Picture Perfect (Butler Island) (21 page)

“Grant, this isn’t your fault—”

“I should’ve stayed with you longer.
If I wouldn’t have left when I did, this probably wouldn’t have happened.”

“The detective believes the man that
did this was most likely watchin’ the house, waitin’ for the perfect
opportunity for me to be alone. It wouldn’t have mattered when you left—he
still would’ve been there waitin’…”

“When did this happen?—how long after
I left?” he inquired.

Olivia shrugged her sore shoulders.
“I don’t know—five—ten minutes?”

Closing his eyes, he sighed. “Damn
it, Livvy, when I got the call that you’d been hurt, I—”

“Look at me”, she demanded as she
gently squeezed his hand. “I’m only gonna say this one more time, okay? It.
Wasn’t. Your. Fault. I’m gonna be just fine. I may look like a complete mess
right now, but with a little make-up and a cute outfit, nobody will ever
suspect I suffered any injuries!”

 
And let’s not forget a little
humor,
she thought. That had been her longtime secret weapon against
emotional trauma from her past.

When you don’t have the strength
within you—fake it. Because if she couldn’t overcome her personal struggles,
she could at least gain satisfaction from comforting those that surrounded her.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” he
said smiling.

“Why, yes, I do—I’ve been told that a
time or two”, she explained as she gave him a playful wink.

Amazing didn’t even begin to describe
how he felt about her, he acknowledged. Her strength was contagious; he wanted
to be strong—for her. He couldn’t think of another person who could lie there
and make light of their circumstances. Her attacker may have inflicted physical
damage to her beautiful body, but at least he hadn’t broken her spirit.

Ty quietly closed the door.

 
“I’d say the intercourse was most
likely consensual”
, Dr. Conrad had said earlier. He’d been so relieved to
hear she hadn’t been raped, he’d overlooked the obvious: she’d had sex before
her attack. Before her attack she’d been with Grant—
his best friend fucked
his lil’ sister!

No—no that couldn’t be, could it?

No—it
had
to be someone else.
Grant and Olivia were
friends
—that’s all.

But sometimes the way Grant looked at
her, Ty wondered if maybe they
were
more than friends…

Inhaling a deep cleansing breath, he
raised his hand to the door, knocked twice, and then opened it. Startled, Grant
removed his hand from Olivia’s and then leaned back in his chair.

“Back so soon?” Grant asked.

Ty stepped into the room and walked
toward the tray on the other side of Olivia’s bed. “Got halfway there and then
realized I forgot my wallet.”

Once he had it in his grasp, he eyed
Grant suspiciously for a several seconds and then asked, “Can I get anyone
anything?”

 When both Grant and Olivia shook
their heads, he started for the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes—sorry to
interrupt.”

Grant watched as Ty closed the door
behind him. There was no mistake about it: he knew about his relationship with
Olivia. The bold stare and the “sorry to interrupt” comment were evidence of
that.

He glanced at Olivia; she appeared as
though she was too exhausted to have noticed and mentioning it to her now would
only upset her. Things were about to get real interesting on Butler Island.

A very dangerous man was on the loose
and once he was caught, Grant was pretty sure that Ty would be coming after him
next…

CHAPTER 17

It’s show time,
Olivia thought
as she sat in the living room, surrounded by loved ones. She’d been home from
the hospital for three days and was already uncomfortable with the attention
she’d received from the worried residents of Butler Island.

Her childhood home had become a revolving
door: neighbors, friends, as well as members of her extended family at the fire
department, had all made an effort to visit. In fact, she’d barely had a moment
of privacy since Ty had discovered her almost a week ago, lying in a pool of
her own blood on the cold slate tile.

Today’s performance was of utmost
importance: Kendall and Grant—the two people who knew her best aside from
Ty—were flanked on either side of her, staring at her as though she were a
house of cards on the verge of collapse. Their careful scrutiny was cumbersome,
uncomfortable. Exuding strength and confidence would hopefully put everyone’s
mind at ease—
including her own.

She hadn’t seen Grant in three days,
his absence further signifying just how important he had become in her life.
They’d spoken every day, but she’d missed his smile, his warmth, his touch.
With Ty observing every breath she took, every move she made, they’d decided
that distance would prevent speculation about their relationship.

Sensing her need to be alone with him,
Kendall spoke up. “Ty, do you think you can show me what your daily routine is
in regards to caring for your pool?” she asked as she twirled a silky strand of
black hair around her manicured fingers. “I’ve been thinking about getting an
above ground pool for my backyard this spring.”

“Now?” he asked incredulously.

“Uh-huh—I mean,
if it’s not too much trouble…”

Ty was in awe of the beauty before
him. Her ink-black hair settled around her shoulders, glistening under the
lamp’s intimate glow. Two large amber eyes nearly pinned him with their intense
gaze, and plump rose lips turned upward in a radiant smile, caressing the
depths of his broken soul; mending him from the inside out. Clearing his
throat, he offered his hand. “No trouble at all.”

Grant eyed them as they advanced
toward the French doors. The look of admiration didn’t escape him: Ty was
clearly attracted to Kendall. But it seemed to be more than that.

He’d stood by as his best friend
mourned the end of his marriage. There was no doubt that Cameron’s sudden
departure created an unimaginable void in Ty’s life. He’d loved that woman more
than she’d deserved and when she left, she’d taken his soul with her.

For the first time in recent memory,
he recognized life behind Ty’s green eyes…

 
And lust.
Maybe there was
hope for him after all.

Grant waited until they were out of
sight before turning toward the beauty beside him. “How’re you doing,
really?”

Sighing, she answered, “I’m okay.
Having a little trouble sleeping, but other than that…”

Reaching for her hand, he ran his
thumb against her palm as if trying to read her. “The cuts are healing nicely.”

“Apparently,
Super Woman
has
super healin’ powers.”

Chuckling softly, he tucked her hair
behind her ear. “I’ve missed you like crazy the last few days.”

Olivia tore her eyes away from their
joined hands and peered into his ice-blue gaze. His admission floored her. It
wasn’t necessarily the words that’d shocked her; she knew he’d missed her. It
was the way he’d said them—like he would’ve died if he’d had to wait a minute
longer to see her, like he’d wither away if not for the warmth of her body next
to his. And if that weren’t shocking enough, she realized that his absence had
created a longing unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, too.

“Ditto”, she replied, unable to
articulate the mounting emotions threatening to fracture her guarded heart.

“So with Ty
going back to work tomorrow
, what are you gonna do?”

“Well, if it were up to me I’d stay
here, but my overprotective big brother refuses to compromise on that.”

“And I agree with him on that—you
shouldn’t be alone.”

“Looks like I’ll be seeing you at the
fire station tomorrow, and as for tomorrow night… He’s planning on having
Lieutenant Hudson cover his overnight shift.”

“Seems like he’s got it all figured
out then.”

“Honestly”, she began, “I think
everyone is overreactin’.
I’m a big girl—I can take care of myself.”

“Honey, nobody’s questioning your
capabilities—
or your courage—
for that matter. It’s your safety that
concerns us.”

“I understand that, but… the man that
did this… well, surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to come back…?”

Cupping the back of her neck, he ran
his callused thumb along her cheek. “The arsonist is obviously afraid of being
caught and with your pictures exposing him in the act, he most likely felt you
were a threat. Trying to probe the mind of a maniac and rationalize his choices
and decisions isn’t my expertise. But I can guarantee one thing: any man that
hits a woman is a coward. He waited until you were alone and defenseless—that
won’t happen again. We’re not gonna give him the opportunity to hurt you a
second time.”

Olivia ran her fingers through her
hair and released a heavy sigh. “Why does this kind of stuff always happen to
me?
Damn it!
I feel like my entire life I’ve been trying to outrun an
endless black cloud—one tragedy after the next—”

Before he could question the meaning
behind her statement, Ty and Kendall emerged from the patio, their laughter and
flirtatious interplay an indication that they’d most likely strayed from “Pool
Upkeep 101.”

“You know what?” Olivia announced as
she rose from the couch. “I think I’m gonna take a nice, hot shower…”

Grant eyed Olivia as she walked away.
There was something different about her demeanor. She’d been seconds away from
revealing the pain from her past, and her sudden urge to take a hot shower was
merely a cover.

Olivia paused just before reaching
the hall, looking over her shoulder. “Thank you both for stoppin’ by”, she said
as she pasted her
“everything-is-fine smile.”

Who did she think she was fooling? He
wondered. It’d been just over two months since he’d stumbled upon her at the
beach and in that time, he’d been given the opportunity to get to know her
well.
He knew her
, knew that the smile she unveiled moments before disappearing
down the hall wasn’t genuine—it was forced. It lacked the radiance he was use
to, exposing the bone-deep agony she kept hidden so eloquently.

He prayed that the brilliance would
return to her emerald eyes, prayed that her contagious spirit would prevail. He
couldn’t take away her pain, but he could love her. And that’s exactly what he
planned on doing.

Following the orders of her
overprotective sibling, Olivia arrived at the fire station the following
morning with a carefree smile adorned to her nearly healed face and an old
outdated 35mm camera in tow. She’d spent the better part of the day observing
the everyday happenings at the fire station: washing
the fire engine, performing various training exercises
, preparing
lunch. She’d captured the “brotherhood” behind the scenes; the moments that the
general public weren’t at privy to see.

The fire station had always felt like
home. She’d always felt a part of this family—an extended member. But today…
today she was a part of the “brotherhood”, too.

The realization hit her like a ton of
bricks.

This was her family.

Olivia thought back to the theater
fire. She had been seconds away from witnessing a living nightmare: a roof
collapse with four men she cared
about still
inside. Thankfully they’d escaped unharmed
. But what about the next
time?

Closing her eyes, she tried to push
the thoughts from her head. The arsonist had to be caught—soon. Because
although she was a master at exuding courage and strength, she knew she lacked
the fortitude to mourn another loss.

Grunting, Grant pushed the heavy
weighted barbell away from his broad chest and secured it in place. Lifting
weights had always served two particular purposes: it kept his body in shape
and kept his mind clear. Today he was lifting for the latter.

Having Olivia here at the fire
station was bittersweet. He was partially at ease with the knowledge that she
was safe, but as always was the case with Olivia, the constant need to touch
her consumed him.

How many times had he lost his focus
in a vivid reverie?

Too many.

How often had he clenched his fists
to keep himself from reaching for her when she strolled by?

Too often.

How frequently had he bit his tongue
to prevent himself from telling her exactly how he felt about her?

 
Too frequently.

Before he could further psychoanalyze
his mind, Ty waltzed into the small weight room. Without uttering a word, he
stepped onto the treadmill wedged in the corner and began a slow jog. Rising
from the bench, Grant reached for his towel and wiped the moisture from his
face and neck, Ty’s steady glare boring holes into him.