Home to Stay (12 page)

Kayla punched Randy in the shoulder. “Going after another bridesmaid? And I thought I was special.” Randy performed a great interpretation of a drowning fish as Kayla laughed. “That’s how we met.” She gave Randy a heated look. “Those were the best ten days I ever spent in Tibet.”

Will used her napkin to wipe the sweat from her upper lip as she pondered this odd revelation. It seemed there was much about Randy Navarro that the people around him didn’t know. Like that he traveled to exotic places to have ten-day sexcapades with bridesmaids.

“We never did make it to Shishapangma, did we?” Kayla said. “Not that I minded.” Her voice dropped a telling octave. Will knew exactly why this woman didn’t mind missing out on Shishapangma, whatever the hell that was.

“Well, I’d love to sit here and watch you two catch up, but I really have to get back.” Will stood, desperate for a moment alone. “I’ll be at the truck.”

As she walked away, she caught Kayla’s voice on the breeze. “Oh shit. Did I screw that up for you?”

Randy’s response was lost in the distance.

CHAPTER 12

Y
es, you may have,” Randy said, watching Will walk away with her back straight, shoulders tense. She’d been acting odd right before Kayla came up behind him. As if she’d seen something that scared her. “But I think you might have helped me, too.”

“Really?” Kayla asked, stepping out of his arms. “And how did I do that?”

He nodded in the direction Will had gone. “Hard to explain.” Taking Kayla’s hand, he said, “I really do have to go. I’m driving and she needs to get to work. How long are you going to be in the Outer Banks?”

“Arrived today and we’re here for a week. I want you to meet Austen.” Kayla waved someone over. “And be nice. He’s scrawnier than my usual, but I can’t resist the tats. And by some miracle, he’s actually a stand-up guy.”

A lanky man with tattoo sleeves, large gauges stretching his earlobes, and a silver hoop in his left eyebrow joined them. Kayla made the introductions, explained they were there with Austen’s family, which Randy planned to tease her about later, and agreed to make time for a visit to Anchor during the week.

After exchanging numbers, Randy took care of the check and headed for the truck, not sure what he’d find waiting for him when he arrived.

Since he had the keys and the truck was locked, Will had taken a seat on the tailgate. As he approached, she kept her eyes locked in the other direction, feet swinging as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

Her face belied the body language. Jealous was good. Not in the long run, but a good sign for the moment. But his past wasn’t the real problem. Hers was.

“Hey,” he said, advancing slowly, hands in his pockets. “You okay?”

“Fine. Why?”

That sounded anything but fine.

“Oh, I don’t know.” He took a seat beside her, straining the shocks on the truck. “You cut out of there pretty quick. I’d like to think you were jealous, and that’s what Kayla assumed, but she didn’t see your face seconds before she called my name.”

Will kept her face averted but tightened the grip on her purse. A move so subtle he almost missed it.

“There seems to be a lot about you that people on Anchor don’t know,” she said.

Deflection. A nice try.

“You thought she’d recognized you instead of me.” Randy sighed. “Will, why does having someone recognize you send you into a panic? Why can’t you have your photo in a magazine?”

She finally turned his way. Tears swam in her blue eyes. “I can’t answer your questions.”

He brushed a tear away with his thumb. “Why not?”

Using the sleeve of her denim jacket, Will wiped her face. “It’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t have to be.” If she’d tell him, maybe they could fix it. Whatever
it
was.

Will half laughed, half hiccuped. “Trust me. If I could make it all go away, I would.” She slapped both hands on the tailgate and hopped off. “I really do have to get back. Tom is expecting me.”

Randy stood, encouraged by the fact Will didn’t step back. “You don’t have to do this alone, you know. You have friends. We’re here to help whenever you need us.”

Will dabbed at the drops clinging to her long eyelashes. “That’s a nice idea, but right now I need to get home.” Her voice hitched on the word
home
, then she moved around him and hurried to her side of the truck.

The woman took stubborn to a whole new level. Whatever she was dragging around from her past, Randy was certain it couldn’t be as bad as she believed. There was no way she’d killed someone. Or been involved in some giant espionage scheme. If she was in the witness protection program, she was the worst witness ever, since he was pretty sure those people were supposed to act natural at all times.

So what was it? What put that fear in her eyes? He carried the thought back around to himself. Randy had assumed Will had been hurt by a large man in the past, as his size was the only reason he would be the one to set her off. She didn’t have the same reaction around Joe or Lucas. Or even their dad, Tom Dempsey, who might not be as wide as Randy, but he was just as tall.

Nothing about a rough ex-boyfriend explained why she didn’t want to be recognized. And how would total strangers know her face anyway? As he opened his door and climbed into the truck, the truth dawned.

That ex was looking for her.

Didn’t explain how strangers would know her face, but the thought of some asshole hurting Will, then hunting her down like an animal, made him see red. A primal and wholly unfamiliar need to cause pain filled Randy’s limbs. He bit his tongue to keep from asking the questions.

Who is he?

Where is he?

How do I find him and break both his legs?

A sudden violent streak was the last thing he needed to show Will. Randy steadied his features and leveled his breathing. His grip on the steering wheel was tighter than necessary, so he concentrated on his knuckles, mentally loosening one at a time.

They made the trip home in silence, Will lost in her own thoughts and Randy attuned to every breath she took. There were no scars on her face, so the damage had to be elsewhere. Not that most of the damage wasn’t mental. The idea that she believed Randy to be a monster simply because of his size made more sense now.

And intensified his determination to show her differently.

An hour into the drive, Will had finally managed to relax enough to notice the tension coursing through Randy. He played it off well, smiling at her on the rare occasions they made eye contact, but she wasn’t fooled. If he was wound up over her refusal to answer his questions, then that was his problem.

She’d give anything to lay this burden on someone else’s shoulders, but that wouldn’t change the facts. Wouldn’t alter her reality in any way. Randy couldn’t storm up to Boston, kneecap Jeffrey, and release her from the constant fear of being found.

If Will was certain of anything, it was that Randy would never kneecap anyone. Regardless of that muscle twitching in his jaw.

They parted friendly enough. Will thanked him for lunch, realizing she was so off balance by what felt like a near miss that she hadn’t offered anything toward the restaurant bill. Randy thanked her for going, looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead nodded and closed the driver’s door on her VW Bus once she’d climbed in.

He remained in the parking lot watching her drive away, fading in the distance in her rearview mirror. Such a strange day. The man managed to turn her on, piss her off, make her laugh,
and
dry her tears all in one afternoon. He probably assumed she was bipolar, or at least mildly unstable.

Either way, the impression could not be good. Though why she cared, Will couldn’t say. Randy was a good guy. A kind man. Traits that made him a rare creature in her experience.

“Nice of you to join us,” Tom said as Will stepped behind the bar. Speaking of kind men, Tom was another one. In fact, Anchor Island seemed to be a haven of good guys. Maybe that’s why she loved the place so much. “I take it our island giant will have a tuxedo for the big shindig?” her boss asked.

“We’ll see in ten days,” Will said. “Considering the numerous ways that tailor invaded his space, I’d say Beth and Joe owe the giant a debt of gratitude for doing all this.” She dropped her purse and keys in a drawer under the register. “Sorry I’m so late. We stopped to eat and lost track of time.”

“Not a problem.” Tom collected a stack of wet rags from the end of the counter. “There’s been a change in the schedule for tomorrow.”

“You need me to change shifts?” Will didn’t usually work Sunday mornings after working late on Saturday, but she could do it if Tom needed her.

“Nope.” A broad smile split his face. “You’re taking the day off.”

Will stuttered. What the…“Why? I don’t need a day off.”

“Yes, you do.” The rags dropped into a basket inside the kitchen. “You’ve been working too much. Lucas is covering your shift, and you’re going to take an entire day to do whatever you want.”

She followed the older man into the kitchen. “But I want to work.” Will didn’t like having free time. It gave her too much time to think and only served as a constant reminder that outside of the jobs she did around the island, her life was empty.

“Well, you’re not working here. At least not tomorrow.” Tom took her by the shoulders. “Will, relax. Breathe. Read a book. Watch a movie. It’ll be tough, but you can do it.”

After a tap on her cheek, he moved into the office, Will still on his heels. “Have I done something wrong? Messed something up?”

His brows shot up. “Where’s all the paranoia coming from? You’re a star employee. Think of this as your reward. I learned the hard way what working too much can get you.” He held a hand over his heart. “There are worse things to have than a day off. Now, I’m heading home to Patty.”

“I’ll be here early Monday,” Will said, hurtling the words at Tom’s retreating form.

“I’m sure you will,” he said. “Now get out there. You’ve got customers.”

Rebecca King awoke on her last day on Anchor Island with a smile on her face. She’d taken this assignment expecting to find a hole-in-the-wall vacation spot she could make sound like paradise. Instead she was leaving with the key to her future.

“You ready?” Jude asked, knocking on her open balcony door, duffel in hand.

“Yes, I am,” she answered, then noticed the dark circles under her colleague’s eyes. “If you feel like you look, this is going to be a long day for you.”

“I feel worse.” Jude dropped onto the ottoman inside the door. “Decided to party it up with some tourists last night. Forgot I’m not as young as I used to be. Why are you so chipper?” he asked. “Was this assignment so awful that you’re happy to be leaving?”

Rebecca slid her laptop into its case. “Not awful at all. In fact, this is the assignment that will change my life.”

Jude narrowed his eyes. “I must be more hungover than I thought. I didn’t hear any sarcasm in that comment.”

“Are you going to be sick? I don’t want you puking in the car.”

“You’re up to something.” Jude returned to his feet, pausing to hold his head. “Bloody hell, that hurts.” Once his color returned to normal, he trailed behind her. “What evil deed are you concocting? You’re like a Disney villainess. Destroying someone is the only thing that makes you smile like that.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. She wasn’t destroying anyone. Simply reporting the truth about someone who might not want the truth revealed. Wasn’t that a reporter’s job?

“You have such a high opinion of me, Jude. It’s a wonder we don’t work every assignment together.”

“If that’s a threat, it’s just mean. Now tell me what blew sunshine up your arse in the last twenty-four hours.” Jude pulled the hotel room door closed behind him. “You weren’t this cheerful yesterday.”

Yesterday she hadn’t found the answer yet. Today was a different story. Literally.

“Can’t a girl be in a good mood?”

“A girl, yes. A she-cat with a mean streak, no,” Jude said. “Spill.”

There were only so many insults Rebecca was willing to tolerate, even in her current positive state. “Shove it, Jude. There. You happy? Feel free to sleep all the way back to the airport.”

“Now that sounds more like the Rebecca I know and love.” The smarmy Brit pushed the button for the elevator. “Sleeping will not be a problem. Standing for very long is another story.” Dropping his duffel and camera bag to the floor, Jude took a seat in a chair along the wall.

Rebecca ignored him. Not even Jude Sykes could ruin this for her. Willow Parsons was her ticket to the big time. Or rather, Maria Van Clement was.