Ismay was grateful Jack was busy building the fence around the garden today because she didn’t feel she could entertain him. She was too caught up in her own problems. She’d spent another miserable night watching that video of Remy with “Sam” at the restaurant over and over. After holding Bo’s hand and leaning into him for a few moments the night before last on the beach, she wasn’t exactly filled with righteous indignation. She felt a degree of guilt herself. But she decided it was time for them to have a talk, whether Remy had exams or not. She couldn’t put her life on hold any longer. The emotions churning in her gut were consuming her.
She held her breath as she tried to call him. It was early in California, but she was hoping to catch him before he left for the day.
Maybe he was at Sam’s house, and the two of them were still in bed...
The mental image that created made her nauseous, but she knew they’d been together last night, and if she wasn’t there to give him a reason to come home, why would he? No doubt, he felt he was in the clear. She could now understand why he was so adamant that she travel to Mariners ahead of him. It enabled him to have a last hurrah before he joined her.
Or that was what she suspected...
His voice mail came on, but she didn’t leave a message. She texted him instead.
I need to talk to you. It’s important.
She had a shower and put on her makeup, but got no response, so she sent him the video she’d received. Then he called her immediately.
“Where did you get that?” he asked.
The defensiveness in his tone made her curl her fingernails into the palm of her free hand. “Someone sent it to me last night.”
Silence. She was the one who eventually broke it. “Is that Sam?”
“No.”
“Sam isn’t short for Samantha?” she pressed. “There’s another Sam in your life? A male one?”
He wouldn’t want to admit there wasn’t. Then she’d know he’d been cheating for months. He’d been talking about Sam since the start of winter semester. But he must’ve realized that if he stuck by his initial answer, she’d just challenge him to introduce her to his male study partner, because he backtracked right away. “It’s not what you think.”
Her knees turned to jelly. She had to leave the bathroom so she could sit on the bed, because she could tell it was exactly what she thought. “You haven’t been sleeping with her?”
“No, we—”
“Don’t,” she said, cutting him off immediately. “Don’t lie to me on top of everything.”
“It’s the pressure,” he said, changing tactics. “She’s in med school, too, and understands what it’s like. I guess... I guess I started leaning on her, and...and it went too far.”
“You insisted we’d mend our relationship while we were here on the island.”
“And I meant that. I still do. After I pass my exams, what happened here won’t matter. I’ll fly to Mariners, and we can start over.”
Her heart was racing so fast she could hardly catch her breath. She closed her eyes as she struggled to get enough air.
“Ismay?” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Her mind went to Bo. She wasn’t guiltless. She hadn’t gone nearly as far as Remy had, and she’d been true until the day she arrived on Mariners. Some would say holding hands and one brief hug was nothing. But she’d felt something while touching Bo, and to her, that counted.
“Can you forgive me?” he asked.
Could she? Should she?
If you have half a brain, you’ll get away from Remy Windsor and stay away.
Those words ran through her head as she searched her heart.
“We’ve been through so much together,” he said. “Don’t give up on me now. It was one mistake.”
That’d started at least five months ago. That was a hell of a long mistake. He hadn’t seemed to mind lying to her for the duration of that time. And what about the woman who’d outed him? She’d said he’d gotten her pregnant, which meant he’d cheated on his former girlfriend, too. That kind of infidelity made him a serial cheater. “The woman who sent me those pictures claims you got her pregnant.”
“It was Kathleen?” he said in disgust. “Don’t listen to her. She’s a goddamn liar.”
So was he. Obviously. She opened her mouth to say so but pressed her lips together as he continued.
“We had one encounter, Is. She wanted it to continue, but I wasn’t interested, so she tried to trap me by saying she was going to have my baby. It was all bullshit.”
“She was never pregnant?”
“No! Or she would’ve produced a positive pregnancy test. I asked her for one.”
It was plenty warm in the room and yet Ismay’s hands and feet were blocks of ice. She’d felt Remy pulling away from her these past several months, felt him taking her for granted more and more—and she’d allowed him to blame it all on the pressure he was under.
“Is?” he said.
A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t know how to respond. Was he a bastard for doing what he’d done? Or was she just as bad because of how attracted she was to Bo?
“Can you forgive me, babe?” he said. “I never meant to stray. It was just the stress of what I’m going through. I can hardly function.”
He hadn’t looked as though he was too stressed last night.
“Maybe you’d rather be with her,” she said woodenly. “Have you asked yourself that? It might be she’s a better fit.”
“No! God, no,” he said. “You’re the one for me. I know I could never find a better person to share my life with, to start a family with.”
Once again, she thought of how excited she was every time she saw Bo. That was a form of cheating, too. She could forgive Remy, couldn’t she? They’d have to forgive each other. Except...she couldn’t tell him that she was attracted to Bo. If she did, Bo could lose his job. Remy wouldn’t want him around anymore, especially if he couldn’t be on the island to defend what he believed was his.
Considering what Remy had done, she hadn’t done enough to worry about confessing, she decided. But before she could even suggest that she might be able to get beyond this, she needed to know that what she’d found in his closet wasn’t anything to worry about. She had to have that reassurance. “There’s something else,” she said.
“What is it?” he asked right away.
“The night of the storm? That first night?”
“Yes...”
“I found something hidden in the wall of your closet.”
“Did you say in the wall of my closet?” he repeated incredulously.
“Yes.” She drew a shaky breath. “The power was out, so I was looking for some matches. There was nothing on the shelf except an old notebook of your drawings. But then I felt something unexpected—a loose board—and when I pulled it away, I discovered a duffel bag filled with women’s panties, some cheap women’s jewelry, and a picture of Lyssa Helberg.”
“No way.”
“You think I’d make that up?”
“I guess not, but... I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t even know there was a loose board up there, let alone put that stuff in the wall.”
Was he telling the truth? Could she convince herself to believe him?
“And how do you know Lyssa?” he added.
“I was curious about who she could be so I did a little digging,” she replied. “I also learned you were at the party the night she died.”
“I knew her, but... I’m speechless, have no idea where that stuff could’ve come from.”
“You didn’t put it there—”
“Of course not!”
“Who else could’ve done it?”
“Honest to God, Bastian is the only one I can think of. He loved Lyssa. He’s never gotten over her. But... I’m not sure what the underwear could mean. Maybe they were hers?”
“I doubt it. They’re different sizes and styles,” she pointed out.
“Then I don’t know what to say.”
She let her head fall into her free hand. Damn it! This was exactly what she’d been afraid of—that telling him would only introduce more doubt. Was he playing dumb? Could she freaking trust him?
“Babe, I know you must be hurt. But I promise you, things will be different when I get there. I’ll make it up to you, prove my love. Just...just hang on that long, okay?”
Another tear slid down her cheek.
“Will you answer me?” he said.
She was staying in his family’s cottage. And now she had her brother on Mariners with her. It wasn’t as if she could just buy a ticket and fly home. She had to be here for Jack. And what she’d had with Remy was at least worth digging through the embers to see if the flame was really dead, wasn’t it?
“I don’t know what to do,” she said.
“Wait until I get there. Then we can have a heart-to-heart, and I’ll prove to you how much I love you—that I’ll never do anything like this again.”
She began to massage her left temple. The best indicator of future behavior was past behavior. Her parents preached that all the time. Would she be a fool to give him another chance?
Did she have any choice? She was stuck on the island for the summer. And she wouldn’t want to pull the plug on a three-year-long relationship too soon. He had been under a lot of pressure, and her heart had wandered a bit, too. “I... I’ll do my best,” she said numbly.
Ismay’s door was still closed when Bastian approached it. He hadn’t seen her come out yet this morning. But he’d heard the shower. “Good morning!” he called, giving the panel a brisk knock.
There was no answer.
“Ismay?” He thought he heard movement. “Hello?”
“Just...just a minute,” she called back.
Her voice had a nasal quality, and when she opened the door, he could see why. She’d been crying. There were no tears now, but her eyes were red and puffy. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” she replied.
“Does this...have anything to do with Jack?”
“No.”
“Remy?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said wearily.
So it was Remy. Otherwise, she probably would’ve said no again. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Really. What’s going on with you today?”
“I’m about to head out to lunch with my friends and was hoping you’d join us.”
She shook her head. “I don’t feel like going out.”
“Oh, come on,” he said. “I know you’ll love them. And they’ll love you. Moping around here won’t help whatever you’re going through.”
After an extended pause, she said, “Okay. Just...give me a minute.”
“I’ll wait downstairs,” he told her.
Surprised and a bit encouraged, he went down to the front entryway—and smiled when she eventually came out and descended the stairs. Remy had caught himself a real beauty, someone who seemed sincere, kind, fair.
This was really going to be good, he thought with a smile.
Matilda was calling again. Bo silenced his ringer before mopping the sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his T-shirt. But only a minute later, his phone dinged with a text. He hadn’t picked up, so she’d messaged him.
It’s about Uncle Chester.
Shit. She had him. Since Chester didn’t have a phone of any kind—refused the cell Bo had tried to give him—it was difficult to check on him. Bo wrote him snail mail letters, but it’d been probably two months since Chester had responded. Bo had written to a neighbor but hadn’t heard from him, either. Had they all been flooded out again? Global warming certainly wasn’t treating those who lived in that area very well.
“Everything okay?” Jack asked.
Bo’s expression must’ve betrayed him. He quickly schooled his features to mask the emotions flooding through him. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I just have to call my sister. Mind if we take a few minutes?”
Jack stood his shovel against one of the fence posts they’d put in and removed the leather gloves he was wearing. “Not at all.” He bent to retrieve his water bottle. “Ran out of water about an hour ago. I’m going to the house to fill up. You need anything?”
“No, I’m good.” Bo waited until Jack was halfway to the house before returning Matilda’s call.
As the phone started to ring, he steeled himself for the sound of her voice.
“I have to make you believe something’s wrong with Chester to get you to call me back?” she said without so much as a hello.
“Is something wrong with Chester?” he asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. First, you’re going to listen to me. Then I’ll tell you what I know.”
“You probably don’t know anything.” He almost hung up. He hated to let her back into his life. He knew it would bring pain. But she must’ve sensed she was about to lose the opportunity to speak to him, because she said, “Wait!” And for some reason he listened long enough to hear, “You haven’t heard from him recently, have ya?”
He hadn’t. He hoped that didn’t mean what he thought it meant. “If you know something, tell me. And make it quick.”
“First, I want to tell you that Dad’s sister asked about you.”
“Why?” Like Matilda, his father’s family had sided with the prosecutor.
“She didn’t say. She just asked if I had a way to reach you.”
Matilda wouldn’t have had any way to contact him herself if Chester hadn’t caved in and given her his number. Chester was obviously getting soft in his old age. And his mind wasn’t what it used to be. “What’d you tell her?”
“I said no. I was afraid if I said yes, she’d call you and then you’d change your number to be rid of both of us.”
“If you don’t leave me alone, I just might do that.”
“Are you never going to forgive me?”
As far as he was concerned, she didn’t deserve forgiveness. “You’re the one who said you’d never forgive me, remember?” he reminded her.
“That was a long time ago,” she said. “I—I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Yeah, well, the damage has been done. It’s too late to second-guess the situation now.”
“It was a difficult time for everyone.”
“You don’t say.” After she’d helped put him in prison, she hadn’t even come to visit him—hadn’t so much as sent him a Christmas card. He’d never felt so alone in his life.
She cleared her throat. “So...where are you these days?”
“Nowhere close to you.”
“How do you know where I am?”
“If you’re still in Florida.”
“That doesn’t tell me much.”
“I’m nowhere close to Chester, either, if that helps. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong with him?”
“You only want to hear about Chester? You’re not even going to ask how I’m doing? If I’m happy? Healthy? I’m married and have two kids now, you know.”
His chest tightened. Closing his eyes, he dropped his head back as he battled the demons that’d haunted him for so long. “Considering what you think of me, I can’t believe you’d want them around me anyway.”
“Did you do it?” she asked.
How many times was she going to ask that? And how many times would he have to tell her before she believed him? “I have work to do,” he said.
“Please.” She barely caught him before he hung up. “Can’t I know anything about you?”
As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have any family. Except his great-uncle, of course, who’d stuck by him through thick and thin. “I’ll get home to visit Chester as soon as I can,” he said and disconnected.