He sighed. Three days, three nights, and one morning was all that remained of this year’s festival week. That meant there were only two major events to worry about from a public safety standpoint—today’s reenactment at the museum and Thursday night’s Mermaid Ball. He didn’t count the annual Flynn family cookout tomorrow evening. There would be plenty of opportunity for conflict, of course—with his parents either ignoring each other or going nose-to-nose over the damn development project again—but it wouldn’t be something that would require calling for backup. At least he hoped not.
Clancy knew the dynamic would be different at the cookout this year. For one thing, Annie would bring Nat along, and Rowan would probably have her pretty-boy prepster in tow. Clancy couldn’t be too hard on the guy. He’d done some checking on Wallace and he seemed legit enough. He was chairman of a nonprofit just like he said and had earned his business degree from Harvard. He couldn’t find much on the consulting business Wallace said he was closing, aside from his corporation filing with the state and a vague and brief Web site. Clancy figured he was some kind of mercenary, stepping in to help companies do their dirty work, like firing people for managers who didn’t have the balls to do it themselves.
Once festival week was over, he’d make some calls to his buddies on the force in Boston. Maybe they could find out a little more on Wallace. But regardless of what the man used to do for a living, Clancy had watched how he’d patiently escorted the cantankerous Hubie Krank to the beach last night and had to admit Wallace had a decent streak in him.
Maybe his sister had finally found herself a good one.
And, of course, the other change to this year’s cookout would be Duncan. His big brother might be a self-centered bastard, but at least when he graced them with his presence it provided an excuse to celebrate as a cohesive family unit.
But not this year. Clancy wondered where Duncan might be, and not knowing always left a vague sense of dread floating around in his brain. He might not be his big brother’s biggest fan, but he loved him and wanted him to come home safe.
Clancy gulped down the rest of his first cup and set about getting another.
“Good morning, Chief.”
Clancy paused, his hand on the coffee dispenser lever. The Safe Haven’s kitchen had always been the domain of women. Mellie, Rowan, and the four foreign cuties were usually the only people in here at six thirty on a weekday morning. That said, he had a good idea whom he’d be eyeballing when he spun around. Yep. He’d been right. Kind of. Ash Wallace had just greeted him, but the dude was wearing an apron with cups and saucers and teapots and shit all over it.
“You must’ve pissed her off something fierce.”
Wallace laughed. “I did.”
Clancy shrugged and took another gulp of life-giving coffee. “Check in the walk-in freezer. There might be some butter pecan ice cream in the back.”
“Might just do that.”
Clancy let his gaze wander up and down Wallace’s person. He looked ridiculous with his hairy legs sticking out of the bottom of the long apron, but he sure was happy. Why he looked that way wasn’t anything Clancy cared to dwell on. “Saw you gettin’ your dance on last night. Didn’t think you had it in ya.”
Wallace shook his head. “Are you always going to give me grief like this?”
Clancy shrugged. “How long you plan on sticking around Bayberry?”
“As long as she’ll let me.”
Okay. He’d given that answer without a second of hesitation and with complete certainty. Clancy had to hide his surprise. This guy really cared for his sister. Not that it wasn’t warranted, because Rowan was a great girl. But, honestly, Wallace hadn’t struck him as the type who wanted to settle down, especially on a lonely rock like this one. He wondered how long it would be before Wallace hatched a plan to whisk Rowan away to the city. He didn’t even want to think of the fate of the B and B if that happened.
“Let’s see.” Clancy nodded to his sister’s suitor. “I suppose I’ll be giving you a hard time as long as she lets you hang around. It’s my job.”
Wallace seemed to take it in stride. “Fair enough.”
“So what’s she got you doin’ in here this morning?”
“Everything.” He looked over his shoulder toward the stove, where Mellie and Rowan were running their usual crepe assembly line. “I’ve already made about ten pounds of bacon, and now she’s got me cutting fruit. These guests are pigs.”
Clancy chuckled. “Yeah, well, I’ve been in your shoes more mornings than I can count. When my dad closed the fishery and we turned this place into a B and B, we all had to work for our keep. Us kids did whatever had to be done—cleaned rooms, served food, kept up the landscaping. It wasn’t until we all went to college that our parents hired seasonal help.”
Wallace frowned, like that was something he couldn’t comprehend. Clancy figured he hadn’t had much personal experience with making ends meet.
“Ash? Would you grab the blueberries from the counter for me, please?” Rowan’s voice was cheerful and sweet until she raised her head from the crepe pan and noticed her brother. “Oh. Hey, Clancy. I didn’t see you there.”
Wallace smiled at Clancy. “I’d better get back to work before she writes me up.”
Without thinking, Clancy held out his hand. But he pulled it back a little, remembering that Ash had been on bacon duty that morning.
“Trust me, Clayton.” Wallace grabbed Clancy’s hand and gave it a forceful shake, grinning. “Trichinosis puts hair on your chest. I’m telling you straight up, man.”
* * *
“Good morning, Karina. Ash Wallace calling.”
“Mr. Wallace! I’ve been trying to reach you for days! Is everything all right?”
As James Martin’s executive assistant at Oceanaire, Karina always struck Ash as the unflappable type. But this morning, she sounded pretty damn flapped. Ash knew he was partly to blame for her condition.
“I sincerely apologize for not responding to your voice mails, but I’ve been tied up with my last consulting assignment. It’s become quite complicated, with some iffy ethical issues involved. I ended up resigning.”
“But you’re okay?” Ash heard the concern in Karina’s voice.
“I’m fine, thank you. I still have details to sort out before I can get back to Boston, but I am happy to report that I am now officially Oceanaire’s full-time chairman of the board. Is James around this morning?”
She remained silent for a moment, which caused Ash to sit up straighter in Rowan’s dining room chair. “Karina?”
“Uh, before you talk to him, would you mind if I got you up to speed on what’s been going on here? It’s been an eventful few days.”
“Of course.”
“We had an unexpected boon last Thursday, Mr. Wallace. A generous donor has willed the foundation an extremely valuable stretch of oceanfront land on Long Island. We had no planned-giving contract with this man, no donor history at all, in fact, so the gift took us completely by surprise. That’s why I’ve been trying to reach you. Mr. Martin wants you to join him for an analysis of the site as soon as possible. He believes it might very well be the perfect location for the institute.”
Ash clamped his eyelids shut. “You’re kidding,” he muttered.
“Isn’t it remarkable?”
“It certainly is. Thank you for letting me know. Is there any chance I can have a word with James?”
“Of course, Mr. Wallace. We hope to see you very soon. I’ll put you right through.”
While he waited for Brian’s brother to pick up, Ash did his best to shove down his disappointment. Every moment that he hadn’t been focused on Rowan—and granted, there weren’t many—the idea Nat had pulled out of his ass at the clambake had consumed him. Ash really thought he felt the heavy hand of destiny in all this and had been anxious to get the ball rolling first thing this morning. It was only ten minutes past nine, and his bubble had already burst.
“Ash! What the
hell have you been up to? Karina just told me you’ve officially resigned from your consulting work.”
“Sorry for being out of touch, and, yes, I have. My attorneys will have to close out some outstanding retainer agreements, but I’m not taking on any new jobs.”
“That’s fabulous news. Listen, did Karina tell you about the property?”
“She did.”
“You don’t sound thrilled.”
“I’ll have to see it.”
“I’ve already got our science division looking at what the site has to offer in term of density and variety of marine life, tidal pools, sediment, levels of thermal or chemical pollution, you name it. And I’ve already sent the topography and bathymetry to architects. Ash, the initial reaction from everyone is that this place has real potential. We’re all pretty excited about it. I need you on board as soon as possible. When are you coming back to town?”
In all the years he’d known James Martin, he’d never heard him string so many words together so fast and without pausing to breathe.
“Ash? Did I lose you?”
“No.” He drummed his fingers on the top of Rowan’s dinette table. “Have you ever heard of a place called Bayberry Island?”
James laughed. “Sure. We’ve gone there with the kids a few times. The place is a trip. They’ve got this kooky obsession with mermaids.”
“They do.”
“The kids love it, though. They had a blast dressing up like pirates and eating their body weight in carnival food, but we ended up staying at this old bed-and-breakfast Maggie found online. Good grief! The place was a dump—the Safe Harbor or something like that.”
“The Safe Haven.”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Ash pulled his lips tight and continued to drum his fingers on the table, deciding on how to present this.
“You there?”
“Yeah.” Ash straightened. “Hey, James? I’m going to ask you to put the Long Island stuff on hold and bring a team to Bayberry—design, science, legal, and finance people, plus enough of the board to make a quorum—everybody. That’s where I am right now. I think this is our place.”
James laughed uproariously. “Are you fucking kidding me? Mermaid Island? You’re there right now? I thought you were working!”
“I am. I was. Look, I was hired to acquire property here on the island, but it’s not a good fit for the huge commercial project they have in mind. This is the ideal location for an educational and research facility, however. There’s a rich and colorful history of human-marine cohabitation on Bayberry Island.”
Ash heard himself and had to roll his eyes at his own shamelessness. In all his years of closing deals, he couldn’t remember when he’d dished out such a load of bullshit. The truth was, he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
“Are you serious?”
“I am. The site boasts more than four hundred acres of oceanfront land, a beautiful beach, and existing improvements that could be easily adapted to the institute’s needs.”
“You’re sure this land is for sale? I haven’t seen it listed and I’ve been looking. Besides, even if it is, it’s got to be outrageously expensive, and the New York property is already ours.”
James had a point. “It would be unfair of me to compare the sites, since I haven’t seen the other one, but I feel in my gut that this is the place.”
James grunted. He wasn’t falling for it.
“Have you heard of something called the Friendship Ledge? It’s an underwater mountain range that’s supposed to have—”
“Of course I know about it.”
“Well, it’s just northwest of the island.”
“Sure. Okay. It is, isn’t it?”
Ash could tell he had him hooked again. “Besides, if we own the Long Island property outright then we can sell it to pay for Bayberry. James, the idea here is to find the right place for the institute, not the most convenient. Plus our facility could help rejuvenate the island economy, which has really suffered recently. The institute would attract hundreds of visitors each year—students, their families, visiting academics. God knows, Long Island isn’t similarly challenged in their efforts to bring in tourist income.”
“How much do they want per acre?”
“I’m not sure on the numbers yet, but I’m making progress. There are thirty-seven individual property owners along the cove that have to set their price. When do you think you can be here?”
“Jesus, Ash!” James laughed. “I don’t know. This is . . . this is a complete change in direction. My head is spinning. Maybe we can get there in a couple weeks.”
“Look, here’s the problem. We need to get in here before the resort developers send another closer to finalize the deal. I know they’re going to be incredibly aggressive. Can you get everyone here tomorrow?”
James laughed again. “Are you smoking some of the island’s best shit?” He groaned. “I’ll do what I can. Today’s Tuesday. There’s no way we can get there by tomorrow, so it’s going to be Thursday at the absolute earliest, but I’m not making any promises.”
“Great.” Ash started to breathe easier. “I’ll arrange for a meeting with the landowners. We need to dazzle the locals, so bring the architectural models and anything else shiny and sparkly you got lying around. You’ll have to fly into the Vineyard or Nantucket and charter a boat or helicopter.”
“Uh, are you sure about this, Ash?”
Of course he wasn’t sure about it. There was still an outside chance that the cove shoreline wouldn’t be suited for the institute. Or that the locals would oppose the idea. Or that it was foolish to pass up the Long Island opportunity. There was only one thing he was certain of. Brian had always encouraged him to follow his gut feeling, and his gut was telling him to at least try.
“James, listen. This is going to sound really weird, so please bear with me.”
“And the rest of this hasn’t been weird?”
He chuckled. “I know in my heart that Brian would have loved this place. I think this is just the kind of setting he envisioned for his dream. The people here are adventurous and fun loving and they have a real connection to the sea. That sounds like Brian; don’t you agree? And you said it yourself—kids love this island. Just think of how much they’d enjoy studying and living here during the summers. It’s absolutely perfect.”
James was silent at first, but eventually he surrendered to Ash’s enthusiasm. “You might be right. We’ll come look at it. I owe you that much. But there’s one major concern I don’t think you’ve taken into consideration.”
“What’s that?”
“Woods Hole. It’s right there on the Cape. There’s no way we could ever compete with them—they’re the country’s largest independent oceanographic facility. We would pale in comparison.”
Ash felt himself smile. “But what if we didn’t worry about competing and found a way to partner with them instead? That would make their proximity a huge plus instead of a minus. Think of the possibilities, James.”
“I’m thinking. I am. All right, fine. I’ll get the team together and tell them we’re making a slight detour. Listen, if I call you, would you pick up your damn phone? I’ll feel like I’m flying blind if I can’t reach you.”
“I’ll keep my cell with me. See you Thursday. Thanks, James.”
“Hey, wait! Should we plan on flying back on the same day or staying over? Where are you staying?”
Ash chuckled. “At the dump.”
Chapter Fifteen
“You asked to see me, Jerrod?”
Kathryn took a tentative step inside her boss’s office, uncertain what awaited her. A garden-variety bad mood? A grown man bouncing off the walls? Another obscene session of straw sucking?
Or was she about to get fired?
“Sit down.”
Kathryn took a seat in one of the black leather chairs in front of his desk. She folded her hands and took a calming breath.
“You’re on. The Mermaid Isl
and is your baby. Make it happen.”
Kathryn was stunned. For a moment, she could do nothing but stare, her mouth hanging open like a dolt’s. “Really?”
Jerrod scowled at her. “You came in here all Zig Ziglar on me yesterday, and now you act like it’s a miracle that I’d trust you with the assignment? Which one is it, sweetheart?”
She snapped out of her stupor. “Of course you can trust me. I’m on it.” Kathryn jumped to her feet.
Jerrod laughed, shaking his head. “Hold up, honey. You’re taking Brenda Paulson with you. I think the two of you could use some girl bonding. I’ve noticed you’re not exactly BFFs, and you’ll need to fix that.”
He’d just lost her. “What? I’m sorry. Did you say something about Brenda?”
He chuckled again. “See, here’s how I look at it. You close the Mermaid Island project and I promote you to vice president for acquisitions. Then I promote Brenda into your old job. But none of that’s going to happen if the two of you continue with your catfight over Ash Wallace, although I must admit it’s been entertaining.”
Kathryn couldn’t help it. Her eyes bugged out. This was the most ridiculous, sexist pile of garbage she’d ever heard come out of Jerrod Jessop’s mouth, and that was really saying something. Fighting over Ash Wallace? How ludicrous could he get?
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Jerrod. Brenda and I get along fine. She has a little bit of a crush on Ash Wallace, but I hardly think that’s a factor now that he’s out of the picture.”
“Yeah, okay. Anyway, get to Bayberry as soon as you can. Meet with the landowners and get this fucking deal done. Everyone is going to lose a lot of money if we have to start over, looking for a new location.”
“I understand. Absolutely.” Kathryn headed for the door. “I’ll keep you posted on all the developments.”
“You do that.”
* * *
“Gather ’round, ye ’maids.” Mona heard the exhaustion in her voice and realized she was nothing but a hypocrite. She’d been berating nearly everyone for a lack of festival-week enthusiasm, and here she was, too tired to get up off her couch.