Page 20 of Sea La Vie (The Outer Banks #1)

Tate

“ L et me see,” I say, holding my hand out.

Lainey drops the small diamond ring into my palm, and I hold it up for inspection. Small is a generous way to describe the little chip sitting on a thin gold band. It’s barely big enough to see, yet simple and stunning all the same.

“What do you know,” I murmur.

“Wasn’t your grandpa married?” Lainey asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “He only ever had one wife as far as I know, and she passed away when I was really young.” I turn it over to inspect the band, for an engraving. There is none. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I think there’s only one person who would know,” Lainey says softly.

“But he has dementia. We might be too late, Lain.”

“We can try again,” Lainey suggests yet again. “What would it hurt? If he doesn’t remember, we still get to visit with him, and we can chalk it up to a mystery that wasn’t meant to be solved.”

I study the ring a minute longer. “What if it’s a story he doesn’t want to share? It’s hidden for a reason. Maybe we should put it back and leave the skeletons in their nice and comfy closet.”

One of Lainey’s eyebrows shoots up to her forehead. “It's your grandpa. You get to call the shots here.”

“Let me think on it,” I ask her.

“Okay,” Lainey nods. I watch as she yawns and rubs at her eyes. I should tell her to go home, to get some rest. But…I don’t want to.

“Have you had dinner?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I was going to pop something in the microwave when I got home.”

“I bought a couple steaks earlier, one to eat tonight and one to freeze. What if I tossed those on the grill for us?” I definitely bought both steaks and a bottle of red in hopes I could talk her into eating with me tonight.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I probably need to get Midge home.”

I peer around her to the dog lying on her back and wedged between the cushions, blissfully snoring.

“Stay,” I say. “Please?” I jut out my lower lip, and Lainey rolls her eyes.

“What can I do to help?” She asks.

“Nothing,” I tell her. “Relax for a change.”

“Tate, I can’t let you keep spoiling me like this.

I’m going to get used to it and not know how to fend for myself when you leave.

” She cracks a small smile and yawns again.

I hate that she keeps bringing up me leaving.

It’s something I keep pushing to the back of my mind, knowing I can’t stay here on vacation forever.

Tonight’s not the night to decide what I’m doing, though.

“Go relax.” I point to the couch, insisting she sit and take a break for once.

She lets out a huff of air, but doesn’t fight me any harder. I watch her make her way to the couch and sit down.

“Feet up,” I urge.

Lainey giggles. “Yes, sir.” Her voice comes out gravelly with tiredness, and my stomach clenches. I need to focus on anything other than wanting to kiss her right now, because that’s truly all I want to do.

“Good girl.”

She bites her bottom lip, clearly trying not to smile, and I whirl around before I completely lose focus and head back to the kitchen. I grab the steaks from the ancient fridge that is miraculously still working, the blast of cold air enough to make me snap back to reality.

When I come back inside from throwing the steaks on the grill, I hear two sets of soft snores coming from the couch.

I peek in on Lainey and Midge curled around each other, sleeping soundly, then get to work making the rest of dinner.

There is not much here in the way of kitchen utensils, and not a single dish matches, but somehow it all works.

Just as I’m pulling a warm loaf of bread out of the oven, I hear the soft pad of footsteps and turn around. Lainey rubs her eyes and pulls out a chair to sit in.

“How long was I out?” She asks.

“Only about forty-five minutes.”

“Sheesh, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

I set a plate of food in front of her then join her on the other side of the table. “A little nap never hurt anyone. Especially someone who works as hard as you do.”

Lainey smiles softly then takes a bite.

“Other than the motor issue, how are things going with the fishing business?” I ask.

She reaches for her jam jar filled with wine. “How much of this do you have? And how much time?”

“That bad, huh?” I ask.

Lainey takes another bite and chews thoughtfully before answering.

“It’s like I take one step forward and two steps back.

And I can’t tell Dad how far in the red we are for the season, or it will absolutely crush him.

Then he will want to come fix everything, but he can’t.

The doctor made it very clear that if he wanted to get better, he was going to have to finally get some rest.” She takes a sip and continues, “It’s just that the weather has been way more unpredictable than usual, and everything on the boat seems to be falling apart. It’s been a rough season.”

I watch as her shoulders drop and she sighs, feeling the need to say anything to make her feel better. “If anyone can turn this season around, it’s you.” Lainey eyes me curiously. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” I explain.

She wads up her napkin and tosses it in my direction, but I duck and it hits the refrigerator instead. “Are you keeping these old appliances or getting new ones?” She asks.

“Probably keeping them. The buyer can get new ones if they want.”

A frown flickers across Lainey’s face so fast I almost miss it. Does she want me to stay? Could I stay if I wanted to?

Before I have time to dwell on those thoughts, she’s pushing back from the table. “I better help you clean up before I get going. I’ve got another early morning tomorrow if the forecast stays dry like it says it will.”

“Leave the dishes,” I tell her. “I’ll get them later. It’s more time I can stay away from Lucille.”

Lainey laughs. “We really need to get the bathroom and bedroom done so you can get out of there.” I follow her to the front door, and she scoops a sleepy Midge into her arms. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Anytime,” I tell her. She’s almost to her truck when I realized we haven’t made plans to see each other again, and for some reason, I can’t stand the thought of that.

“Hey Lainey,” I call, and she turns around. I hesitate for only a second before I blurt, “I want to ask Grandpa about the ring. Will you come with me tomorrow evening?”

Even from the front porch, I see her face light up, and for a second, I let myself believe it’s because she wants to see me again and not because she wants to solve the mystery of the note and the ring.

“I’d love that, City Boy.” She slides behind the wheel, and I watch until I can’t see the taillights anymore, the sound of crickets and bullfrogs serenading me on my walk back inside.

“Where’d you find this?” Grandpa asks. He seems to be having a better day, greeting Lainey by name when we walked in a few moments ago. Lainey’s hesitant eyes had instantly brightened at the use of her name.

“We found it in the bedroom when we were painting,” I tell him. “It was under a soft spot in the floor, hidden between the floor joists.”

Grandpa chuckles, then reaches out for the ring. “I see my hiding spot has finally been found.”

I grin sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, no. I’m glad you did. I’ve wanted to talk about Emma for years,” he says softly.

“Who’s Emma, Grandpa?”

“My summer love,” he says, matter-of-factly. “The one that got away.”

“Your summer love?” I ask.

“Yes, my summer love,” Grandpa repeats. “Her dad helped get the bank on Water Street up and running, and for three months, we ran around town like summer would never end. I’ve always wondered what happened to her.” He tries to hand the ring back, but I curl his fingers around it instead.

“You keep it,” I say.

Grandpa's smile reaches ear to ear. “It sure is a tiny thing, isn’t it?” He chuckles. “I saved up all summer for it.”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the note again. “Do you remember this at all?” I ask again.

“Ahh,” Grandpa says. “I remember the day I found that note like it was yesterday.” He seemed to have no memory of us showing it to him before, but the ring seemed to trip his memory. And the “E” must be for Emma. “I’ve always wondered where she was, who she was with, and if she was happy.”

“With the internet these days, I bet we could find her,” I halfway joke.

Grandpa sits up a little straighter. “You really think you could do that?” He fiddles eagerly with his hands in his lap.

I glance at Lainey. “We can try,” I offer.

“Her name was Emma Calhoun,” Grandpa says. “She was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen, aside from your grandma.” He looks up at Lainey, then me, and for the first time all night, he looks hopeful. A new sparkle has replaced the milky dullness to his eyes.

“Do you think it’s possible she got married and has a different last name now?” Lainey gently asks.

Grandpa frowns. “Her parents wanted her to marry an Aiken. John was his first name. They were a prominent family in Charleston, where Emma was from—old money. Something I didn’t have, old or new,” Grandpa laughs.

“That’s a name I’ll never forget. I’ve hated every John I’ve come across since,” he chuckles.

Someone knocks on the door then pushes it open.

“Good evening,” a nurse says to us as she drops another cup of medicine and water down in front of him.

“Mr. Matthews, it’s time for your medicine.

” She stares at me for a bit, and I know that's her way of saying it’s time for us to leave without being rude.

“You’re going to have to give us a few minutes,” Grandpa says. “I think it’s finally time I tell someone my favorite story.”