CHAPTER 25

On Thursday morning, Avery went to Cape Cod Hospital just after breakfast. Julie Kensington and the CCH doctors had agreed that she could take Kate home that day. But before leaving the hospital, Avery went to check on another patient: Wanda MacGreeley.

Knocking softly on the door to Wanda’s room, she mentally prepared herself for the conversation. “Wanda?” she called.

“I’m here, Ms. Newbridge,” a soft voice responded.

Avery stepped into the clean, white chamber. Looking much better than she had two days before, Wanda was sitting upright in the hospital bed reading a magazine. With her dark hair pushed back from her smooth skin, the girl seemed completely fine. But Avery knew that Wanda’s road to recovery would be a long, hard one. “May I?” Avery asked, motioning to the small chair in the corner.

Wanda nodded and set the magazine down.

“Wanda,” Avery began, not exactly sure how to proceed. “They’re releasing you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Wanda said. There was an uncomfortable silence. She might as well dive right in.

“You know that your parents are very worried about you?”

“I know,” she said, dipping her head. “They came to visit. They’re staying in a motel nearby with the baby.” Avery didn’t need to torture the poor girl by telling her that she and Yvonne had been worried sick, too. Still, she needed some answers.

Avery crossed her hands in her lap, adopting as nonthreatening a pose as she could. “So, the first thing I need to ask is how you found Star Harbor. I don’t remember it coming up in any of the discussions we had, either in our individual or our group sessions.”

“I—I listened in on one of your phone calls,” Wanda said guiltily. “Heard you mention that you wanted to help someone out—your aunt, I think.”

Wanda must have overheard one of her conversations with Emma.

“How did you get here?”

“Hitched.”

“Where did you stay, exactly?”

“Here and there. I’d heard you mention an inn, so I tried that place first. I slept inside one night, and then in the cellar for a few more, but I almost got caught breaking into the Inn, so I ran away. I slept in a barn for a few nights. Another night in an empty farmhouse. By then I was starting to get strung out and I hadn’t eaten in a while.”

Well, at least that explained the mystery of the shifting furniture and the missing supplies. “So you broke into Kate’s, too,” Avery said. “How’d you know which house it was?”

“I followed you.” Obviously, the girl had made a conscious decision not to approach Avery after coming to Star Harbor to find her. Thinking about Wanda out in the freezing cold, alone and frightened, made her unbearably sad.

“Wanda, why didn’t you come to me?”

“I was afraid you’d turn me in.”

Avery sighed. “I would have helped you.”

“By turning me in.”

Avery pressed her lips together. She’d be wise to back off if she wanted to get more answers out of the girl. One of the most frustrating things about Wanda was her sometimes defiant attitude. “Okay, that explains the how,” Avery said, switching tacks. “But it doesn’t explain the why. Why did you come to Star Harbor? You were in a good place in Boston. You had your family and your son, Brayden. You even had a job you liked lined up for after your treatment was completed. And Rick was there.” Wanda’s boyfriend and Brayden’s father. “So what happened?”

Wanda swallowed hard and looked away. Avery had obviously struck a chord. When Wanda started speaking, her voice was soft. “I started using again before I left Back Bay. Rick and my parents didn’t know. I know the other social workers didn’t, either, but I couldn’t hide it for long.” The girl blinked. “I didn’t want to admit that I’d failed. I knew they’d kick me out of the program the second they did a drug test.”

“Wanda, you had so many people to turn to. So many people who love you.”

“But after you left, Ms. Newbridge, I just couldn’t connect with any of the other social workers. No one cared about me like you did.”

Avery managed to keep her disappointed reaction in check. Wanda shouldn’t be deflecting the blame, but she was here to help. When she spoke, her voice was even. “In group therapy, we talked a lot about your triggers. Can you pinpoint one of those triggers for me? Help me to understand why you started using again?”

“Change, maybe. I don’t know,” Wanda said, looking away. “Maybe if you had been there …”

She couldn’t keep herself in check a second time. “Wanda, no. You are responsible for your own actions. You’re a strong woman. If you had been serious about your recovery, you would have sought help before you started using again, not after.”

“See? This is what I’m talking about,” Wanda said, gesticulating broadly. “You don’t put up with my crap. That’s really why I came here. ’Cause I thought you’d be able to help me. I was scared. I broke so many rules at Back Bay, I know they won’t let me back in. So I came here. I didn’t know what else to do!”

Avery pursed her lips together. Wanda was still in denial; if the girl had wanted to see her so badly, why hadn’t she done so? “The sooner you stop lying to yourself, Wanda, the sooner you’ll get clean.” She rose to leave.

“I don’t know if I can. As soon as I got to Star Harbor, the first thing I did was to try to score drugs. I didn’t even try to find you like I’d planned,” she said, sadly. “I just got high. Then I ran out of money.”

Slowly, Avery turned back. Hearing Wanda admit to her shortcomings was tough, but she owed it to her to help. Owed it to herself. She couldn’t save everyone, that much she knew. But she could try to save Wanda.

“Please,” Wanda said, suddenly. “Please help me. I don’t want it anymore. I crashed hard. Those uppers almost killed me. I was paranoid. Crazy. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, what would you suggest?”

“I have to go back to a program, right?”

Avery nodded. “Yes.”

“Is there one here that I could do?”

“You’d be away from your parents, your son, and Rick. Is that what you want?”

The girl set her mouth in a determined line. “Yeah. I want to get clean. And I need to do it on my own. I—I found out I’m pregnant again. I don’t want this baby to go through what Brayden’s gone through.”

Avery was stunned. “Do the doctors know?”

Wanda nodded. “Yeah. The baby’s okay. It’s Rick’s. When he finds out I’m pregnant and that I’ve been using, he’s going to kill me.”

“He might not be happy about it, but that’s only because he cares about you. He’s a good man, and I think that telling him could help. If you’re really determined to go back to a program, I’ll see what I can arrange.” Wanda looked hopeful, but Avery held up her hand to indicate that she wasn’t finished. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up about Brayden, though. The court probably won’t award you custody since you failed out of Back Bay, but at least he’s in a good home with your folks. And another thing to consider is that everything is a trade-off; you’ll be away from some bad influences, but you’ll also be away from some good ones. I think your family can and should be helping you through this, but that’s up to you. That being said, there’s a live-in treatment center in Falmouth called the Family and Children Services, or FFCS. That’s where you could probably go.”

“Will you be there, too?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the important thing is that you’d be in a good place, getting the help that you need.”

“Okay. What would I need to do?”

“I’ll find out. In the meantime, keep getting rest. The best thing for you right now is to be healthy and ready for what comes next. For you, and for your baby.” Avery walked to the door. “I’ll be back soon to check up on you.”

“Ms. Newbridge, wait. I have one more thing to tell you.”

She turned back. “What is it?”

“I-I took some stuff from the Inn’s cellar.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Drugs … and a book. They were in my backpack, but I don’t know where the bag is.”

“Where did you get the drugs?” Avery asked, even though she already thought she knew.

“From behind a weird wall. There was some kind of latch. I didn’t even know what I was doing, but I got into a damp room. It was so dark, but I was used to it. I wasn’t down there for that long. I saw the drugs. I knew what they were, and knew you couldn’t be involved, Ms. Newbridge. I mean, you’re my counselor, not a dealer. Then there were lights and noises and I just grabbed whatever I could. I thought it might help somehow. I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I shoved the stuff into my bag, and got out of there fast.”

“You were right to run. I think the people who stored stuff in the Inn’s cellar are really dangerous.” She’d have to tell Cole, as soon as she was able. “What’d you do with the things you took?”

“I used the drugs,” Wanda said, clearly ashamed.

“That’s in the past. What about the book?”

“I don’t know what was in it, or where it is. Like I said, I shoved it in my bag.” Wanda looked up at her carefully. “You’re not in trouble, are you?”

Avery shook her head. “No. I’m not in trouble, Wanda. You were right that the drugs weren’t mine. The police caught the drug dealers, and when we find your backpack, I’ll get the book to the right people. And I won’t tell them that you used any of the drugs, all right?”

Wanda nodded gratefully. “Ms. Newbridge?”

“Yes, Wanda?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about—about everything.”

Wanda had never before apologized to her. Not for her actions or her words. Maybe she’d turned a corner. Only time would tell whether she was on the path to sobriety, though. “I appreciate that, Wanda. I appreciate that a lot. I’ll be back soon so we can talk about this some more.”

Avery fluffed a pillow and positioned it strategically behind her aunt’s head so that she could sit up, read, and watch television in comfort. “Are you going to be okay here, Aunt Kate?” she asked solicitously.

“The doctors said you really have to take it easy for the next few days,” added Emma, who’d just brought in a tea tray. “Probably for the next week.” She put the tray down on a nightstand and poured a half-cup of Earl Grey for Kate, stirring in a bit of milk and two lumps of sugar. “Here,” she said, handing her the cup and saucer. “Your favorite.”

“Thank you, my dears,” Kate said, taking a sip. “But I can’t rest. There is so much to be done now that we have new guests at the Inn. Carla can’t be expected to do everything. And there is no way I am missing Lexie’s wedding this weekend.”

“Speaking of Lexie,” Emma said, obviously choosing to ignore Kate’s delusional belief that she would be working anytime soon, “she sent over some extra goodies for you.” She swapped Kate’s tea for another plate with a scone and a muffin on it. “Please eat. We need to keep your strength up.”

Kate sighed. “You’d think I was an invalid, the way you two are carrying on.” Still, she took a bite of the scone. And another. “This is delicious,” she said in between bites. “But you haven’t distracted me. I’m going to that wedding on Saturday.”

Emma gave Avery a meaningful look over their aunt’s head. “We’ll see,” she said.

“Don’t be vague with me, Emma. I can hear it in your voice that you’re going to try to stop me. Well, Avie will take me, won’t you, darling?”

Avery patted her aunt’s shoulder. “We really have to wait and see how you’re doing.”

“Girls, I’ll be fine.”

“Aunt Kate, we can’t have you getting too exhausted, and being around tons of people in flu season isn’t the smartest thing you could do right now,” Avery said gently. “Let’s just wait until tomorrow to decide, okay?”

“All right,” Kate said, but she didn’t seem happy about it.

“And now, if you’re doing all right, I’m going to head over to the Inn to make sure everything’s in order. Emma will to stay with you for the rest of her lunch hour, and I’ll be back at one-thirty.”

Kate reached out and squeezed Avery’s hand. “Thank you, dear. I’ll see you soon.”

Avery gave Kate and Emma a warm smile before she left. She was glad that her aunt had such a strong network of family and friends in Star Harbor. The calls had already come pouring in. Everyone from Babs Kincaide to John Anson to Karen Wright had phoned, wanting to know when they could visit and how they could help. The one person who hadn’t called was Luke, and Avery wasn’t sure why. Had she misread his intentions? She didn’t think so, but she’d been wrong before.

When she got back to the Inn, Avery called Cole and informed him about the things Wanda claimed to have taken from the Inn’s cellar, strategically leaving out the part where Wanda used the drugs. Cole promised to do a sweep of the cellar the next time he was there and scheduled a time to check her aunt’s house. Satisfied that she’d done her duty, Avery promptly forgot about the issue and let her mind go blank, puttering around and doing some tidying and organizing. She prepared everything for teatime, so that the only thing she’d need to do after she returned from checking on Kate was boil the water. Theo was still nowhere in sight. Although Avery could honestly say that she missed him, she was also a bit relieved. Last night had been …

Well, there weren’t really any words. Late in the evening when they were alone in his room, he’d worked her up to a frenzy before rolling her on top. Hands on her hips, he’d helped her ride them both to a glorious climax. Afterward, he’d wrapped her up in his arms. She’d just lain there, listening to the sound of his voice as he told her all about his dreams. His desires. And even his future. Later she fell asleep to his deep, rhythmic breathing as the old Inn creaked and groaned in the still of the night.

Seeing under his armor had been humbling. And frightening. What did all this mean? She wasn’t exactly certain. The only thing she did know was that she was still a little scared. Because the closer they got, the more he’d expect of her. She was just coming around to the idea that she could embrace her emotions instead of hiding from them. She was trying to let him in, but she was ready to crack the door, not throw it open. Would he understand that?

At one-thirty on the nose, Avery returned to her aunt’s house. There were some flowers sitting in a medium-sized glass vase on the kitchen table. More asters, and though there was no little card tucked into the blooms—just a note from Emma saying they’d been left outside—they were most likely from Luke. Avery took the bouquet upstairs. Kate was sleeping, so instead of waking her, she placed the flowers on her aunt’s dresser and took the opportunity to tidy up her own room. Given that she hadn’t actually been staying there for the last few nights, it wasn’t too bad. She shelved a few books and tucked her violin case into her closet. The closet door jammed a bit as she was trying to close it. Maybe she could ask Luke over to repair it. Then he’d have no choice but to talk to Kate, right? It was a decent plan—subtle, but decent.

No, it would never do. First off, Kate was much more likely to respond to plain speaking than she was to some sneaky plan. And second, they’d already had plenty of time to talk, and Luke hadn’t made his move. Why not? Thinking back on every interaction she’d seen the two of them have, she realized that maybe it was because Kate hadn’t given him any encouragement. She’d known Kate her entire life, but in all that time, she’d heard of only one boyfriend, some guy from college. Kate had so little experience with men, she probably didn’t even recognize that Luke was interested. And Luke certainly wasn’t making it easy for Kate to guess. Furtive glances? Flowers with no cards? It was obvious they needed some help connecting.

She heard some stirring from the other room and went in to check on Kate. Her aunt was just waking up.

“Hi,” Avery said with a smile, walking over to help Kate sit up. “Feeling better?”

“Yes,” Kate responded, voice still thick with sleep. “Much.”

“Good. The whole point of you resting is to actually rest.”

“I just feel like I’m completely useless,” Kate lamented, all her previous feistiness gone.

“You’re not useless, Aunt Kate. You’re sick. Big difference. And when you’re well, you’ll be up and around again. But to get well, you have to let your body heal.”

“Right,” she said, not sounding convinced. Then she glanced over to the dresser. “Oh, look! More flowers!”

“Yes, they were left on the doorstep. Asters again, just like the ones from the hospital.” Avery paused. “By the way, did you ever manage to figure out who sent those to you?”

“Oh, it was Babs,” she said, waving a hand.

“Did you ask her?”

“No, but I’m sure it was her. Why?” her aunt asked, suddenly suspicious. “Who else would it be?”

Avery tried a different tack. “What if I told you I knew who it was?”

“Well, I’d want you to tell me, of course. By your tone, I’m guessing it wasn’t Babs.”

She had that right. “What if I told you that it was an admirer.” A not-so-secret one.

Kate’s eyes widened, making her look more delicate than she already did. “Who?” Her voice was nearly a whisper.

Avery swallowed. “Luke.”

There was dead silence. And then her aunt started to laugh. “Oh, Avery, you are such a tease. Ha! You really had me going there for a minute.”

She blinked. This was not going the way she had hoped. “I’m not teasing you. I swear.”

Kate wiped some tears away from her eyes. “Too, too funny. Your mom and I used to joke around like this. When I was eleven, I told her that Ralph Kutchner liked her and when she found out he didn’t, she got so angry, she wouldn’t talk to me for a week!”

“Aunt Kate,” Avery said, something in the tone of her voice making her aunt stop laughing and really look at her. “I’m not teasing you,” she repeated. “Luke himself told me he sent the flowers to you in the hospital. And I have no doubt these are from him, too.”

“B-but why?” Her aunt looked so dumbfounded, so honestly confused that it was almost a bit ridiculous.

“Because he likes you. Really likes you.” Kate was utterly silent, and Avery could almost see the gears working in her brain. She walked over and perched on the edge of the bed. “You can see it now, can’t you? Every time he’s come over here to fix something or help out at the Inn. Every time you’ve made a purchase at the hardware store and had him say it was ‘on the house.’ He’s a good man, a solid man. Kind and generous, and handsome to boot.” In a ruggedly New England way.

“Oh, my goodness,” Kate said, blinking.

“So what do you think?” Avery tentatively asked.

“I need to think about it. This … this is such a surprise.”

Fair enough. “Okay. Think about it.”

“You didn’t say anything to him, did you? About me, I mean.”

Avery shook her head. “No. I like Luke. A lot. But your happiness is the most important thing to me. Just promise me you’ll think about it. Really think about it.”

Kate swallowed. “Yes.”

“Good. Now, can I get you anything before I head back to the Inn?”

“No. No thank you.” Her aunt still looked a bit dazed.

Avery rose. “I’ll be back later, Aunt Kate. Rest up, and call my cell if you need anything, all right?”

“All right, dear.”

Avery slipped out of Kate’s room and went down to the kitchen. As she packed up to go, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made the right choice in telling her aunt about Luke’s interest.

After writing for four hours, Theo leaned back in his chair at the Star Harbor Historical Society. Things were going well. Very well. Better, in fact, than he could ever have anticipated. Returning to Star Harbor had been more than just a gamble for him. It had been a last-ditch effort to find his missing mojo. Well, he’d done that in spades.

He’d emailed a copy of his synopsis, outline, and first three chapters to his agent, who responded in less than a day that he’d forwarded the proposal to his editor. “Brilliant!” the editor had written. “Go for it!” Couldn’t get better than that. Not from one of the toughest editors in the business. So he’d gone for it, continuing to write the next chapter in one solid block of time. It read beautifully. Of course he’d have to edit, but the bones were there.

And Avery. Every new moment he spent with her was better than the last. Once she’d opened up to him in the hospital, it was as if all the barriers she’d erected to keep him at bay had come crumbling down. They were closer now, and the new level of trust they’d established had notched up the sex from unbelievably hot to mind-blowing. He was realizing more and more that everything he’d been looking for was right here in Star Harbor. He had a quiet, comfortable place to work, a renewed sense of self, and the woman of his dreams.

But something niggled at him. Did he really have her love? Neither of them had actually said the word, but that wasn’t what bothered him. What bothered him was that she might still be holding a part of herself back from him, even as he spilled his soul to her. He knew he should give her more time. The problem was, he’d finally found what he was looking for after years of being lost, and he wanted to go full speed ahead.

He wanted to talk to her about it, but the next few days were going to be impossible. Seb’s wedding would be taking up all of his time from now until Saturday. Speaking of which, he needed to be at the LMK in fifteen minutes for a planning session with his brothers. Fine. He could grab a bite to eat at the same time. He was ravenous.

Theo packed up his gear and threw on his coat. There was a bite to the air and the temperature outside was barely pushing the low 20s, which was pretty cold for this time of year. No wonder the pond had frozen over so early.

He walked to the LMK, moving quickly and not stopping until he was inside the warm restaurant. His brothers were already sitting at a booth along the wall. Shucking off his coat, he joined them.

“Welcome back, Seb,” Theo said, clasping him on the shoulder.

His twin looked up at him and grinned. “Thanks, bro. Glad to be here. Especially since I’m going to marry the love of my life in two days.”

Theo slid in beside him. “So what’s the plan?”

Seb pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him. “Okay. Val and Cole, you took care of the stuff I asked you to do?”

“Sure.” Cole nodded. “The permit for after-hours noise was approved.”

“Thanks for filing that with the Sheriff’s Department for me,” Seb said. “And for approving it.”

Cole just smiled. “I still can’t believe you’re having the wedding right here at the Kitchen.”

Seb shrugged. “Lexie and I wanted it to be intimate. It’s just going to be family, some friends from town, and a few of my closest friends from New York. No James Beard Foundation. No journalists. No one except the people we love.”

“You have changed,” Val murmured. “Lexie’s good for you.”

“I’m good for her, too,” Seb said smartly. “Next. Val, you took care of the music?”

“Done. And the flowers, too.”

“Good man.”

“I thought all women loved flowers. Why didn’t Lexie want to take care of them herself?”

“She likes vegetables, not flowers. Go figure. Next, you all have suits?”

The men nodded. “Good. Nothing too upscale. Just as long as we look nice. Okay, on to the next thing on my list. Theo, I’d appreciate your help in writing my vows. And as for the best-man speech, you’re in charge, period.”

A hard lump formed in Theo’s throat. “Are you asking me to be your best man?”

Seb looked at him squarely, then turned to look at each of his brothers in turn. “I’m asking all of you to stand up with me. It’s just us now. So you’re all my best men. It’s just that you,” he said, looking at his twin, “are in charge of writing the brothers’ speech.”

Theo nodded. “You can count on me.”

“Now, the day of the event, I will need help with the setup. Everything from lights to tables.”

“Give us the details and we’ll handle it,” Val said confidently.

“What about the food?” Cole asked.

“Ah, the food.” Seb gave them all a big smile. “You just leave that to me.”