Chapter 20
Twenty
Watching Dan walk with purpose out of the room, Kara wanted to chase after him, but he was probably going to the men’s room or something.
“What a great party,” Abby Callahan said as she gave Kara a hug.
“I can’t take any of the credit,” Kara said, introducing Abby and her boyfriend, Adam McCarthy, to her parents.
Judith shook hands with Adam. “There’re a lot of McCarthys on this island.”
He laughed and nodded in agreement. “Five in my family, then there’re my cousins Laura and Shane, and their dad, my uncle Frank. My uncle Kevin and his family are coming over soon for Laura’s wedding. He’s got two sons.”
“I suppose we’re hardly ones to talk,” Chuck said with a laugh. “We’ve got eleven kids, including Kara.”
“The thought of that makes me feel faint,” Abby said.
“I was pregnant for years,” Judith said.
Kara was well aware of exactly how many months her mother had spent pregnant, because she’d heard the number ninety-nine all her life.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Adam said. “We love Kara.”
At that moment, Kara loved him right back.
“She’s a wonderful daughter,” Chuck said with an affectionate squeeze for Kara.
It took everything she had not to push him away like she had for the last two years, but her dad was trying. She’d give him that much, but not much more.
Where the hell was Dan?
“So are you guys going to be next?” Kara asked Adam and Abby.
Abby blushed while Adam stammered, “Um, well, not really quite there yet, are we, babe?”
“Not yet,” Abby replied with a smile for him.
“Sorry,” Kara said. “Didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” She wondered if Adam had noticed the same flash of distress in Abby’s eyes that she’d seen. If Kara wasn’t mistaken, Adam was the only one who wasn’t there yet.
“This is a great party,” Adam said, seeming eager to change the subject.
“Thanks,” Kara said. “Typical Judith Ballard production. Nothing but the best.”
Dan returned in time to shake hands with Adam and kiss Abby’s cheek. “Glad you guys could come on short notice.”
“A McCarthy never misses a chance for free booze,” Adam said.
“I’ve heard Grant say that very thing a hundred times,” Dan said.
Jenny Wilks and Alex Martinez walked over with Alex’s brother, Paul, and another woman.
“Congratulations, guys,” Jenny said with kisses for Dan and Kara. “What a great party!”
“Thank you.” Kara leaned in and lowered her voice so only her friends would hear. “Secretly, I think engagement parties are kind of stupid. They’re like pre-weddings. Same people, different day.”
“See?” Alex said. “That’s what I say, too. I’m glad you agree, Kara.”
“You don’t need to tell her that engagement parties are stupid when you’re at hers,” Jenny said, making Paul laugh at his brother’s distress.
“She started it,” Alex said with a cheeky grin.
“This is Hope Russell,” Paul said. “She’s come to save our lives by helping with our mom. Hope, this is Kara Ballard and Dan Torrington, the happy couple suffering through this stupidly awesome party.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Hope said. “I was assured that crashers were welcome.”
“Always,” Dan said. “The more, the merrier around here.”
“Totally,” Kara said. “We’re glad you could join us. How are you liking island life so far?”
“I love it,” Hope said. “My son does, too, which is the best part.”
“Make sure you all get something to eat, or my mother will consider herself a complete failure,” Kara said.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Alex said.
They headed for the buffet table while Kara and Dan introduced Blaine and Tiffany Taylor to her parents.
“Blaine is the island’s police chief,” Dan added.
“That must be a nice quiet job in a place like this,” Judith said to laughter from Blaine and Tiffany.
“In the winter, it is,” she said. “In the summer, I hardly see him.”
“And what do you do?” Judith asked Tiffany.
Kara choked on her champagne as Dan nudged her.
“I own a lingerie store in town,” Tiffany said. “Naughty & Nice. In fact, that beautiful dress of Kara’s came from my store.”
“The naughty side,” Dan added.
He would pay for that later, Kara thought, not daring to make eye contact with her mother.
“I’ll have to stop in to see your place,” Judith said.
“Any time,” Tiffany said, giving Kara a saucy wink.
“I’d like to be there for that,” Kara said.
“Me, too,” Dan added, making everyone laugh except for Judith, who didn’t get the joke.
“She sells more than lingerie and party dresses there, Mom,” Kara said.
For a moment, Judith seemed stumped, and then she said, “Oh. Oh.” Color flooded her cheeks.
“It’s a long, cold winter out here, Mrs. Ballard,” Tiffany said. “We have to find a way to stay busy.”
“Well, yes, I’m sure it is. I’m going to see where your father has gone off to.” Judith scurried away.
“That was awesome.” Kara shook with laughter. “You’re the best.”
“Happy to be of assistance,” Tiffany said.
“You’re just a walking, talking scandal, my love,” Blaine said with a grin for his wife.
“Thank you,” Tiffany said.
The sound of silverware striking crystal caught their attention.
“If everyone could find a seat, please,” Chuck said as his wife stood next to him, beaming.
“Oh God,” Kara said under her breath. “What’s this all about?”
“Kara? Dan? Could you join us up here?”
“Whatever it is, let’s get it over with so we can get to my surprise for later,” Dan said as he took her hand and led her to the front of the room.
“What surprise?”
“Be a good girl in front of our guests, and I’ll tell you.”
“I don’t want to be good.”
“Remember that later.”
As they took their positions with her parents, Kara felt the eyes of everyone on her and wanted to die of embarrassment.
She hated being the center of attention and always had, which her parents certainly knew.
That’d never stopped them from forcing her out of her comfort zone whenever they felt the need to. Today was no exception.
“Thank you so much for joining us today to celebrate the engagement of our daughter Kara to Dan Torrington,” Chuck said after Judith had ensured everyone had champagne.
“Kara is the sixth of our eleven children and has always had the strong independent streak that led her here to Gansett to start our launch service in your Salt Pond. We were thrilled to hear of her engagement to Dan, a man who was certainly well known to us. Dan, we’ve admired your work for years, and we look forward to welcoming you into our family. ”
As everyone clapped and raised their glasses, Kara went along with it because she was expected to.
But part of her wanted to stop everything and ask her parents if they were happy for her for the right reasons.
Was it because she’d found the perfect man for her?
Was it because he was rich and successful?
Or was it because knowing she was happy with him made them feel a little less guilty about the way they’d treated her?
Dan leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Smile,” he whispered. “You’re supposed to be happy today.”
Kara could tell she surprised her fiancé when she turned to him, gave him a big, warm smile and then kissed him right there in front of everyone.
As their friends whooped it up around them, she curled her hand around his neck and slipped him a hint of tongue.
When she ended the kiss, he stared at her, confounded, as if trying to decide what had come over her.
Happiness had come over her, pure and simple.
She laughed at his befuddlement and then hugged him, loving the way his body fit against hers, as well as the scent of his cologne and the rough scrape of his whiskers against her face.
“You never fail to amaze me, babe,” he said close to her ear, sending a shiver all the way through her body.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The clatter of smashing glassware interrupted the moment as everyone turned to see what the noise was about.
Beside her, Dan gasped at the sight of Jim Sturgil as he pushed past a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses and knocked the tray out of the waiter’s hand, sending more glass smashing to the floor.
“What the hell?” Dan said.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw Blaine get up from the table where he’d been sitting with Tiffany and their family. Tiffany stared at Jim, her eyes big and her face suddenly pale.
“Is everyone having a good time?” Sturgil asked, his voice slurring.
His eyes were wild looking, and his white shirt was dirty and hanging untucked over torn pants.
He looked like he’d been on a multiday bender.
“Is everyone celebrating the man who’s ruined my life?
You ruined my life, Torrington! Everything was fine until you showed up here with all your money and connections, and now everyone wants the big celebrity to be their lawyer, and no one wants me!
I am this island’s lawyer. Not you! You need to go back to your fancy life in LA and leave us alone.
No one wants you here.” From the table where a man in a chef’s coat and hat had been carving tenderloin, Jim picked up a large knife and began swinging it around.
“Don’t take another step,” Blaine said in a tone Kara had never heard from him before.
“You! You stole my wife and kid! My own kid likes you better than she likes me!” He swung the knife in Blaine’s direction. “I ought to gut you the way you’ve gutted me.”
“You did this to yourself, Sturgil,” Blaine said calmly but firmly. “You can toss all the accusations around that you want, but you have only yourself to blame for your problems.”
Jim lunged at him with the knife, but Blaine jumped out of the way.
Dan dropped his arm from around Kara’s shoulders and moved across the room to help Blaine.
“Dan!” Kara screamed after him, afraid he’d get hurt again after only recently recovering from the sailboat accident.
Everyone was on their feet, and Evan and Mac went to help Dan and Blaine as they confronted Jim. He waved the big knife around in front of him, daring anyone to get close to him.
“Someone should call the police,” Judith said nervously.
“Blaine is the police,” Kara said. “Give him a minute. He’ll take care of it.”
“Jim.” Tiffany walked toward her ex-husband. “What the hell are you doing? Think about your daughter. Put down that knife and quit acting like a jackass.”
“Tiffany, step back,” Blaine said without taking his eyes off Jim or the knife. “Right now.”
“You think I’m a jackass?” Jim screamed at her. “You did this to me, you stupid bitch!”
Blaine roared and pounced on Jim, his arm tight around Jim’s neck as Dan went for the knife.
“Dan!” Kara screamed, feeling as if her worst nightmare was unfolding right in front of her. “No!”
Cornered, Jim slashed at Dan, who grunted when the knife struck him before clattering to the floor.
Kara ran to her fiancé, who was bent in half, while Blaine dragged Jim kicking and screaming from the room. “Dan! Dan! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
He looked up at her, grimacing in pain. “Just a scratch.”
That’s when she noticed the pool of blood forming on the floor in front of him.
“Someone call for rescue,” Mac said behind her. “Come on, Dan, have a seat.” After getting Dan into a chair, Mac grabbed a linen napkin that he wrapped around Dan’s right hand. The napkin quickly soaked through, and Mac calmly swapped it out for another one.
“Sorry ’bout this,” Dan said.
Kara cradled his head against her chest. “It’s not your fault. You weren’t the one with the knife.”
“What’ve you done now, Torrington?” Grant asked as he squatted in front of Dan.
“I was safer in LA than I am here.” He forced a smile for Kara’s benefit. “Might be time to go home.”
Kara knew he was joking, but the comment scared her, nonetheless. Gansett was their home, or at least she thought it was.
The EMTs arrived a minute later, and Kara stepped back from Dan to make room for them to tend him.
Her mother’s arm encircled her waist. “Are you all right, honey?”
“I will be when I know he is.”
“He did a brave thing rushing at that man with the knife. Who was that guy?”
“Jim Sturgil. He used to be married to Blaine’s wife, Tiffany, and people don’t like him because of the way he treated her when they got divorced.
” As she updated her mother, Kara never took her eyes off Dan.
“When Dan came to the island to write his book, people started seeking out his legal advice, and now they prefer him to Jim.”
“So Dan is practicing law here?”
“Has been for a while now. He didn’t intend to, but that’s how it worked out.”
The lead EMT signaled to Kara to come with them.
“I’ll call you later, Mom. Sorry about all this.”
“I just hope he’s okay.”
“So do I.” Kara ran after the stretcher that Dan was strapped to.
“Much ado about nothing,” he said to her when she caught up to him.
Despite his assurances, his face was pale, and his eyes were glassy with shock, which reminded her of the aftermath of the boating accident—a time she’d much rather forget than relive.
“Do you like how I got you out of the stupid party?”
“Don’t make jokes.” The instant the words cleared her lips, she regretted sounding so snappish. It wasn’t his fault he’d gotten hurt.
“I’m okay, babe. I swear. It’s just a cut. They’ll stitch me up, and I’ll be good as new.”
Kara forced herself to breathe through the need to cry with relief that he was okay. When she thought about what might’ve happened, she shuddered.
In the ambulance, Dan held out his good hand to her, and she took it, holding on tight to the man she loved with all her heart.