“I grew up
here. I was privy to it firsthand.”
“If that’s what
you saw then you mistook your mother giving up her life for choosing what she
wanted the most in the world. Her family.”
“But I always
thought--”
“No, you
assumed. This family was and is your mother’s dream. She chose her lot in
life. Just like you’ve chosen yours. Just like I’ve chosen mine. You assumed
wrong.”
Cara closed her
eyes. She hadn't assumed everything. She hadn't assumed that Devin would have
given her a kiss so passionate the other night on the beach that her body still
reeled with its intensity. If she had known the outcome of that evening, the
effect his very touch would have had on her, she would never have willing gone
with him.
Elsie placed
her hand, more worn from age and wisdom, over Cara's. “I know how tiresome
things can be with your mother. Remember, I raised her. But she only acts the
way she does because she wants so very much for you to be happy. Besides all
you young folk have it backwards. When you’re young, you do it right and get
married. When you’re my age, you can live in sin.”
Cara couldn't
help but laugh.
“Marry him,”
Elsie said softly, a twinkle of emotion sparkling her eyes. “Devin is a good
man.”
Cara couldn't
keep her jaw from dropping in shock. “I wasn’t talking about Devin.”
“I thought you
just told me Devin asked you to marry him.”
“Roger is the
one who proposed.”
Elsie tilted an
eyebrow and scowled. “Fine Roger?”
Cara crisped.
“Yes.”
Pushing her
sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, Elsie shook her head. “And everyone is
afraid I'm the one with Alzheimer’s.”
“Come on
Grandma. I'm serious.”
Elsie shrugged
and winked. “I didn't get to be my age without being caught in a love
triangle...or three.”
“So what do you
suggest?”
“You're a smart
woman,” she said, picking up an empty box from the table and tossing it to the
floor. “I say it is high time you get out of this house and take some time for
yourself. You've been talking about going to Nantucket since you came home.
Why not go with Devin? Go as friends, if nothing else. If that's all you are
to each other, than what's the harm?”
As Elsie waltzed
out of the kitchen, sunglasses propped on her nose, Cara had the vague feeling
she'd been nothing more than a coward.
* * *
Devin killed
the ignition and sat numb in the front seat of his car, staring at the most
wonderful sight he’d seen in days. Cara was waiting for him on his front
porch. His groin tightened immediately with the memories of how he’d held her
in his arms the other night. How her soft body felt so right next to his and
how much he’d wanted to take that soul shattering kiss they'd shared to the
next level.
Bruno slapped
his tail against the leather seat, peering up at him. Reaching over to the
passenger’s side, Devin released the harness that kept the dog safely secure
and grabbed the leash. “Come on, boy.”
The dog quickly
obeyed, hobbling on three legs while favoring the bandaged one.
Cara waved. He
could tell she was nervous by the way she kept dipping her gaze and fiddling
with her fingers. Damn, he hated that. There was no reason for either one of
them to feel anything uncomfortable with each other.
He padded up
the brick path, his legs suddenly feeling like Jell-O.
“Roger
working?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
Her sweet lips
twitched. “Yeah, but in Boston this time.”
Cara bent down
and opened her arms to greet the dog. Bruno rose to the occasion by pushing
back his ears and wagging his tail against her as she lovingly caressed his
coat.
Standing up and
wiping her hands on her shorts, she said, “You haven’t been around.”
“I didn’t know
you’d come by. Why didn’t you leave a note or call?”
“I figured you
might be busy.”
He smirked,
knowing she was referring to Penny. “I’ve been working on some paperwork for
the Palmer case.”
She grinned.
“Same old Devin. I knew you couldn’t stay away from Law.”
Bruno barked,
calling Cara’s attention. She leaned over and stroked him behind the ears.
“I found his
owners.”
She snapped her
head up. “You did?”
“Yeah, I got a
call from Dr. Schroeder. Seems his owners were on vacation here over Fourth of
July weekend. He got spooked by the fireworks and ran off. They weren’t able
to find him before they left, but they’ve been calling around, trying to find
him ever since. His name is Duke.”
“Duke.” Cara
lifted the dog’s muzzle to get a good look at his mug. “You look like a Duke.”
Duke wagged his
tail harder as if liking the sound of his own name after all this time. Cara
stroked behind the dog’s ears. “So when are they picking him up?”
“This afternoon
sometime. They’re driving down from Vermont.”
Cara leaned into
him, wrapping one arm around his waist and giving a gentle squeeze. “You’re
going to miss him, huh?”
What he’d
missed was Cara and now that she was in his arms, he didn’t want to let her
go. He’d missed everything. The way her sweet scent clung to him whenever she
was near. The way his body involuntarily responded when they touched. The way
she felt so perfect in his arms right now.
He waved her
off with a shrug. “Nah. It’s just a dog.”
She eyed him
and gave him a gentle jab in the ribs. “Stuff it, Dev. You’re going to miss
this little guy.”
The only thing
he’d truly miss was Cara, as soon as she left for Boston. It was now or never
for them.
She was
fiddling with her fingers again as if she were having a hard time saying
something. “Are you chained to your paperwork or are you free to take some
time off?”
“What did you
have in mind?”
She drew in a
nervous breath. “Since Duke and Roger has left us orphaned, how about going to
Nantucket?”
# # #
Right from the
moment the ferry slipped into Steamboat Wharf, Cara knew that things would be
all right between her and Devin. The flurry of activity from the tourist at
the pier fed the anticipation she'd had in coming to Nantucket. Being with
Devin just made it all the more special.
With the ocean
breeze swirling all around them, Cara felt the emotional tension that had
plagued her for weeks ebb away. She only wished the sudden rush of excitement
she felt every time she captured one of Devin’s smoky-eyed gazes would fade.
She was sure her reaction to his touch--an innocent brush of his hand across
her back, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her face--would give her away.
But for now,
she’d be thankful that she and Devin were getting back on track. Her rattled
nerves had calmed as they swam at Madaket Beach. Located on the western-most
portion of the island, Madaket was famous for its beautiful sunsets.
They talked of
her family and her shop in Boston. But mostly, they just enjoyed the laughter
and the easy feeling of being together. It was a perfect end to an otherwise
stressful vacation.
With the
sinking bronze sun behind them, they pedaled back from Madaket along the dusty
bike path at full speed. A certain sadness that their day together was coming
to an end consumed her, but Cara pushed strong to make it back to the wharf in
time to return the bicycles and make the last ferry to Woods Hole.
Devin had
suggested to her they get a room and stay a few days, but she insisted they go
home. While it was easy and carefree to be out in the sun with Devin, she
didn’t trust herself to be alone with him in the quiet evening, where the
romance of an exotic island would surely betray her strength. Exerting force
on the pedals, Cara tried to convince herself her vigorous push was because she
had to keep up with Devin, not keep unbidden memories of their kiss on the
beach from creeping into her thoughts. But he lagged behind.
“Come on.
We’re going to miss the ferry.” Darting a glance back, she noticed Devin was
more than a bike length behind her. “Get the lead out, Dev-” Where was he?
She squeezed
the brake on her handle bars until the bike came to a screeching halt. Straddling
the bike with her sneakers planted firmly on the ground, she twisted back in
horror.
Devin’s
mountain bike lay wrenched in the middle of the dusty path. All she saw of
Devin was his legs lying flat on the gravel, his upper body buried in a patch
of high grass. She bolted to him, running alongside the bike. All the while
her heart was buried in her throat.
As Cara reached
him, she threw her bike aside and dropped to the ground beside him, digging her
knees into the gravel.
“What
happened?” she gasped.
Blood, God,
look at the blood dripping down his forehead! Fear gripped her like a vice
squeezing her chest. He wasn’t moving. With a shaky hand, she touched the
angry spot just above his eye and lightly brushed away a dusting of gravel
embedded on his skin. He groaned and her heart lifted a notch.
“Talk to me,
Devin,” she begged, just short of hysteria.
His eyes
drifted open and blinked from the sun. It was hazy, but Devin finally made out
Cara’s form hovering above him.
“Are you
okay?” Her voice was far away but the sweet scent that was uniquely her
drifted to him, making his senses come alive. He knew even before she touched
his face with her soft fingers, that she was right beside him.
“Yeah...I just
got the wind knocked out of me,” he mumbled, trying to lift his head. With the
motion, he felt the ground tilt and he slumped back. “This isn’t going to
work.”
“Give yourself
a minute.” Through squinted eyes, he saw Cara twist around frantically, as if
she were searching for something, someone. “I have to get you to a hospital.”
An hour later
they were sitting in an emergency room that looked like all the others he’d
ever seen. Bright lights hummed and the sterile stench of antiseptic hung in
the humid air.
Holding his
bloodied shirt to the sight of his wound, Devin was vaguely aware of the
admissions nurse talking to him. He and Cara sat in the seats at the front
desk, answering questions the woman then typed into the computer file. With
his head throbbing, much like he’d had the day of his lethal hangover, he was
happy when Cara took charge of the small talk.
“It’s gonna
rain tonight. I can feel it in my bones,” the woman said.
Cara forced a
smile. “You know the unpredictability of New England weather.”
The nurse
chuckled. “If you wait a minute, it’ll change. Reason for visit?”
“Exploding
head,” Devin muttered, dropping the soiled shirt he’d been using to stop the
bleeding.
The nurse
snapped her head up and studied him. “Hmm. I’d say so.” She typed a little
and asked, “Dizziness?”
“Not anymore.”
“Disorientation?”
“No.”
She leaned
over the desk and asked Cara, “Is this your first time to the island?”
Picking up his
head, Devin felt a pain stab behind his eye and shielded it from the white desk
lamp causing him harm. Burying his head in his hands, he muttered, “Can we
just get this over with, please?”
“Cuts on the
head like yours look a lot worse than they really are because they’re
bleeders. Next of kin?”
He was about
to speak, but was cut off when Cara responded.
“Cara Cavarlho,”
she told the woman.
A warm
sensation spread through him that settled in his chest, gripping him with
tender emotion. After all their time apart, Cara thought of herself as his
kin, his family. He knew he felt this connection to Cara that was so
unbelievably strong, he didn't need blood or legal papers to define it. But
knowing that Cara felt that way too made it just that much stronger. It was
the most wonderful thing he’d ever heard her say.
It hadn’t taken
more than an hour for Devin to be examined and have his wound stitched. Cara
disappeared sometime before the emergency room doctor made seven stitches to
the gash on his forehead. When he was done, he informed Devin he was free to
go. All he had to do was find Cara.
He was just
pulling on his blood stained T-shirt when Cara made it back to the examining
room.
“Where did you
run off to?”
She caught one
sight of the soiled shirt and grimaced. “We're going to have to get you
another shirt.”
“Unfortunately,
the gift shop is closed and probably a lot of the shops in town, too.”
“We have bigger
problems than getting you a shirt. I’ve been on the pay phone, trying to see
if I could find us rooms for tonight.”
He couldn't
help but smile. “You changed your mind about staying the night.”
“Since the last
ferry back to the mainland is long gone, the decision was made for me. The
only problem is, I can’t find a single room.” She threw her hands up in
frustration. “I have no idea where we’re going to sleep.”
Flinging the
hospital gown he’d been wearing to the bed, he said, “We'll find something.”
She laughed.
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve just been told it’s against the law in Nantucket
to sleep on the beach and this is the busiest time of the year. I’ve spent the
last twenty minutes on the phone and there isn’t a room available on the
island.”
He shrugged.
“People are always booking rooms and canceling at the last minute. Don’t worry
about it.”
Forty-five
minutes later they reached the Graystone Inn. They’d walked the cobbled stone
path to the front door, walking their bikes alongside of them.
The Graystone
Inn was located just off the main drag. While not along the beach like some of
the other Inns, its charm and grace was striking. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, the
owners of the Inn, greeted them as soon as they walked through the door. Devin
took charge of inquiring about a vacancy with Mrs. Patterson, while Cara spoke
to Mr. Patterson about returning their bicycles to the bike shop at the wharf.
When Mr. Patterson assured her that he would return the bikes for them, Cara
found Devin in the main foyer.