Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) (22 page)

“What I think is that I
shouldn’t
be thinking so much,” Lily finally answered.

Aiden’s gaze—and his mind—snapped back into focus. For a couple of moments, he debated whether to answer her with words or with kisses—ones in places that would make her forget everything that troubled her. Things that obviously had to do with him and with… whatever it was that was happening between them.

He came down on the side of words because he didn’t want her agonizing over anything. “What is it that you don’t want to be thinking about?”

Lily rolled over onto her stomach and snuggled closer, resting her folded arms on his chest. “It’s stupid. Here I am, getting so much more than I asked for or ever would have expected, and then I turn around and want even
more. It makes me feel like I’m being ungrateful and… kind of petty.” She gazed earnestly at him, all big green eyes and lush red lips.

Aiden responded only by tracing his fingers down her cheek and neck, grazing the tops of her shoulders.

With a sigh, she scrunched up her nose. “It’s just that every time I think about you leaving again…”

He didn’t miss the
again
or the slight quaver in her voice. That aching tone seemed to bang straight through his rib cage to his heart.

“And I’m afraid that this trip and… everything… is just going to make it that much worse when you do,” she said. “How’s that for ungrateful, huh?”

“I’m sticking around for a while, remember?” Aiden replied, trying to reassure her.

But really, what was he supposed to say? What did she want him to say? That he was ready to give up on baseball, move back to Seashell Bay, and spend the rest of his life hosing down the slimy deck of a lobster boat?

A moment later, he gave himself a mental beatdown for that dickhead thought. Lily didn’t expect any such thing. She was simply voicing regret that fate would keep them apart, just as it had all those years ago.

“And I’m totally grateful that you’ll be here,” she said. She stretched up to give him a quick kiss. When her pretty nipples rubbed against his chest, his dick twitched back to life. “Just ignore me. I’m being an idiot. The combination of alcohol and fabulous sex will do that, I suppose.”

Aiden drew his fingers through her silky, tousled hair. “Baby, none of this is easy for me either. I didn’t intend for it to happen, but I’m not sorry it did.”

Lily’s eyelids fluttered down, as if she were hiding
from him. Then she rolled over onto her back and put a few inches between them. “I’m not sorry either,” she said softly.

The lack of conviction in her voice didn’t completely surprise him, but it sure made him feel like crap.

“You don’t look at Seashell Bay the same way as you did before, do you?” Lily said after few moments of uncomfortable silence. “I’ve seen the change, and some part of me wanted to—”

“—believe that I might decide to return to my roots?” he finished for her.

She turned onto her side to face him, propping her head on her hand. “Something like that.”

Okay, maybe he did look at the island in a different way now, and Lily was responsible for that. Not just for what had happened between the two of them, but for forcing him to start grappling with his past. But he had no desire to go any deeper into that past. Not tonight, anyway.

“Honestly, when I was young, I could never get what people saw in the place,” he said. “Leaving aside the crap I took from my dad, the only time I wasn’t bored was when I was in Portland. But even the city was no great shakes back then.”

“Portland’s changed a lot since we were in school. It’s a great city with a lot going on now.”

“Unlike on the island,” Aiden said drily.

She rolled her eyes. “And that’s exactly the way we like it. But if the car ferry and all that new development go ahead, then I guarantee you’ll see plenty of changes.”

“And you hate that idea. I get it. You’re afraid it will turn out to be the worst-case scenario.” Almost unconsciously, he began playing with her hair again. “And I
have to say that the more I hear about the plans, the more I understand why you’re worried.”

Lily skimmed her palm down his chest to settle on his abdomen. Aiden wished she’d keep heading south, since then they could switch to more interesting topics.

“You’re right,” she said. “We don’t like change, but we’re not blind or stupid either. We know we have to adapt. Still, we don’t want a huge sea change like Bay Island’s proposal would bring. There’s got to be another solution. A different kind of development.”

“Like what kind?” he asked as he trailed his fingers down her spine.

Lily shivered under his touch. But he didn’t think she was done talking, despite his attempts at distraction. “I was fantasizing a little this afternoon about a place like this in Seashell Bay. An ecoresort—one big enough to create some jobs, but not huge and disruptive like the proposal we’re fighting.”

Aiden’s hand froze on her back. It was the last thing he expected to hear, especially coming from Lily. “Okay, but what are the chances somebody would be interested in developing something like that on the island? Especially with Coastal Harmony already here on the Maine coast?”

When Lily’s hand moved again, gliding in soft circles from his belly to his groin, his concentration started to slip. “Ecotourism is really popular, and it’s only going to get bigger,” she said. “Kind of like this.” She flashed him a wicked grin as her hand slid home.

Aiden sucked in a sharp breath as Lily grasped his now-erect shaft and slid her thumb across the bulging head. “I’m listening, but talk fast.”

“I spent an hour talking to one of the owners while you
were working out. He told me that there was a lot of potential for similar types of resorts up and down the coast.”

Aiden tried to concentrate—not too easy with her slender fingers working his dick. But it didn’t take much brain power to understand why Lily would like the idea. Coastal Harmony must have brought dozens—probably hundreds—of jobs to the local community just to run and maintain the place. And then there were the staff that planned and operated the excursions—whale watching, birding, nature walks, hiking and cycling trips… jobs that matched the locals’ skills.

“Must be a lot of jobs involved in a place like this,” he said.

She gave him a dazzling smile. “I’m sure there are. And an ecoresort wouldn’t need a car ferry to succeed either. Tourists looking for an eco experience wouldn’t want to be driving their cars all over the island, if they even had cars. They’d much rather cycle or walk, or use golf carts.”

It sounded right, but what were the chances of turning Seashell Bay into an ecotourism destination? Aiden didn’t have a clue, and switching gears at this point would be a monumental undertaking for his family.

What he did know for sure, though, was that his dad would either laugh his ass off or try to clock Aiden with a whisky bottle if he even raised the possibility.

“But it’s obviously just a dream,” Lily sighed. “Your father would never let his land go for something like that.”

“Yeah, you just read my thoughts.”

She grimaced. “I’d never say this out loud, but it’s obvious to me that your father isn’t going to give up even if the ferry proposal fails. Bay Island might back away, but
there’ll be some other outfit willing to step up, sooner or later.” She let go of his aching erection and flopped onto her back. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep fighting for a very long time.”

He grunted an acknowledgment, surprised at how much the idea of ongoing warfare in Seashell Bay stuck in his craw. But his stubborn, rage-filled father would never give up as long as he could draw breath, ruining as many lives on the island as he could. Something would have to be done with the Flynn family land no matter what happened with the car ferry, something that could support Sean and Bram and yet, if possible, not trash the quality of life for everyone else on the island.

And figuring out what that something could be was squarely on his shoulders.

But right now all that would have to wait.

Lily let out a surprised little squeal when he suddenly climbed on top of her. “Ms. Doyle, I’d say it’s time for a little distraction from our worries.”

Much to his satisfaction, she seemed to agree.

B
ram’s bloodshot eyes practically glowed with fury. “You have got to be fucking kidding, man!”

“It’s just an idea at this stage,” Aiden replied calmly, “but I want you to start thinking about it.”

As soon as he got back from his weekend escape with Lily, Aiden had dragged Bram out for a walk along the bluffs. Lily’s idea about an ecoresort had taken root in his head. Maybe all the spectacular sex had rotted his brain, but it was actually starting to morph from a wild idea to a halfway realistic possibility. Now Aiden needed Bram to at least consider the idea, and he needed it right away.

Bram windmilled his arms, forcing Aiden back a step. “It’s a heinous idea. Anyway, it’s too late. Dad gave Dunnagan his word that we’d go ahead with the deal. And a verbal commitment is as good as a contract.”

Aiden sighed. He loved his brother, but Bram had always been gullible. “That’s bullshit. Not in this situation. You told me yourself that they’re only going ahead with the project if they get all three of us to sell
and
if the car ferry vote passes,
and
they get their new dock built.”

With his disheveled hair and unkempt beard, Bram looked even worse than usual. Aiden reached out a hand to grasp his brother’s shoulder, trying to forge some kind of connection.

Bram jerked away. “Don’t fuck this up, Aiden. Dad will kill you.” He stomped off toward his cottage, angrily slapping at a couple of low-hanging tree branches.

Aiden caught up with him in half a dozen strides. “Look, I’ll never do anything right as far as the old man is concerned, but if I’m going to push Dad in a different direction, you need to support me.” He grabbed Bram’s arm and pulled him back to the path that meandered along the shoreline, a rocky track they’d followed a million times as kids.

“Okay, I know you’re smarter than me,” Bram said, “but I can’t see how some kind of fruitcake resort for environmental wackos could ever work here. And anyway, I can’t see us getting even close to the price Bay Island’s agreed to pay from anybody else. They need to build both the resort and the housing development to make the numbers work.”

Aiden had been struggling with those economics himself, both in bed last night and late the next morning when he and Lily had coffee with the co-owner of Coastal Harmony, Colton Booth. Booth was a Phillies fan and had religiously followed Aiden’s career, and he seemed more than predisposed to be helpful.

Aiden had floated the idea that Coastal Harmony might be interested in developing a sister property on Seashell Bay Island. But while Booth had clearly been interested in the concept, he’d said that his partners weren’t able to assume the level of debt necessary to develop a new resort. Still, Aiden and Lily had come away with the clear
message that if other investors could be found—investors willing to pony up most of the money—the Coastal Harmony group could be interested in a management contract and, possibly, a minority financial stake in the project.

It was still a total Hail Mary pass, but Aiden was determined to try to put the ball in the air. “You’re right,” he said to his brother. “But money’s not everything.”

“Easy for you to say,” Bram said.

Aiden blew out an exasperated breath. “You know I’ve always been there for you, so stow that crap. Besides, you need to start getting realistic about this situation. If you and Dad keep pushing this deal to the bitter end, you two could end up getting nothing. If the dock proposal doesn’t pass, Bay Island will dump the whole idea.”

“That’s a hell of a big if,” Bram said with pigheaded stubbornness, “because the vote’s going to pass. There aren’t enough dinosaurs left on the island to stop it.”

Dinosaurs? Lily and Morgan were hardly dinosaurs, and from what Aiden had seen and heard, opposition to the car ferry and the development was hardly restricted to the island’s old fogies. Still, even Lily acknowledged that the vote was going to be close. “You’d better hope so, if you keep pinning all your hopes on this deal,” he said sharply.

Bram kicked at the dirt, sending a spray over the bluff. “Hell, you know where they’d want to build the kind of resort you’re talking about.” He swept his right arm around in a circle. “Right here. On
your
land and probably some of mine, because of the cliffs and the view. Dad got the worst land out of Mom’s will, so nobody would want to use his for a resort. He’d be screwed, Aiden. We couldn’t do that to the old man.”

Aiden couldn’t argue that point. At best, based on what he’d seen at Coastal Harmony, he figured an ecoresort might take a quarter or so of the combined acreage of the Flynn lands, relatively little of which would be on Sean’s property. “We’d have to see what we could do about that,” he acknowledged.

He’d been thinking about an idea since he left Castine, but he wasn’t ready to voice it yet.

Bram eyed him morosely. “So when are you going to hit Dad with this shit? You better give me plenty of warning so I can get off the island until the lava cools down.”

“Soon. I wanted to know that you’re okay with it first.”

“It doesn’t even matter what I think, because Dad’s committed to Bay Island, period.” Bram snorted. “So bro, you’re finally going to have to choose between your girlfriend and your family. Or are you going to keep pretending that nothing is happening between you two?”

Though every muscle in his body tightened, Aiden forced himself not to react visibly. All he’d told his brother about the trip—and he hadn’t said a word to his father—was that he was giving Lily a birthday present. Those two would obviously draw their own conclusions, but he didn’t give a damn.

“All the pressure I’m getting is coming from the old man and you,” Aiden said, “not from Lily and her people.”

“Bullshit.”

Aiden was determined not to throw fuel on the flames. “No matter what, I’m going to do everything I can to help you. Don’t ever forget that.” He blew out a heavy breath. “But brother, you’re sure not making it easy.”

Bram studied him and then slowly shook his head. “That’s the problem, isn’t it, Aiden? This whole thing
should have been dead easy for you. Sign on to the Bay Island deal and get on with your life. But no, you got yourself mixed up with the Doyles, and it all went for shit. No, bro, you’re the one who’s making it hard, not Dad and me.”

When Lily gave a tap on her horn, Morgan pushed open the screen door and dashed across the porch of the old Victorian her father now ran as the Golden Sunset B&B. She quickly climbed into the Jeep.

“Oh, man, you
so
didn’t get any sleep last night,” Morgan said, as Lily made a three-point turn out of the gravel driveway to get back onto the road. “I want every last detail, and I want it right now.”

Lily hadn’t looked in a mirror since she’d left Coastal Harmony a few hours ago, but no doubt the bags under her eyes were appalling. She was running on coffee, adrenaline, and sizzling memories of the best night of her entire life. She hoped that combination could power her through the rest of the day.

“My room was a bit noisy,” she said. “Those ecotourists are total party animals.”

Morgan laughed. “You’re such a liar. I’m betting the maid didn’t have to lift a finger this morning in one of those rooms. Or did you cavort back and forth between the two? Come on, give me some color, girlfriend.”

“You’re not going to leave me alone unless I reveal every salacious detail, are you?”

Morgan tucked her flying blond locks back behind her ears. “Oh, you know how I crave salacious detail. It’s because I don’t generate nearly enough of it myself.”

Lily could never quite get Morgan’s near-celibate lifestyle. Her friend was so gorgeous and smart and hip. But
she always claimed that her teaching duties kept her far too preoccupied to do any serious dating, and even when she came back to Seashell Bay for the summer, she almost never went out with a guy. Like Lily, she looked at island men like brothers, and vacationers were almost always married.

“All right then,” Lily said, “but you’ll have to settle for the synopsis right now because we’ll be at Saint Anne’s in a few minutes. And I am not going to be talking about what I did last night within sight of my church.”

Morgan rubbed her hands gleefully. “Unless you’re in the confessional, of course.”

After some of the things Lily and Aiden had done, a confession might just have been in order. Who knew that sex could be that… explosive. In Aiden’s arms, she’d come apart again and again. It was as if they both had been determined to make up for fourteen lost years in one spectacular night.

Especially when that night might wind up being all she and Aiden ever had.

Lily stuffed that awful thought as far back as it would go in her mind. She took the sweeping turn past the town trash transfer station onto Bay Street. As they descended the hill toward the landing, she took a couple of minutes to fill Morgan in on her dinner with Aiden, their walk to the dock, and their hurried trip back to his room. That was all she was going to say about sex with Aiden Flynn—for her own sake. Thinking about him made her want him more than ever, and wanting him would end up badly for her.

“God, it sounds dreamy,” Morgan said. “But are you sure you’re going to be okay after all that?”

Her pal, bless her, hadn’t tried to talk Lily out of the
trip up the coast, even though Morgan regarded Aiden as far from trustworthy when it came to her BFF’s heart. Her protective instincts on Lily’s behalf were fierce.

Lily pushed her eternally sliding sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose. “I sure hope so.” She wouldn’t sugarcoat the situation, because Morgan wouldn’t buy it, anyway. “I’m not under any illusions that Aiden’s going to stick around, though he did tell me he’d stay awhile longer to help out on the boat.”

Morgan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Awhile longer?”

Lily attempted a smile. “I’ll be grateful for anymore help I get from him. Aiden saved my ass this summer.”

“I do have to give him credit for that, if nothing else.” Morgan’s acknowledgment was grudging.

Lily swerved out to stay clear of Peggy Fogg. Evidently on her way to the Pot, Peggy was resplendent in her old-fashioned waitress uniform. She was riding her bike up the wrong side of the road, as usual.

“You shouldn’t be too hard on Aiden,” Lily said after waving to Peggy. “He’s changing. I feel it more every time we’re together. He doesn’t hate the island anymore. Not like he used to, anyway.”

Morgan rested her hand on Lily’s arm. “Honey, is that your analytical brain doing the talking or something farther south? I mean, it’s hard to think straight after a night like you just had, right? You probably need a little time to put things in perspective.”

Lily slowed to make the turn into the church driveway. “What I know for sure is that Aiden’s comfortable on my boat now. Actually, I’d say he’s even happy there—and happy to be fishing with me.” She braked to a grinding stop on the gravel, parking in between Jack Gallant’s
ancient F-150 truck and Miss Annie’s golf cart, its rear cargo carrier loaded with three banana boxes strapped down by bungee cords. Lily shifted to face Morgan. “Do you understand how big a deal that is? This was a guy who could barely even look at a lobster boat when he moved away, and yet he sucked it up and honored his bet. To be able to put those horrible memories behind him and start to enjoy himself on the boat—with me—well, I don’t know how much more you can ask a man to change than that.”

Morgan didn’t look convinced.

“I’ll be all right,” Lily said, patting her hand. “No matter what, I’ll be all right. I promise.”

Despite her brave words, she struggled to take in a full breath as she envisioned Aiden standing on the deck of the ferry, waving good-bye to her. She hated that image to the very depths of her soul.

As they got out of the Jeep, Morgan said, “Did Aiden give you any hints about selling his land or not? People are dying to know.”

“Not really,” she hedged.

Morgan slipped an arm around Lily’s waist as they started to walk toward the church. “No skating allowed. Come on, give.”

Lily came to a halt. “Okay, maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I think Aiden might not mind if the car ferry vote went down in flames. That way the Bay Island deal would fall apart of its own accord.”

“Holy Jesus.” Morgan cast a sheepish glance up at the cross on top of the steeple. “Sorry, Lord.” Then she grinned at Lily. “But that would be pretty amazing if it was true.”

Lily thought so too.

“Still,” Morgan went on, “we both know that the old man will never stop trying to get his way. Not even if we win the vote.”

Lily didn’t know if she should reveal anything about the possible ecotourism resort idea. It seemed like such a total long shot, and Aiden had been pretty closed-mouthed about it on the trip back home. But Morgan had been her best friend since they were little kids, and Lily knew she could trust her completely.

“You’re right,” Lily said, “but Aiden seems interested in pursuing some other kind of development. Something I think almost everybody on the island could live with.”

“Are you kidding me? What?”

Even though they were already late for the meeting, Lily quickly told her friend the basics and swore her to secrecy.

“That would be absolutely awesome,” Morgan said, “if it ever came to pass. My only worry at this point would be whether Aiden’s father would blast him with his shotgun for even proposing such a thing.”

Lily winced. Though Morgan was obviously exaggerating for effect, she couldn’t help but worry how violently Sean might react.

Morgan shook her head. “I’m afraid it sounds like a pipe dream to me.”

Her friend was likely right, but Lily refused to give up all hope. “Maybe, but the first thing we have to do is get every last person out to vote against the car ferry. Otherwise, it may be too late even to dream.”