Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) (9 page)

“You got that right, Preston,” Forrest Coolidge said to Gramps from the seat beside him. “And that’s why we better make sure we get off our duffs and win this vote. Hell, some of our families have lived and worked on this island for the better part of two centuries, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some greedy mainlanders wreck it.” His craggy face was grim. “Not on my watch.”

As the room broke into applause, Lily couldn’t help smiling at her grandfather and Forrest, by far the two oldest men in the room and perhaps the most ardent in support of the cause. She thought she’d like nothing better than to be just like them, still working hard to preserve the beauty and serenity of the island way of life well into her seventies and eighties.

Suddenly, one of the women in the room made a squeaky gasp as she glanced at the doorway. When Lily looked over, her stomach did a couple of backflips.

Aiden leaned against the doorjamb, casually dressed in a tight, white T-shirt and old jeans that did wonders for his brawny physique, an easy smile on his oh-so-handsome face as he stared at the head table. Stared at
Lily
. Heat crawled up the back of her spine and neck.

“Aiden,” Jack Gallant barked, “are you lost?”

Some people laughed, but it died as they caught Miss Annie’s lethal glare.

Aiden’s eyes shifted to Gallant. “I just heard about the
meeting a few minutes ago, and I figured maybe I could learn something by sitting in.” He smiled as he let his eyes roam around the room. “That is, if you folks don’t mind. I know some Flynn mug shots might be hanging on local dartboards these days, so if you don’t want me here…”

“No, you should stay,” Lily interrupted to forestall any more discussion. “Everyone is welcome here.”

“I appreciate that,” Aiden said.

He doffed his Phillies ball cap and sat down next to Tessa, who gave him a shy smile. Aiden towered over Tessa’s slight form.

When Aiden smiled back, a stab of irritation jabbed Lily hard. Schoolmarm Tessa was young, cute, smart, and
unmarried
. Because she wasn’t a native of Seashell Bay, she and Aiden wouldn’t know each other.

Yet
, her mind whispered. And the smoldering jealousy that made her gut burn told her everything she needed to know about how much she still wanted Aiden Flynn.

Aiden had driven to the church fully prepared to bust Lily’s chops for lying to him about what she was doing tonight. Too tired for meeting him at the Pot, but not too tired to help run a meeting about the future of Seashell Bay. Or lack of a future, it seemed to Aiden, since most of the locals seemed hell-bent on keeping the island in some kind of retro time warp.

When Bram told him about the so-called Smart Development Coalition and their meeting at Saint Anne’s tonight, Aiden’s irritation had briefly flared, thinking that Lily had deliberately
not
told him about the meeting. Did she figure he was so closed-minded that he wouldn’t even listen to what her group had to say?

But then he calmed down and realized that it probably wouldn’t have crossed her mind that he might be interested in attending a meeting of a group that was trying its best to throw a monkey wrench into the Flynns’ plans.

He’d listened to the discussion, and it hadn’t taken him long to figure out where almost everybody stood. After that, he’d focused on the other reason why he’d subjected himself to the local gabfest in the first place—the auburn-haired beauty at the head table, still driving him crazy after so many years.

Well, if seeing Lily again meant staying to the very end, he’d suck it up and do it. Lily was worth it.

Besides, he wouldn’t mind talking to the girl seated next to him—the blonde that somebody had called Tessa. If he didn’t miss his guess, she was a mainlander, or at least had been for most of her life, and he’d always been curious about people who actually chose to move
to
the island. It might give him some useful insights into the development question.

Finally, Jack Gallant—one of his dad’s old drinking buddies but now supposedly a teetotaler—banged his gavel down and adjourned the meeting after inviting everyone to head out into the foyer where the church ladies had set up refreshments. Lily quickly slid behind Gallant and started helping Miss Annie distribute small stacks of the flyers to people who lined up at the front of the room.

“I’m Tessa Nevin,” the pretty blonde said with an inviting smile as she extended her hand. “I teach at the school.”

Aiden returned her smile and shook her hand, even though part of his focus remained on Lily, intent on making sure she didn’t slip away from him.

“Nice to meet you, Tessa. When I went to school here, my teachers sure never looked…” He bit off the politically incorrect comment midstream. “I mean they were all quite a bit older than you.” And not nearly as attractive, that was for damn sure.

Tessa’s blue eyes sparkled with humor and understanding. “I just love it here in Seashell Bay. Even after several years, some days I still feel like I’m living in a dream world.”

That had Aiden mentally blinking. For anyone under the age of sixty, Seashell Bay had always struck him as a place to escape from, not actively seek out. “I guess the lifestyle suits you,” he said, as they made their way out to the foyer. The church ladies had set up a table with coffee, tea, and trays of homemade chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins.

Tessa grabbed two paper cups. “I’m sure Lily will be along any moment, but in the meantime, can I get you some coffee?”

Aiden winced. “Sure, thanks. But was I that obvious?”

Tessa’s laugh was gently mocking. “Uh,
yeah
. I think poor Lily might have a few scorch marks on her clothing from your X-ray vision.” She filled one of the cups from the big aluminum urn. “How do you take it?”

“Black,” he said, a little embarrassed. “So are you and Lily friends?”

She nodded. “Lily is friends with everyone on the island. Well, almost everyone.”

“Everyone but the Flynns, you mean?” He sipped the coffee. It was lukewarm but hit the spot.

“Your words, not mine.”

Aiden grimaced. “Stupid damn feud.”

Tessa flicked a worried glance at the other folks in the room, all caught up in intense discussions. “Absolutely, but a lot of people think it’s going to get worse before it gets better, given these development issues. What do you think, Aiden? Did you learn something this evening?”

“I’m sure Aiden doesn’t want to be put on the spot like that, Tessa.” From behind them, Lily’s voice was rich and darkly sweet, like the local honey that came from the island. Aiden had always loved listening to her talk, even when she was giving him a hard time.

“After all, he’s only been back a short time,” Lily added as she sidled between him and Tessa.

“You’re right, Lily,” Tessa said with a nod. “I’m glad you came tonight, Aiden. Hope I see you around.”

“Don’t forget to pick up your flyers, Tessa,” Lily said. “And if you could sign up for duty time at the festival, that would be great. The list is by the door.”

Tessa gave her a cheeky salute. “Aye, aye, Captain. All hands on deck for the festival, right?”

“I wish.” Lily sighed as Tessa hurried away.

“Coffee?” Aiden asked. “Or better yet, can I get you to change your mind about having a drink with me at the Pot?”

She shook her head. “I can see you’re still like a bulldog about some things, but I’m afraid not.”

“Well, when I know what I want, I go for it,” Aiden said.

Lily’s brow creased in a slight frown, as if his response puzzled her.

As she reached for a cup, he stared at smooth shoulders and arms showcased by a dark pink tank top that seemed vaguely familiar. How she’d managed to fish for all those
years and still retain such…
femininity
, he supposed might be the word… was a mystery. He’d seen evidence of Lily’s strength as they loaded her skiff, but the years of demanding physical work hadn’t diminished her beauty one whit. If anything, they’d given her an air of quiet competence he found incredibly attractive.

“Thanks for getting me off the hook with the schoolteacher,” he said.

Lily waved it off. “Everybody is curious about what you think and what you might do. So you can’t blame Tessa for that. But if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t want people bugging me about it everywhere I go.”

Combined with what he’d heard at tonight’s meeting, her words stirred something inside Aiden, something that had been brewing ever since he got to the island. “I appreciate that, Lily, but can you really put yourself in my shoes?” he said after a moment. “Because it feels like you’re absolutely convinced there’s only one right answer—your answer.”

She jerked back slightly, but he wasn’t backing down now that he’d laid it out there. Sure, it might cause a blowup, but this was too important to ignore any longer.

“Not everybody is buying into your vision,” he continued. “I could see that here tonight, even at a meeting of your own supporters. This stuff is complicated, not black and white—not for anyone and certainly not for my family.”

Lily frowned as she searched his face for several long seconds. “No, I just don’t buy that, Aiden. Saying something is complicated is usually just a way of ducking responsibility for taking a position.”

Ouch.
The girl could throw a solid counterpunch.

Still, what she said was crap. “Didn’t I hear you just tell Tessa that I shouldn’t be put on the spot? Or was that just bullshit?”

Lily took a step back, her eyes widening at the bite in his words. “No, it wasn’t bullshit. I meant that you shouldn’t be put on the spot tonight. But you’re obviously going to have to make a decision soon enough. That’s why you came back here anyway, right?”

“Nobody needs to remind me of that.”

“Yeah, well, sitting on top of that fence must be pretty uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t ask for this mess, but I’ll deal with it my own way, Lily. In my own time. You should be happy I didn’t sign on to the damn deal already.”

Lily shook her head slowly, as if exasperated. “Whatever, Aiden,” she finally said, her gaze shifting toward the meeting room where only Gallant, Miss Annie, and a couple of others remained. “Excuse me. I should get back in there and pack up.”

Lily was clearly itching to get away from him, which sucked, but he had only himself to blame. “I guess I’ll see you at the festival tomorrow then,” he said.

She’d started to turn away, but his comment brought her back around. “Really? And here I thought you might be tied up working on your boat.” Her eyes narrowed to emerald slits. “You and Roy, that is.”

He almost choked on a sip of coffee, unable to speak for a few moments. “There really are no secrets on this little rock, are there?”

“Not many, and not for long. You should know that.”

This was not good. “Lily, Roy would like his involvement to stay on the down-low, for obvious reasons.”

She gave him a grim nod. “I’m not a snitch, so it’s not going to come from me. Miss Annie
will
find out though, and she’ll be right pissed.”

Aiden figured she was probably right. “I like the old guy, and I don’t want him to get into too much hot water for helping Bram and me. Are you pissed at him too?”

She cocked her head, as if studying him. He hadn’t a clue what she was thinking, but there now seemed to be a trace of amusement in her eyes.

“Me? Pissed at Roy because he’s working on your engine? Oh, no, not at all, Aiden. Not at all.”

As she turned and left him standing there, Aiden got the feeling he was in over his head when it came to both Lily Doyle and to understanding what the hell was going on in damn Seashell Bay.

H
is bare feet up on the weather-beaten railing of Bram’s deck, Aiden sipped coffee and gazed out at the placid, midmorning blue of the Atlantic. It promised to be a hot, steamy day, though hardly by Florida, Texas, or even Philadelphia standards. For coastal Maine, though, it would be a scorcher.

The Blueberry Festival organizers would be plenty happy with the weather. When Aiden lived in Seashell Bay, everybody—and especially the kids—had looked forward to festival weekend, and he doubted it was any different now. Who didn’t love games, races, lemonade, candy floss, and enough sugary baked goods to guarantee a stomachache? He still remembered his mom’s famous blueberry pies usually selling out by the time the dew was off the grass.

Even as a surly teenager, Aiden had loved the festival, welcoming the escape from the usual, hellish days on his dad’s boat.

He was looking forward to the festival today too, for one obvious reason—seeing Lily again. Most of the
morning he’d been thinking about her and the little… well, fight they’d had last night. He regretted that he’d brought it on and that he’d snapped at her. It was no mystery why he’d done it though. The more he pondered the choice between selling and holding on to his inherited land, the more he realized that the consequences of his decision would spread far beyond his own family. Though he hadn’t needed Lily to remind him of that, he shouldn’t have let her get to him either.

As easy as it would have been to sit on the deck all day, it was time to head down to the festival. Besides, better to keep busy than hang out here all day, waiting for his agent to call with some news. Or spend another day fighting with Bram.

When he went back into the cottage, he rinsed out his cup and then took a glance into Bram’s bedroom. His brother was still snoring, dead to the world after spending half the night drinking with a couple of buddies from the mainland. Aiden shoved his feet in his sneakers and headed out, striding quickly up the long lane to Island Road. Ten minutes later, he turned up Bay Street, and at the top of the gentle hill, he stopped for a moment and gazed straight across the channel to the nearby islands and the mainland shore far in the distance.

Aiden sucked in some deep, calming breaths, allowing the serenity of the view to seep into him. He had to admit that there was beauty here in Seashell Bay—serene and close to timeless in its unchanging tranquility. While most of the houses he’d passed on the way up the hill reflected the island’s bare-bones economy, they were almost all maintained with close attention and loving care, the paint kept fresh and the gardens flourishing. Just ahead on his
left, he could see the elementary school and library, which probably still housed the computers his mom had suggested he donate several years ago.

He chuckled as he passed Gracie Poole’s property. The clapboard house hadn’t changed much since he left. The heavily treed yard, on the other hand, was an even bigger mishmash of lobster fishing gear and any other paraphernalia that struck the fancy of Gracie and her husband, Seth. Dozens of buoys in every conceivable color pattern hung suspended from tree branches on fishing line or pot warp. Dories, oars, nets, wooden and mesh traps, and even a couple of old outboards had been set up in rough and ready displays. All kinds of weird items like matchbox cars, beach pails, and both rubber and wooden ducks were set up on stumps and stands, adding even more color to the wild and relentlessly cheery tableau. Aiden couldn’t help thinking about how the neighbors in his Philly suburb would react to a yard like Gracie’s.

As he approached the landing, he spotted Lily’s red Jeep near the little seasonal store that sold a few basic groceries and a lot of beer. Aiden had already resolved that the first thing he would do when he saw her was apologize for his testy response last night. Nothing about the situation with the Flynn land was her fault, and she had every right to be concerned about his take on it. Yeah, she could have stifled that cutting remark about ducking responsibility, but Lily had never been one to pull her punches, not even as a teenager. That fiery, honest quality had drawn him to her back then, and damned if it didn’t have just as powerful a pull on him now.

Oh, yeah, and her killer body too.

Finding a sliver of temporary shelter from the sun at the side of the Rec Center, Lily whipped off her sun visor and dabbed at her forehead with the handkerchief she’d borrowed from her dad. She thought briefly about heading back to the SDC’s little tent to get out of the sun for a few minutes, but she could see it was still jammed. Jack Gallant and Miss Annie had been holding court there since early morning, and those two, along with close to a dozen volunteers, had been handing out the flyers and telling folks in stark terms what a car ferry would mean to Seashell Bay.

The younger volunteers, like Lily and Morgan, had taken the tougher assignments. Since eight o’clock, they’d been approaching people in the parking lot, at the food tents, and inside the Rec Center where artisans from both the island and mainland had set up booths to hawk their crafts and wares. She was pleased with the results so far, because the majority of people seemed to hold the car ferry proposal in about as much esteem as Congress. The battle, however, was far from won. The ferry’s supporters might seem to be in the minority today, but that didn’t mean there weren’t lots of folks who would quietly vote in favor when the time came.

And predictably, the SDC wasn’t the only organization hitting on the townsfolk today. Bay Island Properties had produced a glossy folded leaflet that Selectman Albie Emory, along with Boyd Spinney, a long-time crony of Sean Flynn’s, were handing out under a professionally designed banner that read,
A SEASHELL BAY CAR FERRY—IT’S TIME
.

How creative.

Time for what, Lily wondered? Time for developers to make a ton of money by messing up her island home?
Not as long as I’m still breathing salt air.

The crowd down front was swelling as each hour passed. At least a couple of hundred people were now crammed into the space between the ferry dock and the row of low buildings on the other side of the parking lot. The laughter and screams of kids jumping and rolling around in the bounce castle filled the air, punctuated by the occasional startled yell from the dunk tank as one of the festival volunteers splashed down into the cold water.

“Hey, you look like somebody who could use a drink. A peace offering too, after the way I bit your head off at the meeting last night.”

Lily had been so focused on the busy scene in front of her that she hadn’t noticed Aiden’s approach from the side. With a crooked, charming smile that still had the power to make her heart flutter, he thrust an open bottle of water into her hand.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said.

“Thank you for both the apology and the water, but a cold beer would go down even better right about now,” Lily joked.

She took a long swig from the chilled bottle. Knowing that Aiden had just drunk from it too made the exchange seem strangely intimate. It had been a very long time since they’d shared a drink like that.

“A beer could definitely be arranged, but I’m guessing you have other plans for your afternoon.” He nodded toward the flyers in her hand.

God, he looked good, casually dressed in a faded, close-fitting T-shirt that lovingly outlined his hard chest
and baggy cargo shorts that couldn’t hide his muscled legs. She felt a little light-headed just looking at him, and she knew it wasn’t from being out in the heat.

She sighed, letting go of the enticing image of sharing a beer with Aiden on a secluded beach. “I’m afraid so.” She had several more hours to spend preaching the cause, not to mention a turn in the damn dunk tank.

“I really like your shirt,” Aiden said, his gaze sliding down to her chest. “It’s pretty funny.”

Given the heat in his eyes, she wasn’t sure whether he was staring at the cartoon on her shirt or at what was underneath the thin fabric. Thank God she was wearing a slightly padded bra in preparation for the dunk tank, since she could already feel her body instinctively reacting to him.

She’d been getting laughs and compliments all morning on the shirt that she’d bought online to be a conversation starter at the festival. On a basic white background, the designer had overlaid a rough drawing of someone’s hand pulling a smiling lobster out of a holding tank. The lobster was saying to his two buddies still crawling along the bottom, “Did you hear that, guys? I’m going to a party in a hot tub!”

“I thought it might make people laugh before I pummel them into voting down the car ferry,” Lily said.

His gaze narrowed thoughtfully, telling Lily that something was weighing on him. She knew that expression from the years she’d spent mooning over his handsome face, and it was yet another way that Aiden Flynn hadn’t changed.

She handed him back the bottle. “Okay, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“You always know when something’s bothering me, don’t you? Well, it’s no big deal. I just hate sitting around waiting for my agent to call.” He let out a ghost of a laugh. “Not much patience, huh?”

Lily’s heart ached for him. Baseball had always been his dream, and he sure didn’t sound ready for it to be over. “I’m really sorry, Aiden,” she said, investing it with all the feeling she could. “I hope something works out for you soon.”

But not too soon
, she thought guiltily.

He shrugged. “Baseball can be a tough business. Kind of like lobster fishing in that way, right?”

Lily would never have made the comparison, but she saw his point. Still, as a fisherman, she worked only for herself and controlled her own destiny—or at least as much as the lobster stock and the elements would allow. Aiden, on the other hand, could be moved around by his bosses like a piece on a game board. A well-paid piece, to be sure, but could money truly compensate for the kind of freedom she felt on the deck of
Miss Annie
?

Taking in his brooding expression, Lily tried to lighten things up. “Maybe, but I bet you don’t smell as bad as I do after a day at work.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Aiden said. “Between a postgame locker room and a lobster boat after a day at sea, I’d say it’s a toss-up.”

They both laughed, and just like that the tension between them broke.

“So, have you checked out the blueberry pies and the other baked goods?” She remembered how much he’d loved that part of the festival. As a tall, gangly teenager, he’d been able to inhale awesome amounts of food and
never put on an ounce of fat. “If not, you’d better get over there before everything’s gone.”

Aiden ran a hand over his awesomely flat stomach. “I’d better steer clear. Nobody’s going to want to pick up an old, fat ballplayer.”

She had to stifle a laugh at his serious expression. Aiden Flynn was six feet four inches of lean, toned muscle, with about as much fat on his entire body as there was on one of her thighs.

When Aiden gave the water bottle back to her, their hands fleetingly touched, and her heartbeat picked up several notches.

Suddenly, applause broke out behind her, and almost as one, the crowd started to push in that direction. She turned and stood on her tiptoes to see above the heads blocking her view. Twenty feet away, Lily glimpsed Miss Annie and Gracie Poole in front of the car ferry supporters’ tent. Her granny was stabbing her finger at a heavyset man wearing a white shirt and tie. “Aiden, I need to see what’s going on over there.”

“Right behind you,” Aiden said.

Lily pushed her way between bodies until she was standing just beside her grandmother. Behind her, Aiden was using his elbows to clear some space for both of them.

“Why can’t you just build your resort, Dunnagan?” Miss Annie said at close to full volume, her red face a startling contrast to her white hair. “We can live with that. We just don’t need a big, stupid subdivision too, and we sure don’t want your car ferry.”

“You tell him, Miss Annie!” somebody behind Lily yelled.

“So that’s Kevin Dunnagan,” Aiden said in Lily’s ear.

“Head honcho of Bay Island Properties,” Lily said, though she’d never met him. “The jackass.”

Dunnagan wiped his sweaty brow with a white handkerchief. “Look, ma’am, our plan for Seashell Bay can’t just be broken up into pieces. It’s a unified, well-planned whole.”

“
Hole
is the right word for it,” Gracie said to laughter.

“This is the only way development can happen,” Dunnagan said, obviously frustrated. “All three pieces work together—the housing estates, the resort, and the car ferry, all very carefully planned to enhance the island. You folks will love it if you just give us a chance. Trust me, it’ll be great.”

Much of the crowd started to boo loudly.

“Great for
you
, you mean,” Lily said over the din. “Sure as hell not for us.”

Miss Annie looked at her and grinned. Behind her, Aiden squeezed her shoulder. She wasn’t quite sure what that signified. Was he being protective, concerned for her in the crush of the crowd, or warning her to back down?

“You’re wrong, miss,” Dunnagan said, shaking his head. “The economic benefits to Seashell Bay will be huge. Think about all the construction jobs—not just the resort but hundreds of single-family homes. There are a lot of people here who could use the work, especially during the months when there’s no fishing, right? We’re talking upwards of a hundred jobs at the peak of construction, and plenty more when the resort opens. And when new businesses start up—and they will—that’ll bring more jobs too.”

“Sounds pretty damn good to me,” someone shouted. Lily didn’t recognize the voice.

When the crowd started to murmur, Lily’s stomach tightened.

“Most of those are just temporary jobs,” Miss Annie scoffed. “But the damage to the island will be permanent.”

“What damage?” Dunnagan said calmly. “More jobs, more businesses, more stores—that doesn’t sound much like damage to me.”

“Spoken like a man who only cares about money,” Miss Annie shot back.

“He’s got a point though, Miss Annie,” Carol Peabody said. “My boy can’t work on a fishing boat, so work’s hard to come by around here.”