Chapter 5
Blue was parked near the marina in his cruiser, finishing a hamburger that wasn’t nearly as good as those at Jo’s diner. He was trying not to think about her when the call came in.
As a Patrol Sergeant, his job was to manage patrol operations on Crown Island. That also included on-scene emergency responses, mentoring new officers, and completing field reports.
He enjoyed what he did, especially mentoring rookies.
The police force was small, so he could have a large impact, both within the force and on the island.
While this wasn’t the high-stress urban crime he’d encountered in Chicago, the island still had its share of crime and domestic disturbances against the sunny skies and ocean views.
He drove down Orange Avenue past Cuppa Jo’s on the corner of Summer Street but kept his gaze away from the wide windows. It had been a few days since he’d sat in her kitchen eating cold enchiladas.
Blue pulled into the Majestic’s circular drive and parked near the porte-cochère. Ryan Kingston’s recent renovation had breathed new life into the Victorian hotel. Its white exterior and red roof gleamed against the cerulean sky.
Whitley, the longtime general manager, stood waiting under the flower-lined porte-cochère wearing a bright coral sportscoat. His vivid jackets made him easy to find by his staff and guests alike. He crossed to the squad car.
Another message crackled through Blue’s radio. The call was canceled.
Blue got out of the car to confirm with Whitley.
“Officer Blumenthal.” Whitley extended his hand. “Thank you for coming, but the matter has been resolved. It was a few spirited teens and a dare to call the police. I hope we could leave it at that? The chief agreed, given the circumstances of high-profile parents. Again, my apologies.”
Blue dragged a hand over his jaw. Sometimes Crown Island operated on another level. “Was anyone harmed?”
“No. It was a prank, the lad’s father explained. These kids are thirteen, and I believe they’ve learned their lesson. May we leave it at that?”
“Since the chief has agreed, it’s above my rank.” Blue shook his hand. “I’ll note it in the report.”
Blue turned to leave, but Whitley touched his arm. “If you have a few minutes, it would be helpful if they saw you here. Would you walk with me? Seeing you would drive the point home.”
“I’m sure it would.” Blue had his radio in case he was needed elsewhere.
“This way,” Whitley said.
They set out along the perimeter of the hotel grounds, following the gravel path that curved past the gardens and the pool terrace.
“How is your occupancy since the renovation?”
“Fortunately, the hotel is full. Maileah did an excellent job with our marketing and promotions.”
“The local businesses appreciate that, too.” Blue knew Jo was busier this season, which was why she promoted Candy to assistant manager.
There he went again, thinking about Jo. Blue flexed his jaw.
The Majestic was in high season. Families spread across the beach on loungers under striped umbrellas. On the hotel property, the pool area had few open seats. People chatted in and around the pool, sipping drinks and watching while kids played in the shallow end.
“Let’s pause by the private villa pool,” Whitley said, walking a little farther down the path.
Blue understood. They passed the spa entrance where a couple in white terrycloth robes were emerging.
It was the kind of scene that made Crown Island feel like a place where nothing bad could happen. Blue knew better than to trust that feeling. Still, this had been a welcome change from his Chicago beat.
“We’re almost there,” Whitley said. “We won’t disturb them. I think your presence will be enough.”
Blue kept his dark sunglasses on, concealing his observations. He saw a family with two young teen boys sitting on a patio overlooking the villa pool. The boys hung their heads, their behavior having been caught and corrected.
When the boys saw Blue, their eyes widened. Fear flickered across their faces. He also recognized the father standing slightly to one side, also in sunglasses.
The man touched the brim of his baseball cap in appreciation.
Blue gave a slight nod. Those kids wouldn’t forget this day.
He and Whitley lingered a little longer until they were sure they’d made an impression before continuing their walk.
The breeze picked up, carrying the scents of salt air, sunscreen, and the garden’s plumeria.
Once they were on the backside of the hotel property, Whitley asked, “Now that that’s done, how is your mother, Blue? Ella told me you had to rush to Chicago to help her.”
Blue told him the short version. As he spoke, he took off his sunglasses to clean them as they walked toward the front. He’d known Whitley since his first week on Crown Island, and he didn’t have any secrets from him.
The older man had been one of the first people to make him feel at home when Blue arrived on the island feeling out of place. He’d bought Blue dinner at the hotel restaurant, introduced him to locals, and treated him like an equal despite their obvious differences.
Blue learned a lot about kindness and good manners by watching Whitley, who missed little of what went on in the hotel yet treated guests and staff with respect.
Blue’s father and grandparents died when he was a teenager, and their absence left him with few he trusted to turn to for advice, except his brother. Blue confided in Whitley more than in anyone else in his immediate family.
“It’s good to hear your mother is doing well,” Whitley said.
Blue appreciated that. “Thanks, but I think I’m in trouble.”
Whitley slowed his stride, giving him his full attention. “How so?”
“I missed my Yosemite trip with Jo. I felt so bad, I avoided calling her while I was gone. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Well, that sounds like you have a situation.” Whitley clasped his hands behind his back.
“It’s bad. I’d planned to propose on our trip.” Blue blew out a breath. He hadn’t told anyone, and saying the words out loud felt strange.
“Did she suspect that?”
“I don’t think so,” Blue replied. “But that’s why I planned it.
I bought a ring, and I picked out a spot at Glacier Point.
You can see Half Dome and the whole valley floor from up there.
I thought that was the perfect place to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.
Like our lives were a wide vista before us. ”
Whitley turned to look at him. “Sounds quite poetic.”
“I hoped it would be all she’d dreamed of.”
“Then your mother called,” Whitley said.
“And I went.” Blue shoved his hands into his pockets. “By the time I realized she was okay, it was too late to go back. So I stayed and hid from Jo, I suppose. We’re not in a good place anymore.”
“Does Jo think you chose Chicago over her?”
“She wouldn’t say it like that, but that’s how it feels.”
“I imagine she’s pretty upset.”
“You have no idea. I don’t know if I can dig myself out of this mess.”
They rounded the corner of the building, and the ocean spread out before them again. Sailboats cut through the waves.
“What a shame,” Whitley said. “Can you reschedule your trip?”
“I don’t have any vacation left and won’t have enough for several months.”
Whitley seemed to consider this. “Do you think she would have accepted your proposal?”
Blue slowed his pace, staring at the ocean. “I think she wants to. But Jo has been nervous about commitment because of her parents’ divorce. She swore she’d never end up in the same situation.”
“And you?”
Blue let out a breath. “I love her, but we’re awfully different. When I think about the future, I get this tightness in my chest, and I don’t know if it’s excitement or fear. In my line of work, we think about that. I don’t want to leave her alone with a couple of kids. You know what I mean.”
Whitley nodded. He didn’t seem surprised. “That must put a lot of pressure on you.”
They resumed walking, their shoes crunching on the gravel path through the gardens.
“I’ve never married,” Whitley said. “So I can’t speak to the institution from experience. But I’ve watched a great many couples pass through this hotel over the years. Honeymoons, anniversaries, the occasional reconciliation or breakup. And I’ve observed some things.”
“What’s that?”
“The couples who last might be very different, but they appear to value the same things in life.” Whitley paused to straighten a crooked garden stake, a reflex from decades of maintaining perfection.
He continued, “You might ask yourself some questions. Do you and Jo share common values? Will you support each other in working toward goals? And do you have a similar outlook on what really matters in life?”
Blue thought about those points. “She values honest hard work, and so do I. She’s loyal to people she cares about and looks after her brother, all while running a business.”
“And you admire those things.”
“They’re some of the reasons I fell in love with her.”
“Then perhaps the question isn’t whether you’re ready for marriage,” Whitley said.
“Perhaps the question is whether you’re both willing to build a life together the way you’ve each built your lives on your own.
Separately, you’re both accomplished. The challenge is whether two people who are very good at doing things alone can learn to do them as a pair. ”
“You’re pretty wise for a man who’s never been married,” Blue said.
“I’ve learned a lot about human beings at this hotel,” Whitley said dryly. “You don’t have to be married to have a relationship.”
They came around the front of the building again, back to the porte-cochère where they’d started. A town car was pulling up, and a bellhop hurried to open the door.
As they stood watching the arrival, Ella Raines waited by the front entry. She wore white linen pants and a coral blouse, and her silver hair was pulled back. She looked nice. Blue had been accustomed to seeing her in hospital scrubs. That’s how they’d met.
He respected her because she was always straight with him in conversation. She might be retired, but she could still take the measure of a person in mere seconds.
Ella smiled when she saw them. “My two favorite men on Crown Island. What are you conspiring about?”
“We were discussing the philosophy of partnership,” Whitley said, greeting her by taking her hand in his.
Ella turned to Blue, reading him the way she’d once read vital signs. She drew her eyebrows together. She asked about his mother, adding, “And how are you holding up?”
“We were just talking about that,” Blue said, filling her in on his trip and what happened with Jo. “I’m afraid I might have messed up the situation beyond repair.”
She patted his arm. “Just because you’re miscommunicating doesn’t mean it’s over. Consider your responsibility to the relationship. You get out of it what you put in, young man.”
“That sure tracks.” Blue lifted the corner of his mouth in a wry grin. “Jo is barely speaking to me now. She even served me the old dregs from the coffee pot the other day when I returned.”
“I don’t blame her,” Ella said. “Sounds like you deserved her wrath. First, you shouldn’t have tried to reconcile in a public place, especially at Cuppa Jo’s. You must face her with a real apology. And you should have communicated with her when you were out of town, although you’ve learned that.”
“Sure did,” Blue said, feeling the edges of his ears burning with embarrassment.
“And furthermore,” Ella said, “people need to know where the other one stands in a relationship. When you cut off communication, of course she would react. Would you want a simpering doormat of a woman who excused your every transgression? I certainly think not. Now you know, dear. Don’t do that again, but now you should make it up to her. Do that first.”
“Most men would rather avoid confrontation with their mate,” Whitley said with a knowing expression. “But when you listen, you can work out the issues.”
“Thank you, both,” Blue said, understanding his mistakes. He’d been ashamed of his behavior, and avoiding the inevitable was only making it worse.
Blue walked back to his cruiser, thinking about what they’d said. Behind him, Ella said something to Whitley that made him chuckle. He glanced back and saw them walking into the hotel together, Ella’s hand resting lightly in the crook of Whitley’s arm.
Some people made relationships look easy. He realized you had to trust your partner and have their back, just like he did on the job.
But could he, after what had happened to his brother?
His shift was over, so he left the Majestic and drove toward the beach road, past houses splashed with every color of the rainbow in the Crown Island tradition. He mulled over the possibilities, wondering if he was up to Jo’s standards after all.
The ring was still buried in a drawer under his board shorts.