“Yet another golden goose you threw away. Another man who would have tossed his money at you just like my stupid son and you ruined it. It’s quite funny when you think about it,” Jefferson says with a laugh. “You could have had the inn paid off with that ring on your finger and Stanford’s last name attached to yours, but I guess that won’t be happening now, will it? Thank you for making my job easier. Looks like Butler House will belong to Fisher Bank and Trust very soon.”

I really want to tell him to go fuck himself, maybe even smack that smug look off his face, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made enough of a scene today. The town gossip mill will already be working overtime with the show I put on and I don’t need to add beating up the king of Fisher Island to the list. I swallow all of the curses I want to throw at him and lift my chin up higher, moving around him and out the gate. There’s no point giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to me. No point confirming that his words cut right through me and made me so angry that I want to scream.

My anger grows as I walk through town. By the time I get to the inn, I can barely focus as I strip out of my wet, dirty clothes and get into the shower. I don’t want to let that man ruin how good I feel after telling Stanford off, but I can’t help it. His words circle around my brain and fester until they’re all I can think about.

Chapter 32

Fisher

Present Day

“Shouldn’t you be down at the beach? The fireworks are going to start soon.”

I don’t even glance up at Trip as he comes out the door on the small deck attached to the back of his house. I’ve been sitting here staring out at the ocean, feeling sorry for myself, and I plan on doing that for the rest of the night.

“I heard there was quite the commotion down at the ball game today. Is that why you’ve been sitting out here pouting like a toddler all afternoon?” Trip asks as he sits down on the top step next to me.

“I’m not pouting,” I complain.

“There are seagulls circling overhead, waiting to take a shit on that bottom lip you’ve got sticking out. You’re pouting.”

I use my middle finger to scratch the side of my face and Trip snorts. “Your maturity level astounds me. Get off your ass, go to the beach and see Lucy. I’d like to sit here on my porch and enjoy the quiet night without listening to you sigh like a lovesick teenage girl every five seconds.”

Turning my head, I glare at him and he raises his eyebrow and glares right back.

“If you heard about the commotion at the game today, then I’m sure you know why there’s no point in going to see Lucy,” I remind him.

Trip laughs right in my face. “Since when did you turn into such a pussy? I thought Marines were bad asses who didn’t take no for an answer? Last time I checked, she didn’t walk down the aisle and say ‘I do’ this afternoon. Strap on those balls the military gave you and go get your woman back.”

It’s pretty sad that my eighty-three year old grandfather needs to remind me that I have balls. I felt like I’d been castrated the minute Shit-For-Brains-Ford got down on one knee earlier. I knew they’d been dating for a couple months, but I had no idea things were so serious between her and that fuck head. I thought I had time to make her fall in love with me again, but I should have known better. She’s not the type of woman that you let slip through your fingers, and I feel like an ass because Shartford realized that before me. He jumped on the opportunity that I pushed away. I have to give him credit for being smart about that, at least.

“I can’t get her back when she doesn’t want to come back,” I tell him.

Trip shakes his head at me. “How can you be so smart about everything else, but so stupid when it comes to Lucy? If you’d pulled your head out of your ass and stuck around that ball park for a little while, you would’ve seen better fireworks than the ones they’re about to shoot off down on that beach.”

I turn my head to face him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Trip pushes himself up from the step and flicks me on the head. “Pull this thing out of your rear end and go find out.”

He turns and walks into the house without another word.

I stand off to the side of all the people lying on blankets and sitting on chairs around small beach fires, waiting for the fireworks to begin. This was a stupid idea, a really stupid idea. So far, I’ve had no less than ten people ask me if I heard what happened to Lucy after the game. Why do these people think I want to rehash that shit? Do they think I don’t give a shit about her and wouldn’t care that she gave up on us and moved on with someone else? When I put on a fake smile and nod at them, they start laughing and tell me how “fucking awesome” it was. Clearly, this town really hasn’t forgiven me for the crap I pulled last year and now they want to torture me.

Figuring there’s no point in sticking around and cursing Trip for making me curious enough to come down to this damn beach, I start to leave when I see Lucy making her way down the beach towards me, dodging blankets and chairs and barely glancing at the people who call out to her. She’s looking right at me as she moves and suddenly I’m frozen in place, staring at her.

She’s wearing a pale yellow, strapless sundress that hugs her torso and flows out around her hips, the hem hitting her mid-thigh. Her hair is curled in soft waves and is hanging loose around her shoulders. She looks like a warrior going into battle as she skirts around the fires and the light from the flames flickers across her face. I’m so mesmerized by how gorgeous she looks that I momentarily forget she’s wearing another man’s ring on her finger and she’s given the heart that once belonged to me to someone else.