Holiday in Danger (39 page)

She stood up and flipped the lid of her suitcase shut.
One more night. I can make it through one more night.
As she stood up, a knock sounded on her door. She frowned.
I didn’t order room service.

She walked over and looked through the peephole.
Odd.
Summer pulled the door open and a delivery man smiled. “Ms. Crenshaw? I have a delivery for you.”

“Um…okay.”

He held out a clipboard and she signed on the line.

“It’s right here. Watch out, it’s kinda awkward.” The man stepped to the side and in a second was back, carrying an oversized paper-wrapped parcel.

Summer’s stomach flipped. “Who is this from?”

The man carried the package into the room and leaned it against the wall. “Let me check. He flipped the sheet over and glanced at the bill. “Doesn’t say. Want me to call in and check?”

“No, that’s okay.” She smiled at him and he flipped the pages back.

“Sure thing. Have a good one.”

Summer held open the door and the man hustled out and down the hall. With a deep breath, she turned toward the package.

Her fingers shook as she reached for the masking tape holding the paper shut. She knew what it was and she wished it were anywhere but in her room. Part of her wanted to call the concierge and have it thrown away sight unseen. But the other part of her—the one who knew that underneath that paper was a snapshot of love and wonder and pure fucking magic—couldn’t let it go.

She tore into the paper, ripping it apart bit by bit until all the wrapping fell away. Her little red boat. Bouncing in the waves. Buoyed by the storm. Lit up by the sun. Her heart. Right before everything fell apart.

Summer sunk to the floor at the foot of the painting and sobbed.

* * *

BLAKE

“I’m telling you, we still have a chance.”

“Don’t be an asshat, Devin. You saw her face. It crushed her.
We
crushed her.” Blake paced back and forth in the empty space above their shop. The space they’d been on the verge of turning into a bar. The space he once thought could be so much more.

“That’s what we said last time, but look what happened. She came back to us. Gave us another chance. She’ll do it again.” Devin stood in the middle of the room where the light hit just right and faint traces of paint still stained the wood floor.

Blake forced down his anger. “How many chances do you think she should give us? A million? More? Accept it. It’s over.”

“I can’t believe you’re giving up. What happened to the whole
I’m in love with her
bit? Change your mind?”

Blake popped his jaw. “No. But sometimes love isn’t enough. Especially not when the other guy involved won’t be honest.”

Devin spun on his heel. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know damn well what it means. I told you we should tell her about Mandy. If we’d gotten to her first—if we’d been the ones to tell her instead of that bitch ex of yours…”

“You can’t seriously say that made a difference.”

“Telling the truth? It might have. We’ll never know now, though, will we?”

Devin ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the strands. “Fine. I fucked up. I was wrong. Is that what you wanted? Does that make you feel better?”

Blake exhaled. “No. Fuck.” Everything was so messed up. Blake crouched and rested his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, Devin. I know you were doing what you thought was right.”

Devin walked over to the window. “As long as we’re being completely honest…”

“What?” Blake glanced up, but Devin focused on the floor.

“Summer might have given me a blow job when we were up here together.”

Blake blinked. “When?”

“I came up here and found her painting. It was wild—she had paint in her hair and smeared across her face—she was in the middle that landscape of the Cove with the boat out in the water when I walked in.”

“How’s that lead to her sucking you off?”

Devin winced. “She wanted to. I don’t know. We kind of had a fight. I thought she was picking you over me. She showed me she wasn’t. I should have told you.”

Blake nodded and stood up before walking over to the window. “Was that the painting she was still working on when I came in?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the best thing she’s ever painted.”

“I know.”

Blake flexed his jaw. “You think she’ll change her mind?”

A woman’s voice answered. “She won’t unless you force her to.”

Blake spun around. “Mandy? What are you doing here?”

Mandy stood in the entryway to the space, hair up in a topknot, wearing white sweats and a pained expression. “I’m trying to salvage my friendship and your future.”

“We tried last night. Summer doesn’t want anything to do with us.”

“Then you haven’t tried hard enough.” Mandy walked in and dumped her purse on the floor. “Look. We screwed up. All three of us. We never should have ended up in bed together when she left the first time. After we did, we should have told her.”

She gave them both a tight smile. “But none of that matters. What matters is that she’s still here and you still have a chance.”

Blake frowned. “Why are you helping us?”

“Because she’s my best friend. And she’s in love with you—both of you.”

Blake curled inward like he’d been punched in the gut.

“She said that?” Hope edged into Devin’s voice.

“Yes, she did. I think she’s been in love with you the whole time. It’s why she never settled down. Never had a boyfriend for longer than a New York minute.”

“Did she tell you she came here and painted?”

Mandy nodded. “Where’s the piece? She wouldn’t stop talking about it before the wedding.”

“We had it delivered to her room. We thought if she saw it…maybe she’d change her mind.”

Mandy’s lips thinned. “The painting’s not going to change her mind. You are. I’m on my way over to see her. I’ll do my best. But I can’t make any promises. You both need to figure out how much you want this and what you’re willing to do to get it.”

She grabbed her purse off the floor and strode to the door. “I’d think big.”

Devin turned to Blake as she walked out the door. “Any ideas?”

Blake nodded. He’d been thinking about it ever since he’d walked in on Summer painting, but he’d assumed it was too late. Too many obstacles.

Now? With everything blown to hell? It was the only chance they had to win her back. He glanced up at Devin. “It’s a long shot. But it just might work.”

* * *

SUMMER

Summer wiped the snot from her face with her sleeve. So much for going out gracefully. One look at the painting and the floodgates had opened. Every last bit of anger and pain and heartache she’d bottled up since the night before poured out of her in a tear-filled, snotty mess.

She grabbed the box of tissues and blew her nose as another knock sounded on the door.
You’ve got to be kidding me. What now?
She pushed herself up to stand and trudged over.

“Did you forget something?” Summer pulled the door open, but it wasn’t the delivery guy. “Mandy? What?” Summer blinked. “Shouldn’t you be halfway to Tahiti?”

Mandy pushed past Summer and made her way over to the bed.
Mrs. Dennison
was written in gold script on the back of her white sweatshirt and down the side of her right leg. On any other day, Summer would have laughed. High-fived her best friend. Not today.

“We delayed the flight. I need to talk to you.”

Summer let the door go. It shut with a wham. “You pushed back your honeymoon to talk to me?”

Mandy nodded and sat down.

Wow.
Summer walked in and crossed her arms as she leaned against the far wall. “Okay. Talk.”

“I’m sorry. We’re all sorry. I can’t sit here and tell you the days I spent with Blake and Devin didn’t mean anything because that would be a lie.”

Summer snorted.

“But hear me out.” Mandy held up her hands. “It didn’t mean what you think. When you left—we were blindsided. All of us.” Mandy pushed a stray hair off her face.

“That’s why I called all the time. You were so sad. Distant. Every phone call was like pulling teeth. You’d say a word or two and hang up. I thought I’d lost my best friend.”

“So you slept with the same two guys? Nice.”

“I’m not proud of it.” Mandy glanced down at her hands and picked at a chip in her polish. “We were all so adrift and lonely without you here. Blake and Devin—they were looking for a piece of you anywhere. They’d go down to the beach and stand where you all did. Sit at your favorite table at the restaurant.”

She sighed and slumped further down on the mattress. “We were all there one night, depressed and unhappy and it just happened. We were all looking for you and found each other.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we were grieving. It wasn’t lust or love or anything like that. It was loss.”

Summer swallowed.

“I’m not proud of it and I know I should have told you. But when I got back to school, you seemed happy. Over them.” Mandy glanced up and Summer could see the pain in her eyes. “I didn’t want to bring it up and only hurt you more.”

Summer pushed off the wall and walked over to the window. She stared out at the ocean and the waves that once held so much promise.

“If you’re still mad at me, I get it. But don’t give up on Blake and Devin. Don’t give up on your dreams. You can still have everything here in Midnight Cove. Even if we aren’t friends anymore.”

Summer palmed the window. The glass fogged with the heat from her skin and she pulled her hand away. The ghost of her fingers stayed behind. “It’s not my dream anymore, Mandy. Those all died last night.”

Mandy pushed herself off the bed and walked over to the painting. She was quiet so long, Summer turned to see if she was still there.

“It’s breathtaking, Summer.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not mine.” Summer walked over and tipped the painting toward her. With careless fingers, she tugged the canvas free from the frame one staple at a time. In moments, the whole painting sagged to the floor. Summer bent down and grabbed one edge. She rolled it into a tight tube and stood up.

“Here. Take it.” She held the painting out to Mandy.

“What? No! Summer, it’s stunning. A gallery will show it for sure.” Mandy edged away from Summer and the painting and closer toward the door.

“I don’t care. I don’t want it in a gallery. I don’t want to sell it. I’m done.” She thrust it out toward Mandy again. “If you don’t take it, I’m throwing it in the trash.”

Mandy’s eyes widened and she reached out. Her fingers wrapped around the canvas and Summer let go.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish up. I have a few calls to make and an early flight in the morning.”

Mandy clutched the rolled-up painting to her chest. “I’ll take good care of it.”

Summer walked to the door. “I don’t care if you use it as a tablecloth, Mandy.” She pulled the door open. “Enjoy your honeymoon.”

Mandy nodded and without another word, scurried out the door.

BLAKE

“Y
OU
REALLY
THINK
this is gonna work?” Devin held the level up on the wall.

“It has to. Otherwise, she’s gone. And I don’t think she’ll ever come back.”

Blake marked the spot on the wall and grabbed the hammer from the top of the ladder. He pounded the nail in place and reached for another. All this time, they’d been working toward something. Tending bar and waiting tables. Saving money to open the surf shop. Making it a success.

At first, he thought that’d be enough. He’d find some girl. Settle down. But they’d all been shallow. Lifeless.

Then came Ian and the bar. A new opportunity. A chance to give him some fucking purpose. But he’d been wrong. The bar wasn’t the answer.

Devin walked around the counter and cash register and helped Blake finish up. “You were right. That’s the perfect spot.”

Blake nodded but didn’t say a word. He climbed down and folded up the ladder. He’d spent four years in a holding pattern, trying to figure out how to move on. Forget her. He leaned the ladder against an empty spot on the wall and took a look around.

He was a fool. There was no forgetting Summer. Not now. Not ever.
 

Devin closed up the tool box and crouched to shove it under the counter. They’d been tense ever since the wedding. Only talking when necessary. Giving each other space. It sucked.

Devin stood up and exhaled. “Listen, Blake. I’m sorry. You were right about talking to Summer. We should have told her about Mandy.”

Blake bit the inside of his cheek. The spite and anger inside him coiled like a snake and he bit down harder to keep from lashing out. “I get it.”

“I thought—” Devin frowned and his brows furrowed into a deep V. “I was scared. I thought it would be a reason for her to run. An excuse to go back to New York and leave us hanging. Again.”

Blake nodded and walked over to the windows. He stood for a while, staring out at the early morning light and the other shops still shuttered and locked. Midnight Cove. It’d been his home his whole life. Devin’s too. He knew there was nowhere else he’d rather be.