Angel Sands Collection Books 1 - 3

by Carrie Elks

  Stop it, Brooke. She took in a deep breath of air, but it did nothing to calm her overheated skin. From the corner of her eye she could see him still looking at her, and it made her heart race.

  This was all Ember’s fault. Ember’s and Ally’s. That stupid talk last night when they’d raised their eyebrows at her coming here. They’d told her there was more to this day than she’d thought. That the old news between her and Aiden might not have been so old after all.

  Paul started the engine up, the digger rumbling noisily as he showed Nick which levers to push. Beneath his small, yellow hard hat, her son looked delighted. He laughed with joy when he managed to make the scoop rise up.

  And for a moment she let herself smile, too. Even let herself imagine what life might have been like if Aiden really had been Nick’s father. Would they have been standing here together before driving home and making lunch. Maybe they’d read him a story every night, and Aiden would pour her a glass of wine and they’d drink it on the deck, exchanging stories of their day before heading up to bed.

  To bed? Damn, she really was blushing now.

  She was being stupid. Of all people, she should know where day dreaming got you. Because he wasn’t her husband and he wasn’t Nick’s father. She was the girl who’d spun off the rails so fast they were all still barely hanging on from it.

  “This place is really coming along,” she said, her voice wobbly. “How long until you think it will be ready?”

  Everywhere she looked they were surrounded by building materials. Blocks of sandstone bricks piled high, pinned into place by wire fences. Sacks and sacks of bond and concrete. And a whole load of red roof tiles covered in plastic sheeting, waiting to be moved to the right place.

  “It’s going to take a while,” he admitted, shielding his eyes from the sun. “We had some delays with orders, so we’ve eaten into our contingency time. I’m hoping to have it ready to be open before next Christmas.”

  “Next Christmas?” she repeated. “That’s eighteen months away. Will you stay here until it’s ready?” The thought of it made her heart gallop.

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure; I go where I’m needed. We’ve got a new development starting in Florida later in the year. I might be sent there.”

  She felt her mouth go dry. “You wouldn’t stay here after the hotel is built?” Had she managed to hide the disappointment in her voice? She’d hoped so. “To manage it or something.”

  He bit down a smile. “Not any more. I served my time as a manager, but I prefer this end of the job. Planning projects, overseeing them. We have a great team of people who run the hotels and resorts like clockwork. I trust them to do their jobs.”

  “I always imagined you’d go into finance or something,” she murmured. “What made you want to do this?” She looked up at Nick, who was staring intently at the dashboard of the digger, listening carefully to the driver. He was so busy up there, he hadn’t looked at her for the past couple of minutes.

  Aiden cleared his throat. For the first time, he looked uneasy, as though he couldn’t quite find the words he was looking for. “After we left Angel Sands, I needed a job,” he said quietly. “I started working at a local hotel while I was going to school. It was hard for mom to find anything without references.”

  “But she had references,” Brooke said. It felt as though somebody was pouring ice water down the back of her top. “And why did she leave if she had no job lined up?” She frowned. “Mom said Joan had gotten an offer she couldn’t refuse, and that’s why you all left so quickly.”

  “What?” His smile dissolved. “They told you we left because she had a new job?”

  “Didn’t you?” Her heart was beating a bit too fast. It was like she was on the cusp of something big, waiting for it to hit. She dug her fingernails into her palms to try and ground herself.

  His eyes shifted around her face, as though he was searching for something. Whatever it was, he seemed to come up short. He lifted his hand, raking his fingers through his hair, until the strands were going this way and that. The same way they used to when she couldn’t keep her hands off him. “Did you really think we left because she had a new job?” His voice was as gravelly as the shale surrounding them.

  Goosebumps broke out on her skin, in spite of the warmth surrounding her. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. “You left after Daddy found us…” she trailed off. Best not to go into that. “He said your mom decided you needed a new start.”

  His laugh was humorless. “And you believed them? You believed I’d leave without even trying to talk to you?”

  She lifted her shaking hand to her mouth. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, because you never tried to contact me again. You left…” She shook her head. “And you didn’t come back.”

  “Because they fired my mom. And even worse, they accused her of stealing from them. Said they had evidence to take to the police. We had a choice; either we stayed and she faced prosecution, or we left and they’d drop it all.”

  She could hear his words, but they weren’t sinking in. “Your mom stole from them?” Her voice wavered. It was hard to imagine Joan doing any such thing.

  “No. She didn’t steal a goddamn thing.” He was vehement. “But they had the ability to frame her. They would have done it, too. Anything to make us leave.”

  It was as though the whole world was shaking around her, and everything was off-center. “But why would they lie?”

  “Mom! Look at me!” Nick shouted from the digger. “I’m scooping up dirt, see? I did that.”

  She pulled her gaze from Aiden’s, her mind still as fuzzy as before. “That’s amazing,” she called up to her son. “Look at you. You’re a real builder.” When she looked back at Aiden, his brown eyes were still trained on her, and he looked as confused as she did.

  “I’ve no idea why they lied to you, Brooke,” he finally said. “Maybe you should ask them that.”

  12

  Nick had been antsy all evening, as though he sensed Brooke’s turmoil. She tried to put the bad thoughts out of her mind – unsuccessfully – as they worked their way through their evening routine. After a dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, wolfed down by Nick, and ignored by Brooke, the two of them walked down the hallway to the bathroom, where she pushed in the plug and started to draw him a bath.

  Recently he’d begun to insist she wait outside while he bathed – he was becoming conscious of the differences between their bodies. She still missed sitting next to him while he splashed in the water, making a white beard with the bubbles she’d poured for him. Instead she leaned against the wall, listening through the partially opened door, making sure he was still alive.

  By eight o’clock he was exhausted, fatigue making his eyelids heavy and his body floppy. In spite of his protests, he climbed into bed, huffing as she tucked the blankets around him. “I’m not tired,” he said, his voice heavy.

  “I know. But I want you to try sleeping anyway, okay? You’ve got school tomorrow.”

  And she had somebody she needed to talk with. Two somebodies, actually. And since Cora wasn’t available to come babysit at short notice, this particular conversation was going to have to take place on the deck.

  “Today was a good day,” Nick said, letting his head fall back on the pillow. “I like Aiden. He’s cool.”

  It was strange how she was seeing the likeness between them more each day. As though by breathing the same air, the Black in Nicholas was coming to the forefront. The dark hair, the strong nose, they even had the same mannerisms. It made her heart clench to look at him.

  For so long it had been only her and Nick. From giving birth at the age of nineteen, they’d somehow become a family, in spite of her parents’ anger and the town’s condemnation. He’d been such a good baby – sleeping lots and batting his deep eyes at her, his love for her almost as strong as the emotions she felt for him. Now he was growing up so fast, and she could see hints of the man he would become. And she knew it would be som
ebody she was going to be proud of.

  “He likes you, too,” she told him. Nick’s lips immediately split into a grin. Because Aiden’s opinion of him mattered. Brooke swallowed in spite of her dry mouth, because she was going to need to tell her son the truth soon. She owed him that – they all did.

  It wasn’t only him she’d been hiding the truth from. As far as her parents – and nearly everybody in town – knew, the father was somebody who’d passed on by. By the time she’d discovered she was pregnant, Jamie Black was long gone. Though she’d eventually tracked him down using a private investigator, it was clear from his response that he wanted nothing to do with the child she was having. If she was really honest, she was relieved he felt that way.

  It was bad enough she was single and pregnant as a teenager. Telling her parents Nick was Jamie’s son probably would have killed them. As difficult as their relationship was, she never wanted that.

  “Can we see him again?” Nick asked her. “Maybe tomorrow?”

  “Not tomorrow, sweetheart. It’s a school night. But soon, okay?” She had a feeling Aiden would insist on it.

  “Okay, Mom.” His voice was heavy with sleep. “Love you.” He reached his arms up and she dipped her head, kissing his cheek as he hugged her close. By the time he released her, his breathing was even, his mouth slack as sleep overtook him.

  “Love you too, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Sleep tight.”

  It was after eight when she heard the soft knock on her door. Brooke wrenched the door open, seeing her parents standing on the wooden deck surrounding the bungalow, both dressed in their Sunday best.

  “This won’t take long, will it, darling?” her mom asked, attempting to walk past Brooke and into the living room. “We have cocktails at the Spencers’ this evening. Is Nick still up?”

  Brooke blocked her way, making Lillian stop short. “He’s asleep. Let’s talk outside.”

  “But I want to say good night to him. Or at least look in on him. It’s been too long since I saw him last.”

  “Stay on the deck.” Brooke’s voice was so much stronger than she felt. Flicking the lock onto the latch, she carefully pulled the door behind her, hearing it softly click shut. “I don’t want him hearing this conversation.” She pointed at the wooden chairs laid out on the far corner, overlooking the lawn leading down to the cliffs. “Sit down.”

  “Well there’s no need to be so rude about it,” Lilian huffed.

  “Hush up,” her husband told her. Turning his head to look at Brooke, he asked her, “Now what’s all this about? Your mother’s right, we’re due at the Spencers’ in half an hour.”

  “It’ll take as long as it takes.”

  “I don’t like your tone.” Her father’s voice was brusque. It reminded her of those terrible days all those years ago. When he left her in no doubt she’d let him down completely.

  Brooke watched in awkward silence as her parents sat down on the dark wood chairs. Her mother’s nose wrinkled up as she brushed the seat, trying to get rid of the dust settled there. In the distance, the sun was sliding down, almost past the cliffs, casting a long dark shadow on the land beyond the bungalow.

  “I want to ask you about Joan,” Brooke said, pulling out a chair and settling herself on it.

  “Oh, did I tell you she died?” Lilian asked, turning to her husband. “I probably forgot, you know me, I’m an airhead.”

  Brooke’s stomach contracted at her mother’s dismissal of Joan’s death.

  “She did?” Her father’s voice was even. “That’s a shame.” He glanced at his watch, his face impassive.

  Another silence. This one felt thicker than the last. Full of recriminations Brooke had no idea how to voice.

  “Was that all you wanted to talk about?” Martin asked her, raising a silver eyebrow.

  “No.” Brooke shook her head. “I want to ask you why she left.”

  “What do you mean? Why are you dragging all this up again? Come on, Lillian, we’ll be late.” Her father went to stand up.

  Brooke put her hand on his arm. “Sit. Down.”

  He looked shocked at her vehemence. “What on earth?”

  “Why did she leave?” Brooke asked again, through gritted teeth.

  “Brooke, your father’s right. This is silly. You know why she left. After everything that happened she wanted a new start. She knew she’d done wrong to encourage you and Aiden in your little… fling.” She wrinkled her nose again. “She got a job offer in LA and she took it.”

  “That’s not what Aiden says.”

  Her father looked up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Your mother told me he was back in town.”

  So she’d admitted that much. Clearly Aiden’s reappearance was more important to her than Joan’s death. Brooke swallowed, hating the way the thought tasted in her mouth.

  “Yes, he is.” Brooke’s head felt like a balloon. Light as air, but full at the same time. It was dizzying. “And he told me why he left. Why they all left.”

  “Honey, please, stop dragging this up. It’s old history.” Lillian reached out, trying to grab Brooke’s hand. Brooke pulled away sharply, curling her fingers into fists. “We’re your parents, we love you. Nothing else matters.”

  “Did you threaten to have Joan arrested?” Brooke asked. “Did you make her take Aiden away from me.”

  Like an IED ticking over from inactive to explosion, her father’s face turned puce. “We’re going, Lillian.” He stood up. “I don’t need to be spoken to like this.”

  “That’s right, walk away,” Brooke said, standing too. He was at least half a foot taller than her, but right now she felt as mighty as she ever had. “You’re many things, Dad, but I never thought you were a liar. Not until now.”

  They stared at each other, her father’s nostrils flaring. His eyes were narrow as he tried to intimidate her. But she stood firm and silent; if one of them was going to break, it wasn’t her.

  “Yes, we made them leave,” he finally admitted, his voice carrying across the still night air. “That boy took advantage of you. I should’ve had him arrested. Had him thrown in jail for what he did. That dirty little shit, the thought of him touching you makes me sick. That family got off lightly.”

  Tears stung at Brooke’s eyes, the same way they always did whenever her dad shouted. It was scary and it hit nerves she’d long since forgotten about. Made her feel like a child being rebuked, not the woman she was.

  “You lied to me.”

  “It was for your own good,” Lilian told her, revealing her complicitness in their cover up. “Your father’s right. He took advantage of you. All those years we had welcomed that family into our home, and look what he did.”

  “That’s not true. He didn’t take advantage of me. We were in love.”

  “That wasn’t love, that was sex.” Her father’s voice was still harsh.

  “Oh Brooke, of course it must have felt like love. Everything does when you’re a teenager. But it wasn’t – how could it have been? You were completely unsuitable for each other.” Her mom reached out for her, but Brooke stepped away.

  “In what way?” she asked, though she already knew what their answer would be.

  “You want her to spell it out?” her father spat. “He was scum, and you’re a Newton. There’s no comparison.”

  “You think the Blacks were scum?”

  “I don’t think it, I know it,” her father said. “And I don’t care if Aiden Black is back in town, driving some expensive car and wearing tailored suits. You can’t buy your way up the social ladder. He’s simply well-dressed scum now. I forbid you to see him.”

  She would have laughed, if it hadn’t been so crazy. “I’m an adult. I can see who I want.”

  “Not while you’re living in my house, you can’t.”

  Her father may have lacked many things, but generosity wasn’t one of them. Not once in all the years since she’d had Nick had he ever threatened to take their home away from them. The shock of it made her hands sta
rt to shake. “You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t see.”

  “You’re my daughter. I can tell you whatever I want to. And if I hear you’ve been near that man again, you’ll be out of this place before you can even blink.”

  “You’d really throw us out?” she asked him, incredulous. “You’d let me and Nick be homeless?”

  “Nick will always have a home with us. I wouldn’t punish him for your decisions. But we’ve protected you for long enough. If you’re stupid enough to see that man again, it’s your choice, but don’t expect us to pick up the pieces this time.” He reached for his wife’s hand. “Come on, Lilian, we’re going to be late.”

  Her mother stood, sliding her hand into his. “Darling, we were only thinking of you.”

  Brooke blinked back the tears trying to escape from her eyes. “I never expected you to pick up the pieces,” she said, her voice wobbly. “I never expected you to interfere in my life, either. I’m a grown adult. I’ll see who I want to see.” She sucked in a deep lungful of air, but it did nothing to ease the burning in her chest. “And so will my son.”

  13

  Ally passed a mug of coffee to Brooke, squeezing her fingers as she took it. “So what did they say?”

  “Dad started shouting again. His face was so red I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack. In the end, Mom dragged him away, but not before he’d called me every bad name under the sun.” Brooke took a sip of coffee. “That’s when I called you.”

  “It must have come as a shock to them. Remember how shocked Ember and I were when you told us Aiden was back. Give them time to get used to it.”

  “There’s not much else I can do,” Brooke said, looking around the beach house Ally shared with her fiancé, Nate and his daughter, Riley. “Thanks for taking us in.” Though it was spacious enough – with a beautiful spare bedroom more than big enough for Brooke and Nick, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at imposing on her friend. “It’s only for one night, I promise.”