Gull Harbor (25 page)

“Hey. We’re here.” Max was leaning into the car from the passenger side, smoothing the hair off her face.

“Oh,” she said groggily. She leaned on him as he helped her to standing. “Please don’t suggest carrying me. You’re probably still recovering from last time.”

“Piece of cake,” he joked, leading her toward the house. “Are you sure you won’t come and stay with me?”

“I’m sure. I need to see if she’s still here,” Claire reminded him, negotiating the porch steps carefully. Since the morning Max and the police had located Maria’s bones, she’d had the feeling that her ghostly friend had crossed over. The thought made her both happy and sad. “Plus, this place kind of feels like home. It was so kind of the Llewellyns to let me stay here until my apartment is vacant again. I still can’t believe they found out what happened so quickly.”

“Small town,” Max reminded her, opening the door. He watched her reaction as she stepped across the threshold.

The house was empty. “She’s gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she said, her voice wavering.

A comforting hand settled on her shoulder. “She’s been trapped for a long time. I’m sure she was anxious to move on. And
you
are the reason that’s possible. She even trusts you enough to know that you’ll follow through—that her remains will be returned to Mexico and her family will know the truth. That says a lot, Claire.”

She nodded, swiping at the tears that blurred her vision. Strong arms pulled her into an embrace, and she rested her head against his chest. The steady heartbeat beneath her ear soothed her. Max was right. She and Maria had formed a bond this summer, and the dead girl had put her faith in Claire, crossing over at last once she’d led them to her bones.
I’ll get them back to her family,
Claire vowed silently.
Even if I have to take them myself.

Max rubbed the tension out of the back of her neck, then pulled away slightly to look down at her face. “What do you want to do? Maybe we should get you upstairs so you can go back to sleep.”

“I slept almost the whole way back here. And the better part of all last week. The last thing in the world I feel like doing is going to bed.”

The corner of his mouth twisted into a playful smirk. “Darn,” he said, a wicked gleam shining in his blue eyes.

“Oh!” A flush warmed her cheeks. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.” He laughed, tilting her chin up for a tender kiss. “And I’m kidding. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I’m tempted to ravish you right here on that couch. But the doctors said no strenuous activity. Your recovery definitely takes precedence over my needs.”

Her hands crept under his shirt and splayed against the bare skin of his lower back. “What about my needs?” she murmured, pressing her hips against his.

He groaned. “You need to stop immediately, or I can’t be held responsible for my actions.” He moved their bodies apart gently. “Besides, what you need is a home-cooked meal.” Slipping his arm around her waist, he gestured toward the kitchen. “I stocked the fridge last night.”

“That sounds wonderful. Hospital food gets old fast. And I really need to check my e-mail. Three days was a long time to be away from my computer,” she grumbled jokingly. Max had refused to bring her laptop to the hospital, insisting she needed to rest more than she needed to be online. And the sad truth was that she rarely got any important e-mails. Maybe that would change now.

With a small sigh, she glanced at the empty coffee table. The last time she’d seen her laptop, it had been on the table, along with her notebook. And she’d left both things there when she’d embarked on her solitary mission that gray day. Max’s gaze caught hers and she shrugged guiltily.

“It needed a charge,” he explained, his tone only slightly accusatory. “It’s plugged in at the kitchen table.”

Once she was seated in front of her laptop, he turned his attention to preparing lunch. She logged into her account and began wading through e-mails, deleting the unwanted messages. Somehow the advertisements always found her, despite the fact that she rarely purchased anything, online or otherwise.

It wasn’t the unfamiliar address that caught her attention. It was the ominous three-letter subject: From Your Father. A shiver of alarm traveled up her spine.

“Did you tell my father that I was in the hospital?” she asked quietly, the arrow hovering over the unopened message.

Max spun around. “What? No, of course not.” He glanced down at his clenched fist, inexplicably opening and closing the fingers of his right hand. “The last time I tried to contact him, it didn’t go so well. Why do you ask?”

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I have an e-mail from him. Or, from his secretary, anyway. I left my business card with her when I went to see him.”

“I can’t imagine he would have found out on his own. He’s not exactly in the Gull Harbor gossip loop.” Max adjusted the burner on the stove and came to stand behind her.

Her fingers shook as she clicked on the message. She scanned the short paragraph quickly, then read it again, clutching her stomach against a wave of nausea.

“Oh my God,” she breathed. “He’s going to do it. He’s going to remove my mother’s feeding tube on Monday. Oh my God, that’s tomorrow.” She knew Max was capable of reading the words on his own, but her disbelief required her to say it out loud. “My mother is going to die,” she added, her voice breaking.

Max dropped to his knees, encircling her in his arms once again. “How could he do this now?” he demanded angrily.

“He doesn’t know what happened to me, remember? All he knows is that I showed up in his chambers last Wednesday and asked him to let her go. I can’t believe he changed his mind. This e-mail is from Thursday evening, my first night in the hospital. He had no idea I wasn’t receiving my e-mails. I made it clear this was what I wanted—he probably just gave me a few days so I could plan to be there.”

“We’ll call him and change the date. You’re not up to this right now.”

“No!” she cried. “I’m afraid he won’t go through with it if I encourage him to put it off.” Tears streamed down her face, leaving dark splotches on the shoulder of his navy T-shirt.

“Okay, babe.” He smoothed her curls down the middle of her back. “I’ll drive you to Boston tomorrow.”

“No—”

He cut off her protest immediately. “Claire, I’m coming with you. It’s nonnegotiable.”

“It’s not a good idea. It might…make things worse.” She choked back a sob. “Besides, she could possibly live for days. I’ll have to stay in a hotel—there are people living in my apartment.” How would she afford it, especially with all the insurance deductibles that would be headed her way soon? The practical part of her mind posed the question, and then she mentally shoved it aside. Financial issues could be dealt with later.

“I’ll stay away from your father. That’s no great hardship. We’ll get set up in a hotel if necessary, and I’ll just drive back and forth until…until you’re ready to come home.”

She nodded wearily. Her energy had been completely sapped; she felt like an injured bird caught in a tornado. “I changed my mind. I think I will lie down,” she said, sniffling. She shut her laptop down as he turned the burner off and quickly put away the food.

He helped her up the creaky stairs, pausing in the hallway to slide her bag off his shoulder. “I’ll leave this in here for you,” he said as he set it on the bathroom floor and unzipped it. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring you up some lunch?”

“No, thanks. I don’t think I could eat anything right now.” She wandered toward the closed guest room door, the ache in her chest flaring. Turning the knob, she pushed the door open.

She froze in the doorway as her gaze landed on the pile of debris on the floor that Maria had created—the tragic rendition of the only grave marker she’d had, assembled in the room where she’d died. The bits and pieces of the forest floor had been rearranged from a chaotic mound into a precise shape. Pinecones, rocks, and sticks now formed an enormous heart filled with leaves.

Claire’s own heart shattered into jagged pieces. It was all just too much. The painful goodbyes in her future were adding up: Maria, her mother, maybe even Max soon. Her carefully-constructed dam collapsed, and her emotions spilled through the gap in a powerful rush.

Grief. Loss. Uncertainty. Terror. Everything she’d been through, everything that was coming. She choked back a sob as the emotions pummeled her, almost knocking her off her unsteady legs.

Max was beside her in an instant, his strong arms encircling her.

He held her up as he took in the heart-shaped token of gratitude spread out on the wood floor. “Oh,” he breathed, tightening his grip on her.

She slumped against him, and he half-carried her to the bedroom. Her eyes were closing, her mind begging for the oblivion of sleep.

“Will you lay down with me a little while before you leave?” she asked as he slid her into the bed.

“Of course, babe. I’m not going anywhere.”

“What about the tavern? You already missed lunch.”

He slipped into bed beside her, adjusting the covers around her shoulders. “Sean’s there. He can handle it.”

“Are you sure?” she murmured.

“Yes. I need to let go a little.”

“But it’s your business.”

“It is. But it’s not my life. At least, not anymore. You are.” He tucked his arm underneath her, moving her head to rest on his chest.

She wanted to believe him so badly.

He was here, taking care of her in her time of need. But the doubts crept in, reminding her that he knew better than anyone that there was literally no one else available for the job.

She’d have to trust in his actions; she wasn’t going to pester him for promises. Relaxing in his embrace, she succumbed to sleep.

Chapter 34

“Are you okay?” Max asked softly, squeezing her hand.

“Yes.” Claire stared out the passenger side window as the truck gained speed, merging with the Route 93 highway traffic and leaving Boston behind. “I can’t wait to get home…I mean, to the Cape.”

“I can imagine. It’s been a rough few days. Wait, I take that back. It’s been a rough week.”

She felt his concerned gaze sweeping over her, and she turned and managed a weak smile before his eyes flicked back to the road. “Definitely rough. But there were a few bright spots. Maria’s been found, Gary’s behind bars, and my mom’s finally at peace.”

Mercifully, it had only taken three days after the removal of the feeding tube for her mother’s weakened body to expire. Claire had been there, in the room, holding her slack hand. Mrs. Linden’s fragile spirit had not lingered, but Claire had been momentarily surrounded by a wave of love so powerful it took her breath away.

“You’re amazing,” he said with another glance in her direction. “Most people would be falling to pieces right now.”

“I can’t fall to pieces.” She’d learned long ago there was no one around to pick them up.

He nodded. “You’ve always been strong.”

Not always
. Her mind turned back five years, to a summer she’d barely been able to function. She shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of practice, I guess.”

His mouth pressed into a line as he surmised her thoughts. “You’re not alone anymore. You get that, right?” He rubbed the rough pad of his thumb across her knuckles.

“I’m trying,” she said, fighting to keep the tremor from her voice. “But the three people in the world that I loved the most left me at some point. That kind of loss does damage.”

“Claire—”

She cut him off quickly. “I know each circumstance was different. My mom didn’t choose her fate. You did what you had to do to protect your family. Only my father cut me off deliberately. But it all still added up to me being left on my own, saddled with severe trust issues.”

“I would give anything to go back and do things differently,” he murmured.

“I know you would.” A fleeting ache seared her chest.

“The important thing is that you survived all that loss. Your inner strength and determination kept you going—that’s something to be proud of.”

She chewed on her lip. “I suppose. It was sink or swim.”

“Well, now you deserve to float—on calm, peaceful waters.” A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “That reminds me. I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” She returned his smile. It felt strange, like a movement she had just recently learned. But the small curve of her lips convinced her brain to release a few endorphins. Her mood lightened enough to attempt some humor. “As long as it has nothing to do with hospitals, I bet I’ll like it.”

“I think you will.” His grin faded for a moment. “But it can wait. I mean, I want you to have whatever time you need to grieve.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but it’s okay. Really. I lost my mother ten years ago. These last few days have been about closure. Honestly, I could use something to look forward to.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded emphatically.

“Okay. I promised to make you dinner, remember? The surprise comes after that. Just pick a night.”

“What about—?”

“Everything’s under control at the tavern,” he insisted, interrupting her. “I’ve hardly been there all week and the place is still standing. It’s as packed as ever, they tell me. So just pick whatever night works best for you.”

“Hmm,” she said, pressing the button of the new cell phone Max had forced on her. “Let me check my calendar. Oh, wait, I have no plans for the rest of the summer. I believe I’m perpetually available.”

His eyes cut over to the phone in her lap. “You’re not even on the right screen,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m glad you’re available, because I intend to take up the majority of your time. How’s Friday evening?”

“Perfect. I’d pencil you in, but I prefer to hold your hand.”

He pulled their twined fingers up and pressed a tender kiss to the back of her hand. “A wise choice. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of our date. I have your number.”

****

The sun was sinking in the sky, setting the waters of Cape Cod Bay aflame. Max reached for her hand and led her along the main pier of Gull Harbor’s marina. The wooden boards creaked under their footsteps, and gentle waves lapped against the weathered pilings. A group of ducks followed them hopefully.