nod. But his words sit funny in my gut. Something has always been weird about Declan and Nova. I mean, I don’t doubt she loves him, and I know he loves her. He has this way of being with her, soft, kind, relaxed, that he isn’t with anyone else. But I wouldn’t exactly call them the epitome of a loving couple. He’s never offered up a lot of details on how Nova and him came to be. But I know, even through my drunken haze then, that it was sudden. They married before anyone even realized they were dating. No one worried about it, though, or cautioned him because like with everything he does, Declan was confident in his decision, and you had to trust him. And honestly, we all already adored Nova, who had been working at the restaurant before they eloped.
Nova’s brother Javi swings open the back door to the Shack that leads directly into the break room. “So do you want to hug in front of Mom, or should we just play it cool and walk in with our arms around each other?”
Declan breaks into a grin and I grin back. Ma pushes open the swinging door into the kitchen from the restaurant and catches it. Her whole face brightens. “My boys.” She walks over and grabs both our chins. “I like seeing you working together. Come join River for some hot chocolate.”
She turns and heads back into the restaurant as we drop the heavy coolers by the prep station. “Phew!” Declan says in mock relief. “That worked out and I didn’t even have to touch you.”
“Fuck
off.” I smile.
23
Chloe
“Aspen, you are a creative genius,” I gush as I stare at the screen on her digital camera. “That lobster roll looks even better in this pic than in real life.”
Aspen smiles proudly. “Thanks for giving me something to do besides stare at my fat feet. I actually like this photography side gig thing more than I thought I would. I might do more of it.”
“We good?” Finn asks from his position by the counter.
“Golden,” I reply.
I look out at the restaurant in front of me. I had asked Terra if she could get a few of the regulars to agree to be photographed, and when I got here a few hours ago, there were fourteen people here to be photographed. She had bribed them with a coupon for one free lobster roll platter each. A few were still peppered around the restaurant enjoying the fruits, well, seafood, of their labor.
Aspen waves goodbye and heads out, telling me she will get me proofs in a couple days. Finn watches the door close behind her and turns to me. “You’re not leaving too are you? My mom is dying to chat with her favorite child’s girlfriend.”
I try not to blush. “Someone told her?”
“Jake over there did,” Finn points to Jake, who is sitting at the bar next to Nova.
Jake looks up, eyes wide and a hand to his chest. He’s trying to look innocent, but he doesn’t at all. “What? No one told me that she didn’t know. I assumed that Mama’s boy had blabbed to her already. He told Charlie!”
“Is Mrs. Hawkins here? Now?” I ask, slightly terrified at facing her for some reason.
“Not right now,” Nova says. “We needed someone to keep Declan busy so he didn’t show up and see what we’re doing. Lucy is working on new recipes with him at our place. Terra is still trying to ambush him.”
“Ambush sounds so dramatic,” Terra rolls her eyes. “This is why I waited so long to tell you about this project, Nova. So you wouldn’t get all dramatic.”
“Now everyone knows except Declan and it doesn’t feel right,” Nova mutters and I feel bad for her. There are a lot of politics in this family I don’t fully comprehend.
Terra wants to answer her, but a couple is waiting for attention by the cash register. I recognize the man as Mr. Butterfield, but the lady he’s standing next to I don’t know. I sat them together though, for the photos, and they stayed together at the booth afterward. Mr. Butterfield starts to pull out his wallet, but Terra puts her hand up. “No. It’s okay. I gave you coupons, remember Mr. Butterfield?”
He nods and smiles softly at her. “I know sweetie, but I insist on paying. For both of us.”
“Mr. Butterfield…”
He shakes his head again. “Terra honey, you and your family are so good to me when I drag my lonely butt in here every week. The photos were the least I could do. And that sweet little thing over there…”
He points at me and gives me a wink. I smile as he continues, “She sat me with Meredith, and now I have a lovely soul to enjoy chowder with next week.”
“And maybe we can go to the movies together this weekend?” Meredith says.
“I’d love that,” Mr. Butterfield says and hands Terra a twenty. “Keep the change, Terra, honey. Worth every penny.”
He juts out his elbow, and Meredith beams as she loops her arm through it. Nova jumps up and holds the door open for them. After they leave she presses her hand to her chest. “Oh my God, was that not the cutest thing in the universe?”
“So cute!” I reply as Terra nods emphatically. Jake just looks confused, and Finn is laughing too hard to say anything.
“I’ll still need to get pictures of your parents sometime soon,” I say to Terra, moving back to business.
Terra nods. “You could always come to the Seafood Festival. It’s the week after New Year’s. They’ll be there, and with any luck, we’ll have a trophy to photograph too.”
“Don’t jinx it,” Nova warns and makes a cross in front of her chest.
The bell jingles on the door, and Logan walks in. I know my entire face lights up. I can feel it. I should stop it because more than half his family is here and they’re watching us like hawks, but I can’t.
“Hey!” he says to his family and then his eyes sweep over to me. His grin deepens. “Hi beautiful.”
My already bright smile goes up three hundred watts. “Hey.”
I walk over to the counter, and he walks up to the other side, and we both lean forward. He reaches up and cups the side of my face as he kisses me. It’s slow and sweet and PG-13 but I’m still loving it.
“Awe!” Nova says again. “Between you two and Mr. Butterfield and Meredith, my heart is literally going to explode.”
Logan pulls back with a look of confusion on his face. “What?”
“Long story,” Jake says. “More importantly, who are you and what have you done with the brooding, grump-ass dude that used to inhabit this body?”
“Funny Maverick,” Logan flips him the bird.
“Customers, Logan!” Terra reminds him sharply.
“They’re photoshoot extras paid in lobster meat, not real customers,” Logan reminds her. “And they’re all leaving anyway.”
He’s right, there’s only a couple of people left, and they’re putting on coats. Logan looks at his family. “And you guys get your coats too. The restaurant is mine tonight.”
The bell above the door jingles, and without turning around, Logan calls out, “Sorry we’re closed!”
“I get a pass,” a voice says. Logan spins and I see his mom there, tugging off her mitts.
“Ma! Sorry,” Logan says and looks instantly sheepish. She ignores him completely and walks right over to me. “How did it go?”
“Great. I think you’ll be very pleased, Mrs. Hawkins,” I tell her.
She grabs both my hands in hers and smiles up at me excitedly. “I knew I liked you when I met you. You have to call me Lucy since you’re not just a study buddy for Terra and this isn’t just a work relationship.”
Logan blinks. “You know?”
“I’m sorry! You told Charlie I just assumed…”
“Jake you are worse than Mrs. Green!” Logan huffs, but he’s not really mad, even I can tell. He turns to his mom, who is grinning at me. “I was going to tell you.”
“I know,” Lucy nods. “I’m just happy you’re happy Logan. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
Lucy squeezes my hands. I just smile. Logan is almost blushing and chuckles. “Okay Ma, let go of her, and I mean this respectfully, please go away.”
Lucy pretends to look shocked, but then she laughs. “Okay Romeo. No need to get ornery. I just came to drive Nova home. Declan was supposed to come and get her. He dropped her off this morning, but he’s busy.”
“Busy? Doing what? Thinking up new ways to annoy us with his marketing genius?” Finn quips, and Lucy, without missing a beat, reaches over and whacks him on the butt. Finn yelps.
“Actually, smarty-pants, your brother and I have been working hard all day on a new recipe for the festival,” Lucy explains, and her eyes light up. “He came up with this amazing recipe for lobster eggs benedict, and I’m telling you, we might have something here.”
I’m shocked by her words.
“He was messing around with it until almost two in the morning,” Nova adds smiling innocently. “It’s on a hash brown instead of an English muffin, and it’s pretty good. Really good actually, but you know Declan. He’s a perfectionist.”
Wait a minute…
“He puts lobster bisque in the hollandaise too. But we haven’t gotten the balance just right yet,” Lucy says.
My eyes fly to Logan, not just for confirmation of what I’m thinking but because his mood shifts so suddenly and intensely—like a Nor’easter blowing in—that I can feel it. “That son of –”
“Do not finish that sentence,” Lucy warns, the humor in her eyes disappearing.
Logan scrubs his face with his hand and looks over to me. “I am so
sorry. He stole your recipe.”
“It’s just a coincidence, Logan,” I say because it has to be. I mean, I’ve never met Declan. But Logan shakes his head.
“I mentioned your recipe to my dad on the boat the other morning. Declan was there. He stole it.” He pulls his phone out of his coat pocket and starts to dial. “Give me a second…”
He puts it on speaker and holds it out in front of him. I hear a guy say hello.
“You heard me on the boat,” Logan barks into the phone. “You heard me tell Dad about Chloe’s eggs Benedict recipe and you’re fucking trying to steal it.”
“Language, Logan!” Lucy glances over at me, looking humiliated.
“Am I on speaker? Take me off speaker, Logan,” Declan says, annoyed.
“Admit it,” Logan replies, ignoring his brother’s request.
“I may have heard you ramble on about something to do with bisque and eggs,” he says after a loud, exasperated sigh. “It’s not stealing, Logan. I didn’t raid her recipe drawer or anything. I simply started experimenting with the idea.”
Lucy’s jaw drops. “Declan Charles Hawkins you stole this idea?”
“Oh don’t you start too, Mother.”
“Declan, what were you thinking?” Nova asks him, her dark eyes sparking with anger.
“You are no better than Stan,” Logan growls.
I snap out of my stunned trance and find my voice. “It’s fine. I honestly don’t mind.”
Every set of Hawkins eyes in the place turn to me with varying expressions of shock on their faces. I smile softly. “Although, I would have loved to show you exactly how I made it myself because the potato part is a family recipe, and I wouldn’t want it done wrong. I’ll share it with you, Lucy.”
“I would love that, Chloe. Thank you for being so understanding,” Lucy says with a grateful smile and then she turns to the phone Logan is still holding out and the smile disappears. “Declan, you haven’t heard the end of this. I will deal with you tomorrow. Hang up on him, Logan.”
The Winter We Collided: A Small Town Single Dad Romance (Ocean Pines Series Book 2) Page 22