Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
A shley grabbed a molasses cookie off the tray and bit into it while pacing his office. She couldn’t sit still, not even to attempt to eat. As it was, she barely tasted the rich, sugary cookie, the crackled top giving way to a perfectly soft center. She focused on the wrong things. The scrape of the granular sugar on her tongue and the too-strong aftertaste. She couldn’t look at the positives.
Like Christopher still wanted her. He couldn’t hide his reaction under close quarters. She might have convinced herself she was mistaken before, but not when she felt him pressed against her.
The reverse was true as well. He wouldn’t doubt her feelings any longer. Every attempt at playing coy had evaporated in the heated moment. And his fiery response to confronting the foes only solidified his feelings.
She was shaken at the depths of Zach’s hatred. Lonnie’s too. She’d always imagined herself safe with anyone in the community. Since she was a tiny girl, she had treated everyone like a member of her extended family. She fooled herself into believing the same of them.
Am I collateral damage to Zach in his plot against Christopher? Zach had the audacity to smile and greet her like a long-lost friend. All the while, he suppressed a white-hot anger against Christopher so explosive that he’d kill her without a second thought. She shuddered, stuffing the rest of the cookie into her mouth.
She wasn’t sure she could truly believe that of Zach. Lonnie maybe. But not Zach. Some other part of the whole affair troubled her. She wouldn’t give up on her ghost just because evidence and common sense told her otherwise. Neither could she continue down that path with her husband.
She needed action, a distraction, or anything other than listening to the next part of his plan. Because now they’d reached the real talk portion. And she couldn’t handle the truth.
The door in the corner opened, and he appeared.
She spun and lifted her hand in a wave only to freeze midway through the motion. She pulled her hand back, wiping the crumbs off her face.
“Do you want a drink?” he asked. But he didn’t wait for an answer. He strode toward his desk, pulled out a drawer, and set a bottle of whisky and two crystal tumblers on the soft, leather inset top.
“Where did you get that?”
He shrugged. “I keep it in the bottom drawer.” He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. He approached her, holding out a glass. “For emergencies.”
She accepted, her fingers briefly touching his in the exchange. “Have you had many of those?” She laughed and lifted the glass in cheers before sipping.
The liquor washed away the remaining cookie, burning her throat. She wasn’t much for straight alcohol. Her preference was something fruity and frozen while lounging around poolside. A beach was definitely head and shoulders above a dimly lit office after midnight. They’d reached the only conclusion they could have for their ill-fated romance. The never part of now or never.
An apology tickled her tongue, but she struggled with stringing together a coherent, unemotional speech. How do I voice my regrets ? That she understood how wrong she’d been to put him in the middle. That leaving only hurt her. That he was so clearly better off without her. But she wanted another chance though she didn’t deserve him.
She wanted the ghost to be real so she could fool herself into thinking Dad hadn’t given up on her. He hadn’t died in his sleep without a chance to put their differences aside. She told herself a story to make everything okay. She couldn’t keep up the tale anymore. She’d lost the plot. She had no spin to make her situation pretty for social media.
He eyed her warily.
She crossed to the chairs, still facing the windows. Sitting, she tucked her legs underneath, resting the glass on her knees. “Thanks for the drink. I’m not one to rely on alcohol to unwind. But today has been exceptional.”
“Can’t say I’ve ever had a day quite like today.” He lowered himself into his chair, stretching his legs out in front and crossing his ankles. He sipped.
She wanted to ask how he acted so calm after the charge in the air and if he would have kissed her. She wanted him, but, if she put him on the spot now, she’d force his hand. The most alarming revelation wasn’t her continued attraction. In the aftermath of the arrest, she had to focus on what had just happened.
“Are they…” She wasn’t sure how to phrase her question. She had never been afraid for her safety. After the fire, she’d come to the Inn. Following the explosion, she’d more or less walked away. But this? Their denials only scared her more. If Lonnie and Zach could convince themselves they hadn’t attempted to kill her in order to steal a non-existent treasure, what else were they capable of?
She cleared her throat. “Are they taken care of?”
He frowned. “They were arrested and are currently on their way to our local jail. I’ll fight hard against bail. They don’t deserve to go about their lives in town after trying to end yours.”
She nodded. She believed him. He’d been a fierce opponent in the aftermath. When she’d hung back to call for help, she’d accidentally tested Zach’s theory. Every word spoken on the tiny island carried as if delivered through a megaphone. Christopher had said my wife with so much emotion. He couldn’t have been faking. He’d never been a good enough actor to get them out of trouble as kids. Why lie now?
“I can’t believe I was right.” He sighed.
From the corner of her eye, she caught him, shaking his head and taking another sip. “You’re rarely wrong. Isn’t that one of your strengths? Finding the winning hand?” Letting the losers drop .
“For the record, I think they must have started the fire to get you out of the lighthouse. I’m not sure how. Lawyers will find out. I don’t think they intentionally tried to kill you with the collapse.”
No, two men she’d known her entire life hadn’t set out to kill her. But her murder would have been incidental to pursuing their own goals. She shuddered. “Not exactly the warm and fuzzy homecoming I expected.”
Why had she thought, for a second, she could come back here? Because I love him.
She faced him and drained the rest of the whisky like a shot. As soon as she swallowed, she sputtered and coughed, raising her elbow to her mouth.
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” He drained his glass and reached for hers, setting both on the coffee table. “I’m sorry, Ashley. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I wanted to see you again. I never imagined you’d have to endure so much on my behalf.”
She cleared her throat and tucked her hands under her legs. If she didn’t get a hold of herself, she’d do something reckless and irrevocable. Like using the liquid courage that hadn’t even hit her bloodstream yet as an excuse for a kiss. A real one. With tongue and hands and moaning. Instead, she threw a bucket of ice water over them both. “Do you think, if I would have come back earlier, he’d have become my mentor? Do you think he ever would have accepted me as his apprentice?”
Christopher frowned. “Are you sure you want to go down this path?”
“No. But I am.” She smiled, leaning her head back against the smooth leather chair. A surge of self-annihilation pumped through her. She’d nearly died at the hands of a neighbor. Truth was all she’d accept. He’d answer her and then she could circle back to the other sore subject.
“I don’t know,” he murmured.
Christopher’s softly uttered uncertainty shook her to her bones. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked if she wasn’t prepared for honesty. She had no choice. She needed answers. Continuing in ignorance wouldn’t help her in whatever future she approached.
“He missed you,” Christopher said with the surety she expected. “I won’t pretend he asked about you. I knew pretty quickly not to mention your name. But I’d catch him lingering near your pictures, at the cottage, in the attics, along the shore near the bridge. Any spot that reminded him of you drew him like a magnet.”
She scrunched her ticklish nose. She’d missed Dad too. The problem with being an almost exact clone of one’s parent was in the shared stubborn willfulness. Neither of them would ever yield an inch. If either of them had weakened, the other would have raked them over the coals mercilessly until the end of time. She accepted her blame in the estrangement. Learning to say sorry or I was wrong would have been invaluable.
“What do you want to do, Ash?”
Start over . “I don’t know.”
“I want to come up with a compromise you can accept. I won’t try to keep you here. You’ve always wanted to fly.”
His sad smile tugged at her heart. She had. But only because she thought the nest would always be ready for her return. She hadn’t appreciated what she’d had. And now she was going to have to say goodbye to it forever.
“What do you want? What is fair?”
To be partners. When she stripped away everything, she had one desire left. Asking him would be exposing every last trick. She had no more games, no more ideas, and no more plans. Running her life as she saw fit had left her empty and alone. She was tired of hiding and faking.
“I have nothing.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want to take from you. The Inn is truly yours. You’ve devoted the time and care. It’s your vision and sweat equity. I guess I’m just jealous. I need something.”
* * *
Christopher regretted finishing his drink so fast. He shot a longing glance at the coffee table. He never expected honesty from her. He’d known her forever, longer than he’d known himself, and filled in many of the gaps on his own.
She wasn’t the sort to speak with such candor, or she’d have to listen to it.
She didn’t flinch or shudder or try to hide in any way. She was open, vulnerable, and fearless. He needed to be just as brave. Or he’d live with regrets for the rest of his life.
For too long, he’d held a fear so close to his heart he’d begun to believe the lie. That marrying him had been one more way to get back at her dad. He’d been in love with her for as long as he could remember. He worried about being a pawn between father and daughter. But he’d been so young and overwhelmed with hormones he hadn’t cared.
In the wake of her departure, he’d been swamped by all the rational, reasonable thoughts he had buried. He’d awoken from a dream to find himself all alone. With her return, he discovered he was just as wild for her as always. She could come in and sweep him up in her chaos, and he’d gladly follow. Before the interruption, he’d nearly sealed his fate of being at her beck and call until the end of time.
While he ached for what could have been, he was grateful for the break. The cold air and icy realization of what had been happening under his nose had snapped him from his lust-filled haze. They could discuss their future rationally. Although, with each second in her company, he felt his grip on logic and reason slipping away.
“I have another option,” he said slowly, ignoring the thump of his heart with each second. Let’s stay together. Let’s reconcile . The love hung in the air between them, shimmering with the passion that had never waned.
He pushed aside the feelings. He’d do the smart thing and offer her a clear choice. He didn’t want her beholden to him or anyone. Because he wanted her to want him for himself. Not for the way he could help her or provide for her, or provoke her now-dead family. He wanted her to choose him.
“What is really inside the package I brought?”
He frowned. Package? From her? He wracked his brain but came up empty.
“Hawaii?” she asked. “Is it a job?” Her chin trembled. “Could I take it?”
“Would you want to move? You just got here.”
She shrugged. “It would solve a lot of issues.”
Not for him. Her father accused him of eloping to satisfy his lust. Xavier had asked what would happen when Christopher grew tired of the physical side. The truth was the physical only enhanced and deepened their emotional connection. Christopher found his other half in every way with Ashley. “Not a job offer as much as a buyout. The hotelier wants to retire. He’s offered to sell it to me. I could go. And you could stay and takeover the Inn.
She rolled her eyes. “Do you want the property to be haunted for real?”
“What does that mean?” He drew back his chin. Her abrupt comment was as moment-shattering as an open-palm slap. How could she be so cavalier after I offered up my livelihood?
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness and caring,” she said, lowering her voice and reaching a hand to cover his.
His thumb itched to trace her hand; he wanted to flip their grip and cover her hand in his. She softened the blow with her gentle delivery.
“Dad would come back from the grave and shake the walls. He’d rather have this place destroyed than let me be involved in its operation.” She smirked and shook her head, drawing back her hand.
“If you believe that, how do you make sense of him giving you the option of claiming in the Inn at all?”
“Appearances. He cared a lot about what other people thought, especially as the first family of the lake.” She scrunched her nose. “I suppose I do, too. I’ve definitely focused on curating an image over the past decade to the detriment of really living. I’m not scared anymore. I’m ready to try. But I don’t want to push you out. And I don’t want you to go to Hawaii.”
“Wouldn’t my leaving solve your problems?”
She shook her head.
Good. Because he didn’t want to go anywhere without her. “What will you do?” he asked.
“I haven’t figured that out quite yet. I don’t know what I want.”
“What about me?” His voice cracked. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Do I get any say? What about what I want?”
She shrugged. “You don’t want me involved. You don’t want me around. Your life was much easier.”
“Of course, I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Who do you think funded the allowance?”
Her skin assumed a pale, green pallor.
His stomach dropped to his knees. He didn’t want to hurt her. He was only trying to illustrate his point. His love never wavered. He was patient and steadfast.
He’d been a jerk.
With her chin down, she looked so small.
His gorgeous, glorious, gregarious wife shrunk to the size of a doll. She looked like a toy to be picked up and played with or tossed aside at someone else’s discretion.
Had he been guilty of using her? He’d never intended to tell her the truth. However, once the words slipped free he wouldn’t pretend she misunderstood.
Her reaction validated his worst fears. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head.
“He never stopped missing you. I’d catch him on his phone, scrolling through your posts. He’d walk to the lighthouse every afternoon. I caught him there once. Crying with a picture of you. He couldn’t apologize. I don’t think he knew how to start.”
She turned to stone, her features hard and carved. “But he didn’t look out for me. He wasn’t worried about how I’d provide for myself.”
Xavier wasn’t the only Hale too proud to be happy. She knew the truth now. There were no more secrets between them.
Christopher reached for her icy hands and squeezed. Groveling wasn’t his style. But he could learn from others’ mistakes. He wouldn’t let pride ruin him. “Stay here. Please. Let’s take a real chance. Nothing and no one is holding us back now.” And he meant it. His parents had passed years ago. Her father was gone. He had reached an age where he no longer cared about any outside opinion.
Except hers.
It was the two of them against the world. He’d fight everyone. But he couldn’t battle her.
“What would I do?”
“Whatever you wanted.” Just stay. “Cook, come up with special events, just be here. Be you.”
“Would we be partners?”
He leaned forward and brushed the hair off her face. With his thumb, he traced the gentle line of her cheekbone.
He wanted no more secrets. No more hiding. Just the truth from both of them forever. But he wasn’t sure they could coexist in a business. Was that the only way forward?
Under his touch, she trembled, leaning into his palm.
She couldn’t make herself more vulnerable and open to him.
He held back, unsure he could do what she wanted and relinquish control. The town would cheer. Zach might lead a parade down the boardwalk if the charges were dropped and he was released from prison.
From the corner of his eye, a burst of light caught his eye. He turned and stared outside. The sky brightened as an orange glow expanded, bright as the sun.
For a long moment, he didn’t breathe. Was this a sign from the heavens pointing him the direction Ashley wanted? She had been his sunshine. Improbably, a new day dawned.
And then came the sound. A bang followed by several loud pops like the delay of the Fourth of July fireworks shot from the same spot. Gunpowder. The remains of the lighthouse exploded.
This wasn’t symbolism. The Inn was under attack.