Blackout After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 23 Read online

  Blackout After Dark

  Gansett Island Series, Book 23

  Marie Force

  Blackout After Dark

  Gansett Island Series, Book 23

  By: Marie Force

  Published by HTJB, Inc.

  Copyright 2021. HTJB, Inc.

  Cover Design: Diane Luger

  E-book Layout by The E-book Formatting Fairies

  ISBN: 978-1950654987

  * * *

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  * * *

  MARIE FORCE and GANSETT ISLAND are registered trademarks with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

  marieforce.com

  The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to my newsletter. Go to marieforce.com and subscribe in the box on the top of the screen that asks for your name and email. If you don’t hear from me regularly, please check your spam filter and set up your email to allow my messages through to you so you never miss a new book, a chance to win great prizes or a possible appearance in your area.

  The Gansett Island Series

  * * *

  Book 1: Maid for Love

  (Maddie & Mac)

  Book 2: Fool for Love

  (Joe & Janey)

  Book 3: Ready for Love

  (Luke & Sydney)

  Book 4: Falling for Love

  (Grant & Stephanie)

  Book 5: Hoping for Love

  (Evan & Grace)

  Book 6: Season for Love

  (Owen & Laura)

  Book 7: Longing for Love

  (Blaine & Tiffany)

  Book 8: Waiting for Love

  (Adam & Abby)

  Book 9: Time for Love

  (David & Daisy)

  Book 10: Meant for Love

  (Jenny & Alex)

  Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella (Jared & Lizzie)

  Book 11: Gansett After Dark

  (Owen & Laura)

  Book 12: Kisses After Dark

  (Shane & Katie)

  Book 13: Love After Dark

  (Paul & Hope)

  Book 14: Celebration After Dark

  (Big Mac & Linda)

  Book 15: Desire After Dark

  (Slim & Erin)

  Book 16: Light After Dark

  (Mallory & Quinn)

  Book 17: Victoria & Shannon (Episode 1)

  Book 18: Kevin & Chelsea (Episode 2)

  A Gansett Island Christmas Novella

  Book 19: Mine After Dark

  (Riley & Nikki)

  Book 20: Yours After Dark

  (Finn & Chloe)

  Book 21: Trouble After Dark

  (Deacon & Julia)

  Book 22: Rescue After Dark

  (Mason & Jordan)

  Book 23: Blackout After Dark

  (Full Cast)

  Book 24: Temptation After Dark

  (Gigi & Cooper)

  * * *

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-3

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 4-6

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 7-9

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 10-12

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 13-16

  Gansett Island Series Boxed Set, Books 17-20

  View the McCarthy Family Tree here.

  * * *

  View the list of Who’s Who on Gansett Island here.

  * * *

  View a map of Gansett Island.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  The invitation had arrived in that day’s mail—a casual housewarming at the new seaside home of Charlie and Sarah Grandchamp. “The gift of your friendship is the only one we need,” the invitation read. Linda McCarthy handed it to her husband, “Big Mac,” over dinner.

  “I can’t wait to see the inside of that house,” Big Mac said. “It’s one of my favorites.”

  The huge contemporary had one of the best views of the Atlantic on the island. Its six bedrooms and seven bathrooms would allow Sarah and Charlie to have their whole family in residence for a visit, should the opportunity arise. Sarah had told Linda that’d been one of their primary goals in looking for a home of their own—somewhere the entire family could be together.

  “I’m looking forward to it as well.” Linda took a sip of the robust red wine her friend Carolina O’Grady had turned her on to during a recent get-together. “And may I add, no one in the entire world deserves happily ever after more than those two do.”

  “I agree. Rumor has it he told her to pick any house on the island she wanted, and he’d find a way to get it for her.”

  Linda fanned her face. “That’s so romantic. He wants her to have it all.”

  “After the nightmare of her marriage to Mark Lawry, she deserves to have it all.”

  “Indeed, as does he. And I love that the state is footing the bill for their dream house.”

  Charlie had been granted a seven-million-dollar settlement from the state, half a million for each of the fourteen years he’d spent unjustly incarcerated. Their daughter-in-law Stephanie had worked tirelessly for all that time to try to free the stepfather who’d come to her aid and then been charged with the beating her late mother had actually inflicted.

  Stephanie’s husband, their son Grant, had written a screenplay based on Charlie and Stephanie’s years’ long odyssey. The movie, called Indefatigable, had been shot in Los Angeles over the winter and would soon be screened for the Gansett Island community. “I can’t wait to see the film. Grant said it came together better than he could’ve dreamed.”

  “Has Steph seen it yet?” Big Mac asked.

  Linda shook her head. “Apparently, she’s trying to work up the courage to watch it. She says she lived it, and once was more than enough. But she wants to watch the film he worked so hard on, even if he’s told her he’d understand if she never does.”

  “That’s a tough one,” Big Mac said. “I
wouldn’t want anything to set her back to where she was when we first met her. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

  “I don’t think that would happen, but she definitely needs to prepare herself emotionally to watch her story unfold on the screen.”

  “That’d be surreal—to see something you lived portrayed on film.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “When is the Charlie and Sarah’s party?”

  “Saturday night. They waited until Grant and Steph would be back from LA.”

  “That’s the day the new lighthouse keepers arrive, a married couple this time.”

  “You haven’t said much about them.”

  Big Mac was president of the Gansett Island Town Council and had the inside scoop on everything that went on in their tiny corner of the world. He shrugged, fiddled with the stem on his wineglass and seemed sad for some reason.

  “Did they send the usual letter to apply for the position?”

  “They did.”

  “God, I’ll never forget Jenny’s letter.”

  Jenny Wilks had applied for the position nearly ten years after losing her fiancé in the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Her letter had been one of the most gut-wrenching things Linda had ever read. Since coming to Gansett, Jenny had become a close friend to the McCarthys and many others on the island. She’d also met and married Alex Martinez, and had a baby they’d named George, after Alex’s late father.

  “The new people have an equally gut-wrenching story,” Big Mac said. “Like Jenny’s, almost too much to bear.”

  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  “I do, but I haven’t wanted to upset you.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  Grimacing, he nodded, got up from his seat, went into his office and returned with two pieces of paper he handed to her. And then he refilled both their glasses.

  “I’m almost afraid to look.”

  “It’s pretty rough. I’m not going to lie.”

  Linda took another drink of wine to fortify herself before she began to read.

  To the Gansett Island Town Council,

  My name is Oliver Watkins. My wife, Dara, and I would like to apply for the lighthouse keeper position on your island, even though we have no experience with lighthouses. Do people with experience actually apply? The opportunity for a change of scenery would be extremely welcome to both of us. Just over a year ago, we lost our three-year-old son, Lewis, in an accident that has haunted us every day since as we both blame ourselves for a tragedy that no one could have prevented. But when these things happen, you find yourself reliving every minute, trying to find the moment when you could’ve changed the outcome.

  We named Lewis for my hero, the late Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and Civil Rights leader. I worked as an intern in his office after college and met Dara at a party, when she was a law student at Howard.

  Saddened by what she’d read so far, Linda took another sip of wine before diving back into the letter.

  We were home on a regular Sunday. Lewis was napping in his room, and so was I, on the sofa while pretending to watch the Ravens game. Dara was on a conference call with work. She’d been crazy busy getting ready for a trial that was due to start in a few weeks. I woke out of a sound sleep when I heard our dog, Maisy, screaming. There’s no other word for the sound she made, and when I realized it was coming from outside, I was up and off the sofa before I was even fully awake. I couldn’t believe that the front door was standing open, but when I realized Lewis had let himself out of the house… My heart stopped. And then I saw why Maisy was screaming. Our baby had been hit by a car, and the driver was hysterical. The neighbors had come out, someone called EMS, but it was too late. We believe Lewis was killed on impact.

  “Oh.” Linda dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “Those poor, poor people.”

  “I know. It’s so awful.”

  Having to tell Dara what’d happened was the worst moment of my life. I’ll never forget the way she screamed and tried to get to him, but I wouldn’t let her. I didn’t want her to see what I had, things I’ll carry with me forever. The days and weeks that followed that awful day were simply horrible. In the year since we lost Lewis, our entire world has come unraveled. We’ve been unable to work, so we were forced to sell the home we’d once thought we’d own for the rest of our lives. Our marriage has suffered from an inability to share our mutual grief. She doesn’t want to talk about it, and I do. We both blame ourselves. Me for falling asleep and her for working on a day that she feels should’ve been devoted to family. Our guilt and grief have caused a rift between us that we aren’t sure we can overcome.

  In short, everything is a mess, and we need a change badly, but we can’t afford the cost of an expensive move. When I saw your lighthouse keeper ad online, I told Dara about it, and we agreed it certainly couldn’t hurt to apply. That’s the first time we’ve agreed on anything in a long time.

  I’m not sure if our marriage is going to survive the devastating loss of our son. But I am sure that we can’t go on the way we are. We appreciate your consideration of our application and look forward to hearing from you.

  Sincerely,

  Oliver and Dara Watkins

  “I’m so glad you hired them,” Linda said.

  “We didn’t hesitate to offer it to them after we read their letter.”

  “Gansett will be good for them. We’ll surround them with friends and love and a whole new life. It worked for Jenny and Erin, and even Sydney when she came to the island after her terrible loss.”

  “I hope you’re right. It sounds like they desperately need a fresh start. And thank you for rolling out the welcome mat for them.”

  “I honestly can’t begin to know what they’ve been through. It was horrible enough losing a baby we never got to meet, but losing a three-year-old…” She shook her head. “Unbearable.”

  He scooted his chair closer to hers and held out his arms to her. “Completely.”

  Linda leaned into his embrace, appreciating the comfort after reading Oliver and Dara’s devastating letter. “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

  “I don’t know, love. It seems so unfair.”

  “Sure does.” After a long moment of contemplative silence, she looked up at him. “Did you see Mac today?”

  “He was at the marina all morning but went home after lunch.”

  “That poor guy is still so wound up.” They wouldn’t soon forget the fright their oldest son had given them when he collapsed in the spring. Thankfully, he’d been at the clinic when it happened, and it had been determined he’d had an anxiety attack. “I can’t wait to get those twin babies here safely so he can finally relax.”

  “I worry he’s going to give himself a heart attack before they arrive,” Big Mac said with a sigh.

  “It’s not as if he doesn’t have good reason to be concerned after what happened when Hailey was born, as well as Janey nearly dying having PJ and Vivienne being born on the ferry.” Linda let out a huff of nervous laughter. “Our grandbabies tend to arrive with a bit of drama. You can’t blame Mac for being worried about what the twins have in store for them.”

  “At least they’re leaving soon to move to the mainland for the last few weeks. Did you hear if they decided whether Thomas is going with them or staying here?”

  “He’s staying with Tiffany so he can start school on time,” Linda said of their six-year-old grandson.

  “That’s probably what’s best for him.”

  “But it’ll add to his parents’ stress, being separated from him for up to a month, potentially.”

  “Tiffany and Blaine and the rest of us will take very good care of him.”

  “Of course we will, but his parents will still fret. I hope the babies come early so they can get home and get settled in sooner rather than later.”

  “I hope so, too. If there’s one downside to life on an island, access to hospitals and advanced medical care is it.”

&
nbsp; “For sure.” Linda’s cell phone rang, and she got up to retrieve it from the counter where she’d left it to charge. “Hi, honey,” she said to her daughter, Janey. “What’s up?”

  “Joe and I were wondering if we could stop by for a minute.”

  “Of course you can. You know you don’t have to ask first.”

  “We’re all a little terrified of the second honeymoon you two have got going on over there at the White House.”

  “Oh hush. Are you bringing my grandchildren?”

  “Yep. We’ll see you in a few.”

  “I’ll put the light on for you.” Linda ended the call and turned to Big Mac. “They’re coming by.”

  “So I heard.”

  They were always happy to see the kids, especially when they brought their grandchildren. Having all five of their children and Big Mac’s daughter Mallory living on the island was a dream come true for them after their four sons had scattered as soon as they’d been old enough to leave home. One by one, they’d all come home, met the loves of their lives and settled into island life.

  Janey was the only one who’d come home after college at UConn. A self-described homebody, she’d left the island to attend two years of veterinary school at Ohio State. She’d decided not to go back to school after her son PJ arrived in extra dramatic fashion with a placental abruption that had nearly killed them both. As Linda flipped on the front light for Janey, she shuddered as she relived the sheer terror of that day.