Chapter Four
Tyler
I picked a table on the patio overlooking the water. A few sailboats bobbed in the distance. Flowers filled the planters along the edge of the deck railing, and the outdoor heaters had been turned on for the evening.
There were very few places that existed in the world like this gem, a beautiful island tucked away from the rest of the world’s insanity.
Or that was how it should be and probably was for the Evans family.
I didn’t exactly draw the lucky card when it came to family.
Far from it.
So, what Marigold Island represented to me was suffocation.
And it sucked because some of the best relationships I’d ever had came from this island.
Dreams had been built here.
But I also knew they would have been destroyed if I”d stayed.
I swirled the vodka and Coke in my glass and looked up when I felt the energy shift.
It was like the air had been sucked right out of my lungs when my eyes landed on Mae. Her dark hair had been piled on top of her head in a messy bun. A few strands swept her cheeks.
She looked as gorgeous as this morning. Brad looked great too. The years had worked in his favor, but honestly, I could make up excuses all day to see Mae again.
My gaze dropped to my drink, and I took a sip.
So much for getting on and off the island without seeing anyone.
I stood as Mae and Brad made their way to the table. Brad tackled me for a bear hug and smacked my back as Mae slid into a seat across the table.
“It’s so good to see you, man.” Brad clapped my shoulder one last time.
“You too.” I nodded, trying not to steal a glance in Mae’s direction. “Sorry for not calling beforehand. Everything just kind of manifested overnight.”
“No, dude. I totally get it. Just so good to see you again.” Brad nodded, and I felt slightly guilty about originally wanting to sneak on and off this island.
The server came over, and Mae lit up when he approached. She ordered a cranberry spritzer and glanced in my direction as Brad ordered his drink.
“Good to see you again. Hopefully, the coffee did the trick this morning.” Her eyes stayed on mine, and I felt that familiar charge run through me, pushing me back to when I was a teenager, trying to avoid the fact that I had a crush on my best friend’s older sister.
“Yeah. Really good coffee.” I nodded, realizing I couldn’t sound more like a dud if I tried. I picked up my drink, took another sip, and glanced toward the boats. “Thanks, by the way, and dinner is on me.”
Mae’s eyes darted to me. “Ridiculous.” She shook her head. “I just gave you a free cup of coffee. It’s not the same.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brad said, grinning. “I never turn down free grub.”
I smiled at Brad and nodded. “Nice. At least one of the Evans siblings isn’t difficult.”
Mae laughed, and I wished I could bottle the sound and take it back with me when I left. Breathing in, I felt the warm sea air coat my lungs and tapped my finger on the table.
“It’s great to have you back.” Brad glanced at his sister before looking at me. “Mae wasn’t so sure you wanted to reach out to anyone.”
And she was perceptive.
I held in a sigh, festering inside.
I nodded slowly and pressed my lips together. “She was right. I’m a bit all up in my head now, and… I thought it would be better if I just came and went.”
Mae laughed and playfully smacked her brother. “I told you.”
My gaze caught hers, and I smiled, feeling the warmth pour over me. That was always the thing with Mae. No matter how bad my day had been or how much the words my parents flung at me hurt, if I just spent even a second around her, she made things feel okay.
“But I was mistaken,” I added, not letting her gaze fall away from mine. “This was exactly what I needed—catching up with old friends.”
Brad nodded and noticed Mae’s gaze lingering on me, so I straightened in my seat and polished off my drink.
“What brought you out here? Haven’t you and your brother been able to handle most things remotely?”
The server returned with Mae and Brad’s drinks, and I ordered a refill as Mae rattled off a list of appetizers and whispered something to the guy. She shut the menu, handed the server the menu, and grinned at me.
So, she obviously had a thing with him.
Shoot.
“Oh, and some oysters on the half-shell,” Mae added as her gaze narrowed on me with a smile. “Since you’re buying.”
I laughed and shook my head. “By all means.”
Brad’s question lingered in my mind, bouncing around, attempting to be forgotten. Things today had been such a downer. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about it. The moment my father set eyes on the physical therapist, his vitriol began spitting out left and right.
It wasn’t just embarrassing. It was downright cruel and uncalled for. I told the physical therapist that by no means did I expect her to continue working with my father, but she only smiled and shook her head. Her response amazed me.
I remembered her exact words. “Nonsense. This cranky man isn’t going to chase me off. I’ll win. I always do.”
And that was enough for me.
But I knew Brad was waiting for an answer.
“My parents basically scared away every single person we’d hired to help my dad with his recovery from hip surgery. They literally quit on the spot, refunded our money, and probably moved away to the Bahamas.”
Brad gave a low whistle and shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Tyler. That’s rough.”
“My brother came out here last time, so I knew it was only fair that I face the music this time.” I wiped my palm over my face and circled my fingers around my mouth. I noticed Mae watching my every move, and then her cheeks reddened as she looked away.
“Listen, I know I’ve offered before, but if there’s ever anything I can do, or my family—”
I held up my hand in protest and laughed. “You’re my friend, not my enemy. I’d never think to do that.”
Brad nodded. “So, how’d it go today, then?”
The server brought over our drinks and food, and Mae immediately started fixing a plate, but before I even realized it, she handed it to me.
“It sounds like you need food.”
And that was when it hit me. I didn’t eat anything today. I’d taken my dad for a burger, but I didn’t have a thing. My stomach was still tied in knots over what went down at the physical therapist’s office when I drove him to the burger joint. It only recently unclenched, which I think only happened once Brad and Mae showed up.
“Thanks, Mayflower.”
Her eyes widened, and a little smile slid across her lips. “It’s Mae.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. Bad habit.”
Brad flashed a grin in my direction. “Bad habit?”
I took a bite of calamari and let out a nod of appreciation. “The seafood here is hard to beat.”
“It is.” Mae nodded, taking a bite of shrimp. “Speaking of, where is it you live nowadays?”
I held up two fingers since my mouth was full and acted like a caveman.
“Oh, charades now. Fun,” Mae teased. “Let’s see now, two words. New York?”
I swallowed down a laugh and shook my head. “No. I have two places.”
Mae chuckled. “Oh, fancy.”
“He splits his time between Wisconsin and North Carolina,” her brother answered.
“Nice.” Mae nodded and took another bite of food.
I wasn’t sure whether she really thought it was or not.
“I tend to spend the winters in North Carolina and the spring, summer, and fall in a little town called Buttercup Lake,” I clarified.
“Cute.” She smiled, looking over my shoulder at the water.
“It is,” I agreed. “But coming back here reminds me how special this part of the world is.”
She nodded, bringing her gaze back to mine. “I’m pretty fond of it.”
“For sure.”
Her eyes lingered on mine for a beat extra, and Brad cleared his throat.
“So, how long do you think you’ll be here?”
I shook my head. “I was hoping to head out on Friday, but I don’t know. I need to make sure my dad gets the exercises down for him to do at home if the physical therapist doesn’t quit first. I told her I’d understand if she did.”
Brad’s brows rose. “Really?”
I nodded and let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah. My dad was a complete…” I glanced at Mae before bringing my attention back to Brad. “Prick.”
“Ah, old habits die hard.” Brad shook his head and took a drink of beer.
I laughed and nodded. “Something like that. It’s brought me right back to my childhood. I just don’t get it.”
Brad nodded. “It’s not fair.”
“Well, I learned a long time ago that there wasn’t such a thing as fair. I just have to do my best to get him the care he needs, clean up the place as best I can, and get out of here without World War III happening.”
“I mean it, Tyler. If you need anything this week, let me know.”
I thought back to the piles of junk my parents had stacked throughout the halls, in all the rooms, and even on the back porch. My plan had been to get it all taken care of before I left. I’d even managed to call a dump truck to drop off a container for me to fill on Wednesday and Thursday. They’d come back to pick it up on Friday.
But I didn’t even know if getting everything sorted and tossed was humanely possible.
“Same,” Mae’s cheerful voice popped up as she set her drink down. “I’m free on Wednesday.”
“What about your coffee shop?” I asked, frowning.
“You think I run that place by myself?” She grinned proudly. “I have employees.”
I shook my head. “I couldn’t ask either of you to help. It’s just too…”
“Complicated?” Brad offered.
“Exactly.”
“I like complication, and it’s not like I might ever see you again before you’re an old man.”
Mae smiled and nodded. “And I’m really good with people. Maybe I can help.”
Horror darted through me. The last thing I wanted was Mae to be on the receiving end of any of my parents’ tongue lashings.
“No.” I shook my head. “But thank you both. I think since my dad is a bit down and out right now, I’ll be able to get a pretty good handle on things, and then I won’t feel so guilty for leaving.”
Mae looked puzzled. “Why would you feel bad for leaving?”
I’d said too much. The Evans siblings had no idea what it was like living with parents like mine. My parents excelled at a few things in life—guilt, cruelty, and gambling. If one was taken away, the other two came out fully, and since my dad wasn’t able to get to the racetrack, they’d doubled down on guilt and cruelty. Brad and Mae didn’t need to get bogged down in details.
“Long story.” I raised my glass. “But let’s cheer to great memories and even better friends.”
Mae lifted her glass and smiled. “Only if you tell us what time to show up on Wednesday.”