Chapter 9 #2
“He was reminding me of that earlier today.”
Sydney laughed. “I have no doubt.”
“He said to come to his house if we need to.”
“That’s nice of him.”
When they sat down to dinner, Luke brought the wine she enjoyed at the end of the day to the table. “None for me, thanks.”
He stopped short and stared at her. “Why?”
Laughing, she said, “I skip some nights.”
“Only when you’re pregnant. Are you? Pregnant?”
“Damn it, I had a whole plan to tell you, and you ruined it by guessing!”
“You’re pregnant. For real?”
“Yes, Luke,” she said, amused by his stunned expression. “As real as it gets.”
He came to where she was seated at the table and extended his hand to her.
When she took hold of it, he gave a gentle tug to bring her up and into his arms. He held her so tightly, it almost hurt, but in the best possible way.
“Just when I think I have it all, there’s more,” he said gruffly.
“Are you happy?”
“So, so, so happy. I never knew happy like this was even possible. Do we need to have Vic confirm it?”
“She did, yesterday, but you’ve been so busy. I wanted a minute to ourselves to share the news.”
“You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Only because you were completely exhausted when you got home last night.”
“If it’s a girl, we have to name her Ethel.”
“We’re not naming her Ethel!”
“Why not? I’ll never forget when I found out about her—smack in the middle of Ethel.”
“Not happening.”
“You’re no fun.”
“Is that so?”
“Well,” he said, pulling back to smile at her. “You’re fun sometimes.”
Sydney kissed him. “Like now?”
“I need another sample to decide for sure.”
She kissed him again, tossing a little tongue action into the mix.
“You are, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life, and I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
“Nice save, Mr. Harris.”
“Nice life, Mrs. Harris.”
“Thank you for that.”
He squeezed her tightly again. “Thank you for that.”
Piper served the meal Owen had made for the guests in the hotel’s first-floor dining room.
She’d set a table for four to include Oliver, Dara, Slim and Erin, the only guests currently in residence.
Owen had cooked for them because the in-house restaurant, Stephanie’s Bistro, was closed due to the storm.
“Why don’t you join us, Piper?” Erin asked.
“Oh, that’s all right. I can eat in the kitchen.”
“Don’t be silly.”
They started moving things to make room for Piper at the round table.
“Please join us,” Dara said with a warm smile. “No need to eat alone when you can be among friends.”
That was what Piper loved about Gansett—how inclusive people were. Everyone was a friend, even if you didn’t know them well. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
She went into the kitchen to make a plate for herself and brought it and a wineglass back to the table to join them.
“This is so cozy,” Erin said of the softly lit room with a fire burning in the hearth and the wind howling outside. “It’s good of you guys to have us.”
“That’s all thanks to Laura and Owen,” Piper said. “She told me to put up anyone who needed lodging for the storm, and dinner is compliments of him.”
“It’s delicious,” Slim said. “And it’s a huge relief to be here. Our place out here is basically a shack.”
“Ours is a lighthouse located at the end of the island expected to get the biggest hit,” Oliver said, grinning at Slim.
“You win,” Slim said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t want to be there either.”
“Yeah, it felt a bit… exposed,” Oliver said. “We’re very happy to be hunkered down at the Sand & Surf.”
“Likewise,” Erin said. “What brought you guys to the island and the lighthouse?”
Dara glanced at Oliver, who nodded, seeming to encourage her. “Our three-year-old son was killed in an accident almost three years ago.”
“Oh God,” Erin said. “I’m so sorry.”
“I am, too,” Piper said.
“It was brutal, and we were floundering for a long time after,” Dara said. “When Ollie saw the lighthouse keeper job advertisement, it just seemed like a lifeline. It’s been that and so much more than we ever could’ve imagined.”
Oliver reached for her hand. “We recently found out we’re expecting again, which is exciting and terrifying.”
“Congratulations,” Slim said. “We’ve got a baby on the way, too.”
“That’s wonderful.” Dara raised her wineglass full of ice water. “To new babies.”
They touched glasses in honor of their new lives.
“What brought you to Gansett?” Dara asked them.
“I’ve been flying in and out of here for years,” Slim said, “but it’s gotten a lot more interesting since I met Erin a few years ago.”
She smiled at her husband. “My should’ve-been sister-in-law, Jenny, was the lighthouse keeper once upon a time.”
“We’ve met Jenny,” Oliver said, “and her delightful little George.”
“Did she tell you what brought her to Gansett?” Erin asked.
“She did. We were so sorry to hear she’d lost her fiancé on 9/11.”
“He was my twin brother,” Erin said.
“Oh, Erin,” Dara said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. It was rough after we lost Toby. But Jenny loved it so much here and talked me into taking over the lighthouse after she moved in with Alex.” She glanced at Slim. “Best thing I ever did, for more reasons than I could possibly list.”
“We feel the same way,” Oliver said. “Like we’ve found ourselves again here, as crazy as that might sound.”
“I get that,” Erin said. “From the first day I arrived, I felt like I could breathe again.”
“Same,” Oliver said. “In many ways, this place has saved our lives—and our marriage.”
“I feel the same way about being here,” Piper said, sobered by the things the others had said.
A broken engagement seemed trivial next to their losses.
“A bad breakup sent me looking for somewhere else to be. I came for a vacation and ended up staying when I found the same things you all did. A warm, welcoming place with the nicest people I’ve ever met. It felt like home right away.”
“Cheers to Gansett Island.” Erin raised her glass of water. “And prayers that Ethel goes easy on us.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Oliver said as they touched glasses again.