The Summer He Came Home

Chapter 7



“You didn’t tell me they were going to be here.” Maggie tossed a towel onto one of the chaise lounge chairs and set her beach bag on the ground. She’d followed Raine to a shaded area beneath a large canopy near the beach, and they were settling in for the day.

“Who?” Raine glanced toward the boathouse and turned to Maggie. Her pale skin was translucent, paper-thin, and the smudges beneath her eyes shadowed a soft gray. Raine shrugged. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

Maggie turned away, rummaging through her bag for God knows what, but intent on looking busy. Occupied. Hard to do, when all she could focus on was the man who—she chanced a glance over her shoulder—was still looking in her direction. Her heart skipped a beat, and she knew she was blushing again.

Raine’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Maggie answered too quickly, and she took a second to settle her nerves. “I just thought it was going to be a quiet afternoon, is all.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re in for an orgy or anything, but if you want, I can check.”

Maggie’s head jerked up, and she laughed at the expression on Raine’s face. The young widow was teasing, and it was nice to see. There hadn’t been a whole lot of light moments in her life lately.

“It’s fine.” Maggie shook her head.

“If you say so…” Raine’s gaze lingered, and the scrutiny made Maggie uncomfortable. She turned from the woman and grabbed a book from her bag along with a bottle of sunblock. It was approaching noon and already hot as sin. Sweat pooled between her breasts, and the breeze that rushed along the water whispered across her skin.

She applied a generous amount of the coconut-scented lotion and tossed it back into the bag. Michael had been greased up as soon as they arrived.

“Raine, glad you came for the day.”

Maggie froze. Cain. His voice was low, the timbre electric, and her stomach lurched at the sound of it.

Raine smiled and glanced behind her. “I see you decided to stick around for a few days. Your mom must be thrilled.”

He chuckled. “I don’t know about thrilled, but it sure as hell feels good to be home. Been way too long.”

“Ya think?” Raine answered drily.

Maggie felt his attention like a stroke of heat across her flesh. Goose bumps spread along her arms. “How’s the head, Maggie? Your stitches giving you any problems?”

She ignored Raine’s arched brow and slowly turned around. Cain stood a few feet away, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses.

The man sported a pair of black swim trunks that hung way too low on his hips. Did he do that on purpose? His chest and abs were perfection—this she already knew. She might have suffered one hell of a knock to the head, but the one clear image she remembered was of Cain. Her eyes wandered lower, to the “cut,” that indent low on the hips that makes a woman’s mouth water.

Wrong thing to do. Heat pooled in her belly again, this time accompanied by a sharp stab of something she didn’t want to analyze. It left her flustered, and she was getting pretty damn sick of feeling off-kilter whenever Cain Black was around.

Stay above the neck.

Her face froze into a smile, or at least what was supposed to pass for a smile, and she shrugged. “I’m fine. Uh, everything is good…I…you know, slept and then my alarm…went off every couple of hours or so…”

Her cheeks darkened, and she glanced down at her toes. She sounded like a complete moron. What was it about the man that reduced her to a teenaged mess of awkwardness?

“Mom! Cain said he’d take me out on the boat later!” Michael’s excited voice broke the spell.

She cleared her throat and nodded. “That’s nice.”

Cain removed his glasses and flashed a smile. “We can all go for a ride. The weather’s perfect.”

“No,” she answered—a little too quickly—and winced at the note of panic in her voice. “I…” She smiled at Michael. “That’s fine. You go, sweetie. Mommy wants to relax today.”

Jake Edwards joined them, along with a tall, handsome blond man she recognized from the funeral. Jake’s expression was subdued and somewhat aloof. Maggie’s heart broke for the soldier. His loss was tattooed onto his soul, and there was no hiding his pain.

“Hey.” Jake’s gaze touched Raine before sliding to Maggie. “Glad you two could make it. I know my parents think a lot of you and your son.”

“Thank you.” She murmured. “It was nice of them to invite us for the day.”

“Cain, do you want to see my fishing rod? Mom bought it for me for getting six As on my report card! I haven’t tried it out yet.” They all turned to Michael, and he shuffled his feet. “Actually, I’ve never even been fishing before, so I don’t really know what to do.”

Cain glanced her way, but she kept her eyes focused on Michael.

“Sure. Why don’t we grab some lunch first. Did you get worms? I think we’re all out.” At Jake’s nod, Michael’s face fell.

“We didn’t think about worms. Can’t we just pretend?” His open smile tugged at her heartstrings.

Cain laughed. “There’s no fun in pretending.” He moved closer to her son and rested his hand on Michael’s shoulder. It was a small gesture, but one that twisted her insides something fierce. “We’ll hop in my truck after lunch and drive into town to get some bait. Sound good?”

They both looked at Maggie—Michael’s face full of hope, Cain’s unreadable.

“Can I, Mom?” Michael was near bursting, antsy. “I promise I’ll sit in the back and everything.” He looked up at Cain and whispered, “Air bags freak Mom out.”

How could she say no?

“That’s fine, Michael.”

“Sweet!” He high-fived Cain. “I’ll get my pole. I left it on the dock.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I need some food.” Mac turned toward the house. “Your mom make her potato salad?”

Jake shrugged. “I’m sure she did.” His eyes lingered on Raine. “You coming?”

She shook head. “Maggie and I had a late breakfast.”

“Did she eat?” Jake asked Maggie, his face hard. He looked like he was back in that dark place…the place he’d been when he first returned to Crystal Lake over a week ago. Gone was the lightness of the morning. Something had changed, and she shifted uncomfortably.

Truth was, Raine had barely touched her fruit salad, and Michael had finished it.

“Oh for God’s sake, Jake. What are you, the food police?” Raine turned and shook out her towel. She grabbed a pile of magazines from her bag, mumbling under her breath, and flopped down onto the low-slung chaise.

Her skin was milky white, and the two-piece amber-colored suit she wore was retro—very forties in style and totally suited to her looks. With her hair piled on top of her head and the overlarge black sunglasses perched on the edge of her nose, she resembled a movie star from a long-ago era. She rapidly flipped through the pages, ignoring them as she settled into the chair.

“Okay, I’m gonna grab some grub,” Mac said to no one in particular. Marnie and Steven were on the lower deck. The barbecue was lit, and the smell of burgers and dogs wafted on the breeze. He headed toward them.

Jake swore and followed suit, while Cain watched them, a frown replacing the smile he’d sported moments earlier.

“Is he…”

Cain’s gaze swung back to her. His dark eyes were shadowed with concern.

“Is he all right?” The man’s brother had just died—of course he wasn’t all right. But there was something more at play, and Maggie had a feeling things were a lot more complicated than most people realized.

“No.” He shook his head and looked behind her. “He’s not.” He exhaled and ran fingers along the back of his neck. “So you girls are good?”

Maggie nodded.

“Okay.” His mouth crooked into a halfhearted, easy smile. “I’m going to grab a burger and then take Michael out on the boat. If you change your mind and wanna come with, just let me know. There’s lots of room.”

The last place she wanted to be right now was on a small boat with only a few feet between them.

“Thanks for taking him. He loves the water, but I just don’t really have the time to get him out…between work and…” She shrugged. “Well, and the fact that I don’t have a boat.”

Cain smiled, a lazy, slow, seductive smile that started the old heart up but good. “Come with us,” he said carefully, watching her way too intensely.

Her mouth was dry and she shook her head. “I’m…I’ll,” she stammered, “stay with Raine.”

His grin widened.

“I have a book.” She jutted her chin slightly, regaining a bit of her composure.

Cain looked down at her in silence. A breeze rippled the air between them, lifting long wisps of her hair into the wind. She tucked them behind her ear, and his gaze followed the action. Heat flushed beneath her skin as she looked up at him.

The look in his eyes set her heart beating even faster against her chest. So fast that it was uncomfortable. Electricity charged the air, and her breath hitched at the back of her throat. A vision of his mouth sliding across her neck flashed before her eyes, and she blinked rapidly in an effort to clear it from her mind.

“No problem. He’s a great kid.”

Cain turned, and for a few seconds Maggie stared after him, at the long, lean lines of his body. Heat curled inside her belly, and she dragged her eyes away, mad that the man was able to get under her skin so easily.

Maggie slid into the chaise beside Raine and opened her book, though the words blended into a mishmash of letters.

“So, what’s going on between you two?”

“Sorry?” She turned to Raine.

“Cain? Something’s going on between you two.”

Maggie frowned. “I barely know the man, and from what little I can see, he’s not exactly the kind of guy I’d ever consider dating.” At Raine’s sly grin, she said, “Not that I’m considering it or anything.” Raine snorted, and Maggie’s frown deepened. “With anyone, for that matter.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” Raine flipped through her magazine. “You would be good for him, especially after his nasty divorce.”

A few moments of silence stretched out long and thin, and even though she knew she should keep her mouth shut, Maggie couldn’t seem to help herself.

“So what’s the story with that?” she asked carefully, her eyes trained onto the book she held, though honestly, the words were a blur. “His divorce.”

Raine settled into her lounger, wiggling a bit until she got comfortable. “He married Natasha Simmons. I’m sure you’ve heard of her; she’s an actress from LA.”

Natasha Simmons. That was a name she did know. An image of a tall, leggy blonde flashed in her mind. Bond girl?

“Really.” She tried to sound disinterested but in fact was anything but. “So what happened?” she asked casually.

Raine sighed and closed her magazine. “I’m not sure. Cain’s never really said, but you can bet it wasn’t easy or clean.” She grinned. “At least not according to some of the tabloid things I’ve read.”

Something twisted inside Maggie. Natasha Simmons. The total opposite of everything that Maggie was. Not that she was interested or anything.

She looked over to where the boys were gathered. Lauren Black had arrived, and Cain stood beside his mother, his arm loose around her shoulder. It was obvious the two of them shared a special relationship, and he seemed so down to earth. It was hard for her to picture him with someone like the starlet he’d married.

“I’ve known them my whole life.” Raine murmured. “The Bad Boys of Crystal Lake.”

At Maggie’s arched brow, Rain smiled. “That’s what everyone called them after they were arrested.”

“Arrested…for what?” Maggie sat straighter, more than a little interested in Raine’s answer.

“That’s a story for another day. Trust me, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She smiled sadly. “They’ve always been more than friends, you know…more like brothers. It’s good…” Her voice faltered, and a shuddering breath fell from her lips. “It’s good they’re together again.”

Save for one, Maggie thought. God, life sucked sometimes.

Maggie settled back, the book forgotten as she watched Cain and her son. Michael chatted animatedly, his arms in the air, his whole body talking, telling a story as he held on to his fishing rod as if it was the most amazing thing in the world.

He looked up at Cain like he was some kind of god, and her chest tightened. Michael was getting much too attached to a man who’d come into their life by accident. That wasn’t a good thing. Cain would leave for LA—his career pretty much demanded it—and that was probably for the best.

Cain glanced her way and smiled, his gaze lingering for so long his mother turned her way. Startled, Maggie lowered her eyes and shoved her sunglasses up onto her nose.

It would be better if he left sooner rather than later.

And not just for Michael’s sake.