He took her hand, lacing their fingers together, and said, “How long did you two go out?”
“Almost a year, and his kisses never made me feel like I do when we kiss.” She lifted their joined hands and said, “Even this feels vastly different.”
“For me, too,” he said, honesty shining in his eyes. “Why did you break up after all that time?”
“When my mom passed away, I took a long, hard look at my life and realized I had left the island searching for something that I never found. I wasn’t happy with my job, my relationship, or quite honestly, myself. I allowed all of my dreams to fall away in order to earn a living, and I accepted less than I deserved in my relationship just because I wanted some sort of human connection. That probably sounds awful, but I was working more than sixty hours a week, and I guess I was lonely, so I turned to a friend. Paul and I had worked together a few years ago. He managed another restaurant, and we both had crazy schedules. We’d meet for drinks sometimes, and there had always been chemistry, so one night we took it further, and eventually we became a couple. Sort of. It was coupledom by convenience, and since we cared about each other more as friends than anything else, I never expected more from him, which meant I wasn’t risking getting hurt. He’s a nice guy, and he’s someone’s other half. But I knew he wasn’t mine from the moment we got together. He’s perfectly happy working for someone else, and whenever I brought up wanting to own my own restaurant, he said I should be thankful for the job I had and to stop asking for headaches. I couldn’t have invested my heart in a man who didn’t give value to my dreams. And I was thankful for the job I had, but thankful and happy are two different things. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, perfect sense,” he said as they drove toward Fortune’s Landing, which he must have already looked up, because he didn’t ask for directions. His expression turned serious, and he said, “I usually don’t share the details of mine or Remi’s life with people outside of a small group of friends we think of as family, but I really like you, Abby, and I feel like we might be something special.”
“Me too,” she said, surprising herself with the confession.
“I have to ask that you keep what I tell you about Remi between us.”
“Of course. You sound like she’s in the witness protection program or something.”
He smiled, but it was a troubled smile. “Before she took a hiatus from acting, it felt that way. In addition to my regular job, I managed her acting career.”
“Remi was an actress?” As the pieces fell into place, she couldn’t hide her surprise. “Wait! Your sister isn’t Remi Divine, is she?”
“The one and only.”
“Oh my gosh, I love her! You can’t spring that on a girl.” She sank back in the seat, grinning from ear to ear. “She’s one of my favorite actresses. You don’t mind if I sit here and fangirl for a second, do you?”
“Not at all. She’s worth fangirling over.”
“She’s flat-out gorgeous, and everything she does on-screen is believable. I loved every one of her movies. And her name? Remi Divine. It’s so glamorous. How did she come up with it?”
“Her real name is Remington Aldridge, but for safety reasons I didn’t want her using her real last name. Our parents loved old movies with actresses like Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth, and our mother used to talk about how divine they were. Remi chose her name to honor our parents.”
“I love that,” she said as troubling memories trickled in. “Wait, didn’t she have a stalker before she got married? Yes. I remember now. Some crazy guy tried to attack her at a cabin or something, right? That must have been terrifying.”
The muscles in his jaw bunched, and he squeezed her hand. “Yes, she had two stalkers, actually, and one attempted to hurt her. Needless to say, I’m glad she’s out of the business now. I know the world sees her as Remi Divine, A-list actress and America’s sweetheart. But to me, acting was what she did for a living, not who she was. She will always be my little sister, and the only blood relative I have left.”
“Oh, Aiden, I’m sorry for acting like a ridiculous fan,” she said, feeling horrible. “I had forgotten about the stalkers and everything you guys went through. I’m usually not that insensitive.”
“That’s okay. I know you’re not. It was a natural reaction.” He turned onto the coastal road and said, “There are some things I want you to know, so you’ll understand why I kept it from you and what my life has been like since my parents died.” His serious eyes shadowed with grief. “The day the stalker found Remi was the second-worst day of my life. The first being the day we lost our parents.” He stared at the road, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “Remember I told you that I was running the West Coast division of my father’s company when they were killed?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Remi was taking ballet at the time, and she had a big recital that night. She’d always wanted to be an actress, and I’d pulled some strings to get backstage passes to a Broadway play so she could meet the actors. I’d come home to surprise her with the trip. Even though we were twelve years apart in age, we’ve always been close. Before my parents were killed, I tried to go home for all of her big events, and she’d call me every week with updates about her life. For a little girl with a typical existence, she never ran out of things to say. Every update included her latest achievement toward acting, which was usually something like she and her friends had held a mock audition and she’d nailed it.” He laughed softly. “I’ve never met a more determined, hardworking child.” He glanced at Abby and said, “Although from what you told me, you were just as remarkable.”
She warmed with his praise. “Thank you.”
“Anyway, that night when I arrived at our home in West Virginia, she was out with my parents. I called my father, and they were ten minutes from home. I got worried when they didn’t show up after half an hour, but my dad was known for stopping on a whim to show us things, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But after forty-five minutes, something felt wrong. I called him again, and there was no answer, so I went looking for them. The house where I grew up was down a winding mountain road. It was a rainy February day, freezing out. I couldn’t shake this heaviness all around me. I went up and down the road telling myself they were fine, but I swear I heard my father urging me to keep looking, to find Remi. And then I spotted the mangled shrubs and tire tracks where they’d gone over the embankment.”
“Oh, Aiden.”
He stared at the road as he drove, glassy-eyed, and said, “I threw the car into park and ran down the side of the mountain. I slipped and fell on my ass in the ruts from where the car must have rolled, and then I saw it.” His voice cracked. “My father’s car was on its side, mangled and crushed, partially twisted around a tree. I thought I lost them all.”
He swallowed hard, squeezing her hand. Tears welled in her eyes as she imagined him coming upon the wreck.
“My memory gets foggy there. All I could think of was finding Remi. You know how they say in those situations you find strength you never knew you had?” His eyes dampened. “I tore at the broken glass and saw Remi hanging there with the seat belt across her chest, shaking all over and crying out for our parents. I managed to get her out. She was in shock, but I checked her from head to toe, and it was like an angel had been looking out for her. She had no broken bones, no big lacerations. She kept begging me to save our parents. I couldn’t. They were . . .”