by Carrie Elks
“Yeah. We had to swear on our lives not to tell anybody,” Jackson said, his voice full of humor. “She can be scary as hell when she’s giving you a warning.”
“You think you’re gonna stick around with her?” Griff asked.
Lucas licked his lips – dry from the combination of the heat and the breeze. “Yeah, I’m pretty certain I’m gonna stick around,” he said, his voice low. Even after a relatively short time together – months, rather than years – he couldn’t imagine his life without her, and he didn’t want to. She was like the sun, lighting everything up, making him feel warm. He never wanted to let her go.
“Glad to hear it,” Jackson said, approvingly. “She’s cute, she’s funny, and for some crazy reason she’s totally in love with you.”
“Crazy’s the right word,” Griff agreed, elbowing Lucas. “She’s gotta be to want to be with you.”
“Thanks, guys.” Lucas shook his head. “I can always count on you to speak the truth, even on my birthday.”
“Especially on your birthday,” Griff told him. “You’re not getting any younger, my friend. Time’s not on your side. You need to settle down, find somewhere permanent to live, maybe start a family. Before you get old and grey.”
“I’m thirty-one,” Lucas pointed out. “And you’re the same age as me and you’re still single as hell.” Not that Lucas cared what age he was. As far as he was concerned, all the things Griff had just listed off – the settling down, the apartment, and even having a family one day – didn’t scare him one bit. It was the opposite. The thought of having all those things made him want his future to start right now, and he wanted to do it with her.
“I think you’ll find I’m two months younger,” Griff said. “Plenty of time for me.” He grabbed a beer from the table Ember and her friends must have set up earlier. “And in the meantime, I intend to sew all the wild oats that I can.” Griff looked over to the other side of the refreshment tables, where a group of Ember’s friends had gathered, and wiggled his eyebrows. “See you later, guys. There’s work to be done here.”
With that, he was gone, leaving Lucas and Jackson laughing.
“He’s never gonna grow up, is he?” Jackson murmured.
“Nope. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The sun was almost below the horizon by the time the last guests had left, and they’d cleared the debris from the beach. Lucas stacked the final table inside Ally’s café, then walked out and turned the key, slipping it into his pocket.
He could see Ember standing at the water’s edge, her body silhouetted against the burnt orange sunset. She was as still as a statue, staring out at the ocean as the water lapped against her feet. Even with her back turned to him she took his breath away.
He grabbed the bottle of champagne and two glasses he’d stashed away earlier and walked down the beach to where she was standing, feeling the grains of sand slip between his toes.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked her.
She turned to look at him, her skin lit by the setting sun. “I thought all the champagne was gone,” she said, looking confused as he held the bottle up.
“I saved this one for us. I figured it’s my birthday, nobody’s gonna complain.”
She smiled. “Well I’m not going to. Although I’ll only have a glass, somebody’s got to drive you home.”
He led her back to a dry spot on the sand, and she sat down as he poured out the champagne and passed her a glass. Lucas sat behind her, his muscled legs on either side of hers. She leaned back into his chest, her head resting against his shoulder.
A sense of peace washed over him, and it had nothing to do with the champagne. It was the same way he always felt whenever she was around. She was oil on troubled water, soothing him in a way nobody else could. He wanted to feel this way forever.
“Thank you for my party,” he said, closing his eyes as he breathed in the floral aroma of her shampoo.
“I hope you liked it,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “We like to celebrate birthdays in style in my family, so you should probably get used to it.”
“Sounds good to me.” He was going to have to work hard to beat this, but he was determined to do it when her birthday arrived. “As long as you’re there, I’ll celebrate anywhere.”
Her expression softened. “It was our first party, well the first one I haven’t had a meltdown at anyway.”
He grinned. “Long may it continue.” He took a sip of champagne, letting the bubbles tickle his mouth. “And it was our first party. I’ll always remember it like that.”
“Not our last though,” she said.
“Definitely not. We’ve got a lifetime of celebrations ahead of us.” Lucas slid his free hand down the side of her arm, his fingers brushing against her soft skin. “And speaking of celebrations, I had a meeting with the chief yesterday.”
“You did?” Ember gave him a half-smile. “What about?”
“Mitch Lakin told her he’s definitely retiring next year. She wanted to see if I’d be willing to lead the Volunteer Force here in Angel Sands. She wants me to upgrade it, possibly recruit some full time firefighters.”
“And what did you say?” Ember asked him.
“I told her I’m ready to be captain.”
“Are you sure?” She twisted around until her whole body was facing his. “I know how much you love working at White City, won’t you find Angel Sands dull in comparison?”
“Once upon a time I thought I would,” he agreed. “But not anymore. I met this girl who made me fall in love with this town all over again, and with all the people living in it.” He smiled at her. “And now the thought of being the captain of the local fire department makes me very happy indeed.”
“It makes me happy, too,” she told him, her eyes filling with tears. “It really does.”
Strange how quickly things changed once love came into the equation. He loved the idea of working locally, of coming home to Ember every night. Not that being captain of the ASFD was going to be easy – far from it – but it was going to be a different kind of challenge to the one he’d had in White City.
The kind of challenge that was compatible with a relationship, maybe even with a family. The thought filled him with joy.
Ember reached for his hand, weaving her fingers into his. “I wish my dad could have been here. He was always crazy about birthdays. He would have loved to meet you, too.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lucas asked her.
“Yes I am. He would have loved you,” Ember told him. “He was a simple kind of guy, you know? He called a spade a spade. He liked people who were straight with him, people who lived good lives. I know he would have been so happy to see us together.”
Was it possible for his heart to feel any fuller? “Not as happy as I am,” he whispered. Then he lifted his glass up in the air, pointing it to the sky. “We should toast him. To absent friends and those we’ve lost.”
“And to those we’ve found, too,” Ember said, raising her glass and taking a mouthful of champagne. He followed suit, swallowing it down, then leaned down to brush his lips against her cheek.
“Shall we go home?” he asked her, his voice a whisper.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
It was time to unwrap the last of his gifts, to show her exactly how much he appreciated her hard work. And maybe tomorrow – his day off – they’d sleep late, their bodies curled around each other until hunger made them get out of bed.
The future was looking bright; in fact, it was looking as golden as the sands they were walking on. And he was more than ready for it to begin.
THE END
She’s Like The Wind
1
“I’m Nate Crawford. I believe you have my daughter here.”
“What’s her name?” the cop asked, looking up from where he was sitting behind the desk. There was a full wall of glass between him and Nate, and in front of it, resting on the shelf, were clear plastic holders full o
f information leaflets.
Suffering from Domestic Abuse? We Can Help.
Information for Victims of Crime.
Seattle PD Strategic Plan – Have Your Say
Nate lifted his gaze from the counter and met the cop’s stare. “Her name’s Riley. She’s sixteen years old.”
“Riley Crawford?”
“That’s right.” Nate nodded.
“Okay, take a seat. Somebody will be with you soon.”
He followed the cop’s directions to the bank of chairs at the far end of the room. They were empty save for an old man who was muttering to himself, and a young woman who was shouting into her cellphone. Neither of them paid him any attention, thank god. Maybe it was normal for a guy wearing full evening dress to walk into the Seattle Police Department to pick up his daughter.
Sighing, Nate pulled out his cellphone. Four missed calls – all from Stephanie. He wasn’t inclined to listen to them right now. He pretty much knew what they were going to say.
Where the hell was he?
“Hanging around in a police station on a Friday night,” he muttered to himself. “Where else?”
“Mr. Crawford?” the desk sergeant called out. “Your daughter’s on her way out. We just need you to sign a few forms.”
Nate stood and pushed his phone back into his pocket, pulling at the sleeves of his dinner jacket until they covered his white dress shirt. At the desk, the sergeant pushed the pieces of paper toward him and asked him to sign and date each one.
“Is she being charged?” Nate asked, catching the sergeant’s eye.
“Not this time. But she’s gotten lucky. Really lucky. This is the second time we’ve brought her in. Let’s not make the third time a charm.”
Nate nodded and said nothing. Because what was there to say? He wanted to get her home and pour himself a glass of whiskey – large – and try to block this all out of his mind.
That’s your problem, the little voice in his head reminded him. You seem to be able to deal with every problem in the world except your daughter.
Strange how it sounded exactly like the family counselor they’d been seeing since Riley had come to live with him in Seattle. Even his own inner voice was criticizing him.
Yeah, well it could join the line. Right now Riley and Stephanie were fighting for first place.
He scrawled his name across the white paper with a tattered pen that was fixed to the desk with a piece of string, presumably to stop somebody from pocketing it. Just as he pushed the signed documents back through the narrow gap between the desk and the glass he heard the doors opening next to him.
Riley was standing in the doorway wearing the grey and pink checkered skirt and white blouse mandated by her very-expensive private school. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her blue eyes – so like his – widened when she saw her father.
“I’m sorry…” she muttered, chewing the corner of her lip.
“Save it for later.” His voice was as short as his temper. He glanced at the desk sergeant. “Are we done here?”
“Yep.” The sergeant didn’t lift his gaze from his computer screen.
Nate rolled his head to try to loosen the tight muscles in his neck, but it didn’t help one bit. He was too tense, too angry, too hyped up to relax them.
Maybe that whiskey would help.
Sighing, he inclined his head at his daughter, then at the station doors. “Let’s go.”
For once she didn’t argue, as she followed him quietly, the hard soles of her shoes tapping against the tiled floor. As the electric doors opened and Nate stepped onto the sidewalk he glanced at his watch.
Eight forty-five p.m. Was it really that early? Damn, it was turning out to be a long night.
Nate pressed the button for the gate, idling the engine of his Lexus as he waited for the mechanism to whirr them open. Riley hadn’t said a word on the journey home. Hadn’t even leaned in to change the radio to something she preferred as she usually did. Instead she was staring out of the windshield, her eyes still as wide as dinner plates, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
When the gates opened he pulled into the driveway, glancing up at the imposing lake house he’d bought three years earlier. It was huge, modern, and backed onto Lake Union, and for two and a half of those three years it had suited him perfectly.
There was another car parked in the driveway, and Nate bit down a groan when he saw it. He didn’t have to look to know that Stephanie was sitting in the driver’s seat of the sleek silver Mercedes. The car was vibrating – from the engine, he hoped, rather than Stephanie’s anger. He pulled up his own car and switched the engine off, closing his eyes for a moment to try to get some kind of control. What was it he’d said about a long night?
Right now it felt more like a long year.
“Go inside and go straight to bed,” Nate told Riley as they climbed out of the car. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
She opened her mouth to reply then clearly thought better of it, pressing her lips shut and stomping up the driveway. From the corner of his eye Nate saw Stephanie open her car door and step out, just as Riley opened the front door and escaped inside the house.
He took a deep breath and walked over to where Stephanie was standing, her arms folded across her chest in exactly the way Riley’s had been earlier.
“That’s a nice dress,” he said, glancing at the silver floor-length gown Stephanie was wearing.
“It cost me five hundred dollars. Plus another two hundred for my hair and make-up, not to mention the gala tickets. So far I figure I’m out almost a thousand thanks to you.”
He noticed her nostrils flaring. That wasn’t good at all.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“That’s not the point.” She shook her head. “The point is you made me a promise and you reneged. You made me look like an idiot in front of all my friends. Do you know how long I was sitting in my apartment waiting for you to pick me up? In the end I had to take a cab.”
“It was an emergency. As you can see, I was ready to come and pick you up.” He glanced down at his evening clothes. “Then I got a phone call.”
“So your phone was working then?” Stephanie said acidly. “I was beginning to wonder.”
A breeze blew in from the lake, ruffling Nate’s hair and making Stephanie shiver. “You want to come inside?” he asked her. “It’s getting cold out here.”
“It depends.”
“On what?” Nate frowned.
“On whether we’re going to have a decent discussion about this or if you’re going to put me off again.”
Nate’s jaw tightened. “Let’s just go inside and get warm.”
Five minutes later he was carrying two mugs of coffee into the living room. So much for that whiskey. Stephanie was sitting on the corner of his pale cream leather sofa, her legs angled to the side. She was staring out of the huge picture windows that looked out onto the lake. The dark water was dappled with the colored lights of Seattle as they reflected on the surface. He could see greens and reds, blues and pinks, all dancing in the water. Above them towered the Seattle skyline, silhouetted against the dark blue sky. For a moment Nate let the sight soothe him, before he brought his attention back to Stephanie.
She was glaring up at him, her eyes narrowed. He offered her the coffee but she shook her head, so he put it on the large square table in front of her.
“I really am sorry about tonight,” he said, sitting down opposite her.
She looked as tightly wound as he felt. “It’s not just tonight though, is it? How many times have you stood me up or changed your plans at the last minute since she came to stay?” Even her voice was stretched thin. “Things were great between us until then.”
“When you’re talking about my daughter I’d prefer you use her name.” Nate’s voice was quiet, but he couldn’t hide the anger in it. “And you know what she’s been through. What do you expect me to do? Ignore her because we had a prior engagement?”<
br />
“Yes. That’s exactly what I expect.” Stephanie’s eyes flashed. “We’ve been going out for two years, Nate. We were talking about moving in together before…” she trailed off. “Before Riley came to stay. And now you’re treating me like crap.”
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. Especially without making things worse.
“That’s not good enough.” Stephanie shook her head. “Do you know how many offers I’ve turned down since I’ve been with you? How many guys have begged me to go out on dates with them? I’m a prize, and you’re losing me. If you want to keep me I need to see change.”
Nate took a sip of his coffee, surveying her over the rim of his cup. “What you see is what you get, Stephanie. You always knew I had a child.”
“So you’re not going to change?”
He gave a humorless laugh. “What exactly do you expect me to change?”
“You could send Riley to live with your sister. You said they always got along well.”
Nate’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? You think I should send my troubled, grieving daughter away because she’s an inconvenience to you?”
“I’m just pointing out that this isn’t working. Not for any of us. And it was working just fine before she came. Logic dictates that the problem lies with her.”
“You are serious. You’re asking me to choose between you and my daughter.”
“I’m asking you to honor your commitments.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line.
“I am honoring my commitments. I became a father long before I met you. That’s the only commitment I’ll never break.”
“So that’s it? You’re not even going to fight for me?”
Nate closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He could feel the beginnings of a headache, slowly throbbing its way up to maximum. “It’s been a hell of a day, Stephanie,” he said, his voice tight. “And tomorrow’s probably going to be even worse. I’m just asking you to give me some space to sort things out.”