The Pregnancy Plot

He’d seen pictures of Maggie pregnant at about the same stage as Nina, and she’d had a distinctive rounded belly, but then Maggie was smaller and more rounded in general than Nina.

When Nina swung her head around, his gaze jumped to her face.

“My stepsister, Lou, is a disturbed person. She’s had some problems with drugs and alcohol, but her issues go beyond that. When her father married my mother and Mom and I came to live with them when she and I were both children, she had a fit. It only got worse from there. I knew when Dad, Bruce, left this B and B to me, she’d never let it go.”

“So, you think she’s bent on sabotage?” Noticing a tremble rolling through her body, he took Nina’s arm. “Let’s go back inside. You’re still chilled from your swim in the sound.”

She allowed him to steer her back toward the house. “Putting a hole in the bottom of my boat would definitely be something in Lou’s repertoire.”

“Is she capable of more? Would she do you physical harm? Not that plunging into the icy depths of that bay couldn’t have resulted in something worse than a bad chill.”

Pushing open the door, she paused on the threshold. “I don’t think she’d pull out a gun and shoot me, but she’d pull stunts that could have unintended consequences—just like putting a hole in a boat.”

“And I thought my family had issues.” He stomped his feet on the mat at the door.

“Oh?”

He had no intention of getting personal with her and mentally gave himself a kick for even mentioning his family. He’d used his nickname and a fake last name, just in case she decided to do a little research on the internet, because it wouldn’t be hard to find Jason Bennett—or his family.

“Do you want more tea?” He pointed to the flames simmering in the grate. “Looks like the fire died down.”

“I’m fine.” She stood in the entryway, making no move to go back to their cozy situation in front of the fire.

“Okay, I’ll be heading back to my motel. Do you want me to stoke that up for you before I go?” He made a move toward the fireplace, but she placed a hand on his arm.

“I’ll let it go, thanks.”

He strode past her anyway. “I’ll reposition those logs, so they don’t roll off the grate.”

He couldn’t help it. Nina’s pregnancy gave him an overwhelming urge to do things for her—all the things he never got to do for Maggie. He prodded the logs and then snagged Nina’s mug and deposited it in the kitchen sink next to his.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he grinned because women had told him in the past he had an irresistible grin and he needed to be irresistible right now. “Let me know when you’re done checking me out and I can get to work for you around here.”

“Oh, I’m done. Anyone who rescues me from drowning deserves a chance.” She sized him up beneath lowered lashes. “You can start tomorrow.”

“Awesome.” He stuck out his hand and she gripped it. “I’ll be back around eight o’clock.”

Her blue eyes widened. “Make it ten.”

“You got it...boss.”

When he reached the curve in the road that led back to the town, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Coburn.

“What do you have for me, Jase?”

“I met Nina Moore and she hired me as her handyman. I start tomorrow.”

Coburn chuckled. “Must be that killer grin of yours. Is she suspicious about anything? Did she mention the father of her baby?”

“The father?” Jase glanced over his shoulder at the empty road. “She didn’t even mention the baby. She’s, uh, not really showing, so the subject never came up.”

“She’s gotta be five months along and she’s not showing?”

“Yeah, your wife had twins, so I think that’s a different case.”

“Probably. What do I know anyway?” Coburn coughed. “You okay with this assignment?”

Jase chose to ignore Coburn’s implication. Jack made it his business to know the personal histories of all Prospero agents, and sometimes Jase thought he used those histories just to test them, to mess with their minds.

“I’m never okay with babysitting assignments, Coburn, but you might be onto something here.”

His boss sucked in a breath. “Oh, yeah?”

“Someone drilled a hole in Nina’s boat and she discovered it while she was on the water.”

“Is she okay?”

“Chilled but fine.”

“You think it might be our friends at Tempest?”

“If they’re trying to kill her, sinking her boat on a well-traveled bay is a long shot. Seems Nina has some crazy family members in the mix, too.”

“Great. Just keep doing your job, Jase—watch Nina Moore and protect her if necessary.”

“Got it, boss.”

Jase ended the call and tapped the phone against his chin. He’d have no problem either watching or protecting Nina Moore. He’d do whatever it took to safeguard Nina and the baby—Simon Skinner’s baby.

* * *

NINA STRIPPED OFF her clothes and turned sideways in front of the mirror as the bathtub filled with warm water. She massaged her bump with the palm of her hand and smiled. Her little guy was growing by leaps and bounds.

Had Jase noticed her pregnancy? No way. Any hint of a pregnancy would’ve doused those scorching looks he’d been sending her all afternoon. She’d been enjoying those looks so much she hadn’t wanted them to end.

What did that say about her? Carrying another man’s baby and getting hot and bothered by a stranger with a to-die-for grin. Simon had vanished from her life, but it didn’t mean he didn’t plan on charging back into it.

And she needed to be prepared when he did.

She stood on her tiptoes and checked the lock on the bathroom window. When the Harbor Patrol officer had told her about the hole in the boat, her suspicions had immediately turned to Lou, since any mischief connected to the B and B would have Lou written all over it.

But had Simon followed her here? He knew about the B and B, of course, even though he’d never been here. She rolled her shoulders and stepped into the warm water, inhaling the fragrant steam from the lilac bath salts.

She’d found a good doctor in town, a family practitioner rather than an ob-gyn, but Dr. Parducci had come highly rated and regarded.

She sank into the warm water, stretched out her legs and closed her eyes, determined to relax. Dr. Parducci had told her to relax and not dwell on anything stressful.

Her eyes flew open. Like Lou. That had been the most unwelcome piece of news when she’d returned to Break Island. Had Lou known she was coming back to claim the B and B? Lou had no interest in the place, but she’d been livid when Bruce had left it to his stepdaughter instead of his daughter.

What did she expect? Her father had loved this place. Turning it over to Lou would’ve resulted in a quick sale and money blown on drugs, booze and a good time.

Nina closed her eyes again and swirled her hands in the silky water, willing her mind to happier thoughts.

Jase Buckley—now, there was a happy thought. Something about that man attracted her like a magnet. It could be his general drop-dead gorgeousness. She slipped farther beneath the water and blew bubbles.

Or it could be that for some reason, in some weird way he reminded her of her baby’s father.

* * *

NINA ZIPPED UP her jacket to her chin and made the last turn into town. The brisk walk from the B and B into the town center had done her good. The fifteen-minute walk had cleared her head and relaxed her more than the warm bath had.

She hadn’t completely shrugged off her big-city addiction, and the thought of spending a quiet evening at home just sounded like a big bore.

The locals usually liked to gather at Mandy’s Café for dinner or at one of two watering holes that hadn’t become tourist traps—yet. The island had changed a lot since the last time she’d really spent time here. At least the crowds had allowed Mom and Dad to run a flourishing business, but Break Island didn’t offer the complete serenity she’d hoped for.

Maybe that was a good thing. The warmth and conversation that enfolded her as soon as she stepped across the threshold of Mandy’s felt like a friendly hug. And she could use a few of those.

She tripped to a stop when she saw Jase Buckley at the center of a lively group in the corner. Hadn’t he just arrived in town? She kept tabs on him out of the corner of her eye as she slid into a booth by the window. He must be a good writer, because he sure seemed to have the gift of the gab over there, spinning stories for an enthralled audience.

“Do you want something to drink, Nina?” Theresa Kennedy, one of her mother’s old friends, tapped a pencil against her pad of paper. Theresa’s family had owned Mandy’s for years.

“Just water, but I’ll take a cup of the chicken noodle soup right now.”

“You got it. So, are you really going to fix up the old place? We could use another B and B on the island.”

“I am, but I’m going to take my time, so I hope you’re not in any hurry.”

“It’ll go faster with my help.”

Theresa stepped back to allow Jase to sidle up to the table. “Are you going to help Nina get the place back on its feet?”

“Starting tomorrow.”

Theresa poked Jase in the chest with the eraser end of her pencil. “I hope that doesn’t cut into your writing time, Jase.”

Nina raised her eyebrows. Had the guy spilled his life story all over town? Perhaps the connection she’d felt with him had been nothing more than Jase being Jase. “I’ll have plenty of time, Theresa.” He winked. “A man’s gotta eat, too.”

“Oh, go on. You could come in here and I’d feed you anytime of the day or night. It would just be like having my son home again when he was studying for the bar. Anyway, I think it’s a good idea for you to lend a hand to Nina.”

“Nina needs help and I need work, so it’s a perfect fit.”

“Nina does need help.” Theresa cocked her head to one side like one of the birds from the island’s sanctuary. “But for the life of me, I still can’t figure out why she abandoned her exciting life in LA for this old place.”

“Sometimes we all just need a break. Maybe Nina needs a break.”

“Hello.” Nina waved her hands between Jase and Theresa. “I’m right here. No need to talk about me like I’m not.”

Theresa clucked her tongue. “I’ll get you that soup, Nina. Jase?”

“I’ll take some soup, too.” He patted the back of the banquette across from her. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Her gaze flicked to the table of locals still bunched together. “Is your audience going to miss you?”

“Them?” He snorted. “They’re on to the next tall tale.”

“And you?”

“Tall tales? I’ve told my share.” He slipped into the booth across from her. “Did you finally warm up?”

“I did a little work around the house and then took a warm bath. That did the trick.”

“Any more news about your sister?”

“Stepsister. I was going to ask around town tonight if anyone has seen her today.” She rubbed her hands together when she spotted Theresa backing out of the kitchen with a cup of soup in each hand. “But not before I had some sustenance.”

Theresa placed the soup in front of them, along with a basket of crackers. “Do you want to order now?”

Nina didn’t have to look at the menu. “I’ll have the fish-and-chips.”

“I’ll have the same.” Jase tapped the edge of the plastic menu on the table. “And another beer, Theresa, that pale ale.”

“You got it. Just water for you, Nina?”

“That’s it.”

When Theresa took their menus and walked away, Jase asked, “You don’t mind if I have a beer, do you?”

“Why should I?” She blinked and then planted her elbows on the table. “You don’t think I’m an alcoholic, do you?”

“No.”

“Because I leave all the drinking in the family to my stepsister.”

Jase raised a spoonful of hot soup to his lips and blew on the puddle. “Just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable in case you’re a rabid teetotaler.”

She was no rabid teetotaler, whatever that meant, but the way Jase’s lips puckered made her plenty uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat and busied herself with the wrapper on a package of crackers.

“Drink all you want. Be my guest.”

“I’d like to be your guest.”

Her soup went down the wrong way and she coughed. Pressing a napkin to her lips, she asked, “What?”

“You run a B and B, don’t you?”

“We’ve established that.” She sniffed and dabbed her eyes. “But you’ve seen the condition it’s in. It’s hardly ready for prime time.”

“It would work out great for me—and you. I could stay in one of the rooms, do work around the place every day and get my writing done in a much better setting than my current location at The Sandpiper.” He crumbled a cracker into his bowl and then dusted his hands off over a napkin. “You could pay me in room and board instead of cash. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

“Although I already hired you, I still want to do a background check on you.” After months of being on edge, how had she allowed Jase to lure her into feelings of security already? She still needed to remain vigilant. Simon could be anywhere.

“Check away.” He thanked Theresa for the beer and took a swig from the bottle. “My life’s an open book.”

She wished she could say the same. Keeping her pregnancy a secret from Jase and everyone else in town was silly. They’d find out soon enough. She ran a finger along the inside of her tight waistband. Like in about two days when she made the switch to maternity clothes. She’d already done a little shopping in Seattle on her way to the island.

Theresa delivered their platters of fish-and-chips and conversation came to a dead halt as they busied themselves with lemons, vinegar and tartar sauce.

Nina bit into the crispy coating of the fish and closed her eyes as the salty, tart tastes flooded her mouth.

“I think this meal alone is worth coming all the way out here for.” Jase swept a French fry through a mountain of ketchup on his plate. “Is this why you returned to the old homestead?”

“Mandy’s fish-and-chips?” She laughed. “Yeah, that’s it.”

They finished their meal and split the check. How had Jase known that’s exactly how she’d wanted to handle it? If he’d insisted on paying, it would’ve felt too much like a date—and it already felt too much like a date.

When they hit the sidewalk, she thrust out her hand. “You’re coming by tomorrow to go over the necessary repairs, right?”

“Sure.” He took her hand but didn’t release it. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Car?” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not in LA anymore. I walked over here.”

His grip tightened on her hand. “Really? I’ll walk you home, then.”

As her eyes traveled over his shoulder to take in the dark curve of the sand dunes that marked the turn toward the B and B, she said, “That’s not necessary,” but her voice didn’t hold the conviction she’d wanted.

Would Simon track her down here? If he wanted to speak with her, he should just approach her like a normal person. But Simon hadn’t been normal the past few times she’d seen him—not normal at all.

He shrugged. “I don’t mind the walk.”

“It is a nice walk.”

They turned together and after two blocks the sidewalk ended in sand. He put his hand on the small of her back. “Be careful.”

She appreciated Jase’s solicitousness, but she didn’t understand it. Why was he so attentive? It was almost as if he knew about her pregnancy.

She stole a sideways glance at his perfectly chiseled profile. Idiot. Maybe he did know she was pregnant. Just because she hadn’t made the switch to maternity clothes yet, it didn’t mean people couldn’t tell. That woman in the elevator at the doctor’s office knew. She was pretty sure Carl and Dora Kleinschmidt knew.

She cleared her throat. “You never did tell me why you chose Break Island for your writer’s retreat.”

“Do I have to explain?” He spread his arms. “It’s isolated, beautiful, but has just enough tourists for some serious people-watching for inspiration.”

“I thought you were writing a fictional account of your experiences in Afghanistan—not many soldiers here to study.” Unless Simon was lurking around the corner.

“They don’t have to be soldiers. Human nature is human nature.”

A bush rustled beside them and a gust of wind showered them with grains of sand.

Then a figure stepped onto the path in front of them and a voice came out of the night. “Home at last.”

Chapter Five

Nina stiffened beside him, and Jase’s own muscles coiled as he sprang in front of her, blocking her from the stranger on the path.

A low laugh gurgled from the woman’s throat. “That’s our Nina, always has a man to protect her.”

Nina placed a hand on his arm and stepped beside him. “Are you stalking me, Lou?”

Instead of diffusing his concern, the fact that it was Nina’s stepsister standing in front of them blocking their path heightened it. Lou had put a hole in Nina’s boat, and even if Nina had been convinced the act wouldn’t have resulted in her drowning, he didn’t trust this woman anywhere near Nina.

“Stalking?” She took in the bay with a sweeping gesture. “I’m just enjoying the night like everyone else.”

“Have you been working on Dad’s boat by any chance?” Nina squared her shoulders and locked eyes with her stepsister, whom she topped by a good five inches. In hand-to-hand battle, he’d put his money on Nina any day—except she was pregnant.

“Moi?” Lou crossed her hands over her heart. “I haven’t touched my dad’s boat, and don’t go calling him Dad like he’s your dad or something. Your dad took off a few months after you were born, having the good sense to dump you and Lori while he could.”

“Hey.” Jase curled his hands into fists and took a step forward. “Don’t talk to Nina like that. I don’t care who you are.”

“And I don’t care who you are.” Lou put a hand on her hip, her gaze raking him from head to toe. “Who are you?”

“This is my...my handyman, Jase. He’s going to help me fix up Moonstones.”

What had Nina been about to call him? Handyman sounded so impersonal.

Lou leveled a finger at Nina. “That B and B should be mine and you know it. That’s why you left it so long after my dad died. You felt guilty about inheriting it.”

“We both know what would’ve happened to Moonstones if Dad had left it to you. Dad knew it, too. You would’ve sold this place so fast and used the money for God-knows-what. I can get it up and running again, and I have no problem sharing the profits with you if there are any.”

“None of that matters. I don’t want the piddly profits from some mom-and-pop business.” Lou sliced her hand through the air a little too close to Nina’s face for his comfort. “I could’ve used the money. You didn’t need it with your stuck-up interior designing job in LA. Why did you give up all that to come back here anyway?”

Jase studied Nina’s face as she formed an answer. So, her stepsister didn’t know about the pregnancy, either, but he didn’t blame Nina for not telling her. Lou had nut job written all over her.

In the end, Nina shrugged. “Moonstones needs some TLC. Dad and Mom loved the place.”

“My dad had this dream before he met Lori, before he left my mom for her.”

Nina sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “We’ve been over and over this, Lou. I’m sorry that happened, but it has nothing to do with us.”

“It does now because Dad disinherited me for you. I always hoped Lori would die before Dad because I thought Dad would cut you out. Lori did die first, but Dad cut me out anyway.” Her laugh sounded just this side of hysterical. “So, you gypped me out of my inheritance and my father.”

“I’m sorry about that, too, Lou. They were the loves of each other’s lives. You and I both know they loved each other more than they loved their daughters.” Nina crossed her arms over her stomach. “Sometimes life just works out that way.”

“Oh, you can be generous because you got the goods after Dad kicked off.”

“Lou, baby? Lou, you out here?”

The slurred words came out of the darkness, along with a shuffling gait.

What now? As if all this family drama wasn’t enough.

“Over here, Kip.”

A lean man with tousled sandy hair came up from the beach, listing to the side as he scrambled up to the path. The stink of stale beer came off him in waves.

He staggered to Lou’s side and draped a heavy arm across her shoulders.

“This is my stepsister, Nina, the golden child. Nina, this is Kip, my partner in crime.”

Keeping her feet rooted to the ground, Nina leaned in with an outstretched hand. “Good to meet you, Kip, but Lou doesn’t need a partner in crime.”

Ignoring the proffered handshake, Kip hacked and spit into the sand dunes. “Just a figure of speech.”

Nina nodded in Jase’s direction. “And this is Jase.”

Jase held up one hand. He had no intention of shaking with Kip. The guy might topple over on him in a drunken free fall.

Nina continued to pretend this was some normal social gathering.

“Where did you and Lou meet?”

“In a bar.” Kip pulled Lou in for a sloppy kiss on the side of the head.

“I meant—” Nina rolled her eyes “—what city?”

“Portland.” Lou brushed a sandy lock of hair from Kip’s eyes. “I’ve been living in Portland.”

“Are you staying here now?”

“Just in town at one of the dumpy fishermen’s motels.” She clicked her tongue. “Don’t worry, little sis. It’s not going to be permanent. I have some business to settle.”

Jase studied Lou and Kip side by side through narrowed eyes. The only business he could imagine these two settling is a drug deal. That, or harassing Nina.

He took Nina’s arm. “We were just on our way back to Moonstones.”

“And we were on our way back to the bar.” Kip tugged on Lou’s hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s finish gettin’ our drink on.”

The other couple squeezed past them on the path to make their way back to the town. Once again, Jase caught a strong whiff of booze. Had Kip bathed in it?

When Kip and Lou disappeared into the night, Nina let out a long breath. “I can’t believe she’d hook up with someone like that.”

“Seems to me old Kip is just her type.”

She pulled her jacket around her body. “Lou needs help, professional help. I don’t understand people who refuse to seek therapy and medication when it’s glaringly obvious to everyone around them that they need them.”

“I’m not sure. I’ve heard the drugs flatten out your personality, and people don’t like that.”

“Some personalities need flattening.”

“Lou sure holds a grudge, doesn’t she?” A bird, probably an escapee from the sanctuary, shrieked above them and Nina jumped.

“Where’s her mother?”

“Lou’s mom has been through a couple of husbands already. She could be anywhere, since she pretty much washed her hands of Lou, too.” She kicked at a rock with the toe of her shoe. “One thing Lou did have right is that her father left her mother for my mom.”

“That’s not your fault.”

“Lou instinctively knew the score when she was nine years old. She hated me and my mom from the get-go.”

“Nine is old enough. Did your stepfather prefer you to his own daughter?”

“Not really—he preferred my mom and my mom preferred him. I was a lot easier to deal with than Lou, and Dad knew she’d sell Moonstones as soon as she could and then drink up, snort up and shoot up the profits.”

The road curved in front of the disputed B and B, and a glimmer of light from the quarter moon spilled across Nina’s disabled boat.

“Lou denied sabotaging the boat.”

Nina snorted. “Did you think she’d admit it? She’s never fessed up to a single misdeed in her life.”

“You have a complicated life, Nina.” He opened the latch of the broken gate and ushered her through with a sweep of his hand.

“You have no idea, Jase.”

He held his breath as she moved past him, her light fragrance tickling his nose. Would she tell him about her pregnancy? Open up about Simon?