Chapter 4
Paul and Alex Martinez had spent the morning in a frantic state of activity, securing the equipment they relied upon to run their landscaping business and assisting numerous customers who’d called asking for help at their homes.
After stops at the homes of six different island clients, they were on their way back to the compound where they lived and worked.
“Put the news on,” Paul said as he drove a company truck toward home. “Let’s see if there’s an update on the storm.”
Alex tuned the radio to a Providence-based news station and caught the latest weather forecast of a direct hit on tiny Gansett Island around two o’clock the next morning.
A plane flown into the storm had clocked sustained winds at ninety-five miles per hour, with rainfall estimates topping two inches per hour.
Most concerning of all, however, was the expected storm surge, which could exceed ten feet.
“Damn,” Paul said, “it keeps getting worse.”
“I’m worried about what’s going to be left after it’s finished with us.”
“I know. I guess we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
“Funny how this island used to feel like a prison when we were kids,” Alex said, “and now…”
“Now it’s our favorite place on earth, and there’s nothing we can do to protect it from a massive threat.”
“Yeah, that,” Alex said with a sigh.
“We’ve done everything we can to prepare.”
“Doesn’t feel like enough, though.”
“It’s not a fair fight.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“On the upside, the cleanup will keep us busy long after our season usually ends,” Paul said in a cheerful tone.
“I suppose so.” Every year, after the frantic pace of spring and summer gave way to autumn, Alex looked forward to the off-season and more time with his wife, Jenny, and their son, George. After Halloween, they sold Christmas trees and seasonal items, but otherwise, they were off until the spring.
“You checked on Mom again this morning, right?” Paul asked.
“I did. Mallory said she’s comfortable and oblivious to the threat posed by the storm.”
“I guess that’s for the best.”
The senior care facility that now bore her name had been founded in response to Alex and Paul’s efforts to care for a mother with dementia with limited island services.
“Yeah,” Alex said. “For sure. I’m going to have lunch with Jenny and George and then meet you back in the office to see what else there is to do.”
“That sounds good. I could use some time with the family, too.”
They’d been going straight out for the last few days, working sixteen to eighteen hours a day, and were exhausted.
Paul parked outside their retail facility, which was closed until pumpkin season began later in the month. “Meet you back here in two hours?”
“Yep.”
While Paul headed to the home where the brothers had grown up and he now lived with his wife, Hope, her son, Ethan, and their baby daughter, Scarlet, Alex hung a left toward the two-story house he and Jenny had built a couple of years ago.
Everywhere he looked on the vast property, he saw memories of his late father and their mother.
Marion’s battle with dementia had been brutal and relentless.
After enduring that nightmare, a Category 2 hurricane was a minor inconvenience.
At least he hoped that’s all it would be.
He went up the stairs to the porch, as tired as he could recall being since the first week George was born, when they’d hardly slept for days.
Before he went inside, he removed his muddy work boots and left them on the welcome mat.
The second he stepped inside, his son let out a shriek of excitement and came running to him on still-wobbly legs.
If there was anything better in this life than a joyful greeting from a toddler, Alex had yet to experience it.
Well, everything with the toddler’s mom was rather awesome, too.
He knew she felt the same way about George as he did.
He’d become the center of their world. Alex swung him into the air, making the little guy squeal with delight.
“How’s my buddy today?” Alex asked as he kissed George’s plump toddler cheeks. He’d snuck out early while Jenny and George were still sleeping.
“Dada.”
That was Alex’s new favorite word. His son was him all over again, with the same dark hair, olive-toned skin and dimple in his chin.
“He’s very busy,” Jenny said, sounding frazzled.
Ever since George started walking, he’d been a wild man. He was running them ragged trying to keep up with him, but they loved every minute of it.
“Our son is full of beans like his daddy,” Jenny said.
“That’s right,” Alex said, kissing George’s neck and making him squeal with laughter.
That was Alex’s favorite sound. Was there anything quite like a toddler belly laugh?
Alex held him until George began to squirm, wanting to be free to roam.
They’d fully childproofed the house so he could have the run of the place, and thanks to some well-placed gates, they kept him somewhat contained.
Alex went to Jenny, who was at the sink washing breakfast dishes, and put his arms around her from behind. When he kissed her neck, she pushed back against him. Just that quickly, he wanted her.
“Down, boy,” she said, even as she pressed her ass against his erection.
“Don’t send him mixed messages. It confuses him.”
“Are we talking about your precious package in the third person now?”
With his hands on her hips, he breathed in the familiar, comforting scent of her hair. “So what if we are? And he is very, very precious.”
Jenny’s laughter was right up there with George’s on Alex’s list of his favorite things. She turned around, kissed him and put her arms around his neck as she glanced over his shoulder to check on George. “How’s the storm prep going?”
“Getting there.”
“You look tired.”
“I’m beat.”
“How much more do you have to do?”
“A few more hours and we should be set. We’ve done what we can. We just hope it’s enough.”
“My parents and sisters have been calling every thirty minutes or so, it seems. They’re stressed out about us being here during the storm.”
“I’d rather be here than worrying about what was happening here from the mainland.”
“Me, too.” She swallowed hard. “I think.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. This is why I included the whole-home generator when we built this place, and don’t forget we built it to withstand hurricane-force winds. If we lose power, Paul and Hope and the kids will come over. It’ll be fun.”
“My hero.” She kissed him again. “Thank you for planning for every possibility.”
“We’ll have lots of time for storm snuggling, too.”
“Is that a thing?” she asked. “Storm snuggling?”
“If not, it should be.”
“I’m kinda scared.”
“Don’t be. We’ll get through it like we get through everything else—together. I swear we’ll be fine.” As he held her tighter, he hoped he was right about that.
Paul found Hope stretched out on their bed, napping with baby Scarlet. Since he could use a quick nap much more than he wanted lunch, he shed his dirty clothes, washed up and then settled next to his wife and daughter for some shut-eye.
He was about to doze off when he decided he should set an alarm on his phone so he wouldn’t sleep the rest of the day away.
“I didn’t expect you to be home so soon,” Hope whispered.
“Alex and I are taking a break before we head out to finish up.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
He put his arm around her and nuzzled the soft skin of her shoulder. “I’m always glad to be here.”
“They’ve already canceled school for tomorrow,” she said.
“Ethan will be thrilled.”
“Snow days and hurricane days. Only in New England.”
“I remember both from my childhood. Best days ever until I found you and Ethan and Miss Scarlet.” He would forever marvel at the best thing in his life coming from one of the worst things.
He’d met Hope and Ethan when they hired her to be Marian’s private-duty nurse in a last-ditch effort to keep her at home awhile longer.
“We’re so glad we found you, too.”
As the ferry backed into port, Piper stood on wobbly legs and nearly fell over. Only Jack’s quick move to put his arms around her kept her from toppling.
“Easy,” he said. “Get your bearings.”
“Wow, I’m all out of whack.”
“That was one of the roughest rides I’ve ever had, and I’ve been coming here for years.”
“Glad it wasn’t just me who thought so.”
“Definitely not. They’ll probably have to hose down the boat after that.”
“Gross.”
“So gross.” Jack kept his arm around her as they walked toward the rear of the boat to disembark.
A faint whiff of vomit filled the air, making Piper fear that she might yet lose her lunch even as she enjoyed his closeness.
“Breathe through your mouth,” Jack said.
“Good advice.”
“Almost to fresh air.”
“Can’t come soon enough.”
The cool air coming in through the open door was a welcome relief.
She kept waiting for him to release her, but he held her close the whole way down the steps and off the boat.
“I usually feel better the minute I step onto land,” he said, “but I have a feeling this one will linger.”
“I’m right there with you. It’s gonna linger.”
“Where you headed?” he asked.
“To the Sand & Surf.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. I want to.”
“Okay, then…”
“Okay, then.”
As they walked the short distance from the ferry landing to the hotel, the usually bustling downtown area was deserted and most of the storefronts were boarded up. Someone had spray-painted FUCK OFF ETHEL in red on the plywood that covered windows on one of the restaurants.
“That’s funny,” Jack said.
“I don’t think Ethel is listening.”
“Nope. Isn’t it weird to see the downtown so quiet?”
“It’s creepy. I don’t like it.”
“I don’t either, but I must confess that it’s nice to know we won’t be dealing with drunk and disorderly people this weekend.”
“There is that.”
“Give me a hurricane over that any day.”
“Stop! You don’t mean that.”
“I kinda do,” Jack said with a sheepish grin, “but don’t tell anyone I said that. You’ll get me run out of town.”
Piper laughed. “It’s nice to have blackmail material on a state police officer.”
“Blackmailing a police officer is a felony.”
“It is not.”
“Is, too! Ask Blaine.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Can I tell you another secret?”
“Oh, more blackmail. Let’s hear it.”
“I missed you when I was on the mainland.”
The statement had the effect of sucking all the air from her lungs. “No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did!”
“Why didn’t you text me?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”
“I did want you to. I was disappointed when you didn’t.”
The noise he made sounded like he’d been punched or something. “Ouch. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure how long the trial would drag on, and I didn’t want to be, you know, sending smoke signals I couldn’t do anything about.”
“I’m sure you had plenty of ladies on the mainland to keep you warm while the trial dragged on.”
Jack stopped walking so abruptly that Piper nearly stumbled.
Once again, he stopped her by taking hold of her arm. “I wasn’t with anyone over there.”
“You don’t have to tell me what you think I want to hear. It’s fine. It’s not like we were seeing each other or anything.”
“There hasn’t been anyone since I lost my wife.”
Shocked, she stared up at him. “You lost your wife?”
“Three years ago. Fucking breast cancer.”
“Oh God, Jack. I’m sorry. She must’ve been so young.”
“Diagnosed at twenty-eight, two years after we got married. She died at thirty-two. That was three years ago.”
Piper’s heart ached for him and the woman he’d loved. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Thank you. I’m doing better than I was. The first year or two after was… It was rough.”
“I can’t imagine. I’m sorry if I made it sound like you’re a player. That was rude of me. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine,” he said with the charming smile that had gotten her attention on the day they met, even when she was dealing with a nightmare of her own.
“You didn’t know.” He offered his arm, and she curled her hand around his elbow as they continued toward the hotel.
“You also couldn’t have known that you’re the first woman I’ve had any sort of flirtation with, if you want to call it that, since… ”
“Huh. Well, I’m, uh…” Piper released a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“You say, ‘Wow, Jack, that’s a pretty big deal, and it ought to be treated as such.’”
“Um, okay… What you said.”
“Next, you might ask what we should do to treat this as the very big deal it is.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
He tossed his head back and laughed, and oh damn, was he sexy.
She’d been wildly attracted to him from the get-go, but after hearing what he’d been through, she was even more intrigued—and a little unnerved.
“First of all, we should hang out during the storm. And second, after that nonsense over, you ought to let me take you to dinner.”
“I can do both those things.”
“You’ll be at the hotel during the storm?”
“That’s the plan, unless we have to leave for some reason.”
“If you do, I’ll find you.”
“You have my number,” she reminded him.
“I know.”
“Don’t be afraid to use it.” As they approached the stairs to the front porch of the Sand & Surf, Piper turned to face him. “Thanks for getting me through the ride from hell. The ginger ale and crackers saved me.”
“Thanks for getting me through it.”
“I didn’t do anything for you.”
“You kept me company. That’s not nothing.”
Piper glanced up at the front door to the hotel. “Well, I’d better get to work. Laura sounded so frazzled when she asked me to come back early.”
“Blaine is waiting for me, too. I’ll check in later?”
“I’ll be here.”
He shocked the shit out of her when he kissed her cheek before he walked away.
Piper stood there for a full minute after he left, her head spinning even more than it had on the rough ferry ride. She placed her hand over the spot on her cheek where he’d kissed her as she thought about what he’d shared with her.
Funny how you could think you knew someone, but you didn’t. Not really. Not until they wanted you to know them. And what, exactly, did it mean that he wanted her to know him?