Picture Perfect (Butler Island) (2 page)

 She smiled in spite of herself. The
entire house had received a facelift and yet Ty had purposely left this room
untouched. That had most likely infuriated Cameron, but proved to her that Ty
was still hopeful that one day his sister would return.

The pink satin comforter was strewn
over the antique canopy bed along with a handful of Beanie Babies she’d kept
from her childhood. A swell of emotion erupted from the pit of her stomach and
she blinked back the moisture as it attempted to escape her eyes. Having been
gone for so many years she was uncertain how it would feel to be back. And as
she collapsed onto the mattress in front of her she admitted it felt good.
Oh
so good!

Ty steered his truck onto the
deserted two-lane road, the island’s only fire station in his rearview mirror.
He’d spent every third night here for the past eighteen years; most of those
nights had been peaceful. Unfortunately that was no longer the case.

Four fires—in six weeks… that was no
coincidence.

Last night’s fire completely engulfed
the abandoned, wood-frame home on Whippoorwill Lane. So far, the arsonist had
only torched forsaken structures—and yes, they were most certainly dealing with
an arsonist—but what would happen when the pyromaniac ran out of deserted
properties to torch?

Lives would be in danger.

After returning to the station early
this morning, he’d been greeted by the Mayor.

“If anyone asks, this fire is ‘
suspicious’—
nothing
more, nothing less. Are we clear?” he’d said. “The last thing we need to do is
unnecessarily alarm the town’s residents.”

Ty wondered how much longer this
charade would last. Sure, Butler Island was a small town with a population of
roughly a thousand residents, but they weren’t ignorant. They were honest folks
and they deserved to know the truth: there was a criminal among them. But that
wasn’t his call to make—it was Mayor Cliffburg’s. So until Ty was told
differently, he’d repeat the rehearsed explanation and pray the fire-starter
was apprehended before a real tragedy occurred.

His commute from the station to his
home on Gulf Court had only taken roughly three minutes, and as he pulled into
the driveway, he wondered if maybe the physical and mental exhaustion from last
night’s fire was finally taking its toll: a black Mini Cooper was parked underneath
the carport. No one on the small island drove that particular make and model,
which could only mean one thing: his little sister had finally come home.

“Olivia… Olivia!” Ty shouted as he
charged through the front door. The fatigue he’d felt moments before subsided,
replaced by an overwhelming surge of anticipation. The revelation of her
presence had restored his energy like a liberal dose of caffeine. He’d
practically leapt from his truck upon making the discovery and surged through
the front door in search of her.

“
Surprise
”, she announced as
she emerged from the hallway. They rushed toward one another and embraced for
almost a minute before pulling away, the silence oddly comforting.

“I can’t believe you’re really here!”
he finally declared. “You know, you could have told me you were coming.”

“What and ruin this reception?—not a
chance!”

“When did you get in?”

“Late last night. I thought maybe I
had the wrong house”, she said as she glanced around the room. “Everything
looks so…”

“Different”, he offered.

“Well, yeah, but I was going to say
urban
chic.
”

Ty chuckled under his breath.
“Okaaay, whatever
that
means… So, how long are you here for?”

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “For a
good while, I guess.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

After receiving a guided tour of the recently
renovated house, she made another surprising discovery: the concrete storage
building in the backyard that’d been converted into a darkroom in high school
had been left untouched as well. She was moved by his unwillingness to alter
her existence from this house and felt a sudden twinge of guilt for waiting as
long as she had to return.

The darkroom discovery prompted
Olivia to do something she hadn’t done in a while: photograph something other
than devastation. She’d driven five blocks and parked her Mini Cooper in the
public lot before removing her shoes and reaching for her camera. The air was
saturated with salt and as she descended down the wood steps, she inhaled the
nostalgic aroma. The warm gulf breeze collided against her body as her toes
sunk into the powdery sand and without hesitation, she raised her camera to her
face and began snapping pictures of the horizon as she blindly walked forward.

She’d been walking for less than a
minute before the first small wave reached her toes and a sudden fiery
sensation swept across the top of her foot. Olivia tore the camera from her
face and looked down as the plump, translucent jellyfish was helplessly carried
away by the receding wave. She stumbled and fell to her knees in pain, almost
dropping her expensive camera in the process. One quick look around only
further heightened the hysteria—the entire beach was littered with jellyfish.
She’d been so distracted by the beautiful scenery that she hadn’t noticed the
slimy sea creatures until now. In fact, it was a miracle she hadn’t stepped on
one before she’d reached the water.

The pain was becoming more intense
with every passing moment, her skin searing from the fiery sting. She cried out
in agony just as two strong arms hoisted her to her feet from behind.

“You Ok?”

“Oh, I’m just hunkey dorey!—
you?”
she asked as the large hands gripped her waist and spun her around. She came
face to face with her rescuer… all six-foot, broad-shouldered inch of him.

Grant looked down at the beautiful,
blonde stranger he held in his arms and smiled. The thick southern twang in her
voice assuring him she wasn’t from around here. “That’s a pretty nasty sting
you have there.”

“Yeah—since when did this beach get
invaded with those slimy lil’ suckers?”

He chuckled under his breath.
Slimy
lil’ suckers?
“The tropical storm brought them in.”

“But it didn’t
even make landfall”, she reiterated.

“It didn’t have to. The winds stir up
the current and wash them ashore.”

“Oh.”

“Listen”, he said as he gestured
toward her foot, “we need to get you fixed up before all the toxins are
released—”

“—Jesus, Joseph, and Mary—you’re not
gonna pee on my foot are you? Because if that’s what you’re plannin’, then I’m
gonna have to object. I’m not that kind of girl.”

Grant felt the corners of his mouth
turn up in a wide grin. She became more adorable and more beautiful every time
she spoke. “No—I’m not going to pee on you.” He pointed to the raised beach
house behind her. “That’s my house over there. I can have you fixed up in no
time.”

Olivia glanced over her shoulder at
the beach house and then back at the handsome tattooed-man still holding on to
her waist. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because… you’re a
stranger.
How
do I know you’re not an ax murderer luring me to your house so you can chop me
up into a bunch of little pieces?”

That did it. He couldn’t contain his
laughter any longer and when he met her gaze again, he realized she wasn’t
laughing
.

 
“You’re serious…?
Honey,
this is Butler Island. People leave their doors
unlocked, the fruit stand on First Street is on the honor system, and the
biggest crime in the town’s history was committed by a teenage girl that took a
stolen jet ski on a joy ride years ago.”

 The beautiful woman smiled and
relaxed a bit in his arms, no longer as tense as she was moments before. He
removed one of his hands from her waist and offered it to her. “My name’s Grant
Womack and I’m a firefighter—not an ax murderer. I’ve got a first aid kit at
the house. We can sit outside on the deck if that would make you feel more
comfortable.”

She looked down at his outstretched
hand and bit her bottom lip before shaking it. “You can call me Olivia—not
honey—and sitting on the deck would be greatly appreciated.”

Grant guided her around the hundreds
of jellyfish scattered along the beach and when they reached the deck, she sat
with her legs stretched out in front of her on an oversized lounge chair. He
disappeared for a moment inside and then re-emerged seconds later with a bottle
of distilled vinegar and a mound of gauze. He knelt down in front of her and
then poured the pungent liquid over her foot.

“Ouch! Are you sure you know what
you’re doin’?”

“Count to ten and I promise it’ll get
better. The vinegar only hurts for a few seconds and then it’ll begin neutralizing
all the toxins the stinger released… Better?”

Olivia took a deep breath and exhaled
slowly though her mouth. “Yeah, a little.” She studied him for a moment, which
given his good looks wasn’t a hardship what-so-ever. “So, the peeing thing is—”

“A myth. You’re better off rinsing
the sting in the ocean than you are peeing on it.” He watched as she nodded her
head, retaining the information just in case she needed it for future use. “I
haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new in town?”

“Not exactly.”

“
Not exactly
… Do you mind
elaborating a little bit on that one?”

“Yes, actually, I
do
mind”,
she answered playfully.

Grant let out a soft chuckle and
shook his head. She was a witty little thing and he liked it—he liked her. The
women he’d dated on the island—if you could even call it dating—were quick to
throw themselves at his feet. They were eager for a few beers and a roll in the
hay, but truthfully he’d grown tired of it. It’d been a long time since he’d
been intrigued by a member of the female species and the woman sitting in front
of him certainly sparked his curiosity. “So, do you have any plans tonight?
There’s a poker tournament at my buddy’s house. Some of the guys bring their
wives and girlfriends…”

“Are you asking me on a date?”

“That depends, are you interested?”

“Actually, I already have plans
tonight with the man in my life ”, she explained.

Ouch!
Grant
lowered his head for a moment before meeting her green-eyed gaze again. “Well,
he’s a lucky man.”

“Yes, he is”, she said smiling. “I’ll
make sure to pass your message along to him.” Olivia swung her legs over the
side of the lounge chair and stood up.

“Do you need a ride?” he offered.

“No thanks, my car’s right over there
in the parkin’ lot”, she assured him as she gestured toward her car. “And by
the way… thank you.”

She started down the wood steps that
led to the beach from his expansive deck. “Maybe I’ll see you around”, he
called out as he watched her move toward the sandy shore.

“It’s a small island—I’m sure you
will.”

CHAPTER 2

Poker night was a once a month
tradition, hosted by Grant’s lieutenant, and best friend, Ty. It was an
opportunity to bond with his fellow “brothers” at the fire department and it
was an excuse to drink a boat-load of beer, too. He arrived at Ty’s house a few
minutes late, the boys steadily hassling him over the game delay. The guys were
already seated at the large dining room table as he walked to the fridge to snag
an ice cold beer. He glanced through the window pane and saw the women huddled
around the
patio table—exchanging gossip no
doubt. Not
wanting to disturb their whispering campaign and cause
further delay from the tournament, he gave a quick wave and then joined the
guys at the dining room table.

“Glad you could make it”, Ty
announced dryly.

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss taking your
money for the world, bro.”

Ty began shuffling the cards and then
swiftly distributed five cards a piece to his self, as well as the seven guys
sitting at the table. After everyone had an opportunity to take a look at their
dealt hands, Eddie Yates placed the first bet, tossing his poker chips into the
middle of the table. “I have to tell you, Ty: that was one hell of a surprise”,
he said.

“Yeah, did you know she was coming?”
Jimmy Phillips asked.

“Nope—I was just as surprised as the
rest of you.”

“What the hell are you guys talking
about?” Grant interjected.

“My sister’s in town.” Ty placed his
cards face down on the table and then stood from his chair. He walked to the
French doors and asked his sister to come inside whenever she had a moment and
then sat back down at the table.

Grant was busy studying his cards,
oblivious to the silhouette walking toward him—that is until the silhouette
opened her mouth to speak.