Trouble After Dark Read online

  Julia processed what he’d said, especially the part about taking good care of herself all the time. It was nothing she hadn’t heard before, but this time, she was determined to do everything she could to stave off another health crisis. She was so tired of everyone being concerned about her.

  “What do you think?” he asked after a long silence.

  “I could do better in the area of self-care.”

  “Most of us could, but when you’ve battled foes like anorexia and bulimia, it becomes even more important. It should be as important to you on a daily basis as bathing and eating and washing your clothes and cleaning your home and going to work. You have to make it a priority, and if you do, hopefully when the next crisis comes along, you’ll have the reserves to battle it more effectively than you have in the past.”

  “That would be nice.”

  For the next few minutes, they went through a list of things she could do to help manage her stress and keep her body in balance, such as exercise, yoga, meditation and massage, to name a few.

  “These are small things you can do to pamper yourself,” he said. “Give yourself the same TLC you’d give that sweet puppy. In my practice, I believe in starting with small changes and building a foundation that can help to hold up the house during the rough times.”

  Different therapists had different approaches. Some came at the problem by focusing on food and helping her find nutritious meals that appealed to her even when she didn’t feel like eating. Others addressed the psychology behind the ailments in an attempt to curb the behaviors. Kevin McCarthy was the first to suggest ideas that had nothing whatsoever to do with food or food-related illnesses to address her challenges. It was a new approach that appealed to her—and made sense, too.

  She liked the idea of caring for herself the way she would the puppy. “It’s worth a shot, for sure.”

  “As you certainly know by now, dealing with your illness is not as simple as taking up meditation or yoga. It’s a complicated challenge with no simple answers or one-size-fits-all solution, which is why it’s important to do the hard work in here and to regularly consult with your doctor.”

  “I agree, and I admit that I let my health slide after my relationship with Mike ended. I want to do better and stay healthy.”

  “That’s the first step toward making it happen.”

  Julia bit her lip, trying to decide if she wanted to talk to Kevin about Deacon.

  “Something else on your mind?”

  “I hate to take any more of your time.”

  “No worries. I’ve got all night to spend with my girls.”

  “I’ve met someone since I’ve been here, and it’s gotten very intense kind of quickly. That’s a pattern for me—one I was trying to break until I met him and all my best intentions disappeared. He’s the one who made the case to get back my money, and after that, I was just sunk.”

  “He sounds like a good guy if he’d go to that kind of trouble for someone he’d only just met.”

  “He is a good guy. I know that, but still… I can’t shake the feeling that I’m setting myself up for another disaster.”

  “That’s your preconditioned point of view. All you’ve ever known is disaster, so why would you think this situation would be any different from all the others?”

  “That’s it exactly. I’m not sure how to get past that. Deacon has been so good to me from the first time we met. There’s no reason at all to distrust him or question his sincerity, and yet…”

  “It’s a choice you have to make to either take a chance knowing the risks going in or take the safe route and avoid anything that could ever hurt you.”

  “That’s what Katie did before she met Shane. She never dated at all because she was afraid she’d end up with a man like our father.”

  “That sounds like a very lonely existence for her and for you.”

  “Life has been a lot less lonely and unsettled since I met Deacon. He has a way of making everything better just by being in the room.”

  “I know that feeling.” Kevin’s gaze shifted toward the hallway. “Loving people, letting them into your life, trusting them not to hurt you… It’s always a risk, even for those of us who didn’t grow up the way you did. Your upbringing makes it harder for you to trust people, especially men. The most important man in your life disappointed you so profoundly.”

  “Yes, he did.” She thought about the piano and the day he’d sold it without telling her, and then quickly pushed that memory into the past where it belonged.

  “I don’t know Deacon, but I know his brother. He’s a good man. Does that mean Deacon is, too? Certainly not.”

  “Deacon is a good man. I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”

  “Even good men aren’t perfect, Julia. He’ll let you down and disappoint you, because he’s human. Not because he’s bad.”

  “You’re very wise.”

  Kevin laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

  “What you said about him being human is a good reminder that no one is perfect. That helps.”

  “If something I said helps you, then that makes my day.”

  “You have helped. Very much. And you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

  “Come back next week? Same time.”

  “I don’t want to bother you while you’re on leave.”

  “It’s no bother. Please come by. Let’s keep doing the work so you’re ready for the next storm.”

  “Okay. Thank you again.”

  “It was entirely my pleasure to meet you, Julia. Owen and Katie speak so highly of you. I’m glad I got a chance to get to know you.” Kevin walked her to the door and handed her a business card. “My cell number is on there. I’m available any time if you need me. Don’t hesitate to call.”

  Julia took the card from him, touched by his compassion. “Thank you so much for taking the time, especially right now.”

  “No problem at all. I’ll see you next week, if not before.”

  “See you then.” Julia walked to the hotel, thinking about the things Kevin had said, especially about Deacon. For her entire life, she’d put people into two categories—good and bad. But what Kevin said about good people doing things that hurt or disappointed others had really resonated with her. No, Deacon wasn’t perfect. But maybe, just maybe, he might be perfect for her.

  When she returned to the Surf, Julia glanced into the restaurant and saw that it wasn’t super busy yet. Bending at the waist, she picked up Puppy and walked in, powerfully drawn to the piano on the stage.

  “Hey, Julia,” Stephanie said. “Everything okay?”

  Julia nodded, her gaze fixed on the instrument that had defined her for so long before it was taken from her. Take it back, Owen had said. Take it back. She glanced at Stephanie. “Would you mind if I played for a bit?”

  “Would I mind?” Stephanie laughed. “No, Julia, I wouldn’t mind if you dazzle my customers with your amazing talent.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Um, no, thank you.”

  “Is it okay if I keep him on my lap?”

  “It’s Gansett Island. Everything is okay here.”

  Truer words had never been spoken. “Thanks, Steph.” Julia gave her stepsister a quick hug and then headed for the stage. Take it back, take it back, take it back. Owen’s words were a chant, guiding her to where she’d longed to be for as long as she’d lived without it. She could admit that to herself now that she had the freedom to take it back. No one would ever take it from her again.

  She would make sure of that.

  Seated on the bench, with Puppy curled up in her lap, Julia placed her hands on the keys and played the opening notes of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Over the years, there’d been so many songs released that she’d loved and wished she could perform, and now she could. As if the floodgates had been thrown open with no limits or restrictions, she lost herself in the music, the lyrics, the exhilaration of playing for an appreciative audience and the sheer joy of doing somethin
g she loved.

  Kevin had told her to practice self-care. This… For Julia, playing the piano and singing was the very definition of self-care.

  Chapter 25

  After work, Deacon stopped by the department store to pick up a couple of extra dress shirts, since he’d all but ruined the only one he’d brought with him. While he was at it, he got a couple of new pairs of khaki shorts so he’d have something fairly decent to wear when he saw Julia.

  Julia.

  Julia.

  Julia.

  She was all he’d thought about during the endless day at work. If he hadn’t already figured out that she was special, he would’ve known it simply by how much he thought about her when he wasn’t with her.

  At home, he showered, shaved and put on one of the new shirts and shorts. When he was ready, he went down the stairs to the yard, where Blaine was supervising Ashleigh on the swing set while holding Addie. She let out a squeak when she saw Deacon coming.

  He held out his arms to her, and she leaned toward him.

  For a long moment, he waited to see what Blaine would do. Finally, his brother handed the baby over to Deacon, albeit begrudgingly. “There’s my buddy. How’s it going?”

  Addie patted his face and tried to pull his hair.

  “Watch out. She’s grabby.”

  “That’s okay,” Deacon said, besotted by the tiny girl who looked up at him with big trusting eyes. She had Blaine’s eyes, he realized, which meant she had his eyes, too. Funny how family and genes worked that way. Deacon made the barfing sound that had amused Addie the other day.

  Sure enough, she cracked up, so he did it again.

  “Where you heading?”

  “To Julia’s.”

  “Spending a lot of time with her.”

  “Yep.”

  Blaine took a sip from a beer and then glanced at Deacon.

  “Something on your mind?” Deacon didn’t really want to know, but he was enjoying the minute with Addie as well as watching Ashleigh swinging, so he put it out there.

  Blaine hesitated for so long that Deacon figured he wasn’t going to say anything.

  “Tell me about the fight,” Blaine said.

  Deacon hadn’t expected that. “You really want to know?”

  “That’s why I’m asking.”

  “My friend Sherri… Her ex-husband harasses her nonstop, and even though she has a restraining order against him, there’s not much she can do about the harassment because they have joint custody of their kids. He came into the bar, drunk and spoiling for a fight. I intervened because I heard him say something awful to her and was legitimately afraid he would kill her with the way he was acting. And in case you’re wondering, even after everything that happened, I don’t regret it.”

  “Were you seeing her?”

  “Here and there, but it wasn’t a big deal. We hung out a few times. After working the domestic unit in Boston, I know trouble when I see it, and he was looking for trouble that night.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I really hate having to apologize to you—ever—but especially twice in one week.”

  Deacon laughed, which made Addie laugh. God, he was crazy about her. “Sorry to force you to confront your inner a-hole.” He glanced at his brother. “I’m not the stupid kid I was when I lived here and you had to clean up my messes all the time.”

  “I see that.”

  “Do you? Do you really?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, that’s progress.”

  “Bring Julia to dinner tomorrow night around seven.”

  “Okay…”

  “Give me my daughter back.”

  “She likes me better than you.”

  “Don’t push your luck. I can still put you on your ass.”

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  Because he had much better things to do than scrap with Blaine, Deacon gave Addie a noisy kiss on the cheek and handed her over to her dad. He took perverse pleasure when Addie immediately leaned toward him, holding out her arms.

  “Sorry, sweet girl. I know you like me better than Daddy, but Uncle Deacon has to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, though.”

  “She does not like you better than me.”

  “Keep telling yourself that. See you, Ashleigh.”

  “Bye, Uncle Deacon.”

  “My work here is finished.” He flashed a cocky grin at his brother and headed down the driveway, whistling a jaunty tune that was sure to annoy Blaine.

  He walked quickly through town, wanting to get to Julia as quickly as he could, but not wanting to get there sweaty and disheveled. As he went past the Beachcomber, Evan McCarthy was coming down the steps.

  Deacon stopped to say hello. “How’s it going?”

  “Great, you?”

  “Doing well.”

  “Heard you’re the new harbor master.”

  “Yep. It’s a fun way to spend a summer.”

  “I’ll bet. Hey, listen… About Julia…”

  “What about her?”

  “I thought I might hear from her after last night. Dude, she is crazy-talented. All I can think about is recording that voice of hers.”

  “She hasn’t said anything about it. Not to me, anyway.”

  “Hmm, well, tell her I’d really love to talk to her.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Let’s grab that beer soon.”

  “Absolutely. See you.” Deacon continued on his way, walking a little faster now that the Surf was within sight. The second he walked through the front door, he heard her… That voice sent chills down his spine. My God, she was talented. He followed the music into Stephanie’s Bistro and stood in the back, watching her, listening to her, riveted by her.

  Evan was right. She was crazy-talented and destined for big things if that was what she wanted. Why did the thought of her chasing big things scare him? Maybe because he’d only just found her and the possibility of her being anywhere but right there with him was something he couldn’t bear to consider. Hell, if she ran off to chase the music dream, there was nothing at all to keep him from going with her.

  Jeez… Had it really come to that? Would he chase around the world after a woman? If that woman was Julia, hell yes, he’d chase her to the far corners of the globe if it meant he got to be with her.

  The realization stunned him, leaving him spinning as he tried to wrap his head around the magnitude of what’d transpired in the days since he first saw her. But as he listened to her pour her heart and soul into “Your Song” by Elton John, all he knew was that he wanted her in his life. He wanted her heart and soul to belong to him, and he wanted to give his to her.

  He loved her.

  Oh my God. I love her. That’s what this was. How else could he explain the overwhelming feelings he’d never had for anyone else?

  Indeed… How wonderful life is while she’s in the world.

  When she finished the song, the room exploded into applause that startled Puppy awake. Deacon cheered louder than anyone. He would never forget the exact moment when she saw him there or the flush that overtook her cheeks or the way she shyly acknowledged the audience as she gathered Puppy into her arms and stood to leave the stage.

  Everyone wanted to talk to her, but she was laser-focused on him as she came toward him. Deacon held out his arms to her, and she walked into his embrace as if she belonged there, which of course she did. He kept his arm around her as he escorted her from the restaurant and walked her upstairs, noting the way she trembled as he held her.

  He managed to get her keys from her bag and get the door open without releasing his tight hold on her. The second the door closed behind her, he put his arms around her and the puppy as she continued to tremble.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. After a long pause, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I did it.”

  “You certainly did.”

  “I didn’t think about it or obsess about it. I
just went in there and I played, Deacon. Do you know how huge this is for me?”

  “I think I do. I’m so, so proud of you. Your music is incredibly beautiful.”

  She pulled back to look up at him, her eyes sparkling with pure joy. “I love it so much. It was my favorite thing ever until…”

  He kissed her. “Don’t go there, darlin’. It can be your favorite thing again. Just like before.”

  “It’s one of my favorite things. I have a couple of new ones, too.”

  Cocking his head, he studied her intently, wanting to memorize the way she looked as she overflowed with happiness that had been so very hard-won. “Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh. Puppy is one of my new favorite things.”

  “He’s one lucky puppy to be among your favorites.”

  “You are, too.”

  “I’m a lucky puppy?”

  Her smile lit up her face and filled him with a ridiculous amount of happiness. “You’re one of my new favorite things.”

  “Am I?”

  She nodded and went up on tiptoes to kiss him.

  Since Deacon had been dying to kiss her for hours, he fell into the kiss like he’d found gold at the end of a long rainbow.

  Puppy let out a squeak of indignation that made them both laugh.

  “I guess he doesn’t like it when Mommy and Daddy squish him,” Julia said. “Hold that thought.”

  “I’m holding on. Just barely.”

  She giggled at the face he made and went to put Puppy in his crate, leaving the door open so he could get out if he wanted to.

  He curled up in a ball in his bed and sacked out.

  Julia returned to Deacon, offering the shy smile that made his heart ache with love for her. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he feared it was too soon. Rather, he set out to show rather than tell, undressing her, holding her, kissing her, caressing her with tender reverence. He lowered her to the bed and knelt on the floor in front of her, taking in the sight of her open and vulnerable to him.

  Knowing how difficult it was for her to be vulnerable, he wanted to be worthy of the amazing gift she’d given him. He kissed the inside of her leg, dragging his lips over her inner thigh and making her tremble again, but for different reasons this time. He slid his hands under her ass and lifted her, giving her his tongue in sweeping strokes that made her gasp and moan and squirm. It thrilled him to give her pleasure, and he wanted her out of her mind with it. He wanted her to forget anything and everything that wasn’t him and them and the incredible connection they’d found in each other.