Home to Stay (21 page)

“The shower and bachelorette party thing. I’ve got it all planned.”

“But it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you agreed to handle it.”

And why the hell hadn’t she locked that front door last night, Will thought.
Because you were too busy having crazy hot blindfold sex with your best friend’s brother, dipshit.

Sid waved her words away. “I work fast. Or rather, Opal does.”

“Opal?” Will asked, trying to determine if the shower was still running.

By all that is holy, please do not let him walk out here.

If Will’s concern showed on her face, Sid didn’t notice. “We’re having the shower up at Lola’s place. Everyone gets to make some wedding-related piece of jewelry to take home, and Opal is going to provide the food. Lots of cake and pie, so Beth should have plenty to eat.”

Will stepped around the edge of the counter, moving closer to the bedroom door. She was only half listening to Sid. “Sounds good.” Nothing but silence came from the bedroom. Maybe Randy would hear his sister’s voice and remain in hiding until she left.

“Hey!” Sid said, gaining Will’s full attention. “Did you get that shirt from Randy?”

Crap on a cracker
.
Will had forgotten she was wearing Randy’s T-shirt.

“I—” she started, unsure how to answer.

“The least he could do is give you one in the right size. Geez. That thing is floating on you.”

Thank the stars Sid could be dense as a day-old doughnut.

“You’re right,” Will said, setting her mug on the counter and ushering Sid toward the door. “I’ll make him give me another one in a smaller size.”

“Why are you pushing me?” Sid asked, standing her ground. How could such a tiny woman be so strong? “I haven’t even told you about the bachelorette party yet.”

“How about you come by Dempsey’s tonight? I need to get in the shower.” Fishing for some imaginary appointment, Will said, “I’m helping out at the real estate office today. Season’s almost here.” She threw her hands around her head like a lunatic. “Phones are ringing off the hook.”

“Your water pressure is better than I expected,” Randy said, walking out of the bedroom with a white towel hanging low on his hips, using another to dry his hair. He had yet to look up and see that they had company.

Will looked from her lover to his sister. From surprised brown eyes to an identical pair reflecting shock and hurt. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Sid, I can explain,” she said,
unable to stop the most clichéd and overused phrase in the English language. How was she going to explain why Randy was naked in her house first thing in the morning after she’d adamantly argued that they were no more than friends and never would be anything but friends?

How could she explain that she had lied?

“I’m not an idiot,” Sid murmured. “At least not anymore. Sorry I interrupted.” Without another glance, she practically ran to the door.

Randy yelled, “Sid!” but she didn’t stop.

Ripping the towel out of Randy’s hand, Will wrapped it around her waist and ran after her friend, reaching the door as Sid slammed it behind her. Yanking it open, she charged onto the small porch.

“Sid, please wait. You can’t leave like this.”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want. You sure as hell have.” The dark-haired pixie climbed into the jacked-up truck and tried to slam the door, but Will threw her body between it and the cab.

“Damn it, would you listen to me?” Will smacked Sid’s hand away when she reached for the handle. “You are so stubborn sometimes.”

“
I’m
stubborn?” Sid yelled. “You preached at me that you were not going to get involved with my brother. That you would only ever be friends and nothing more could ever happen. And then you turn around and start fucking him and I’m the one being called stubborn? At least I’m not fucking bipolar.”

She deserved that, and Will knew it. She’d turned this entire thing into a giant cluster and hurt the first person who ever made her feel like she belonged on this island. A person she really cared about.

Taking a deep breath, Will met Sid’s angry glare. “You’re right. And you have every right to be mad and hurt. I’m sorry.”

Sid didn’t answer, only stared out the windshield. “Get away from my truck, Will. Now.”

Honoring the request, Will stepped away from the door, feeling for the first time the jagged rocks that were cutting into her bare feet. Holding the towel around her waist with one hand, she stepped slowly to the front of the pickup, giving Sid room to leave.

Will didn’t move for a full minute after Sid’s truck had disappeared into the distance. Staring at the cloud of dust, she wondered how she ever was going to fix this.

CHAPTER 21

B
y the time Will stepped back into the house, Randy had slipped on his jeans. He couldn’t put his shirt on since Will was wearing it. He’d considered going out to settle Sid down, but her truck had been long gone before he’d been decent enough to walk outside.

“You okay?” he asked Will as she dropped onto the ottoman, eyes unfocused.

She shook her head from side to side.

“You want to tell me what I’m missing here?” he asked, squatting down in front of her. “Why is my sister acting as if she caught us burying a body?”

“More like burying our friendship.” Meeting his eyes, she added, “Hers and mine. I’d told her in no uncertain terms that you and I would never be anything more than friends. She’s so lovesick with Lucas that now she’s determined to see you in the same condition. I didn’t want her thinking that would happen between us.”

Randy took several seconds to process the explanation. If Sid had been pushing her about getting involved with her brother, then it was no wonder Will had been so determined to establish the boundaries going in. But he could also see his sister balking at what she would consider being lied to by her friend.

Taking Will’s hand, Randy moved to the couch and maneuvered her onto his lap. “We have a bit of a mess here, but nothing that can’t be straightened out.”

Will shook her head again. “She won’t forgive me. Not when I was so hateful about the idea of you and me dating or becoming a couple. Think about what we’re doing,” she said, turning toward him. “How do I say, ‘Your brother is having sex with me because I haven’t gotten any in three years?’ I might as well say, ‘I’m using your brother for sex and standing in the way of him finding the woman he deserves.’”

“Let’s clear one thing up right away. I’m not having sex with you because you need it. I’m having sex with you because I want to, and that would be true whether you went without it for three years or three weeks.”

“But we—”

“Still my turn,” Randy said, cutting her off. “I wasn’t looking for a wife before we started this, and I’m not going to revert to some wife hunt if you get out of the way. Right now, right this minute, I want to be with you. Clothes on or clothes off. I wasn’t gung ho about this secrecy thing, but you made a good argument so I went along. But regardless, what we do is no one else’s business, including my sister’s. You said you told her we were becoming friends, right?”

“Yes,” Will said.

“And we are friends, aren’t we?”

“To say the least.”

He planted a quick kiss on Will’s lips. “Then give me my shirt so I can go talk some sense into my pain-in-the-ass little sister.” Before she could get up, Randy took her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “One more thing. I never again want to hear that you’re not the woman I deserve. Any man would be lucky to have you in his life. Right now, I’m that man, and that makes me the luckiest bastard around. Are we clear on that?”

“If you knew—”

He laid one finger against her lips. “There’s nothing that could change my mind, gypsy. Are we clear?”

In her charmingly honest way, Will said, “You scare me when you talk like that. I can’t help but want to believe you.”

“Good,” he said, rising off the couch and taking her with him. “Then we’ve made more progress than I thought.”

Randy tried Lucas’s law office first. Since she’d popped into Will’s around nine in the morning, he knew Sid hadn’t been on a charter with Joe. If she were mad or hurt, she’d go to Lucas first. And he’d been right, except she’d cut out before he got there.

Lucas was a bit confused as to what was going on, and Randy couldn’t blame him. This snafu was clearly a product of how the female brain worked, which would make untangling the mess that much more complicated, but Randy was determined to do it. Though she hadn’t told Lucas where she was going when she left, both men agreed that Sid would be found sitting on the pier behind her house.

And that’s where Randy found her, pouting and telling her side of the story to the seagulls flapping around, waiting for the chance at a quick snack.

“Mind if I sit down?” he asked, stopping beside the woman he’d do anything for.

“Go away,” Sid muttered, refusing to look his way.

Randy sat down. “So you’re mad at me, too?”

“No,” she said. “But I know you’re here to defend her, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Good, then listen. Remember that day when I told you I’d seen Lucas’s car in your driveway early in the morning? Do you remember what you said to me?”

Sid remained silent.

“I’ll take that as a yes. What you and Lucas did that night was none of my business, and other than wanting to make sure you knew what you were doing, I didn’t interfere.”

“You threatened to kick his ass.”

“And I still will if he ever hurts you. That’s my prerogative as your big brother.”

She finally turned to face him. “Do you know what you’re doing, Randy? Do you know that Will has said over and over again that she wants nothing to do with you?”

He kept his voice level. “She told you the two of us were becoming friends, didn’t she?”

“
Friends
,” Sid emphasized. “Not fuck buddies.”

“So that’s only okay for you?”

Red crept up Sid’s neck and he could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. “That was different and you know it. I’d known Lucas for half my life.”

“And you’d loved him for half your life,” Randy added. “Which means you had a lot more to lose than I do.”

“I didn’t lose.” Sid crossed her arms, staring out over the water. “She doesn’t plan on staying here, Randy. She told me that last year.” Slapping her palms on the pier, she threw her head his way. “What do you think of that?”

With a sigh, he gave one concession. “I think that would suck, but she’s told me as much herself. Look, there are things that happened to her before she got here. Things that scare her and make her think she needs to keep moving.” Watching a gull dive into the water, he said, “I want to convince her she’s safe here, but it’s going to take time. I’m willing to put in the effort, and I need you to give Will the benefit of the doubt.”

Sid pulled her legs up to cross them beneath her. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t know exactly, but whatever it was, she’s pretty scared. I’m hoping the fact that she’s been here so long means she trusts us.” If she’d trust him enough to let him help, maybe this
for now
stuff could stretch a little longer. “I know you feel like she lied to you, but that was for your own benefit. Your happiness with Lucas has you love crazy, and you’re pushing it on everyone else.”

Scratching at the plank beside her foot, Sid said, “I don’t see what’s wrong with wanting you to be happy. Don’t you want a wife and kids? A family? We had so much family back in Miami.”

“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “You miss having lots of family around?”

Sid lifted one shoulder. “It’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

Lifting her chin, he smiled into familiar brown eyes. “I miss them, too. But you have the Dempseys now. They’re going to be your family. And Beth will pop that baby out in the fall. Once you and Lucas throw your hat in the baby ring, we’ll have munchkins all over this island.”

In a rare moment of softness, Sid said, “I can’t imagine myself as a mom. Do you think I could do it?”

“I think you’re going to be the greatest mom ever. But right now, I need you to be a less nosy sister. Deal?”

With a roll of her eyes, Sid said, “Deal.”

“Good.” Randy climbed to his feet. “Will is still at home. Go tell her you’re sorry.”

“What?” Sid asked, jumping up with him. “Why do I have to apologize?”

“Were you nice when she ran after you this morning?”

Her eyes dropped away. “Maybe not. But I was pissed.”

“Now you’re not pissed. So go apologize. Will feels like hell.” He threw his arm around Sid’s shoulder as they walked toward the house. “Let her off the hook.”

“Fine.” Sid kicked a shell out of her way. “I didn’t want to stay mad at her anyway.”

“That’s my girl,” Randy said, adding a quick squeeze for good measure. “I like this softer version of you.”

His payback for that comment was a stiff elbow to the ribs.

Will put the last of the breakfast dishes away before putting her boots on for work. She hadn’t heard from brother or sister since Randy had left that morning. Not that she expected to hear from Sid. Not after she’d been such a bitch about not pairing up with Randy and then getting caught practically in the act of pairing up.

As she tied the last knot in her black boot, a knock sounded at the door. Most likely Randy come back to say Sid hated her and would never talk to her again.

To Will’s surprise, Sid stood on the other side of the door. “Can I come in?” she said as Will hovered speechless in the doorway.

Stepping back, she pulled the door open wider and motioned Sid in.

“I know you’re heading out, but I need a minute.” Sid stopped at the counter and turned. “You shouldn’t have lied to me about you and Randy.”

“No, I shouldn’t have,” Will said, finally finding her voice. “But so you know, Randy and I didn’t have sex until two nights ago. I didn’t lie to you on Tuesday. We hadn’t taken that step yet as of that night.”

Sid nodded. “Fair enough. And I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard about him.”

“You want him to be happy.” Will closed the door. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I want you both to be happy. He’s my brother and you’re my best friend aside from Curly.” Sid toyed with a fingernail, then shrugged and crossed her arms. “Would have been cool to have you as a sister, that’s all.”

Will blinked back the moisture in her eyes. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters. That would be kind of nice.” Swiping at her cheek, she caught her breath. No sense in dreaming of what could never be. “Whoever Randy ends up with will be lucky to have you as a sister-in-law.”

Pinching her lips, Sid stared at the floor for a brief moment before meeting Will’s eyes again. “And that absolutely can’t be you, huh?”

Wishing it weren’t so, Will shook her head no.

“Right.” Jerking up the sleeves of her hoodie, Sid closed the distance between them. “Friends, then,” she said, offering a conciliatory handshake.

Taking a risk, Will reached out and swept Sid into a hug. “I really am sorry,” she said, holding on tight. When Sid squeezed back, Will knew they would be okay.

As the hug ended, Sid stepped back. “You probably need to get to work.”

“Yeah,” Will said. “But I want to hear about the bachelorette party stuff. Will you stop in and see me later?”

“I can do that.”

They walked to the door together, and Will asked, “You’re not bringing in a stripper, are you?”

“I thought about it.” Sid reached the door first and pulled it open. “But Lucas refused to do it.”

Their joined laughter filled the air as they left the house.

The weekend had been crazy at Dempsey’s. Many tourists seemed to be taking advantage of the unusual spike in temperature to kick the season off early. Though the crowds were more than welcome, and encouraging considering the magazine article had yet to hit newsstands, by Monday night Will was exhausted and ready to sleep for a week.