Page 69 of Serenity Harbor

He hadn’t completely discounted that possibility for his brother, as much as he disliked thinking about it. If Debra Peters thought Milo would thrive in a residential treatment school, maybe he owed it to his brother to try it out.

“I’ll think about it,” he repeated.

Ben appeared to accept that as they headed for the north end of the lake. A few moments later, he gestured to Bowie. “Here. Take over.”

“What? Now?” He tried not to let shock show on his features.

“Yeah. Just while I grab a beer. Try not to hit anybody else. There are a bunch of idiots on the water this time of year who don’t know what they’re doing.”

Um. He happened to be one of those idiots right now. He had rarely even been on a boat, forget about driving one. But how would he ever decide if he wanted one of his own if he never gave it a shot?

Ben didn’t give him an option, anyway, he just got up and moved to the back of the boat toward the others and the cooler they had stowed aboard.

Somehow Bowie managed to negotiate around a few fishing boats and a hot-rodder on a personal watercraft until Ben returned and handed him a beer.

“Sweet, isn’t she?” Ben asked.

“She is, indeed.”

For the rest of the ride, he tried to emulate his brother and simply enjoy the ride until they returned back to Ben and McKenzie’s house on Redemption Bay as the setting sun was sending orange and pink rays across the water.

Milo complained a little about having to get off the boat, but McKenzie seemed to know just the trick to persuade him.

“We have steaks and hot dogs to grill,” she said. “Is there anyone here who might like some?”

Milo raised his hand instantly, making the rest of them smile. Yes, he might have autism, but he was a six-year-old boy first.

He was even more excited when McKenzie went to the back door of the house and opened it for the two dogs, who were clamoring to come out and join them on the terrace.

Both dogs headed straight for Milo, who actually giggled as they licked at him, a sound Bowie had rarely heard from him.

“Better add a dog to that wish list,” Ben said.

Katrina had been telling him the same thing, that his brother adored dogs and would probably thrive with a pet of his own. That was another thought that completely overwhelmed him right now.

“A boat and a dog? You don’t think I have enough to worry about, with a new brother, a new job and a new house?”

“You’d be surprised at how quickly a guy can adapt to a different way of looking at the world.”

Not that surprised, he thought a short time later as Ben grilled steaks and Katrina and McKenzie bustled around setting dishes out on the tablecloth Ben’s wife threw over their patio table. He was already seeing the world differently than he had before that phone call informing him about Milo. He stood at the water’s edge, keeping a careful eye on his brother, who was beginning to tire after his long day. Bowie could only hope they would make it through dinner.

He turned back to look at the scene and saw Katrina laugh at something McKenzie said. Her hair seemed to gleam like silky gold in the sunset, and Bowie was aware of an odd feeling curling through him.

Contentment, he realized. It all felt so...normal. Two couples, a pair of dogs and a kid, enjoying a beautiful summer evening beside a mountain lake.

Except one of those coupleswasn’ta couple at all. Katrina wasn’t his. She had made it clear she didn’t want to be.

Just like that, the feeling of peace shredded like a piece of paper caught in the propeller of Ben’s boat. She was leaving in a handful of days. Every time he thought about it, he wanted to pound his fist into a tree.

“That’s quite a ferocious look.” McKenzie came up beside him and held out a plate full of appetizers that looked like mini tacos. “Is everything okay?”

Nothing was okay. His life had been spinning out of his control since the day he stepped foot in Haven Point. He picked up one of the appetizers to give himself a moment to answer.

“Sure,” he lied. “Everything’s great. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve had a lot of life changes in a short time. It can’t be easy for you.”

Obviously she didn’t have the same suck-it-up-and-deal philosophy as her husband when it came to adjusting to major life changes.

---