Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (51 page)
He left, and the wind brushed the heat of her back where he’d been, chilling her skin. She watched him walk away, his long, steady legs navigating the deck. The wind tousled his hair as he adjusted one of the sails.
For some reason it was harder than she expected to look away. She rested her forearms on the railing and turned toward the horizon.
Later that night, Kate lay in bed alone, grateful to feel human again. Dry land was a wonderful thing. She didn’t plan on leaving it anytime soon. After they’d docked, Lucas had brought her straight home, even though she felt better. He’d left with her grocery list and returned with a half dozen bags of food, then scolded her for cleaning while he’d been gone.
She smiled against the feather pillow. She hadn’t figured on him being a mother hen. Then she remembered the feel of his solid arms around her and the roughness of his jaw at her temple, and something inside her stirred. Had he called her “honey” earlier?
What is wrong with me? I love Bryan. This isn’t a real marriage,
but a business arrangement.
And good thing. You couldn’t find a more polar-opposite husband.
Lucas is everything you need to avoid in a permanent relationship.
If she were to receive a Dear Dr. Kate letter spelling out her own circumstances, her advice would be to run.
“Don’t get involved with
someone ill suited to you; it’s an invitation for disaster,”
she’d write.
But moments later, when the bed sank behind her with Lucas’s weight, she couldn’t stop her heart from speeding or her breath from catching. The covers shifted, and she felt the mattress dip down, felt his body almost touching hers.
Then she felt something else. A kiss pressed to the crown of her head.
Everything stilled for a moment as she waited . . . hopeful? Fearful? She wasn’t sure what emotion made her heart stutter.
The bed quivered again as Lucas settled on his side, and her heart’s pace slowly returned to normal as her eyes searched the darkness.
Love is a precarious creature, sometimes
appearing when we least expect it.
—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate
Kate’s feet pounded the pavement beside Susan’s as they turned the corner and headed toward their homes. She’d decided she would bring up Susan and Roy’s marriage today, but if she didn’t hurry, Susan would be giving her a curt good-bye and striding up the grassy hill to her house.
Kate checked her watch. She had a scheduled meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Hornsby in an hour. Mr. Hornsby had broken it off with the other woman and they were trying to put their marriage back together. Even though Kate wasn’t officially counseling them, she knew they were counting on her help.
She would need a shower before the meeting, so there was no extending the walk.
Their breaths slowed as their strides shortened. Kate tried to find the words. She had to be subtle so she didn’t come across like a know-it-all counselor interfering in her in-laws’ relationship.
Silence had settled between them; now would be the perfect opportunity to say something.
“Susan, can I ask you something?”
Her mother-in-law stepped over a crack in the pavement. “All right.”
“Well,” Kate took a few breaths. “I’ve been thinking lately about conflict in marriage. Well, really, conflict resolution. When you and Roy have a disagreement, how do you handle it? How do you resolve it?”
She stopped, afraid she’d put her foot in her mouth if she continued. Truthfully she wondered if the couple even employed conflict resolution the way they picked at one another.
Susan quirked a brow. “I’m surprised you’re asking.”
Kate stiffened. “Why do you say that?”
Susan flipped her hair from her face. “Well. You’re the expert.”
Why did the woman have to rub her the wrong way? “I know. It’s just—”
Just what? Tell her I’m taking a poll or something?
“I suppose studying relationships and actually being in one are two different things,” Susan said.
Kate wasn’t sure where Susan was going, but she nodded.
“Marriage isn’t easy. Conflict is a normal part of it, though. You’re lucky Lucas is so easygoing.”
Susan must think
—
Oh, great.
She thought Kate and Lucas were having problems. She’d probably made the woman’s day.
A yappy little dog scurried down a gravel driveway but stopped short of reaching them.
“Roy used to give me the silent treatment for days when he was upset. Sometimes I didn’t even know why he was mad and by the time we talked about it, he’d blown it all out of proportion.” Susan shook her head. “I used to get so mad when we argued that I’d storm out of the room or even take off in the car.”
“Really?”
Susan launched into a story, and Kate realized she’d hit pay dirt: Susan thought Kate needed advice, and she certainly had no trouble offering it. Finally, Kate had a way to get Susan to open up. Of course, Susan was coming at it from the wrong angle, but still . . . Maybe now Kate could finally get some real insights into Susan and Roy’s marriage. And finally begin fulfilling her promise to help Lucas.
That evening Lucas was fixing a broken lamp when a knock sounded at the back door. Kate, who was in the kitchen loading the dish-washer, opened the door. Lucas heard his sister’s voice. “Is Lucas home?”
“Of course,” Kate said.
Jamie entered the living room, and Lucas saw tears sparkling in her eyes. He set the lamp on the table. “Hey, what’s wrong, sis?”
Jamie plopped beside him and crossed her arms over her T-shirt. “I just got back from Meredith’s house and she said—” Jamie sniffed as a tear escaped. “She said Aaron said I was a loser.”
“Now why would she say that?”
Jamie flicked the tear off her cheek. “When we were at the beach last week, you know, after I talked to you, I went up to Aaron and sat with him. We talked and I tried to, like, show him I was interested like you said.”
Lucas’s stomach sank. He hoped he hadn’t given her bad advice. The last thing he’d do was hurt her.
“I thought things went pretty well, but he didn’t come to the beach anymore that week, and I haven’t seen him since.”
“And then you went to Meredith’s today?”
“Yeah. We were having a good time and everything, and then she just brings up Aaron and says that he called her a few days ago after I sat with him on the beach, and that he called me a loser!” Jamie wept into her hands. “I made such a fool of myself!”
“Oh, honey, come here.” Lucas wrapped his arm around Jamie, and she turned in to his shirt.
“I flirted with him and everything.” Her hands muffled her voice. “I practically threw myself at him.”
Lucas rubbed Jamie’s shoulder. Across the room, Kate loaded a plate in the dishwasher and met his glance, a sympathetic smile on her face.
Lucas returned his attention to Jamie. “Now, hang on. Why did Aaron call Meredith?”
“What?”
“You said Aaron called Meredith and he said you were a loser. Why was he calling her?”
She uncovered her mottled face. “I don’t know.”
“How do you know she’s telling the truth?”
Jamie sniffled. “Why would she lie?” Her eyes widened.
“Well,” Lucas said. “Relationships can be complicated. For instance, what if Meredith likes Aaron? What if she’s jealous?”
Jamie straightened a bit and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I guess that could happen. But if Aaron called her, he might like her and not me.”
“That’s possible too. I’m just saying you should think it through and not necessarily believe everything you’re told.”
Jamie tilted her head and stared at the stone fireplace. “He did seem interested at the beach.” Jamie ran her finger along the couch’s trim. “He even said I have pretty hair.”
Lucas smiled. “That doesn’t sound like a boy who thinks you’re a loser.”
“I know. I thought he’d call, but it’s been almost a week, and he hasn’t been at the beach either.”
Lucas squeezed her shoulder. “Give it time. Maybe he doesn’t want to appear too anxious.”
“I guess.”
Jamie and Lucas talked until she felt better, and when his sister left, she hugged him before sliding out the back door.
Kate changed into pajamas and opened the closet door, peeking at the suit she’d bought for her appearance with Dr. Phil. It was a dove-gray Ann Taylor with a structured jacket and streamlined pants. The classic white oxford under the jacket was a good contrast for her skin tone and black hair.
She ran her fingers down the soft material of the suit coat, feeling anxiety work into her fingers. She’d been invited on the show to advise an engaged couple who was having difficulty merging their personalities. What if she said the wrong thing? Worse, what if Dr. Phil disagreed with her advice?
Relax. You’re trained for this. You’re an expert.
Except in my own relationships, where I’m the epitome of
disaster.
Nobody knows that. As far as they’re concerned, you married your
Mr. Right.
But what if the media attention from this appearance invited scrutiny of her marriage? What if someone figured it out? What if one of Bryan’s relatives saw the show and leaked the truth?
Kate closed the closet door. She could only hope for the best. She’d already taken preventative measures. Maybe one more call to Bryan, asking him to check in with his family, wouldn’t hurt.
But maybe that was just her wanting to talk to Bryan. She was suddenly tired, though it was only nine o’clock. She approached the nightstand, ready to set her alarm, when she noticed a box on the new nightstand Lucas had brought home.
The box was wrapped in pale pink paper with a white bow. She picked it up. “To Kate,” it said on the tiny gift tag in Lucas’s left-handed scrawl. She pried open the piece of tape, unwrapped the package, and pulled out a navy-blue velvet box.
The hinge creaked as she opened the lid. Inside, a delicate pair of earrings were nestled side by side. Elegant in their simplicity, they were the same silvery tone as her wedding band.
“Hope you don’t mind.” Lucas’s voice startled her from the doorway. He looked boyishly shy, and she couldn’t keep from smiling.
“What kind of woman minds getting jewelry?”
