Chapter 7
Filled with irrational excitement, Laura McCarthy drove into the parking lot behind the Sand & Surf Hotel.
After ten of the worst days of her life, the battered old hotel looked rather good to her.
The idea of hauling her carload of stuff up three flights of stairs to the manager’s apartment didn’t hold much appeal, but she couldn’t wait to be settled once and for all.
“No time like the present,” she said as she shouldered two of the lighter bags and headed for the front porch. She dug the key Owen had given her out of her back pocket and inserted it into the rusty lock. When she twisted it, nothing happened.
“Great.”
Dropping her bags onto the porch, she used both hands to try to turn the key, but it didn’t budge. Why was it that Owen’s key worked fine, but hers didn’t? Was this a bad omen? How was she supposed to renovate and manage the place if she couldn’t even get in?
“Come on,” she whispered, starting to sweat as she gave it one more try.
“Princess! You’re back!”
Laura spun around to find Owen Lawry loping up the stairs with a big goofy grin on his adorable face. “I thought you’d forgotten about us.”
In the moment their eyes met, Laura realized she was in big trouble.
She was far, far too happy to see him. And in light of her current predicament, she had absolutely no business being happy to see any man, let alone one who’d made it perfectly clear he was a vagabond and a troubadour with no interest in permanence of any kind.
While his footloose and fancy-free approach to life was exactly what she didn’t need at the moment, his lightheartedness was everything she needed.
“How bad was it?” he asked, his gray eyes taking a long, measuring look at her.
“Pretty bad.”
He closed the distance between them and enveloped her in a tight hug that calmed the turbulence inside her.
“What happened?”
Overwhelmed by his nearness as well as the clean, fresh scent of him, it was all she could do to breathe, let alone speak, as she put her arms around him and returned the hug.
“Well, between returning the wedding gifts, filing for divorce, moving out of my apartment and breaking the news to my dad that not only is my three-month marriage a bust but I’m pregnant, too, it was a rather uneventful ten days. ”
He chuckled softly. “I know it’s not funny, but when you put it like that . . .”
“What else can you do but laugh?”
“You can get busy moving forward.”
Laura could’ve spent all day wrapped up in his sweet comfort, but since it was time to stand on her own two feet, she drew back from him. “Success is the best revenge, right?”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“Then in that case, I’m in a world of trouble, because I can’t even get the key to work.”
“Let me help.” He stepped around her, gave the key a wiggle and a twist, and the door swung open. “Madame, your kingdom awaits.”
“Wait! How did you do that?”
“It’s all in the wrist,” he said with a wink.
Offering a sweeping wave of his arm, he welcomed her into the hotel his grandparents had owned and operated for fifty years, the same hotel that had beckoned to Laura since she was a grief-stricken little girl visiting Uncle Mac and Aunt Linda in the wake of her mother’s death.
As she crossed the threshold, tears filled her eyes. Remembering the raw pain of that first summer without her mom reminded her of how much this island had meant to her then. It had soothed and healed her. Maybe it would again. She could only hope.
“Princess? Are you okay?”
She took a deep breath, summoning the fortitude to continue putting one foot in front of the other. What choice did she have? “Not yet, but I will be.”
Late on Saturday afternoon, Evan strolled on the beach with Grant and Owen while Grace, Stephanie and Laura reclined in chairs, chattering like three long-lost best friends.
“The girls sure did hit it off,” Grant said.
“Seriously,” Owen said.
“I’m glad to see Stephanie relaxing a bit and making some friends,” Grant said. “She’s been so alone for such a long time.”
Evan nudged his older brother. “You’ve got a bad case for her, bro.”
“So it seems.” Grant turned his formidable blue-eyed gaze on Evan. “I could say the same for you.” To Owen, Grant said, “Do you think he realizes he’s barely taken his eyes off Grace all afternoon?”
While Owen chortled with laughter, Evan huffed with indignation. “That’s so not true.”
“She’s awfully pretty,” Owen said. “I can certainly see why you’d be captivated.”
“She’s funny, too,” Grant added. “I like her.”
“I don’t know why you guys are making such a big deal out of it.
” Evan felt like he was fighting for his life or something, which was ridiculous.
What did he have to be fighting about? So they’d had some laughs, so he found her attractive, so he wanted to get to know her better.
Big whoop. Except even as he tried to talk himself out of it, the truth of the matter was that he was more interested in her than he’d been in any woman in like, well, ever.
“We’re just friends. I’m not captivated. Whatever that means.”
“If you don’t know,” Owen said, “I’m not going to explain it to you.”
Grant laughed at their banter.
“What about you?” Grant said to Owen. “Joined at the hip with Laura. What’s that all about?”
Owen’s smile quickly became a frown. “Nothing. We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Uh-huh,” Grant said with a knowing grin. “You’re as full of it as he is.”
“I don’t know what the hell is going on around here lately,” Evan said as desperation crept over him.
His throat felt tight and constricted, as if he’d knotted his necktie too tightly.
Except he wasn’t wearing a tie. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt, for crying out loud, so why was he having such a hard time getting air to his lungs?
There was absolutely no rational explanation for the way he felt when Grace was around—happy, calm, amused, aroused, intrigued, disturbed, unsettled, dismayed.
All in one muddled package. Nothing about it made sense.
She was just another woman in a long line of women who’d paraded through his life.
He couldn’t see any reason to make it into a bigger deal than it was.
And then her laughter rang out, drawing his attention to where she sat with Stephanie and Laura. Grace’s hands danced with animation as she entertained them with a story that had the other two women laughing hysterically.
Evan wanted to know what she was saying. He wanted to hear the story and be in on the joke. He wanted her. Oh Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him? Though the day was seasonably warm with a hint of September chill in the air, Evan began to sweat.
She wasn’t the kind of woman he could just have and discard. He’d known her only a short time, and he already knew that much about her. Grace Ryan wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of gal, and he was hardly the kind of guy who was looking for more than that.
“Check him out,” Grant said to Owen. “Staring again.”
This time, Evan could hardly deny that he’d been gawking at Grace.
“There’s nothing wrong with liking her, Ev,” Grant said. “She’s a nice girl.”
“That’s the problem,” Evan said, filled with defeat. “She’s too nice for me.”
“Nah,” Grant said, punching him lightly on the arm. “That’s not true. Despite your many, many faults, at the end of the day, you’re a good guy.”
“No, I’m not.” Evan thought of the many meaningless connections he’d made with women over the years, the promises he’d made and never kept. He wasn’t a good guy. He certainly wasn’t good enough for the likes of Grace Ryan, who was probably all about ethics and morals and permanence.
“Why do you say that?” Owen asked. “Look what you did for her when she was marooned at the marina.”
“I just did what anyone would do in that situation.”
“There were a lot of guys around that night,” Owen reminded him. “No one else went over to her table to find out why she was crying. Cut yourself a break, man.”
“I don’t have any business starting something with her. She lives in Mystic, and I’m heading back to Nashville soon. I’ve got the tour coming up next summer. It’s not the right time to start something.”
“I said the same thing about me and Steph,” Grant said, gazing at his girlfriend with love and affection that made Evan acutely aware of what he might be missing out on.
“It seemed really hopeless, but when push came to shove and I had to decide between her and going back to LA without her, it was a no-brainer.”
“Where do things stand between you guys now?” Owen asked.
“We’re taking it a day at a time, but I’m renting Janey’s house for the winter, and yesterday Steph agreed to stay with me.”
Evan had never seen his brother look happier.
“That’s cool,” Owen said.
“I’m working on the screenplay about her and her stepfather’s story. We’re looking forward to her stepfather’s Halloween court date and hoping for the best.” Grant shrugged. “As long as we’re together, I feel like we can get through anything.”
“That’s all well and good,” Evan said, “and I’m happy for you. Don’t get me wrong.”
Grant raised an eyebrow. “But?”
“You can work anywhere. All you need is a laptop and you’re good to go. I have to go back to Nashville. I’m going on tour. Where does a girlfriend fit into that?”
“I don’t know,” Grant said, “but if it’s the right girl, you’ll figure it out.”
Evan knew his brother believed every word he said, but Evan wasn’t convinced.
“Can I give you one piece of advice?” Grant said.
“Can I stop you?”