Gypsy Beach (4 page)

It was a balance he knew he could strike.
They didn’t need a forty-story condo highrise, but fixing up Gypsy
Beach and giving tourists a few more options on places to stay was
something he could do well.

He just needed to know which door to knock on
first. With his own resolute determination driving him, he stepped
into Montgomery’s Surf, Turf, and Coffee.

The odd combination of suntan lotion, foam
boards, spray-paint, coffee, and pie took him back ten years in one
draw of breath.

Mac Montgomery shook his head. He was
beaming, and his soothing chuckle settled Ryan. “Well, look at what
the tide washed up this morning! As I live and breathe, son, how
are you?”

“Hey, Mr. Montgomery. I’m okay. Just looking
for a little work. Thought you’d be the man to talk to.” He never
was one for small talk or beating around the bush. Plus, he planned
to get a full day of work in that very day.

“Well, how ‘bout a cup of coffee and you tell
me what kinda work you’re looking for, Ryan.”

“Thank you, sir.” He accepted the coffee
gratefully, but the kind eyes of Mac Montgomery that held not one
trace of judgment, disappointment, or disdain fed his soul more
than the soothing warmth of the mug he’d set in front of him.

“Well, Ryan McNamara, how are you doing,
sweetheart? So good to see you!” Molly came out of the storeroom
carrying two plates full of bacon, eggs, and toast.

Ryan’s mouth watered. He could afford a cup
of coffee, but he didn’t need to eat out much until he’d secured
work. He just didn’t have the money. He’d had a bowl of store-brand
cereal at home. He tried to remind his stomach of that, but it
protested rather loudly.

“Hey, Ms. Montgomery, I’m okay. It’s so nice
to see you.” He attempted to talk over the growl of his gut.

Mac shook his head. “Mol, how ‘bout fixin
Ryan a ‘welcome back to the beach’ breakfast. It’s the house
specialty, and it’s also on the house.”

“You got it, and Ryan, baby, you make me feel
old with all that Mrs. Montgomery. You look like you might’ve grown
up just a little in the last ten years or so, so let’s go with Mac
and Molly.

“Oh, yes, ma’am. I’m sorry!”

Mac laughed and talked with another patron,
one Ryan didn’t recognize.

When Molly set the plate down, Ryan started
to protest, but neither of the Montgomerys were hearing of it. His
arguing drowned quickly in the eggs Molly fried him, runny just
like he loved them. He devoured the white toast which he dipped in
the yellow yolk, and the plate was empty just a few minutes
later.

“Now, what’s this about work?”

Wiping his mouth with the napkin, he nodded.
“Yes, sir. I, uh, well, I used to run a pretty successful
construction company back in Atlanta.” He gestured his thumb
westward, though that was entirely unnecessary. “Anyway, I’d like
to start another company up here. Maybe help everyone rebuild after
the storm. I’m gonna fix up my parent’s old place. I’d like to stay
here, if I can.”

He wasn’t certain that he needed the
Montgomerys’ permission to take up residence at Gypsy Beach, but
something deep inside of him needed them to accept him. They’d been
running the half-surf shack half-coffee shop for over fifty years.
There was rumor that Mac, Molly, and Ruth Cooper had been in the
same band of gypsies that had settled Gypsy Beach during the Great
Depression; not that Ryan really believed any of the old Gypsy
legends anymore. At one time he’d believed because Sienna believed,
but that was a lifetime ago. The legends made great fodder for
tourists and nothing more.

“Well, I think you’re in the right place,
son, maybe just a little too early. People still waiting to hear
back from investors and insurance adjusters, but ya know, somebody
just bought Ruth Cooper’s old Inn. Said they were gonna re-do it.
Had investors. It’d be a big job. Ruth just couldn’t take care of
it in her later years. It needs a lot of work. New owners looking
to have it ready for the season. Maybe finish that job, and by then
a few others will have their checks in hand. You prove yourself
with the Inn, and I’d say people will be beating down your doors
looking for you to help ‘um out.”

Ryan’s brow furrowed when Molly half-gasped
and half-coughed. “Sorry, just went down the wrong pipe.” She held
up her coffee mug, but she was shaking her head at Mac.

Having no time to consider what might be
going on with them, Ryan debated. Going back to the Inn would be
pure torture. Everything about that house would remind him of
Sienna, but he had to work, and it sounded like a big job. He could
restore it to its original glory and prove to the town that he
wasn’t his father. He could show off his skills and his
determination to keep the glory of Gypsy Beach as the eclectic town
it was and not turn it into Panama City Beach.

With another deep breath of salt-soaked,
coffee-infused air, he managed a nod. “Thank you, I’ll head out
there this morning.”

“Yeah, I would. They were anxious to get
started.” Mac couldn’t quite hide the smirk on his face. Ryan
offered him his hand, which he shook heartily. “You’ll be all
right, son. Gypsy Beach has a way of setting things to rights.
After a round of bad luck comes good fortune. You’ll see.”

“I really hope you’re right about that, Mac.
Thanks for your help.”

“Go on, son. Don’t waste the day.”

“Yes sir, I’m going. I’m not wasting any more
days. Thanks so much for breakfast!”

“Anytime, and don’t forget that there are
people that want to help.”

With another nod, Ryan found himself
sprinting out the screened doors and heading towards The Gypsy
Inn.

Molly was still shaking her head while Mac
cleared Ryan’s plate and wiped down the lunch counter in the back
of their store. “Macmillan Montgomery, you know good and well that
she didn’t buy that Inn, Ruth left it to her. She just got it out
of probate. What are you up to?”

Mac smirked as he wrapped his arms around his
wife. “Sometimes, Molly Ann, life gets in the way and love just
needs a second chance. That boy’s been through hell. You can see it
in his eyes.”

“We saw it in the papers, and you’re just
lucky I gave you a second chance.” Molly elbowed him with that
smirk that he’d fallen head over heels for.

“Don’t I know it,” Mac agreed. “Let’s just
hope Ruth put enough love in that girl’s heart and enough magic in
that Inn to give him a second chance.”

Just then, four men with tool belts slung
around their waists took stools at the counter. Mac and Molly
shared a knowing grin.

“You Mr. Montgomery?” one with a rather stern
voice inquired.

“That’d be me,” Mac challenged.

“Got a crew in Charlotte. Heard there were
several buildings that people were taking bids on reconstruction
down here. We’re in the business, and thought we’d see if you knew
where we might could be of assistance.”

Mac nodded his understanding. “Gotta tell
you, gentlemen, town’s full of construction crews right now. I
believe the business is gone and the checks have been written, so
to speak. You’re a little late, but ‘bout fifty miles down the
coast right before the Carolina line they got a lot more damage
than we did. If I was you, I’d head there right directly.”

Five minutes later, Mac was being thanked
profusely, and then they watched the large F-150’s pull away and
head towards the Interstate. Molly was still laughing.

“Just in case Ruth missed something, figured
I should help.” Mac winked at her.

The knowledge that
this was all for Evie and for the life he wanted to build for her
echoed in the choked whir of the engine of his truck. A new car
could be purchased after he had his little girl safely with him and
he’d turned his parents’ old beach house into their home.

To his parents’ fury, and mostly to annoy
them, Ryan had refused to sell the beach house to help cover the
cost of his father’s crimes. He’d paid off their mansion and
managed to keep his dad out of jail, but the beach house was
non-negotiable.

Unable to plan beyond the next demand or the
next moment, he hadn’t known why it was so important then, but he
was eternally thankful that he’d listened to his gut.

Alexa had thrown him out of their home in
Buckhead the next week. He’d moved into his parent’s pool house
after reminding his father that he’d effectively saved his ass, and
began to formulate a plan to escape everything he’d ever really
known.

The truck bumped and bounced over the massive
tree roots that stuck out of the ground. Reminding himself that
Sienna was long gone and that the Inn now had new owners was how he
forced himself out of the truck.
She’s probably off in
California like she always wanted to be. She’s probably married to
some lucky bastard without even half the problems you have. She
deserves to be happy and fulfilled.
Thoughts of Sienna lying in
bed under some unnamed man, staring up at him with that hunger in
her eyes, made him furious. He shook them away as he eased onto the
porch. There was a large hole, the approximate shape of a boot,
that had gone through the rotting wood. The decks and porches
needed to come down first. He could do that today.

The door was open just a crack. It appeared
too swollen to fully close. Ryan knocked, and it swung open
further. He glanced around, not wanting to walk into someone else’s
home. Not wanting to walk in at all.

The memories were far too potent. It even
smelled like her grandmother’s cooking and that coffee she used to
make them that tasted like heaven. The only thing sweeter was
kissing it off of Sienna’s lips.

Suddenly, he heard a shrill scream from
upstairs. Another echo of terror met him on the steps that he took
three at a time. It sounded like someone was being attacked.

Working on instinct alone, he threw open one
of the bedroom doors and raced towards the shrieking shouts of
fear.

“Oh my God! This is horrible!” He heard her
voice one half second before he flung open the bathroom door.

Another shriek ricocheted through his ears as
Sienna grabbed an old hand towel and attempted to cover her
absolutely spellbinding body. Shock rocketed through Ryan. He
didn’t know what to think, but he was unable to do anything more
than stare at her. She’d been beautiful when she was seventeen, but
damn, she was a full-blown woman now, and he’d never seen anything
more breathtaking.

Her beautiful, heart-shaped face was
contorted in horrified shock. Her hair was soaking wet and did a
decent job of covering her painfully hardened nipples. His eyes
tracked downward without his permission. She’d covered the bottom
half of her breasts, her slender waist, and her pussy with the
towel, much to his chagrin. He saw half of a large tattoo that ran
from her back over her luscious ass and down her right leg. Ryan
ordered himself to turn around, but my God, she was exquisite. It
was like being presented with a feast after a long, long
famine.

“Sienna? I’m so sorry!” He finally managed to
turn and tried not to look back.

“Ryan!” she finally gasped.

“Sienna, I had no idea you were here. I heard
someone screaming. I’m so sorry!” He kept repeating the vow, but he
couldn’t make sense of what had just happened himself.

“Go in there,” she ordered, and he assumed
she pointed to the door. With a quick nod, he left the bathroom and
closed the door behind him.

He was pacing when she stumbled out with her
hair wrapped up in the towel and a short silk robe tied up tightly
to cover anything she certainly didn’t want him seeing.

“I’m sorry,” he offered again.

“Uh,” she nodded and glanced around the room
that he thought was one of the guestrooms, if he remembered
correctly. He wondered if she’d had the same trouble of staying in
a bed that they’d been in together.
Don’t be such an idiot.
She’s moved on. You’re the sap that hasn’t.

“What are you doing here?” she finally
managed.

Heat had fevered his cheeks. He ran his right
hand over his face but couldn’t wipe away that image of her
stepping out of the shower. Damn, that’d fuel his fantasies for
another ten years.

“I… uh… well…” He wasn’t certain what to say.
“I came back to town yesterday. I kind of own a construction
company, or I did, and I wanted to help rebuild after the storm.
I’m staying at my parent’s old house. Uh,” he swallowed down any
information she wouldn’t care to hear. “I went to Montgomery’s this
morning, and Mac said someone bought the old Inn and wanted to redo
it. I didn’t know it was you. I wouldn’t have bothered you. I’m
sorry.”

“Oh,” Sienna nodded again. “Well, I mean,
it’s nice to see you, I guess.” She sounded as if that were the
farthest possible thing from the truth.

“I’ll just go.” Ryan ordered his body to
move, but his treacherous feet kept him rooted to the floor where
he was standing. Defeat took another vicious blow at his body as he
saw the only viable option he had left wash away with the damn
tide.

Sienna seemed to consider. “Wait, you said
you own a construction company?”

Stupidly, he let hope spring anew. “Uh, kind
of. I did. I’m really good. I know what I’m doing. I swear Sienna
I’m really sorry about everything that happened between us. I know
that’s way too little way too late, but I’d really like to help you
rebuild this place if you want. I mean, I’ll understand if you
don’t, but it’ll be strictly business. I really need this job.” His
head fell in ultimate defeat.

He’d vowed his eternal love to her. Kept her
up night after night all of their Senior year, swearing that he’d
be back to the beach that summer and that they’d be together
forever. Then his parents threatened to kick him out if he didn’t
stop calling her, they’d ordered him to summer school, driven him
to Athens and his life had effectively fallen apart. Now he was
asking her for a job. She should slap the shit out of him; he
deserved at least that.