Read Return to Gray Harbor Online
Authors: J.J. Bryant
Beth couldn’t believe the nerve! He seriously thought he could just come back and pick up where they left off? What happened in New York? She guessed she would never know, cause she certainly wasn’t going to speak to Michael again, she thought, as she stormed into the kitchen.
“Whoa, Whoa! What’s up with you?” said Lisa with a slightly bewildered look.
“Thank God I’m not trying to cook a soufflé or something, you’re stomping around like a crazed beast.”
“CRAZED BEAST! Seriously? Lisa, he’s ridiculous!”
“Gotcha, so he did get to you, what’s up?” said Lisa, her expression much more relaxed.
“Arrghh. He tried to say that he went to New York for work, that he was understanding when I couldn’t see him because of the bike tour, but I mean, how does that even compare? We hadn’t even been on a date yet!”
Both Lisa and Beth were silent for a moment.
“Is that all he said?” Lisa said, while looking innocent. “I mean, he didn’t say anything else?”
Beth looked at her wryly. “You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”
“Well ... um, yes, yes, I was.”
“Okay, fine. He also said I was a big part of the reason he decided to make a move to Maine.”
“Interesting.”
“Geez, Lisa, just spit it out. What are you trying to say?”
“Well, I mean it’s just interesting that the guy managed to potentially quit his job and pack up his whole life in New York in four days and came to see you to tell you that after just one date with you,” said Lisa, with a knowing glance.
Beth was annoyed now. Could Lisa be right? Could Michael really have packed up his life and moved back here for her? She couldn’t think about it now. She had too much to do and she needed to focus on the tasks at hand. There would be plenty of time later to think things through.
Now what, he thought to himself again. Somehow 'now what' ended up being Michael alone at the local dive bar, drinking alone in the afternoon. He replayed the scene with Beth over again in his head as he chugged the rest of his beer. He looked at the empty bottle and thought to himself, “Why are women so frustrating!”
“Bartender!” Michael called out to the burly man in a red plaid shirt who was minding the bar. “Can I get another beer and a scotch neat?”
“Sure thing, buddy.” The bartender tipped the bill of his ball cap and then grabbed Michael a beer and poured a scotch. He set the drinks in front of Michael and then made his way to the other side of the bar. Michael stared at his drinks before picking up his scotch and starting to drink. He liked this; he was starting to feel numb. Like before Beth, he had felt this way. He’d been going through the past thirteen years of his life completely numb, like a machine. Just going through the motions of his personal life and pushing himself to the limits professionally. He tried to think back to when he became this way, as he took the last sip of his scotch and started on his beer. He guessed it had started not long after Jesse’s death. He always had to remain in control of his feelings and emotions and just do what was expected. And finally, when he couldn’t take that anymore, he ran away. Just like he had done with Beth.
He took another sip of his now second glass of scotch ... or was it his third? He thought to himself that he never really told Beth how he felt. He knew he felt a connection between them but it had all happened so fast.
Michael grumbled to himself as he pounded away another beer and called the bartender over. He started on his, what was it now? He had no idea how many drinks he had had at this point. But he knew he had stop. He looked at his watch. It was nearly ten. He looked around the bar, which had really filled out. He paid his tab and stumbled out of the bar, which was really no more than a ramshackle cottage with dirt parking spaces. He walked over to his car and leaned against it.
No, he wouldn’t do it. He wasn’t going to drive. Too much tragedy had already happened in his life and he wasn’t going to get behind the wheel in his present state. He picked up his cellphone and dialed Annie’s number.
“Annie! It’s me, Michael,” he said, slightly slurring his words.
“I went to the Inn. It was bad, now I am at the dive bar next to the ice cream shop and I can’t drive.” He started to feel nauseous.
He hung up, all he could hear was crackling on the other end of the line. Oh, well, he thought he’d get there on his own, or maybe Annie would call back. He put his keys in his pocket and stumbled towards home. It was several miles away but he could make it.
Beth looked up at the clock in the Inn’s kitchen—eleven o’clock She couldn’t believe it. It had felt like years since Michael had come by and they talked. She felt like an idiot. Four days wasn’t really that much time, all things considered. And they had only gone out on one date technically, even though it felt like so much more. Maybe she overreacted? She had let her temper get the better of her. Was she really going to let her temper and her pride get in the way of something that could be so much more than she dreamed? Love. She was scared but in their brief time together, Beth was feeling things she hadn’t ever felt before. She didn’t want to give those feelings a name necessarily or say them out loud ... but she was interested in Michael and she did want to give it another chance. She just had to stop playing games and pick up the phone.
She reached for her phone but before she could begin to dial, it rang, Beth jumped, startled. She saw Annie’s name on the display screen and answered.
“Hello?” Beth strained to hear over some static.
“Beth! Thank God! Are you with my brother? Have you seen him today at all?”
Worry started to set in. “Well, yes I saw him early this afternoon but we ...” She was embarrassed to say it. “We … we had an argument and I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”
“So he hasn’t come by?”
“No.”
“Great, well, he called me and he mentioned the Inn, he mentioned a bar by the ice cream shop, and then he said bye. He sounded ridiculously drunk, and his car is missing.”
“Oh, God,” exclaimed Beth. She couldn’t lose another person she loved. Oh, God, she said it. She loved Michael, and she would not lose him to some stupid car accident. Suddenly she was in control.
“Okay, Annie. Let’s calm down. There are only a few places he would go, right? Here at the Inn, your parents’ house, or the market. Let’s start there. I’ll check the Inn and the bar he mentioned. You check the market and your parents’ house. Call me if you find anything, and I’ll do the same, okay?”
“Thanks, Beth, you’re right. Let’s stay calm. I’ll get in my car now and check. I’ll call you soon.”
With that they hung up the phone and Beth went in search of her car keys. She hoped she could find Michael before it was too late.
Michael had hit his head and there was blood, lots of it. He felt a pain in his side. What was going on? He slowly lifted himself up. He felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He looked around at his surroundings. No truck, no anything, just him on the side of the roadway. He slowly took off his t-shirt, careful to not hurt his ribs.
“Arrgh. What the hell did I do?” He looked around now as he bunched up his t-shirt and compressed his head. From the looks of it, he had stumbled as he walked along the roadway and hit his head while tumbling over the metal rails lining the roadways. He reached around for his phone. He must have lost it in his fall. He would look for it but that seemed too hard right now.
“Focus, Michael, focus,” he said to himself.
He leaned against the metal rails and with one hand, he held his shirt to his bleeding head and with the other, he hitchhiked. Well, at least he didn’t drive.
“Anne, It’s me, Beth,” she said frantically.
“He’s nowhere near the Inn and his car is still at the bar!”
“So he’s on foot, then. Okay, not good, but better then him driving.”
“So now what?” asked Beth, fear creeping into her voice.
“Okay, let’s try to stay calm. I am going to drive slowly up to my parents. Do me a favor and call the hospitals, just in case?”
“Okay, but call me as soon as you find out anything,” said Beth.
They hung up and Beth wandered from the bar to the Malone home at a snail’s pace in her car. She hoped Michael was okay. She couldn’t believe it, one minute she wanted him out of her life and the next, she was worried about living life without him. She followed the bend in the road and came upon a car and an ambulance on her left. She pulled her car up behind them and quickly got out. She saw Annie standing beside the ambulance.
“Annie,” Beth shouted and waved as she ran up.
Annie saw Beth and pulled her in to a hug, she was sobbing.
“Thank God. Thank God, he’s okay. My idiot brother, who walks in the dark after drinking like that!”
Beth breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Annie back.
“So he’s okay?”
“See for yourself, they’re just loading him in.”
She turned around and saw him on a gurney. Oh, my God, she thought, did she drive him to this? No, she wouldn’t blame herself for this. She was glad he seemed okay, and when she was sure of that, she’d give her a piece of her mind; she had been worried sick!
“Michael! You’re okay!”
He turned his head as they were loading him in and mumbled, somewhat deliriously, “Beth ...”
Beth turned to Annie. “Annie, I’ll follow him to the hospital and make sure he’s all right tonight.
“All right, that works,” said Annie, as she watched the EMTs shut the ambulance doors.
Beth gave Annie an understanding nod. “Don’t worry, Annie, I have it covered.”
“I’ll come to the hospital with you, he’s going to be okay, Beth. I know what you’re thinking, this isn’t your fault.” Annie sighed and tried to put a cheerful face. “That knucklehead in the ambulance is the one who is to blame, but let’s forget that now and just go.”
Twenty minutes later, Beth and Annie were at the hospital. Annie went in directly with Michael while Beth stayed in the waiting room. Three hours later, Michael was discharged. He looked awful. Annie clutched his arm and walked him out, as Michael winced with pain.
Before Beth could say a word, Annie said, “So he has a few broken ribs, stitches on his hairline, but no concussion...thank God.”
She shook her head and looked at her brother. “I got to give it to you, Mikey, you never do anything half-assed. When you break something, you do good work.”
He grumbled out to her and was about to say something when he saw Beth.
“Beth, I ...”
“All right, well, I’m going to get some coffee, do either of you want some ... um, okay ... I’m going now.” Annie quickly walked away without another word for once.
“Michael.” Beth turned to him and touched his face.
He wore a pained expression. “Beth, I can explain ...”
“Don’t. There will be plenty of time to talk later, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Beth, I’m so, so sorry. I was an idiot.” He looked at her pleadingly.
She smiled faintly and said, “Yes, yes you are, Mr. Malone. You are quite possibly the biggest idiot in all of Maine … but for some reason, I’m still willing to give you a chance.”
She was silent and starred down at the floor.
He reached out for her. “Beth, one of the big reasons I’m back in Maine to stay is you.” He paused. “I tried to tell you earlier, but I was an idiot.”
“You’re here to stay?” She was softening a bit.
“Yes.”
She was weary but she couldn’t suppress the excitement bubbling inside her.
“All I could think about was that was I holding on to my life in New York and these people who didn’t care about me when I had you and my family here in Maine.”
Beth listened carefully.
“You have been the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thing before I go to bed each night. Give me a chance to show you how right we can be for each other?”
He looked at her searchingly.
Beth looked back at Michael as he inched closer and she saw how sincere he looked.
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “But you’re going to have to think of a way to make this up to me.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. They parted and Michael said, “I’ll enjoy making it up to you every day for the rest of our lives.”
Michael leaned over and kissed Beth. It felt like he was finally home for the first time.
After spending years working in the fast-paced business world, author J.J. Bryant is happy to be living her dream of writing romance. She has her MBA and you may see her bring a little of that experience into the lives of her characters. J.J. Bryant grew up in New England and loves hiking and biking with her family and her miniature schnauzer puppy.
You can find J.J. on the web at: