Out of the Storm (16 page)

“Patience is a virtue, Kylie,” he said sternly.

“Huh?” She looked confused. He burst into laughter. This was his second false alarm of the evening. He was too damn jumpy—swinging at shadows.

“Nothing. Just something us old folks say,” he said as she hopped under the covers and made room for him on the bed.

“Uncle Eric.” Kylie said thoughtfully after considering his words. “You’re not
that
old.”

“Thanks, Kylie.” He chuckled under his breath as he picked out a book and headed to her bed.

They said her prayers and read her favorite book, a story called
Naughtily Natalie
that
Lu and
the girls had bought at the store.

“Good night, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams.” He was almost out of the room when the patter of tiny feet caused him to turn.

Kylie grabbed him tightly around the legs. “I love you so much, Uncle Eric.”

Eric turned, holding her tightly and swallowing hard as he felt the lump in his throat. “I love you too, honey,” he whispered. “Very much.”

Eric turned on the teddy-bear night light and blew Kylie a kiss as she wrapped the covers around her shoulders. He did his nightly check while Rusty found a convenient tree. The street was empty. Eric closed, locked, and bolted the door, then stood against it, exhaling deeply. He looked at the alarm system and activated it.

He stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking up. Eric mounted the steps quietly and knocked softly as he turned the knob, opening Ashley’s door.

She lay, eyes closed, facing him, her breathing rhythmic. The faint odor of beer hung in the room. He crossed the room and cracked the window. A lazy breeze blew in from Nantucket Sound.

Suddenly Eric knew why he felt so strongly about Ashley. Her vulnerability. She was hurt, lonely, and needed someone desperately. He needed her, too, maybe more so. It occurred to Eric that he wasn’t alone anymore.

He thought about the last week and everything that had happened. Cars that had suddenly appeared on the street. The strange phone calls. Were Ashley and Kylie in danger? Was he? Or was this a product of an overactive imagination? It appeared that way tonight. He stood frozen, watching her, knowing what it meant if he stayed in her room.

She stirred and opened her eyes. “Hi,” Ashley whispered, closing her eyes and dozing off again after a sleepy smile.

Eric pulled the quilt up wrapping it tightly around her. He tiptoed to the chair across from her bed and sat down, unable to take his eyes from her face. Eric wanted to forget the secrets, the half-truths, the questions that nagged him. He wanted to trust her. He’d fallen under her spell. Eric never believed in witchcraft, but Ashley had certainly bewitched him.

****

The early sun filtered in, making random designs on the throw rugs as it peeked through her sheer curtains. Eric awoke slowly, looking around as he remembered falling asleep in Ashley’s room. His tight muscles cried for help after spending the night in the overstuffed easy chair next to her dresser. He caught sight of the digital clock on her night table: 6:04 a.m. It occurred to Eric that this was the first time he’d slept through the night in weeks.

He could hear her rhythmic breathing as she turned in her sleep. Eric raised himself and watched as she lay snug and cozy under the thick quilt. She looked so peaceful, so content. Eric closed his eyes for a minute, knowing he should get up, stretch out the stiffness and head to the bathroom, but…

“Time to get up, sleepy head.” She stood over him, whispering. Her early-morning drawl sounded deep and sexy. Very sexy. And he loved it. Her eyes found his as she kissed his cheek softly, letting her lips drift across his face. “We have a big day ahead of us. I am goin’ to fix
you
a special breakfast.” She began to walk away, then turned and showed him her best smile. “Thanks for always takin’ care of us…” She paused, adding, “…of me.”

His eyes followed her as he swallowed deeply. For the first time in months, Eric was glad to wake up.

Chapter Eighteen

Eric glanced at his watch: 6:52. He heard the commotion downstairs. Stiffness filled his limbs. Stretching would have been great, a run to loosen up even better, but there was no time.

“Uncle Eric. Come on. Mama’s got breakfast ready,” Kylie called from the foot of the stairs.

After leaving Ashley’s room, he showered and shaved at warp-speed, pulled on clean jeans and a dark-blue polo shirt with South Side Marina stitched over the pocket. As he rushed downstairs, the smell of food and coffee brewing drifted up the stairway. Mouthwatering. Ashley was spoiling him. He stumbled over Rusty hovering on the bottom step.

“Hey, buddy,” he complained, giving the little spaniel a cross look as he stumbled. “No time for a run this morning,” Eric told his canine companion, wondering if Rusty understood his explanation.

“Sorry. Rusty, get off those stairs,” Ashley scolded the little spaniel as she gave him a gentle nudge with her sneaker. “He likes you,” she said, grinning as she nodded toward Rusty. She shrugged and put down a plate of bacon and eggs for him. The dog wagged his stubby tail like a pendulum and followed his mistress as she guided him toward the back door.

Ashley wore a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. She looked downright professional.

“Made you something special this morning,” Ashley said softly, licking thick batter off her fingers. “Blueberry pancakes,” she announced proudly. “Think you’ll like ’em.”

“Sounds great,” Eric said, remembering how he’d felt as he carried her into the house and later, when he’d sat watching her. Love was the word he’d used. He wanted to deny it. But in only a few days Ashley had stirred emotions that had lain dormant for a long time. Could he be wrong about Ashley? Were all his suspicions and the things that had happened just coincidence? When she spoke, Eric sensed sincerity. There was something so open and caring about her. She was different than any woman he’d ever known.

“Do the pancakes look okay?” Ashley asked.

“Out of this world,” Eric enthused, realizing that he’d begun to compare Ashley with Elaine. Being such polar opposites made it difficult. It was so soon and he knew so little about Ashley. Besides, he rationalized, one enjoyable evening fueled by too many beers did not a relationship make!

Ashley looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Don’t want to be late on our first day,” she said, concern on her face as they joined hands and quickly blessed the meal. Eric caught her smile as her hand tightened around his. Ashley finished the prayer and they dug in. The food tasted as good as it smelled. Better.

He watched the two faces staring back at him as they gulped their eggs. “Slow down, everyone. Slow down. Don’t worry about the clock,” he assured them. “I’m the boss.”

After cleaning up at warp speed, the three of them piled into Eric’s Jeep, pulling into the marina parking lot at 7:50. In the three years since his return to the Cape, it had been transformed. Once a tired, ramshackle assemblage of shacks, it had emerged as a thriving, vibrant business. The buildings and grounds showed attention and pride. Driving through the gate, Eric enjoyed watching Ashley and Kylie stare, eyes wide as saucers.

“All this is yours?” Ashley whispered, looking at him. She wore the look of a child in a toy store. Eric loved her ability to find pleasure in the simplest, most mundane things. He watched as she studied the marina property, turning toward him with an excited smile. He reveled in her admiration.

He parked in front of the office and boat store he’d opened two years ago. The three of them walked slowly up the gravel path, bordered by a freshly painted white picket fence. An expensive, hand-carved sign hung from a lamppost with the words South Side Marina in four-inch gold letters. The hours of operation and his name were listed underneath. Rusty jumped out of the back where he’d made the trip in obedient silence next to Kylie. He followed, taking it all in, barking enthusiastically as Eric opened the door.

“Hey, boss,” Bobby greeted him. “Can I help you folks?” he asked, not realizing Ashley and Kylie were with Eric.

“It’s okay, Bob. They’re with me.”

A grin crossed Bobby’s face. “Oh my God. You must be Ashley.” He walked toward her and extended his hand, pumping hers. “Eric’s told me so much about you. Says you may be able to help us in the office.”

“I’ll try.” She released Bobby’s hand, giving him a shy smile. “And you must be Bobby. Eric says you can make an engine stand on its hind legs and dance.”

They all laughed, even Kylie, though Eric was sure she had no idea what they were talking about.

“If you can show me the office and your computer, I’d like to get started.”

****

Administration and technology had never been Eric’s strong suit. After Elaine’s death he’d given in to grief and self-pity, letting the paperwork pile up. Eric hoped that part of his life was over. He’d spent too many nights thinking about things that might have been. But in the short time since the girls had arrived Eric discovered what it felt like to live again. He shot a glance in Ashley’s direction.

“Well?” She interrupted his thoughts, arching her brows. “I can’t help just standin’ here,
Mr. Montgomery
. Are you gonna show me what’s goin’ on?”

“Absolutely. Follow me.” He gestured toward the office.

For the next two hours, Eric showed Ashley the piles of papers, invoices, and folders he’d let accumulate. He gave Ashley a brief profile of their business: they rented slips by the foot, forty-two in all. All but the six they kept for transients were rented for the entire season at $36 a foot—the best price for the most complete service on the river.

“Got it.” She nodded.

Eric and his staff did everything from fueling their customers’ boats to doing complex repairs on the Cummins Diesels that powered half the fleet. A skilled diesel mechanic was a rare commodity. So Eric had stolen his friend Bobby from Hyannis Marina, a high-profile operation four miles away in the Cape’s only city. Eric’s marina served as the primary fueling stop for most of the river’s hundred resident boaters. They’d even begun to show a profit from the boat store he’d opened two years ago.

He wasn’t sure what to expect, but rather than sit by passively and bewildered as they proceeded through the files and papers Ashley paid close attention, studying every form and outlining each process. She carried a pad and asked intelligent questions, making notes while following Eric around, sporting a pair of worn, horn-rimmed glasses she’d retrieved from her bag.

Within minutes Ashley shooed him out of the office. “Let me spend a little time getting to know your systems and playing with your laptop.” She nodded at the HP Pavilion on Eric’s desk.

“Of course,” he agreed, leaving her in his private domain—a small eight-by-ten-foot space with no windows and the funky smell of stale take-out and beer. As she powered up the computer Eric went into the store to watch. After a few minutes, Ashley crinkled her nose and came out of the office wearing a frown.

“You got a fan ’round somewhere?” she asked.

“Sure.” He went to the storage room, pulled out a pedestal fan, and put it in the office door.

“Thanks.” Ashley turned it on and went back to work.

Eric watched her, trying to look casual. Ashley’s fingers ran across the keyboard with fluid expertise. She knew her way around computers. No doubt about that. Eric watched in amazement. He recalled Buzz suggesting the possibility of someone erasing Ashley’s personal history. While it seemed like a long shot when his friend had mentioned it, as Eric watched Ashley using the laptop like a seasoned pro he found himself wondering.

Eric returned to the small office on the pretext of looking for something in the file cabinet. He glanced as Ashley manipulated the icons on the laptop’s fifteen-inch screen. She’d open one, search it quickly and go on to the next. He found himself staring. Ashley stopped and turned.

“Something wrong?” Her lips worked into her familiar pout.

“No.” Eric shook his head. “You just seem to know an awful lot about computers and software. More than...”

“Still think I’m a dumb girl from Dixie, Eric?” she interrupted through drawn lips, her face drawn.

Eric’s face flushed. “No. I didn’t mean that,” he said. This was the second time he’d underestimated her. He’d never do it again.

She looked back at the screen. “We have computers in Virginia. I went to school and worked a lot. Coming from the South doesn’t mean I spent my life chained up in the woods with an axe and overalls.” Ashley shook her head, adding, “And growin’ up with your brother doesn’t make me stupid.”

He held up his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.” Eric knew he’d screwed up.

Ashley turned away and resumed her research of the icons. “Is there some way we could get some ventilation in here?” she yelled after him. “It doesn’t smell very good.”

He paused and shrugged. “We can try.”

“If I’m going to be working in here, I’d like some fresh air, better light, and a view of the water.”

“Sure,” he agreed, as he walked out feeling like a fool…again.

****

Most of the boats were launched or ready to be, so Eric asked Bobby to take Kylie and Rusty with him while he was showing Ashley the operation. Lu worked till one, so he didn’t have a lot of choices. When he left the office, Eric found Bobby and his new helpers on dock four, working on a thirty-two-foot Sea Ray cruiser. Eric stood behind a cradle and watched as Kylie gave Bobby a tool while Rusty supervised, tail wagging, and giving them a bark for encouragement.

Kylie was such a quick study that by the time she left, Bobby nicknamed her “Data” referring to the infallible Star Trek android. As Eric watched them it was obvious Kylie was the latest female to fall under Bobby’s spell. She beamed when he spoke or smiled at her.