Finding Haven (18 page)

“Ok, and sweetie, I know you’d like a glass of wine. I’ll be back.” Denton walked
out of the study.

Haven bit her tongue. Her father was using this setting to act like things were the
same as two months ago. She couldn’t correct him in front of Jay. For now, she would
act like a daughter that wanted to have dinner with her parents.

“Your parents are great. I met your mother earlier.”

“Yeah, she’s the best.” Haven knew her father would waltz back in any second, but
she was fighting a growing urge to reach up and kiss Jay. Not seeing him for twenty-four
hours had that effect on her.

“You look nice.” His eyes dipped to her throat and trailed along the V of her dress.

It was a heated stare she reveled in.

“Ok. Ok. Here we go.” Denton appeared with drinks in hand. “One beer for you, Jay.
And here you go.” He handed Haven a glass of wine.

“Thank you, sir.” Jay tipped the glass against his lips. Her parents were really going
all out. The beer was in a pilsner glass.

“Mom says dinner is ready, so why don’t we head to the dining room?” Denton waved
his hand toward the door.

“Dining room?” Haven looked at her father. They only ate in the dining room at Christmas
and Easter. Sometimes, if all of her aunts and grandparents were over, but it was
rare that both sides of the family gathered at the same time.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Denton put his hand across Jay’s shoulder. “Wait ‘til you taste
this sauce Maura makes. It’s an island legend.”

Haven rolled her eyes. She was behind them; no one could catch this one. She got at
least one freebie.

“M
OM, THAT
was so good. Thanks for making dinner. You sit and I’ll take care of the dishes.”
Haven placed her napkin on the table and pushed her seat back.

“Yes, Mrs. Own. It was delicious. You should bottle and sell that sauce at the store.”
Jay smiled at his hostess.

Maura blushed. “I’m just glad everyone enjoyed it. Haven, you don’t have to do the
dishes.”

“Yes, I do. You sit and relax.” Haven began collecting plates.

“I’ll help.” Evan stood before Haven reached his plate.

“Why, a man that helps in the kitchen. That’s nice to see on the island. Isn’t it,
Haven?” Her mother beamed at her as Jay piled her father’s plate on top of his stack.

“Mom, that is so sexist.” Haven knew it was true, though. It was rare to find a man
on the island who helped with domestic duties. Add that to the list of reasons to
find love off this piece of sand.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Maura giggled. Her cheeks flushed from a glass of wine.
“I’d have to pay your father to wash a dish.”

“Who wants to do dishes?” Haven’s father chuckled from the head of the table. Haven
fought the impulse to fire back. It was pointless.

Jay followed her to the kitchen and began rinsing the plates.

“My dad is such an asshole,” she seethed.

“He doesn’t seem that bad. But I don’t know what’s going on.” He tilted his head.
“There’re always two sides to every story, right?”

Haven didn’t want to tell him that the other side of this story was dark and ugly.
Her father’s affair with Betra was something that had permeated the happiness she
once felt in her own home. It hung in the air like mold, growing darker and more disgusting
the longer it was left on its own.

“Right.” She opened the dishwasher and tossed the silverware in the basket.

“You seem awfully quiet.” He nudged her with his arm.

“I can’t really talk about it right now.” The salt in her tears stung the corners
of her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. She couldn’t. “Is that ok?”

Jay turned the water off. “Hey, come here.”

Before she could turn her face from him or reach for another handful of dirty dishes,
his strong arms wrapped her in against his chest.

She exhaled into the broad surface of his upper body. He smelled so good—like clean
soap and a mixture of his cologne. Her hands circled his waist, and she settled into
the embrace, feeling the anger that had gripped her release with every deep breath
she shared with Jay.

“Is that better?” he murmured into her hair.

She looked in his eyes, feeling calmness wash over her. It was as if Jay had steadied
all the tipsiness, and with a new sense of balance, she lost her breath.

“Yes,” she whispered.

It was only a hug, but suddenly it felt like the single most earth-shattering moment
of her life.

“A
LLAN, COME
on. Tell me something. What is going on with her?” Evan closed the door behind him
and turned the AC to low in Silver Belle. Today was a scorcher.

“Emmy’s determined. She says she’s in love.”

“What in the hell? We weren’t even together that long.” Evan ran his hands through
his hair.

“I talked to her for a few minutes yesterday. She swears the article is her way of
getting you back. She really wants you to work things out.” Allan paused. “It sounds
legit, Evan.”

He slid into the vinyl booth with a cup of coffee. “It can’t be. I was there. I was
in the relationship. We never once told the other we loved them. This is so full of
bullshit. She has an angle. I know she does.”

“You can’t tell anyone that. Emmy is sweet and beautiful. She’s really playing up
the girl-in-love card. And it’s working. She’s had one interview after another.” Allan
breathed hard into the phone. “Have you thought about doing a counter interview? You
should put your side of the story out there.”

“Hell no!” The coffee burned the tip of his tongue. “I’m not responding. No statements,
no interviews, no spin. Do you hear me, Allan? I just want to know what she’s up to.
I’m not turning this into a bigger media circus.” Evan didn’t know about the other
interviews Emmy had granted, although it wasn’t surprising. She loved the attention.
He remembered how she never turned down a fan request for an autograph or a picture.
She was in her natural state when a camera was present.

“I’ll keep making some calls.”

“Thanks, Allan.”

“Sure thing. I’ll get back to you as soon as I find out.”

“All right.” Evan attempted another sip of the hot beverage in front of him.

“But if you change your mind, just say the word, boss, and I’ll have
Entertainment Now
, the
Gossip Channel
, anyone you want ready to air your side of the story.”

“There is no my side of the story. Just find out.” The longer this carried out, the
more sympathy Emmy was stockpiling.

“Got it. Hey, how is it, where you are?” Allan hadn’t asked Evan his whereabouts in
the last few phone calls.

Evan realized that Allan wanted that one piece of information above everything else.
“It’s beautiful, man. I’ll catch you later.” He didn’t give his agent another chance
to pester him. He ended the call and placed the phone on the table.

He had worked five straight days at the store, and he now had two off in a row. It
felt strange to sit in the camper with nothing to do. The waves were breaking hard
and the wind was blowing.

He stepped onto his sandy patch of yard and took in the scene. He had to shield his
eyes from the sun. Man, it was bright and hot even with the breeze.

“Hey, stranger.” He heard Charlotte before he saw her.

“Hey, Charlotte.” He smiled and raised his coffee cup to her.

The pink bikini wasn’t as wild as some he had seen her in.

“You’ve been a busy guy this week, haven’t you?” Her arms were loaded with a beach
chair, bag, and towel.

“Yeah, I took a job at the general store in town. This is my first day off.” He took
a sip of the coffee and peered at the surfers taking the waves head on.

“Day off? I bet you could use some sun. Some time on the beach, huh?” She ran her
tongue over her red lipstick.

One of the surfers took a nosedive in the center of a wave. Evan watched him pop back
up with a smile on his face. “Actually, I’m going to do some surfing today.”

“Surfing?” Charlotte sounded shocked. “Oh, I bet you look all hard and chiseled in
a wet suit.”

Evan swallowed the coffee and fought the urge to laugh. It was all so comical how
blatantly she threw herself at him. “I don’t know about that, but I thought I’d give
it a try. It’s been awhile.”

He wasn’t going to tell her the last time he surfed was for his role as a spy who
arrived on an island by surfboard. He would keep that tidbit to himself.

“You have a good time, and if you come down to this part of the beach I’ll wave.”

“All right, Charlotte. Thanks.” He watched her sashay toward the row of sunbathers
camped out on the beach for the day.

Sure, it was a spur of the moment excuse, but he was pretty stoked that he had come
up with it. It was the perfect day to hit the waves.

“W
ELCOME TO
Wave On, how can we help you?” The girl behind the counter couldn’t be more than
sixteen. Exactly the demographic Evan needed to stay away from.

He was feeling more comfortable about his residence on Perry Island, but after Emmy’s
article two days ago, some of that contentment he had built as Jay the writer ebbed.

He pulled his hat over his eyes and focused on his feet. “I wanted to get a refresher
on surfing. I’ve done it before, but it’s been a few years. Is there someone who could
give me a quick rundown on the breaks and waves, and then I’ll take it from there?”

She was staring, definitely staring long and hard. He was going to be pissed at himself
if he blew everything because a fifteen-year-old identified him.

“That sounds like something we could totally do. You should go out with Travis. I
think he’s free. He knows like everything.” She turned and opened a door behind her.
“Travis!”

“Yep. I’m here. What’s up?” Evan recognized Travis as the clerk from Owen’s General
Store. The clerk who had created a job opening for him.

“This guy needs a lesson or like kind of a lesson. Like maybe you could just take
him out.” She started re-braiding her hair. Evan was no longer worried she knew who
he was. She might be the one teenager who couldn’t pick out One Direction in a lineup.

“Hey, I’m Travis.” Travis stood by the counter.

“Jay.” Evan shook his hand. “We kind of met at Owen’s. You used to work there?”

“Five years I did. But this is a better situation.” Travis wiped dark bangs off his
forehead. “Surfing is better than stocking shelves and sweeping floors.”

“All right.” Evan didn’t need all the background. He was just making conversation.
“Do you think you could take me out? I’ve surfed before, but I’m rusty. It was a few
years ago. Just fill me in on the best spots. I’ll be good from there.”

“Oh yeah, man. Let’s go.” Travis led him over to the rack of surfboards. “Pick out
your board and meet me on the beach.” He turned and walked behind the teenage girl.

There wasn’t much to choose from. Evan reached for a white board, tucked it under
his arm, and exited through the same door Travis used.

His advisor was close to the surf, standing near his board. Evan remembered his first
time surfing on the set of
Spy Cross
. He had approached the board like all other tasks—something he could tackle with
his athleticism. He didn’t know it would be such a humbling experience. It took him
almost a week before he could stand on the board, and then another few days before
he felt confident enough for the director to start shooting scenes with him upright.
They almost called in a stunt double, but he was determined to find his balance on
the waves. He didn’t need a double. Most of the scenes were shot as close-ups, but
he was still proud he had learned to surf so quickly.

“You ready?” Travis greeted him by the surf.

Evan felt the waves lap around his ankles. “Yeah, let’s do it.” He gripped the board
and waited for Travis to give him the rundown on the Carolina waves.

I
T WAS
almost sunset. Evan sat in the sand watching the waves wash through the pilings of
the pier. The surfing didn’t come back to him as quickly as he wanted. He had spent
the entire day wrestling with the board and the waves, but it felt good. His head
was clear.