Page 44 of One More Time

“Neither one of us wants kids.”

Derek studied me for a long moment. This wasn’t news to him since he didn’t want kids either. We used to joke about it.

“About that?”

Apprehension prickled in my awareness.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, something happened out of the blue, and I’m going to need your help.”

I drained my coffee and circled my hand in the air. The pause felt loaded and not in a good way.

“Do you remember Susan?”

“Yeah, of course, I remember her. She was your girlfriend in high school. She broke your heart when she moved away.”

“She sure did,” he agreed.

“Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?”

“One of her friends called me. Susan got pregnant. Her parents made her keep it quiet when they moved away. She had the baby.”

My mouth dropped open. “Oh my fucking God.”

Derek nodded. “Yeah, blew my mind too.”

“How long have you known this?”

“I just found out yesterday. Hannah, my daughter, wants to come up and meet me and you. Susan passed away from complications from a stroke. Her parents are also gone. I’m all my daughter has, and I didn’t even know she existed until yesterday.”

I stared at my brother, my eyes going wide.

“Uh, what are you planning to do?”

Chapter Twenty-Six

McKenna

An eagle screeched loudly nearby. I glanced over to see the bird glaring at a seagull trying to steal a fish. The eagle stalked toward the gull, who wisely flew away.

My heartbeat kicked faster. I’d seen eagles all of my life. Watching them was always exhilarating. At the sound of a splash, I glanced out toward the water to see a raft of otters drifting near the docks, a few playing in the harbor.

A blast of cold wind came off the water, and I shivered as I turned to walk back toward the docks. Just as I crested the top of the dock ramp to turn onto the sidewalk, I recognized Jack approaching. He walked beside his brother, who I’d met in passing a few times. I was trying not to think too much about it, but I missed my nights with Jack.

Remember? It was just a convenient arrangement. You don’t want anything else. Things will get awkward if you try to turn it into more.

My cynical mind taunted me on the regular these days. I didn’t really know what to do as Jack and Derek got closer. All I could do was play it cool. They were close enough that I felt it would be awkward to ignore them, so I waited.

I shivered slightly as they reached me. Derek shared Jack’s eyes, that bright starlight blue. I forced myself to focus on Derek first. “Hi, Derek. How’s Fireweed Harbor treating you?”

His eyes twinkled as a smile cracked across his thin face. “I love it.”

Even though I knew he was sick, his joy was so evident it was infectious. “I’ve always loved it here.”

“Lucky you got to grow up here,” he replied.

“I am lucky.”

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