Chapter Thirteen
Chrissie’d almost had to get in line to say good night to Ruby. There were several others who were trying to leave as well, but not without saying a last word or two to the guest of honor. When Chrissie was able to get close enough, she leaned down and told Ruby she was leaving for a while.
Ruby nodded as if she knew where Chrissie was going, with whom, and what she was about to do.
“You did a fine thing here tonight,” Ruby told her. “A fine party, brought all these people here just to see me. I be appreciating every bit of what you did.” Then she smiled widely. “You brought my Harold to the party in those cornflowers, and that made me happiest of all, that you remembered how he used to bring them to me. You made my heart warm tonight.” She pulled Chrissie closer and said, “But the night not be over for us. We be strong, and we be smart, you and me, and we be fine.”
“Of course we will.” Chrissie gave her a hug. “I’m glad you enjoyed your party. Don’t stay up too late.” Chrissie paused, debating, then did something she didn’t think she’d ever done before. She leaned in and whispered, “I love you, Gigi.”
“You go on now, girl.” She held one of Chrissie’s hands for a moment, then smiled what Chrissie called her knowing smile.
Jared stopped to say good night as well, and Ruby whispered something in his ear.
“What did she say to you?” Chrissie couldn’t help but ask.
“She said she’d see me later tonight. I told Owen I wouldn’t keep you out too late, but I doubt she’ll still be up when we get back.”
“Yeah, she said something like that to me, too. Like the night wasn’t over for us. And she smiled the way she does when she knows something. Which of course made me think she knew where we’re off to.”
“Is there any doubt? This is Ruby Carter we’re talking about.”
They walked in the middle of the road, and she stopped. “Wait, the boat’s out there. We’re here. How are we getting out there?”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” He took her hand and started walking again.
“You don’t mean swim, do you? Because I’m wearing a dress that I really love, shoes that cost more than my first apartment, and it’s almost dark and the water’s dark and who knows what’s in there? Well, crabs for sure, and fish. Lots of fish. Sharks maybe, too. No. Uh-uh. Not swimming out to your boat.” She shivered. “Sharks. No. Just . . . no.”
“Well, yes, there are several kinds of sharks that you might find in the Chesapeake, but the ones that might come this far up into the bay probably aren’t harmful. Most stay closer to the mouth of the bay, though there have been sharks up in this area. Not as common as, say, Florida.”
“ ‘Probably aren’t harmful’ is not good enough for me.”
“So you’re saying you’d give up our first night of bliss because you’re afraid to swim fifty feet into the bay?”
“That’s not a fair question.”
Jared laughed. “I wouldn’t make you swim.”
“Then how are we getting out to the boat?”
“Patience, and all will be revealed soon enough.”
They walked a little farther down the road, then Jared said, “Take your shoes off.”
“I knew it,” she grumbled.
Jared laughed again. “Just your shoes. For now. See where you are?”
It wasn’t completely dark, but she still had to squint to see. When she took stock of the scenery, she realized that just ahead was the pier Cass’s father had started building the year before. He’d wanted a place where the people who bought the houses he built could tie up their boats, but the plan was put on hold when the merchant ship was found fifty feet off the pier. The section of the pier that had been completed, however, still stood.
“We’re at the pier near the river.”
“And right down there is the little boat we’re going to row out to the big boat.”
“Well, don’t you think you’re clever.”
“Actually, I do.”
They reached the end of the pier, and the rowboat was there as he’d told her. It was tied up fore and aft, so he lowered her into the boat, then followed. He sat on the center seat and picked up the oars.
“Ready?”
“I am.”
“I should be singing, like in a gondola.”
“We’re not having that conversation again.” She laughed.
“You could sing.”
“I just want to watch you row.” And for a few minutes, she did. The muscles of his arms rippled as he dipped the oars in and out of the water.
“Don’t wear yourself out,” she said.
“No danger of that. Besides, here’s the diving platform.”
He rowed up to the platform, the rowboat bumping softly against it. He steadied the rowboat, then helped her out before tying it to the platform.
He took her hand and led her across the deck toward the cabin.
“Wait,” she said. “Look at the moon. It’s so big and bright and shiny on the water.”
“It’s either a romantic sight or a call to all the crazies to come out of the woodwork.” He kissed her neck. “My cousin Joanie is an emergency room doctor. She hates working when there’s a full moon because she swears it brings out the worst in people, especially people who have issues to begin with.” He stopped and leaned back to look into her face. “You sure you’re ready . . . ?”
“I am so ready, Jared.”
“ ’Cause you know I’ve been wanting to make love to you since . . . I can’t remember when I didn’t want to make love to you. Maybe just that first time, when we walked around St. Dennis, but after that day on the boat, I knew I wanted you. But I knew you’d been hurt, and I didn’t want you to think that I’d—”
“Jared. Shut up.”
“Okay.”
His lips moved back to her neck, then traveled to her throat, then to her chin, and by the time they reached her mouth, she was hungry for him. He picked her up and with a breathless “Watch your head,” he carried her down to the cabin, ducking against the low ceiling. The small windows were open and there was just the tiniest bit of light. She reached behind her to unzip her dress, and when she dropped it on the floor, he backed her to the bed. She sat up on her knees to pull his shirt over his head, and tug at his belt, murmuring, “You don’t need these.”
He shed his clothes while she removed the rest of hers and fell back with her, covering her mouth with a kiss that was hot and demanding until she craved more. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once—her back, her breasts, her face, her thighs—as if he needed to touch every part of her, and it seemed he couldn’t touch her fast enough, as if he was afraid she’d disappear.
His tongue flicked in her mouth and she welcomed it, meeting it with her own. When his lips started a slow, torturous slide from her neck to her shoulders, from her shoulders to her breast, she moaned softly and dug her fingers into his back. When she couldn’t take any more, she whispered his name, and he pushed her knees apart. He paused and reached behind her and opened a sliding compartment. She heard the crinkling of foil and a moment later, he asked, “You sure you want to . . .”
“Oh God, yes,” she murmured, her breath ragged.
Jared laughed softly and slid inside her. She felt the warmth, the rush of heat and need that became an ache, then she was spinning out of control. He seemed to know just where and how to touch her, instinctively knowing what she needed before she did. There was such tenderness in every stroke of his hands on her body, she could have cried. No one had ever taken such time, such care when loving her. Ripples of sensation coursed through her, and she rode the good wave until it crashed down on them both, leaving her wrecked and breathless, her heart racing, her mind in a jumble.
“Oh my God,” she gasped. “That was . . . that was . . .” She covered her face with her hands.
“That was pretty incredible. Are you sure we haven’t done this before?” Jared laughed softly. “What are you doing?”
“My brain’s been rattled. Like there was an earthquake in my body and it went all the way to my brain. I’m not even sure I remember who I am.”
“Let me see if I recognize you.” He pulled one of her hands from her face. “Hmmm. Not sure. The eye is familiar, though. Pretty shade of green.”
“You can’t possibly see what color my eyes are. It’s too dark.”
“Then I suppose it’s because I remember, which means I must know you. Now, if I could just remember your name . . .” He pulled away her other hand and looked into her face. “I know mine must be Ohmygod, because that’s what you called me. Several times, actually.”
“I can’t believe I did that.” She covered her face again. “Don’t tell me I did that.”
“Oh yeah. And you must think I’m a murderer, because twice you said, ‘Ohmygod, you’re killing me.’ ”
“Enough. Stop!”
“Never would have taken you for a screamer, Chris.”
“I hate you. Let me out of here.”
He laughed and pulled her closer.
“If I said anything else, please don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“I’m teasing you, Chrissie.”
“You made that up? You mean, I didn’t say . . .”
He shook his head.
“Did I say anything?” One hand left her face.
“Just my name a time or two.”
“That was so mean. I was so embarrassed. I thought maybe I’d zoned out into another dimension.” She paused, then lowered the other hand. “One of those places where unexplainable things happen.”
He rolled off her and onto his side, and she pulled the blanket over her.
“Now she gets modest,” he said.
“I guess after you’ve screamed your way through sex, there’s not much left to hide, but I’m chilly.”
He got up and opened the chest at the foot of the bed, then pulled out a blanket and spread it over her. It was soft and just the right weight, and she snuggled under it, savoring the moment and their closeness. Jared lay next to her, propping a pillow behind his head. Chrissie closed her eyes and let herself drift in the coziness of the blanket and the warmth of his arms as they wrapped around her, the gentle rocking of the boat at anchor. Nothing had ever felt as right as loving Jared. She’d never felt so at peace with herself, and she knew she was exactly where she belonged.
“Don’t go to sleep,” he warned. “Owen reminded me to bring you back to the store tonight to stay with Ruby.”
“I know. Just a few minutes, though. I’m so comfortable I feel like I’m floating.”
“Where I come from, we call that afterglow.”
“Maybe.” She stretched, then curled up, her head on his arm that rested behind her. The boat rolled gently on the tide, and she had to fight to stay awake.
“Tell me something else that you can’t explain,” she said quietly.
He was quiet for so long she thought he hadn’t heard her.
“Jared?”
“You. I can’t explain you, and how I feel about you. I never expected you, or anyone like you, to come into my life and turn it around. So that’s my answer. Not dragons or mermaids or UFOs. It’s you. I never expected to fall in love, but I think I am.” He ran his fingers lightly along the inside of her arm. “I don’t understand how it happened, but it did, and for the record, I’m okay with that.”
She opened her eyes and looked into his, trying to think of something to say, but there were no words, because she hadn’t expected his response. When she realized she wasn’t going to find what she needed to tell him what he meant to her, she pulled him down and kissed him, and decided to show him instead. Owen could wait.
• • •
“CHRISSIE? CHRIS?” JARED was prodding her to wake her up. “We need to get back. It’s two in the morning, and if Owen is still at the store waiting for us, he’s going to be plenty pissed off.”
“Okay.” She stretched her arms over her head. “This is a pretty comfy bed, for a bed on a boat.”
“It’s the captain’s bed, so it has to be comfortable. I know I won’t do as well on the other one.”
“The other what?” She looked for her bra, found it under the bed.
“The other boat. My dad and I are going to Brazil in a few days and—”
“What? Brazil? When?”
“Delia has a book tour coming up and Dad didn’t want to go with her. He has a crew working on a wreck down there that he thinks might be the Santa Augusta.”
Chrissie looked at him blankly.
“It’s a Spanish ship that was lost off the coast of South America in the 1500s. Dad’s been researching it for years. He finally got the okay to salvage, so he wants to go down there himself, and he asked Rachel and me to go.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s an important ship, and an important find. I won’t say it’s once in a lifetime, because there have been others, and there will probably be more, but it’s still exciting.”
“What about the ship here?”
“Owen’s going to run the job until I get back. He’s more than capable. Dad wants to give him his own crew eventually so he can send him to work his own wrecks.”
“Does Cass know that?”
“Yes, we even talked about it tonight. She was really happy that he’s going to get that opportunity.”
“Even if the ship he goes to salvage is in, say, Peru, or Madagascar, or Australia?”
“Australia has some fine salvagers of their own, but yes, she knows. She understands it’s a big leap for him, both financially and professionally. Chandler and Associates is the best in the business. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
“If you can’t brag about yourself, who will?” she muttered.
“It’s not bragging if it’s true, Chris. We are the best. My father worked really hard for a very long time to earn his reputation. He’s proud of it, and so am I. And if you ask Owen or anyone else who works for us, they’ll tell you they’re proud, too.”
He dressed, then sat on the edge of the bed and watched her pull her dress over her head. When he started to help her with her zipper, she said, “I have it.”
“What’s wrong, Chris?”
She’d lost an earring, so she looked on the floor, then pulled back the blankets, then the sheets. She found it under the pillow she’d been using and put it back into her ear.
“Chrissie, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” She tightened the earring in the other ear. Old Chrissie would have bitten her tongue. New Chrissie wasn’t about to. “Okay, yeah, there’s something. It’s like we just had sex—several times—and I don’t even have my clothes on and you tell me oh so nonchalantly that you’re leaving.”
“I’m leaving St. Dennis, I’m not leaving you.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference is that I’ll be back to you. This wasn’t a one-nighter, Chrissie. This thing between us—this is real. It’s not going away. And I’m only going for a few weeks at the most. I’ll be back.”
“And then where will you go?”
“Wherever the job sends me. Like everyone else, Chris. I do what my job requires. Just like you do.”
“My job doesn’t require me to leave when things start to heat up.”
“That’s unfair.” He watched her brush her hair with her hands. “What are we really talking about here?”
“We’re really talking about me thinking we had a relationship and finding out that you’re not sticking around.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me, Chris. You’ll see. I’ll go, I’ll come back. I’ll go again, I’ll come back again. That’s how it works when you’re in a relationship.”
“No. People leave, but they don’t come back.”
He sighed. “I get it. I do. But I’m not your father and I’m not your brother. I’ll always come back to you. You have to see it to believe it? Fine. Not a problem. You’ll see, and you’ll believe, and one day, you’ll understand that I will always come back. It’s that simple.”
“Can we go back now?”
“Did you not hear me say I’m falling in love with you? Know how many times I’ve said that to a woman? Zero.”
“I heard. It took my breath away. And I feel the same way. It’s just that . . .”
Jared sighed and got up from the bed. “Just tell me you will give me the chance to prove I mean what I say.”
She nodded. “I’ll give you the chance, of course I will. I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
He took her in his arms. “I know. People who should have been there for you haven’t been. But this is different. This is us. Chrissie and Jared. I won’t let you down. I promise.”
• • •
TO CHRISSIE’S SURPRISE, he started the engine of the Cordy E and pulled anchor. Guiding the boat back into the bay, he kept one arm around Chrissie and the other on the wheel. A million stars spread overhead, fireflies winking across the heavens. A gentle breeze blew over the bow and kissed her bare shoulders. In the distance the lights from the opposite shore were reflected in the dark water of the Chesapeake. The full moon had dropped lower in the night sky, its light dimming as it edged toward dawn.
“I like staying in the cove at night these days,” he told her as they rounded the point. “I like knowing that I’m fifty feet from shore and another fifty feet across the road and the dune to the store. I like being close to you.”
“I like being close to you, too.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled to herself. She pushed away any thoughts of time and distance coming between them. She’d decided she was going to trust Jared and fate that nothing would come between them. He’d made it clear he was in for the long haul. She was, too. Trust didn’t come easily to her, and she was only a little surprised that he’d picked up so quickly on why that was a problem for her. But he was right: he isn’t her father, and he isn’t her brother. She needed to see her relationship with Jared as something apart from them and not allow the past to color the future.
He drove the boat into the cove, skillfully avoiding the sandbar she knew was there somewhere, though she wasn’t sure where.
“You know there’s a sandbar out here?”
“It’s off the right.”
“How do you know that? How do you know how deep the water is?”
“Depth finder.” He pointed to the instrument panel, then turned off the engine and dropped anchor.
He took her hand and said, “Come on. I’ll row you ashore.”
Her shoes in her hand, she stepped down into the small boat and sat on the seat facing the shore. Jared began to row, pausing to ask, “You sure you don’t want me to sing? I can do country, classic rock—even learned a couple of forties tunes just for you. Well, bits and pieces of one or two. But you could fill in those parts I don’t know.”
Somehow she’d managed to keep a straight face. “You’re such a romantic devil,” she told him. “But just row.”
He brought the boat as close to the shore as he could before scraping the bottom, then put the oars down and rolled his pants legs up to his knees. In bare feet, he jumped over the side of the boat, then held a hand out to her.
“There’s nasty eel grass down there.” Chrissie looked into the water. “It slithers against your legs and . . . ugh.”
She stood and pulled her dress over her thighs so it wouldn’t get wet.
“I’m not going to make you walk in it. Come closer.”
With one hand, he lifted her from the boat and held her securely. His other hand held the rope that had tethered the boat to the dive platform. When he reached the beach, he set her down on the sand and walked to the jetty, where he wrapped the rope around a rock several times.
“That should hold it for a few minutes.” He took her hand as they crossed the road and walked over the dune. The moon was so full and bright overhead, the path was clear, and within minutes they’d reached the store.
“Gigi must be asleep by now,” Chrissie said. She climbed the front steps and tried the door.
“Ah, good, she left the door unlocked.” She opened the door and whispered, “Kiss me good night here. She’s a really light sleeper and I don’t want to wake her.”
“I thought her bedroom was in the back.”
“It is, but I swear, that woman’s hearing has not diminished with age. She can hear a pin drop on the second floor.”
“Well, then, we’ll let her sleep, and we’ll say good night.” He kissed her, and she let herself be molded into his body for just a moment.
“Enough,” she whispered. “Or I won’t be able to let you go.”
“I’ll be over in the morning. What time is your mother coming by?”
“I told her between nine and ten.”
“I’ll be here earlier. Have the coffee ready.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and as an afterthought, asked, “Got scones?”
“I’ll make them in the morning. Go.”
She pushed him out the door, then stood in the doorway and watched until he was nothing more than a shadow in the moonlight, which disappeared on the down side of the dune.
She closed the door behind her and locked it. Swinging her shoes in one hand, she padded softly across the old pine floor. She was almost to the stairwell when she realized she was not alone.
She stopped, tilted her head, and tried to place the sound she’d just heard.
There. Again. Too late she recognized the scrape of the chair against the wooden floor. She turned toward the table and said, “Gigi?”
“Nope. Try again, Chrissie.” The familiar voice that had been haunting her for months whispered through the darkness.
The scrape was louder as he pushed the chair away.
“Aren’t you going to say hello? Greet me like you just sent that guy on his way?” He walked toward her, and she was frozen where she stood, too stunned to move. “Big dude.”
In a flash he was there, one hand on the back of her neck, the other around her wrist, and he was kissing her.
“Stop.” She tried pushing him away with her one free hand, but he was too strong. “Don’t. Don’t . . .”
“Was he as good as me, Chrissie?” His breath was on her face and she wanted to gag.
Old Chrissie would have said, “No, Doug. No one’s as good as you.”
New Chrissie said, “No. He was better.” And because she couldn’t resist, even knowing what it would cost her, she added, “A thousand times better.”
The slap was not totally unexpected. It had merely been a question of when, not if, he would strike her.
“You think you’re so clever. Did you really believe I’d let you go? Did you really think I couldn’t find you?”
“How did you find me?”
He laughed. “I read People magazine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He twisted her arm and watched her face. She refused to give him the satisfaction of letting him know how much pain he was causing.
“That was a real nice lunch you made for those movie stars. Bet you thought you were hot stuff, having your picture taken with Dallas MacGregor. Nice of the person who took the shot to make sure they named that little restaurant.” He gave her arm another little twist. “After we’re through here, we’re going to take a ride, and you’re going to watch me burn that place to the ground.”
Chrissie’s veins turned to ice. Sophie, Jason . . . their baby . . .
“Doug, no. Please. There’s no reason to do that.” She fought back the panic that was threatening to overtake her.
“Of course there’s a reason,” he whispered, and pulled her closer. “You need to be punished. And that’s just the start.”
“Where’s Ruby?” She looked anxiously toward the apartment door.
“The old lady?” He grabbed her ponytail and pulled it back so she had to look him in the face. “She’s sleeping peacefully.”
“If you touched her . . .”
He laughed. “You’ll do what? You’ll hurt me?”
“Doug, tell me you didn’t hurt her.” God, if he hurt her . . .
“The old lady’s fine. And she’ll stay that way as long as you do what I want.”
“What do you want, Doug? Just tell me, and I’ll do it.” She’d do anything—promise him anything—if he’d leave Ruby alone.
“You know what I want. I want what he had.” He slid one strap of her dress over her shoulder.
“Don’t do this, Doug.” Her mind raced. She had to find out if Ruby was all right. She could deal with anything else he might do to her, as long as Ruby hadn’t been harmed.
“If you’re thinking you’re going to scream and the old lady will come running—that ain’t gonna happen.” His mouth was at her ear again. “I locked her in. Even if she hears you, she can’t get to you.”
He pulled down the other strap of her dress and began kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and tried not to scream. He pushed her up against the wall and started to pull up the hem of her dress. “You be nice, and I promise I won’t touch the old lady. If you struggle . . .”
“I’ll be nice.” She knew what being nice meant to Doug, but if that was what it took to keep Ruby safe, then so be it. She gritted her teeth and willed herself not to cry. And there was still Blossoms. There was no way she could let him do what he’d planned.
There was a clicking sound from across the room and he froze, his lips still against her skin, his hand still on her thigh.
“Son, I think you best be walking away right about now.” Ruby’s voice was clear and strong. “While you still can.”
Without letting go of Chrissie, Doug turned and looked over his shoulder. The light from the moon spilled in through the big window next to the table, and Chrissie knew he saw what she did.
Ruby stood in her bathrobe, her feet bare, holding what looked like a rifle up to her shoulder.
“Been a while since I shot a man, but I still remember how,” she said.
“Who are you kidding, old woman?” Doug turned around slowly and laughed. “You’re not going to shoot me. I doubt that thing’s even loaded. You even know what to do with one of those things? Put it down now.”
She braced herself against the wall and pulled the trigger. The shot hit two feet in front of him.
“I guess it be loaded, and I guess I know what to do with it.”
Doug started walking toward Ruby.
“You calling my bluff, boy?” she said softly.
Before he could answer, Chrissie picked up the nearest chair and struck him over the head as hard as she could. He went down in a heap on the floor.
“I called Beck,” Ruby said calmly. “He be along anytime now.”
She walked closer, the rifle still pointed at Doug. Chrissie burst into tears.
“Where did you get that?” She pointed to the rifle. “How did you know . . . ?”
“Now, you come here, girl.” Ruby reached one hand to her. “Nothing to cry about. No one hurt but him, and that’s all right.” She looked down at the man on the floor, who was just beginning to come around.
Flashing lights lit up the night outside the store, and a car door slammed, followed by footfalls on the porch.
He started to get up, and Ruby said, “Police just pulled in, boy. You stay put or I be putting a slug in you.”
The door opened and Chrissie heard heavy boots crossing the floor.
“Where the hell’s the light switch?” Beck asked as he came in, his gun drawn.
“Chrissie, you go put on those lights so he doesn’t shoot you or me.” She pointed the tip of the gun at Doug’s head. “Him I don’t be caring about.”
Chrissie ran across the floor and turned on the overhead lights. For a moment she was blinded, but she could see Beck moving toward Ruby, his gun drawn.
“Miz Carter, you can put that down now.” Beck holstered his gun and flipped Doug onto his stomach, none too gently, Chrissie noted. He snapped handcuffs around Doug’s wrists but let him lie facedown on the floor. “Actually, I’d appreciate it—a lot—if you did.”
Another car with flashing lights pulled in out front.
“That would be Duncan Alcott.” Beck stood. When the newcomer came into the room, Beck said, “Officer Alcott, please remove this piece of”—he glanced at Ruby—“the prisoner. Read him his rights and get him out of here. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Sir, you’ve got this all wrong. I know what this looks like, but . . .” Doug began to babble.
“It looks like exactly what it is. Home invasion, assault, attempted rape. I’m sure there’s more.” Beck brushed him off. To Chrissie, he said, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but then started to quietly cry. “I can’t believe he found me. He could have hurt Ruby.” She felt the tears roll down her face. “He said he was going to burn down Blossoms.”
“But he didn’t now, did he?” Ruby handed the rifle to Beck and wrapped Chrissie in her embrace. “Didn’t I tell you we be strong and we be smart, that we be fine?”
“You did. You knew.” Chrissie stared at the remarkable woman who’d just turned 101 years old.
“I be feeling it coming for a time. I be ready.” She pointed to the rifle in Beck’s hand. “That belonged to my Harold. He loved that thing. Remington, it be. He taught me how to load it, shoot it.” She smiled with no small amount of pride. “Had to lean me against the wall, though, lest the kick put me on my kiester. Might have shot clear through the roof.”
“Could you have shot him, Gigi?”
“Didn’t bring that thing out here for show. My Harold always said you don’t load it if you’re not about shooting it.” She looked Beck in the eye and told him, “I’d’a blown a hole right through him if he’d harmed my girl.”
“Can’t say I blame you, Miz Carter.” Beck patted her on the back.
“You thinking about arresting me, Gabriel Beck?”
“For what? Shooting a hole in your own floor?” He shook his head. “I would put this in a safe place, though.” He left the rifle on the table.
“Keep it where I always kept it,” she told him. “Under my bed.”
“You sleep with a loaded rifle under your bed?” he asked.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
He laughed and headed out just as Jared came in, soaking wet.
“What the hell’s going on? Chrissie . . . ?” He rushed across the room.
“The short version? Doug was waiting for me here, in the store, in the dark, when you brought me back. Ruby shot at him with Harold’s rifle, and I hit him over the head with a chair.” She looked at Ruby. “Oh, Gigi, I broke your chair.”
“No matter. There be another one just like it in the storage room. You can go on in and get it for me. I think I’m going to need a cup of tea and a place to set while I drink it.” She shuffled off toward her kitchen.
“Gigi, how did you get out of the apartment?” Chrissie called after her. “Doug said he locked you in.”
“Don’t know how he could’a done that. Only key be in a drawer in my kitchen.” She paused and turned around. “Must’a used that old key I keep hanging on the wall here.”
Ruby ran her hand along the wall. “Yep, that’s what he must’a done.” She chuckled. “That old key only worked one door, and it not be this one. My Harold hanged it there when we moved down here from the point.” She paused and looked back at Chrissie and Jared. “That be the key for his granddaddy’s house. Burned down about seventy years ago. ’Course, it hardly matters which key he had. That lock be broke inside for maybe ten, fifteen years. He could turn that key all he wanted, lock still be broken and the door still be opening.”
She continued on into her living quarters to make her tea. “Don’t you be forgetting that chair, Christiana.”
Chrissie buried her head in Jared’s shoulder and he wrapped her in his arms. “Are you crying or laughing?” he asked.
“Both. My ex shows up—he’s probably going to rape me before he kills me, and probably kill Ruby as well. Oh, and he’s going to burn down Blossoms before the night is over. My great-grandmother shows up in the dark with a shotgun . . .”
“Rifle,” Jared corrected her.
“Whatever. He’s taunting her and she shoots the damned thing.” She pointed to the hole in the floor. “She shot right there. Just to show him she could, and she would have shot him. I feel terrible that she was put in harm’s way.” Chrissie took a deep breath. “Looks like Ruby can take care of herself.”
She let him hold her, even though he was soaking wet. “Why are you wet?”
“When I heard the gunshot, I dove in and swam. I figured it would be faster than untying the boat and rowing. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I’m sorry I left you here. I should have stayed.”
“There’s no way you could have known he was here. With all the traffic on the island today because of the party, no one would have noticed an out-of-state car. He must have parked down near the point and left the car there, walked up.”
“I’m so grateful to Ruby, but damn. I wanted to be your hero.”
“You are my hero.” She nuzzled the side of his face. “Just not tonight.”
“I don’t see a chair there in my place.” Ruby shuffled into the room.
“I’m on my way, Gigi.”
• • •
WHEN CHRISSIE AND Jared made their way downstairs in the morning, they found Ruby, Dorothy, and Louis drinking coffee at Ruby’s table in the store. Dorothy looked up when she heard them.
“Ruby told me everything.” Dorothy’s hand flew over her heart and her jaw dropped. “Oh my God, he could have killed you! Both of you!”
“I think that was his endgame. He probably would have succeeded if Ruby hadn’t come in when she did,” Chrissie told her.
Dorothy’s mouth still hung open. Finally, she said, “Thank God for you, Ruby. Thank God you kept that old rifle of Harold’s.” She paused. “I remember that rifle. He had that thing forever. It must be, oh, close to eighty years old.”
Ruby nodded. “His daddy gave it to him when he was twelve. He was always proud of that rifle.”
“Where is it now?” Dorothy asked.
“Back where it belongs,” Ruby told her. “Under my bed.”
Chrissie had to turn her back on Louis, whose eyes were big and round as dinner plates. He hadn’t said a word. She guessed if you didn’t know Ruby, it might be a little tough to take.
“Why don’t you let me make breakfast for everyone?” Jared poured himself a cup of coffee from the old pot on the counter near the cash register, which Ruby preferred to the new Keurig. To Chrissie he said, “You should spend some time with your mother.”
“Do you know how to make scrambled eggs?” Chrissie asked. “Cook bacon? Make toast?”
“I’m going to forget you even asked. Go.” He pointed to the door. “Do I know how to scramble eggs,” he pretended to grumble.
“There are some scones in the refrigerator that need to be warmed up. Would you put them in the oven, set the timer for ten minutes, then take them out? You know Ruby is dying for one.” She smiled. “So am I.”
“Sure.” He rubbed her back for a second, then told her, “You finally have some time together. Use it.”
“Good point. Thank you.” She turned to the table. “Well, Mom. Looks like we’ll have some time to catch up after all.”
“Okay. Sure.” Dorothy nodded.
“Girl time,” Jared told Louis. “You can come on into the kitchen and watch me scramble some eggs.”
“I think I be coming along too. Someone’s got to be keeping an eye on those scones.” Ruby rose and followed Louis and Jared into the kitchen.
Chrissie sat in her usual seat, sipping her coffee and wondering where to begin.
“Dear God, Chrissie, I can’t believe what went on here this morning. Who’d have thought that Ruby—where she got the strength . . .” Dorothy blew out a long breath. “I just can’t get over that man wanting to hurt you.”
“I’m having a hard time believing it myself, but it’s over and done with and Doug’s sitting in the jail in St. Dennis, waiting for someone to come bail him out, I suppose. I’d be surprised if anyone showed up.” She smiled. “As for Ruby, she’s the strongest woman I ever met. I want to be just like her. She was like an avenging angel, Mom. She was just not going to let that man hurt me again.”
“I’m still having trouble understanding how this happened, Chrissie. Why you didn’t leave him sooner.”
“It’s hard to explain, Mom. And it’s more involved than I want to go into right now. Someday. For now, I’ll just say it was a situation I got myself into, and eventually I was lucky. I got myself out. It wasn’t easy. It never is with a man like him.”
Chrissie took her mother’s hands. “Now you know my secret, but there’s still the elephant in the room. Why did Dad leave? Why did he take Luke? Why didn’t they ever come back?”
“I know I should have told you a long time ago, but it’s not a nice story, honey. I’m embarrassed to even think about it, but you should know.” Dorothy tapped her fingers on the side of her mug. “Your father left when he found out . . .” She swallowed hard. “When he found out that he isn’t your father.”
For a very long moment, Chrissie couldn’t react. It was as if the words were spoken in a foreign language she’d never learned.
“Dad . . .”
“Wasn’t your father. I’m sorry, Chrissie, but that’s the fact. When he found out, he took Luke—who was his—and he left. Didn’t tell me where he was going, but I knew he’d never come back. That’s why he never came to see you, never sent a dime in child support.” Dorothy couldn’t seem to look up to meet Chrissie’s eyes. She stared into her coffee, her voice a monotone. “I wish I’d been able to tell you, so you’d have understood. But that’s not something you tell a child.”
“If he wasn’t my father, then who . . . ?” Chrissie was trying to comprehend the unexpected news. “Who’s my father?”
“A waterman who sometimes fished with your . . . with Stephen.” Dorothy finally raised her face. “We’d been having some troubles, Stephen and I were. Stupid little things, but I was being a little pissy about it. He started drinking, then I started drinking, and he came home one night with some other woman’s lipstick on his shirt.” She laughed harshly. “Is that the biggest cliché in the world?” She laughed again, then coughed. “You know how things get to be clichés, right? They happen so often they become a common theme in a lot of stories.”
“So you and this fisherman . . .” Chrissie’s head was spinning.
Dorothy nodded. “Stephen finally did the math and figured out you couldn’t be his, because we hadn’t been together while I was with this other man and your father was with this other woman, and that was that. Once he’d figured it out, there wasn’t even a good-bye. Just packed up his things and packed up Luke. I can still see him standing in the doorway, looking at me like he wanted to kill me, told me not to come looking for him. And he closed the door and that was that.”
Chrissie’s head began to pound. “What was his name? The fisherman?”
“Does it matter?”
“Are you kidding? Of course it matters. He was my father.”
“Andy O’Connor. He died not long after your father left. They said he fell off his skipjack in a storm and he drowned.”
“Is that true, or are you telling me that so I don’t look for him?” After all the lies over all the years, how could Chrissie trust her mother to tell the truth now?
“Go look it up at the library here. There’s a local paper. The St. Dennis Gazette. Ruby’s friend Grace Sinclair owns it. I know they covered the story. I read it.”
“How did you feel? When you read about it?” Chrissie asked. She couldn’t help but wonder. After all, Dorothy’s husband had left because of this man.
“Just numb. We’d planned to be together, then bam! Gone. But I’d been numb ever since the day Stephen left and took my little boy.” Dorothy began to cry. “Luke was gone, then Andy . . .”
“You never heard from Stephen again? You never heard from Luke? How could he not find you? How could he not be in touch with you?”
“Luke started calling me a few years ago,” she admitted.
“What? Are you kidding me?” Chrissie nearly exploded. “Where is he? Why didn’t you tell me?” Chrissie slammed a hand down on the table. “How could you keep all this from me?”
“Because I’d have had to tell you the truth. Stephen had already told Luke, and I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to think I was . . . all the things your father called me. The things he told Luke that I was.” Dorothy’s shoulders began to shake with each sob. “I was between a rock and a hard place. I couldn’t tell you, and the longer I hid the truth, the more impossible it was for me to tell you even when I knew I should. I’m sorry, Chrissie. More than I can say. I cheated on my husband and you were the result of that affair. I was ashamed of myself and I was a coward. It was easier for me to lie to you than it was for me to tell you, and that’s the sad truth.” Dorothy ran a hand through her hair. “How do you tell a child that her father isn’t her father? That he left you behind when he found out that a friend of his—someone he’d worked alongside of—had fathered you? How does a child understand that?”
“After a while, I wasn’t a child anymore, Mom. There’s been plenty of time to tell me the truth. At least I’d have understood why he left, why I couldn’t see Luke.”
“Like I said, I was a coward. I was afraid you’d hate me for . . . well, for everything. I couldn’t risk losing you, too.”
“Did you care about him? Andy O’Connor?”
Dorothy nodded. “That’s one of the saddest parts of this whole mess. I would have left your father and married him if he hadn’t died. We talked about it, Andy and I. Even talked about sharing custody of Luke with Stephen. But then there was a storm that Andy shouldn’t have been out in—” She left the rest unspoken until she added, “He was the love of my life.”
“Where’s Luke now? Where’s my brother?”
“Luke’s in Montana. That’s where he and Stephen settled when they left. Stephen wanted to get as far away from me as he could.”
“I need to call him. I want to talk to him.”
“He wants to talk to you, too.” She looked up at Chrissie with swollen eyes. “He got married about eight years ago. Had two children. His wife passed last year. Breast cancer. I guess it got him thinking. I told him about the party this weekend for Ruby, told him he should come, but he wasn’t ready for that. He’s ready to see you, though. Ready to talk to you if you want to. He said I could give you his number if you want . . .”
“Of course I want it.” Chrissie stared at her mother, then finally asked, “If I hadn’t pushed, would you have told me the truth? Would you have told me about Luke?”
“I like to think that before I left today, I would have.” Still, Dorothy couldn’t meet Chrissie’s eyes.
Jared came to the doorway and called to them. “Breakfast is ready, and Owen and Cass just got here. If you want bacon, better get in here before Owen eats it all.” He walked into the room and looked from Chrissie’s face to her mother’s and back again.
“Chris? You all right?”
“I’m fine,” she told him. “I know why my father left and didn’t take me with him. And I know where my brother is.”