Book 27 Renewal After Dark #4
McKenzie smiles at the emphatic way he says that last word. “Yeah, he was. He lied to me about everything, and I found out the hard way. But it’s okay. I’d rather raise Jax on my own than have him around a man who lies, cheats and runs from his obligations.”
Duke tells her about the ex-girlfriend he’d planned to marry, but she wanted him to leave Gansett, and he decided he liked his home on Gansett better than her. After witnessing two horrible divorces with her mother, marriage isn’t for her, McKenzie says.
“What about your parents?” she asks. “Are they still together?”
“I was raised mostly in the system. My mom resurfaced when I was an adult, and I talk to her occasionally, but we’re not close. Never knew my dad.”
“Oh.” McKenzie is momentarily stunned. “That must’ve been tough.”
“It was. At times. Other times, it was fine.” He shrugged. “I survived it.”
McKenzie has so many questions she has no right to ask him. As messed up as her family can be, she can’t imagine growing up with no family at all.
“Hey, don’t be sad for me. I’m okay. I swear. I’ve created a family of my own that makes me very happy, which is why I wouldn’t leave the island even to save the relationship with my girlfriend. All the other people I love are here.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
“It didn’t to her,” he says with a smile.
McKenzie loves the way that smile softens his hard edges. “No, I’m sure it didn’t, but sometimes, we have to do what’s best for us, even if it’s not best for others.”
“That’s so very true. Is that what you did when you came here?”
“Absolutely. I had to get away from well-meaning people who wanted to tell me how to live my life and raise my son. My mother and sisters were a huge help to me when he was first born, but after a while, I felt like I wasn’t making any of my own decisions.
And listening to my mother tell me every day that I’d made a mess of my life wasn’t helping anything. ”
After a while, McKenzie heads up to bed.
As she goes up the stairs to the apartment, she says a silent thank you to her grandmother for making a friend of Duke.
Rosemary always had great taste in people—she hadn’t liked either of her daughter’s husbands—and because of that, it’s easier for McKenzie to immediately put her trust in him.
There’s no way she would’ve invested her time and energy into Duke if she hadn’t seen true potential in him.
The Rosemary seal of approval means the world to her.
She checks on Jax, who’s sleeping soundly, and closes the window she’d opened earlier.
As she gets ready for bed, she thinks about the things she learned about Duke over the last hour, from the cross-stitching—she’d never get over that discovery—to being raised in the foster care system to giving up a woman he’d loved for Gansett, which he loves more.
He’d led an interesting life, to be certain, and talking to him had been easy, as if they’d known each other much longer than the ten days since he’d come looking for them at Tiffany’s.
He’s sweet, thoughtful, handsome in his own special way and has already stepped up for her more than some people she’s known all her life ever had.
For the first time in a while, she’s looking forward to what tomorrow might bring.
Coast Guard Commander Linc Mercier fills a travel mug with coffee and heads to the dock for another day of searching for the missing men.
They’d focused their efforts on the Salt Pond since Billy Weyland’s boat had been found partially sunk there.
Linc, his officers, Harbor Master Deacon Taylor and others had warned Billy against riding out the storm on his boat.
But Billy hadn’t listened.
A week later, Linc is fielding almost hourly calls from Billy’s frantic friends and dealing with his brother, Morgan, who’s come to the island to assist in the search and keep the gym open.
Linc wishes he had something he could tell Morgan other than they’re continuing to search for Billy and his friend Jim Sturgil, who’s also missing.
Morgan Weyland has been helping by walking the perimeter of the pond at least twice a day, looking for any sign of either man.
Linc appreciates that the man is helping where he can while allowing them to do their jobs.
He’s also relieved that Morgan isn’t doing anything risky that would only make their efforts more complicated.
He’s also seen Sturgil’s father out every day in his boat for hours, navigating the pond as he looks for his missing son.
The whole thing is heartbreaking, and the worst part is that it never should have happened.
“Just heard from the admiral that today is it for the official Coast Guard search,” Linc tells his team.
“I wondered how much longer we were going to look,” Harbor Master Deacon Taylor says.
He, too, had been missing for a time during the storm before being rescued at sea by Joe Cantrell and his crew on one of the ferries.
“I’ll continue to send out a boat every day for as long as it takes,” Fire Chief Mason Johns says.
“Of course, we’ll continue to search during routine patrols,” Linc says.
“Understood,” Mason says. “Let’s get to it.”
In the morning, Duke calls Mac McCarthy about fitting in McKenzie’s house for a rebuild.
Mac promises to come by after learning she is Rosemary’s granddaughter and a single mom.
Mac reminds Duke that he married a single mom and knows how difficult life can be for them.
As he finishes the call, he notices McKenzie coming downstairs.
She and Jax are walking into town to work at Tiffany’s store.
He offers to drive them since he’s on the way to his shop.
When they arrive in town, it’s still quiet.
McKenzie reaches out to Tiffany, who has decided to stay closed for the day, so Duke offers to show McKenzie his shop.
She loves his shop and the artwork he shows her.
Art is the easy part of his job. It’s the business part that sucks.
McKenzie loves QuickBooks and bookkeeping.
He begs her to help him with his books. She’s happy to help him, as he’s giving her a place to stay and driving her around.
Sierra Mancini, his friend and owner of the massage studio next door, comes in.
Duke introduces McKenzie as Rosemary’s granddaughter.
Sierra raves about Rosemary and her banana bread, which McKenzie promises to make for her.
Duke tells Sierra that McKenzie knows QuickBooks, which has Sierra asking McKenzie to help with her bookkeeping, too.
McKenzie will stop by the next day to look at Sierra’s books.
“I bet there are plenty of businesses on this island, besides mine and Sierra’s, who’d kill for a bookkeeper who knows QuickBooks,” Duke tells McKenzie when they’re on the way home.
“Seriously?”
“You could have yourself a nice little business and work from home with Jax.”
She glances over at him in disbelief. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely. There’s no one out here who does anything like that, but there are a ton of small businesses that need the help. We all muddle through, but I’m sure many of them make a mess of it the same way I do.”
“How big of a mess are we talking?”
“It’s pretty bad. You’ll probably be appalled.”
“I’m sure I can straighten it out for you in no time.”
“That would be such a relief. I stress out about it because I know I’m not doing it right, and I worry about the IRS knocking on my door.”
“I’ll take a look when Jax goes down for a nap, if you’d like.”
“Sure, that’d work.”
After feeding Jax lunch, they go next door to her cottage, which is a total loss.
It’s upsetting to her to see it. McKenzie is further upset by taking a call from her mother, who implies Duke will want something in return for allowing McKenzie to stay at his apartment.
McKenzie quickly dismisses the notion and hangs up on her mother.
Mac McCarthy comes by to assess the cottage and says they can rebuild it to her specs.
She’s amazed by his willingness to help her and his kindness.
He reminds Duke about the hurricane survival party his parents are throwing at the marina and invites McKenzie before he moves on to the next job site. Duke says it will be a great way for her to meet more people. She loves how welcoming everyone on the island has been.
Jared, Lizzie and Violet James wait at the ferry landing for Jared’s sister, Kendall, and her two boys, Henry and Elias.
Quinn and Mallory join them to welcome their sister and her sons to the island.
Kendall and her kids have been through a lot with her ex-husband’s addiction battle.
They need a fresh start, and Gansett Island is a great place to be.
After seven straight nights together, Piper still can’t believe she’s waking up naked in bed with Jack Downing.
He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and runs his fingertip over her cheek.
“It occurs to me that I’ve missed a very important step in my quest to bring the glorious Piper into my life. ”
“What step is that?”
“The take-you-out-on-a-proper-date step so you won’t think I’m just after more of this.” He squeezes her breast to make his point. “Although more of this is never a bad thing.”
He makes her want to giggle like a girl who’s in love for the first time.
Yikes. Take that back. No one is in love here.
“What do you say about a date tonight?” He kisses her shoulder. “Hmm?”
“Sure. That sounds good.”
“Excellent. I saw a text about a hurricane survival party at the McCarthys’ Marina if you’re into that.”
“That might be fun.”
“Any time the McCarthys are involved, it’s fun. But I’d still owe you a proper date with wine and candles and tablecloths.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yes, I do.”