Wild: Whispering Cove, Book 1 (10 page)

“What, Andie?” Brody grabbed her hand and they slid across his jeans as they walked. “What did you almost forget?”

The instinct to pull away was strong, but she ignored it. “How much I loved this market.”

There.

Andrea had openly admitted it. She missed Whispering Cove. She missed Brody. She missed her grandfather most of all. A whisper of trepidation slid across her skin. Dammit. She had to—

A sign with a familiar green icon caught her attention. “Oh my God. You have a Starbucks?”

“Yes. Even Whispering Cove has coffee.”

Laughter rose and she swatted Brody’s shoulder, feeling the strong muscles beneath his T-shirt. Last night there had been no barriers. Memories of her caressing every inch of his body rose, sending a shiver through her. If they hadn’t been interrupted this morning she would have done it over and over.

This is bad, so bad.
Andrea was falling all over again.

“Well, if it isn’t trouble herself.” A strange male voice spun her around.

When she saw the young man who looked almost identical to Brody, except his hair was a chestnut brown instead of black, her jaw dropped. “Reece?”

“Yeah, darlin’. It’s me.” After he gave Andrea a big hug, he slapped Brody on the back. “Hey, bro. Stopped by your house last night, but you didn’t answer.” With an appreciative gaze, he scanned Andrea from head to toe and back again. “Now I know why.” Reece had the same drop-dead, lady-killer smile that Brody had—the little devil. “Mom said to make sure you bring Andie by before she skips town.”

Andrea remembered Hannah McGrath as five-foot-nothing, a small woman, who ruled the roost with a wooden spoon. With a single flick of her wrist she could ricochet the utensil off of Brody hitting Reece. Strong and demanding, but she cherished her boys and they loved her too.

“How’s your mother?”

Brody and Reece had lost their father due to stomach cancer when they were young boys. It had been a horrible time of adjustment. They had struggled to survive. Both boys had stepped forward and taken odds jobs to help out.

“Mean as a crab and twice as ornery, but then again I remember you the same way.” Reece had the McGrath’s hazel eyes and they sparkled with mischief.

“Lies. All lies,” she chuckled.

Reece was four years younger than her and Brody, and they had always run away when he had tried to follow them. Now the man was taller than both of them and she’d lay a bet, faster too.

“Heading into the Seaside Pub?” Brody asked, eyeing his brother.

“Yeah. I’m meeting up with Hauk to chat about some repairs.”

If she recalled, Hauk Michaelsen was the proprietor of the pub. “Are you in construction?”

“Reece has an Architect degree and a Master’s in Construction Management.” Pride rose in Brody’s voice.

“And you live in Whispering Cove?”
Dammit.
Andrea didn’t miss Brody’s cringe or just how snooty she sounded.

Reece only shrugged. “What can I say? Whispering Cove is in my blood.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “I’ve got to go. Andie, it was good seeing you again. Bro.” With a wink in Andrea’s direction and a nod in Brody’s, Reece turned and walked away.

She watched him disappear inside the establishment. “He looks good, happy.”

Brody captured her hand in his. “He is, but Mom is riding both of our asses to settle down, get married and have her some grandchildren.”

Heat exploded up Andrea’s neck, spreading like wildfire across her cheeks. Just the thought of another woman sharing Brody’s bed, his life, made her see red.

Mine
, whispered through her mind.

As much as she tried to reason with herself, it did no good. It wasn’t fair to keep him dangling like a fish on a hook. No. She had to let him go, because she didn’t deserve him or any semblance of happiness.

She should have never returned to Whispering Cove.

“Hey, are you hungry? The Seafarer still serves their famous lobster rolls.” He waggled his brows. “You remember, big chunks of lobster meat on a freshly baked roll with lettuce and lemon. And Katy’s back for the reunion.”

Her appetite had died with his previous comment about marriage and babies, but she wouldn’t deny Brody. “Katy?”

Her once best friend Katy Wilson’s parents owned the Seafarer, but Andrea doubted that was what the fuss was about. Katy had become a big-time celebrity, a master chef with her own television show.

Andrea and Brody turned the corner and the restaurant came into view.

The salty air was hard on buildings along the coast. The wooden planks of the Seafarer were chipped and worn as if the slats could use a wire brush and coat of paint. Still, the weathered look gave the place a certain charm, homey and welcoming.

Instead of entering through the front door, Brody led her around the back. “Let’s eat out on the patio.”

As they took a seat, seagulls squawked above them. Some of the birds skimmed the surface of the ocean looking for food. A cool, salty and somewhat fishy breeze disturbed the white butcher paper atop the tables. Memories of scribbling
Andie loves Brody
all over the paper with red crayon rose to make her heart flutter. He reached for the tin of colors and wrote
Brody loves Andie
in big red letters.

Tears welled in her eyes and she had to look away.

“Andie?”

They shared the memory.

She choked back uninvited emotion, swallowed hard, and turned to face him. “Lots of memories here.” Her smile felt strained, forced. “Bring on the lobster rolls.”

A young waitress approached the table, saving her from Brody’s scrutiny. The teenage girl giggled. “What will it be, Sheriff?” Her cheeks blushed.

Poor girl. She had it bad for Brody and Andrea couldn’t blame her. The man was gorgeous. Time had been more than good to him. Like a fine wine, his looks had gotten better with age.

“Hey, Tish. How about a lobster roll and a beer.”

“Chips or coleslaw?”

“Chips.”

“Make that two. Extra melted butter,” Andrea added, remembering how much Brody enjoyed butter on his lobster.

As Tish walked away, Brody’s face softened. “You remembered.” Reaching across the table, he squeezed her hand.

Andrea tore her gaze away from him and stared toward the ocean. Each whitecap reminded her of what she’d lost. Why she couldn’t embrace the love Brody offered.

There was no fairness in love. The Goddess of Love wasn’t like Lady Justice. No. She wasn’t blind. Nor did she give a shit who she hurt.

Andrea sighed.

Their drinks were delivered by an older waitress, probably because Tish was underage and currently busy shooing a bird off a table that dug through the discarded shells and half-eaten corn cobs sticking out of the recessed bucket in the middle of someone’s abandoned table.

Andrea took a sip of the bitter ale, and then another, before their sandwiches were delivered.

Immediately Brody doused the white meat with butter before taking a huge bite. “Mmmm…” he hummed. Halfway through devouring his meal, he paused. “Andie, you haven’t eaten a thing.”

But she had finished three-quarters of her beer and was thinking about ordering another. Maybe looking through a pair of beer-goggles, things wouldn’t appear so bleak. The cool glass touched her lips and she tipped it, taking another swig before setting it on the table.

Under his questioning gaze she picked up the sandwich and took a nibble. “Mmmm…you’re right. This is tasty.” Said like a real trooper, even though it stuck in her throat and she had to take another sip of beer to wash it down.

After Brody finished off his meal and half of hers, they sat quietly listening to the crash of waves and a handful of children playing at the water’s edge.

“I should probably call Grandpa.”

“Andie, if anything was wrong, Errol would have called.”

She hesitated before releasing a heavy sigh. “You’re right.”

Brody pushed back his chair and threw some money on the table. “Let’s go inside and see if Katy’s busy.”

Guilt struck with the impact of a fist to her gut. Andrea hadn’t kept in touch with Katy throughout the years. Hell. She had written everyone off but her grandfather. The only one she couldn’t dodge was Braydon. The libertine always had a way of slithering past her assistants.

When they walked into the cozy restaurant, Brody chuckled. “Nothing changes. The green-eyed devil is up to his old ways.”

Andrea followed his line of sight to find Danica sitting at a table with Braydon. From his posture and the way he leaned toward her, he was working his wiles on the good doctor.

“Hey, Dr. Dani,” Brody called out as they approached.

“Brody. Andie. How’s Harold?”

“Home.” Andrea breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s tired, but doing well. Thanks for helping out with him last night.”

Brody shook Braydon’s hand, and then began that twisting-hands, knuckle-bumping thingy they used to do. Some things never did change.

“That’s what I do.” Danica smiled. “If you like, I’ll check in on him a little later.”

“That would be great.” Brody grinned. “He suggested I keep Andie out of the house, but mentioned nothing about you.”

“I would think as the big bad cop you could get away with doing what you wanted.” Braydon sat back in his chair, while Danica’s eyes suddenly widened and she shot a glance toward him.

Andrea would have given anything to know what was going on beneath that table. Braydon made the perfect playboy. Lean and mean and full of mischief.

Brody laughed. “You were the one who got away with everything.”

“Please.” Braydon waved his hand. “I’ve been here an hour and have relived enough ‘do you remember when’ stories for three weeks.”

“You gave people a lot to remember.”

“And myself as much to forget.” He turned to Andie. “How are you doing?”

“I’m holding up.” Andrea leaned down and kissed Braydon’s cheek. “Thank you for asking and for the calls over the years.”

“Hey, we runaways have to stick together.”

“And apparently come home at the same time.” Brody shook Braydon’s hand again. “We’ll catch up later. We just stopped by to check on Katy.”

As they walked away, Katy pushed through the swinging doors separating the kitchen and dining room. The minute she saw them, she let out a high-pitched scream that caught everyone’s attention. But she didn’t seem to care that all eyes were on them, as she closed the distance between them.

“
Andie!
” Katy flew into Andrea’s arms, almost knocking her down. “God, I’ve missed you, girl.”

When the death-lock her old friend had on Andrea released, she sucked in a much-needed breath and tried to rein in her emotions. Katy had been her friend, her confidante. The person Andrea had shared her most intimate details with. Katy had known her almost as well as Brody.

“Look at you.” Katy shook her head. “Still the same old Andie. Brody, she’s beautiful as ever.”

Brody said nothing, just gleamed from ear to ear.

“Uhhh…what about you?” Andrea sensed the sincerity behind her own smile. “Big TV star.”

Instead of the refined chef Andrea expected, Katy was Katy. Her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. A smudge of flour on her cheek and what looked like cocktail sauce dribbled down her white apron.

Katy wiped her palms down the apron. “I hate it.” She wrinkled her nose looking as cute as a bug. “It’s just a lot of nuisance.”

Someone called her name from the kitchen.

Briefly, she glanced over her shoulder. “I’ve got to go. Have you eaten? Lunch is on me.” Then she grabbed Andrea’s hand. “Don’t you dare slip out of town without us getting together.” She paused. A hint of sadness leaked into her eyes. “Please.”

“I won’t.” Andrea made the promise even though she doubted she would keep it. The sooner she left Whispering Cove, the sooner she could start pulling her life back together, because right now it lay in pieces at her feet.

Another great big hug and Katy bounced off, disappearing into the kitchen. Brody and Andrea headed for the exit, stopping when they sighted Byron coming from the direction of the restroom.

Wasn’t he supposed to be with her grandfather? That’s when she recalled that Byron was meeting for lunch with Braydon, his grandson.

Byron snapped his cell phone closed, burying it in a pocket. “Just talked to Errol. Your grandfather is napping, doing well.”

Andrea pulled in an audible breath. “Thank you.”

Byron glanced to where Braydon and Danica sat. “You kids enjoy yourself.” He said a quick good-bye to them and walked toward his grandson and the doctor.

Stepping outside, Brody grasped Andrea’s hand and pulled her into his arms, shocking her. Her gaze darted around to see if anyone was watching. Sure enough, two elderly women she couldn’t place giggled, swapping whispers, but Brody didn’t appear to care.

“I’ve got an idea.” He nuzzled that spot behind her ear that turned her on. Goose bumps shimmied over her arms. “Why don’t we take Dad’s boat out? We can recreate that first night.”