Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Kara asked Stephanie at a gathering of friends a few weeks after the engagement party everyone was still talking about.
Grant and Steph were getting married on Labor Day.
“I can’t believe you’re putting together a wedding as quickly as you are.
I have almost a year, and I’ll be lucky to get it all done in time. ”
“We’re going very simple.” Stephanie smiled at Grant. “That makes it easier.”
“That’s what we should’ve done,” Kara said, sighing.
“I offered to elope to Vegas,” Dan replied with a cheeky grin for Kara.
“There’s simple, and then there’s cheesy,” Kara said as the others laughed. “Two very different things.”
“I think she might be insulting me,” Dan said.
“You’re lucky you found someone willing to marry you,” Grant said. “If I were you, I’d do anything she wanted me to do.”
“This is true,” Dan said gravely.
Kara smiled at him. “He’s taking me to LA to meet my future in-laws after the season.”
“And she’s taking me to Bar Harbor to meet the rest of mine.”
“That sounds like fun,” Stephanie said. “When are you leaving?”
“Right after the holiday weekend in October,” Kara said. “I’ll shut down the launches for the winter, and off we go.”
“Wait till you see his place in Malibu,” Grant said. “Very swank.”
“I can’t wait,” Kara said. “I’ve always wanted a beach house.”
“Now you’ll have your very own any time we get out to the West Coast,” Dan said.
“Where do you guys plan to live after you’re married?” Grace asked.
“Here,” Kara said. “We both love it here.”
“Oh good,” Grace said. “I was worried for a minute that we’d be losing you after the wedding.”
“No way,” Dan said. “We’re here to stay. I’ll have to get out to LA occasionally for work, but I can do most of it from here and tend to my accidental practice on the island at the same time.”
“I like that,” Grant said with a chuckle. “‘Accidental practice.’”
“That’s what it is. I never had any intention of practicing here, but one thing led to another…”
“And Jim Sturgil lost his mind,” Evan added.
“That didn’t hurt,” Dan conceded.
“Except your hand,” Kara reminded him as the others laughed.
Dan sent her a warm smile. “Leave it to my beloved to bring the reality.”
“What’s the latest with Jim, anyway?” Stephanie asked.
“He’s been charged with felony assault for the stunt he pulled at our engagement party.” Dan ran a finger over the healing scar on his hand where Jim had slashed him with a knife. “I haven’t heard anything more than that.”
“Damn,” Evan said. “If he’s convicted—and how could he not be with so many witnesses—he’ll be disbarred.”
“I don’t feel sorry for him at all,” Kara said indignantly. “He brought it on himself by being an asshole to Tiffany and then by trying to blame Dan for his practice going belly-up. It’s no one’s fault but his.”
“Listen to my little hellcat.” Dan put his arm around Kara. “Don’t get her started on Jim Sturgil.”
“He could’ve killed you with that knife. You’ll have to pardon me if I don’t find that one bit funny.”
“Wow,” Grant said. “She really does love you.”
“I know, right?” Dan said. “It’s just as shocking to me.”
“Shut up,” Kara said, laughing at the amazement on Dan’s face. “Before I forget why I love you so much.”
“Please don’t do that.”
“Is there blood?” Grant asked Dan.
Dan, who’d been checking his phone, spared his friend a brief glance. “No blood, but that’s one hell of a gash. First day with the razor?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Dan laughed hard. “Is that any way to speak to your best man?”
“It’s the only way to speak to my best man. Don’t forget I can replace you rather easily. I’ve got three brothers waiting in the wings.”
Dan could tell he took Grant by surprise when he placed a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s not our way to get sappy with each other, but I have to tell you how much it meant to me that you asked me to stand up for you when you had so many other far more suitable candidates.
Since you’re the only brother I’ve got left, I’m hoping you’ll return the favor next summer. ”
“Dan… Jeez, you’re going to make me bawl. Of course I will. And I’m sorry for the joke about my brothers. That was insensitive.”
“No, it was funny. I love your brothers. You know I do. The four of you have helped to fill the void a little, and I want you to know I’m hugely honored to be your best man.”
Grant hugged him. “Thank you for doing this today and for sending me after her that day. Best thing I ever did.”
“She’s the best. You couldn’t have done any better.”
“I know, believe me.”
“Looks like showtime.” From their vantage point on the deck behind the Surf, Dan gestured to the flurry of activity happening inside Stephanie’s Bistro.
Dan put his phone away, and both men buttoned the jackets of their navy blue suits.
Grant and Steph had hoped to get married on the beach, but it was just windy enough that fears of blowing sand had compelled them to move the ceremony to the deck where the reception would also be held.
Grant’s uncle Frank, the retired judge who’d preside over the ceremony, joined Grant and Dan, hugging them both.
“All ready?” Frank asked his nephew.
“Never been more ready.”
Frank signaled Grant’s brother Evan, who, along with Owen, was providing guitar music as the rest of the guests found their way to the deck, separating down the middle.
Grace preceded Stephanie, wearing a gorgeous navy dress and carrying a bouquet of light blue and purple hydrangeas. She smiled at Grant as she took her place across from him, leaving a spot that would soon belong to Stephanie.
“You aren’t going to pass out or anything, are you?” Dan muttered.
“I don’t think so, but keep your eyes open just in case.”
“You got it.”
Dan was moved to tears when Stephanie appeared on the arm of her beloved stepfather. He’d had a front-row seat for Charlie and Stephanie’s joyful reunion after he’d helped to get Charlie out of prison. Getting to watch them live their happily ever after brought Dan tremendous satisfaction.
They were smiling bigger than he’d ever seen them as Charlie escorted Stephanie to her groom.
Dan brushed at a tear and caught Kara smiling at him. Of course she knew exactly what he was thinking in that moment. He spent a lot of time dealing with the worst life had to offer. This incredible moment among people he’d come to love like family was such an amazing payoff for all the hard work.
“Take good care of my little girl,” Charlie said gruffly when he placed Stephanie’s hand in Grant’s.
“Always.”
After she hugged Charlie, Stephanie handed her bouquet of white and blue hydrangeas to Grace and joined hands with Grant, smiling up at him.
Frank led them through the ceremony and the reciting of traditional vows. They’d gone traditional because Stephanie said she would never be able to match her Academy Award-winning screenwriter fiancé in the vows department, and she wasn’t about to try.
Then Frank was pronouncing them husband and wife, and Grant was kissing his wife and the love of his life.
The day unfolded with so much love, laughter and the kind of happiness Dan had once feared might elude Grant after things with Abby had gone so very wrong.
As Dan stood to toast the bride and groom, Grant groaned. “Keep it short, Torrington. I’ve got a honeymoon to get to.”
“I’m known for thirty-minute closing arguments.”
While Stephanie giggled, Grant shook his head. “Don’t you dare.”
“No worries, friend. This won’t take long.
I just wanted to say publicly what I told you earlier, Grant.
I lost my only brother years ago, and it’s been tough going on without him.
I want to say thank you to Grant and the rest of the McCarthy brothers for making me part of your crew here on Gansett.
You’ll never know what it means to me to have brothers again. ”
“Jeez.” Grant dabbed at his eyes. “Why you gotta do that to me twice in one day?”
“Happy to have you, Dan,” Mac said as Evan and Adam nodded in agreement.
Dan grinned at his friend. “Had to be said. It also has to be said how incredibly gorgeous your bride looks today. Don’t you all agree?”
Everyone cheered for Stephanie while she seemed to soak up the attention in a way she normally never did. She deserved every bit of happiness after what she’d been through.
“Every so often, you come upon a couple who so obviously belong together that you know from the outset, they’re going the distance. Of course I’m talking about me and Kara.”
That got a big laugh.
“And Grant and Stephanie. I knew Grant for a long time before Steph came along, and the one thing I know for sure is that you make him want to be a better man, Steph. He brings his A game every day with you because the only thing that truly matters to him is making you happy. I look forward to lots of good times with you guys in the years to come. To Grant and Stephanie!”
While everyone cheered the happy couple, Dan sat next to his fiancée and leaned in to accept a kiss from her.
“Brilliant, Counselor.”
“Thanks, love.”
The day after the season officially ended, Dan and Kara were due to leave for Maine to visit her family before they headed to Los Angeles to see his.
As the date of their departure drew closer, Dan noticed Kara getting more and more tense.
He suspected she was stressed about returning to the place where she’d been so unhappy before she moved to Gansett.
Was she worried about running into Kelly and Matt?
He wasn’t sure, but as she became quieter by the day, he decided he needed to ask her about it because he couldn’t bear to see her so unhappy.
He told her he’d take care of dinner and prepared her favorite meal of roasted chicken, potatoes, boxed stuffing and sweet peas.
She’d once told him she could eat the boxed stuffing right out of the pan, which he’d found so cute.
He’d never had it before she introduced him to it, and now he loved it, too.
Kara was personally winterizing the launch engines, which he told her he found incredibly sexy.
She’d rolled her eyes at him—she did that a lot—and told him it was no big deal.
He tried to imagine any of the women he’d known in the past worrying about antifreeze or oil changes and couldn’t for the life of him see any of them doing that.
His fiancée was one-of-a-kind, and he loved her fiercely.
At six o’clock, he texted her for an ETA.
It’d been a long day poring over the latest chapters of the book, and he was missing her.
When will you be home? She’d all but moved in with him but had kept her place in the barn through the end of the year.
Dan wasn’t sure if she’d told Big Mac that she was moving out yet.
On the way.
Don’t text and drive.
Don’t text me when I’m driving.
Stop it!
Make me!
She made him laugh even when she wasn’t there.
He breathed the usual sigh of relief when he saw her headlights come into the driveway.
He’d never worried about anyone the way he did her.
Not that she wasn’t perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
She was endlessly capable. Exhibit A: She knew how to change the oil in the boats, which he wouldn’t have the first clue how to do.
It was more that he worried about something happening to her.
It was a weird slice of anxiety in an otherwise blissful existence.
He’d decided that those worries were to be expected when you loved someone the way he loved her.
He met her at the door, smiling at the smudge of grime on her cheek.
“Don’t come near me. I need a shower.”
“Kiss me.”
“I’m filthy!”
“I don’t care.”
“Hold that thought.” She leaned forward, lips puckered for a kiss.
“I’m holding fast, babe.”
By the time she emerged from the shower, he had dinner on the table and had poured a glass of rosé for her and opened a beer for himself.
Her cheeks were rosy and flushed from the shower, her hair wet and eyes widening when she saw her favorite meal on the table. “Oh, my hero. I’m starving.”
Dan held the chair for her. “Madame?”
She reached first for the stuffing. “Thank you for this.”
“Save some of that for me.”
She put a very small spoonful on his plate, which made him laugh.
“Greedy wench.”
“Don’t mess with me and my stuffing.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Dan gave her time to eat before he posed the question that’d been on his mind for days. “So I’ve been thinking about the trip.”
“What about it?”
“I can’t help but notice that the closer we get to going to Maine, the unhappier you seem to become.”
“You see that, huh?”
“I see you, and I can’t bear to see you so wound up.”
“I hate it there.”
“I know.”
“But I really want to see my grandmother.”
“What if we met her somewhere?”
“She doesn’t travel much these days.”
“I could send a car for her and have her brought to Boston or something, so you don’t have to go there.”
She stared at him. “Really?”
“Absolutely. I know how much you want to see her, and if going there stresses you out so much, let’s not go.” When she released a deep breath, Dan could tell his idea had filled her with relief. “Will she go for it?”
“I think so. She rarely leaves Maine for any reason, but she might do it to see me and meet you. Especially if we make it easy for her.”
“Consider it done. After dinner, give her a call and see what she has to say. Tell her to bring your uncle, too, if she can’t leave him.”
“He can stay home alone, and he’d rather do that.”
“Whatever works.”
Kara stood and came around to his chair. “Let me in.”
“Gladly.” He scooted back to give her room to sit on his lap.
She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you for this, for seeing me, for hearing me, for understanding what I need, for cooking me stuffing.”
Smiling, he said, “Making you happy is my only goal in life.”
She kissed him again. “You’re doing a great job.”
“Will you let me know when I don’t?”
Raising a brow, she said, “Do you honestly think I wouldn’t?”
“Nah, I know you would, and that’s another reason I love you. No bullshit. No nonsense.”
“Life’s too short for bullshit.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Let me go call Bertha and see what she has to say to this plan of yours.”