Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
CALLUM
M ain Street is lit up under strings of rainbow lights.
Stalls line the sidewalk, and we meander down the center of the closed-off street.
Townsfolk mill about, chatting, purchasing from stalls, eating, and laughing.
Live music drifts through the space like the ocean breeze it mixes with.
Em finds us before we even make it a block.
“There you guys are. Geez, it’s crazy out tonight.” He beams a smile at me before turning to the two women at my side. “Iris. Evie.”
My little sister scrunches up her nose, smiling as she takes him in. She leans in, saying something to Em as Evie gives him a little wave and a hello.
They part, and a suspicious glint lines my sister’s green eyes.
But when Em’s brows lower, I glance at Evie.
She’s wandered away, looking over a stall of candles and knickknacks.
She leans down, hands holding her hair back as she smells a large three-wicked candle.
I can’t drag my eyes from her. The way the warm night’s breeze plays with her hair, how the soft amber light highlights the angles of her face and neck.
Iris joins her, and I break my gaze and shift on my feet before crossing my arms over my chest.
“You guys staying for the fireworks?” Em asks.
“Don’t see why not.”
“Good. Iris misses you.”
I raise an eyebrow. Since when do Em and Iris talk feelings?
“She has friends. And I get here as much as I can.”
“It’s not the same as—” He clamps his jaw shut, his gaze swinging to the ground as he shoves both hands in his back pockets.
“Evening, Emmett.” A gruff voice breaks through the tense air thickening between us.
Em turns. “Oh hey, Errol.”
Great .
“Errol.” I don’t look at the old man, hoping he will think better of this conversation and keep moving through the crowd.
He doesn’t.
“Figured you’d ruin a nice night for the folks, did ya, McCreary?” Errol’s rumble catches the attention of the people around us.
For fuck’s sake. How long is he going to carry this shit for?
“Something like that, old man.” I pay him a passing glance.
“Sounds about right. If it wasn’t for that little woman”—he nods toward Evie—“I’d have you marched right back to the dock you slithered into.”
Christ.
Em shifts on his feet. “Calm down, Errol. Festival’s for everyone.”
Errol wobbles toward me, and it’s now that I smell the alcohol on his breath. “Don’t cause any more trouble.” His gnarly finger stabs my chest.
Annoyance turns to daggers in my eyes, and I stare him down. “Get fu?—”
“Okay.” Em guides Errol away and back through the crowd. He talks calmly to the old man.
But my mood is ruined.
“What was that all about?” Evie asks, worry lining her eyes, her words tender.
“Just the status quo. Forget it. Let’s grab some food.”
“Sure, let me tell Iris where we’re going.”
She wanders to the stall my sister stands by chatting to one of the women from the small business association. Evie leans in, and when Iris nods and she returns to me, my stalled-out breath flies free.
“Oh, hi Eve!” A woman’s shrill voice calls out before Evie reaches me.
Evie spins back. “Sherry, hi.”
“My goodness, I haven’t seen you at the library for weeks. Too busy writing, hey?”
“Mostly, yeah,” Evie says with a chuckle.
“Did you come across by yourself?” Sherry is looking past Evie, searching until her gaze finds me. The pleasant look on her face fades to something more like a toddler sucking a lemon. “Oh, I forgot...”
“Forgot what?” Evie says, her tone changing.
“Never mind. I guess... You have a good night. I might see you later.” She feigns a smile and shakes a feeble wave before disappearing through the crowd.
Evie closes the space between us. When big, confused brown eyes meet mine, she tilts her head. “What was that?”
“Status quo. Told you.”
“Are you serious? I thought you were being dramatic. Or pensive or something, not...” She glances back over her shoulder at the crowd of Bay Shore folks. “This.”
“We can leave if you want to. Iris won’t care too much.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“The fireworks have always been my favorite.” I smile, but it’s sad.
“Then we’re staying. Come on, let’s find some dessert.
” She walks through the crowd like a woman on a mission.
The sway of her pretty dress, the lilt of her hips as she goes, captivates me.
Hard-pressed to drag my eyes from her ass, I clear my throat and catch up.
She stops at an ice cream truck and waits as I file in beside her, and we scan the menu to the side of the large serving window.
“Hi, can I grab a vanilla cone with chocolate syrup?” Evie asks. The woman in the truck swings her stare between Evie and me. The woman hesitates, and Evie steps forward. “Can I order, please?”
“That it?” the woman snaps loudly. People turn and stare.
Evie flinches as she notices the eyes on us. But she simply turns back, brown eyes imploring my own.
“No, actually. Cal, what would you like?”
The woman, who I vaguely recognize as one of the cashiers down at the convenience store, sets her jaw.
“I’ll have the same,” I finally reply. Heat lances my veins as I’m annoyed for the second time tonight.
“Great,” Evie says with a smile. “Two, please.”
The woman taps the screen on her device and holds it out for payment. I tug my wallet from my pocket and slip a card out. The woman sets her shoulders back, moving the small payment system out of reach as I hold the card out.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Evie murmurs, the first glare I’ve seen on her face in a long while settling on the woman. The woman relents, lowering the device the slightest bit, and I tap my card.
That wasn’t humiliating at all . . .
Evie takes the cones when they slide over the counter toward us in a cardboard tray.
A second later, she’s stalking her way toward the large grassy area by the town’s centerpiece, a three-tiered fountain currently lit up by lights the colors of the rainbow over the cresting water.
Couples and families are set up, dotted over the lawn.
We find a space and I take the food from Evie as she drops to the ground, sitting with her legs crossed. She reaches for her ice cream, and I sink down beside her.
“How do you live with these people?” she finally whispers. Her voice wobbles like she is upset.
I release a strained chuckle. “I don’t.”
“The island feels like a much better option in this moment.”
“Welcome to my world, baby girl,” I say, leaning in.
She turns her head, her eyes catching mine.
They’re pained, and I know that’s the closest to pity I’m getting from this little woman.
I don’t care for it. I’m a grown man, and unlike Errol, my ability to hold a grudge doesn’t span decades.
So I stay out of their way. They usually leave me alone. Bar Errol, I suppose.
“What time are the fireworks?” Evie asks, licking chocolate syrup from the top of her cone.
“Around nine. Errol’s apprentice is doing them this year. Him and Errol alternate. Lucky for us, the drunkest sailor at the festival will not be handling explosives tonight.”
She chuckles.
I smile, watching amusement light up her face.
Much better than fucking fireworks.
The music gets louder as the night wears on, and the young families take their babies home.
Some of the older folks call it a night.
Before I know it, the first fizz and streak of color shoots into the sky above us.
Evie shuffles closer, her head resting on my shoulder as colorful streaks paint the sky before exploding into crackling sparkles.
The smallest gasp slips through her lips as a bright red explosion booms overhead.
I dip my head, my gaze stuck on her beautiful upturned face.
I press a kiss to her temple. Fine fingers weave through my own and I squeeze them as her scent tangles through my senses.
The whisper of her hair against my cheek sends electricity through me.
My body hums with hers pressed against me.
And I have to adjust myself to hide the boner she gave me simply by snuggling close.
I search the crowd for Iris and find her sitting by Em twenty feet away.
They are sharing food, like Evie and I are.
Em leans back on his hands, looking up at the sky, and Iris drops her head to his shoulder.
Her mouth moves as she says something, looking up at him.
Em sits up, wrapping an arm around her, tugging her into his side. She must be cold.
He’s good to her. Always looking out for her. I like that she has him when I’m not around. Like having a second big brother.
Evie sighs and pushes up. “Which way to the restrooms?”
“By the library. Half a block down. You want me to walk you?”
“No, I’m good. Enjoy the serenity.” Giving me a sweet smile, she stands and wanders toward the library.
I lay back on the grass and stare at the stars shimmering above me. With the fireworks over, the tang of gun powder fills the air. The smoky remnants hang like a cloud slowly skimming by.
People start packing up, gravitating toward the music and stalls.
A few couples are left on the grass, lying back, probably stargazing like I am.
I fold my hands under my head and close my eyes.
Content, I let the cool earth underneath my back soothe the harsh words and sideways looks the townsfolk still harbor for me.
Drowsy, I startle as footsteps fall in. I crack one eye to find Em standing over me. “Where’s Evie?”
“Restroom.”
Iris files in on the other side, brows lowered and face pulled into a frown. “I was just there. She wasn’t.”
“Fuck.” I sit up and glance at my phone. It’s almost ten. I must have fallen asleep. “Where the hell did she go?”
“She’s probably back at the stalls,” Em offers. “Call her.”
“I—I don’t have her cell number.” Panic claws through my veins. Why didn’t I get her new number? Not that we’ve ever had the need to use a cell on the island.