Chapter 7
Sarah arrived home to dinner on the stove, a chilled glass of wine and a handsome husband waiting for her with a warm, welcoming smile. It was still such a wonderful surprise to be greeted that way when she was far more accustomed to being ignored or screamed at.
When she approached him at the stove to see what he was cooking, he put an arm around her and kissed her cheek. “How are things in town?”
“Pretty good. Jo and Jon had fevers this morning,” she said of Owen and Laura’s twins, “but they’re feeling better now, and Holden has a new favorite word.”
“Dare I ask?”
“No.”
Charlie gave her a quizzical look.
“That’s the word. No.”
“Ah,” he said, smiling. “I love it. It must be driving his parents crazy.”
“It is, but they think it’s funny, too. Not that they can let him see that. I told Owen how he had a ‘no’ phase, too. Of course, with his father, that didn’t last long.”
“I hate the way your whole demeanor changes when you mention him.”
“I’m sorry. I have no business bringing him into our happily ever after.”
“It’s not that, love. I just hate to see him still hurting you after all this time.”
“He’s not. I swear. I hardly ever think of him, except when something comes up with one of the kids. Like with Cin.”
“What’s up with her?”
“She’s found a new roommate.”
“Oh yeah?” Charlie stirred the meat sauce he’d made with onions, peppers and mushrooms. “Who’s that?”
“Jace, the bartender at the Beachcomber.”
Charlie’s entire body went rigid. “How does she know him?”
“Apparently, she’s a regular at the bar.”
“I thought she didn’t drink because of the migraines.”
“She doesn’t. She goes in for dinner a few nights a week, and they’ve become friends. When she put up the notice for a roommate, she didn’t know he was looking until he answered the ad and showed up to see the place. Do you know him?”
“I knew him inside.”
“Oh. What kind of guy was he?”
“Kept mostly to himself, which I respected. I did the same. It’s how we survived. Did he tell Cindy that he’s the father of the boys Seamus and Carolina are raising?”
“Cindy mentioned that. Is Seamus unhappy that he’s here?” Seamus and Charlie had become friends over the last year or so.
“I don’t think he’s thrilled about it, especially since Jace didn’t tell him he was taking a job and moving here until he was already here.”
“Oh wow.”
“Yeah, it was a little unsettling for Seamus and Carolina. They’re crazy about those boys and have bent over backward to give them a good home since their mother passed so tragically. He was a bit undone by the sudden appearance of their biological father.”
“He’s not angling for custody, is he?”
“According to Seamus, Jace could see the boys are doing well with him and Caro, and it was enough for him to just be able to see them occasionally. They’ve worked out a truce of sorts, I guess.”
“Do the boys know who he is?”
Charlie shook his head. “They decided to wait until they’re a bit older to get into that since they only lost their mom so recently and have settled into a new routine with Seamus and Caro. They’ve introduced Jace as a friend of Seamus’s.”
“I suppose that’s for the best, but I can’t help feeling a little sorry for Jace. That must be so difficult.”
“He lost the chance to raise his kids when he went to prison. Did he tell Cindy that part?”
“He did, and that he’s a recovering drug addict, too.”
“Well, props to him for telling her the truth.”
“That’s what I said, too, knowing a bit about taking on a man with a checkered past.”
Charlie gave her a gentle tap on the bottom that made her laugh. “The difference between him and me is he did the crime, and I didn’t.”
“True, but he was battling addiction, and that makes people do things they’d never do ordinarily.”
“Prison might’ve done him a favor, forcing him to get clean. He might never have done that otherwise.”
“Cindy likes him a lot. She said they’ve become friends over many weeks of nights at the Beachcomber.”
“She’s a smart young woman. If she has a good feeling about him, she’s probably not wrong.”
“She said something about you earlier.”
“What’s that?”
“She feels like she has a father for the first time in her life.”
“Oh, well… That’s very sweet of her to say.”
“They all feel that way about you. I hope you know that.”
“The bar was set pretty low,” he said with his trademark gruff chuckle.
“True, but you’ve more than risen to the occasion with each of them. They adore you. Almost as much as I do.”
“I adore them right back. They’re all great people. I’m hoping to get the chance to know Josh a little better at some point.”
“I’m working on getting him here when he has some time off.”
“That’d be nice. I heard something that might interest John.”
“What’s that?” John asked as he came into the kitchen, wearing shorts and a tank top.
“The Wayfarer is hiring a director of security. I mentioned you to Big Mac McCarthy, and he said you ought to swing by the marina to chat about it if you’re interested.”
“That’s amazing, Johnny,” Sarah said. “What do you think?”
“Is it year-round?”
“It is, but you’re on your own in the off-season. You can hire help in the summer.”
“Huh. Well… That does sound interesting. Thanks for thinking of me, Charlie.”
“Of course. No problem.”
“I’m going for a run,” John said.
“Dinner is at seven thirty if you’re hungry,” Charlie said.
“I am if you made enough. Whatever you’re cooking smells awesome.”
“I made a ton. Never know who’s gonna show up for dinner around here.”
“Thanks. See you in a bit.”
When they were alone again, Sarah went up on tiptoes to kiss her husband. “You’re the absolute best, and I love you so much.”
He put his arms around her and kissed her again. “I love you even more.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Such a good ‘problem’ to have, isn’t it?” she asked, gazing up at him. “Fighting over who loves who the most.”
Hugging her tightly, he said, “It’s the best problem I ever had.”
John pounded the pavement on the road that looped around the outer perimeter of the island, thinking about the job possibility Charlie had mentioned.
He was such a great dude that John sometimes feared he was too good to be true.
But there was no sign of that. Rather, Charlie was exactly what he seemed—an honest, genuine guy who truly loved Sarah, as well as his daughter, Stephanie, and wanted the best for Sarah’s children and parents.
Lawrys were predisposed not to trust people, thanks to their upbringing, but John couldn’t find any reason not to trust the man his mother had married.
He sure as hell made Sarah happier than she’d ever been.
No one could deny that. Sometimes, John felt like he was just meeting the person his mother really was, having known only the stressed, anxious, miserable woman she’d been before she finally left the general.
She’d always been a wonderful mother under the worst of circumstances. Seeing her truly happy for the first time had been a revelation.
On the way out of the house, Charlie had told him he was making dinner if John was interested. If his own father had said that, it would’ve been a mandatory appearance, not that the general had cooked often. With Charlie, there was no such edict. It was there if John wanted it, with no obligation.
The job opportunity was intriguing, even if John wasn’t sure he wanted to live year-round on Gansett.
Summers on the island were the best. He suspected winters were a whole other story.
What would it be like to be marooned on the tiny island in the dead of winter?
The year-rounders loved it. John wasn’t sure if he would.
Having most of his family around would keep him from being lonely, so that was a plus.
And the job sounded intriguing, although it’d probably be a nightmare during the season when he’d spend most of his time dealing with drunk and disorderly people.
Although, that was better than responding to domestic incidents, child abuse cases, murders, sexual assaults and other unpleasant things he’d encountered as a police officer in Tennessee.
He’d lost that job after a romantic liaison with a superior officer had come to light, embarrassing them both.
Despite all the progress that’d been made, the involvement of two male officers had been a scandal in their small town.
John had been encouraged to resign rather than face disciplinary action for failing to disclose the relationship.
What he still didn’t understand was why he’d had to quit when the other guy was a sergeant and should’ve been the one to disclose it.
He was still working for the department, going on with his life as if nothing had happened—albeit with his personal life now under scrutiny by his colleagues.
John was the one whose life and career had been left in tatters.
Life wasn’t fair, but that was hardly news to a Lawry.
They’d learned that lesson repeatedly growing up.
In some ways, he’d been preconditioned to expect his life to be a shitshow.
He’d been doing well before he’d made the mistake of getting involved with his boss.
His career had been progressing nicely with regular commendations and the respect of his colleagues.
Thank God he hadn’t pulled the trigger on the fixer-upper he’d almost bought in town right before things had blown up.
It’d been stupid to get involved with Gary.
He’d known it at the time, but loneliness and a desire to finally live his truth had won out over common sense.
They’d vowed to tell no one about their relationship and had gotten away with it for months before Gary must’ve told someone.
John sure as hell hadn’t, even if Gary had accused him of blabbing.
Knowing what was at stake, he hadn’t told a soul and had trusted that Gary would do the same.