Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (25 page)

“Pippa, hurry up,” shouted Simon from the other room.

“I’m coming,” she said, throwing the phone down on the bed and running out of the room without it.

* * *

“Philip you vagabond, how the hell are you doing?” asked Simon, crowding around the laptop to get a glimpse of his younger brother. Zeb, Cat, Thomas, Levi and Judas were leaning over looking into the screen as Simon came up with Piper right behind him.

“How am
I
doing?” Philip chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back on what looked to be a swivel desk chair. “Simon, you’re the prodigal son of the family. I’m fine, what’s new with you?”

“Well, not much. Just in for a bit and then I’m back to the cruise ship.”

“Yeah, I heard you were on a cruise ship now. What a life.”

“When are you coming back to Sweet Water?” Simon asked him.

“Funny you should ask,” said Philip with a chuckle. “While I love France and teaching here, I’ll have you know that I quit my job and am coming back home.”

“What? For good?” asked Thad.

“Yep, for good. I decided I don’t like being so far away from all of you. I’ve already sold my place and have my things packed, so keep your eyes open for a teaching job back home for me, will you?”

“I heard they’re going to be looking for a teacher at the high school right after Christmas,” Thomas told him.

“That’s right,” added Levi, pushing his way closer to the screen. “Evelyn Thropmeyer is pregnant and is going to be leaving.”

“Well, I’ll have to apply then,” said Philip with a smile. “Put in a good word for me, will ya?” His translucent green eyes looked from one brother to the next. “Where’s Judas?” he asked.

“Right here, Philip.” Judas pushed Levi out of the way and got his face in front of the screen next. Levi slapped him on the shoulder and Judas pretended to be hurt. “Damn it, Levi, that’s my hurt shoulder.”

“Finally out of the sling, I see,” said Philip, moving his head, trying to see Judas’s shoulder.

“Yep, and I feel as good as new.”

“Well, just stop diving in front of bullets or you may be dead before I get there.”

“Out of the way, my turn!” shouted Nate, running into the house and leaving the door wide open.

“Nate?” asked Philip trying to see him in the crowd. “You’re there too?”

“I’m back from the Caribbean and own Burley’s now,” Nate told him excitedly.

“My little brother owns a strip joint? What’s the world coming to?” asked Philip.

“There’s no more strippers there,” Nate told him.

“That’s right, I put an end to that,” said Judas, sticking his face in front of the screen again.

“Hey, I heard you had a sailboat race and you lost, Simon,” Philip said next.

“It wasn’t his fault, we were about to win,” said Thad, standing on his tiptoes to see the screen over his brothers’ heads.

“Really?” Then whose fault was it?” asked Philip.

Piper stood at the back of the crowd, too short to see this brother named Philip, when all of a sudden she heard him ask whose fault it was that Simon lost the race.

She suddenly could see perfectly as everyone stepped aside clearing a path between her and the screen like the parting of the Red Sea.

“It was my fault,” she admitted, her eyes darting over to Simon. She thought he’d still be angry about it or that he and Zeb would be at arms with each other, but they didn’t look like anything had every happened between them. Zeb handed a cold beer to Simon and Simon slapped him on the back to thank him. This was an odd family indeed.

“Do I know you?” asked Philip, using those stunning translucent eyes to peruse her, a trait of the Taylor boys. He had some similar features as Simon, but had a look different than any of the brothers. His hair was brown with a few strands of lighter hair at the top, and fashioned in a neat and orderly manner. Slight stubble painted his jaw and he seemed as if he needed a shave.

“This is Pippa,” said Simon, stepping up and putting his arm around her.

“My name is Piper Westbrook,” she told him.

“Well, you’ve got yourself a pretty little lady there, Simon. You’d better treat her right or I’m going to steal her away from you as soon as I get there.”

“Just try and you’ll be missing a few fingers,” Simon warned him with a smile and then looked over to her and winked. Then Simon spoke to his brother. “Pippa has a mother and sister living right there by you, Philip. Maybe you know them.”

“Really? Where do they live?” asked Philip.

“They’re in Lyon, and their names are Cecile and Amy Westbrook,” Piper answered.

“No, can’t say I’ve ever heard of them,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

Piper felt disappointed for a moment, secretly hoping that he knew them.

Just then, the construction workers who were remodeling Zeb’s house started pounding on the roof, and the sound of buzz saws split the air. Then there was the sound of a loud crash that almost sounded as if part of a tree fell on the roof or something.

The laptop picture grew fuzzy and faded in and out.

“What’s going on?” asked Philip.

“Philip, we’re losing the connection because of something the workers just did,” Zeb told him. “We’ll talk to you later.”

Then the laptop cut out and Philip was gone.

“Nice talking to him,” said Simon, and all the brothers started small talking between them.

“So it won’t work now?” Piper asked Cat. “I was going to ask you if I could Skype with my mother.”

“Not going to happen,” said Zeb with a shake of his head. “Or at least not until we get back a connection. But with the way things work around here, it might not be for a few days before we can pick up the signal again. There’s too much interference right now with the construction going on and all the trees.”

“Few days?” Piper said. “Well, isn’t there somewhere else I can Skype? My mother will be expecting me to call.”

“Maybe we can go to Zeb’s office or my brother’s place and you could call them from there,” Cat offered.

“Oh, Cat, that would be great. The sooner the better.”

“Just let me finish making breakfast for this gang, and then we’ll go,” she said heading toward the kitchen.

“I didn’t think Cat knew how to cook anything but that one breakfast skillet,” said Judas.

“Well, what do you think we’re having for breakfast?” Zeb answered with a laugh, and everyone headed toward the kitchen. Piper couldn’t wait to talk to her mother, because she was feeling mixed emotions after last night, and was hoping her mother would tell her the reason why men acted so odd sometimes.

* * *

Simon walked into the marina with Thad, happy to know that it was Monday and most the vacationers had gone home since it was now October. After the episode yesterday with the race and all, he wasn’t looking forward to talking to a lot of people. He’d made amends with his brother Zeb, but not by either of them saying they were sorry. Zeb had given Simon a beer and Simon slapped him on the back. That was all that was needed for them to know that they’d forgiven each other.

Thad used the key to open the door at the marina and they both walked inside. The phone was ringing, but by the time Simon picked up the receiver, the person had hung up. He wondered if it was Mrs. Glover, or maybe it was Piper’s father. Piper had left with Cat to go to Benton Harbor and she was so anxious to talk to her mother that she had forgotten her phone in the cabin.

Simon had heard it ringing when he stopped back to collect his things, but when he saw the caller ID and realized it was Piper’s father, he just walked out of the house and ignored it.

The phone to the marina rang again, and he answered it this time.

“Simon, is there a TV set at the marina?” came Judas’s voice over the receiver.

“I think there’s a small one in the back room that Mr. Glover used to watch. Why?”

“You might want to turn on channel 4. There’s a clip coming up that may interest you.”

Simon hung up and walked to the back room and turned on the TV.

“What’s up?” asked Thad, plopping down on the small couch that he’d been using as a bed since he decided living at Thomas’s was too hectic with all those kids.

“Judas said to turn on channel 4.”

“Why?”

“Not sure.” Then Simon knew exactly why Judas wanted him to do it. The reporter came on, and he recognized the man immediately as the one who’d been asking him questions yesterday right after he lost the race.

“Hey, isn’t that you and Piper?” asked Thad, leaning closer, looking at the small screen.

“Oh, shit,” said Simon, watching the news piece that depicted him as not only a sore loser, but some kind of wild, madman. They showed him punching Zeb, and Piper screaming. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they then zoomed in to a close-up of Simon’s eyes when he was angry and called him a washed-up sailor with an aggressive and explosive attitude and a volcanic temper.

“Wow, can you believe that?” asked Thad, laughing. “Oh, look, there I am on the boat. Damn, I look good.” He ran a hand over the side of his head when he said it.

“Shut it off,” growled Simon, walking out of the room and heading out of the marina.

“Where are you going?” asked Thad, running after him.

“I just need to get away for awhile and think,” he said, heading toward his sailboat, feeling like life had just come crashing down around him in the past day. He didn’t know what to do about his job on the cruise ship. Should he go back, or stay in Sweet Water? Now Philip was coming home for good too, and he really missed being around his brothers. But how could he live here after seeing that newscast that was probably seen by half the Midwest? He’d be the laughing joke of anyone who ever came to Sweet Water, and he didn’t know if he could handle that or if he wanted to.

Then there was the issue with Piper. She’d said she loved him, and then deceived him by not telling him she was still a virgin. Her father would probably accuse him of raping her if he found out what they’d done, and slap some kind of lawsuit on him just to end up collecting what little Simon had before this whole thing was through. He had strong feelings for Piper, but he had no idea if it was love. He was so confused about everything right now, and usually he knew exactly what he wanted in life, so this wasn’t like him at all. He needed to just get away and think about all this for a while.

He wanted to go somewhere where he was respected. Like when he was in the Navy, or working on the Seduction of the Sea. Yes, the Caribbean would be a good place to hide away for the rest of his life. But now Thad was back in Sweet Water too, and Simon wasn’t at all sure his youngest brother had found his direction in life yet. He’d promised his mother he’d take care of Thad, and if he just up and left, he knew that would be letting her down, even if she wasn’t around to know it.

He raised the sails on the South Coast and took the boat out into the lake by himself to think and be somewhere where no one could bother him. Maybe if he let the wind blow through his hair it would blow away all the cobwebs inside and he would know exactly what to do.

Chapter 19

Piper rode back to Sweet Water in Cat’s convertible, not even caring that the wind was whipping her hair around and she had forgotten not only her sunglasses but her cell phone as well. She’d gotten to Skype with her mother and sister and it felt so good to know that both of them told her Simon sounded like a wonderful man and she shouldn’t let him get away.

“You look like you’re glowing with happiness today,” said Cat as they drove down a gravel road, making their way to Sweet Water.

“I am happy,” she said. “I got to talk to my mother and sister.”

“And . . .”

“And what?” she asked, glancing up to see Cat looking refined and perfect, with her hair pinned back so it wouldn’t get blown, and her designer sunglasses blocking the sun from her face.

“I heard you talking about Simon with them but I have a feeling you didn’t tell them everything.”

“I can’t fool you, Cat. Before you ask, I’m just going to come out and tell you that we made love last night and it was the best night of my life.”

“That’s great! So does Simon feel the same way?”

“I’m not sure.” She didn’t know just how much to tell Cat, but she needed a woman’s opinion, so she decided to tell her everything. “He was a little mad when he found out I was a virgin and I hadn’t told him ahead of time.”

“I guess that would put a damper on things.”

“I also told him I loved him.”

“Did he say he loved you too?”

“No, he didn’t. He pretended to be sleeping, but I know he wasn’t. I don’t understand why he didn’t say it. I’m sure he felt it too.”

“Men are complicated,” Cat said with a laugh. “They are not good at all at expressing how they feel.”