Torn (26 page)

Branson shook his head. “I can’t, man.
I just can’t”

“
You can’t or you
won’t?”

“
I’ve tried. She won’t
take my calls.”

Mike exaggerated a deep
sigh. “You called. Real big of you. Is that how you proposed?” He
shook his head. “You’re just going to let the girl of our dreams
slip away that easily?” Mike let the glare Branson shot him slide
off his back. “Yeah, I said it. You remember how crazy I was about
her in college, but she loved
you
. . . and now you’re screwing it up. Or maybe
you’re just a coward?” Mike braced himself and wondered if through
his liquid courage, he had gone too far.

“
You’re right. I’m a
coward.” Branson’s shoulders slumped and he hung his
head.

“
Are you serious?” Mike
was nearly shouting. “Pull yourself together. Is this the same guy
that stood up to the gym teacher our sophomore year for picking on
Al Smitty? Or the guy who stood in front of our entire high school
playing guitar and singing a solo because of a dare? You’ve never
lost a fist fight, but you’re going to take the title of
coward
because you’re
too afraid to tell the girl you love that you’re sorry? What the
fuck?” He paid the tab and returned the pool sticks to the wall.
“Let’s go.”

Mike pulled out of the parking lot and
drove toward the interstate. “New London or York?” he asked flatly.
“Choose wisely—I won’t make the offer again.”

Branson flashed Mike a
look of hatred. “Who the hell do you think you are? You have no
idea what—” He stopped and thought about the last week without
Katie. He felt like he’d been beaten and left for dead. Every
muscle in his body ached, especially the one in his chest. He
didn’t want to know what a life without her felt like.
Who cares about her past? I want her present and
future. She’s still my Katie—the person in her past was a helpless
victim of child abuse and crime. Who are you, dude? When did you
become so damn self-important and condemnatory? And look where it
got you . . . death’s door.
Without
lifting his head he said, “York.”

***

Katie sat in the soft white sand
looking out over the ocean. She didn’t feel the wind in her hair or
the soft, warm breeze as it caressed her shoulders. The sweet aroma
of salty sea air couldn’t penetrate her senses, nor could she hear
the sound of the waves lapping onto the shore. She could only focus
on one thing—the sun melting into the horizon—symbolic of how she
was feeling. A week had passed on the beach and hadn’t dulled the
hollow pain of her heartbreak.

“
Katie!” Gram yelled from
the back deck.

Katie slowly rose from her spot and
walked to the house to see what Gram needed. “Yes, Gram?” she asked
slowly, taking every effort to force words out of her
mouth.

“
I bought us a box of
chocolates, let’s try one.” Gram smiled and handed the box to
Katie. “You pick first.”

Katie opened the box to see twenty
four chocolates that had been bitten in half. Gram was nearly in
hysterics from laughing so hard. Katie smiled and was surprised
when she heard herself chuckle. “You’re too much, Gram.”

“
It’s so good to see you
smile, Katie-girl. I thought I was going to vomit halfway through,
but it was so worth it to see my sweet girl happy—even for a
moment.”

“
I think this trip is
going to be really good, Gram. They say the sea can heal all
wounds—we’ll see if it works on me too.”

***

The sound of Katie’s screams was
something Gram would never get used to. She ran across the hall,
waking Katie up and holding her in her arms.

“
Gram,” Katie sobbed.
“He’s gone . . . he’s gone.”

“
There, now. I’ve got
you.”

Each night it was the same routine.
She’d stroke Katie’s hair, until her trembling granddaughter fell
back to sleep, all the while silently cursing Branson
Stone.

In the morning, Katie rubbed the
remaining sleep out of her eyes, and got dressed. She was
determined to walk the beach, keeping her mind busy and off of
Branson. She chose her black bikini, tying the matching sarong
around her waist, and joined Gram in the kitchen. “Good
morning.”

“
Good morning, dear.” Gram
poured a cup of coffee and set it down on the table.

Katie took a sip, letting the warm
liquid bring her to life, and said, “Thanks.”

“
You’re still planning on
taking a walk along the beach?”

Katie nodded, keeping the cup to her
lips.

“
Why don’t you take a walk
down to the pier? Take the camera with you and capture some
pictures of the local birds for me, will you? I’ve always wanted to
have a puzzle made out of a favorite photograph, and this seems
like a perfect time for a puzzle.” Gram had a plan and she would
make sure it worked. Katie was already coming around after being
there only a few days. She thought back to when she met the
handsome young surgeon the previous morning at the
supermarket.
“You just started your
residency? Brilliant! My granddaughter is a nurse—just graduated
from Yale.” Gram pulled out a picture and showed the handsome
doctor. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

He nodded his head and
gazed at the picture. “She’s stunning.”

“
Too bad she’s here alone,
mourning the loss of a dear friend. I’ve tried to get her to go out
and meet some people, but . . .” She shook her head and placed the
picture back into her purse.

“
I’d be glad to show her
around. I’ve got a few days off this week.”

“
Aren’t you a dear? Would
you? She’ll be at the pier tomorrow morning, taking photos.” She
leaned in and whispered, letting him in on a few tips that would
help his case. “It won’t do you any good to mention our meeting
each other. She likes a man that is confident and secure—and don’t
let her take no for an answer. She does enjoy a good game of
chase.”

As Katie stepped outside, the air was
still. A storm brewed in the distance, but the clouds didn’t move,
revealing the storm’s path. Taking her chances, she hung the Nikon
D90 around her neck, and began walking toward the pier. She stopped
and squatted down to get a level shot of a snowy white egret
standing near the water’s edge.

Several birds lined the roof of the
pier, waiting for fishermen to either drop some bait or leave the
remains of a gutted fish. Katie snapped pictures from different
angles, zooming in occasionally to capture only their faces. She
felt someone bump into her from behind.

“
Excuse me, I wasn’t
paying attention,” he said, a subtle trace of a Spanish
accent.

Katie turned around to face the
stranger. He was tall, with black wispy hair and intense dark eyes.
He was undeniably handsome and the tattoo on his left shoulder told
her he was a rebel. Gauging by his tanned skin, he was most likely
a local. It only took one look into his eyes for her to know that
he was trouble. He wore a camera around his neck and Katie chuckled
at the happenstance. “It’s okay.”

“
Are you shooting for The
Cape?” he asked.

“
The Cape?”

“
The
newspaper.”

“
Oh, no. Just capturing
some shots for my grandmother. She’s obsessed with the egrets.
Do
you
work for
the paper?”

“
No, just a
hobby.”

Katie stole another quick glance of
the stranger. When she caught him perusing her body, she stiffened.
Instinctively, she turned slightly, so he wouldn’t have the
pleasure of viewing her full-on.

“
What kind of camera have
you got?” he asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“
Nikon D90. I don’t really
know how to use it, I just take a lot of pictures and hope a few
turn out.”

“
You can just set it on
auto and it’ll do all the work for you.”

“
Really?”

He smiled and his eyes locked on hers.
Everyone that had previously surrounded them on the beach had
suddenly disappeared, as the world instantly became still. She
could see the power behind his eyes, but it was laced with
kindness. Just enough kindness to keep her from turning and walking
away. Her reverie was shaken when his hand touched hers, reaching
for her camera. Her hand jerked back from the intrusion, but he
smiled, and continued to change the settings.

“
That should do it. Now
all you have to do is point and shoot.”

“
Thanks,” she said, hoping
he would assume her rosy cheeks were from too much sun.

“
Are you here on
vacation?” he asked.

“
Uh,” Katie wasn’t sure
how to answer the question. It wasn’t vacation per say, but any
other explanation would send him sprinting down the beach away from
her. For some reason she didn’t want that. “Yes, my grandmother and
I have a place for the summer. How long are you here
for?”

“
I live here, so I’ll be
here for a while.” He leaned against the wooden railing of the pier
and displayed a cocky smile.

“
Nice.” Katie looked down
at her bare feet.
Nice? That’s all you’ve
got? Jeez!

The stranger chuckled to himself. “I
never asked your name.”

“
Katie.”

“
It’s a pleasure to meet
you Katie. I’m Aidan Romero.”
 

***

Branson pounded on the front door and
rang the doorbell several times. “Katie! Answer the door. I need to
see you,” he shouted.

After a few minutes, he walked around
to the back of the house and repeated the process of banging on the
door.

“
She’s not home.” A lady
appeared from the back of the house.

“
Hello.” Branson tried to
calm his breathing, not wanting to frighten the petite woman
standing there in gardening gloves. “I’m Katie’s fiancé. Do you
know when she’ll be back?”

“
You must be Branson,” she
smiled, her kind eyes washing over him. “I’ve seen
pictures.”

“
Yes. Can you tell me when
she’ll be home? I need to see her, it’s important.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but
they’ll be gone all summer.”

“
All summer!” He was
tempted to shake the information he needed out of this woman, but
resisted. “Where did they go? Please, you have to tell
me.”

“
Mrs. Harrington didn’t
tell me where, only how long. I’m looking after the house while
she’s away.”

Branson sank onto a bench
and put his head in his hands.
I’ve lost
her,
he thought. He slowly stood and
walked back to the car.

Mike could tell by the look on
Branson’s face that it wasn’t a successful trip. “Didn’t go
well?”

Branson shook his head. “She’s gone.
The lady didn’t know where—only that she’s gone for the summer.
What am I going to do now?”

Thirty

The danger that radiated from Aidan
was intoxicating as Katie walked along the beach beside
him.

“
Where do you work?” Katie
asked, trying to guess his answer before he spoke.
I’ll bet he owns a souvenir shop. No, he’s too
mysterious for that . . . he probably owns a nightclub.

“
Outer Banks
Hospital.”

Katie whirled her head around to look
at him. “What do you do for the hospital?”

“
I’m an orthopedic
surgeon.”

Katie raised one eyebrow,
surprised. He certainly didn’t look like any of the surgeons
she
had worked with in
the past. Most of them were nerdy and unattractive. It was a
stereotype, she was aware, but the surgeons in Maine fit the
stereotype perfectly.

“
Really? I’m a nurse.” She
was thrilled to have someone to talk to about the subject she loved
most. It was nice to break the monotony of depression for a
change.

“
No kidding. What are the
chances of two medical professionals carrying cameras around their
necks meeting on a pier?” He laughed. “What’s your
specialty?”

“
I work in the ER, or
worked rather.”

“
You didn’t like
it?”

“
Actually, I loved it.
It’s exciting and constantly challenging. I’m just taking a break.”
Katie squatted down, lifted her camera, and took a shot of a
pelican skiing across the water as it landed.

As they continued down the beach, they
shared stories about bizarre things they’d encountered in the
hospital.

“
It was insane!” Aidan
spoke animatedly. “She actually came in thinking that she was
having a gallbladder attack. She was nine centimeters dilated and
never knew she was pregnant!”

Katie laughed, enjoying the story and
the company. She felt the life slowly coursing back through her
veins. “How do people not know they’re pregnant?” A wave of sadness
washed over her, remembering a time not too long ago when she
hadn’t been aware of her pregnancy. “Didn’t she feel the baby kick?
Or question missing nine months of her cycle?”