She let out a sigh. “Make sure Josie is still upstairs, please.”

  She grabbed a paper towel and started to wipe her hands while he left the room to see if Josie was upstairs.

  He returned to the kitchen and saw her still sitting there, this time drinking his water. She was obviously shaken.

  “She’s got music on and is drawing. She didn’t even hear me go up the stairs.”

  “Good,” Avery said. She was talking quietly now. “When I went home for Thanksgiving, I was out getting our dinner and ran into the police officer that came to get me at my job to tell me about Colleen. She’d recognized me and then said someone had been asking where Josie was and causing a scene about two months ago.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything to me before?” he asked.

  “Because there wasn’t much to say. I got a copy of the police report. I knew Mike’s name. I’ve always known. He isn’t listed on the birth certificate. He left Colleen when she was pregnant. He gambled a lot and he didn’t treat Colleen that great. When she found out she was pregnant, she’d told him and he didn’t want the kid. They split up. She said she’d reach out when she got close to delivering so he knew, and he told her not to bother. At one point a month or so before the baby was born he said he would sign over all his rights, but he wanted to know when Josie was born. She reached out to tell him and he never showed up.”

  “Asshole,” he said.

  “Exactly. They’d signed all the papers before Josie was born. Colleen worked fast in case he changed his mind. She decided she didn’t want Mike in her life. I’m not sure how he found out about Colleen. He moved out of the area years ago and Colleen had no clue where he was.”

  “Someone told him,” he said. “Was he from Danbury?”

  “No,” she said. “I’m not even sure where she met him, but he must have been in contact with someone there. He’d only lived in the area a few years. It made me wonder if he found out about the lawsuit and he wants the money that Josie was awarded. Unless he wants the money she gets from social security. There was a life insurance policy too.”

  Carter didn’t know those things. It wasn’t his business either. It was bad enough that Josie was worth millions and Avery controlled that money and he hoped she never thought he cared or wanted a part of that.

  “It could be that,” he said. “Did you try to find out anything about this guy?”

  “I searched social media and the Internet in general but came up with nothing.”

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  “Nothing right now. I mean, I should contact my lawyer. Thankfully I’ve got one on the island already. Not that I know what to do but need to get my ducks in a row. I don’t know what he’ll do, but I’ve got to be prepared.”

  “Did you make the cookies yet?” Josie said, running into the kitchen. They hadn’t even heard her coming down the stairs.

  “Not yet,” Avery said, forcing a smile on her face. She sent him a look to end this conversation and he had no choice but to do that.

  Only his mind wouldn’t quiet down and he knew he was going to have to help her with this whether she wanted it or not.

  32

  Without Facts

  “Thanks for helping out today,” Carter said to his cousin Alex on Thursday before the holiday.

  Lots of people were getting work done on their cars this week because they were on vacation. But that meant it was harder for him to take time off.

  He was closed on Saturday and Monday though. He’d decided months ago when he started to date Avery that he was going to make sure he was around to spend time with her for Christmas.

  Not to mention he wanted to give his guys the time off too.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t still on call with his tow truck, but Simon was taking it on Saturday. Jason on Monday. It was his business, so he’d cover it on Christmas day.

  “No problem,” Alex said. “I don’t have anything going on. When Jennie is working I’m not doing much anyway.”

  “Did you get your house rented out?” he asked.

  “I’ve got someone moving in the first of the year,” Alex said. “I knew it’d be easy to find someone, but it took time to move everything into Jennie’s. Her place didn’t need anything, you know that.”

  Jennie’s brother, Griffin, had bought the house for Jennie without her knowledge and then gave her the deed months ago when Alex proposed. The house had been recently remodeled. Carter hadn’t been in it, but it sounded pretty nice from what Alex had said.

  “So why did it take so long for you to move in?” he asked. He and Alex never talked much about things like this. Or he didn’t talk much at all when he was working. Right now it was the two of them.

  Stew was working in the other garage. Jason had the day off and Simon would be in late because he had an appointment.

  “Jennie and I decided to make the sunroom connect to her kitchen. To do that we had to cut into the wall and then fix it after. We had to insulate the sunroom more too. I’ve been working on that when I’ve had time and we’ve been staying at my house while I did to get out of the mess.”

  “And she’s been cleaning your house, huh?” Carter asked. He knew his cousin wasn’t the neatest person out there, but he wasn’t horrible either.

  Alex laughed. “That too. Anyway, we finally got it all squared away and then I wanted to be particular with who I rented it to. I almost put the extra bedroom and bath upstairs first thinking I could get more rent, but the truth is, it’s a cost and time too. I’ve already got to figure out the snow removal part and grass during the summer soon.”

  “Avery knows someone,” he said. “If you want to pay for it.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. If I’m at a fire and held up, I can’t get there to get the person out.”

  “Easy enough,” he said.

  “Yep,” Alex said. “Let’s hope being a landlord is easy too.”

  The two of them got to work, side by side in the bays. They were both under cars on the lift.

  “Shit,” Carter swore when he cracked his knuckle trying to loosen a bolt. He walked out and saw blood on his hand under the grease and went to wash it off.

  “How bad is it?” Alex asked. Alex was also an EMT.

  “Not bad. Just scraped the skin.”

  Alex looked down at it after the water rinsed the soap off. “Yeah. Clean it up and put a bandage on it. Got gloves to wear so it doesn’t get infected?”

  “Yes,” he said, sighing. He knew the routine. It was one his mother had drilled into his father’s head and his for years. Alex was even worse about it.

  He dumped alcohol on it, swore again under his breath, then wrapped it with a flexible Band-Aid over pretty much his whole finger to protect it. It was a bitch to work with gloves on, but he grabbed black latex ones that fit his hand well and would do that for a few days until he knew it was healed.

  “You’re testy today,” Alex said. “More than normal. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” he said, going back under the car.

  Alex moved over next to him. “Your dogs aren’t even coming near you,” Alex said. “That alone says it all.”

  He glanced over and saw both of his dogs on their beds. Doc was to the point she’d sleep with Dopey. The dogs didn’t even move when he swore. Normally Dopey at least came over to check things out.

  Alex was right. He’d been testy for days.

  Ever since he’d witnessed the conversation that Avery had with Mike.

  He felt like Josie was part of his family now and he hated that there wasn’t much he could do about this situation.

  “Just a lot on my mind,” he said.

  “Can’t be business,” Alex said. “Looks to me like things are going great. At least from what Grayson was saying about the rentals on Thanksgiving too.”

  “Not work,” he said.

  “Hope it’s not Avery. All I’ve heard is how much of a sweetheart she is.”

  “Who is saying that?” he asked. He wasn’t stopping his work and wished Alex got the hint and went back to his job too.

  “My mother. She talks to your mother all the time.”

  “Figures,” he said.

  Alex sighed after that and went back to work.

  But two hours later, Carter was cursing and swearing again and that wasn’t like him. He knew it too. Even his mother asked what bug crawled up his ass.

  “You going to tell me what is going on or make me beg?” Alex asked.

  He figured he might as well or Alex was going to drive him insane asking.

  “On Sunday Avery got a phone call when I was at her house.” He told Alex everything that he’d heard and what he knew.

  “Have Griffin look into it,” Alex said simply.

  “I can’t call Griffin up to do that,” he argued. “I barely know the guy let alone talk to him.”

  Alex started to laugh. “Please. Everyone knows Griffin.”

  “We know who he is,” Carter said.

  “Yeah,” Alex said sarcastically. “He’s going to be my brother-in-law. He’ll do it, trust me.”

  Carter wasn’t sure why that slipped his mind. Maybe because he was having a hard time focusing on anything without facts.

  “I guess.”

  “No guessing. But if you don’t want to ask Griffin, then how about Mac or Jarrett? Both of them might be able to help you.”

  Mac was the chief of police and Jarrett an investigator with the State Police.

  “Their reach is limited and Avery said this guy doesn’t live in Massachusetts.”

  Not to mention then more people in the family would know. He didn’t think Mac or Jarrett would say much, but knowing they’d be limited anyway, why risk it?

  “Let me talk to Griffin for you,” Alex said. “I’m sure he’ll reach out after the holidays if it’s not a rush.”

  There was no use arguing. If he did then he’d be a hypocrite after telling Avery she had to learn to accept help.

  “Thanks,” he said. Now he had to hope for two things.

  One, that he could find out something useful, but he had faith if there was something there, Griffin would find it.

  Two, that Avery didn’t get pissed at him for overstepping.

  33

  Wake Up Beside Him

  “Time for bed,” Avery said to Josie on Christmas Eve.

  “Can’t we watch one more movie?” Josie asked. She had her hands in front of her face in prayer and a little pout on her lips.

  She heard Carter laugh next to her on the couch. “Sorry,” she said. “Santa needs to come and put your gifts under the tree. He’ll know if you’re awake and might bypass the house. You don’t want him to get off schedule do you?”

  Josie frowned. “No. I’m not tired yet though.”

  She knew it was the excitement of the holiday. Not just Santa coming but Carter spending the night for the first time and the three of them—plus the dogs—going to Carter’s parents’ for dinner tomorrow.

  She’d been on the fence about having Carter spend the night yet. She wasn’t sure how to even bring this up with Josie.

  She hadn’t needed to worry when Josie asked yesterday. Said that Seth and Ava shared a bed and aren’t married couples like dating couples and how come Carter couldn’t stay here?

  She tried to explain it the best she could, but in the end, she decided to see what Carter thought about it and he’d been on board. She’d been thrilled since it was her first Christmas on the island, and in her mind, it couldn’t be any more perfect than to wake up beside him bright and early.

  They’d be up before Josie anyway. Though she knew Josie would be up at the crack of dawn to see the loot under the tree.

  “You can watch TV in bed for thirty minutes,” she said. On the weekends Josie stayed up until nine, so she was hoping nine thirty would have the little girl sleeping.

  Besides, she had to get all the gifts under the tree too.

  Last year she’d put them out before Christmas and only Santa’s gifts came the night before.

  With Betty, that hadn’t seemed wise and Josie was okay with that, saying it’s more fun to wake up and see it all at once.

  Guess Colleen did that, but Josie never said a word. She’d felt bad last year, as the first holidays were the hardest, and she so wanted to make it easier on Josie.

  “Okay,” Josie said. “You’ll be here in the morning, right, Carter? Dopey and Doc too?”

  She should have figured that was a bigger concern to Josie.

  “I’ll be here,” he said. “The dogs go where I am.”

  “Then let’s get the milk and cookies out for Santa,” Josie said.

  Once that was set up, Josie ran up the stairs to get ready for bed. Avery would go up in a few minutes and tuck Josie in, kiss her and set her TV up.

  Ten minutes later she returned to the living room to see Carter on the couch flipping through the channels. He didn’t even seem to notice her behind him. She looked at the dark hair on his head. His hair needed to be trimmed for sure, but it looked adorably messy on him.

  He had a red and black flannel shirt on over a black T-shirt with jeans. His boots were at the door.

  He was simple and basic and all hers. He fit in, even to the point that when he showed up, Josie had paint all over her hands and she compared herself working on her murals to Carter working in his garage. Getting messy and saying it was fun to not care.

  She couldn’t for the life of her imagine she could be as in love with anyone else as she was with Carter.

  All those years of men in suits working in offices. Yeah, it was who she dated because she seemed exposed or in contact with them more in her life and social circle.

  Here, just by chance—or maybe fate—this man got her to the island and gave her a welcome like no one could ever.

  Her hands came down on his shoulders and gave him a little squeeze. He jumped.

  “Sorry,” she said, grinning, then walking around the couch and flopping down next to him. She slid under his arm and he pulled her close.

  The warmth of his body next to hers reminded her that as hard as it was to accept help or rely on another man, she was finding it was easier with someone she loved and who cared about her.

  “Is she settled in?” he asked.

  “She is. I’m hoping she’ll be sleeping once the TV shuts off. Then I can bring out her gifts and put them under the tree. We can go snuggle in too.”

  “This was nice tonight,” he said. “Maybe the start of a ritual?”

  “I like the way you think. Your family never did much on Christmas Eve?”

  “No,” he said. “We didn’t have school and might have gone to hang out with my cousins.”

  “Which ones?” she asked, laughing.

  “Mac, Jarrett and Alex. Those are my first cousins. Though others grew up on the island, I spent the most time with them it seems. But Christmas Eve we had at home. We’d watch TV or play games. Nothing different than any other night.”

  “The same,” she said. “It was only my mother and me for so many years.”

  “Tell me more about your childhood,” he said.

  They never really talked much about it. “I don’t know. Not much to say.”

  “I think there is, but you choose not to,” he said.

  She sighed. “My father was around in presence but never did anything. He worked but didn’t support us. Not that I think a man should support his family.”

  “Of course he should,” he said. “Just like a woman should too.”

  “You’re right. It’s teamwork of sorts and my father was sadly lacking there. My parents split when I was in elementary school. She got fed up with working all day, coming home and doing it all. She was picking up and dealing with my father as if he were another child in the house. They fought a lot and she said if she was going to do it all like a single mother, she might as well be one.”

  “Ouch,” he said.

  “My father didn’t fight it. He left and they officially divorced a few years later. He was so lazy he didn’t even do anything to move it along. My mother is the one who finally wanted it over with.”

  “Did you spend time with your father?”

  “Yes,” she said. “But it’s not like we did anything together. I’d go to his house and hang out. It was boring. Most kids probably think that though. Thankfully I only saw him every other weekend. It was like a chore to him and I knew it.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said.

  “Don’t be,” she said. She didn’t harbor any resentment. She learned to understand what her mother went through and then decided she’d be more like her mother. Life was easier.

  “You stopped going after a while, didn’t you?”

  “I did. He moved out of the area and didn’t ever really reach out to want to see me and I didn’t do it either. He paid his support because it was court-ordered, but I haven’t talked to him in probably ten years. I haven’t seen him in longer.”

  “You wiped him from your life?”

  “As best as you can. I know he’s there but more like a figure or shadow. I don’t even think much of him.”

  “And your grandmother? What happened there?”

  “She had a stroke years ago. My mother wouldn’t put her in a nursing home. I get it. She retired from her job and moved my grandmother into the house with her. Now she is caring for someone all over again and this time it’s much more work. I helped out a lot when I lived there. I feel bad she is on her own, but she finally has hired help so she can get out and do things. Even if it’s just running to the store and not worrying.”

  “You’re like your mother,” he said, tugging on her hair. “Wanting to do it all.”

  “It’s not wanting to,” she said. “It’s doing what has to be done and knowing if you do it, it’s done the way you want it.”

  He nodded and pulled her closer. “I understand that. But you aren’t alone.”

  “I know,” she said. “You’re getting me to accept that little by little.” She looked at her watch. “I’m going to get the gifts out of the hiding spot in my room at least. That will take me a few minutes and then I’ll check on Josie.”