Last Call (14 page)

She rolled a loose grape around on the
blanket. “Dad worked in the coal mines, usually pulling double
shifts for the overtime wages. But there never seemed to be enough
money. We were always being forced to move from place to place.
Each worse than the one before.

“I hung around for a year after graduation,
trying to work and help Dad pay the bills. And help raise Robby.”
She pulled off a piece of her sandwich, but had lost the desire to
eat. “There aren’t any good paying jobs in the area, so I had to do
something. For Robby and me. I left Robby with Dad and prayed he’d
be okay until I could get back to get him.”

She could still see the tears streaming down
his face the day she told him she had to leave. “I packed my car
and left for Myrtle Beach, promising to come back for him as soon
as I could. I waited tables, learned the bar business, and put away
as much money as possible. Summer months were great, and I made a
killing in tips and wages. Winter months were lean, but I still
managed to sock away enough that I was comfortable going back for
Robby a year and a half later.” She pushed her fingers through her
hair. “God, it was so hard being away from him for that long.
Always wondering if he was okay.”

She stopped talking and cleared her throat.
Shit, so much for not being too revealing.

Gavin had stopped eating and was watching her
closely. The intensity of his stare, and the pity behind it, made
her uncomfortable. “I’m not telling you any of this because I want
your sympathy. In fact, pity is not accepted. Period.” She’d had
enough of it from her teachers and classmates to last ten
lifetimes. “I’m telling you this so you’ll understand what that
building means to us. It isn’t just a bar. It’s our home. Other
than Robby, it’s the most important thing in my life.”

His angular features sharpened and his brow
dipped low in a frown. “It’s not pity, Sunny. It’s awe.” His
expression softened. “Robby’s lucky to have you. I don’t know many
people who…” He stared off into the distance and chewed on the
inside of his cheek. “Only a special person would sacrifice
themselves the way you have for Robby.” He frowned again and grew
agitated. “I hope he appreciates all you’ve done for him.”

She shrugged off the compliment. “I love
Robby; it wasn’t a sacrifice.”

He ate a few chips, then took a drink of
water. “How did you end up in Anticue?”

“Myrtle Beach was okay, but
we wanted to live someplace smaller. Someplace like Randall. We
stayed in Myrtle Beach until Robby graduated high school. By that
time, we'd saved enough for a down payment on the property. We
traveled back and forth, both of us working our
real
jobs as much as possible, then
coming here and working on the building during our time
off.”

She searched Gavin's face for understanding.
“Do you understand why I'll never sell that building? It's the
first house, or anything for that matter, that Robby and I have had
that was ours. We worked and scraped and saved and busted our
asses, not only to open the bar, but to have a decent place to
live.” She stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders with
renewed determination. “No one is going to take it away from us.”
She locked eyes with him to drive her point home. “No one.”

Gavin scrubbed a hand down his face, then
pulled a long drink from the water bottle, wishing like hell it was
a bottle of Crown. He thought he was in a tough spot in Sunny’s
kitchen this morning.

Fuck that.
Now
his ass was jammed
between a rock and a hard place.

Many people grew bitter and disenchanted with
life after struggling the way Sunny had. But through it all, she
maintained her bright, cheerful spirit, laughing and smiling with
ease. He admired her grit and determination and especially her
unwavering loyalty and love for her brother. As she picked at her
sandwich, he studied her tattoo. Life forced her to adopt a
never-give-up attitude, and she was right, it served her well.

Unfortunately, Max lived by the same
rule.

Gavin reached across the blanket and stroked
her leg. “Max has already invested too much to let your…
stubborn”—he smiled—“yet admirable determination stop him.”

“What do you mean ‘invested too much?’” Her
steely gaze cut him to the core. “No one has invested anything in
this property but me and Robby.”

He nodded to the old pier. “He's already
purchased all the property surrounding yours.”
And a few county
officials.
He brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder and
stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

“You’re forgetting about the island’s
ordinances.”

Gavin stuffed his sandwich bag into the
cooler, then watched the waves. “I don’t think that’s going to be
an issue.”

“Why not?”

He didn’t know why, but he hesitated to tell
her about the bought-and-paid-for commissioners. Maybe it was
because he didn’t have proof of those transactions. Or maybe,
because Anticue was a small place, he feared she knew some of them.
Given Sunny’s feisty personality, she was likely to go knocking
down doors to confront them. Not a bad idea at a later time, but a
terrible idea at the moment.

When he didn’t answer, she lifted her chin
and tossed her shoulders back. “I don’t even know why we’re still
discussing this. I own this property, and no one can make me
sell.”

True enough, in theory. Not in practice. “Max
will make your life hell until you give in.”

Anger vibrated from her, but her voice was
low and calm. “I’ve lived through hell before. I never planned to
repeat the experience. But I survived the first time. I can do it
again.”

He didn’t like that her life had been
difficult, and thinking about Max making it rough again made him
crazy. Anger and frustration pushed at his temples until he thought
his head would explode.

A lot of his frustration came from knowing
exactly how Sunny felt. He was ten when his parents disappeared. He
remembered the overwhelming feelings of helplessness and
loneliness, at least, prior to his granddad selflessly moving him
to the farm and promising to always keep Gavin safe.

His granddad had sacrificed everything for
him, like Sunny did for Robby. While the small farm his grandfather
owned didn't bring in a lot of money, they had each other and a
comfortable home. As an adult, Gavin busted his ass to make sure
his grandfather was able to keep the farm. He would have fought
like hell if someone tried to take it away from them.

Guilt punched him in the gut with the
reminder he didn’t visit his grandfather nearly as much as he
should. Hell, he didn’t even call like he should. But Granddad
never complained. He just accepted Gavin’s excuses with total
understanding.

And really, that’s all they were. Excuses. At
first, he was busy working his way through college. Then he was
busy climbing the ladder at Holden Enterprises. He was so wrapped
up in himself he lost touch with the person who mattered the
most.

He had a nagging suspicion if he looked real
close, he’d also find he lost touch with himself, as well as the
values instilled in him as a child. But it wasn’t the time to start
dissecting his life. He had more pressing things to worry
about.

It seemed they’d both lost their appetite,
and he was getting restless. He thought through problems and found
solutions better when moving; he needed to walk. “What’s down that
way?” he asked, pointing toward the far end of the island.

“More of what’s right here. A few houses and
beach.” Her body language was still stiff and guarded, but her
voice was calm and impassive.

Gavin stood and offered her his hand. “Show
me.”

While they walked in silence, he took the
time to appreciate the natural beauty and peaceful solitude of
Anticue. It was beautiful now, but when the resort was built, the
beach would be crawling with people and the dunes would be damaged,
despite warnings to stay off of them.

From the corner of his eye, he watched Sunny
work a Dum-Dum around and around and around. He figured she was
rolling this situation around in her mind at the same frantic pace
she was wearing out the candy. He imagined her fortifying her
mental walls, figuring out all the angles to make sure her home and
business were untouchable.

The same thing he’d be doing if the situation
were reversed.

After walking for what
seemed like a week, they turned and headed back toward her
place.
“When did you move to North Carolina?” It was the
first time either of them had spoken since they started walking,
and her question startled him.

Satisfying an annoying craving for constant
contact with her, he took her hand and laced their fingers
together. “I was ten.”

She swiveled her head so she could see him
and waited for more information. Apparently, she wasn’t satisfied
with the simple answer and was willing to stare him down until she
got more.

He wasn’t used to sharing anything about
himself, especially not this part of his life, and a lump formed in
his chest, blocking the words. “My parents…” His voice cracked like
a prepubescent teen, and he had to clear his throat and start over.
“My parents disappeared in a boating accident when I was ten. After
that, my grandfather moved me to his farm.”

“You don't look like a guy raised on a
farm.”

Her words weren’t derogatory, but his brain
registered them as such. Half afraid to ask but curious enough to
risk it, he said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What do I look like?”

She didn't immediately answer, and the longer
she studied him, the more his gut twisted with unease. He never
worried what others thought, and it surprised him to realize how
much her answer meant.

“The farmers I know don’t wear designer suits
and shoes.”

As he considered her words, he tried to
understand the agitation he felt over this ridiculous subject.

She tugged on his fingers and smiled. “It's
not a bad thing. You just don't look like a farmer.”

True enough, he supposed, but her answer
still irked him. They stopped and grabbed the picnic gear, then
headed back to Sunny’s. As they approached the house, Gavin saw
Robby’s Ford Ranger in the parking lot.

“Well, shit,” Sunny said, as her shoulders
slumped forward.

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” Maybe
she was thinking like him and planned on sex for dessert. But with
Robby home, that was probably off the menu.

She pointed to the parking lot. “Robby’s
home.” She gasped, then tensed. “Oh shit! Robby’s home.”

Jesus, he knew her brother didn’t like him,
but he didn’t think it should cause her this much distress.

Panic settled over her features. “I left the
box of condoms on the bed, and your clothes are in my bedroom.”

Gavin bit his lip to keep from smiling. “How
old are you?”

She cringed. “I know it’s ridiculous to feel
like a teenager who’s gotten caught making out with her boyfriend
while her parents were gone. But I’ve never had a man over, or had
to deal with this situation before.”

Several things about that statement stood out
and caused a stir of emotion in his gut. She said last night she
hadn’t been with anyone in three years, and this supported that
claim. But it also sounded like she never had a serious boyfriend
who spent time with her and Robby. His male pride liked knowing she
didn't have a rash of lovers over the years, and it also wanted to
be the first to make himself at home in her living room.

And wasn’t that fucked up given their current
situation.

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he
said. “I’m curious. How old are you?”

“Oh.” She dipped her head to hide her face as
a blush settled over her cheeks. “I’m twenty-nine. Robby’ll be
twenty-one in two weeks and can finally help me serve alcohol. It’s
not that big of a deal because he’s the dishwasher, and he helps in
the kitchen if they get backed up. But it’ll be nice to have a
little relief behind the bar.”

She shrugged. “But then he’ll leave for the
university in the fall, and I’ll be back to flying solo. I’m
nervous about doing it on my own.” She turned to him, eyes wide, as
if realizing she’d revealed a great secret. “I never want him to
know that.”

Gavin nodded in understanding. “Where's he
going?”

“He's supposed to go to East Carolina
University, in Greenville. He wants to do something with art, and
they have a great art program.”

“Did he make these?” Gavin asked as he
stopped at the copper windmill and pushed on one of the paddles,
sending the propeller into motion.

Sunny smiled and ran her fingers along the
edge of a dogwood leaf on another piece. “No. Well, he helps me
sometimes. I make these in my spare time.”

He cut his eyes to her. “When could you
possibly have spare time?”

"Now that we’ve gotten all the renovations
taken care of, I have a lot of time during the day to work on
them.”

Gavin’s mind jumped to the future, when Robby
was gone and Sunny lived alone. He could think of a million ways to
fill her… time.

As they rounded the back of the house, Gavin
asked, “Why do you say, ‘he’s supposed to go?’”

“Because I think he’s hesitant to leave me.
He’s done two years at the community college, getting all of his
general classes out of the way. But now that it’s time for him to
leave, I think he’s afraid of abandoning me. That’s why I’d never
tell him how nervous I am about doing this on my own.” She stopped
at the bottom of the stairs and glanced up at the apartment door.
“Even though the thought of him leaving makes my chest feel like
it’s filled with wet sand, I need to get up the courage to talk to
him about it and let him know I’ll be fine.”