How had she known Zach so long and never noticed his character? Shauna sipped her coffee in the living room by the crackling fire. He had charged outside after the intruder without a thought to his own safety. When it was over, he’d been quick to check on Alex, and yesterday he’d cleaned up her dad’s vomit. What kind of guy did that? Not even Jack, as perfect as he was, would have done that. He had a weak stomach, and if he’d tried, there would have been even more of a mess to clean.
The front door shut, and the dead bolt locked into place. She glanced around to see Zach turn off the entry light. “The deputies finally gone?”
He brought the scent of early-morning dew into the house with him. “Yeah, but they’ll be back after daylight. The sheriff found tracks in the tree line leading to the fence and then an indentation where the guy jumped down into the backyard. And he found a bullet casing.”
She set her coffee down and shuddered. “It’s the same guy, isn’t it?”
“No way of knowing for sure, but I think so.” His eyelids drooped sleepily, and he dropped into a chair across from her. “That coffee didn’t do much for me. Maybe I need more.”
She eyed the bandage on his cheek. “You need some sleep.”
“It’s already four. I’d have to get up in two hours anyway.”
“Two hours is an eternity after what we’ve been through. More coffee then?”
“Yeah, sure. At least Alex slept through it all.”
She felt strangely wide-awake and ready for the day as she went to fetch him another cup of coffee. “That kid could sleep through a parade.”
He accepted the mug and took a sip. “You hear anything from Marilyn?”
Her heart squeezed with a pang. “Alex got off the bus at her house yesterday like usual, but when I went to get him, he was waiting on the porch and told me his grandma said not to bother coming in because she was going to take a nap.”
He winced. “Did Alex act like he knew she was mad?”
“Not that I could tell. I’ll have to go talk to her when he’s not around.”
“Want me to give it a try?”
Another checkmark in his favor. Marilyn could make anyone’s knees tremble, but he would do it if she asked. “I doubt it would help.”
His eyes drooped more, and he took another sip of coffee. “You never know. She used to like me. I mean, I practically grew up at her place. She thought of me as another son, at least that’s what she’d always said. And maybe that’s why she’s so mad. She feels I betrayed her friendship.”
“You had a strong bond with her.”
His gaze stayed down. “My dad died when I was seventeen. He taught me to fly, and I wanted to be just like him. I loved watching him do stunt flying. Marilyn and Jack were with me when his plane crashed into the trees. Marilyn was wonderful, and I always thought she really loved me.” His voice thickened. “It’s been hard knowing I hurt her so much.”
“Your dad was a daredevil too. Is that why you’re such an adrenaline junkie?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I feel close to his memory when I’m doing one of the things we used to do together. Like skydiving.”
She remembered many fun times around the table at Marilyn’s after Shauna married Jack. It was like another era, one that might never return. And did she want it to? She’d been flummoxed at the easy camaraderie that had rekindled between Zach and her. A week ago, she would have said nothing would induce her to speak to him again. Now here she was in his living room noticing what an attractive man he was.
What was wrong with her? Maybe it was time to start dating again, but if she did, Zach would be the last man she’d choose to spend time with. Especially if she didn’t want to start an all-out war with Marilyn.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk about our day other than we both saw the blob in the bay. Any idea what it is?”
He shook his head. “No clue. It looked like it had moved a little ways from the location in Clarence’s picture.”
“Guy is going to try to collect a sample. I’ll check to see what he finds out.”
He raised a brow. “I heard he’s asked you out a few times.”
How on earth? Was nothing secret in Lavender Tides? “He’s a nice man. Maybe I’ll say yes sometime.”
When dismay flashed across his face, she twisted her hands in her lap. Why did she say that? She didn’t want to make him jealous, did she? And why would he be jealous? There was nothing special between them now—just two people who loved Jack and were trying to make the best of a difficult situation.
But as much as she tried to tell herself that wasn’t what she’d intended, the more she savored his brief expression. Unless she was reading more into it than had been there. Maybe he’d been taken aback at the idea that she might move on someday. She hadn’t thought she’d ever be ready, and Marilyn for sure didn’t want anything to change.
But Shauna had already started to change in subtle ways these past few days. And it wasn’t okay. She’d promised to love Jack, and she wasn’t about to go back on that promise—not for anyone.
She rose to her feet so fast she nearly tripped over the red throw dangling from her lap. “I think I’ll go take a shower and get ready for work. I’m not really sleepy.”
He yawned again. “Maybe I’ll try to rest my eyes a few minutes.”
She wanted to see if he watched her leave, but she didn’t turn around until she was safely ensconced in the bathroom. The sooner she got out of Zach’s house, the better. Then things could go back to the way they were.
Zach sat in his truck outside Marilyn’s house trying to get up the nerve to open his door. The bus wouldn’t drop Alex off for another forty-five minutes, so if he could make his frozen muscles move, Zach intended to march in there and throw himself on Marilyn’s good heart. He had faith that it still existed somewhere down in that rigid exterior.
This might be the dumbest idea he’d ever come up with—and he’d come up with plenty—but Shauna’s expression after the police had left tugged at his heart. He’d already caused her a lot of grief, and he needed to do whatever he could to make things easier for her.
Get moving.
As he approached Marilyn’s front door, he heard her talking to the chickens in the barn. Maybe their discussion would be better out here anyway. He dragged his feet as he went to the open barn door. The structure’s red paint was wearing in spots. If she’d let him, he’d paint it for her. He had a professional sprayer he seldom got to use.
He stopped and watched her. Just a year had brought quite a few changes. More lines around her mouth and a weary droop to her eyes. She carried a basket and reached into the straw to gather eggs. A few chickens squawked in outrage. She wore slim gray slacks and a blue cashmere sweater, one he’d bought her for Christmas a few years ago.
“Oh, hush,” she told the chickens as she swung back toward the door.
He knew the moment she saw him because she stilled, and her mouth started into the smile he’d always loved. Then she squelched it and pressed her lips together. The glare she gave him would have sent him and Jack scurrying when they were ten.
He wasn’t ten now.
“Hello, Marilyn. You look wonderful.”
Something in her eyes flickered. “What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to lay eyes on you again.”
He took a step into a line of dust motes dancing in a swath of sunlight. “I still love you, you know. You’ve always been like a mother to me, and I find it impossible to dislike you now that you hate me.”
She shifted her basket of eggs to the other arm. “I don’t hate you. I simply don’t want you to ever hurt me again.”
He blocked her path of escape. She’d have to deal with him to get to the house. “You plan to punish Shauna in your vendetta against me?”
She sighed. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, such melodrama. I have no vendetta. You killed my son, Zach.” Her mouth worked, and tears filled her eyes. “No one would want to see your face after that. And you still haven’t changed. I’ve heard about your escapades this past year. If not for your foolhardiness, Jack would still be busting through the front door asking for cookies.”
They’d done exactly that countless times, and she’d always been there with those cookies. “You think I don’t agonize over that every single day? You think I don’t hear his voice in my head?” He dragged his phone from his pocket. “I can’t bring myself to delete him from my phone, and I listen to all the voice mail messages he’s ever left me. He was my brother in every way but blood.”
His voice broke and he swallowed. “I punish myself quite enough without your help. But you’re hurting Shauna. Did you want her to stay in that house with Alex and wait for the murderer to come for them?”
“I doubt he would have.”
“He already did. If you’d talked to her, you’d know that she’s lost everything in the house. The guy broke in and destroyed everything, even Alex’s stuffed animals. If they had been there, they’d be dead.”
Marilyn flinched. “You’re lying. Alex never said a word about it.”
“He doesn’t know. She didn’t want to scare him, but ask her and see. And the man tried to get to them last night at my house too. I have excellent security, so the motion-sensor lights alerted me.” He touched his cheek. “The dude shot at me. He was heading for the back door when I went to check on things.”
Her hazel eyes studied him as if she still was uncertain he was telling the truth. “They could have stayed here.”
“You have any security? Any lights that activate with movement? Dogs? How would you protect her? You don’t even own a gun.”
She started toward him. “Oh, for heaven’s sakes, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. It was probably kids.”
He gripped her arm and stopped her from brushing past him. “Look at the groove in my cheek. You think that was kids with a gun? Call the sheriff and ask him what went down.”
“Let go of me,” she said through gritted teeth.
He instantly released her. “Let’s call a truce, Marilyn. Shauna will go home as soon as it’s safe, and you can all go back to hating me. But in the meantime, can we work together to keep her and Alex alive? For Jack’s sake?”
She exhaled. “I’ll have to think about it. And pray about it.”
“Not much to pray about. The Lord tells us to forgive.”
“But he doesn’t tell us to go right back into the same situation!”
“Turn the other cheek. Forgive your brother seventy times seven.”
She blinked and shook her head. “Trying to turn Bible verses around for your benefit.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Shauna. She adores you, and this is hurting her. She doesn’t deserve that.”
Marilyn squared her shoulders. “And why should you care? You’ve already hurt her as much as anyone could.”
The jab hit home, and he took a step back. “She’s a friend. She’s been part of my life since Jack brought her home. I’m Alex’s godfather. You think all the love I have for them just evaporated when Jack died? I just want to keep them safe.” He stuck out his hand. “Truce?”
She brushed past him. “I said I’d have to think about it. You could always talk Jack into anything, but I’m not that gullible. Just leave me be, Zach Bannister.” Her voice cracked, and she ran for the house.
The slamming of the door echoed on the wind, and he heard her throw the dead bolt. That hadn’t gone well. He’d better leave before Alex arrived.