“I know his name. I just don’t remember it. For heaven’s sake, Ashley, I’m not sixteen. It’s just dinner in a public place.”
“But he’s a stranger.”
“You worry too much.”
“And you don’t worry enough. It’s raining out there, too.”
Caroline realized her sister’s agitation had more to do with the storm than with her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Ashley said evasively. “I came to check on you.”
“Fine here, too.”
“Well, good. Why don’t you cancel your date and have dinner with Kate and me instead?”
“Kate has Dad on her couch.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t say anything,” Caroline warned her.
“I wasn’t going to. What could I say, anyway?” Silence fell between them as they both avoided a subject neither wanted to cover. “Did you want anything else?” Caroline prodded.
“Yes. Rumor has it you’re dating Mike Stanaway.”
“So what if I am?”
“He’s too old for you. And isn’t he still married?”
“He’s separated.”
“Caroline --“
“Ashley, I have work to finish. You don’t have anything to worry about. Mike and I are just friends. Trust me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now, I really need to finish Peggy’s hair.”
“I guess I’ll see you later,” Ashley said after a moment. “But I think you should be careful about meeting this strange guy.”
“He’s not strange. He’s just a stranger.”
Ashley didn’t look convinced as she said good-bye to her sister and dashed out of the salon into the rain.
“He’s not a stranger, exactly. I have his name written right here,” Erica said triumphantly, holding up the appointment book. “Tyler Jamison. Now you know who he is.”
Caroline’s stomach flipped over. Tyler Jamison? Wasn’t that the name of the reporter Kate had warned her about? Don’t let yourself get taken in. Kate’s voice rang through her head. Caroline frowned. She hated it when her sister was right.
“Yeah, now I know who he is,” she said heavily. And she also knew exactly what she had to do.
“So what was it about me that made you think I was the most gullible? Because I’m the youngest? Because I have a reputation of being an airhead? What was it exactly?” Caroline set her purple purse on the table in front of Tyler, then sat down across from him in the lounge of the Castaway.
“You’ve spoken to your sister.” Tyler took a drink from his frosted beer glass. He’d had a feeling Caroline would catch on to him sooner rather than later. But he’d taken a shot, and in the end he’d gotten what he wanted. She was sitting across from him. Mad as hell, maybe, but definitely within conversational distance. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” he asked as a waiter came up to take her drink order. “Our table won’t be ready for a few minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll have a mineral water,” Caroline said, forcing a tight smile as she said hello to the waiter. “Hi, Bobby. How are you?”
“Great,” Bobby said. “No wine for you, tonight?”
“Just the mineral water.” She turned back to Tyler. “And I won’t be staying for dinner.”
Tyler hoped he could change her mind. “Why don’t we start over? I’m Tyler Jamison.”
“What do you want?” Caroline asked. “And why didn’t you just tell me who you were when you came into the salon? I knew your hair didn’t really need cutting, but I thought you were one of those types who has to have his hair perfect at all times.”
Tyler put a self-conscious hand to his head, aware that he hadn’t even looked at his hair since walking four blocks to the restaurant in the wind and rain.
“I can see I was wrong about that,” Caroline said.
Tyler smiled. “Listen, I probably should have introduced myself, but you were busy, and your sister gave me the cold shoulder earlier, so I thought it might be better if we had a chance to speak in private. I did give my name to the receptionist at the salon. I didn’t realize you weren’t aware who I was.” Actually, he had realized early on in their conversation but had decided to see how far he could take it.
Caroline appeared somewhat mollified, but she still had her arms crossed defiantly in front of her. “Fine. What is it you want to know?”
“I’d like to write a follow-up story about your family and the race, what happened then, what’s happening now. I’d put the photograph of the three of you holding the Winston trophy right next to a photograph of the three of you today. Show where you are in your lives now, how the race may have changed you, that kind of thing. Where-are-they-now pieces are quite popular these days.”
“I’m sure Kate told you we weren’t interested.”
“I thought you might have a different opinion. And I didn’t think you’d want your older sister to speak for you.”
Caroline sat up straighter in her seat. Tyler could see he’d hit a nerve with that one. Caroline was not about to let Kate speak for her, that was quite clear. He had a feeling this sister was his way into the family.
“I speak for myself,” she replied. “But, that said, I can’t imagine what you’d write about us that would be at all interesting. We’re not exactly living a wild and crazy life here on Castleton Island.”
“True, but I’d like to know how hard or how easy it was to go from sailboat racer to hair stylist.”
Caroline gave him a wide, toothy grin that made her look young, fresh, full of life. “That sounds like a headline that will sell about ten copies. Tell me something. Are you even a good reporter?”
“I’ve done all right,” he said, biting back a smile. “And the value of the article would, of course, depend on how forthcoming you and your sisters are with the interesting details that people want to know.”
“I barely remember the details now. Our journey was well documented in the logs we showed to the press at the end of the race.”
“I’ve seen them—a page-turning discussion of the fish world, a little about your struggles with a geometry correspondence class, Ashley’s reluctance to put a worm on a fishhook, and Kate’s fascination with the brightness of the stars and planets as seen from each of the different hemispheres. Incredibly juicy stuff.
“Hey, I told you we were boring. Even when we were racing, there were a lot of days at sea where nothing happened. You’ve heard the expression -- in the doldrums? We got stuck in them for days. Just lying there waiting and praying for a wisp of wind to get us on our way. Sometimes I wanted to scream or pull out a paddle and start rowing. Once Kate and I did that just to be funny. Dad wasn’t amused. Thought we were breaking the rule about not using anything other than our sails.”
“You and Kate, huh? Are you two the closest?”
“We’re sisters.”
“That’s not what I asked.” He paused. “I haven’t met Ashley yet. What’s she like?”
“Quiet, pretty, sensitive. But I didn’t come down here to tell you that.”
“Why did you come?”
“Because I said I would. And because I didn’t want you to think I was an idiot. I’m not. I was just distracted earlier. Otherwise, I would have seen right through you.” Caroline lifted her chin in the air, the gesture filled with bravado.
Tyler nodded approvingly. “I understand, and I like your style.” But he thought her words had an edge of desperation to them, as if she wanted to make sure he understood that she was smart and capable. He had a feeling Caroline had been trying to prove herself for some time.
“I don’t care if you like me or you don’t. That’s the end of our discussion. I’m not interested in a story, and my sisters aren’t, either.”
Tyler considered her words, then leaned forward in his chair. “You know, Miss McKenna, you and your sister are awfully secretive for no apparent reason. Most people who win races love to talk about them.’’
“So go talk to them.”
“Can’t. My curiosity is piqued.”
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“Hmm, what should I make of that?”
“It’s just an expression.” She paused as the waiter set down her mineral water. “I really can’t stay,” she said when they were alone again.
“Why don’t you have your drink and give me the opportunity to change your mind?”
“That won’t happen. I’m not as gullible as some people seem to think.”
“Like Kate,” he said, taking a wild guess.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re the baby sister. Did Kate try to boss you around when you were at sea?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “She bosses me wherever we are.”
“But on a boat, in close quarters, I would imagine not everyone gets to be chief.”
“Daddy was the chief.”
“Daddy,” he murmured, taking another sip of his beer. “I met him earlier, you know -- your father. He was three sheets to the wind.”
“His favorite place to be.” Caroline picked up her glass, running her finger around the edge. “But he’s a good man. He did his best by us. And he did accomplish an amazing feat. People forget that nowadays.”
Tyler put his elbows on the table and leaned in, sensing he’d just gotten the opening he needed. “They won’t forget if you let me tell the story again, and not just that story, but the one you’re living now. Your father could have it all back, the glory days of his life. What’s the harm in that?” Caroline didn’t reply right away, and he could see the indecision in her eyes. “This could be a good thing for you and your family.”
Before she could answer, a loud group of men entered the lounge, their voices high and filled with energy.
“Damn,” Caroline muttered, looking past him. “Just what I need.”
Tyler followed her gaze to the four men sitting down at a table near the door. “Friends of yours?”
“Kiwis,” she said.
Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Are we talking fruit here?”
“New Zealanders.”
“Ah. And we don’t like Kiwis?”
“My father is an Aussie. There’s a long-standing rivalry between Aussies and Kiwis in ocean racing,” she explained, tensing even further as one of the men approached their table.
“Caroline,” he said in a loud, boisterous voice. “Just the person I was looking for. Did you hear who’s coming to town?”
“Do I care?”
“You should. Or at least your father should.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Moon Dancer is a last-minute entry in the race. She should be here by Monday.”
Tyler watched Caroline’s face pale as the news registered. The Moon Dancer was the name of the McKennas’ boat. Now it was back, apparently with a different owner. He didn’t know the significance of this news, but it seemed to disturb Caroline.
“That’s not possible,” she said.
“Oh, but it is, and guess who bought it?” The man paused dramatically. “Good old K.C. Wales. I can’t wait to see Duncan’s face when he finds out his nemesis is coming to town on his boat.”
“He won’t care a bit.”
The sailor laughed. “Yeah, sure. See you around.”
“That’s your boat he was talking about, right?” Tyler asked as the man left.
“What?” Caroline sent him a blank look.
“Your boat. The Moon Dancer. The one you sailed around the world.”
“Yes, it was our boat,” Caroline said slowly. “I can’t believe that K.C. bought it, or that he’s bringing it here. My dad will go crazy when he sees her. Kate, too. And Ashley…” Caroline shook her head. “This is bad, very bad.”
“Why?’
“A lot of memories. I should tell my father and my sisters.” She started to get up, then sat back down in her seat. “I don’t want to tell them.”
“Why not?”
“Because it will hurt. I don’t have the stomach for it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Three ear piercings, a tattoo on your shoulder, a naval ring, and you don’t have the stomach for a little pain?”
“Not that kind of pain.” She frowned at the mineral water in front of her. “I need a real drink.”
“I’ll get you one.” He put up his hand to motion for the waiter.
“No. Wait, never mind,” she said hurriedly. Tyler put down his hand.
“I’d rather eat instead. I wonder when our table will be ready?”
“I can check.”
“I’ll do that. Is it under your name or an alias?”
“My name.” He watched her walk away. She was careful not to go near the bar, but he did see her fling a somewhat desperate look in that direction. Was Caroline a drinker? She’d said she’d wanted a drink, but then changed her mind. And the waiter had seemed surprised she’d ordered a mineral water. Not that it meant anything, but her behavior was a bit off, he thought. As a reporter, he’d become very good at paying attention to the details. It wasn’t what a subject said or did that was important but what they didn’t say or didn’t do.
With an alcoholic father, it was certainly possible that Caroline had her own problems with alcohol. He made a mental note to check it out. Mark would definitely want that information. Tyler raised his beer glass to his lips. He had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
Kate opened her door just before nine o’clock that night to find Caroline on the porch. It was a little surprising, since none of her family was prone to dropping in, to suddenly have Ashley in the kitchen making tea, Duncan in the living room sleeping it off, and Caroline on her doorstep looking guilty about something. “You talked to him, didn’t you?”
“He didn’t tell me his name right away,” Caroline said defensively as she entered the hallway. “Where’s Dad?”
“Can’t you hear the snoring?”
Caroline peeked into the living room where their father lay sprawled on his back amid Kate’s fluffy sofa cushions. “He looks tired. And his face is all red.”
Kate followed her younger sister’s gaze and saw exactly what Caroline saw and more, not just the weary lines, or the red face, but the thin translucent skin on his arms and hands, the lack of meat on his bones. Their father had always been big and stronger than most, but he was fading away like an old photograph, and she didn’t know how to make it stop.
“We should do something for him,” Caroline said, echoing Kate’s thoughts.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, something. He looks pathetic. I don’t like seeing him like this.”
Duncan had always been Caroline’s hero, even when he was at his most un-heroic. Most of the time, Kate tried to protect Caroline from seeing moments such as these. Perhaps that had been a mistake. But she was so used to being the big sister she couldn’t stop the nurturing instincts from kicking into gear.