After the storm, p.20
After the Storm, page 20
“I’m equally to blame, sweetheart. I suspected something was wrong, and yet I let you walk out of our house during a hurricane. My wounded pride clouded my judgment. If only I’d tried harder, we could’ve worked things out sooner.”
“I was being stubborn. I had to learn things the hard way.” She touched her finger to his lips. “There will be plenty of time for talking later. For now, just hold me. Will you stay with me tonight?”
Gingerly, he took her into his arms. “Are you kidding me? I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
twenty-eight
sean
The puppy cried all throughout the hectic lunch rush on Thursday. Sean let Emmie out of the kennel several times, but he couldn’t get her to calm down no matter what he tried. Around two o’clock, when the whining intensified into full-on howling, Carla demanded, “Do something with that dog! I can’t take the noise anymore!”
“Fine.” Removing the puppy from the crate, Sean put on her leash and took her for a long walk on the wooded trails beside the marina. He stopped in to speak to Winnie on his way back up to the restaurant.
She came out from behind the counter and knelt down to pet Emmie. “Come here, Emmie girl.” The puppy bounded over to her, and when Emmie leaped into her lap, Winnie fell backward onto her bottom. “What’re you two up to?” she asked as the puppy covered her face in licks.
“Emmie is a handful today. She’s turning out to be high maintenance. What was I thinking? I should’ve picked the chill dog.” Sean heard a whimper and glanced over the counter to see Willa in her crate on the floor. “What’s Willa doing here?”
“I’m keeping her for Cooper while he paints.”
Hiding his irritation at his brother’s blossoming romance with Winnie was getting more difficult by the day. “That was nice of you. I’m sure Cooper appreciates it.”
“I’m happy to do the same for you anytime.” She went behind the counter and let Willa out of the crate. The two dogs began chasing each other around the store. “Why don’t you leave Emmie here now? The two can wear each other out.”
“That would be awesome. They certainly seem happy. But are you sure?”
“Positive. We’ve been slow today. If business picks up, I’ll throw them back in the crate.”
Sean glanced at the wall clock. “It hardly seems worth the trouble when you get off in thirty minutes.”
“I’m staying overtime to help Lester out. He has a dentist appointment. I’ll be here until at least five o’clock.”
“That’s perfect. I’m going home around four thirty to spend some time with Josh. I can take both dogs with me then.” Sean smiled at her. “I really appreciate this, Winnie. Carla can’t stand the whining. She’s about to go postal on me.”
Winnie rolled her eyes. “What’s her problem?”
Sean shrugged. “She’s a cat person, I guess.”
Carla didn’t appear to notice when he returned to the restaurant without the puppy. Sean had never met anyone so self-absorbed. She’d hardly paid any attention to her son all week. Sean had been driving him to his new summer program in the morning and to swimming lessons in the afternoons. Macy had offered, but Sean didn’t mind. Josh needed as many adults in his life as he could get, and the kid seemed to appreciate their special one-on-one time.
Sean was unprepared for the scene he encountered when he returned to the marina store to pick up the dogs at four. Winnie and a scraggly deadbeat had pistols aimed at each other. The deadbeat’s friend bounced from foot to foot, looking nervously at the door as though planning his escape.
“Come on, Roscoe,” the friend said. “Let’s get outta here! I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Shut up, Buck! We’ll leave as soon as this little bitch gives us all the money in her cash drawer.”
Sean’s eyes darted around, locating Emmie first in the crate behind the counter and then Cooper clinging to his puppy while cowering in the far corner of the store.
“Call the police, Sean,” Winnie ordered with her eyes and gun trained on Roscoe.
“Don’t you dare,” warned Roscoe. “Or I’ll put a bullet in her pretty little head.”
“Do it, Sean!” Winnie said in a tone that told him she meant business.
Sean pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped in 9-1-1. “I’d like to report an armed robbery at the Inlet View Marina store. Please! Send help quick!”
Winnie shifted her body slightly to the right and fired her weapon. When Roscoe recoiled from the bullet whizzing past his head, he lost control of his gun and it clattered to the ground. Sean dove on top of the gun and rolled onto his back with the gun pointed up at Roscoe. “Move, and you’re a dead man!”
At the sound of approaching sirens, Winnie said, “I’ve got this, Sean. You go let the police in.”
Sean, with his gun still aimed at Roscoe, got to his feet and walked backward to the front of the store. He opened the door and hollered to the police. “In here! Hurry!”
A small army of armed police officers filed into the store and handcuffed Roscoe and Buck.
Sean rushed to his brother’s side. Cooper’s face was slick with perspiration and his body trembled as though in shock. “Are you okay, bro? You don’t look good.”
“No, I’m not okay. Take this dog. I don’t want her.” Cooper shoved the dog at Sean and bolted for the door.
Sean tried to go after him, but a police officer grabbed him by the arm, preventing him from exiting the store. “Not so fast, buddy.”
“Dude! I’ll come right back. I just need to check on my brother.”
“Sorry,” the officer said. “I can’t let you go until you’ve given your statement. Was your brother involved in this incident?”
Winnie shook her head. “No! Leave him alone. He was an innocent bystander.”
“Fine,” the officer conceded. “But we may need to talk to him later.”
Sean and Winnie gave their statements to the police and answered a barrage of questions. He was a nervous wreck, ready to jump out of his skin by the time the police finished with them thirty minutes later.
Sean turned to Winnie and said, “Where’s Jamie? He should be here.”
“He’s in Charleston with his wife. She had a medical emergency of some sort.”
Sean frowned. “I hope she’s okay.”
“She will be. According to Jamie, the two are getting back together.”
Sean punched the air. “That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day.”
Winnie walked him to the door. “Go! You need to check on Cooper.”
“But I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ll keep the dogs with me. When Lester gets here at five, I’ll bring them out to Moss Creek.”
“You’re the best.” As he kissed her cheek, Sean got a whiff of her shampoo. Despite the drama she’d just been through, she still smelled fresh, like an early June day at the beach.
Sean raced out to Moss Creek where he found Cooper wrapped in heavy blankets on the sofa in the guesthouse. Despite the perspiration covering his face, he was shivering so hard his teeth chattered.
“Cooper! Bro! You’re a mess. I think you’re having a nervous breakdown. Come on. I’m driving you to the hospital.” Sean tried to pull him off the sofa, but Cooper shoved him away.
“Leave me alone, Sean.”
“Not happening.” He removed his phone from his pocket. “If you won’t come willingly, I’m calling an ambulance.”
Cooper rubbed at his eyes. “I’m not a mental case. I’m just dealing with some stuff.”
Sean sat down next to him on the sofa. “What stuff? This has gone on long enough. Either talk to me, or I’m calling Mom and Dad.”
“No! Don’t call them. Please!”
“Then tell me why you want to give your puppy back. I thought you loved Willa.”
“I do love Willa,” Cooper cried. “I freaked out at the marina store. I was terrified she’d get shot. And I couldn’t stand to lose someone else I love.”
Now we’re getting somewhere, Sean thought. “Who have you lost, Cooper?”
Cooper’s face contorted in pain. “My roommate. The only best friend I’ve ever had, other than you.”
Goose bumps broke out on Sean’s skin. “What happened to Charles?”
His brother fell back against the cushions, pulling the blankets tighter around him. “I was seeing this girl. Her name was Maggie. She was seriously hot, and we really connected. At least I thought we did.”
His brother’s use of past tense made Sean’s blood run cold. Did Maggie die too? “You never mentioned her.”
“It was too soon. We hadn’t been dating that long.” Cooper picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “I came home one night from playing pickup basketball to find them both dead in my apartment, Maggie with her face in a pile of cocaine and Charles with a gunshot wound to his head.”
“Oh my god,” Sean said, clamping his hand over his mouth. “What happened to them?”
“She died from fentanyl poisoning. The police think Charles felt guilty for giving her the drugs and took his own life. Charles knew I didn’t approve of him using drugs. I didn’t think Maggie was into that kind of thing.”
“Do you think Charles and Maggie were hooking up behind your back?”
Cooper shook his head. “Charles is the one who introduced me to Maggie. They were childhood friends. I didn’t know what to do, Sean. I should’ve stayed, should’ve flown to Nashville, where they’re from, for their funerals. But I couldn’t stay in that apartment, so I drove home the next day.”
“In the middle of a hurricane.” Sean sat back on the sofa, shoulder to shoulder with his brother. “Everything makes sense now. This explains your sudden interest in art.”
“Painting is the only thing that makes me feel anything except sorrow and rage.”
“I’m so sorry. I wish you’d told me sooner. You’ve been through some serious stuff, man. You need someone to help you cope with it all. You need Big Mo.”
“I realized that today. I’m so ashamed of what happened earlier at the store. The sight of those guns rendered me completely useless. That guy could’ve killed Winnie, and I did nothing to try to stop him.”
“I think you’re suffering from PTSD,” Sean said.
Cooper shrugged. “Maybe. You know me, Sean. The old me would’ve gone after him. I’ve never been afraid of anyone in my life. I’m the one who fought our fights when we were growing up. But I froze when Winnie asked me to call the police. I couldn’t even do that.”
Sean squeezed his shoulder. “Tell Winnie what happened. She’ll understand. You’ll jeopardize your relationship if you keep something like this from her.”
Cooper’s head shot up. “What relationship?”
“Aren’t you and Winnie together?”
Cooper looked at Sean as though he’d lost his mind. “Um, no. I’m too much of a mess right now to even think about women. Besides, you’re the one she likes.”
Sean’s heart skipped a beat. “Me? Are you sure about that?”
“Duh. You have to be blind not to see how she looks at you.”
Sean heard a car door outside, and he got up to go to the window. “She’s here now with the dogs. Please tell me you’re not giving your puppy back.”
“No way! I love her too much. Aside from you, Willa and Josh are the only bright spots in my day. Although, I would definitely be on board with getting rid of Carla. She’s turned our home into a hostile environment.”
“I admit, Cooper, I totally misjudged Carla. But you and I have made a positive impact on Josh. He’s not the angry little boy he was when they moved here a few weeks ago. If I kick her out, he’ll be the one who suffers.”
“I get that. For the kid’s sake, I can tolerate Carla a little while longer.” Cooper, with his blankets wrapped around him like robes, joined him at the window, and they watched Winnie chase the puppies around. “She’s been through an ordeal today. She needs your strong shoulder to cry on.”
“Ha. Winnie doesn’t strike me as the type who cries.”
“She’s truly amazing.”
Sean chuckled. “Can you believe she fired a shot at that deadbeat like that? I was sure she’d killed him. Jamie told me she’s an excellent shot, but I didn’t believe him.” He felt his brother’s eyes on him. “What?”
“You should see your face right now. You’ve got it bad for her too.” Cooper nudged him. “Go talk to her.”
Sean turned to face his brother. “I will. After we work out a plan to get you some help. I’m here for you, Coop, but you need professional help too.”
“I’ve already texted Big Mo. I’m meeting with him first thing in the morning.”
“Way to go!” Sean offered him a high five. “Will you promise to talk to me from now on? Keeping your feelings inside isn’t healthy.”
“I promise.” Cooper pulled Sean in for a hug, blankets and all.
They stood together at the window a minute longer, each lost in his own thought. They’d made an enormous breakthrough today. Sean suspected his brother had a long recovery ahead of him, but if anyone could get through to Cooper, it was Big Mo.
Sean exited the guesthouse and crossed the driveway to the yard. Winnie was sitting in the grass while Emmie and Willa crawled all over her legs. She looked up at him, her face wet with tears. “I’m sorry. I’m having a delayed reaction.”
“And understandably so.” Taking her by the hands, he pulled Winnie to her feet and into his arms. “What you did today takes real guts. I can honestly say you’re the most intriguing woman I’ve ever met.”
twenty-nine
lizbet
Lizbet woke on Friday morning to find Jamie propped on one elbow staring at her. She smiled up at him. “What’re you thinking about?”
“What a beautiful life we’re going to have together.”
She ran a thumb over his lips. “We. I love the sound of our new favorite word on your lips.”
“I can’t wait to get you home to our bed.”
“I want that too. But I’m worried about Brooke. I’m partially responsible for her breakup with Sawyer. I hate to leave her here alone, especially now that Dad is gone.”
“It will be an adjustment for both of you.” He fingered a lock of hair off her forehead. “Are you hungry? I can fix you whatever you would like and bring it to you on a tray. Can I tempt you with an omelet or waffles? How about blueberry pancakes?”
“Scrambled eggs will be fine. But I can’t stay in this bed another minute.” She eased out from beneath the covers, letting her legs fall over the side of the bed. “We’ll have breakfast together in the kitchen and then go for a short walk in the neighborhood. Maybe I can make it down to the seawall.”
Jamie sat up in bed. “Isn’t it too soon for you to exercise?”
“Nope. Dr. Carroll says I can do whatever I want, within reason, as long as I listen to my body. And my body is telling me to go outside and get some fresh air.” Lizbet slowly stood up and slipped on her robe. “We’ll stroll. We won’t walk fast.”
“If you say so,” Jamie said, pulling on a pair of running shorts over his boxers.
Downstairs in the kitchen, they found Brooke hunched over her computer, an untouched cup of coffee on the table beside her. She slammed the computer shut and looked up at them with a guilty smile on her lips.
“What’re you up to?” Lizbet asked in a suspicious tone.
“Oh, nothing. Just checking my emails.” Brooke sipped her coffee, made a funny face, and got up to reheat it in the microwave. “So when are you moving back to Prospect?”
“Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Not at all. I love having you here. But it’s the obvious next step.” The microwave dinged, and she removed her coffee. “I’m thinking about getting a roommate.”
Lizbet raised an eyebrow. “A new love interest so soon?”
“Not hardly.” Brooke leaned back against the counter. “Polly is moving back to town.”
“Polly Buckingham, your best friend from high school?”
Brooke nodded as she sipped her coffee. “She’s the only Polly I know.”
“Is she gay?”
“No. She has a boyfriend in Charleston. She met him when she was here over Christmas. She does something in finance in New York. She’s moving back to be near him.”
“Good for Polly.” Lizbet gripped the table as she lowered herself into a chair. “You won’t give Polly my room, will you?”
“Of course not. She can have the guest room. Your room will always be here for when you come to visit.” Brooke grinned, mischief tugging at her lips. “Maybe next time, don’t stay for seven months.”
Jamie chuckled. “Please, no!” He opened the refrigerator and removed a carton of eggs. “Would you like some breakfast, Brooke?”
“No thanks. I just ate some yogurt.” Brooke returned to the table. “But I have something important I want to talk to you both about.” She ran a hand across her computer. “I’ve been doing some research, and if you decide to have a baby, I’d very much like to be your surrogate.”
Jamie spun around with an egg in one hand. “Are you serious?”
Lizbet stared at her with mouth wide open. “Do you have any idea what you’re offering?”
“Yes, and yes.” Opening her laptop, Brooke clicked the tabs on her internet browser, revealing a dozen websites about surrogacy. “I’ve thought of little else since Dr. Carroll mentioned it the other night. I’m all in. But I’d like to have my own child soon, so let’s get on with the process.”
“Heck, yeah!” Jamie said and cracked the egg into a bowl.
With tears in her eyes, Lizbet reached for her sister’s hand. “I don’t know how to thank you. This is the greatest gift you could ever give us.”
