Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
WILLA
I checked over the contents of the cooler for the third time.
Sawyer’s arms slid around my waist from behind, and he settled his chin on my shoulder. “I promise, we’ve got everything.”
“I just want to make sure we didn’t forget anything.” More, I needed something to do while we waited for our friends to arrive. This was our first official party as a married couple—a really married couple—and I was excited. This was something normal. I was desperate for some normal.
Sawyer turned me in his arms, his fingers sliding beneath the fall of my hair to rub tiny circles on my nape. “Are you up to this party tonight?”
In truth, my skin felt stretched too tight over my body, and a jittery energy pulsed inside me as I waited for the other shoe to drop. All the legal attacks had amplified my normal anxiety until I was looking for threats from every corner. I’d been even more on edge since we’d found the body—which I figured was a perfectly reasonable anxiety as opposed to my often unreasonable personal anxiety. But I didn’t want anyone to know how rattled I was. I didn’t want to be rattled. I wanted to enjoy the opportunity to truly be newlyweds and figure out what that would look like for our future. Right now, that meant a cookout with the friends who were more family to us than our own blood.
“I’m okay. Promise. I just want this party to go well. It’s Jace’s last night in town, so tonight is for celebrating.”
“That eager to get rid of me, baby sis?”
I shot my brother an impish grin as he wandered into the kitchen. “I mean, you’re putting a serious crimp in my love life.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped the bag of chips he’d been about to open. “Oh, oh, no. Don’t put that image in my head.”
“But your overreactions are so much fun.”
“Who knew you’d choose now to turn into an annoying little sister?”
The sibling banter wasn’t normal for us. Never had been. But it felt good to poke at him, especially as I knew he actually was happy for us. Something he’d gone out of his way to tell each of us independently this weekend. With everything else that had been going on, I hadn’t been consciously worried about Jace and his opinion, but I couldn’t deny that having his support meant a lot.
We were still sniping at each other when the short caravan of vehicles pulled into the circular drive. Gabi led the procession, a colorful fabric tote bag over one shoulder. “I come with s’mores fixin’s!”
“Including peanut butter cups?”
“Well, obviously. They make for a superior s’more.”
A tall, rangy figure slid out of the passenger seat. “Also Nutella,”
“Nutella?” I considered the addition and the man himself. Gabi had said Daniel was her former situationship. Maybe that was back on if she’d brought him.
“Trust me, it’s fabulous.” She gave me a tight hug, then scanned my face. “You look better.”
“Rest helped.” Or maybe that was just the effects of the recent orgasms. I certainly wasn’t complaining. “Petty Officer LaRue.”
He grinned. “I’m off duty. It’s just Daniel. Thanks for havin’ me.”
Sawyer offered a hand. “Good to see you again, under better circumstances.”
“Jace Hollingsworth, get over here and give me a hug!” This order came from Caroline, who carried some kind of casserole dish she passed off to Hoyt before squeezing my brother to within an inch of his life.
“Good to see you, too, Caro.”
“How long are you here for?” she demanded.
“I’ve got to go back tomorrow.”
She screwed up her face. “Well, then I guess we’d best make tonight count. I brought the fixings for elotes.”
“Hell, yeah.” He turned to Hoyt for a back-thumping half-hug that managed not to upend the casserole dish.
As Jace and Daniel were introduced, the sound of more than one more car door opening pulled my attention back to where Bree had brought up the rear. I gasped as a furry bundle leapt out of the backseat, wriggling with joy.
“You got a dog!” Stifling my own squee, I held out a hand, signaling for Roy to hold, though his butt was wagging ninety to nothing as he eyed the new arrival.
It wasn’t the Aussie Shepherd mix I’d suggested to her. I didn’t recognize this one, which was another sign of how cloistered I’d been the past month. In the normal course of things, I was down helping out at the shelter every week or two, working on obedience training or otherwise exercising the dogs.
“I blame this entirely on you. The house was too quiet with you gone. This little girl is a little over a year old, already house trained, and with some basic leash manners.” Belying her new mom’s words, the dog strained against the lead, making a beeline toward me, her own thick tail swishing.
Roy whined.
“I know. Wait to be introduced. Sit.”
My boy plopped his butt down, but his tail didn’t slow.
The dog, who appeared to be some combination of shepherd and lab, was on the small side, maybe forty-five or fifty pounds, with fur a mottle of browns and golds and black tips on her floppy ears.
“Keeley, sit,” Bree ordered.
The dog didn’t sit, still straining forward, fairly vibrating with curiosity. I dropped down to her level and offered my hand for a sniff. She licked my knuckles and wagged harder. I scruffed her ears and rose a little, gently pressing back until her butt hit the ground.
“Good girl. Good sit. Keeley, huh?” I noted the blingy rhinestone collar.
“Also your fault,” Bree declared. “You’re the one who made me watch Ted Lasso like twenty times through.”
“Because it’s basically the world’s most perfect show.”
“We should totally have a watch party,” Gabi announced.
“I’m in.” I was always in for Ted Lasso . “Roy, come.”
My dog trotted over, vibrating with joy as he and Keeley sniffed each other from head to tail. Both of them wagged madly before dropping low in play bows.
“Awww, I think it’s love,” Gabi crooned. “Please tell me he has his own AFC Richmond jersey. Because that’s a photo op that shouldn’t be missed.”
“Well, now you’ve given me goals. That would be adorable.”
“Are we gonna plan a canine fashion show, or are we gonna get started on food?” Hoyt asked. “Because I’m starving.”
“Far be it for us to allow you to wither away,” I teased.
He patted his flat stomach. “This firefighter requires a lot of fuel, man.”
“Let’s get everything loaded up to carry down to the beach? The boys have already hauled the picnic table and extra camp chairs down, and the wood’s been laid for a bonfire. We can let the dogs go play.”
It took a couple of trips up and down the steps that led to the beach before we finally got everything, but eventually the fire was lit, seats were claimed, and we were all digging into the cowboy caviar and guacamole.
Jace kicked back, a beer in hand. “Well, nothing about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing can be talked about, because it’s all classified, so everybody update me on y’all. Gabi, I understand you’re back on-island. Congratulations, Dr. Carrera.”
“Thank you! I loved New Orleans, but it’s good to be home.”
Caroline draped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Now that she’s getting settled, I had planned to hook her up with a nice island boy so she stays put.” Her gaze slid to Daniel in a mix of challenge and speculation. “Are you planning on becoming an island boy, Daniel?”
Gabi rolled her eyes. “Caro.”
If Daniel was bothered by the question, he didn’t show it. “Well, here’s the thing, cher. Your sister and me dated near the whole time she was in residency. Right ’round when she was finishing up, I got offered a promotion with a transfer clear across the country. I let ambition cloud my thinkin’, and I chose wrong. Which I figured out ’bout two minutes after I got to Seattle. Took me a few months to rectify the situation and finagle a postin’ at Nag’s Head to try and win her back again.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” Bree drawled.
Daniel grinned. “Favorably, so far. She ain’t kicked me to the curb, which was more than I expected when I got here.”
Gabi leveled a long, heated look in his direction. “Yeah, well, being locked down together for the hurricane gave us a chance to clear some things up.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Bree asked.
Gabi promptly hurled a chip at her head, which Keeley snatched right out of the air.
Hoyt scooped more guac onto a paper plate and studied the other man. “You make her happy, we won’t have a problem. You hurt her, she’s got me and four other brothers who will make sure nobody finds your body.”
We all froze.
Hoyt winced. “Sorry about that. Epically inappropriate, under the circumstances.”
Daniel lifted his beer. “Message received, either way.”
Forcing a bright smile, I said, “How about we make a rule that there will be no other discussion of unpleasantness tonight?”
Echoes of agreement went around the group, and I settled a little.
“We have a long overdue girls’ night we need to plan.” Guilt slithered through me as I realized how much time had passed since we’d run into each other at the bakery. “I’m sorry I haven’t reached out about that like I promised. I’ve kind of had a lot going on.”
“Girl, it’s no problem.” Gabi leaned over to replenish her collection of chips. “I hit the ground running at the clinic, so it’s not like I’ve had a ton of extra time, either. Let’s get something on the calendar.”
I was aware of Gabi watching me as she, Bree, and I tossed around dates. No doubt she hadn’t forgotten my behavior the other day. The memory of it made me ill at ease. Gabi wouldn’t push for answers yet. Not in front of all these people. But I could tell she was worried about me. I appreciated it. I just wished it didn’t mean I had to open up about the most painful part of my past.
After we’d settled on some plans for the next week, Caroline began prepping the corn for roasting over the fire. “How’s everything going with the inheritance, Willa? What are your plans for the property, once everything is out of probate? There’s been lots of talk in town, lots of questions, but nobody seems to know.”
I hadn’t talked about this with anybody but Sawyer. Relaxing back into the curve of his arm, I admitted, “Honestly, I’d like to turn it into a wildlife sanctuary.”
“Really?” Caroline looked intrigued. “I mean, not that it’s a bad idea, but why?”
I took a breath. “Well, the horses saved me, so it seems only fair I do what I can to protect them.”
“Saved you how?” Hoyt asked.
I’d never told anyone this story.
“When I was little—maybe six or so?—Jace and his friends had gone tromping into the woods on some adventure or other. I got mad they left me behind, so I followed. I guess technically I got lost, but I wasn’t worried about that since the island just isn’t that big. But it was high summer and in the course of all my tromping, I stumbled on a few of the horses grazing. It was the closest I’d ever been to them, and I was fascinated. I wanted to get closer, to try to pet them, even though I’d been warned they were wild animals. I was so focused on the horses that I didn’t look where I was stepping, and I startled a copperhead. I was only inches away from stepping right on it. But before it could strike, Triton—he’s the stallion that’s been leading the herd for years now—came barreling out of the trees and trampled it. Without trampling me.”
Jace had gone a little pale. “Holy shit. You never told me that.”
I jerked my shoulders. “I didn’t want to get into trouble. After the snake, he sort of herded me back toward where y’all had gotten off to, and that was the end of it.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “If anything had happened to you, Mom and Dad would’ve murdered me.”
“It was fine. I was more careful after that.”
“After that?” My brother’s voice rose half an octave.
“I made friends with them.”
“She’s a freaking horse whisperer.” Sawyer looked over at me, awe in his eyes. “One of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.”
“I see them on their terms. Which is mostly from a distance. But we understand each other. Because of that, it’s always been important to me to make sure the horses are protected. And beyond all of that, it’s a unique ecological system that’s worth preserving.”
“Oh, that makes a lot of sense,” Caroline beamed. “Totally fits you.”
“How would that work?” Gabi asked.
“Well, it’s an incredibly long-term project. Like… years long. The property has to be surveyed and assessed to document existing habitats, species, resources, geographical features and such, to establish a baseline.” Warming to my subject, I continued. “Then a habitat management plan has to be developed, any habitat enhancements done, boundaries delineated… and that’s all on top of writing up management policies, establishing oversight of the sanctuary, and getting actual legal designation as a sanctuary.” I ticked each point off on my fingers. “Plus fundraising. So much fundraising. Just thinking of the peopling involved in that part makes me tired.”
Bree popped open a fresh beer. “There’s going to be some folks who are hacked off about that. Plenty of people want to see this property developed.”
I shrugged. “I’m no stranger to people being upset with me.” That had been all my youth with my parents. The idea of dealing with a grumpy public was easier to handle with Sawyer by my side. Even now, he was reaching up, lightly rubbing at my shoulders. “I’ll just have to contribute to the island in other ways, like I have been all along. Which, unfortunately, includes Founder’s Day.”
Jace dipped up more guac. “How’d you get roped into that?”
I flung out my arms wide and made a mocking bow. “I am the last Sutter on-island. Thus is my honor. Our esteemed mayor made a lot of noise about my role as a descendant of one of the original founding families and the importance of participation. Miles has always been about looks. You know that.”
“Do you actually want to do it?”
“I mean, no. All of it sounds like the third circle of my own personal hell. But he’s not wrong. And maybe this will help mitigate the news that I have no intention of developing the property.”
It was a moot point to get into any of it until the lawsuit was settled. But the rest of them didn’t need to know about that.
Determined to change the subject, I reached for the roasting sticks. “Who’s ready for hot dogs?”