Steal My Heart, Trevor (Best Friends To Forever Book 2) Read online

  “And you’re terrific, Bryn. You really are.” His words came out in a rush as he tried to ease the pain she wasn’t feeling. “You’re so sweet, so kind.”

  They shared a shaky smile, together on this one. But Josie was going to kill her. She'd ruined this relationship and Malcolm didn't deserve it.

  “Well then, we’re good?” Clapping one hand on a thigh, Malcolm shot up. Bryn almost laughed at his obvious eagerness to put this behind him.

  She felt the same way. After you close the door, what else is there to say?

  “Guess it’s time to be going.” Malcolm bumped a knee on the Adirondack chair in his eagerness to leave but never flinched. “No need to go through the house. I’ll just take the yard around.” He practically skipped down the steps. Bryn should have felt insulted but she didn’t.

  Sometimes endings can be a good thing. Thank goodness Malcolm had saved her from bumbling through an awkward parting. Feeling a lightness in her step, she followed him. When they reached his red pickup, he turned. Determined to end on a good note, Bryn gave him a hug, being careful with his cast. “Take care, Malcolm.”

  “You too.”

  You would have thought they were about to move away, that they’d be hundreds of miles away from each other. But it wasn’t like that. They’d see each other around town. She wanted them both to be comfortable with each other. Sweetwater Creek was a small town.

  As she stood there with Malcolm's arms around her, he wasn’t the man she was thinking about. Pulling away, he got in his truck and revved it. She waved until the truck turned the corner before making her way around back.

  Glasses of tea still sat on the deck.

  Grabbing Malcolm’s, she emptied it on the lawn. No use wasting water.

  Then she took her glass inside to fill it and checked on Sheldon. Was the shell sitting on the other side of the bucket? Did she see a faint swish in the sand? No, she must be dreaming. Through the kitchen window she saw the wink of fireflies.

  Oh, she didn’t want to miss this. She went back outside. The night felt new. Curling up in the chair, she sat and enjoyed the lightning bugs.

  Chapter 13

  Sometimes letting go could feel like a mistake. Bryn woke up the next day filled with indecision. What the heck? Sitting up in bed, she checked the green bucket.

  “Good morning, Sheldon.” The turtle shell hadn’t moved.

  Rolling out of bed, she quickly got dressed and took Sheldon out to the kitchen where she parked him on the counter. Outside, the yard looked quiet. Filling a travel mug with tea, she rowed out into the creek in her battered boat. Time to regroup.

  An early morning mist hung over the water. Cozying up in a corner of her boat, she let it drift. Everything felt so peaceful. A few egrets stood watch on the shore, looking for the slightest ripple that might indicate breakfast was at hand. Unlike the egrets, Bryn couldn’t sit still for long.

  Picking up the oars, she rowed upstream. The exercise worked her shoulders and it felt good. She kept her mug steady between her feet as water sloshed in the bottom of the boat. The tide was about to turn and she wanted to be part of that rush of water draining the marsh. Her father had taught her long ago that it was easier this way. “Never be caught rowing back home against the tide. It’s easier to go with it.”

  Thanks, Daddy.

  Hanging low over the water, the mist suited her this morning. She wanted to think and clear her own head. Sure, Bryn had dated other guys besides Malcolm. But she’d hoped he’d be The One. At first it seemed that way. When had it changed? Maybe when they began to really know each other. Although she liked being outside, her interests tended toward gardening and her beloved turtles, of course.

  Malcolm owned a kayak and his idea of fun in the estuaries was lunging forward, hands and shoulders working that paddle. The one time she’d gone out with him on the water, he borrowed another kayak from Josie for Bryn. The afternoon had been exhausting, but they were new to each other and she liked him. Admitting that this wasn’t her idea of fun felt like failure. So she’d said nothing. Now she realized that silence could be taken as agreement.

  How she wished Mama were here. Bringing her dripping oars up, Bryn let the boat drift. Mama had found the right husband. She could have advised Bryn. If only she’d married and had a baby before her parents’ accident. How Mama and Daddy would have fussed over that baby. That chance had been taken away from all of them. The boat drifted under a weeping willow. The feathery leaves tickled her face and she brushed it away, not wanting to get stung by something

  But wasn’t this silly? Her mama wouldn’t want this for her, sitting here alone. If wishes were fishes we’d all be a mess. Her mother’s words came back to her. Bryn sat up.

  Maybe she’d take a sick day. The idea felt wild and reckless, very unlike her. But today she needed to do something just for her. After draining her tea, she tilted her oars back into the water and made for the pier. The rising sun had burned off most of the mist. The sky had emerged, a crisp blue.

  Nanny was having coffee on her back porch, and Bryn waved to her after tying up the boat. She did a quick circle of the yard. Everything looked fine and no babies were scrambling over each other in the buckets. She didn’t even give the glider a glance. One look and she’d start thinking about Trevor and things that had no business in her head.

  Once inside, she called Emily, glad when she answered on the first ring. It wasn’t even nine o’clock, but Emily got up early to work on her blog. “Need some help?” Bryn asked, eager to be out of her house, where her thoughts held her prisoner.

  Bryn thought she heard Emily plop down in a chair and sigh. “I sure could. I have so much to do before this dang wedding.” Her friend sounded exasperated.

  Terrific. Someone needed help. “This is no way for a bride to sound. I’ll be right there.”

  Within minutes, Bryn was in her Mini Cooper, headed over to her friend’s apartment. Sheldon was in the bucket next to her and Bryn talked to the baby turtle while she drove. “Coming into the world is your decision, your timetable. I’m not trying to rush you. But I sure would like to meet you, Sheldon.”

  The turtle didn’t budge. No head peeked out. No spindly legs.

  Stopping at her shop, she flipped her clock sign in the window to say “Open at One.” Then she was on her way. Thinking Sheldon might respond, she turned her radio on and sang along to an old Beach Boys song her mother used to play. Soon she was pulling up behind Emily's building. Victoria Pomeroy’s red convertible was parked alongside Emily’s car.

  Getting out, she grabbed the bucket and rang Emily’s bell. The buzzer sounded and she entered. The buzzer was one more faulty fixture that Jackson had fixed for Emily, while posing as a handyman.

  “Come on up,” Emily called down from the top of the stairs. Her glossy dark hair was pulled into a side ponytail and she looked so darn cute in an oversized pink man-shirt.

  Bryn took the steps two at a time, and Emily motioned her inside. “What have you got there?” Emily looked curiously at the bucket.

  “Meet Sheldon. The sole survivor of that massacre.” Sighing, Bryn took another glance into the bucket. She would not give up. “He doesn’t want to come out yet.”

  “After what you told us, who can blame him? Hang in there, Sheldon. Stow the bucket in a safe place so Sasha doesn’t get curious.” And Emily motioned to a corner of the counter.

  Setting the green pail down, Bryn looked around. “Oh, mercy.” Boxes were everywhere, along with packing supplies. The roll of bubble wrap was enormous and Bryn itched to get started.

  “Thank goodness you called. I sure could use help.” Waving a hand at the mess, Emily blew her bangs out of the way. “Seems like I just moved into this place and now I’ve got to pack up.”

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  Emily shook her head. “Not at all. I can hardly wait for that wedding. But I have a lot to do. Meanwhile, I need to keep my business going.”

 
“So Victoria’s going to move into this place?” Bryn glanced into the living room, which didn’t look much better.

  Emily grinned, taping a box together. “I know what you're thinking. She should be in one of those fancy condos down near the marina, the kind the yacht people buy to have a place to crash when they’re in town.”

  “My thought exactly. Does Victoria even know how to use this?” Bryn opened the oven door. “This stove should be in a museum.”

  “You don't see harvest gold much anymore.” Hands on hips, Emily looked around. “Victoria will change everything, the way she did downstairs. This apartment will probably be featured in the house walk next spring as Renovation of the Year.”

  “And you'll be safely tucked away at Jackson's.” How Bryn admired her conviction.

  “Amazing, isn't it?” When Emily got that dreamy look on her face, Bryn took a hit to her heart. How pathetic was it that she was jealous of her own good friend?

  “What's up? Something wrong?” Emily peered into her eyes.

  Bryn looked away. “Nope, everything’s great.” Grabbing the role of bubble wrap, she ripped off a square. Following Emily’s lead, she began packing up her pretty rose patterned plates.

  “Just don't go getting weird on me, okay?” Emily said with a shake of her head. “These days Josie's mind is clearly someplace else.”

  “I wish she’d take her mind off me.” She worked on another plate and stowed it in the box. “Emily, I should tell you, Malcolm and I have...well, we’ve broken up.”

  Emily nearly dropped the plate in her hands. “When did this happen?”

  “Last night.” It felt good to tell someone.

  “Does Josie know?”

  Bryn shook her head and kept wrapping. “Not yet.”

  Emily turned to the glasses. “You’d better tell her quick or Malcolm might.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Would that be a bad thing?”

  “Bryn?” Emily leveled a stern look at her and then chuckled. “If you put more bubble wrap around that plate, it won’t fit in the box.”

  “I hate to see you move out to the country.”

  But Emily banished that issue with a flippant wave. “I’ll only be fifteen minutes away. You think I’m going to hole up there? Not going to happen.”

  For the next few minutes, they fell into a rhythm. The boxes filled fast. “So have you seen much of Trevor lately?” Emily asked.

  “Not really.” No way was she going to reveal that Mrs. Daniels had made a visit to her shop. “He's probably busy at work or with his little girls. I don’t expect to hear from him.” Her stomach took a dive in the most annoying way.

  “Are you kidding me?” Taping the first box shut, Emily said, “Where is it written that women have to sit and wait for the call?”

  “ I don't want to bother him.” Now Bryn felt uncomfortable. “He's got a lot on his plate.”

  “Name a man who doesn't want to be with the woman he’s interested in.”

  “He might be interested in me, but as a friend.” She had to clear this up fast. “That’s it.”

  “Says who?” Emily wasn’t buying it.

  Remembering his hand around her shoulder on the glider, Bryn shivered. Was she the only one feeling this? “His first marriage was so bad, so he’s very cautious. That’s why what we have is so special.”

  Taking her time with the glasses, Emily turned serious. “But if we don't try again, will we ever find what we really want?”

  “If we have a right to it, I suppose.” How could she explain this? “I mean if this is really what’s right for everybody.”

  Emily gave her head a shake. “Sorry. I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Well okay, Trevor's smart and everything. Probably has a ton of degrees and can run circles around me. He needs a woman like that, you know, maybe one of the professors he works with. That would make sense.”

  “Since when is love measured in academic degrees?” Emily was staring at her as if she were speaking another language. “You two have so much in common and you have a history together. Surely that counts for something.”

  “Some people don’t think so.” She wasn’t naming any names.

  “Some people?” Shoving the box aside, Emily swung back her ponytail. “I'm sorry. You lost me. What are you talking about?”

  If you can’t confide in a friend, who can you confide in? “Trevor’s family had plans for him. And I imagine Trevor has goals too.”

  “Has he told you that?”

  “He wouldn’t.” And she smiled, thinking about him at the beach.

  Emily tore another sheet of wrap from the roll. “Girlfriend, I don’t know what you’re saying. This is a guy who spent a lot of time building a beautiful box so that your baby turtles, the turtles you love so much...” she nodded her head at the green pail “... would be safe. Maybe I’m wrong but I think this is more than friendship. Friendship would be Trevor telling you how sorry he was about the nests and then taking his kids to a movie.”

  “Oh heck, Emily.” Bryn tossed the last square of bubble wrap on the counter. “I’ll see you later.”

  Appearing from nowhere, Sasha leapt up onto the counter. “Oh, no you don’t.” Emily scooped up her pet and Bryn grabbed the pail.

  “Guess I should go.” She was feeling antsy. And she didn’t want Sasha to get too curious. And just in case she saw Trevor, she didn’t want cat hair on her clothes. Not knowing where this was going, she’d follow her instincts. When she reached the car, she set the green bucket on the floor and took out her phone.

  ***

  The ringing of his phone broke into Trevor’s sleep. Thrashing around in bed, he was caught in a weird dream. A deep river churned with the tide. He was on one side. Bryn on the other. Although he was trying to swim to her, the tide was so strong and swept him away.

  While he clawed his way out of the dream, the ringing continued. His entire body hurt and the phone wasn’t helping. They’d all gone out for dinner last night and something had messed up his stomach. Food poisoning, most likely, and he’d spent most of the night in the bathroom.

  “Mother!” he called out, but his voice sounded feeble. Shrinking into his sweat-soaked sheets, he was gathering strength for another holler when his mother appeared. “My phone. Will you take a message?”

  “Of course.” Looking concerned, she swept the phone from his dresser. “Rest now, Trevor. Sleep is the best thing for you. The girls are fine.”

  “Sorry...to be...such a burden.” Sleep and dark dreams took him.

  He shouldn’t order something when he couldn’t even pronounce the word. Thank goodness Annabelle and Daisy had stuck with hot dogs. Mom had gotten the chicken. Always safe.

  Safe, safe, safe. He released himself into sleep, hoping Bryn would be in his dream again. Maybe this time they’d be on the same side, whatever that meant.

  ***

  Bryn stared at the phone. Huh. She didn’t feel good about this. Trevor’s mother had answered his phone, saying that Trevor had left for his lab. But why didn’t he take his phone with him? She left a message, but could feel his mother’s disapproval. Bryn hadn’t made a promise. Not really. But she wanted what was best for Trevor.

  Standing out on the deck, she set her phone on the railing. A movement just beyond the glider caught her attention. Was that a mama turtle coming in to nest? Grabbing a bucket, she shoveled a layer of sand into the bottom, just in case, and grabbed her spoon.

  Rounding the butterfly bush, she peeked and sure enough, a mama turtle was getting ready, using those powerful webbed feet to dig a deep pit. The process only took ten minutes, if that. Holding the bucket to her chest, Bryn stood perfectly still. No way did she want to startle the turtle. Mama might just return to the marsh.

  Thank goodness she’d gotten involved with diamondback turtles and not loggerheads. Those sea turtles could leave as many as fifty eggs in one round pit. Bryn didn’t even want to think how long that would take. Loggerheads
usually laid their eggs on the beach before returning to the water with their strong flippers.

  After the mother disappeared into the marsh, Bryn got busy. Digging with her spoon, she unearthed eight eggs, a good group by any count. Being oh, so careful, she gently deposited them into the pail and then carted them back to the box. Putting the pail down, she took out the key, remembering when Trevor had given it to her. She’d thought that was a bit much at the time. But it did make her sleep better to know that a raccoon couldn’t rip up the top and get in. With their long claws, anything was possible.

  Trevor. She glanced up at the phone still sitting on the railing. Ring, Please ring. But it was getting late. Taking the empty pail back up to the deck, she checked her phone. Nothing.

  Frustrated, she grabbed her shears and went down to the flower garden. A couple of bees buzzed around the blossoms, gathering their nectar. She snipped off fat orange and red zinnias and velvety pink snapdragons, mixing them with baby’s breath for one of her posies. The next bouquet would be cockscombs and sweet Williams and anything else that looked just right for picking.

  Putting a rubber band around each bouquet, she plopped them in a pail with water. Then she took off for work with Sheldon safely in his green pail. All day long, she kept the phone in her pocket. It never rang.

  Chapter 14

  “So how are you feeling?” Josie asked when they’d walked about a block the following morning. “Malcolm mentioned that you aren’t seeing each other anymore. A joint decision, he said.”

  Oh, why hadn’t Bryn talked to Josie earlier? “Fine. Thanks.”

  Emily shook her head. “Sometimes things aren’t meant to be.”

  Head down and marching along, Josie kept quiet. “Are you mad?” Bryn asked her friend. “Like Emily said, this wasn’t meant to be.” She felt that deep in her heart.

  Adjusting her head band, Josie sent her a look with her radar eyes. “Are you absolutely sure about what you’re doing? I mean, he’s such a great guy.”

  Shaking her head and avoiding a ripple in the walk, she chuckled softly. A guy had to be more than that but she wasn’t sure Josie would agree. “Yes, he is. And yes, I’m sure.”