“Your mom has Alzheimer’s?” Marc’s voice held sorrow.
She shook her head. “Her dementia is from ministrokes, but the end result is the same.”
“I’m sorry. Can anything be done to help her?”
The words tried to stick in her throat, but she forced them out. “No. I’ve taken her to every type of doctor, and the damage is permanent.”
He looked down at his coffee. “That has to be hard on you. The two of you have been so close since your father died.”
“I’m losing her. She isn’t the same person she used to be.”
“The real Ruby is still there, Elin. Even if she wears her hair in an odd way or her clothes don’t match. That fierce love she’s always had for you is still there. I saw it in her face when she looked past me and saw you.”
“She doesn’t know who I am.” The anguished admission burst past her restraints. “Losing her to death would be easier than this.”
He nodded, his hazel eyes grave. “I can understand that. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
“She thought you were Dad today. You look nothing like him, not beyond brown hair. And yours is darker than his.”
“I was who she needed me to be today. That should show you she hasn’t changed inside. She’s just a little confused.”
A little? How could he dismiss it so easily? She gritted her teeth. “What do you want, Marc?”
The softness in his eyes vanished, and he fixed her with a glare. “I would think the answer is obvious. I want to get to know my daughter.”
She fell silent for a moment. How did she even answer that? She’d known the repercussions of telling him the truth would come, but she’d thought she would have a little more time. “It’s too soon. And while we’re talking about Josie, let’s clear up the gift thing. I try not to spoil her too much. You should have asked before getting her that iPad. It was too much.”
“Technology makes the world run, Elin. Every kid should know her way around an iPad.”
She couldn’t squelch the faint smile that lifted her lips. “Yours is never far away, I see.”
“Never.” He looked down and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “You should have told me about this a long time ago. The more I’ve thought about it, the madder I’ve gotten, Elin. You had no right to shut me out. Josie deserves better than that from you, and so do I.” He put his coffee cup on the table and leaned forward. “I intend to be part of her life. If you try to prevent it, I’ll take you to court.”
His threat squeezed the air from her lungs. “You wouldn’t do that.”
His mouth flattened. “Just try me.”
The intensity in his words made her stand and pace the wood floor. “It was the right thing to do. Tim deserved a chance at a happy family.”
“You really think it was the right thing to live a lie all those years? To let him raise my child?” He shoved back from the table so hard that the chair fell back when he stood. “What kind of woman would be okay with that?”
Her fingers curled into her palms, and she wanted to hit him. “I told him about you, about the night Josie was conceived. He understood it was just a reaction to hearing about Dad’s death. I-I had too much to drink—we both did. It never should have happened.” She raked a hand through her red curls. “I’ve been tormented by guilt. Haven’t you been?”
He pressed his lips together. “Yeah, I’ve had guilt, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing what’s right. And keeping it from me was wrong.”
She looked down at her hands. “It was right for Josie, me, and Tim. He was happy with me and Josie by his side. He adored her.” Her voice thickened, but she wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him. Nothing she could do would ever really make up for her lapse that one night, her very great sin.
Marc stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he heard. “Play it any way you want, Elin, but make no mistake. I will be part of my daughter’s life. I want her every weekend. I’ll pick her up on Saturday morning and bring her home after dinner on Sunday.”
“It’s too soon, Marc! She doesn’t know you. Besides, I want her to go to church with me.”
He raised a brow. “I want her to get to know my parents too, and we can do Sunday dinner together in Norfolk. You have to share her, Elin. You have no choice.”
What right did he think he had to come in here and dictate how things would be? She rubbed her forehead where pain began to pulse. “This is more than I can deal with right now, Marc. How about Saturday afternoons for now? She needs time to get to know you.”
His strong jaw flexed, and his eyes were like flint. “Fine. But eventually I will want her every other weekend. I’m entitled to that. Any court will award me that right.”
He was right. She saw a dismal future stretched out ahead of her—a future of bickering and stress. She never should have told him the truth. What if she lost Josie to him?
SEVEN
Sunday dawned with overcast skies, but there was no rain in the forecast. Elin got the skiff out of the boathouse, then loaded up her mother and daughter for the trip around the west side of the island to town. After a week at Seagrass Pier, she craved human companionship. Would Marc be at church? She hoped he’d gone back to Norfolk. Surely he wouldn’t stay at Hope Island until her stalker was caught. Not that he even seemed focused on her problem. He just wanted justice for his murdered partner.
She docked the boat, then walked down the street to the church. Josie whined and wanted to be carried, but Elin couldn’t heft her far in these heels. Her ankles wouldn’t take the stress.
“There’s the church,” she told her mother.
A steeple crowned the white clapboard structure, and the wooden double doors stood open in welcome. She entered and blinked in the room’s dim light. Sara saw her and pointed to the pew where she sat. Several other people smiled her way, and her unease began to ebb.
“Honey, those heels are high enough to cause nosebleeds.” Sara moved to the middle of the pew. “I hoped you’d make it. There’s a church picnic following the service, and I brought extra food so you wouldn’t feel funny about staying.” Her honey-colored hair was in an updo, and her red dress made her gray eyes sparkle.
A smiling brunette with a toddler on her lap turned around and smiled her way. “I’m Amy Ireland. Sara has told me so much about you. Welcome to Hope Beach. We should get together for lunch this week. The kids could play together.”
“I’d love that.” Ireland. The unusual name struck a chord. “Is your husband Curtis?”
Amy nodded. “Do you know Curtis?”
It was too soon to explain why she was here. “I’ve heard his name from Sara. They’re on the same team.”
“You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s checking out some equipment today, but he’ll be along in time for the picnic.”
“You’re a midwife, right? And know about herbal remedies?”
Amy brightened. “Oh yes. Sara told me about your heart transplant. If you’re interested, I’d love to help you find the right remedies to keep your heart working at its best.”
“I was about to ask that.” Elin’s biggest fear was her body would reject her new heart. She’d try anything to keep that from happening.
Sara introduced her to another friend, Libby Bourne, and the women chatted a few minutes. Elin began to relax. If Marc were coming, he’d be here by now. She could enjoy the day. The praise team took the stage, and Josie’s hand crept into hers. Then Marc’s broad shoulders blocked her vision as he moved into the pew and sat beside her. He wasn’t smiling as he settled beside her and turned on his iPad.
She glanced at Sara. “Did you know he was coming?” she whispered.
Sara shrugged. “I invited him. He will be on the island a few weeks while he’s investigating.”
He called up his Bible app, then turned to her mother. “Good morning, Mrs. Whiteford. You look very nice this morning.”
And her mother did look attractive in her navy slacks and whit
e blouse. It had been all Elin could do to get her mother not to wear the red capris and the orange tank top she’d put on first thing this morning.
Her mother simpered and took Marc’s hand. “There you are, Owen. Elin wanted me to wear my red capris, but I told her you’d like these better.”
Elin watched him smile and let her mother hold his hand. Should she intervene and explain to her mother that he wasn’t her dead husband? She’d tried to tell Mom that Dad was in heaven, but it always upset her. The grief would strike all over again as if he’d just died. Church wasn’t the place to cause a scene like the one that would blow up if she tried to explain.
She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “We’re having a picnic on the beach after church today. You’re welcome to come with us so Josie has a chance to get to know you better.”
His lips flattened. “Fine.”
She rose with the rest of the congregation to sing. Her mother let go of Marc’s hand and reached for the songbook. Her clear soprano voice sang out with gusto, and Elin’s eyes filled. Such a contradiction. Though she forgot her husband was dead, she never seemed to forget her love for Jesus. Did that mean her mother was still in there somewhere?
With his hand freed up, Marc moved closer to Josie. Elin’s heart constricted at the longing in his face as he gazed down at their daughter. He stroked their little girl’s soft curls, and she looked up at him. A wary smile made its way to Josie’s face, and he scooped her up before she could protest. She leaned away from Marc a few inches, and her gaze examined his face. Then she relaxed in his arms and curled one arm around his neck. He grinned and chimed in with the song service.
He had a good voice, deep and resonant. Josie nestled against him in an even more trusting manner, and Elin resisted the urge to grab her daughter out of his arms. What if he grew bored with playing daddy and vanished back to Norfolk? Josie would be hurt. She wasn’t one to quickly give her affection, but Marc’s concentrated attention on her had quickly melted her reserve.
Elin’s gaze fell on a slip of paper sticking out of her Bible, and she leaned down to retrieve it. It looked like it had been torn from a yellow legal pad. A single sentence slashed its way across the paper.
I found you.
“You’re staring.” Elin shook some pills into her palm and took them with a sip of water, then leaned back on the beach blanket.
She had grown more beautiful in the last few years. Maturity had brought new angles to the planes of her face. The shadows behind her eyes worried him though. “What’s that? Headache?” He spared a glance toward his daughter who was building a sand castle with Ruby.
She shook her head. “Antirejection meds. And I’ll need to take a nap here in the sun soon. I hate not being 100 percent.”
“I thought you looked like something was wrong. You’re just tired?”
She reached into her beach bag and brought out a yellow slip of torn paper. “It’s more than that.”
He took the paper and read it. “Where’d you get it?”
“It was stuck in my Bible this morning. I think he’s found me.” Her voice wobbled, and she bit her lip.
“I think you’re reading too much into it. Look at the crude printing. Don’t you think it looks like a kid wrote it? Maybe some children were playing hide-and-seek in the sanctuary. Or maybe it’s been there awhile, and you just now found it.”
“I read it every day. I would have seen it. And one of those kids today just happened to put it in my Bible? I don’t think so.” She regarded him steadily, her aqua eyes sad. “Why don’t you believe me, Marc? You know I wouldn’t lie about something like this. If I’m in danger, Josie is too. You need to take this seriously.”
He fell silent at her question. No, she wouldn’t lie about something like this, but her perception might be off from all she’d gone through. “I’m not saying the guy isn’t after you, but I don’t think this proves he’s here on the island.”
“You’re not even going to check it out, are you?”
The disappointment in her voice stabbed him. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t check it out. I’ll poke around and see if there are any new residents or visitors who have reserved a room for more than a week.”
Her eyes lit with relief. “I have to live for Josie’s sake. And for my mom.”
The thought of someone harming her made his gut clench. He looked toward Ruby. “She seems okay today.” The older woman patted sand into place without any sign of confusion.
She followed his gaze. “It comes and goes. Church seemed to ground her. She’s been fine ever since the opening song.”
“I’m really sorry. I wish I could help. You’re hiring an aide?”
She nodded and reached over to pick up a handful of sand, then let it trickle through her fingers. “Every day I see her slipping away just like this sand. Memory after memory is just gone.”
“I’m sorry.” His gaze lingered on his daughter. The thought of fathering a little girl left him floundering. He knew nothing about being a father.
When he looked back at Elin, her expression betrayed no emotion. “If you hurt my daughter, I–I . . .”
He held up his hand. “Chill. She’s not just your daughter.”
The words hung between them, and color ran up her neck and splotched her cheeks. “You sound like you’re still mad.”
“I guess I am. Wouldn’t you be mad if the tables were turned?”
She exhaled. “Fine. And I’m okay with you spending Saturday afternoons with her, but you need to give it some time. She doesn’t warm up easily.”
“Don’t give me that, Elin. She warmed right up to me. I’m going to have my parents come to the island. It’s time they met their grandchild.”
“I–I have my mom to contend with. The new aide won’t be working on the weekend. I think it’s too soon for you to take her anywhere without me. She’s not used to going with strangers. Invite them to come here. I have plenty of room.”
He gritted his teeth. “I’m not a stranger. I’m her father. My mother was a nurse. She’s used to dealing with dementia. You’ll have to let me take her eventually.”
Her eyes sparked. “Eventually, but not now.”
“Fine. I’ll have them come here.”
Her slow nod finally came. “I hope you tell your parents before they arrive. It’s going to be a shock.”
Not nearly as shocking as the day he learned about his daughter.
EIGHT
The clock finally ticked over to three, and Elin swung her legs over the side of the bed. She hated the enforced rest time the doctor had prescribed. It make her feel weak and not in control.
She found Marc playing with Josie on the living room floor. He looked up when she entered. “Josie was telling me about a wonderful play area in the attic.” He grinned. “She wants to show me something up there.”
So he’d quickly won Josie’s affection. Elin wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “I can show you. This way.” She turned toward the stairs, and he lifted Josie into his arms and followed.
Elin led him to the attic door, where she fitted the key into the lock to the third floor.
Josie seemed attached to Marc’s hip. She’d never seen Josie take to someone so quickly, especially a man. She flipped on the light and led the way up the stairs.
Standing in the center of the space, she frowned as she looked around. Something was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, not at first. Then she saw that someone had taken all the sheets off the furniture. On one side, she saw an old gold sofa that had to be nine feet long. And a fine, old high-backed chair. There was a pile of rolled-up rugs against one wall, and jumbled against the wall on the other side, she saw an open chest with old toys and dolls spilling from it.
“Someone’s been up here.” She moved to the trunk and put the toys and dolls back into the wooden box.
Marc set Josie on the floor, and she ran to look at the toys with her mother. “Where do you keep the key to this floor?”
/> “In the dresser beside my bed.” She handed Josie a small china doll. “Be careful, honey. It’s very old.”
“She has a cute smile, Mommy. Do I smile like that?” Josie looked up at her and smiled, exposing only her front teeth.
Elin had to laugh at the cheesy smile. “Just like that.” Her gaze locked with Marc’s amused one.
She turned away quickly. What was she doing exchanging a moment of such intimacy with him? It was like he had really segued into being Josie’s dad, and Elin wasn’t ready for that. What about Tim? How did she even hope to keep his memory alive in Josie when Marc’s strong personality would run roughshod over Tim’s quiet ways?
“These are really old toys. I bet they’re worth some money.” He bent over and picked up a bear. “This looks like a Steiff. It’s in really good shape.”
She took the stuffed animal from him. When she turned back to the box, she discovered Josie had emptied it and was standing in it. “Josie, I was picking them up.”
“I fit in here. It can be my house. Close the lid!” She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. “I can pop up and surprise you like my jack-in-the-box.”
“Okay, for just a second.” Elin lowered the lid, holding it about an inch off the bottom from closing. “One, two, three!” She helped Josie push the lid up, and the little girl leaped to her feet giggling.
“Boo, Mommy!” She made a face, something between the doll’s smile and a grimace.
Elin gasped and stepped back a step. “You scared me! My goodness. But let’s pick all this up.”
She smiled and lifted her daughter out of the box. The lace of Josie’s shoe caught on something, and Elin paused to untangle it. The lace wound around a small curvature in the corner of the chest. She freed it, then lifted Josie out of the way and bent over to examine the bottom better.