Lena looked behind her to make sure there wasn’t someone else in the vicinity. It was the only complete sentence Duncan had spoken to her in three years.
“For what?” She hoisted her backpack into place and smoothed down her new acid-washed cropped jean jacket.
“You were a good friend to me when we were little.”
Lena could not believe he’d just said that, but what happened next completely weirded her out. Duncan began closing the snaps on her jacket. Lena was so freaked that she just stood there, looking down at his fingers as they moved from the bottom hem to the collar.
Why would he do that? Was this a joke? Maybe just another way to put Lena in her place? It reminded her of a mom making sure her little one was bundled up to go sledding.
Duncan left the last snap open. He brought his fingertips to her chin and raised her face.
Now she knew. She had not imagined it down in the dining room. Duncan did have something he wanted to say to her. It was in his eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak. A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows, almost as if he was worried.
All of a sudden, a loud voice came roaring up from the second floor. “Let’s roll, Captain Crunch!” Clancy sounded irritated. “Stop playing with your hair. Ma’s gonna drive us to school. It’s started snowing! Hurry up!”
He froze. Lena waited.
“Duncan, let’s go, dude!”
The moment was over. The need to speak had passed. Duncan patted her on the head and said, “See ya, kid.”
Chapter Nineteen
It looked like a college fraternity had exploded in the lobby of the Bayberry Island Police Station. A half-dozen hungover kids were slumped on the benches and propped up against the wall. The decibel level coming from the lockup indicated there were plenty more in storage. Poor Chip Bradford was beside himself.
“Everything okay?”
The assistant chief looked up from the desk with red-rimmed eyes. “Does everything look okay to you?”
Duncan had to laugh. He had grown up with Chip, and that was the first time he’d ever heard him say something that was not completely earnest and/or helpful.
“What happened?”
He shook his head and whispered, “A bunch of rich kids from Boston rented a yacht and put together their own booze cruise. They docked illegally at the marine yard last night, and a fight broke out. A million at least in property damage to the boat. We’ve got eight facing charges, and guess who one of them is.”
Duncan shook his head.
“The governor’s kid.”
“Ouch.”
“Clancy tried to call you last night to help out with processing. He couldn’t get ahold of you.”
“Right.” Duncan made a visual sweep of the room, just to be sure nobody was in the mood to cause trouble. “I made an early night of it.”
Chip gave him a crooked smile. “That’s not the scuttlebutt.”
The only person Duncan knew who ever used that term was Polly Estherhausen, and she did so ironically. Duncan tipped his chin past the gate. “So is he around?”
“He should be, but let me warn you—”
“Not in a good mood?”
Chip shook his head with emphasis. “On top of everything else, we’ve got a serious situation with the weather. Clancy has to decide by today if he’s going to move the Mermaid Ball from the public dock to the museum lobby.”
“That’s rough. Hey. . .” Duncan tried to sound as if an idea had just occurred to him. “Is that dog still around? Did you ever find her?”
“Ondine?”
“Yeah. That one.”
Chip laughed. “We did. We handed her over to a tourist family, but she jumped out of the mom’s arms and ran off the ferryboat yesterday and came right back here. The family said she failed to bond with them.”
“Bond?”
“Yeah. I guess Ondine didn’t like them. She peed on the dad’s shoe, which I’m sure didn’t help with the bonding process.”
“Huh. Interesting.” Duncan casually looked around, hoping she might come skittering down the hallway. “So where is she? Did you stick her in the lockup for failure to bond?”
Chip looked puzzled, clearly not finding the humor in Duncan’s comment. “We would never do that. She’s with the chief.”
“Gotcha. Thanks, Chip.” Duncan headed back to Clancy’s office, and this time he was more respectful of his brother’s privacy. Duncan knocked loudly, stepped away from the door, and waited.
Evie answered, smiling when she saw him. She threw the door open. “Hey! It’s the mambo king himself! We’re having breakfast. Want some?”
Clancy sat at his desk, working on a bagel with cream cheese, paperwork stacked nearly to his chin.
“No, thanks very much, Evie. I was just wondering—”
He got an answer immediately. Little Ondine, the shoe sprayer, jumped straight into his arms and began licking his face and wiggling her butt. When he pulled his head out of range, she started in on his neck.
“Man, she’s really into you.” Clancy wiped his mouth with a napkin. “It’s kind of creepy.”
Duncan laughed, checking the front of his shirt to make sure he hadn’t been another victim, and set her down on the floor. She immediately leaned sideways against his ankle and straightened, like a sentry on duty.
“You know . . .” Evie moved to Duncan’s side. “I bet Rowan would let you keep her.”
“Baby, he can’t have a dog,” Clancy said. “He’s going back to active duty.”
“I’ve decided to take her.”
Evie and Clancy froze for a moment. Then they exchanged glances.
“Not for me, technically. But I think I know a good permanent home for her. But only under one condition.”
Clancy and Evie stared.
“You guys will have to agree to watch her about a week out of every month while . . . her owner travels on business.”
A slow, knowing smile spread over his sister-in-law’s face.
Clancy said, “Hold up. Does Lena know you’re bringing her a—”
“I’ll get her food and leash.” Evie was almost out the door when she added, “Clancy, grab her dog bed, please.”
Once his wife left the room, Clancy rose from his desk chair. Not surprisingly, he took a moment to put his suspect at ease before beginning the interrogation.
“You coming to the Flynn Family Fucking Fantastic Festival-Week Funfest tonight?”
Duncan burst out laughing. “Of course I am. I wouldn’t miss our annual cookout for the world.”
“Because Ma would kick your ass?”
“Precisely.”
“You know Da’s going to show up, right?”
“I figured.”
Clancy sighed. “They’re still behaving like children.”
Duncan agreed. “It’s painful to watch.”
“That tropical system is really moving. Depending on the model, we could get nothing, some wind gusts, or the full brunt of a cyclone. Our rain tents won’t be able to stand up to that.”
“Yeah. Chip said you’ve got to make some decisions.”
Clancy nodded. “So.” He rested his hands on the desktop and leaned toward Duncan.
“Yeah?”
“What the hell are you doing, man?” He kept his voice low, but the look in his eye was hard-core. “Ma called me first thing this morning, followed almost immediately by Rowan. And Evie was just telling me you had a Duncan Do-Right thing going on at the clambake.”
He didn’t say anything.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m getting Lena a dog to keep her company. She’s in that huge place all by herself.”
“And you two are dating now?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s an old friend. She’s a part of our extended family.”
“Ooo-kay. Sure. You’re a man who happens to be a friend, so you’re just her man-friend.”
“Come on, Clancy. Cut me some slack. She’s a w
onderful woman and she’s fun to be with. That’s all. She knows I’m leaving.”
“And when will that be, exactly?”
“Like I said, I go back in October for my medical screening. I’ll get my ship date after I’m cleared.”
Clancy looked down at Ondine. “You know, once you take this ball of dryer lint off my hands, you can’t bring her back. If Lena doesn’t want her, then you have to find another home. Got it?”
“Hooya, Chief.”
Clancy shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing, man.”
Duncan felt exactly the same way.
* * *
“I’m in my studio!”
Duncan had called to say he was coming over, and Lena had actually answered her phone, so she was far more prepared for his visit than the last time—and far more dressed. She carefully covered her canvas with a cloth drape and turned to greet him at the studio door.
She was nervous and excited. Something was happening between the two of them and it was one hundred percent incredible. Lena had no idea where it was headed, of course, and she was doing her best to let go of any expectations. She continually reminded herself of Jacqueline’s advice—there was nothing she could do to hurry things along. The truth was, she believed things were unfolding at just the right tempo. She was certain that all those years of loving Duncan were not wasted.
Lena heard Duncan’s footfalls on the staircase and his progress on the wood floors of the hallway. When he finally appeared in the studio doorway, Lena was surprised by what she saw.
“Who in the world is this?”
The cutest little puppy wiggled from Duncan’s arms and raced over to Lena. She bent down and picked her up and was immediately bathed in a rapid-fire succession of dog kisses.
“What a cutie! What’s her name?” Lena asked Duncan while trying to dodge the onslaught.
“Her name is Ondine.”
“On what?”
With that, the little dog jumped from Lena’s arms and ran at full speed across the studio, toward the wall of windows. She sailed through the air, landed on the chaise, and circled a few times before plopping down with a big sigh. Lena was astounded.
“I didn’t know you had a dog!” She turned to find Duncan just a few inches away. Lena studied his face to see a combination of emotions at play—humor, affection, and maybe a twinge of guilt.
“Actually,” he said, caressing her upper arms with his hands. He gave her a quick kiss hello. “She’s your dog.”
Lena shook her head in disbelief. “Mine?”
“I know I should have checked with you. I hope you don’t hate dogs.”
“I love dogs, but—”
“I thought you needed someone here to watch over you. You get so wrapped up in your work. I want you to be safe.”
Lena felt a smile spread over her whole face. She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. “You mean she’s going to have my six?”
“Exactly.” Duncan cupped her face in his hands and gave her a proper greeting.
Lena felt herself relax. Her body leaned in to the kiss, feeling its warmth and depth of feeling spread through her. When Duncan raised his lips from hers, he left his eyes closed for a moment, as if he, too, was unwinding into the full sensation.
Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched yip. Lena turned to see the dog with her paws on the windowsill, intent on watching seagulls dive-bomb into the water. She and Duncan walked over to her.
“Did you say her name was Ondine?”
“As in the water nymph from mythology.”
Lena laughed and looked up at him. “What else do you know about water nymphs, Lieutenant Flynn?”
“That would be it.”
Lena turned her attention to the dog again. She had stopped barking at the seagulls and was now seated on the chaise, her cream-colored fur looking clean against the old velvet of Jacqueline’s divan.
“Duncan, as much as I appreciate your bringing me a new friend, I don’t know if I can keep her. What will I do with her when I’m out of town?”
“I thought of that,” he said, reaching around Lena to press her back against his body. It felt so good she let her head lean back on his chest. “Clancy and Evie said they will take her whenever you have to go on a trip. They’ve already got two dogs, and Christina could play with her.”
“You’ve got everything figured out, I see.”
“Do you want her?”
Lena studied the dog, who couldn’t have been more than fifteen pounds. She was obviously a mutt but still a pretty little thing, quite feminine. Lena figured there would be no harm in seeing how it went. “I don’t have anything for her to eat.”
“I brought dog food, a leash, and a dog bed, all courtesy of the Bayberry Island Police Department.”
Lena looked over her shoulder and frowned.
“She was a stray. She showed up at the station’s back door soaked in rain. They haven’t been able to find the right home for her.”
Just then Ondine turned around to face them. Her little dark eyes sparkled and her tail began to wag so hard it blurred. She padded over to the edge of the chaise and waited patiently for Lena to reach out for her. Then she jumped right into her arms.
The three of them stood like that by the windows for a few moments, Duncan holding Lena close, Ondine snuggled into Lena’s arms.
“Do you have any plans tonight?” Duncan asked, his voice soft in her ear.
“You mean besides my dog?”
Duncan laughed. “I will take her if it doesn’t work out. I won’t stick you with her.”
Lena managed to twist her way out of Duncan’s embrace and turned to face him. In that moment there was as much gentleness as ruggedness in his handsome face. He seemed peaceful and contented.
“What are you looking at?”
“You,” she said.
“I probably need to shave.” He raised his hand to the scruff that had already grown on his chin.
Lena shook her head. “Don’t do it on my account. I like it.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “It makes you look like a badass.”
Duncan laughed. The sound filled her studio and left her no choice but to join in. Ondine began to bark.
“So.” Duncan slipped his arm around her waist. “Are you busy tonight?”
“Oh, Duncan, I’m afraid I am.”
His face tightened. “Oh. No problem.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me where I’m going?”
One of his eyebrows arched on his forehead. “Where, pray tell, are you going?”
“To the Flynn family cookout. Your mother invited me early this morning.”
A shadow passed over Duncan’s face. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’ve been invited every year that I’ve been back on Bayberry. It’s not because we went to the clambake together.”
“But I’ve never seen you there.”
“I’ve always politely declined Mona’s invitation.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Duncan’s mouth. “But this year is different?”
Lena raised her mouth to his. “Boy, is it ever,” she said.
Chapter Twenty
Duncan pulled into a crushed-shell drive off Idlewilde Lane and parked in front of his mother’s cottage. It was a one-story cedar-shingled home surrounded by scraggly boxwoods and a variety of rosebushes, all of which were in need of a good cutting back. Duncan would stop by tomorrow and take care of it for her.
Lena was next to him in the passenger seat, looking incredibly beautiful in a simple light blue summer dress and dainty sandals. From what he had observed, she made even the simplest outfit stunning. They had a third wheel with them that evening. Ondine was in Lena’s lap, gazing out the window as if she were royalty riding in a carriage.
“You sure your mom’s okay with me bringing the dog?”
“I’m sure.”
“I didn’t think I should leave her there all alone just hours after she arrived.”
“I totally agree.” r />
He watched her bite her lip.
“Are you nervous about being here tonight, Lena?”
She gazed over at him, her eyes big and dark. “Maybe a little. It’s been a long, long time since I sat down for a meal with the entire Flynn clan. I’m out of practice.”
Duncan paused. Something about the way she’d said that felt like a jab. And out of nowhere, a memory slid into his consciousness. Lena at the Safe Haven breakfast table, eyes down, not interacting with anyone, while he, the seventeen-year-old idiot that he was, behaved like an asshole.
Just then the terrible truth hit Duncan. He had abandoned Lena back then. He had turned his back to the friendship she’d offered him, and he’d hurt her. Duncan had been nothing less than a bastard toward her, and yet here she was with him.
How could she have forgiven him?
“Lena—?”
Just then Clancy pulled up in his department-issued Jeep, beeping the horn. Christina jumped out of the back, and Evelyn exited gracefully, already smiling and waving.
Duncan swallowed the bitter guilt he felt rising into his mouth and returned Clancy’s wave. Why was all this old garbage hitting him now?
“So they gave you a pass from the lunatic asylum?” he asked his brother.
Clancy nodded. “Just three hours, but I’ll take it. Chip’s handling the reenactment, and thank God that’s our least rowdy event.”
Duncan had to laugh. Of all the festival-week spectacles, he made a point of avoiding the reenactment. It was a stage play depicting the fateful day Rutherford Flynn and his entire fishing fleet were rescued by a mermaid. Not exactly the Cirque du Soleil.
Just then Christina came running. “Uncle Duncle!” She jumped straight up and down like a pogo stick, trying to look in the window of Lena’s SUV. “They’ve got the puppy! They’ve got the puppy!”
Duncan walked around the vehicle and opened the door for Lena. Christina was going crazy with excitement and turned to Clancy with disbelief in her eyes. “Look, Daddy! They brought John Dean!” She looked up to Lena. “Can I walk him? Can I?”
“It’s a she, sweetie, and her name is Ondine.” Lena set the dog down and handed the leash to Christina. The little girl took off down the path into Mona’s backyard, Ondine traveling as fast as her short legs could carry her. Christina announced to the rest of the family, “John Dean is here! John Dean is here!”