Page 18 of The Edge of Summer
Sophia grabs my hand, taking her usual spot as my little shadow, and we trail after my new friend. Parker begrudgingly follows behind. He wasn’t too happy when I told him about our plans for this morning, but his presence here is a hill I was willing to die on.
Maggie appears in a doorway down the hall, shaking her head at her daughter. “Clara, you know I don’t have favourites.”
Clara bats her lashes. “But if you did…”
Maggie’s eyes roll good-naturedly, and then she smileswhen her gaze settles on us. “It’s lovely to see you two again. And you must be Parker! It’s nice to meet you,” she says. “I’m Maggie.”
My brother forces a smile. “Nice to meet you, too.”
We follow Maggie into a kitchen that would make a chef salivate. Gleaming stainless steel appliances are placed amongst sleek white countertops and light green cabinetry. Everything looks new, like it was recently remodelled, which makes sense considering they only opened their home to the bed and breakfast a couple years ago.
“The food will be ready shortly,” Maggie promises.
“Can I do anything to help?” I ask.
Parker doesn’t even try to hold back his snort of derision. I shoot him a glare—one that tells him, in no uncertain terms, to shut the fuck up. I may not be a Michelin Star-worthy cook, but I have come a long way since being put in charge of feeding not just one but three people.
“Mom doesn’t let anyone in her kitchen except Dad,” Clara says. “You and your siblings set the oven on fire as kidsone timeand suddenly you’re a safety hazard.”
The annoyed-but-affectionate smile that Maggie gives her daughter sends a pang of longing through me. I bite my tongue to focus on that pain instead of the sting of jealousy. It isn’t Clara’s fault that my mom isn’t here to look at me like that.
Maggie points a spatula at Clara. “Go show them around and let me cook in peace.”
Clara sticks her tongue out at her, but she does as she was told. Parker, Sophia and I dutifully follow her as she takes us on a tour of the house. She gives us a quick rundown on thefamily quarters, and then she takes us to the side of the house that is reserved for guests.
When we make it back to the kitchen, three new people stand in the room. One—a tall man with cropped salt and pepper hair—stands beside Maggie at the stove. Likely Clara’s father. The other two men appear to be about my age.
One of them turns, and time seems to stand still when I realize that this man is none other than the fire chief I crashed into on my first day here. The same one that came to my rescue at Sunnyside Market earlier in the week. I knew Kip Island was small, butfuck me, I didn’t realize it wasthissmall.
“Delilah, this is my older brother, Luke. Luke, this is Delilah and her siblings, Parker and Sophia.”
When his eyes meet mine, there is no mistaking the fact that he knows exactly who I am. And judging by the tick of his clenched jaw, he doesn’t like it.
Not one bit.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
LUKE
Riot pantsas he sticks his head out the open passenger window, the wind ruffling his fur. The drive out to my parents’ place is his favourite because the speed limit kicks up to eighty, which means he can properly let his tongue wag in the breeze.
With a laugh, I reach a hand out and pat him on the back. He doesn’t so much as spare me a glance, too engrossed in watching the scenery pass us by.
Riot and I have been thick as thieves since he came to live with me. I got him three years ago, after an injury forced him to retire from his K-9 unit on the mainland. His former handler is a buddy of mine from school. Under normal circumstances, Riot would’ve stayed with Randy and lived out the rest of his days as a loyal pet, but a perfect storm of events led him to me.
Riot was shot during a drug raid, and as a result, his recovery was pretty intense. At the same time, Randy’s wife went through a complicated birth, and both her recovery andthe care of their newborn left Randy with no time to tend to Riot. So he called me.
Those initial days weren’t easy, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. My ex tried to get me to give him up—she claimed the constant shedding was too much for her to handle, even though I took care of it—and I almost went through with it. I’m thankful every day that I removed her from my life instead.
When I pull my truck through the gate at Haven House, Riot’s tail whips against the back of the passenger seat. He begins to whine, eager to see the rest of his family. While my niece is undoubtedly his favourite, he still gets overly excited when he spots one of my siblings or my parents.
I put my vehicle in park beside Gabe’s truck, right in front of the house. As soon as I open my door, Riot climbs over me and jumps down, bounding toward the porch. The door swings inward and Abbie appears, giggling as Riot licks her cheek. I make it up the front steps just as my brother appears in the doorway behind his daughter.
“Dude,” he says to Abbie, “quit opening the door by yourself. It could’ve been a stranger on the other side.”
“But I’m not by myself, Daddy,” she replies, stroking Riot’s fur as she looks up at her dad. A cheeky smile plays on her lips. “It was just Lukey.”
