“In a lot of ways, you are,” Parker said.
“The whole island is,” Griffin muttered.
Caelyn turned her gentle gaze to Brody. “But none of that is your fault. Don’t take this on. It’s not yours to carry.”
Brody’s gaze drifted to the porch of The General Store. “Easier said than done.”
31
Brody
I scowled down at my phone as it rang on the counter. It was too early. I let it go right on ringing and took another sip of my coffee. I was in a foul mood, and I knew it. But waking up alone, the other side of the bed completely cold, did that to a man.
I’d gotten used to waking wrapped around Shay, starting my days by losing myself in her. And today I’d been robbed of that routine. She hadn’t been in the kitchen when I came down either. I’d poked my head out the door and heard the chickens’ happy squawks, which meant they’d been fed, but I didn’t see any sign of the woman who’d turned my life upside down.
I took another pull of coffee when my phone started ringing again. I flipped it over to see Carson’s name. I groaned and hit accept.
His face filled the screen. “What the hell, man? You ignoring my calls?”
“It’s seven a.m., cut me some slack.”
He grinned. “I know. Ask me how I know, Brody.”
“Because you can do the simple math required to figure out a time difference?”
Carson gave an exaggerated pout. “Just because you’re hung up on the caretaker and aren’t getting any doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole.”
I hadn’t talked to Carson in weeks, maybe a month, only trading texts here and there. He had no idea that things had changed for me and Shay, and I wasn’t about to let him in on that fact. But I should’ve known that he would ferret it out anyway. He’d known me for way too long.
“Wait a second. You don’t have the hard-up scowl. It’s something else…You tapped the caretaker!”
“Carson…” I warned in a low growl. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
A huge smile split his face. “Damn. It’s serious. Pleased for you, man. But you’re kinda stealing my thunder.”
“And what thunder is that?”
“I’m in Seattle.”
I straightened on my stool. “What?”
He spun around, giving me a view of the studio space he was in. “I got invited to do an installation piece here.”
I caught a glimpse of more than a few sculpture elements Carson was already working on. “That’s great. How long have you been in town? And why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“A few weeks, give or take. I wanted to get the work going before I made plans to come check out your new digs.”
I winced. Now wouldn’t exactly be the best time for Carson to come to Harbor. He’d want to hit up Anchor and Shelter, to check out every bar and restaurant. And with the increased press presence on the islands, I was trying to keep a low profile.
“What’s wrong? You haven’t given up island life and moved already, have you?”
“No, nothing like that.” I spilled it all. Everything that had been happening over the past month. The murders, my call with the FBI, and Shay trying to stay under the radar through it all.
Carson let out a low whistle. “Man, you have some seriously bad luck. Are you holding up okay?”
I was starting to think that maybe I was cursed. “Things are calming down a bit now. Reporters are starting to leave. But the people who live here…we’re all waiting for the other shoe to drop. Might not be the best time to visit.”
Shay hadn’t left Harbor since the day of the murder. Reporters had begun arriving just as we were leaving, and we’d both known it was too risky. Griffin said that pretty much everyone had left now that a few days had passed and there were no new developments. But spending a bunch of time on Anchor or Shelter with Carson wasn’t a smart move.
“I get it. Maybe you can make a trip to the mainland. They set me up with a sick pad, and there’s a guest room just waiting for you. Bring your caretaker.”
I would’ve loved to take Shay to Seattle. Maybe take her to a nice restaurant or to a concert or gallery show. Have her meet Carson. But I doubted she was anywhere near ready to take that step. “I’ll try to figure something soon.”
“No rush. But, Brody?”
“Yeah?”
Carson’s expression had lost every bit of his typical cocky humor. “Watch your back, okay?”
“I will.”
I hit end on the call and dumped the rest of my coffee in the sink. Just talking about Shay had made me itch to lay eyes on her. I pulled on my boots and started down the path away from the main house. She wasn’t by the coop or in the greenhouse. I started towards the beach, thinking that she might be getting in a workout, but stopped when I heard music coming from the new studio.
Hunter and his team had finished the project and had helped me haul an endless number of boxes into the space. But I’d yet to unpack. No part of me burned to put the new space to work.
I moved towards the strains of an orchestral piece I didn’t recognize. Pulling open the door, I stepped into the space and froze. It was completely unrecognizable from the disaster it had been the last time I’d stepped inside.
The wall of windows facing the sea let in a morning light that would’ve made every artist salivate. On either side of the windows were walls for storage. One had two long desks with built-in drawers. Bookcases and cabinets that had been empty three days ago lined the other. Now, my books and supplies filled them.
As I stepped forward to survey the shelves, I couldn’t help but laugh. Shay had organized all of my books in alphabetical order by author name and arranged my spray paint in a perfect rainbow. I’d never had this kind of system in my life. My studio spaces had always been carefully controlled chaos.
I turned to the back of the space to see that the small kitchen was stocked, as well. Pulling open the fridge, I found all of my favorite beverages and a few snacks I liked. I turned to head up the stairs that led to a loft space I’d eventually use for an office but stopped when I saw Shay coming down them. Her hair was piled on the top of her head in some sort of crazy bun. And even though it was still chilly outside, she was stripped down to a tank top.
She let out a small squeak of surprise when she saw me standing in the kitchen. “Dammit. I wanted this to be a surprise.”
My gaze traveled across the space that had been full of boxes just days ago. “It’s safe to say I’m surprised.”
She clasped her hands in front of her, not coming any closer. “I know I might have overstepped, but I just wanted you to have this space done. Not to have to worry about unpacking or dealing with a bunch of crap. I wanted you to be able to just walk in and create.”
I crossed to Shay, pulling her into my arms. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
“I don’t hate hearing it.”
I swept my lips across hers. “I was grumpy this morning.”
She ran her hands through my hair, her nails grazing my scalp in that way I loved. “Why?”