Chapter 7 #2
“I’m not a hundred percent sure how it all went down, but my aunt Linda has been really great about making Mallory part of the family.
I mean, it happened before they met, so it’s not like he cheated on her or anything.
He worships my aunt. They’re so cute together.
Married forty years and still acting like honeymooners. ”
“What must that be like?”
“I can’t imagine it for myself, but they make it look easy.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”
The statement hit Riley like a fist to the gut, which immediately had him wondering why he would care if she never got married. “Why’s that?” he asked, forcing a casual tone.
“I don’t really believe in it. Can people really be monogamous for their entire lives? Is that even natural?”
“Who knows? I look at my uncle Mac and aunt Linda and think, yeah, it’s definitely possible.
They’re crazy about each other after being married forever.
But then I think of my parents and yours, and…
I can see why you would question it.” He pulled into the driveway at Eastward Look and parked.
When he shut off the engine, they were plunged into complete darkness.
“Then there’s my cousins. Most of them have gotten engaged or married in the last couple of years, and they’re all happier than I’ve ever seen them since they found that one person.
Some of their friends, too. They make a convincing case for lifetime monogamy. ”
“Having a front-row seat to my sister’s marriage would make anyone think twice about getting married.”
Riley snorted with laughter. “That might not be the best example of a marriage to emulate. Let me walk you in.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I want to. If that’s okay…”
“Sure. Thank you.” She met him at the front of the truck, and he ushered her up the stairs to the porch with a hand on her back, a gesture that’d been ingrained in him by a father who’d taught his sons to treat women with respect and admiration.
Women make the world go round, boys, he would say, his voice always in Riley’s head.
Under the glow of the porch light, she punched in the four-digit code that unlocked the door before looking up at him. “Thank you for a really fun night. I loved meeting your dad and Chelsea.”
“They loved meeting you, too.” He studied her gorgeous face, wishing he could look at her until he’d had his fill.
That was apt to take a while. He wanted to kiss her but didn’t, sensing she wasn’t ready for anything like that.
But he acknowledged the ever-present desire that had been with him from the first time he’d laid eyes on her in the midst of a nor’easter last fall.
Back then and in the months after she left, he hadn’t let himself imagine anything more with her, because what would’ve been the point?
But with her standing in front of him, he couldn’t deny the powerful attraction and didn’t want to.
A strand of her hair blew across her face, and he took a chance by gently tucking it behind her ear.
She seemed to hold her breath while she waited to see what else he would do.
He let his hand drop and noted with satisfaction that she seemed slightly disappointed when he took a step back from her. “Will you talk to your grandmother tomorrow about the renovations?”
Nodding, she said, “That’s the plan.”
“Let me know what she says.”
“I will.”
“I’ll talk to Mac about what’s involved with getting materials.”
“It’s nice of you to want to help me.”
“It’ll be fun.”
“Sure it will,” she said, smiling. “Just what you want to do after full days at work.”
“Helping you will be fun compared to working in that freezing-cold barn with my brother and cousins. For one thing, the scenery is much better here.”
Her face flushed adorably, possibly from the cold, but he preferred to think it was the compliment.
“I’ll text you about tomorrow night?”
“Sure, that’d be good.”
Because he couldn’t help himself, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Sleep tight.”
“You, too. Thank you for dinner.”
“My pleasure.” He waited for her to go inside and turn the lock before he jogged back to his truck, wishing with every fiber of his being that he didn’t have to leave her there alone.
In the morning, after sleeping better than she had in a long time, Nikki took a mug of coffee to her favorite chair in the living room next to a window that overlooked the ocean. Today, the water was gray and stormy, with frothy whitecaps and rolling waves.
As she placed the call to her grandmother in Florida, Nikki was thankful not to be on the ferry today.
“Good morning, my love,” Evelyn said, her voice cheerful and animated as always.
“Morning. Have you already played eighteen holes, done yoga and painted the sunroom?”
Laughing, Evelyn said, “Not quite yet, but I’m well on my way through a rather long to-do list.”
“You exhaust me.”
“Keeping busy is how I stay young, darling. It’s the secret to my longevity. You’re up early.” During the summers they used to spend together, her grandmother had marveled at teenage girls’ ability to sleep half the day away.
“I don’t sleep all day the way I used to, and I haven’t in years, as you well know.”
Evelyn laughed. “I do know that, and I worry about you on that island all alone in the off-season.”
“I haven’t been entirely alone,” Nikki said, being intentionally coy.
“What does that mean?”
“I knew you would pounce on that,” Nikki said, laughing. “Riley McCarthy stopped by the other night when he heard I was back. Last night, he took me to Domenic’s for dinner.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! I absolutely love the McCarthys. Big Mac and Linda are the most delightful people. Riley is his nephew, right?”
“Yes, he’s Big Mac’s brother Kevin’s son. I met Kevin and his fiancée last night as well. Nice people.”
“This is the best news I’ve had in ages!”
“Simmer down, Gram. We had dinner. That’s all it is.”
“But it has potential, or you wouldn’t have gone out with him in the first place. I know how you think, and I’m sure you’re making long lists of all the reasons why you shouldn’t get involved with him.”
“I’m not doing that.” Much.
“Yes, you are. Instead of focusing on the cons, think about the pros for once. He comes from an excellent, well-respected family. He’s proven to both of us that he’s a hard worker who gets things done and keeps his promises.
I’m sure if he’s anything like Mac and Linda’s sons, he’s easy on the eyes. ”
Nikki sat back and listened to her grandmother go on, amused as always by her infectious energy.
“Is he?”
“What?”
“Easy on the eyes?”
“You could say that.” Smoking hot was more like it, not that she’d ever say as much to her grandmother, who’d start planning their wedding before the day was out.
“I want you to listen to me, Nicole.”
“Oh, yikes. You’re bringing out the big guns here.”
“Yes, I am. I’ve sat by and watched you live a cautious, risk-free life for years now, and I’m painfully aware of why you’ve felt that was necessary, but it’s time to move past that and give yourself a chance to experience true love.”
“Whoa, Gram. We went on one date, and you’re talking true love.”
“Do you like him, Nikki? Do you?”
Nikki swallowed the lump that suddenly made her throat tighten. “Yeah, I like him.”
“Will you please, please, please give him a chance? I so want you and your sister to find what I had with your grandfather.” She sighed, the way she often did when speaking of her late husband. “There’s nothing quite like it.”
“Jordan thinks she’s already found that.”
“Oh please,” Evelyn said, scoffing. “Zane is a moron at best and a self-absorbed asshole at worst.”
“Gram! You swore!”
“He drives me to it.”
Nikki cracked up laughing. “He drives us all to it.”
“I honestly cannot believe she went back to him. What has to happen to convince her that he’s not worthy of her?”
“Apparently more than releasing a tape of her most intimate moments.”
“I can’t even… The thought of it makes me want to murder him. Let’s not talk about it. My blood pressure can’t handle it.”
“You’re taking your medication, right?”
“Yes, love, of course I am. I plan to live forever, so don’t worry.”