Book 19 Mine After Dark #2
With the winter deep freeze keeping everyone in hibernation mode lately, Riley has too much time to think about the direction of his life, his career, his living situation, his love life—or lack thereof—and whether he should move back to the mainland to shake things up.
Not that he’s unhappy on Gansett Island living with his brother, near their father, uncles, cousins and friends, but he is out of sorts.
For more than a year, Riley has been content on the island. But in the last few months, something has changed for him, and he can’t decide when the island became less appealing or when the restlessness set in that has him questioning everything.
“Riley,” Finn says.
Riley looks up. “What?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“Sorry. What’d you say?”
“I asked where you were, and when you didn’t answer, you confirmed you’re not here.”
“What? I’m right here.”
“Maybe so, but your head is somewhere else entirely, which makes me nervous when you’re pointing a nail gun at my hands. What’s up with you anyway? You’re zoned out more often than not, and you never want to go out or party or do anything.”
“It’s freezing.”
“That’s never stopped you before.” Finn holds up another sheet of drywall and waits for Riley to nail it into place.
Riley can dodge a lot of people. The brother who knows him better than anyone isn’t one of them. “I don’t know why I don’t feel like going out. I just don’t.”
“I know why,” Finn says with a smug smile.
“Can’t wait to hear this.”
“It’s because of Nikki, the roof girl.”
Riley takes his eyes off what he’s doing just long enough to nearly run a nail through his own hand. “What’re you talking about?”
“This funk of yours started when she left without saying goodbye.”
In a state of absolute disbelief, Nikki watches her sister, Jordan, throw clothes into a duffel bag, grabbing articles off the floor and giving them a sniff before jamming them into the bag or discarding them.
When was the last time her sister did laundry?
It hardly matters when she has more clothes than a person could wear in a lifetime.
“This is a joke, right?” Nikki asks, fuming as she feels her blood pressure soar.
“What’s a joke?” Jordan asks, oblivious as usual.
“You. Going back to him after what he did to you. That has to be a joke, because no self-respecting woman would ever give a guy like him yet another chance.”
Jordan has the good grace to squirm ever so slightly. “He apologized and took down the video. He said he did it because he wanted me back.”
“He posted a video of you having sex because he wanted you back? And you believe that bullshit?”
“You don’t get it.”
“You’re right. I don’t.”
Nikki has had enough. It’s time for her to lead her own life, and she’s going to start doing that by returning to her favorite place in the world, Gansett Island. She wonders if the sexy roofer will still be there. Either way, she’s done with the chaos of her sister’s life.
The difference between summer Gansett and winter Gansett is…
day and night. For the first time since she hatched the plan to come to the island, Nikki experiences a twinge of concern about being here alone during the winter.
She promised her grandmother she’d check in daily in exchange for Gran turning on the cable and internet service.
Some things a girl shouldn’t have to do without.
HGTV, Netflix and Instagram were at the top of her must-have list, along with the food she stopped to pick up at the island market, which is also deserted.
After work, Riley showers and gets dressed to go out with Finn to Beachcomber, where they run into their father, Kevin, who’s hanging out at the bar while his fiancée, Chelsea, is working.
“Hey!” At the sight of them, Kevin McCarthy’s handsome face lights up with a huge smile.
His obvious adoration of them used to mortify his sons when they were younger.
Now, they know to expect it—and have come to appreciate their father’s unwavering devotion.
They order food and drinks, and soon the bar is filled with their cousins, Mac, Adam and Shane, and their uncles, Big Mac and Frank, along with Ned Saunders, Big Mac’s best friend.
Alex and Paul Martinez, Joe Cantrell and Luke Harris also join in the mid-week night out.
While watching television, Riley sees a story about Jordan Stokes returning to her husband, Zane, and wonders what she’s doing back with that guy.
Seamus mentions that he brought Jordan’s sister to the island earlier.
As soon as Riley realizes Nikki is back on the island, he borrows his father’s car and goes to her house to see her.
When he pulls up to the house, Nikki comes to the door, worried about who is coming to the house at night. Riley saw the news that Zane and Jordan were back together and thought she might need a friend. It’s the exact right thing to say to her and earns him an invitation inside.
The sound of the door latching closed may as well have been a shotgun blast for the effect it has on her. Alone. With a man. In a house on Gansett Island. If this goes bad, there’s no one coming to save her.
“Nikki?” He tips his head in inquiry. “Are you okay?”
“I… I’m a little freaked out by the fact that I barely know you, and you’re in my house.”
“I’ll go,” he says without hesitation. “I didn’t mean to unsettle you. I thought about you after you left, and when I heard you were back… I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’ll go.”
“No,” she says, her anxiety settling at his willingness to leave if that’s what she wants. The bad ones don’t go when asked to leave. They stay. “Don’t go. I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous.”
“No, you’re not. You’re being careful, and I shouldn’t have come here at this hour. I didn’t think it all the way through until I saw you were scared.”
“Jordan says I’m a wimp and need to toughen up.”
“That’s not nice.”
“She’s often not nice to me,” Nikki says with a laugh that does amazing things to her pretty face. “That’s her job as my sister.”
“I have a brother with the same job.”
They admit to being curious about what became of the other after Nikki left the island.
She explains that the studio required Jordan to return to taping and sent a plane to pick them up.
Nikki hadn’t wanted to return to LA. She likes being in Gansett.
He asks her to dinner the next night, and she accepts his invitation.
The next day, when he arrives at work, Finn immediately picks up on his mood change and has to get a few digs in.
Riley appeals to his cousin for help. “Mac…”
“Shut up, Finn,” Mac says. “Leave him alone.”
“You guys are no fun,” Finn says.
Shane laughs. “I can name many, many people who would say otherwise about the entire lot of us. We’re known for being a good time had by all.”
Luke Harris snorts with laughter. “I’ll attest to that.”
“Everyone except Riley,” Finn says. “He’s a good time had by no one lately.”
He’d had a damned good time with Nikki last night, and he is fairly confident she enjoyed their time together, too. He can’t wait to see her after work.
They’re installing windows at the Wayfarer, and with the winter weather blowing, it’s a tough job.
By late afternoon, they’re frozen but have twenty windows installed in the restaurant and bar.
Mac sends them home early to get warmed up.
Riley doesn’t need to be told twice. He rushes home so he can get to Nikki sooner.
Since he got home from work early and their reservation for dinner isn’t until later, he texts Nikki to ask if she wants company earlier. She tells him to come on over, and he helps her with the Christmas tree she’s putting up, even though Christmas is over.
Telling herself to stop being so flustered, Nikki goes to the kitchen and stares out the window, thinking of things that are better off forgotten. You’re out of practice, she thinks. It’s been years since she spent time alone with a guy.
Not since…
No.
Her entire body goes cold at the thought of the guy who changed her forever.
Nikki has no idea how long she stands staring out the window over the sink, lost in memories she’d give anything to forget, before Riley comes to find her.
“Hey,” he says softly. “Is something wrong?”
“So many things,” she says before she can take the time to decide whether she should say such a thing to a man she barely knows.
“What things?” he asks, looking at her with concern.
“It’s nice of you to want to hang out with me, but you should know… I’m kind of a mess.”
His brows furrow adorably. He’s so damned handsome and sexy, the kind of guy who might be capable of changing her opinion of men in general. “No, you’re not.”
She releases a huff of laughter. “I really am. You have no idea.”
“Can I tell you something that might surprise you?”
Crossing her arms, she glances up at him, curious to hear anything he wants to tell her. “Of course.”
“After you left in October?”
She nods.
“I was super bummed. In fact, I kinda went into a funk, if my brother is to be believed.”
Nikki has no idea what to say. He’d been that sad to see her go?
“If you don’t say something, I’m going to think you think I’m a weirdo.”
“I don’t think that,” she says. “It’s sweet of you to say you were bummed that we left.
“Not you, as in you and Jordan. You, as in you, Nikki. I was sad that you left before I had a chance to really get to know you.”
“Oh,” she says, venturing another glance up at him to gauge his sincerity. “Really?”
“Really. And this so-called funk lasted until I saw you again, when I seemed to miraculously shake it off.”
Nikki has no idea what to do with that information.
“So, please don’t tell me you’re a mess or anything else that’ll make me sad again, because I’m really, really happy you came back to the island, so I don’t have to be in a funk anymore. According to my brother, I’ve been a total bore for months.”
His earnest sweetness makes her smile. How could it not? “You’re very sweet, Riley McCarthy.”