Authors: Marie Force
Sydney laughed and covered his hands with hers. “Partially.”
“What’s the other part?”
“Maddie was worried when I talked to her earlier. She wants to see that I’m okay.”
“And are you? Okay?”
Sydney turned to him and slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m fine.”
“Are you feeling, you know, guilty at all?”
“Some. My therapist said I should expect that the first time.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m a little guilty, too.”
“Why?”
“I’m so damned happy to have you back in my life and in my bed, but I know how difficult this step is for you.”
Sydney reached up to brush the hair off his forehead. “I’m glad I took the step with you.”
Luke hugged her. “So am I.”
She drew back to look up at him. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
His entire body went rigid. “What?”
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm the nerves that suddenly gripped her. “Remember when we talked about whether or not I want more kids?”
He nodded. “What about it?”
“Well, the thing is, I can’t have any more. Not naturally, anyway.”
“Oh.”
“I know I should’ve told you sooner. It just didn’t seem like the right time the other day. But I wanted you to know.”
Luke looked over her head at a point off in the distance.
“I’d understand if that changes things for you—”
He brought his gaze back to meet hers. “It doesn’t change anything.”
“You must want kids of your own someday.”
“I haven’t given that much thought, to be honest. I’ve never come close to being married, so it hasn’t been an issue.”
“You’d only have kids if you were married?”
“I didn’t know my own father, so I’d never want a kid of mine to grow up that way. Marriage seems to seal the deal.”
“You should think about this, Luke, and be sure how you feel about it.”
He drew her into a hug. “If I had a choice between five kids with someone else or no kids with you, I pick you.” He brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “I pick you every time.”
Overwhelmed by him, Sydney rested her forehead against his chest.
“Were you worried about what I might say?”
She nodded.
“That’s good.”
Looking up at him, Sydney laughed. “Why?”
“It means you care.”
“I do care.”
He kissed her nose and then her lips. “I know you do. Come on, let’s eat.”
Luke and Sydney arrived at the marina just as Big Mac was pulling the garage doors closed on the dockside restaurant.
“What’re you still doing here?” Luke asked him.
“Linda had a thing with the ladies, so I stuck around to have a beer with Owen.”
“Syd, you remember Mr. McCarthy, right?” Luke said.
She extended a hand to the older man, who enclosed hers between both of his. “Nice to see you again, Mr. McCarthy.”
“That’s Big Mac to you, and it’s good to see you, too. I was so sorry to hear of your terrible loss.”
“Thank you.”
“Good day off?” Big Mac asked Luke.
“It was. Thanks for the time.”
“You don’t have to thank me. In fact, take tomorrow, too. We’re slow this week.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Everyone needs downtime once in a while.”
“I won’t say no to that.”
“I’m heading home. They’re all down at the Tiki Bar. Have a good time tonight.”
“We will.” Luke reached for Sydney’s hand and escorted her to the bar Big Mac had installed off the main pier in another of his successful schemes to expand the business.
Maddie waved to them from the corner of the crowded outdoor bar.
On the way past the small stage, Luke waved to Owen, the blond surfer dude with an incredible voice, who loved to boast of his vagabond existence in an old van with an even older guitar.
Owen stopped singing when he saw Luke but kept strumming his guitar. “Is that Luke Harris? With a
girl
? Did hell freeze over since I was last here?”
Luke flipped his friend the bird, which drew laughs from the table in the corner. He looked over at Sydney in time to catch the blush that flamed her cheeks.
The group made room for Luke and Sydney. Maddie dragged Syd down to the chair next to hers and gave her a big hug.
“How’re you doing?” Maddie asked.
“Better. Thank you—both of you,” she said, including Mac.
“Anytime,” Mac said.
“What’s a guy gotta do to get a beer around here?” Luke asked, looking around for a waitress.
Mac gestured to the bar. “It’s quicker to help yourself tonight,” Mac said, gesturing to the bar.
“Anyone need anything?” Luke asked.
“We’re good,” Joe said. “Just got a new round.”
Luke leaned over to Sydney. “Wine?”
“Actually, light beer is looking good to me tonight.”
“You think you know a girl,” Luke said with a smile for her as he made his way through the crowd to the bar. He found Big Mac’s best buddy, Ned, the island’s number one cab driver, leaning against the bar. “How goes it, Ned?”
“Not bad. Madhouse tonight.”
“Always is when Owen’s here.”
“Pretty girl grew up to be a lovely woman.”
“What’s that?”
“Yer girl,” Ned said, nodding toward the table.
“Oh. Yeah. She sure did.” Luke tried and failed to get the bartender’s attention. Didn’t she know he partially owned the place? Not that he’d
ever
play that card.
“Had me a girl like that once,” Ned said in an odd moment of introspection. “Even had red hair like yer girl.”
Astounded by the revelation, Luke stared at the old man with the wild white hair and bushy beard. He wore a faded red T-shirt and khaki shorts—an outfit that was dressed up by Ned’s usual standards. “What happened?”
“Same thing that happened to you—she picked someone else.”
Luke wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “Is she still with him?” he asked, deciding that was the safest of his many questions.
“Nah. Ended more than twenty-five years ago.”
“So why didn’t you go after her?”
Ned shrugged. A toothpick danced around his mouth. “She knows where I am.”
“Is she here? On the island?”
“What’ll it be, Luke?” the bartender asked before Ned could reply.
“Two light beers, please.”
“Coming right up.”
Luke turned back to Ned. “Well, is she? Here?”
“Yep.”
“You ever see her?”
“Only from a distance.”
“Who is it?”
“Ya ain’t gettin that outta me, boy,” Ned said with a snort.
The bartender delivered the beers, and Luke paid her. Turning back to Ned, he said, “Let me tell you—from experience—everything is better the second time around. If you still think about her, go see her. You never know what might happen.”
“Suddenly yer the wise one, eh?”
Luke shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“She gonna break ya heart again?”
“Hope not.”
“She’s looking for ya. Better get back to her.”
Luke shifted his gaze to the table. When his eyes met Sydney’s, he returned her smile.
“Whoo, boy, ya got a bad, bad case,” Ned said with a howl of laughter.
“I sure do.”
“Hope it works out for ya this time.”
“Me, too. Maybe it’ll work out for you if you give it a shot. What’ve you got to lose?”
“Eh,” Ned said, shrugging. “Bygones.”
“Whatever you say. See ya later.”
“Look out fer yaself, boy. Don’t wanna see ya crushed by her again.”
The comment stopped Luke short. “That’s not going to happen.” But as he returned to the table, Luke wondered who he was trying to convince—Ned or himself.
Owen played his way through a song list of summer tunes that everyone sang along to: “Summer Breeze,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “God Only Knows” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” Under the table, Luke kept a firm grip on Sydney’s hand and felt her tense when Owen launched into “Southern Cross.”
Luke glanced over to find a faraway look on her face.
Sydney caught his eye and offered a small smile. “Seth’s favorite song.”
“You want to go?”
“No, it’s okay. Just took me by surprise.”
It had caught her when she was actually having a good time, and Luke was sorry to see the sadness creep back into her expression. He tightened his grip on her hand and felt her relax when the song ended.
Owen took a break and wandered over to join them. He plopped down at the table, all his formidable charm focused on Sydney. “So tell me the truth: how much did he pay you to come out with him tonight?”
Startled by the question, Sydney laughed. Even though the joke was at his expense, Luke was grateful to Owen for making her laugh.
“I’m actually rather cheap,” Syd said with a sly smile that made Luke’s blood boil and earned an appreciative grin from Owen.
While the rest of the group cracked up at her comment, Owen studied her with new respect and a hint of interest.
“Down, boy,” Luke said, attempting a menacing scowl.
“It’s like that, is it?” Owen said.
“You’re damned right it is.”
“Who is this guy?” Owen asked Mac and Joe. “And what’ve you done with quiet, unassuming Luke Harris?”
Joe slipped an arm around Janey. “Happens to the best of us, my man.”
“Y’all are falling like dominoes around here,” Owen said with a shudder. “Remind me not to drink the water.”
“You’re still playing at the wedding, right?” Janey asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, sweet pea.”
Janey rewarded him with a bright smile. “You were Joe’s only request.”
“I’m doubly honored, and I understand I’ll be sharing the stage with the eminent Evan McCarthy.”
“Well, I had to ask my brother, too, but you’re the headliner,” Janey said to laughter from the others. “Just don’t tell Evan that.”
“Ohhh, blackmail,” Mac said. “I never get any dirt I can use on her.”
“If you lived a pure, pristine life like I do, I wouldn’t always have truckloads of dirt on you,” Janey said haughtily.
Joe guffawed at her comment, and Mac held up his hand. “Whatever you’re dying to say, Joseph, stifle it. That’s my baby sister.”
“It’s so nice to be out like this,” Syd said, and the others focused their attention on her. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to blurt that out.”
Maddie gave her a one-armed hug. “Don’t apologize to us. We’re thrilled to have you with us.”
For Owen’s benefit, Sydney said, “I was widowed fifteen months ago.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.”
“Had you been out at all?” Mac asked. “Before you came here?”
“Don’t ask her that,” Janey said with a chastising look for her brother.
“What? It’s a perfectly innocent question.”
Sydney smiled at their sibling banter. “It’s fine. I went out exactly once, and it was a disaster of epic proportions.”
“Okay now I have to hear this,” Janey said, settling in for the story.
The others chimed in with agreement, and Luke had to admit he was curious, too.
“After I went back to work, I started seeing this one guy everywhere—in traffic, at the gas station, in the grocery store and at the coffee shop. After we’d seen each other a few times, he was behind me in line getting coffee one day, and he leaned in and said, ‘We really have to stop meeting like this.’”
The guys groaned at the cheesy come-on.
“I hope you didn’t fall for that,” Luke said.
“Well, he had a charming smile, so I took pity on him. He asked me out to dinner, and I figured why not? I gave him my number, and we made plans. He picked me up, took me to a nice place, did the gentlemanly thing with the doors and all that.”
“I can’t imagine how this goes from polite to disaster,” Maddie said.
“It was the wine,” Sydney said with that mischievous smile Luke loved so much.
“What about it?” Maddie asked.
“He ordered soda water with lime, and when I ordered a glass of chardonnay, he got this really weird look on his face. I asked him if everything was all right. He says, ‘I didn’t realize you were a drinker.’”
The entire group erupted with laughter.
Sydney held up a hand, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight, and Luke’s heart contracted. She was so beautiful when her eyes sparkled with mirth. “You haven’t heard the best part,” she said. “I told him I’m
not
a drinker. I just like a glass of wine with dinner. He got really quiet and closed his eyes. I had no idea what he was doing. Then he opens his eyes, and says, ‘I talked to Jesus, and he said it’s fine for you to have a glass of wine with dinner.’”