Chapter 1 Vivien
Present Day
The moment Vivien Lawson’s gaze landed on the man striding up the boardwalk toward the Summer House, her heart swooped around in her chest, not sure if it wanted to soar…or thud.
The words had made her laugh…and fight a familiar punch of regret. Had she made a huge mistake by ending her budding romance with Peter McCarthy nearly two months ago?
Peter had given Vivien the “space” she’d asked for, using the time to move from Pensacola to a rental house ten minutes away in Crystal Beach to start a new job. They’d had plenty of time apart, but now he was in town, and he’d be a regular here at the Summer House.
Vivien wasn’t sure how she felt about that…about him.
Backlit by the setting sun and surrounded by the white sands of Destin, her old teenage crush looked as handsome, strong, and confident at fifty-three as he had in 1993, on this same beach for this same Fourth of July celebration.
Older, yes. A few silver strands threaded into his dark blond hair, but no less light in his penetrating brown eyes.
His shoulders were broader now, defined by years of law enforcement training and no fear of hard work.
His smile was easy, just like she’d pictured it a few hours ago when she and Tessa had sat side by side howling in laughter at their girlhood drama.
Barefoot, he wore a loose linen shirt and shorts, holding a beer in one hand, the other on her brother’s shoulder. Eli and Peter talked and laughed on their way back from the beach, their bonfire pit mission accomplished.
Later, that bonfire would be surrounded by friends and family enjoying a hot holiday night.
And, just like she had three decades ago, Vivien would steal glances at Peter, and her heart would still feel like the fireworks were inside of her when he smiled.
She’d truly expected these feelings to be gone when Peter returned to Destin last week, but that was not the case. If anything, they were stronger.
Were his? Or had he accepted her decision and moved on?
Two stories above the men, Vivien leaned against the railing of the Summer House’s main deck, vaguely aware of chatter in the house and the start of a new song Tessa had queued up for her perfect playlist.
The first few notes punched, and Vivien stepped away from the railing to narrow her eyes at Tessa, who stood at the kitchen island mixing drinks.
“Really, Tess? Whitney Houston?”
Tessa lifted a glass, squeezed a lime, and rounded the island, offering Vivien the official Summer House drink—a gin and tonic—a teasing smirk on her lips.
“I thought you’d like this choice,” Tessa joked, flipping back some long blond hair and peering past Vivien at the boardwalk. “For the one that got away.”
Vivien took the glass with a nod of thanks. “The one I sent away, more like.”
“It made sense at the time, Viv.”
Tessa returned to the kitchen before Vivien could respond, leaving her to consider how right her friend was.
Fresh out of a twenty-six-year marriage, new to Destin, and steadily building her interior design business, Vivien simply hadn’t been ready for the complication of a romantic relationship.
Not that Peter McCarthy was complicated.
He was what her mother would call “a straight shooter”—literally, as a police detective, and figuratively, as a decent, stand-up guy.
A guy who’d professed his love for her the night they’d broken up, then immediately agreed to give her the space and freedom she requested.
So far, that had been easy. Peter had returned to Pensacola when his local case was closed, but he’d already accepted a new position with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, starting as a senior criminal investigator right here in Destin.
He’d made that decision before she dropped her bomb, leaving her to wonder if he would have done the same thing if he’d known she was going to break up with him that night.
Didn’t matter. He was officially a local. And the truth was, her crush on him still burned as bright as that bonfire would later tonight.
She had no idea how Peter felt. He’d been warm when they saw each other for the first time a few days ago.
They’d only been alone for a moment in the kitchen, and they’d had a perfectly nice conversation.
There’d been no long glances, no casual touches, and certainly no sweet kisses like they’d shared in the spring.
They were old friends, nothing more, nothing less, part of a blend of family and friends who had a long history on this beach.
But looking at him now…she couldn’t remember the meaning of space or why she’d thought she wanted it. Her poor body had the same numb ache that plagued her as a teenager, longing to just be close to him. Was it the beach? Destin? History? Or was Whitney right…and she would always love him?
Peter slowed his step as he and Eli got closer to the house and lifted his gaze, meeting hers. His smile wavered as they locked eyes, but he looked away and reacted to something Eli said.
Oh, Peter. What was I thinking?
“That’s the face of a woman in torment.”
She turned at the sound of her daughter’s voice, hissing in a breath and hoping she hadn’t just said her thoughts out loud. “Torment? What do you mean?”
Lacey snorted a soft laugh and narrowed her big baby blues. “I mean you’re practically hanging over the deck like Rapunzel or Juliet or some other lovestruck character on a balcony.”
“Lovestruck?” Was she that obvious? “I’m just looking at that beach, which promises a glorious sunset, don’t you think?”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “Come on, Mom. It’s me. I’ve known you my whole life. I’ve been sharing a bed with you for the last five months, which is something no self-respecting twenty-five-year-old should admit. I know what you’re thinking.”
With an easy laugh, Vivien didn’t deny a thing. “You should have claimed Tessa’s old room when she moved into that beach house, Lace. Then you wouldn’t have to share the main suite with me.”
Lacey shrugged. “I knew Aunt Crista was coming this month. Plus, I like rooming with you. C’mon, now. Back to Peter.”
“Peter? I didn’t bring him up.” Vivien took a sip, the cocktail tasting bitter on her lips. “Where’s Roman?”
Lacey looked past her toward the water and sand drenched in the gold of sunset. “If you really were staring at the beach and not your ex in bare feet, you’d see my boyfriend out there doing what he does—throwing a football with Jonah and Peter’s son. Connor is very nice, by the way.”
Vivien turned and looked beyond Peter and Eli as they disappeared into the downstairs of the three-level beach house. Out on the sand, Roman Matteo was definitely showing off his NFL skills with Vivien’s nephew, Jonah, who was holding his own with the second-string wide receiver.
Connor McCarthy, a dental student who’d joined his father for a long weekend in Destin, caught a few impressive passes to show he’d clearly inherited Peter’s athletic prowess.
In the mix, Vivien’s seven-year-old niece, Nolie, hadn’t caught a thing but was prancing between the much bigger men. Mostly she was kicking up sand and giggling wildly with Aunt Pittypat, a tiny Yorkie who rarely left the child’s side.
“I was surprised when Crista and Nolie showed up without Anthony,” Vivien said, referring to her brother-in-law, who they’d all expected to join them for the holiday.
“Aunt Crista said this new management position has him working long hours,” Lacey told her.
“Over the Fourth of July?” Vivien asked, remembering the shadow in her younger sister’s eyes when she came inside late last evening after a long drive. “I guess, but poor Crista is four months pregnant and had to haul a seven-year-old all the way from Atlanta alone. Where is she?”
“Napping upstairs now,” Lacey said. “And you are truly an expert subject-changer, Mom. Talk to me about Peter.”
“What’s to say that hasn’t been said before?” Lifting a brow, Vivien leaned in to stage-whisper, “And it was said in the diary of sixteen-year-old Vivien Lawson that Tessa just performed like she was auditioning for the part of an infatuated teenager.”
Lacey trilled a laugh. “Sorry I missed that dramatic interpretation of teen Vivien’s life.”
Vivien sighed, wondering if, deep inside, she still was teen Vivien. “Reading it really reminded me that he has always been my weakness and has me wondering why, oh, why did I send him packing?”
“Ahh. We finally get an explanation for the torment in your eyes.”
She shot her daughter a look. “A little doubt, some second-guessing, but I’m not tormented.” Was she?
Lacey laughed. “Hey, I work for Tessa. Some of that drama rubs off. But, Mom, don’t be so hard on yourself.
Remember that the ink was hardly dry on your divorce papers.
You just launched your own business, you moved your whole life to Destin, and you hadn’t been a fully independent woman in two and a half decades.
Diving right into a serious relationship was… risky.”
Vivien appreciated the rationale so much, and it made sense…until it didn’t.
“Anyway, I wouldn’t worry too much,” Lacey added.
“You wouldn’t?”
“He didn’t move here just to change jobs. Have you seen him looking at you?”
“He looks away,” Vivien said. “Every time.”
“But he stares when you don’t know it. Trust me, he’d jump at the chance to try again if you gave him the green light. What’s stopping you?”
“For one thing, he just got here a few days ago. Then there’s the fact that there are a zillion Lawsons and Wylies and extras around at the moment. Plus, his son is visiting. I haven’t been alone with him.”
“Well, don’t wait too long,” Lacey warned in a sing-song voice. “Good men are hard to find.”
Vivien smiled at her daughter, then shifted her gaze to the pro-ball player as he caught a spiraling football. He soft-tossed it to Nolie and danced with her like they were in the end zone, which made Lacey quietly whimper.
“Speaking of good men,” Vivien murmured.
She sighed. “Yeah. Roman’s a keeper.”
“What happens when he leaves for training?” Vivien asked.