Chapter 12
Twelve
“All right, then… Kendra is the oldest at thirty-seven. She works as my dad’s executive assistant and is the backbone of the company.
She’s married to Hugo, and they have two adorable girls, Luna, who’s eight, and Aurora, who’s six.
Kendra is one of the few normal ones, and we’ve always been close.
Next is Kellan, he’s thirty-six and has an MBA from Boston College.
He’s the company’s chief strategy officer, in charge of overseeing sales and new lines of business.
He and Kendra butt heads a lot, but they do a good job of keeping things on an even keel. No pun intended.”
“You’re not making me laugh, remember?”
“Whoops, sorry.”
“Who’s next?”
“Keith. He’s thirty-four and a bit of a fuckup. He’s been in a lot of trouble over the years with drugs, petty larceny, B&E. My mother has never once acknowledged that he’s spent time in jail. She acts like nothing ever happened, which is another reason my grandmother can’t deal with her.”
“Does he work for the business?”
“Yeah, he’s a laborer who works wherever he’s needed. But there’s always a lot of drama when he’s around. He’s a button pusher, likes to get a rise out of everyone.”
“I know the type.”
“Kingston is thirty-two and is a lobster fisherman. He has as little to do with the family as he can. Kieran is thirty-one and oversees the fiberglass shop at BBW. He also owns a local bar that caters to lobster fishermen called The Trap.”
“That’s cute.”
“I’ve only been there once. My dad told me to stay out of there long before Kieran bought it and tried to make it more respectable.”
“How’s that going for him?”
“Not so great. He has to call the police at least once a week.”
“Yikes.”
“Are you beginning to see why I wanted out of there?”
“I’ve known why for a while now.”
She chuckled. “I’m next at twenty-nine.”
“That’s positively ancient.”
“Shut up. You’re robbing the cradle with me.”
“Yeah, I am, and I have zero regrets about that. And P.S. when did you have a birthday?”
“April.”
“What did you do before you left Maine?”
“I was the director of business development for BBW.”
“What did that entail?”
“Making people aware of our company and our boats via social media, advertising and writing for boating magazines.”
“I bet you were good at that.”
“I was. I liked it. I just didn’t like the people I worked with.”
“Who were mostly your family,” he said with a soft chuckle that turned to a grimace from the pain.
“Right.”
“Who comes after you?”
“Kirby. He’s twenty-eight and my closest friend in the family. We were two peas in a pod as kids, according to Bertha. He’s a master craftsman and oversees anything having to do with wood accents on the boats.”
“I’d love to be able to do something like that.”
“You have your own skills.”
“I suppose, but I’m jealous of people who can build things.”
“I’m sure Kirby would give you the 411 if you wanted to learn.”
“That’d be cool. Does that mean you’re going to take me home to meet them all?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Tell me how you really feel.”
“I just did. After Kirby comes Kelly. She’s twenty-seven and will live forever on my shit list.”
“For good reason. Were you ever close to her?”
“Not really. She’s always been super competitive with me, and I don’t have that in me. I just don’t care about beating her or besting her or whatever.”
“She must’ve been pretty pleased with herself when she stole your boyfriend.”
“She was completely unapologetic about it. And to be honest, I don’t blame her as much as I do him. A grown man can’t be ‘stolen,’ you know?”
“I agree, but she’s your sister. You should’ve been able to expect better from her.”
“That’s what Bertha says, too.”
“What’s Bertha’s last name?”
“Lively, which describes her to a T.”
“I think I’m going to like her.”
“She’d love you.”
“How come?”
“She’d appreciate the way you treat me.”
“How do I treat you?”
Kara sighed with exasperation. “You’re going to make me say it?”
“’Fraid so.”
“You treat me like I truly matter to you.”
“Because you truly do.”
“Which is why Bertha will love you. That’s all she’s ever wanted for me.”
“I want to meet her.”
“Maybe. Someday.”
“How old is she?”
“Eighty-two.”
“No time to waste, babe.”
“Don’t even say it. I can’t imagine life without her.”
“Okay, I won’t, but you’re going to take me to meet her. Soon. Who comes after Kelly?”
“Kyle, who’s twenty-six and runs the paint shop at BBW. We tease him about being stoned on paint fumes most of the time. He’s very good at it, but like Kellan, he enjoys mixing it up outside of work and has been in his share of trouble, too.”
“Let me guess… your mother doesn’t acknowledge that either.”
“God no! What would they say at the yacht club and country club?”
“I see how it is.”
“You see the tip of the iceberg. We’re a red-hot mess, but don’t worry, I won’t subject you to them, as much as I’d love to.”
“Why would you love to?”
“Are you kidding? Do you know how cool it would be for me to bring home the Dan Torrington, when my small-town lawyer boyfriend tossed me aside for my sister?”
“I’m kinda the shit.”
Kara had to remind herself that she wasn’t allowed to smack him while he was injured. “I’d love to tell you to shut up with that, but the fact that you’re kinda the shit would make Matt nuts. I’d like to see his face when he finds out I’m with you.”
“We can make that happen.”
“We’ll see.”
“You just said you’re with me.”
“So?”
“That’s the first time you’ve really admitted it.”
“The night we spent together doesn’t count?”
“Not like this does. I asked to see you, and you came running.”
“I was so afraid you were going to die on me before I could tell you I was sorry for what I said.”
“So you suffered while I was missing?”
“I did. Very much so.”
“Good.”
“Dan!”
“You’re not making me laugh, remember?”
“Don’t mess with me. I’m fragile after what you put me through.”
“That’s ’cause you like me a lot.”
“When did I say that?”
“Moving on… I’d count on my fingers, but one arm isn’t working at the moment. I don’t think we’re at eleven Ballard siblings yet.”
“Nope. There’s Kolby, the twenty-four-year-old mailman, and Keenan, the twenty-three-year-old recent college grad. He’s angling for a cushy job with the company. I haven’t heard if that’s going to happen or not.”
“I’ve heard business development is open.”
Kara laughed. “Yes, it is.”
“Let’s see if I’ve got this right. Judith and Chuck have Kendra, Kieran, Kellan, Kingston, Keith, the lovely, stunning, magnificent Kara, Kirby, Kelly, the backstabbing bitch, Kyle, Kolby and Keenan. Did I forget anyone?”
Kara pushed herself up on an elbow so she could see his face. “How’d you do that?”
“Details are my bread and butter, babe.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Not bad, considering I’m medicated, right?”
“Not bad at all.”
He turned his head toward her and gazed at her with so much affection. “Have I mentioned I’m really glad your family sucks and you decided to run away to Gansett Island?”
“I don’t think you have.”
“I’m really, really glad you did.”
“Me, too. Now go to sleep.”
“Will you stay?”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
After two days in the clinic, Dan was sent home with orders to do nothing strenuous for a couple of weeks.
Having his broken arm set would go down as one of the most painful things he’d ever endured.
Even with pain meds on board, he’d felt every excruciating thing as they’d set the bone and applied the cast that now stretched from his hand to just below his elbow.
Dr. Lawrence had told him he was lucky to have broken his forearm and to still be able to bend the arm while it was healing.
Dan was feeling lucky in general after his near miss.
For one thing, Kara had left his side only to run home to shower and change before returning each time with food and treats that he thankfully devoured. After spending a whole day afraid he might never see her again, he was delighted by her devotion.
She drove him home in her Ballard Boat Works company truck, adhering to the twenty-mile-per-hour speed limit the entire way.
“No one goes the speed limit here.”
“I do.”
“Nerd.”
“Ass pain.”
Dan loved being with her so much. He’d never met a woman quite like her, who said exactly what she thought, even if it was an insult.
He was much more accustomed to women who bent over backward to be what they thought he wanted.
Kara couldn’t care less about being anyone other than her honest, perfect self, and he loved that about her.
In fact, he was quite certain he was in love with her, but he couldn’t tell her that. Not yet. Things between them felt fragile after the last few days, and he wanted to get back some normalcy between them before he spilled those beans.
For a long time after his first engagement had ended in dramatic fashion, Dan had expected to remain single for the rest of his life.
That would have to be easier than taking a chance like the one he’d taken on Jamie, only to get kicked in the face in the worst possible way by two people who’d been among those closest to him.
Kara understood his pain in a way that no one else could because a similar thing had happened to her. Her sister, of all people. He looked forward to meeting Kelly and Matt so he could totally ignore them. That would be fun.
Everything with Kara was fun, even riding home from the clinic after his near-death experience.
She kept her hands right at ten and two and didn’t seem to blink as she navigated the island’s winding roads.
“Do you always drive like a ninety-year-old?”
“Would you like me to leave you by the side of the road to figure out your own way home?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then stop critiquing my driving.”
“It was a simple question, so I know what I’m getting into any time I let you drive.”
“Let me drive,” she said disdainfully. “Whatever. You can’t even button your own pants.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”