Chapter 4
T wenty minutes later, Rae walked him back outside. Brody’s revelations had left her wanting to conclude their time together with a signature move. Do something that showed him how impressed she was, and how touched.
The wind had switched to straight east and now carried a wintry bite.
She thought Brody looked washed out and fragile from the confession.
Which was remarkable, given what he had revealed.
The man was still the boy, at least in some regards.
Rae found herself respecting him for breaking the self-made mold in order to shield his sister and mother.
Standing on the empty sidewalk in front of her office, the island town might as well have been all theirs. Which was when she spotted the Land Rover with the dark-tinted windows.
It could have been anyone. Land Rovers were fairly common during the high season. A number of homeowners drove them. But this was five days to Christmas, and a slow-moving Rover on an empty island road inevitably brought Holden and his silence to mind.
She knew exactly what was required.
Rae said, “Have dinner with me tonight.”
Brody’s features flashed with very real pleasure. “I’d like that, Rae. A lot.”
“Seven o’clock. Fortunate Harbor. My treat.” As he thanked her and turned away, she added, “You need to speak with Olivia. And your mother. Tell them what you’ve told me.”
“Rae, no—”
“Brody, they need to know who you are. What you do. You owe them that.”
Another long breath, as if accepting her words was an act of pure defeat. Then, “Will you do it?”
She wanted to press. Demand that he take this on. Ask why it was so hard to give them what, in truth, was good news. Instead, his look of fearful desperation left her unable to say more than, “If you’re absolutely certain that’s what you want.”
“I need this. Please, Rae. It would mean the world.”
“I don’t understand.”
Rae and Olivia were meeting together for their regular Thursday evening drink.
Usually this happened somewhere close to the hospital, so Olivia could pop in, share a laugh and a story about her day, then head home to husband and kids.
This evening Cameron joined them, re-forming the trio that had framed so much of Rae’s adult life.
Olivia had two adorable daughters, both of whom were still in the munchkin age.
The eldest, Rae’s goddaughter, was about to turn six and showed distinct signs of becoming a Frozen-style princess.
Tonight, Rae had asked if they could shift to the Fortunate Harbor’s main bar, since she was meeting Brody in an hour and a half.
She had not yet mentioned this to either of her closest friends.
She would probably tell them later. They already knew most chapters of her somewhat sordid romance saga, but not this particular page.
As part of the ongoing contract necessary to repay their work during the treasure hunt, Holden’s crew remained on semipermanent retainer with the resort.
Rae knew Holden would soon hear from whoever served on duty tonight.
Rae couldn’t say whether she preferred for Holden to view this news as pressure to redefine his idea of a real union or head for the exit.
Which was probably a terrible thing to confess, even to herself.
But as Rae lifted her glass, she was simply happy to have options.
Not to mention how much she secretly looked forward to seeing Brody again.
Out of the office. Hopefully in a situation where she might peel away another couple of layers.
If Rae were ever to design her perfect bar, this place would definitely serve as a model.
Tall windows overlooked a dusk-clad veranda rimmed by real torches in metal stands.
She knew the wind had died, because the flames were not just stable but cheerfully inviting.
Beyond the terrace rose coastal pines. A veil of sea oats were turned silver in the moonlight.
The candlelit bar was a perfect setting to share secrets and confess newfound love. If only.
She relished sitting here with two of her closest friends. Telling them about Brody’s afternoon confession added a spice years in the making.
Olivia’s features shifted in the candlelight as she took in Rae’s words. “Tell me again what it was he specialized in?”
“Econometrics,” Rae repeated. “I looked it up. It’s the mathematical analysis of economic and market trends. Brody also completed a master’s degree combining econometrics with international finance. According to him, they make a logical fit.”
Olivia asked, “Why wouldn’t he tell us?”
Cameron asked, “You’re sure your mother doesn’t know?”
“Mom wouldn’t keep something like that from me,” Olivia replied.
Cameron was seated on Olivia’s other side. She leaned forward so as to focus on Rae. “I’m not clear on why Brody decided to treat you as his confessor.”
“It wasn’t like he volunteered. He came to me with a legal issue. I told him I’d help only if I had a handle on who he was.” She looked at Olivia and said, “This afternoon, the way you couldn’t describe his job, that troubled me.”
Olivia lifted her glass. “Get in line.”
Cameron nodded. “You were concerned he might be involving you in something illegal.”
“Not Brody,” Olivia said. Her features and voice both descended into sadness. “Not in a million years.”
“I had to be certain.” Rae hated how she had made her dear friend so unhappy. “It tore him apart, telling me. Years of barriers coming down.”
Olivia asked, “You’re sure his legal issue isn’t about Mom’s divorce?”
“I told you, I don’t handle divorces.” She hid her half-lie in another sip of wine.
“He asked me to tell you something else. It has to do with why we met. Brody has been working for this same group in Charlotte since completing his graduate work. The owner is another sailing junkie, those were Brody’s words.
His boss skippers one of the top pro-am … ”
Rae stopped talking when Olivia drained her glass, gathered up her purse, and slipped from the stool. “I better be going.”
It was Cameron who held their friend in place with a gentle hand on her arm and the simple word, “Wait.”
Olivia did not reseat herself, nor did she meet anyone’s gaze. But she remained there, listening.
Cameron asked, “The situation with your father, growing up, was hard on Brody?”
“?‘Hard’ doesn’t begin to describe it. He never beat us or anything.” Olivia’s gaze was fixed on something far beyond the bar. “Brody was this sweet little kid. He was born on Christmas Eve, so Mom called him our Christmas sea-sprite. Our father terrified him.”
Cameron’s grip tightened. “I see this more often than you can imagine. Sensitive children shield themselves from an impossible situation by developing two different lives. The outside life, what they reveal to others, has little or nothing to do with their interior world. Too often what binds the two together is rage. Unbridled, unfocused, and very destructive. In Brody’s case, it’s his sport. Does that make sense?”
Olivia’s only response was to slide back onto her perch. Staring at distant memories.
Cameron continued, “Then something happens. A change so monumental it fractures this double life. Your mother’s divorce—” She stopped when Rae shook her head. “What?”
“It’s more than that,” Rae said. Stepping over the attorney–client line because Brody had asked her to.
“Brody’s boss has turned sailing into a cage.
Your brother has finally decided he has no choice but to walk away from what he’s considered his dream come true.
His ideal world has become a nightmare. And he doesn’t know what to do. ”