Meant to Be (29 page)

Joe tapped the boat floor with his fist. “Do you think he’d break it off if he knew?”

“No. Well, probably not. But appearances are so important to Lucas, to everyone at the firm. I guess I figured if it ever did get around the office and he didn’t know about it, then there wouldn’t be any guilt by association. He could claim ignorance, and my past wouldn’t damage his future.” She looked down. “Anyway, if no one knows, including Lucas, then no one gets hurt.”

“Except you.”

Beth ignored the statement. She’d spent too many years running from the past to let it hurt her now. Or anyone else. Scanning the coast of the island that had filled a tiny hole in her heart she hadn’t known was there, a ray of light caught her eye.

“Is that the lighthouse?” Rising to her feet, she held tight to the rail.

“That’s it. Hold on and I’ll cut over so you can see it straight on.”

Joe fired up the engine and Beth’s heart raced in her chest. Instead of the panic she expected, the increase stemmed from anticipation. This boating thing wasn’t so bad. Granted, she wasn’t ready to live on the water, but the paralyzing fear felt less…paralyzing. Lucas would have a seafaring wife yet.

The
Mary Ann
rounded a bend to draw level with a strand of tall pines, and the air flew out of her lungs. Small boats bobbed against a short pier with two large cabins looming behind them. Gold light glowed from the cabin windows and danced across the surface of the sound. Between the two cabins, proud and solid, stood the Anchor Lighthouse.

The image could have been taken right from a postcard. A quaint village with its fishermen and quirky characters, slow pace, and protective beam of light. One word looped through her mind.

Home.

“This is the best time to see it,” Joe said, joining her at the rail. “The island won’t look so sleepy when the tourists arrive in full force.”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, feeling a sadness seep into her bones, knowing she’d be leaving this heaven on earth in less than a week. When Joe brushed her arm, a different
sense of loss slid in beside the first. She fought to ignore the wedge in her chest.

“We need to head back before it gets too dark.” He returned to the wheel and Beth felt an emptiness edge its way into her heart. “You good over there or you want back in the chair?”

She wanted to feel his arms around her again. To take his warmth with her. Beth reminded herself this trip was about Lucas. “I’m good over here, thanks.”

They reached the dock in a matter of minutes, Beth relieved that she’d made the trip without falling overboard or tossing her lunch. Once he’d secured the boat, Joe helped her disembark. “We’ve probably missed dinner at Dad and Patty’s. Want to grab something up at the restaurant?”

Her hand felt right in his. If she thought she could be just friends with Joe, she’d been fooling herself. “Not sure I should eat right after being on the water.”

Joe chuckled. “I think that rule pertains to swimming. We weren’t in the water, remember?”

Maybe not, but Beth felt the distinct sensation of drowning. “Right. Sure. We can eat, I guess.”

Removing her life jacket, she passed it off to Joe, who flung it onto the boat. “Shouldn’t be a problem to get a table on a Monday night,” he said, motioning Beth up the dock. “So what do you think?”

“About what?” she asked, not about to confess her true thoughts.

“The boat. You seemed to relax into it. This is when I say I told you so.” Joe smiled, dazzling her with the dimple of doom. “Not that I’d do that.”

Being “just friends” didn’t seem to be a problem for Joe. She tried not to resent him for it. Maybe she could convince herself she was falling for the island and not the man walking beside her.

Would he have the same pull for her if they’d met in a coffee shop in Richmond? Maybe it was the water or the salty air. The peaceful, almost romantic ambiance of Anchor.

She tried for the same casual tone. “You can say it. I doubt I’ll be buying a houseboat any time soon, but an afternoon on the water with Lucas won’t be so bad. And the ferry ride home should be easier, too.” Mentioning the ferry ride brought back the melancholy of her imminent departure. At least her time at Lola’s had guaranteed she’d take pieces of the island home with her.

They’d have to make up for the piece of herself she’d be leaving behind.

Joe had been right about the table situation. The row along the windows, which provided a stellar view of the harbor, was occupied, but most others remained open. As they followed the waiter toward the back corner, Beth noticed Cassandra Wheeler sitting at a table with Phil Mohler.

Two things were instantly clear. Cassie had terrible taste in dinner companions and an issue of some kind with Beth. If looks could kill, they’d be arranging her funeral.

“Hello, Joe,” Cassie said, as they approached the table. “And your little shopgirl. How cute.” The title was meant to insult, but Beth refused to take the bait and gave little more than a nod.

“Shopgirl?” Joe asked, looking from Cassie to Beth and back again. All of her nonexistent telepathic powers went into the look Beth gave him. By some miracle, he got the message. “Beth is visiting from Richmond. She’s…a friend of the family.”

“Really?” Cassie asked, feigning surprise or interest, Beth wasn’t sure which. Mohler snorted.

“Don’t let us intrude on your meal,” Beth said, moving toward the server waiting for them two tables down.

“Don’t be silly,” the conniving blonde said, lifting her leather bag from the chair beside her. “You two must join us. I insist.” Two snaps from Miss Bossy and the waiter placed their menus at the open settings.

Joe’s response to another pleading look was a raised brow and quick nod indicating she should have a seat. After pulling the empty chair from beside Mohler, he placed it around the end of the table, putting himself out in the aisle. Beth assumed he intended to find out once and for all how Mohler fit into Cassie’s plan.

Either Mohler had inhaled pepper or suffered from a cold, but Cassie’s dinner partner couldn’t seem to control the odd noises coming through his nose.

Beth had no choice but to take the seat beside Joe’s ex, entering a cloud of Chanel. “I feel bad, infringing on your date this way,” she said, deciding to score the first hit. Not her usual style, but watching the woman’s face pucker was worth the effort.

Instead of correcting her, Cassie kept to her mission, which was clearly to torture Beth. “How do you know the Dempseys, Beth? I don’t remember Joe mentioning you when we were engaged.”

A lawyer recognized a leading question when she heard one. Cassie knew.

“I
’m engaged to Joe’s brother, Lucas.” Now to see how many details she could avoid. “During your brief time with Joe, Lucas and I hadn’t met yet.”

Cassie gave a weak smile, and Beth knew she’d disarmed her. Somewhat.

“Well, congratulations. I’d heard Lucas was engaged, but you’re not quite what I expected.”

Score a point for the blonde. Beth glanced at Joe, who stared back, brows raised. The man was smiling. He wouldn’t find this funny if he knew what she’d put on the line for him and his island.

“You’re not what I’d expect for Joe either, so I guess we’re all full of surprises.” Engaging in a battle with Mean Barbie was probably a bad idea, but Beth found she couldn’t help herself. “How do you and Mr. Mohler know each other? You seem like an unlikely pair as well.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mohler asked. “I’m just as good as Dempsey.”

“Shut up, Mohler,” Joe said, keeping his eyes on Beth and Cassie. “What are you doing here with Phil? It can’t be to talk business, since he doesn’t own more than a dinky
cabin that, based on the plans I’ve seen, isn’t anywhere near the area you want.”

Cassie stalled by sipping her wine. Wearing the fakest smile Beth had ever seen, she said, “Mr. Mohler was kind enough to invite me here to discuss the island. Anchor is going to be an important business holding for Wheeler Development, and we like to know the people we’ll be dealing with.”

“Anchor is never going to be a business holding for anyone,” Joe said. “The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can catch the next ferry out. It’s time to move on, Cassie.”

The two stared like cats in a contest to see who would blink first. Beth felt the two were carrying on the conversation without saying a word. And she didn’t like it. “I’ve lost my appetite,” she said, pushing her chair back.

Cassie broke eye contact and turned on Beth. “Before you go, I was wondering. Is it true you work for the same firm as Lucas?”

Beth froze. Hoping her face remained expressionless, she answered, “Yes. I work in the research department of Bracken, Franks, and Holcomb.”

A smile spread across Cassandra Wheeler’s face, twisting Beth’s stomach into knots. Lucas had warned her, but she didn’t listen. Why hadn’t she listened?

“Well then, maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime. I’ll look you up when I’m in the office. On business.”

Beth didn’t have to respond. Cassie’s meaning was loud and clear. There was no doubt Cruella knew she’d won the battle.

And maybe the war.

“Can we go?” Beth asked Joe, rising though her limbs were numb.

Joe looked to his ex then back at Beth. “Yeah, sure. After you.”

Beth remained quiet on the ride home. Though he’d witnessed the entire conversation, Joe had no idea what had happened. Far as he could tell, Beth was getting in as many digs as Cassie was throwing back. But in the end, Cassie seemed to throw the winning punch.

If only he knew what the hell that was.

When he pulled into the drive and cut the engine, neither moved to get out. After a minute of silence, he couldn’t take it anymore. “I get the feeling I missed something back there?”

“She knows,” Beth said, staring straight ahead.

“Knows what?”

“That I work at the law firm.”

“And that’s a problem?”

She turned his way. With attitude. “Did you hear what she said? When she’s in the office? Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

He hadn’t expected a fight. Feeling his way, Joe replied, “I wondered about that. Why would she be in your law office?”

“Because my firm works for her daddy. We’re retained by Wheeler Development to handle all legal matters for the company.”

“Okay.” The more questions he asked, the more agitated Beth grew. Which meant asking another question would be stupid, so he tried a question in the form of a statement. “And that’s a bad thing.”

“She knows I helped the Merchants. That means I worked against Wheeler Development. Don’t you get it?”

He didn’t get it but saying so was clearly going to lead to trouble. So he kept his mouth shut. Beth huffed, undid her seat belt, and bolted out of the Jeep. “How could you not get it?”

“You need to calm down and tell me what I’m missing here,” he said, hopping out and catching her at the base of his parents’ porch steps. “Why are you so pissed?”

Beth spun around so fast Joe had to stop and pedal backward as she charged. “She’s going to get me fired.”

That he didn’t see coming. “Cassie can be a hard-ass, but why would she get you fired?”

“Because she can. How could you have almost married that hateful, conniving woman?” She crossed her arms, waiting impatiently for a response. “I forgot. You’re a man. That explains everything.”

“Hey. Wait a minute.”

“Wait for what? For my official termination letter? For all my grandparents’ dreams to go up in flames? For Lucas to…”

“For Lucas to what?” Joe asked, anger and hope dancing up his spine. “For Lucas to dump you because you lost your job?”

“He wouldn’t do that,” she said, her eyes locked on the sandy drive at their feet.

Joe took her by the arms. “What’s going on here? Last I knew, we had a good day out on the water. I’m no lawyer, but I know you haven’t done anything to get yourself fired.”

Beth shook her head, one tear sliding down her cheek. “You don’t understand. You live on this island utopia, sheltered from the rest of the world. This bucolic scene off a postcard where every day is like a vacation.” Jerking her arms away, she stomped back to the porch. “Some of us don’t have the luxury of hiding from real life.”