Lydia’s phone buzzed and she lifted it from the coffee table. “Oops, that’s Griff. I was supposed to tell him when you got back.”
“Griff has your number?” Autumn asked, as Lydia quickly typed a reply.
“Yeah. We swapped them this morning when he left to go to the pier. He’s there now, finishing up with his own insurance guy.”
“Is he okay?”
Lydia laughed. “That’s exactly what he asked about you. I feel like some kind of interpreter. How about you ask him yourself. He’s a ten minute walk away.”
She was right. With everything she’d done today, there was still unfinished business. This morning when they’d sat and told Pietro about the fire starting in his restaurant, Griff had squeezed her hand tightly as Autumn tried not to cry. Then he’d walked with her to the pier and sat down on the edge of the boardwalk with her until the adjuster arrived.
He’d been ever present in her day, yet there was so much they hadn’t said. Yesterday’s argument had felt as devastating as the fire in many ways. She’d believed in him. She’d thought he believed in her, too. And then his words had cut her like a knife.
Maybe the problem was she’d never believed in herself. She should have told him about the stupid drunken pier purchase as soon as they’d grown closer. He probably would have laughed, instead of seeing it as something she was hiding from him.
She should have told him about her dad and Mr. Carlsson, too. Not to mention Josh.
The truth was, she wasn’t used to having a relationship of equals. She’d had to fight to have her voice heard – first with her father, then with her ex-husband. So when she’d had an opportunity to show Griff her weakness, she’d been afraid he’d use it against her.
But that wasn’t fair. He’d never tried to be anything more than her friend, her lover, maybe more. She’d tarred him with the same brush she’d always used, and then look what happened.
She’d messed things up.
“Are you going or what?” Lydia asked, her eyes dancing.
Autumn stood and rolled her aching shoulders. “I guess I am.” She turned toward the door, then looked back at her father. “When are you going home?” she asked him.
“Tonight. Unless you preferred I stay. I can book another night at the hotel.”
“It’s okay. But thank you.” Her smile was wan. “There’s nothing else you can do. I just need to wait for the insurance company to make their decision.”
He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve always loved you, sweetheart. And there’ll always be a home for you in New York.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, then smiled. “But I can see that you want to stay here.”
“I do.” She nodded. “This is my home now.” She still didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, not after the trick he’d pulled yesterday. But he was her dad, and he’d taken care of her – in his own way – for as long as she could remember. Maybe the distance between them would do them both some good. Give him time to work out that she didn’t need him to solve everything for her, especially not when it was on his terms.
“I’ll probably be gone before you come back,” Lydia told her, hugging her tightly. “Keep me posted on the pier, okay? And about Griff. I want to know everything.”
“I know you do.” Autumn closed her eyes as she hugged her sister tightly. “Are you sure I can’t take you to the airport?”
“I’m hitching a lift with Dad. Saves on the gas and the environment.”
“Unlike catching a plane to Hawaii,” her dad said dryly. Lydia rolled her eyes.
“Take care, sweetheart.” Her dad gave Autumn a smile, as though he was waiting for Autumn to make the first move. She sighed, then hugged him tightly.
“Safe journey,” she whispered.
“If you need anything, or if you change your mind…” he trailed off when he saw her expression. “Well, you know where I am.”
“Sure do.”
“All right then, you need to go,” Lydia said, grinning as she gave Autumn’s ass a shove. “I’ll make sure the place is locked up before we head out.”
“Thank you.” Autumn flipped her hair over her shoulders and walked out of the cottage, turning to give them a final wave.
It was time to do some talking.
30
Griff was sitting on the sand when he saw her walking toward him, her hair lifted by the breeze, dancing around her face. He had his phone in his hand, replying to a message from Lucas who was asking if he wanted to talk. He quickly typed out a reply.
Thanks, man. Maybe later. There’s somebody else I need to talk to first.
“Hi.” Autumn sat next to him, her bare legs stretching out on the sand. They were bronzed from her time living in Angel Sands, but he could remember how pale they’d been when she first arrived.
He liked them both ways. The exotic and the familiar. That’s exactly what she was to him.
She leaned her chin on her hand, staring out at the ocean.
“How’re you doing?” he asked her softly.
She slowly brought her gaze to his. “I think I’m okay. The adjuster meeting went better than I expected. Thinks we can get the claim through pretty quick.”
“That’s great news. Will you start repairing the pier right away?”
“That’s the plan.” Her lips were pink, her eyes clear in spite of the past twenty-four hours. God, he wanted to touch her. “Did you think I’d take the money and run instead?”
“Not for a minute.” He shook his head. “I know you too well for that.”
“My dad wanted me to. Until he saw my expression.”
Griff chuckled. “I’d have liked to see that.”
“How about your adjuster? What’s the news on the boat?”
“They want a second opinion on if it’s repairable. There’s some specialist place up the coast that restores old boats – they’re arranging for them to take a look.”
The skin between her brows pinched together. “Won’t repairing it take a long time?” she asked, tracing a circle in the sand with her fingertip.
“It’ll take as long as it takes. There’s no hurry. I can’t exactly use it until the pier is ready.”
Her finger froze, mid-circle. “You can find somewhere else to run your business. There’s a dock at the Silver Sands Resort, they might be able to help. Or you could go to the marina.” The thought of him losing all that money made her want to be sick.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice soft. He put his hand over hers, his palm warming her. “I figure it’s time to take a really good look at the business while the boat is repaired. Somebody clever told me I should diversify, make more plans. I can do that and crew on some friends’ boats to tide me over until the Explorer is ready.”
“Not on Sam’s boat, though.” Her worried gaze met his.
He laughed. “No. I prefer to stay above the water line when I’m onboard.”
“It could be months until the pier’s ready. Years, even. The season will be over. You’ll have lost at least a year’s income.”