A Treasure Worth Keeping (19 page)

All along, Evie realized with sudden, painful clarity, she’d been shaped by her mother’s death instead of her life. And her father was right. Laura McBride had been an amazing woman. A dedicated police officer. And a loving mother.

“Some things are worth the risk.” Patrick looked at her intently. “Friendship. Love.”

Evie managed a smile as her heart struggled to recognize the truth she’d just discovered. “You love Sophie.”

“Jacob loves Sophie,” Patrick astounded her by saying. “And she loves him.” He chuckled. “And he just might end up being worthy of her after all.”

“Jacob and Sophie? Are you all right with that?” Unexpected tears welled up in Evie’s eyes. She’d come to love Sophie, and she’d been ready and willing to welcome her into the McBride family.

“Oh, I’m more than all right with it. I’ve been asking God for months to give two people I care about a second chance at happiness.”

Evie’s lips parted. And no sound came out. She couldn’t see Sophie and Jacob together. Sophie was deep and insightful. Jacob Cutter was, well,
Jacob Cutter.

“They remind me a little of your mother and I,” Patrick went on. “Different, but we brought out the best in each other.”

Evie forced her mind to take a detour around thoughts of Sam. She couldn’t let herself think about him right now. “Is all this talk about adventure your way of letting me know you’re not giving up on the
Noble?
”

“Absolutely. And from what Sam told me, it seems I sent the map to the right McBride daughter.”

“I was right?” Evie was momentarily distracted. “That
was
the map showing where the
Noble
sank?”

Patrick smiled in satisfaction. “I knew you’d figure it out and that you’d keep it safe. But now that I’m back, the rest of us can take over from here.”

“You’re really going to look for the ship?”

“We can’t give up now. We have to get everything in order so we can hire a dive team to go down and see if Lady Carrington’s dowry is still there. Prove that Matthew wasn’t a thief.”

“But what about Seth?” Evie asked helplessly. “You know he can’t be trusted. And he’s still lurking around somewhere, watching you.”

“We’ve got some ideas. That’s why we’re meeting at Sophie’s later. To have a planning session. But you don’t have to come along, Evie. You’re probably exhausted.” Patrick’s eyes twinkled as he hobbled away, rubbing the hip that had collided with a tree stump.

“I’ll come along,” Evie said grimly. “Planning sessions happen to be my specialty.”

And, she thought with an aching heart, it might be her last opportunity to say goodbye to Sam.

“G
od answered my prayer, Evie. I’m going back to Chicago with Grandpa and Sam tomorrow.”

Tomorrow?

Faith’s exuberant greeting pierced Evie’s heart but she reached out and hugged her. “That’s great news.”

“Grandpa called Dad and I got to talk to him. I told him about Rocky and sleeping on the boat,” Faith went on. “And I told him about you, too. He said to tell you thank-you for helping me with my homework. And for playing basketball with me.”

Evie tried to swallow around the knot in her throat as Faith towed her toward the people sitting around the crackling bonfire in Sophie’s backyard. Jacob and Sophie sat shoulder to shoulder, toasting marshmallows over the glowing embers, while Tyson stood several feet away from them, sharpening the end of a stick with his pocketknife.

For some reason, the homey scene brought tears to her eyes. Maybe her dad was right about Sophie and Jacob being good for each other. And for Tyson.

Evie’s gaze swept the yard but there was no sign of Sam anywhere.

“Sam didn’t come,” Faith told her, as if she knew who Evie was looking for. “He said he had too much packing to do if we’re leaving tomorrow. He had to cover the boat and stuff like that.”

Sam wasn’t going to say goodbye?

Evie bit down on her lip to keep it from trembling. He’d barely spoken to her after he and Jacob had returned from their “talk” but she’d assumed it was because he was still in shock over his father’s unexpected announcement.
She
could hardly comprehend that Jacob Cutter had surrendered his life to the Lord. She didn’t know what it would mean for Sam and his brother, but she had a feeling that God had separated the entire Cutter family so He could work on them one at a time!

“Evie.” Sophie rose to her feet and greeted her with a warm hug. “I was hoping you’d come over this evening with your father. Even though it might be kind of boring talking permits—”

“And strategy.” Jacob chortled. “Tyson may have to pretend to be on Lansky’s side for another few weeks so we can keep an eye on him and see what he’s up to.”

That sounded a little dangerous to Evie, but she saw the first real smile she’d ever seen on Tyson’s face. “Boring? Are you kidding? Count me in.”

Evie took a deep breath. “Me, too.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Patrick came up and linked his arm through hers. “I don’t want to take up any more of your summer—you said you had plans.”

Plans. Yes, she did have plans. To paint her front door and read through a stack of books. And do some gardening. And she fully intended to check off every one of those things on her list…

After they found the
Noble.

“Special delivery for Evangeline McBride.”

Evie heard the mischievous tone in her father’s voice and set aside the box of china she’d been unpacking.

“I hope it’s iced tea because I’m—” Her voice trailed off when she saw the huge bouquet of summer flowers in Patrick’s arm. Daisies. Roses. Snap dragons. Lavender. All nestled together in a cloud of airy white tulle. “Where did those come from?”

“A florist, I suppose.” Patrick smiled at her. “A deliveryman just brought them to the house.” He transferred them into her waiting arms and Evie buried her face in the scented blooms.

“There’s a card.”

“I know.” But she didn’t want to read it. Already tears clawed at the backs of her eyes. It had been almost a month since the Cutters had left. She knew Patrick and Jacob kept in contact, but it was as if Sam Cutter had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Or maybe just from your life.

And hadn’t she wanted it that way? There couldn’t be a future for her and Sam. It was one thing to venture beyond the perimeters she’d put around her life, another to deliberately risk her heart by starting a relationship with a police officer. That was something she didn’t think she’d ever be ready for.

“Why don’t you put those in some water and I’ll finish unpacking the boxes?”

Maybe the flowers weren’t from Sam. Maybe Caitlin had sent them as a guilt offering for not being able to visit over the Fourth of July. Or Meghan. Sometimes she did things like send flowers or chocolates for no particular reason other than to “celebrate the day” as she called it.

Evie walked up to the house and let herself inside through the patio door. Vase first. Card later. She carefully unwrapped the filmy netting and the layer of tissue paper underneath it. The tiny linen envelope fell out, drifting gracefully to the table. Reminding her it was there.

“I’ll get to you in a minute.”

She put the flowers in water and took her time arranging them in an ironstone vase. And then she wiped up the table and rinsed out the dishcloth.

With fingers that shook, she finally tore open the envelope and pulled out the small square of paper inside.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!—2 Corinthians 5:17

Evie sagged against the counter as she stared at the signatures.

And Sam.

In the same tidy script he’d used to sign his name were two more words.
Thank you.

Overwhelmed, Evie sagged against the counter.

All of them, Lord?

And then she burst into tears.

“He’s a good man, Evie.” Patrick draped her cardigan around her shoulders and settled down on the dock beside her.

“I know.” Evie’s gaze didn’t shift away from the deep blue seam where the water met the sky in the distance.

Shortly after reading the card, she’d driven to Cooper’s Landing and walked to the end of the dock. The
Natalie,
preening in a bright yellow canvas cover, bobbed a greeting. For a minute, she’d let herself remember the strength in Sam’s hands as they’d covered hers while she steered the boat out of the harbor.

“Did I imagine it, or was there something happening between you and Sam?”

Something she’d walked away from. Evie drew a careful breath. “We’re too different, Dad.”

“Are you sure that’s the real reason?”

She should have known her father would see through to the truth. “I was too young to realize how dangerous Mom’s job was until she didn’t come home that day, but now I do
know.
And I can’t do it.” Evie twisted her fingers together in her lap. “God brought me to Cooper’s Landing to help Faith. I’m happy Sam is a Christian now but that doesn’t mean we’re meant to be together.”

“I love you to pieces, Evie, but ever since your mother died you’ve tried to cocoon yourself from anything that might be painful. And I know I’m partially to blame for going along with it. You won’t even go barefoot on the beach.”

“That’s because there might be broken glass in the sand,” Evie muttered in her own defense.

Patrick smiled gently. “The last few weeks, I’ve seen changes in you. Good ones. And I’d like you to consider something. Maybe God didn’t bring you here for Faith and Sam. Maybe He brought Faith and Sam here for
you.
”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “It might be too late, Dad. He didn’t even say goodbye.”

Patrick patted her knee. “Maybe because he hoped it wouldn’t be.”

“Hey, Chief. Mrs. Mattson called and wants us to check out a suspicious truck parked outside her house again.”

Sam’s chair creaked in protest as he leaned back. “Does this one happen to have the words FedEx printed on the side, too?”

Officer Tony Faller laughed. “I don’t know. But I’ll take care of it.”

“Let me.” Sam rose to his feet, once again battling a familiar restlessness that had dogged him the past few weeks. “I could use a change of scenery from the city budget right about now.”

“Yeah.” Tony made a face. “Sorry about that. It was one thing watching over the town, another one taking on the city council and all those numbers. All I can say is I’m glad you’re back.”

“You did a great job. At least now I know I can take a leave of absence if necessary.” Sam suppressed a smile when he saw the panic in Tony’s eyes, but he couldn’t help giving the officer a hard time.

Tony had been employed at the Summer Harbor P.D. for only three years, and the mayor had questioned Sam’s choice of men to take his place during the month he was in Cooper’s Landing. But Sam had pushed and eventually got his way. In personality and dedication, Tony reminded Sam of Dan.

Thanks, Lord.

Every time his brother came to mind, it was the only thing Sam could say. Two simple words, but they came from the depths of his soul.

He still couldn’t believe the changes in his family. In a lot of ways, he felt like Dan. Like he was starting from scratch. What had Evie said? Moment by moment? Breath by breath? He hadn’t understood what she meant at the time. But now he did.

A hundred times over the past few weeks, he’d wanted to call Evie and fill her in on Dan’s progress. But she hadn’t made any attempt to contact him since he’d left Cooper’s Landing, and that told him, more than anything, exactly where they stood.

Apart.

Even after he’d sent her a bouquet of flowers, she hadn’t called or sent a note.

After that, he carefully avoided asking questions about Evie when Jacob called. He knew that, thanks to Tyson, Seth Lansky was being formally charged for possession of stolen property, while Bruce Mullins claimed Seth had acted entirely on his own. Sam even heard subtle references to Jacob’s budding romance with Sophie. But Jacob didn’t mention Evie, and Sam assumed she’d gone home, as planned.

It was clear that even though they now shared the same faith, Evie didn’t see them sharing anything else.

“Not even a pizza,” Sam muttered.

“You want to order a pizza?”

“No.” He and Tony were friends but he wasn’t ready to talk about Evie yet. “I was talking to myself.”

“Michelle says you’ve been doing that a lot lately,” Tony said, a glint in his eyes.

“Really?” Sam stalked toward the door, careful not to open it so quickly that Michelle, who probably had her ear pressed against it, would fall over. “What else does Michelle say?”

Tony followed him out. “That you sent flowers to someone name Evangeline McBride.”

Sam stared at him in disbelief. “How does she know that?”

Tony shrugged. “She and the florist are second cousins.”

“I should have stayed in Chicago.”

Michelle, his loyal secretary and the department’s efficient dispatcher, pretended to file papers when he rounded the corner.

“Cousins, huh?” He arched an eyebrow as he strode past.

“You weren’t supposed to tell him!” She pouted at Tony, who winked at her.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to check out the suspicious truck on Mrs. Mattson’s street and then I’m going to stop home for a few minutes.” Sam took his sunglasses out of his pocket and shook them open before reaching the door.

“Oh, that’s right,” Michelle called after him. “My mother’s aunt Thelma reupholsters furniture and she said you can drop the recliner off anytime this weekend.”

“Thanks.” He planned to make his brother pay for the damages Rocky had inflicted on his favorite chair. In a moment of what Sam could only claim as temporary insanity, he’d offered to take care of Rocky until Dan came home. Rachel had changed her mind about having a dog in the house but the hours she and Faith spent with Dan at the rehab center weren’t conducive to training an active puppy.

Neither were his, but he’d offered anyway.

Rocky missed his littermates and didn’t like being cooped up all day, so he’d taken out his frustration on Sam’s recliner. And a pair of boots. And the leg of a coffee table.

“I’ll be back later. Don’t call me unless it’s an absolute emergency.”

“Absolute emergency. Got it.”

Sam glanced over his shoulder and saw Michelle curtsey and Tony salute.

Comedians. Both of them.

Sam rolled his eyes but tamped down the laughter welling up inside him. The price he paid for being the chief of police in a small town. And he loved it.

If only he could convince Evie that she would love it, too.