Book 26 Hurricane After Dark #11
“We’re calling it for the night,” Linc Mercier says when they come together on separate boats in the middle of the Salt Pond as the daylight begins to fade. “We’ll start again at zero eight hundred.”
“We’ll see you then,” Blaine says, turning the police boat toward the North Harbor dock where it’s kept.
As the day goes on, Jack has gone through the motions of doing his job, but his mind is a million miles from Gansett Island as he realized, halfway through the day, that it’s Ruby’s birthday.
Her goddamned birthday, and he’d forgotten until he took a break to grab a quick bite to eat with Blaine, checked his phone and saw the texts from her family’s group chat, celebrating what would’ve been Ruby’s thirty-fifth birthday.
Each of her siblings and her parents had shared memories from past birthdays and speculated about what she’d have to say about turning thirty-five.
The messages had provoked laughter and tears from the others, while her husband hadn’t given her a freaking thought all day.
He’d been too busy wallowing in more recent memories, the ones he’d made with another woman.
He’s disgusted with himself.
And heartbroken to have forgotten such an important date.
Grief, sharp and nasty, claws at his guts with ruthless disregard for the progress he’s made, the journey he’s traveled for all the days he’s spent without her. The grief doesn’t care that he’s been feeling better, that he’s moving on, that he’s found someone else he might love.
None of that matters.
“Jack?”
Blaine’s call to him drags him out of the emotional swamp and back to the present.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Are we done here? I need to split.”
“Yeah, we’re good until zero eight hundred.”
“See you then.”
Piper is bummed when Jack texts that he isn’t coming by.
When she replies, and he reads the message but doesn’t write back, she walks away from the group to see Laura.
Laura convinces her to join them at her aunt and uncle’s house for a hurricane party.
Just as Piper agrees to go, the Life Flight helicopter flies over the hotel, bringing relief to everyone who loves Jeff and Kelsey.
Blaine finds Jack walking home and forces him into the truck. When Jack insists he’s fine and wants to be left alone, Blaine says he’s joining them at the McCarthys’ for food and company. “When was the last time you lost a wife?” Jack asks in a tight, pissed-off tone.
“Never, thank God, and I hope I never do.”
“Then how in the fuck do you know what I need?”
“I don’t. I just know that in your current state of mind, it might not be safe for you to be alone.”
“What do you think I’m going to do?” Jack asks, incredulous. “If I were going to do that, it would’ve happened a long-ass time ago.”
Blaine feels bad that he might’ve added to Jack’s agitation, but he doesn’t regret picking him up or taking him home to his place rather than letting him go to a cold, lonely room when he’s obviously upset. “You never know what’ll drive someone over the edge.”
“You’re driving me over the edge.”
“I’m driving you to my place, where Tiffany will have snacks, and we’ll have a cold one to take the edge off a rough day. And then we’ll stop by the McCarthys’ for dinner and some island gossip. After that, I’ll take you home.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to put out at the end of this date you’ve arranged for us.”
Blaine barks with laughter. “I’m good, but thanks for the offer.”
Linda has been cooking all day. Mac, Maddie and the kids arrive first. Hailey is thrilled to be able to go outside again, and Thomas is sad about Kelsey getting hurt.
PJ and Vivienne are excited to see their cousins.
Adam, Abby and Liam arrive next, then Stephanie, Grant, Kara and Dan.
They ask how Jeff is doing as Stephanie has been at the clinic all day.
She tells them he was talking before he left on the Life Flight and everyone is more optimistic.
Evan and Grace arrive with Mallory, Quinn, Luke, Syd and Lily.
Linda is never happier than when she’s surrounded by her family and closest friends. She makes a plate of appetizers and pours a glass of Chardonnay that she takes to Carolina.
“Thank you, friend.”
“My pleasure.”
“I owe you an entire senior citizenship full of me waiting on you after these last few days,” Carolina says.
“You owe me nothing. After all we’ve been through together, we’re surely even at this point.”
“We’re not even close to even, as you well know.”
“Eh.” Linda waves her hand as she takes a seat next to her dearest friend. She and Caro had gone from the best of friends to family when Joe married Janey. “Who’s keeping score? Not me.”
“Seamus just texted to say they’re an hour out,” Carolina says.
“Oh, good. You’ll be so happy to have him back.”
Finn and Chloe arrive with their dog, Ranger, as well as Kevin, Chelsea, Summer, Riley and Nikki, bringing even more food.
“Uncle Frank!” Finn says. “Just the man I’m looking for.”
“What’s up, son?” Frank asks his nephew.
“Chloe and I want to get married right now. We don’t want to wait another day.”
“I can help with that,” Frank says. “Do you have a license?”
“We’ll get one as soon as the town hall reopens and make it official,” Finn says.
“That works for me,” Frank says. “When do you want to do it?”
“Would now be okay?” Finn looks around. “Almost everyone is here except for Janey and Joe. Maybe we could FaceTime them?”
“What did we miss?” Slim asks as he comes in with Erin, Dara, Oliver, Piper, Laura, Owen, their kids, Shane and Katie.
“Now, everyone is here,” Finn says.
“Let’s have a wedding,” Frank replies, smiling.
Jack sits between Ashleigh’s and Addie’s car seats in the back of Blaine’s SUV.
“Why are you frowning?” Ashleigh asks him.
“I’m not frowning. That’s my face.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No.”
“Yes.” He makes a face at her that has her laughing.
“Your face is going to freeze like that, and then you’ll be sorry.”
Jack wouldn’t have thought himself capable of laughing until Ashleigh shows him otherwise.
Then Addie joins in the laughter, and Jack can’t deny that he feels lighter than he has in hours. He hates to say that Blaine might’ve been right, but being with Tiffany and the girls has gotten his mind off his own troubles.
“What did we miss?” Blaine asks Mac.
“Finn and Chloe got hitched.”
“Oh, wow. That’s awesome.”
Jack hovers by the door, so Blaine gives him a not-so-subtle push forward. “Get a drink.”
“I don’t want one.”
“Honestly, Blaine,” Tiffany says. “If he wants to go home, take him home.”
“Not yet,” Blaine says.
“Blaine, you’re being overbearing. Jack is a grown man and doesn’t need you telling him what to do. It’s the chief-of-police thing,” Tiffany says to Jack. “It makes him think he’s the boss of everyone.”
Again, Jack laughs when he hadn’t thought it possible.
Blaine scowls at his wife. “That is not true. I don’t want my friend to be alone when he’s obviously upset.”
“Which is very nice of you,” Jack says, “but I’m okay.”
He’s no sooner said the words when Piper appears in the kitchen, seeming stricken to see him there. Her gaze collides with his, full of hurt.
Damn it.
He tries to stop her and explain, but she isn’t listening.
He tells Blaine he’s leaving. He didn’t give him a chance to stop him and headed out the door.
Jack goes out into the cool, damp air and takes a deep breath.
As he walks, he dictates a text to Piper into his phone.
I’m so sorry about tonight. Today was Ruby’s birthday, and I forgot about it until I got some texts in her family’s group chat.
It threw me for a loop, to say the least. How could I forget her birthday?
How? My issues tonight have nothing at all to do with you.
I thought about our night together all day and was looking forward to tonight.
I’m sorry. I’m leaving now, but I’ll make it up to you.
“Was that Hot Cop I saw?” Laura asks quietly.
“Yeah.”
“What’s going on?”
Piper shrugs. “He said he couldn’t hang out tonight.” Her phone buzzes with a text. She withdraws it from her pocket, reads the message from Jack and jumps up. “I have to go.”
“Where?”
“To Jack. I have to go to him.”
“Do you want me to drive you?”
“No, that’s okay. He just left. I’ll catch up to him.”
“Please be careful out there. It’s dark, and the roads are a mess.”
“I will. I’ll check in later.”
About a mile from the McCarthys’ home, she spots him up ahead, walking quickly, head down, hands in pockets. “Jack!”
He stops, turns and stares at her, incredulous. “What are you doing out here?”
“Looking for you.”
“You silly girl. What are you doing?”
“After I got your text, I wanted to hug you. I just wanted to hug you.”
They stand there for a long time, staring at each other.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“Don’t be. I understand.”
A horn toots as a woody station wagon comes to a halt next to them. “Heard you kids was walking home in the dark,” Ned Saunders says. “Get in. I’ll give ya a ride.”
Jack smiles and follows Piper into Ned’s cab.
Ned drops them at the barracks a few minutes later, refusing payment. “Be safe, ya hear?”
“Yes, sir,” Jack says. “Thank you for the ride.”
They go inside, and Jack shows her his room.
“I’m here, Jack.” She looks up at him as she places her hands on his hips.
“I promise I won’t run away when things get hard.
What happened today is sure to happen again, and it’s okay.
I don’t expect you to keep those feelings hidden from me because you think I don’t want to hear about Ruby.
I’ll always want to hear about her because she’s part of you. ”
Dropping his forehead to hers, he closes his eyes. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“I can’t know what you’ve been through, but what I see is a man who loves so deeply that even years after he lost his wife, he still loves her so much that he aches to realize he forgot something important.”
“I never want to forget,” he says gruffly.
“You never could. She’s always with you.”
“I want you with me, too.”
“I’m right here.”