Chapter 15 #2
“What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. I’m okay.”
“Could I check on you later?”
“I’d permanently scare you away if you saw the way I look right now.”
“Nah. I’m not that easily scared.”
“I’m also afraid of you getting it. I certainly exposed you to it last night.”
“I liked the way you exposed me to your germs. Can we do it again soon?”
“Don’t make me laugh,” she said with a moan. “Everything hurts.”
“Do you think you should call David?”
“Nah, just a flu. Hopefully a quick one. I need to get back to work.”
“Patty is holding down the fort at the store. I just saw her.”
“Oh, really? Any customers?”
“Not that I saw, but it’s early. Get this—my patrolman Wyatt asked her out.”
“That’s awesome!”
He was surprised by her enthusiasm, especially when she felt so crappy. “You think so? It could turn out to be a pain for both of us.”
“She wants a boyfriend so badly. The poor thing has never had one.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. She was very cute telling me about the makeover you gave her while blushing furiously. That was a nice thing you did for her, Tiff.”
“It was fun.”
“I’ll call you before I come over later to see if you guys need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Blaine hung up with her and got back in the SUV.
“How’s the girlfriend?” Wyatt asked.
“Sick, if you must know.”
“I heard there’s a stomach flu going around the island. Nasty business.”
“She has it and so does her daughter.”
“That’s too bad. I can cover for you for a while if you need to help her out.”
Maybe there was hope for the kid after all. “That’s not necessary, but thanks for the offer.”
“Where’re we heading now?”
“I need to stop by the Sand & Surf for a minute.”
“What goes on there?”
“They’re getting ready to reopen at the end of the week, and Stephanie’s restaurant is opening to friends and family tonight.”
“So what do you need to do?”
“Make sure the fire chief got there to inspect the place before it opens, check in with Laura, the hotel manager, to see if there’s anything she needs from us for the opening, and I need to speak with Owen Lawry’s mother, Sarah, about a personal matter.”
“Sounds exciting.” Wyatt’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“A lot of what we do as small-town police officers is boring, especially in the off season. But at least once a year, I save a life, usually that of a kid who gets drunk on the beach and doesn’t realize he or she has alcohol poisoning.
The other night, we saved a woman from her abusive boyfriend, seconds before he would’ve killed her.
It’s not like the big city with the nonstop action, but we have our purpose. ”
As he drove, Blaine glanced at the patrolman. “I’d understand if you decide it’s not for you. That’s why we insist on a probationary period where either party can terminate the contract. We don’t want anyone here who doesn’t want to be here.”
“I like the job. More than I thought I would. I’m not so sure how I feel about being stuck on the island, though.”
“Let me know when you’ve made up your mind.” As much as the kid got on Blaine’s nerves at times, he had real potential, and Blaine would hate to lose him.
“I will.”
They parked behind the hotel and walked around to the front.
The old gray lady gleamed from the facelift she’d been given over the winter.
Her shingles had been power-washed, her trim painted, the porch rebuilt and most of the windows replaced.
To look at the hotel now, you’d never know it had guarded the northern corner of the harbor town for more than a century or that it had fallen into disrepair after Owen’s grandparents retired a few years ago.
Pots of flowers sat on the stairs that led to the porch where new white rocking chairs waited for guests to while away a summer day overlooking the waterfront.
“Place looks awesome,” Wyatt said.
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
Inside, they found Laura McCarthy conferring with the fire chief, Mason Johns. Laura’s baby son, Holden, snoozed in a pouch tied around his mother’s shoulders.
“Hey, Blaine.” Mason extended a hand. “We were just talking about you.”
“Is that right?” Blaine shook the other man’s hand.
At roughly six foot six inches of solid muscle, Mason towered over him and most other men.
Someone had told Blaine that Mason had once been a competitive weightlifter before he became a firefighter.
Suffice to say, Blaine wouldn’t want to screw with the guy.
Wyatt stared at the fire chief with blatant admiration and a healthy dose of intimidation.
“Laura was saying she’s talked to you about parking and crowd control for the open house tonight,” Mason said.
“That’s right. I’ve got two patrol officers assigned to keep an eye on things here and to handle any traffic issues.”
“Sounds good,” Mason said. “I’ve signed off on my inspection, so you’re approved to open, Laura.”
“That’s the best news I’ve had in weeks,” Laura said. “I was so afraid Stephanie’s opening would get messed up by something I missed in the hotel.”
“Not to worry.” Mason handed her a certificate. “You covered all the bases. Wish you a lot of luck with the place.”
“Thank you. We need all the luck we can get.”
Blaine looked around at the cozy lobby that boasted freshly painted white wainscoting, sage walls and furniture he’d heard called “shabby chic.” Taken as a whole, it worked magnificently. “It looks so good, Laura. It’s great to have the Surf reopened. The town wasn’t the same without her.”
“I agree. Fingers crossed for a smooth opening.” As she said the words, Blaine watched her wobble and reached out a hand to steady her. He noticed a fine sheen of perspiration on her forehead.
“Are you okay?”
“I can’t believe it, but I think I’m getting sick. I feel awful.”
“It’s going around the island,” Blaine said.
“I’ve heard the clinic is overrun today,” Mason added.
“Great,” Laura said with a moan. “This is so not what I need right now.”
Laura’s fiancé, Owen Lawry, came bounding down the stairs, wearing a red bandanna pirate-style over his unruly blond hair. “Hey, Blaine, Mason.” He shook hands with both men. “How goes it?”
“We’re good,” Blaine said, “but poor Laura is not so good.”
Owen’s attention immediately shifted to his fiancée. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not feeling so great, but don’t worry. I’ll soldier through.” She barely got the words out before she turned a disturbing shade of green.
“Owen,” Blaine said, worried that she might pass out with the baby attached to her.
“I’ve got her.” Owen deftly transferred the baby pouch to his own shoulders and put an arm around Laura.
She leaned into him. “I can’t puke in front of you again. I just can’t.”
“Morning sickness,” Owen said for Blaine and Mason’s benefit. “It was brutal.” To Laura, he said, “Let’s get you upstairs, honey.”
“I have so much to do!”
“My mom and I have got you covered. Don’t worry.”
“Speaking of your mom,” Blaine said. “Is she around?”
“Second floor, far left,” Owen said. “I just left her giving the bathrooms up there a final cleaning.”
“I’ll find her.”
“Everything okay?” Owen asked, seeming anxious.
Blaine knew he was thinking of the night last fall when his mother arrived on the island beaten and broken after the final showdown with her abusive ex-husband.
Owen’s father, a retired air force general, was due to stand trial on domestic assault charges later in the year.
“Everything is fine. I could use her help with something. That’s all. ”
“I’m sure she’d be glad to do anything she could for you after all you’ve done for us.”
During the short exchange, Laura’s eyes had closed, and she was leaning against Owen.
“You’d better get her to bed.”
When Owen tried to rouse her, she didn’t budge. “Asleep on her feet.”
“Let me take the baby,” Blaine said, “and you can take her.”
“Thanks, man.” Owen dipped his head so Blaine could work the baby free of the pouch.
“Stay put,” Blaine said to Wyatt. “I’ll be right back.”
“You got it.”
Holden molded himself to Blaine’s shoulder without waking.
As the sweet scent of baby shampoo and powder filled his senses, Blaine was filled with a new kind of longing.
What would it be like, he wondered, to have a baby son of his own?
What would it be like to have a baby who had Tiffany’s and Ashleigh’s dark hair and green eyes?
As he carried Holden upstairs, it dawned on him that the idea of being a husband and father didn’t terrify him the way it would have even a few weeks ago.