Up to the Challenge (An Anchor Island Novel) (37 page)

So he did what any self-respecting man would do. He went home to his mother.

Sid strolled into Dempsey’s thirty minutes after opening time and grabbed an apron.

“I thought you were taking off today,” Will said. “I called Annie in to cover.”

Leave it to Will to be efficient. “I didn’t feel good, but now I’m better.”

“And now you’re not needed.” Will removed the cap and placed a beer in front of her. “Beth told me about this morning.”

“Curly has a big mouth.” Sid grabbed the bottle and plopped down on a stool.

Will tossed the cap in the garbage. “She’s worried about you, and so am I. Are you okay?”

That
was
the question of the day. Sid didn’t have an answer. “I’ve had better days, but life goes on. Like I said, this was always a temporary thing.” She picked at the label on the bottle. “Randy made me feel a little better, even if he was talking out his ass.”

“If your brother really wanted to help, he’d kick Lucas’s ass from here to Currituck.”

Sid appreciated Will’s loyalty and indignation on her behalf. “Randy wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Will snorted. “Are we talking about the same person? The big guy who looks like he could give the Hulk a run for his money?”

“They may be similar in size, but Randy
really
wouldn’t hurt a fly. I know it’s a cliché, but in his case it’s true. I’ve seen him catch them in a glass and let them go outside. Once he even herded one out an open window.”

Will leaned her elbows on the bar. “How do you herd a fly? And if he’s that friendly, why does he bench-press tugboats in his spare time?”

Another good question. “I don’t know,” Sid said. “It’s just his thing. He’s all into being healthy. Goes with the Zen thing.”

“Zen? Like meditating?”

“Yep. He’s even a vegetarian.”

Will’s jaw fell open. “No way.”

“Yes way. And look here. We’ve been talking about something that has nothing to do with my once again nonexistent love life. See? Life goes on.”

“Uh huh.” One brow shot up. “That’s why your eyes are all puffy and red. You want to hang out here, I’m good with it. But we don’t need you on the floor today.” Annie rattled off an order for three sodas from the end of the bar. As Will filled the first glass, she said, “Crap. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. I heard that offer on Fisher’s garage was a no-go. Buyer changed his mind or something.”

“Really?” Sid said, feigning ignorance. “How did Fisher take that?”

“I believe the phrase Deb used was ‘mad as a hornet.’” Will filled the second glass. “Started ranting that he wants this place off his hands. If you can, I’d suggest you make a move now.”

Sid nodded. That had been her plan. To focus on the garage once Lucas was gone. Tips had been good, and with Fisher desperate and frustrated, she could probably talk him down.

“Maybe that’s what I can do today. I’ll check out the numbers and give Deb a call.”

Sid backed off the stool into a solid chest behind her. Spinning, she looked up to see Manny.

“Oh,” she said. “Hey, Manny.”

He was smiling down at her, blue eyes alight. “I heard pretty boy is headed out.”

The Anchor grapevine. Fastest gossip line on the planet. “That’s the rumor.” She didn’t want to talk about Lucas, especially not with Manny. Why couldn’t he go bark up Kinzie’s tree? Didn’t men have a thing for women who could cook?

“So how about dinner? Artie’s got a
Godfather
marathon going tonight.”

Wouldn’t a
Godfather
marathon take days? Gangster films were never her thing. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work, Manny?”

“The rain grounded the parasailing.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “So what do you say?”

Sid shoved her hair out of her face. It was time to set the boy straight. “Manny, I appreciate the offer, but it’s a no. It’s a no tonight, a no tomorrow, and it’ll still be a no every day after that. Get the idea?”

His face fell and Sid felt as if
she’d
just kicked a puppy.

“Right. That’s cool.”

She squeezed his face in one hand. “Manny. Listen closely to what I’m about to tell you. Ask. Kinzie. Out.”

“Kinzie?” he asked. Or tried to through his scrunched-up lips.

“Yes,” Sid said, letting him go. “Now. How about you go buy some cupcakes?”

The man looked as if she’d asked him to rattle off the number pi, so she waited. Slowly the words seemed to penetrate. Sid imagined this was what it must be like to watch chimps learn sign language.

“The guys would love it if I brought back cupcakes.” Sid ran a hand over her face, ready to shake the shit out of the puppy. Until he leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “And I’ll see if Kinzie is up for dinner. Thanks, Sid.”

Manny exited Dempsey’s like a man on a mission. About damn time. When she turned to Will, the woman was smiling.

“That was a nice thing you did there.”

“Yeah, well,” Sid said. “Curly isn’t the only one who gets to play fairy fucking godmother. Put the beer on my tab. I’ve got a garage to buy.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

L
ucas didn’t sleep well that night. He kept picturing Sid’s face. That calm expression, like nothing important was happening. Like she didn’t care if he left. When he did sleep, she heckled him in his dreams. Kissing him until he was on the brink of control, then walking away, laughing as if it had all been a joke. Once the laughter stopped, another scene came into focus.

Sid was bent over the front of a car, her upper body hidden behind the raised hood. When he moved closer, the car disappeared to reveal Sid straddled over Manny.

That one had jarred him awake somewhere around four a.m. He’d just gotten back to sleep when the overhead light filled the bedroom and blasted through his eyelids.

“What the—”

“Get up,” Joe said. “I need to talk to you.”

Lucas pulled the pillow over his face. “What the hell time is it?”

“Five thirty.”

“Go away.” Nothing was so important it had to be discussed this early in the morning.

“Come on.” Something heavy joined Lucas on the bed. Surely Joe was not climbing in with him.

When he moved the pillow, a large, wet tongue slurped up his cheek and the foulest breath he’d ever smelt watered his eyes.

“Get your damn mutt off of me.”

“Dozer, sit.”

The dog planted his ass on Lucas’s gut, hot breath still aimed at his face. “Fine.” Lucas pulled himself up until he leaned against the headboard. He brought the blanket with him as much as the boulder on his stomach would allow. “I’m assuming the house isn’t on fire so you better have a damn good reason for this early wake-up call.”

Joe moved to the chair in the corner, an old rocker passed down through Patty’s family. “We need to settle some things before you go.”

Three weeks and they’d barely had a conversation.
Now
he wanted to talk? “I won’t be leaving for hours. Can we do this after I’ve had a shower and coffee?”

“I’ve got an early charter.” Joe rested a boot over one knee. “You’re not leaving because of the engagement, are you?”

Lucas scrubbed his hands over his face. “No.” He didn’t see any need to elaborate. Best not to give opposing council anything to work with.

“Beth believes the only reason you’d go back early is if they threatened you. Did you put your job on the line to come down here?”

“No.”

Joe stared but held his tongue. Damn it.

“I was on leave before Dad had the heart attack. There was no reason I couldn’t come help. The firm had no problem with it at the time.”

“At the time. But now?”

Who knew Joe would be an expert interrogator?

“Now, they want me on a case. Immediately. I tried to put them off, but they made it clear my tenure with the firm was at risk.” He crossed his arms over the blanket. “They left me no choice.”

“There’s always a choice.” Joe tapped his boot. “Beth told you Sid loves you. She got the impression you didn’t believe her.”

Lucas was still groggy enough to struggle with the sudden change in topic. “I’m sure Beth believes that, but she’s wrong. Sid made it clear yesterday that her heart is in no danger from me.” The words still rankled. He’d like to think the damage was to his pride, but the pain in his chest said otherwise.

“I don’t know what Sid told you, but Beth isn’t wrong. Sid has been half in love with you since high school.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m still not sure how you never saw it,” he said, ignoring Lucas. “She went to every baseball game you played in. Waited for you by the bike stand every day after school, always hoping you’d notice her. And you never did.” Joe put the chair into motion. “Until now.”

“By the time I was in high school, you were out on fishing boats full time. How would you know what Sid did or didn’t do?”

“Some of us aren’t as blind as you are,” he said. “I went to your games. Picked you up on rainy days. What I didn’t see, Mom saw. Or Dad. But not you.”

Lucas leaned his head against the cast-iron headboard. “High school is ancient history. A teenager’s crush doesn’t
have anything to do with now. What’s the point of this, anyway? You don’t even like me. Shouldn’t you be happy to see Sid rid of me?”

The chair stopped. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

“Don’t approve then.” Joe had made it clear on more than one occasion how he felt about Lucas’s life choices.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Lucas shook his head. “What did you say?”

“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about living away from here. You have every right to live wherever you want.”

Maybe this was another weird dream. Any minute now, juggling clowns would march out of the closet and fill the room.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Lucas asked, not ready to accept the new brother sitting before him.

“Beth has helped me see a lot of things.” His boot hit the floor and Joe lifted out of the chair. “A couple months ago, you woke me up and told me to stop being an idiot. To go after the woman I loved. I’m just trying to return the favor. Sometimes you have to be willing to give up what you think you want to get the thing you need.”

He moved to the door and Dozer jumped off the bed to follow. Lucas could finally breathe again.

“Either way, I hope you’ll be willing to stand up for me at the wedding. If not, I’ll understand.”

Be the best man when his brother married his former fiancée? Lucas considered that twisted scenario, waiting for the bitterness to hit his tongue. All he tasted was morning breath.

“I’d be honored.”

“Good. Maybe someday I can return that favor too.”

Then Joe turned off the light and was gone.

The last of the rain and clouds cleared out overnight, leaving Anchor basking in sunshine and a warm, soft breeze. The day was perfect, which brought the tourists into the streets in droves. Lucas must have dodged ten bicycles by the time he hit the edge of the village.

Saying good-bye to his parents had been tougher than he’d expected. Though his dad was looking better every day, there was still a fragility about him. The reality that his parents would not be around forever sat heavy on his chest, making him promise to come home more often.

His bags had been packed the night before so there wasn’t much for him to do after Joe left. Going back to sleep wasn’t an option, what with his brain replaying Joe’s words and the lingering threat of more dreams about Sid. So she’d had a thing for him in high school. That was ten years ago.

Though he did wonder how he’d missed the signs. Would he have cared if he knew? He tried to picture the Sid from high school. She’d been small. Quiet. At least around him. A memory teased at the back of his mind. A school dance. Bleachers. Lucas passed the wild horse pens on his left, and struggled to bring the memory into focus.

There had been another kid. Dean Schnitzel. A jerk, Lucas remembered. No one was upset to see him move away in the middle of senior year. But Sid would have been a junior then. Why would he remember her with Dean Schnitzel?

The scene came back to him. Dean and Sid under the bleachers. She was shoving him away, her shirt torn by the time Lucas interrupted them. How in the hell could he have forgotten that? He’d offered to give her a ride home, but fear and embarrassment shone in her brown eyes, illuminated by the field lights, before she’d run off without a word.