Waiting for Love (2 page)

“What?”

“If you’re going to swear now, you want to say bullshit rather than baloney.”

“Oh, right. Yes, it’s a big pile of bullshit.”

“Much better.”

That drew a tentative smile from her.

“So what’s the deal with the ex?”

“She comes sashaying up to him every time she sees him and makes sure to flip her fake blonde hair and bat her fake eyelashes and rest her fake boobs on his arm, and he acts like it’s no big deal that she’s
totally
flirting with him. This goes on for weeks. She’s over at the house every day, supposedly to check on his sick mother because they’re
so very close
, you see, but really it’s all about more chances to hang all over Cal. I finally got sick of it and confronted him about it. That’s when…” Her chin quivered anew, but she managed to blink back the tears this time. “That’s when he admitted he still thinks about her.
Candy
. Her name is
Candy
! Can you stand that? She makes me sick. It’s all so…so…”

Nearly breathless with anticipation, Adam raised his brows.

“Screwed up,” she said.

He shook his head. “You can do better.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You’re a whole new woman now, remember?”

Her face turned bright red, and in that moment, he discovered she was rather adorable, raccoon eyes and all. “Fucked up,” she whispered, turning a deeper shade of scarlet as the curse passed her lips.

Adam rewarded her with a big smile. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” The ferry passed the buoy that marked the island’s northern coast, but the mist was so thick he could barely make out the bluffs. “So you really think you can have sex with strangers?”

The question clearly caught her off guard. “Of course I can.”

“I don’t think you can. You’re not that kind of girl.”

“How do you know what kind of girl I am?” she asked, indignant.

“Um, you dated my brother for ten years. I think I have a slight idea.”

“You don’t know me at all. He never knew me either. No one does.”

“Abby… Come on, that’s not true. You and Grant were the real deal for a long time.”

She shook her head. “No, we weren’t. I thought we were—I thought Cal and I were, too, but I’ve never had the real deal.” Turning her big eyes up at him, she said, “Have you?”

The question hit him like an arrow to the heart. “I thought so until recently, but no, I haven’t either.”

“What happened to you?”

Adam smiled and shook his head. “Not worth talking about.”

“I told you all my bad stuff,” she said between persistent hiccups. “It seems only fair that you tell me yours.”

Adam hadn’t intended to tell anyone at home about what’d happened in New York. He’d planned to see his brothers, make sure they were okay, check on his parents and get back to the city to resurrect his career before the damage became irreparable. But here was Abby looking up at him with her liquid brown eyes, and suddenly the whole sordid tale was pouring out of him. When he was done, she stared at him, openmouthed, until a hiccup lurched her out of the trance.

“That’s… It’s… It’s
horrible
.”

He tilted his head, urging her silently to try again.

“Seriously fucked up.” This was said with no hint of whisper or blush, which made Adam want to cheer. “How long had you been seeing her outside of work?”

“Seeing her for three years, living with her for two of them.”

“And no one at work knew?”

“Nope. My own company policy of no fraternizing at work had come back to bite me in the ass, so we went way out of our way to keep it quiet. From what I can gather, one of the employees saw us somewhere, and we were…we were kissing…and reported us to the board. The funniest part, if you can consider any of this funny, is that it all came down to a dentist appointment.”

“How do you mean?”

“The chairman of the board called both of us. I was at the dentist. She was at the office and took the call. Before I was out of the chair, she’d accepted a deal to force me out of the company I founded. I’d lost my company and my girlfriend in the time it took to get my teeth cleaned. Hilarious, huh?”

“No,” she said, her tone hushed and the hiccups gone. “It’s not funny at all.”

“It’s kinda funny.” He hated to think what he might do if he didn’t laugh.

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Adam.” Her hand on his arm was strangely comforting. He’d felt very alone during the last few unbelievable days. “You’ve worked so hard to build that company.”

“Fourteen years, and the only mistake I made was taking on a partner four years ago.” He leaned against the rail as the breakwater for South Harbor came into view. “You know what the best part is?”

“What’s that?”

“I’m the only one with the first clue about the actual work we do. She runs the business side. I oversee the technical end. She and the board have no idea what they’re in for without me there to take care of the technical stuff. I’d love to be a fly on the wall.”

“They’ll be begging you to come back in no time at all.”

“Probably.”

“Will you go?”

He shook his head. “I gave that company everything I had, and this is the thanks I get? They can kiss my ass.”

“I don’t blame you for being bitter. You got royally screwed—in more ways than one.”

“Yep.”

“So what’ll you do now?”

“I’m not sure exactly. After the accident, I wanted to come home and see my brothers—”

Her eyes went wide. “What accident?”

“You didn’t hear about the sailboat in Race Week that got hit by the freighter? All three of my brothers and Grant’s friend Dan were on the boat.”

“Oh my God! Are they all right?”

“They will be. Grant and Dan got the worst of it, but Mac and Evan were fine.” 

Abby looked like she might be sick again, so he nudged her closer to the rail. “Take some deep breaths.”

She did as he directed while blinking rapidly. “It’s been over between Grant and me for a while now, but to hear he could’ve died…” The hand she rested over her heart said it all. 

“Believe me, I’ve had some rough moments of my own since I got that news from my parents. It was a very close call. All three of my brothers.” He shuddered just thinking about what could’ve happened. 

The next thing he knew, she was hugging him, tightly, and it felt really good to have the arms of an old friend around him. And then he felt her breasts pressed against his chest, and his mind went blank. She was no longer an old friend—or his brother’s ex-girlfriend—offering comfort. Rather, she was a sexy, curvy woman who fit perfectly in his arms and had awfully nice breasts, too. Had he ever noticed that before? Not that he could recall. She’d always been Grant’s girl, so he hadn’t looked too closely.

Adam released her and stepped back, noticing how shiny her dark hair was. He wondered if it was as soft and silky as it looked.

Surprised by his abrupt retreat, Abby stumbled, forcing him to reach out and steady her. With his hands on her shoulders and her gaze once again focused on him, Adam had to remind himself that this was
Abby
. She’d nearly been his brother’s
wife
. He withdrew his hands from her shoulders and was thankful when the ferry passed through the breakwater into South Harbor.

They stood side by side at the rail as the ferry backed up to the pier and the cars began to drive onto the island.

“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” she asked in a small voice after a long period of awkward silence.

“Of course not. You won’t either, right?”

She shook her head. “If you need to talk to someone who knows what’s going on, I’ll be at the Beachcomber.”

“Not at your folks’ place?”

“No way. My mother told me I was a fool to give up a successful business to chase after yet another man. The last thing I need right now is her reminding me every day that I can’t trust my own judgment when it comes to men.”

“Well, I’ll be at my parents’ place for a day or two while I figure out what’s next if you need someone to talk to.”

“That’s nice of you. Thanks, Adam. Thanks for everything. You’ve been really…nice.”

“I know everything seems awful right now—for both of us—but this has got to be the worst of it, right?”

“If you say so,” she said with a weary sigh as they took the stairs single file to the lower deck. 

Since he had only a backpack, he helped her with two of her three suitcases, dragging them up the hill from the ferry landing and across the street to the Beachcomber Hotel. A bellman came down the stairs to assist with her luggage.

“You’ll be okay?” Adam asked.

“Sure. I’m a survivor. It’s how I roll.”

If only she didn’t look so devastated, he might’ve bought that line. He cuffed her chin playfully. “Hang in there.”

“You, too.”

Adam walked away, heading in the direction of his parents’ North Harbor home. At the corner, he glanced back to find Abby exactly where he’d left her, looking up the steep staircase to the Beachcomber, as if seeking the fortitude to move forward.

Chapter 2

On the way through town, Adam noted the Sand & Surf Hotel was back open for business with flags flying and the deck full of guests enjoying rocking chairs that overlooked South Harbor. The sight of the iconic hotel open again made him smile. He couldn’t wait to see his cousin Laura and hear all about the renovations his brother Mac had overseen with his business partner, Luke Harris. 

A second sign announced Stephanie’s Bistro, which was also now open inside the hotel. Adam had heard rave reviews about the grand opening of Grant’s fiancée’s restaurant and looked forward to eating there while he was home. 

He took a small detour to his sister Janey’s house to see if she was around. He knocked on the door, waited a long time and was about to move on when he heard feet shuffling inside.

His hugely pregnant younger sister let out a squeal of delight when she saw him on her front porch. “What’re you doing here? Come in!”

Adam dropped his backpack on the porch and pulled open the screen door. “I’d give you a hug, brat, but I don’t think I could get my arms around you.”

“Please try,” she said, her eyes filling as she reached for him.

As he’d already had more than his share of emotional women for one day, he did his best to hug his sister around the enormously pregnant belly. Her menagerie of special-needs dogs and cats circled around their feet, sniffing him thoroughly. Over Janey’s shoulder, he noticed her German shepherd, Riley, who sat apart from the others, eyeing him suspiciously—as usual. “No one told me you were having quadruplets,” he said, glancing at her extremely swollen abdomen.

“Shut up. It’s not funny.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Maybe a little funny,” she conceded. “So what’re you doing home?”

“I needed to see the boys, and you and Mom and Dad. Is everyone okay?”

“They will be, but what an awful day that was. I can’t even tell you…”

He put his arm around her and planted a kiss on the top of her blonde head. “I know what you mean. That was one of the worst phone calls of my entire life.”

“What would we have done—”

“Don’t, Janey. Please. Don’t even go there.”

“You’re right. Nothing good will come of that.” She subtly swept away a tear. “Sorry, I’m an emotional disaster area lately.”

“Carrying quads will do that to a girl.”

She play punched him in the belly, putting a little more muscle behind it than usual.

“Um, ow. That hurt.”

“Good. It was supposed to. I can’t believe you’re here right now when I was just about to call you.” She took him by the hand and dragged him to her desk where her laptop was open. “I’m trying to register for fall classes, and it’s not working. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe it’s a sign.”

“Of what?” Adam asked as he let her push him into the desk chair.

“That I’m not meant to go back to school.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Do you promise not to tell anyone? That means
anyone
.”

“Yes, I promise.”

She nibbled on her thumbnail. “I don’t want to go back to school.”

“Janey—”

“I want to be a mom. I want to take care of my baby. Joe has the business, so we don’t need the money.”

Adam took her hand and squeezed it. “Janey, stop.
Stop
.” He waited until he was sure he had her attention. “Do you remember the conversation we had after 9-11 when I told you I didn’t want to live in the city anymore?”

“Vaguely.”

“I remember it like it was yesterday. You told me I’d just been through a traumatic thing, and it wasn’t a good idea to make big decisions after something like that. Do you remember?”

“It’s starting to come back to me now.”

“What you said made a lot of sense, and it kept me from making an impulsive move based solely on emotion.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you, but what’s that got to do with me?”

He rested a hand on her huge belly and received a kick from his niece or nephew. “From what I’m told, this is a pretty traumatic thing for a woman. It wreaks havoc on you physically and emotionally. This might not be the ideal time to be making big decisions.”

“Every time I think about leaving the baby for long days at school followed by longer nights of studying, I feel physically ill.”

“Who will take care of your baby while you’re doing all that?”

“Joe.”

“So he or she will have one parent available to him or her all the time, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“And what do babies remember about the first year or two of their lives?”

“Not much.”

“Don’t do anything rash, Janey. You’ve wanted to be a vet for so long, and you’re
so
close. Don’t quit now. At least wait until after the baby arrives and see how you feel then.”

She released a deep sigh that had Riley nudging at her hand. Patting his head, she said, “All right. You win. I’ll wait to decide anything.”

“I don’t want you to have regrets later.”

“The stupid website won’t let me do anything.”

Adam put fingers to keyboard to do what he did best. “Ah,” he said a couple of minutes later. “Here’s your problem. You need an s after the http because it’s a secure site.”