Страница 8 из 10
Ellene’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“No, she’s not,” Co
Ellene lifted her computer case from the table. “I need to get home, so I’ll have to take my chances, I guess. I’ll drive down there and wait.”
Aunt Phyllis shook her head. “It could be a long wait. Why not wait here? Co
“Thanks, but I’d rather see for myself.”
Pulling her cheek away from a chair back where she’d been listening, Caitlin rose and moved closer. “We could play games.”
Ellene faced her with a sympathetic grin. “I’d love to play games, but not tonight.”
Caitlin’s expectant look fell. She plopped into a chair and lowered her head as if she’d been personally rejected.
Co
She slipped her arms into her jacket, flipped her dark hair over the collar and buttoned it. “I have confidence in the coast guard.”
His shoulders sagged with her ridiculous comment. Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn. “Fine. Let me know when you have some plans ready, okay?”
“Sure,” she said, grasping her laptop handle. “So nice to see you, Aunt Phyllis,” she said, giving the woman a hug. “And Caitlin, I really enjoyed meeting you.”
Caitlin lifted her gaze and shrugged her shoulder.
“I’ll be in touch,” she said, turning the doorknob and stepping outside.
The cold wind whipped through the open door, then vanished as she closed it.
Co
“Bullheaded, isn’t she?
Co
“Why wouldn’t she stay, Daddy?” Caitlin whined from her slouched pose on the chair, her arms folded across her chest.
“She has her reasons, Caitlin.” He started to say he didn’t know, but he did. Ellene couldn’t let go of the past. He hadn’t, either, not for many years.
“What reasons?”
“Caitlin, we don’t always get our way. Sometimes people have their own plans.” He glanced at his aunt and arched a brow. “And Ellene definitely has her own.”
“For better or worse,” Aunt Phyllis said.
For better or worse? Co
“Don’t push it, Aunt Phyllis,” he said, gri
Her grin faded. Then she recouped and laughed. “You wouldn’t.”
Co
Her jaw set in determination, Ellene pulled away from Co
She gripped the wheel, thinking of the pleasant warmth of Co
Her earlier line to appease Caitlin jumped into her thoughts. I’d love to live on an island. She shook her head. There wasn’t a grain of truth in that statement, but if she’d been wise, tonight she could have stayed. Her stomach gnawed, recalling the aroma of the goulash. The place needed work, but it could be a cozy home for Caitlin, except for the when-things-happen issue.
How could people live in a location that cut them off from the rest of the world? The questions tossed in her thoughts as she recalled the su
She could picture the moon hanging over the water. More than in well-populated areas, stars filled the sky on the island, winking and blinking with their phantasmal splendor. It spelled romance.
Romance. She brushed away the thought.
The ferry dock rose into view as her spirits sank. No cars waiting, only a large sign. Ferry Closed Until Further Notice. She saw a man inside the small building, and she pulled into the ferry driveway. When she stepped from the car, the breeze had whipped into a bitter wind. It was March. Only in Michigan would this weather make sense.
“Ferry’s closed,” the man called from the building door.
“For how long?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “Not tonight, I can guarantee. Tomorrow doesn’t look good, especially if this storm comes in that’s heading this way.” He gave a toss of his head. “It could be longer.”
Ellene looked into the sky and saw the burdened slate-colored clouds. Winter storm. Just what she needed. Her shoulders sagged with the weight of the news. “Any hotels around here?”
He chuckled. “Not on the island?”
“Rooms for rent? Bed and breakfasts?”
He shook his head. “You can rent cabins in the summer. Not now.”
Her frustration flared as she climbed back into the car. She smacked the heel of her hand against the steering wheel, then backed out of the driveway and stopped along the edge of the road. She didn’t want to go back and face Co
Now after all these years, he had a daughter, a six-year-old who— She paused, counting on her fingers. They’d dated until nearly eight years ago. Co
A sigh escaped her as she pulled her cell phone from her purse. She wanted to talk with someone, anyone who would understand. Her mother? No. Her father? That would be worse.
Christine Powers? Ten years older but like a big sister. They’d become friends at a fitness spa. Fu
Ellene flipped through her address book until she found Christine’s number, hoping she’d be home. Saturday night was date night for most single woman.
She listened to the ring, and when she was about ready to hang up, Christine answered.
“Guess where I am?” Ellene said, after identifying herself.
“In Jamaica?”
“Don’t I wish. Stranded on Harsens Island.”
“Stranded?”
Ellene groaned out her story—Co
“You couldn’t? Did you find a hotel?”
“None. Nothing.”
“Then where are you?”
Christine’s voice lifted with her question, and Ellene could picture the look on her face. “Sitting at the closed ferry landing.”
“Hmm? And you’re too proud to go back to Co
“It’s not that exactly.” The truth flashed in her thoughts. “Okay, so I’m proud, but it’s more than that. I’m still attracted to him, Christine, and I don’t know what to do.”
Christine’s chuckle bounced from the phone. “Do I need to explain how uncontrollable emotions—”
“But I don’t want to have feelings for Co