Chapter 24
Scot and Travis were quiet as they drove south along Highway One. The rolling coastal hills were lush and green from winter rains, and the brush along the roadside was covered in bright yellow flowers. The landscape shone dew-bright under the blue skies with a beauty that felt completely antithetical to Travis’s mood.
They had just left the bank in Half Moon Bay, where Scot had added Travis to his business accounts and given him the ability to sign checks for the bar. In addition to managing payroll, he would be responsible for managing vendors, bills, and all other expenses.
It felt like a solemn occasion.
Travis didn’t mind the added responsibility; if anything, he was happy to be able to take more work off Scot’s shoulders.
He still privately nursed the hope that Scot would heal and go back to managing the bar himself, but he had stopped voicing those thoughts out loud; they just made Scot angry. And deep down, he was grateful and honored that Scot wanted to leave the Bottlenose to him.
But eclipsing all of that was the sense that they had just signed away all hope of Scot’s recovery. And he hated that.
Weaving in and out of every moment were thoughts of Keely. He tried to occupy himself with the present, with the drive north and their business at the bank and the drive south, but through it all was the girl with copper hair and bright green eyes.
He couldn’t forget the way she had looked at him the last time that he’d seen her, the anger and hurt and betrayal that he had seen in her sweet face. The contrast between that and the complete trust in her eyes that day at the beach just about ripped his heart in two.
“What’s on your mind?” Scot asked after a while. “If you’re worried about the vendors, I can still–”
“No, it’s not that. I can manage that.”
“Well, if you’re moping about me getting old, no amount of resistance is going to turn back the hands of time.”
“You’re not old,” Travis protested.
“Some of us get old before others,” Scot said cryptically. “Believe me when I tell you, son. I’m old. And I’m getting older quicker than I’d like.”
The certainty in his voice made Travis wonder if the doctors had finally given him a diagnosis, but he held back the questions that rose up in his throat. He knew how much Scot hated them, and he was angry at himself for causing him more stress by fighting him every step of the way when all that he wanted to do was hand off the business that he had built over decades. It was a blessing, and to continue to treat it otherwise was an insult to the man that he loved like a father.
“I’m sorry for fighting you on this,” Travis said, his eyes on the road. “I thought that if I kept putting it off, you might… but I’m honored that you trust me with the Bottlenose. I’m ready to move forward and take the helm, if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know.” They were quiet for a moment, and Travis felt Scot’s eyes on him. Then Scot said, “There’s more on your mind than that. There has been for a while now.”
“Keely,” he said shortly. Just saying her name hurt. The sound of it felt wrenched from his chest.
“Nick’s little sister,” Scot said.
“Yeah.”
“I heard about the scene she made in the kitchen the other day.” Scot’s voice was grave with concern, but Travis could hear a hint of amusement there too.
“It was just a misunderstanding.”
“So you’ve cleared things up?”
“Not exactly.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
“It’s… complicated.”
“What is?”
Travis took a deep breath. “There are things I can’t be fully honest with her about without hurting her, things that I don’t want to burden her with. We barely started seeing each other, and those things are already causing problems. It was wrong of me to get involved with her at all. She deserves better.”
“I haven’t met better than you, so I’m not sure where the poor girl is supposed to find it.”
He let out a huff of a laugh. “There are plenty of better options out there.”
“You’re wrong. Anyway, the girl doesn’t want other options. She wants you. Anyone can see that. I saw it the first time she walked into the Bottlenose.”
His knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “She doesn’t want me now. And it’s for the best. I’d only hurt her more if we kept seeing each other.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Not on purpose. Just… it’s inevitable, I think. Better to cut her loose now.”
Scot was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “Son, there comes a point when you have to let people make their own choices about what’s worth it to them. I have a feeling that girl can handle more than you think. If you don’t give her the chance to decide for herself, it could lead to a lot of what ifs and regrets later in life. Take it from an old man; connections like that don’t come around very often. If you pass it up now, you might never forgive yourself.”
“But what if things do just blow up?”
“Well, that would be unfortunate. But at least you would know that you couldn’t make it work. That’s a hell of a lot easier to live with than uncertainty.”
Travis sat with that for a few minutes as he took the exit toward Pelican Point.
Maybe Scot was right. Maybe he owed it to Keely – and himself – to tell her the truth. He trusted her not to turn him in, given everything that Adam had done and would have continued to do to more girls. She would understand that it was an accident.
At least, he was pretty sure.
And if she wanted nothing to do with him after that, well… at least he would know. At least they would be able to coexist in the same town without her thinking that he was a liar and a cheat.
She already knew that he was a killer, if not a deliberate one. Adam’s death, albeit a very different situation, had been more of the same. If anything, it was more defensible than the manslaughter he had confessed to – morally, if not legally.
He would rather be known for who he truly was than hated for something he hadn’t done. Pelican Point was it for him, and he had a feeling that Keely wasn’t going anywhere. It was a small town, and they had the same group of friends. He couldn’t stand the idea of her looking at him with disappointment and disgust every time they were in the same room.
He thought back to the conversation that he’d had with Nick about letting people in. A part of him wondered if he should talk this through with his friend, but he felt weird about going to Keely’s brother for advice about his relationship with her. Maybe he should ask his permission before coming clean… but he had a feeling that Nick would understand.
So he would come clean. The thought of confessing to Keely all that had happened made his heart pound and his mouth go dry. But there was no way around it. He couldn’t leave things as they were.
“You’re right,” he said as he pulled up outside of Scot’s house.
“I usually am,” Scot grumbled good-naturedly. “About what?”
“About Keely. I’m going to tell her everything and let her decide. I think I owe her that much.”
“Good man.”
“I’ll help you inside.”
“Stop fussing,” Scot scolded, instantly ill-tempered. “Just hand me my crutches from the back.”
Travis sighed and did as he was told. He waited until Scot was safely inside, and then he drove the short distance to Keely’s house.
I’m in the neighborhood,he texted from down the block. Can I stop by?
Why?she texted back.
There’s something I need to tell you.
Three dots appeared and disappeared a few times before she finally texted, Fine.
Walking up the pathway to Keely’s little cottage, his legs shook like he had just run ten miles. Never in his life had he cared this much about what someone thought about him. Scot and Nick were like family to him, and he had plenty of friends… but none of those relationships held a candle to what he felt for Keely.
When she opened the door for him, her face was stony. She gave him a quick, unfriendly glance before turning around and walking to the sofa. She sat down at the far end with her arms crossed. Travis shut the front door and sat down at the opposite end. He folded his hands together and stared down at them, trying to figure out where to begin.
“Is it about you and that girl?” she prompted.
“Kind of. Not in the way that you think.” He took a breath and looked up at her. “She was involved with Adam.”
Shock and confusion overtook her face.
“I was there the night that he died,” he said, cutting right to the point. “We both were, Rachel and me. That’s why she wanted to see me. To thank me.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice shaky.
“Sorry.” He was making a mess of things. “It’s not easy to talk about.”
“He died in the woods. Or at least, they found him in the woods. What were you doing there?”
“I was with Nick.”
Keely rocked backwards in shock.
“I didn’t think it was my place to say anything, but given everything that’s happened…”
“That’s why he came to Pelican Point. He was looking for Adam.”
“Yes.”
“I knew it! But he swore– he told me that he didn’t have anything to do with Adam’s death.”
“He didn’t. He was there that night, but he left before… everything happened. There was another emergency. Chloe was in danger, so he ran to help her.”
“But you stayed?”
“I couldn’t leave. Nick was recording a conversation between Adam and some other guys, trying to get enough dirt on him to get him arrested. He… we didn’t want Adam to do to anyone else what he had done to you.”
Keely looked away. She pulled a blanket up around her shoulders and then asked, “And Rachel?”
“She was there. She was all strung out. He was trying to sell her.”
“Sell her?” Keely’s voice rose.
“He was telling the other men that there was more where that came from.” Just talking about it made him feel sick. “I only stayed to finish the recording, but I couldn’t just leave her there. She was just a kid.”
His voice broke, and he looked down at his hands.
“What happened?” Keely prompted.
“I didn’t think it through. Things went poorly with the deal, and Adam wasn’t happy about it. When he started to hurt her, I just… all of a sudden I was out of the bushes and slamming into him. He pulled a knife, and we fought. I just wanted to give her time to get away. I wasn’t trying to hurt him. But he… he went over the edge. Off the cliff. It was an accident, but… I’m afraid the courts wouldn’t see it that way.
“Maybe I should have gone straight to the police, but with one manslaughter conviction already, I was terrified to admit to another. Not to mention the fact that the trial would give away my identity to the people Adam was getting involved with.”
When he looked up at Keely, there were tears on her face. He wanted to take her into his arms, but he suspected that he was the last person she wanted to comfort her right now.
“That’s what I’ve been hiding,” he finished lamely. “No other girls. Not in the way that you thought, at least. You’re it for me, Keely. But if you want nothing to do with me after this, well, I’ll understand.”
She seemed frozen in shock, and he hated himself for causing her additional pain.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go.”
She reached out and touched his arm, a gesture that seemed more reflexive than anything. Again, he was tempted to put his arms around her and hold her close. Then she pulled her hand back, and he stood.
“Would it be okay if I asked Nick and Chloe to check in on you later tonight?”
“Okay,” she croaked, still in shock. She blinked her luminous green eyes, shedding still more tears, and nodded. “Sure.”
He nodded in response and left without saying goodbye.