hair, and the long shadows made the angles of his face seem
harsher than she remembered. Even though he sat casually beside her, she
detected a sense of tension under the surface. It was evident he was afraid of
saying the wrong thing, making some mistake to spook her again.
She wanted to say something to make him feel more
comfortable, but when she was so unsure herself, what was there to say? The
silence between them drew out, lengthening like the rays of the setting sun on
the other side of the house.
Tripp cleared his throat and shattered the silence. “Can I
ask why you say painful memories? Most of us would be lucky to have that with
our families. I know my parents couldn’t be bothered with that kind of family
time.”
Family had always been so important to her parents, at least
on the surface. She’d learned that lesson when she’d hit her teens and
discovered they were more interested in the upkeep of their social stature than
the fresh tears of a brokenhearted teen.
“That’s just it. We were family here. For nearly three
months every year, we were a family. As happy as those times were, they also
stood as a reminder of what would vanish the second the car pulled out of the
driveway.”
“Really?”
Kate nodded, staring out at the crashing waves of the Gulf a
block away. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? Back home, Mom and Dad seemed to be
more worried about their social standing and their causes. By all appearances,
my parents had the perfect life. Perfect marriage, perfect careers. Family,
home—shit, even the dog was perfect.” She snorted as she remembered the
high-pitched yip of her mother’s champion Pekinese.
“That can wear on someone.” He took a long drink of his soda
and set the can beside his leg. “If those memories hurt so much, why are you
here?”
“Here, we just were. We’d make mistakes, we’d laugh and cry
and…we were happy. Some of the few times we were happy.” She paused, recalling
the phone call she’d placed when she made the decision to come here after
running a preliminary forecast model.
“My mother didn’t even care when I called to tell her I
wanted to come here to track a hurricane. Didn’t even ask me if I thought it
was headed for the island. It was as if I was bothering her. Taking her away
from her social engagements or something.”
That reaction was what made Kate realize her summers here
meant more to her than to the rest of her family. She hadn’t bothered to
contact her brothers because she feared the same reaction. The heavy weight of
recent disappointments already put her in a foul mood. She wasn’t interested in
juggling even more.
“Maybe she thinks it’s time to move on. Find somewhere else
to make memories instead of hanging on.”
Tripp’s logic made sense. Deep in her gut, Kate knew he was
right. She needed to move on with her life, but she couldn’t. An enormous
amount of upheaval and chaos made her want to be in the one place she was
familiar with. “Good or bad, these memories are all I have, Tripp.”
His expression softened and he reached out to skim his fingers
over her jaw. The pad of his thumb brushed against her skin and she realized
his touch was a comfort she missed. “Then maybe it’s time for you to make new
ones. You can’t keep living in the past, Kate. You have a life and a career.
Not to mention two devastatingly handsome men by your side.”
Kate snorted and immediately sobered despite Tripp’s smile.
“I spent so many summer’s baking to a crisp right on that very beach. It’s hard
to let that kind of thing go.”
“A teenage Kate in a bikini. I would’ve liked to have seen
that.”
“I wasn’t much. Pretty gangly as a kid. No boobs to speak
of.”
He scooted closer, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled
her against him. “But yet you’ve blossomed into the gorgeous woman you are
today.”
He felt so good against her. So right and someone she could
get very used to getting lost in. It was
harsher than she remembered. Even though he sat casually beside her, she
detected a sense of tension under the surface. It was evident he was afraid of
saying the wrong thing, making some mistake to spook her again.
She wanted to say something to make him feel more
comfortable, but when she was so unsure herself, what was there to say? The
silence between them drew out, lengthening like the rays of the setting sun on
the other side of the house.
Tripp cleared his throat and shattered the silence. “Can I
ask why you say painful memories? Most of us would be lucky to have that with
our families. I know my parents couldn’t be bothered with that kind of family
time.”
Family had always been so important to her parents, at least
on the surface. She’d learned that lesson when she’d hit her teens and
discovered they were more interested in the upkeep of their social stature than
the fresh tears of a brokenhearted teen.
“That’s just it. We were family here. For nearly three
months every year, we were a family. As happy as those times were, they also
stood as a reminder of what would vanish the second the car pulled out of the
driveway.”
“Really?”
Kate nodded, staring out at the crashing waves of the Gulf a
block away. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? Back home, Mom and Dad seemed to be
more worried about their social standing and their causes. By all appearances,
my parents had the perfect life. Perfect marriage, perfect careers. Family,
home—shit, even the dog was perfect.” She snorted as she remembered the
high-pitched yip of her mother’s champion Pekinese.
“That can wear on someone.” He took a long drink of his soda
and set the can beside his leg. “If those memories hurt so much, why are you
here?”
“Here, we just were. We’d make mistakes, we’d laugh and cry
and…we were happy. Some of the few times we were happy.” She paused, recalling
the phone call she’d placed when she made the decision to come here after
running a preliminary forecast model.
“My mother didn’t even care when I called to tell her I
wanted to come here to track a hurricane. Didn’t even ask me if I thought it
was headed for the island. It was as if I was bothering her. Taking her away
from her social engagements or something.”
That reaction was what made Kate realize her summers here
meant more to her than to the rest of her family. She hadn’t bothered to
contact her brothers because she feared the same reaction. The heavy weight of
recent disappointments already put her in a foul mood. She wasn’t interested in
juggling even more.
“Maybe she thinks it’s time to move on. Find somewhere else
to make memories instead of hanging on.”
Tripp’s logic made sense. Deep in her gut, Kate knew he was
right. She needed to move on with her life, but she couldn’t. An enormous
amount of upheaval and chaos made her want to be in the one place she was
familiar with. “Good or bad, these memories are all I have, Tripp.”
His expression softened and he reached out to skim his fingers
over her jaw. The pad of his thumb brushed against her skin and she realized
his touch was a comfort she missed. “Then maybe it’s time for you to make new
ones. You can’t keep living in the past, Kate. You have a life and a career.
Not to mention two devastatingly handsome men by your side.”
Kate snorted and immediately sobered despite Tripp’s smile.
“I spent so many summer’s baking to a crisp right on that very beach. It’s hard
to let that kind of thing go.”
“A teenage Kate in a bikini. I would’ve liked to have seen
that.”
“I wasn’t much. Pretty gangly as a kid. No boobs to speak
of.”
He scooted closer, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled
her against him. “But yet you’ve blossomed into the gorgeous woman you are
today.”
He felt so good against her. So right and someone she could
get very used to getting lost in. It was
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