Beach Lane (13 page)

“But your immune system,” he protested. “You shouldn’t be around so many people.”

She caught his hand and insisted he sit once again beside her. “Here’s the deal. I love that you want to take care of me, but I want to live my life. I’m not going to do anything stupid, but I will not look back at this period of time and regret that I didn’t make more memories while I still could. I don’t want the cancer to define my life, Mack. I want to
live
my life.”

“But—”

She shook her head. “No buts. This is my decision, Mack.”

“And I have no say?”

“About a thousand and one things, you do, but not about this one.” She looked into his eyes, saw the worry there. “Please don’t fight me on this. It’s one night, Mack. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“But I know you. If I give in, first it will be this party, then you’ll want to go back to work, then you’ll start taking dancing lessons or something.”

She laughed. “I think you’re safe when it comes to dancing lessons. I have two left feet.” She sobered. “But we could talk about me going back to work part-time.”

He sighed heavily. “See what I mean? Okay, I’ll agree to the party, if it means that much to you, but forget going back to work.”

“I could do paperwork here at home,” she suggested.

He shook his head, then chuckled. “You’re going to do it no matter what I say, aren’t you?”

She beamed at him. “Pretty much.”

“Okay, then,” he said, his expression resigned. “You have my blessing on all counts.”

“Thank you,” she said solemnly. “Now, go and fine-tune your proposal and make that appointment with Laila. I’m going to take a much-needed nap. Battling wits with you takes a lot out of me.”

“Me, too,” he commented drily, then kissed her. “Love you.”

She watched as he left the room, then sighed deeply. She’d waited a lifetime for those words to come from him so easily. She prayed she’d have just a little longer to truly savor them.

When Susie woke again, there were shadows in the room and someone was sitting in a chair near the window. Even though she couldn’t make out the features, she knew instinctively that it wasn’t Mack.

“Suze, are you awake?”

It was her brother. “Matthew, what are you doing here? Mack didn’t recruit you to babysit me, did he?”

“Are you kidding me? He wouldn’t dare. You’d never let him live to tell the story.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I just wanted to check on you,” he said. He walked over to the bed. “You mind?” He sat down on the edge before she could reply. Susie flipped on her bedside lamp, took one look at his haggard expression and demanded, “What’s happened? Is it Mom or Dad? Luke?”

His lips curved slightly. “Everybody except you is just fine.”

“Well, I’m going to be fine, too,” she said. “Now, tell me what’s wrong. You look as if you’ve lost your best friend.”

He gave her a wry look. “Leave it to you to nail it on the first guess.”

Susie tried to recall who the love of her brother’s life had been last week, or the week before, for that matter. Matthew changed girlfriends as frequently as he did shirts. She’d always thought he was trying to model himself after Mack.

Eventually she gave up and asked, “Which one was it this time?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t really say.”

“That’s going to make the conversation a little tricky, don’t you think? I need details if I’m going to help.”

“We’ve kind of been flying under the radar. It’s probably better to keep it that way.”

“Is this someone I know?”

“Sorry. I can’t say.”

“Which means it is,” she concluded. “Why were the two of you keeping it a secret?”

“It seemed wise, that’s all. Under the circumstances, I guess she was right about that.”

“Is it over, then?”

“She says it is,” he said, his expression miserable. “What happened?”

“That’s the hell of it,” he said heatedly. “I have no idea. One minute everything was fine. Better than fine, in fact. The next it was ‘Thanks for a good time. See you later, pal.’”

“I see.”

“Do you think it was only about the sex for her?” he asked, sounding like a lost kid rather than the relatively sheltered but otherwise fairly experienced twenty-six-year-old man he was. “I mean, I know guys are supposed to always be about the sex, but I didn’t think it was like that for women.”

She gave him a rueful look. “I’m probably not the best person to ask about this. Mack was always the one for me. I didn’t date a lot, and my sexual escapades could be counted on one hand.” She touched his arm. “Do you really care about this woman, or is your ego just bruised?”

Heat flared in his eyes. “I was falling in love with her,” he replied. “I told her I was.”

Ah, Susie thought, maybe he’d set off a panic attack. It usually happened in reverse, with the man running off in a tailspin, but she supposed women could freak out, too.

“Maybe she thought you were getting too serious too quickly.”

“But I’ve known her, like, forever.”

“And were dating her for how long?”

“A couple of months, I guess. It just sort of happened, you know? We got together a few times for drinks, then things changed, and we
got together,
if you know what I mean.”

Susie managed to contain a smile. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I think you’re talking to the wrong person, though. You need to be having this conversation with her. If she means that much to you, sit down and talk it out. Find out what’s really going on in her head.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he said, though with obvious reluctance.

“I know men hate to have these deep, emotional conversations, but it’s the only way to clear the air and try to get your signals straight.”

He gave her a penetrating look. “Do you and Mack have your signals straight these days?”

Susie frowned at the question. “Of course we do. Now that we’re married, we’re better than ever at communicating. We’re not fighting all those doubts I used to have about whether he could ever have a serious relationship.”

“You do know I’m glad for you, right?” Matthew asked earnestly. “Mack’s the best. Luke and I only told him to stay away because, well, we knew his history. We didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know that, and I appreciate that the two of you were being so protective. It’s all good now.”

“Except for the cancer,” Matthew said. “That sucks.”

She nodded. “That definitely sucks.”

Her brother stood up, his shoulders squared, his jaw set with determination. She smiled, looking up at him. “When did you go and grow up on me?” she asked, a little wistful for the days when she’d been able to torment her kid brother.

“I did it while you were busy mooning over Mack,” he told her drily. “Somehow you missed the fact that I’ve been moving up in the ranks at Uncle Mick’s company. Some people even think I’m almost as good an architect as he is.”

She heard the note of pride in his voice and knew she’d done far too little to encourage him on the career path that had put him smack between his father and his uncle. “You and Dad worked out your differences over your deciding to work for Mick?” she asked.

He shrugged. “He might not be overjoyed, but Dad’s a pragmatic man. He knows I’ll get the best experience in the world with Mick.” He grinned. “And I’ve promised to design some outstanding houses for some of the property he owns outside town, so we’re all good.”

Susie suddenly sat upright. “Beach Lane,” she said excitedly. “Would you design a house there for me and Mack? We might not be able to afford to build it right away, but I’d like to see the plans on paper.”

Matthew grinned at her. “Done,” he said at once. “I’d been wondering what to give you for a wedding present. Now I know. We’ll get together soon and you can tell me exactly what you want.”

“I want to pay you,” Susie protested.

“Not a chance.” He pressed a kiss to her brow. “Thanks for the advice, Suze. I’ll be in touch about the plans for the house.”

“Advice is available anytime. And if you work things out, bring this woman around, okay?”

A guilty expression flitted across his face, then was gone before she could question it.

“Will do,” he mumbled on his way out the door.

“You know there are no secrets in this town,” she called after him.

“There’s at least one,” he shouted back, laughing. “Bet I can keep it, if I work at it.”

“Matthew O’Brien, get back in here,” she commanded.

He poked his head in the doorway.

“Why would you want to? Maybe you should be asking yourself that.”

His expression turned solemn. “Not my decision,” he said. “If it were up to me, the whole world would know.”

“Then why would you want to be with a woman who’s embarrassed to have anyone know about your relationship? That’s not healthy, Matt.”

“You’d understand if you knew,” he insisted. “I get where she’s coming from. I might not like it, but I get it.”

Susie regarded him worriedly. “This situation is giving off all sorts of warning bells. Maybe you should think about it some more. Take some time off.”

“Nope. It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he insisted, suddenly sounding sure of himself again. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

But that didn’t mean she didn’t intend to get to the bottom of this. And if some woman was planning to make a fool of her brother, she’d be faced with the full fury of the O’Briens. Nobody messed with an O’Brien, not in Chesapeake Shores, at any rate.

13

A
fter his conversation with Susie, Mack had wasted no time in putting the finishing touches on his business plan. When he’d called Laila Riley at the bank, she’d told him to come straight over. Surprised by her eagerness, he’d rushed to get there within minutes.

“First, I want to hear how Susie’s doing,” she said after they were seated across from each other in her office with its splashes of brightly colored modern artwork on the walls. Compared to the rest of the bank with its stodgy furnishings, the room was bright and cheerful, much like Laila herself. As tall as she was, she made no attempt to disguise it. She chose bright colors and bold patterns, and heels that emphasized her height and her shapely legs.

“Susie’s tolerating the side effects of the chemo a whole lot better than I would be,” Mack said candidly. “She’s sick as a dog right after the treatments, but she’s never uttered a single complaint, at least not around me.”

“Susie always did have an amazing amount of inner strength,” Laila said. “I don’t think we realized it because she was just so darn good at everything she ever tackled. We all thought she’d just cruise through life accomplishing whatever she put her mind to.”

Mack gave her a thoughtful look. “Don’t tell me you have the same issues with Susie that Jess has always had.”

Laila laughed. “Heavens, no. Competitiveness is an O’Brien trait. I’ve been blessedly exempt from it.”

“Except when it came to this job and Trace,” Mack said knowingly. “You had quite a thing going with your brother for a long time, as I recall.”

“Ironically, Trace and I never saw it as a competition. He never wanted the job. I did. It was my father who thought his only son should inherit the bank presidency, after serving a dutiful internship period as vice president, of course. Me, he offered a position as a clerk. I was so disgusted by his sexist attitude, I pretty much took myself out of the competition for a lot of years, till my sneaky brother did what I hadn’t been able to do. Trace convinced our father I was better at banking than he was.”

“Now that you have the job, are you happy?” Mack asked, sensing that Laila wasn’t quite as fulfilled as she was pretending to be.

“With my job? Of course,” she said at once.

“And outside of work?”

She shrugged. “We can’t have it all, can we?”

“I don’t see any reason why not,” Mack said. “Anything I can do?”

She waved off the offer. “You didn’t come over here to talk about my personal life, or the lack thereof,” she said, injecting an upbeat note into her voice. “Let me see that business plan of yours.”

Mack took the bound pages out of his briefcase and handed them over. “I’ve never put one of these together before, so feel free to rip it to shreds and tell me what I’m missing. I want this to work, Laila, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m a good risk.”

He started his spiel about the important role a local newspaper could play in town, but Laila interrupted.

“You don’t have to sell me on the idea,” she told him. “The town has needed its own paper for a long time. That’s one reason I was so eager when you finally called. I’ve been hearing rumors about this for a while now, and I’ll admit I’m intrigued. You just have to convince me that the numbers make sense. Give me a few minutes to take a look.”

Mack waited anxiously as she flipped through the pages, jotting notes on a legal pad as she went. When she’d looked it over carefully, she met his gaze, her expression neutral.

“Mack, as much as I’d personally like to see this happen, it’s not without some serious risks. Are you sure you want to tackle something this challenging? You’ve made it look good on paper, but we both know the newspaper business isn’t exactly flourishing these days. Frankly, your figures are worrisome.”

He understood her reservations. He’d had many of the same ones, but he also had faith he could pull this off. “I wanted to be conservative,” he explained. “Pie-in-the-sky projections wouldn’t have fooled you. I should remind you, though, that this is a new business model. It includes the online aspect of the paper, which can give advertisers more bang for their bucks.”

“How are you going to make that work?” she asked with more curiosity than the skepticism he’d feared.

“If we can work out the financing, the first person I hire will be the web coordinator. I already have someone in mind, a woman I worked with in Baltimore. She’s really talented, and I think the challenge of starting something like this from scratch will appeal to her. She’s experienced and smart. I think she’d be a huge asset to the project and to the town.”

Laila looked unconvinced. “I don’t mean to come across as being negative, because I do love the whole idea, but do you really think you can lure somebody away from a major newspaper to work here? You don’t have that kind of budget, Mack.”

“I can give her a piece of the action,” he contradicted, “and a chance to do something fresh and innovative, instead of trying to turn a bulky, uncooperative beast around. Look, I’m willing to invest a lot of my own money in this, but it’s going to take more than I have to get it off the ground.”

“You believe in this that strongly?” Laila asked.

“I do.”

“Have you thought about going after other investors?”

He frowned at the question. “I’m not asking the O’Briens for backing.”

“What about Abby? She puts deals together all the time. It would be strictly business.”

“Really?” Mack said skeptically. “Unfortunately, I think I know just where she’d start on this, with the family. Let’s not forget the Megan debacle.”

She laughed. “Actually my father is still kicking himself for not fighting harder to get that loan approved by the committee. Megan’s gallery made a lot of money for her investors, probably because she was highly motivated to pay them back.”

“Well, I’m highly motivated, as well, but I don’t want my fate in the hands of Susie’s family.”

“Any particular reason, other than pride?” she asked.

He smiled at the question. “I can’t deny that’s probably part of it, but I also don’t want any of them to have a moment’s doubt about the reason I married Susie. It’s because I love her, not so I can get the rest of the family to back me on some business deal.”

Laila nodded, looking pleased by his reply. “Good point. I can respect that. How about this? You get your web expert on board, add in some of her ideas and review your figures. Once you’ve done that, I’ll take another look at your proposal.”

He shook his head. “Not good enough. I can’t ask her to commit, then have you yank the rug out from under both of us.”

“All I need is an agreement in principle,” Laila told him. “She doesn’t have to quit her job or make the move down here. This can all be handled discreetly, so her job’s not at risk if this doesn’t work out.”

Mack stood up. “Then we have a deal,” he said holding out his hand. Instead of shaking it, though, she came from behind her desk and hugged him, then took a step back.

“Just one thing, Mack.”

Something in her expression gave him pause. “What?”

“Is this dynamite woman going to cause problems for you and Susie?”

Mack frowned. “Why would you even ask that?”

“Because you have a track record, my friend, and I care about Susie’s feelings. I don’t want her heart broken because you’re out trying to seduce some other woman into working for you.”

“Believe me, seduction, the way you mean it, won’t come into play. I do have some boundaries,” he replied, offended. “Whatever courting I do of Kristen Lewis will be strictly professional. Susie has nothing to worry about.”

“Did the two of you have a relationship in the past?” she inquired with the kind of directness Mack had to respect, even if the question made him squirm.

He wanted to tell Laila it was none of her business, but he understood her point. “It was a long time ago, and it was never a big deal.”

“Does Ms. Lewis understand that?”

“We managed to stay friends, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“And Susie knows about this past?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think Susie was ever interested in knowing the names and faces from my past.”

“She might care now, especially if you intend to bring this woman to town. Think long and hard before you make that decision, Mack. Susie’s self-esteem is bound to be a little fragile right now.”

“Susie knows she has nothing to worry about,” Mack insisted.

But even as he said the words, an image of willowy, blonde Kristen came to mind. Too many people focused on her flawless cover model beauty and missed her sharp wit and intelligence. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue with Susie, who had an innate ability to read people, but given her insecurities where he was concerned and the current state of her health, he wondered if maybe Laila had a point.

“I’ll fill Susie in, then make a decision,” he said eventually, knowing he had no choice. He wasn’t going to undercut Susie’s confidence, especially now. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Soon, I hope,” Laila said. “Despite the reservations I’ve expressed, Mack, I think this is an exciting idea. I want to help you pull it together.”

“Thanks for the encouragement,” he said. “And the advice.”

“Just looking out for a couple of people I care about,” she said. “Give Susie my love.”

“Will do,” he promised.

He was on his way out of the bank when he ran into Matthew just outside.

“Hey, bro, what are you doing here?” he asked his brother-in-law.

A surprising burst of color flooded Matthew’s cheeks. “I just needed to have a word with Laila. Did you happen to notice if she’s in?”

“Yep. I just left her office.”

Matthew paused, clearly struggling to gather his composure. Mack regarded him curiously. He’d never seen his brother-in-law rattled like this.

“Something going on, Matt?”

“Like what?” Matthew asked defensively.

“I have no idea, but you seem a little uptight.”

“I’m fine,” Matthew insisted. “Were you here to talk about the newspaper thing?” Mack nodded.

“How’d it go?”

“Let’s just say Laila has some justifiable concerns. I have a lot of things to work out before she’s likely to take it seriously.”

“Maybe I can put in a good word,” Matthew said.

Mack regarded him curiously. “Really? Why would Laila listen to you?”

This time there was no mistaking Matthew’s embarrassment. “Old family friends, you know. She’s Trace’s sister, Abby’s sister-in-law, all of that.”

Mack wasn’t always attuned to the nuances of things, but there was no mistaking what was really going on here. He’d once been a master of evasion when it came to his social life. He latched on to Matthew’s arm and steered him down the street to Sally’s.

“Talk to me,” he commanded as they sat in a booth and ordered a couple of Cokes.

Matthew feigned innocence. “About what?”

“You and Laila,” Mack said. “Please tell me the two of you are not having some kind of fling.”

“If we were, it wouldn’t be any of your business,” Matthew said indignantly. “You’re my brother-in-law, not my keeper.”

“She’s at least ten years older than you,” Mack said.

“More than that,” Matthew said. “So what?”

“Look, under any other circumstances, I’d say your personal life is absolutely none of my concern, but I don’t need to have whatever’s going on with you two get in the way of this business proposal of mine.”

“Why would it?” Matthew said. “I just told you I’d put in a good word for you.”

“And when this whole crazy relationship goes up in flames, I could wind up caught in the cross fire,” Mack said, not caring how selfish that sounded. If he’d thought for an instant that there was something serious between those two, he’d have backed off, but how could there be? Laila was no cougar who made a habit of dating younger men. Matthew, however, had a track record that rivaled Mack’s when it came to loving and leaving women. This had disaster and heartbreak written all over it.

“I don’t see how what I do or don’t do could possibly hurt your business deal,” Matthew said stubbornly. “Besides, the relationship isn’t going to go up in flames. I came over here to get things back on track.”

Mack nearly groaned. “
Back on track
implies they’ve already derailed once.”

“Oh, give it a rest,” Matthew said impatiently. “Don’t try to convince me you lived a life of complete virtue when you were my age. We all know better.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Mack said. “But you’re the one who pointed out that Laila is like family, which means you don’t mess around and risk hurting her. Just imagine the chaos that would stir up.”

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Matthew insisted. “This isn’t some immature game to me, not like the ones you used to play.”

Mack winced at the direct hit. “Okay. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when Trace and Abby descend on you and drag Mick and your father into the battle.”

“Duly noted,” Matthew responded. He hesitated, then said, “By the way, don’t mention any of this to Susie, okay? She has enough on her plate. I talked to her about the situation earlier, but I deliberately didn’t mention Laila’s name. I knew it would freak her out.”

“She won’t hear it from me,” Mack assured him. But he knew the O’Briens and Chesapeake Shores well enough to know that she would hear it, and when that happened, who knew what kind of hell was likely to break loose.

Susie had managed to shower and change into a sexy negligee—another gift from Shanna, who clearly had a romantic heart—by the time Mack got home from the bank. She’d opened a bottle of sparkling cider and started dinner.

“What are we celebrating?” he asked when he walked in. “Me being out of bed,” she said at once, then grinned. “Though I’m hoping this will get us right back into it.” She lifted the filmy lace so candlelight shone through it. She saw Mack’s eyes darken with desire.

“Really?” he said, his voice thick.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, slipping into his arms. “How’s it working?”

“You definitely have my attention,” he said. “Are you—?”

She silenced him with a kiss.