Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) - Heidi McLaughlin Page 0,59

Rennie was tired, exhausted from the drive, and needed to go home. Cape Harbor would have to wait.

FOURTEEN

For the first time in a long time, Graham was back to work, and he was happy. Ecstatic. The Whale Spout gave him a sense of purpose, belonging, even though running a family-owned business, especially a bar, in a tourist town was the last thing he’d ever wanted for a career. However, he loved it. He loved the regulars who frequented the bar, the groups of people, from the fishermen to the locals—who for generations made the Whale Spout their only watering hole—and he adored the tourists. They were what made living and working in a small town enjoyable. And, it took Grady almost dying for Graham to figure out it was time for him to move on. The only question that plagued him was, “What does it mean to move on?” He didn’t have the answer, and he was certain he wasn’t going to find it scrawled in messy handwriting on the bathroom stall door. It was Rennie who brought about this sudden change in him. He’d lain awake the previous night, staring at his ceiling—which, as of late, was a common occurrence for him—and thought about how his life could’ve been different.

Graham pulled in front of the house he shared in the wee hours of the morning. He had driven straight from Cape Harbor, surviving on convenience store coffee, fast food, and chips. Graham was long past the point of exhaustion, mentally and physically drained. His life altered in ways he’d never thought possible. Graham was too young to lose one of his closest friends, and knowing he would never see or speak to Austin again hurt. The pain cut him deeply.

It had been two weeks, maybe even three—Graham had lost count since he had last been in California. He’d also lost his job, in the sense he’d been demoted back to entry level, a position he hadn’t even had coming out of college. It was the most his employer was willing to offer since he had exhausted all his vacation and sick time. They were angry, and while he understood, none of it made sense to Graham. His best friend went missing, was declared dead, and all Graham had waiting for him back in California was a demotion and a pay cut to go with it. He, too, felt like he’d lost everything.

And then there was Grady.

His brother drank himself into a stupor every single night. The first couple of nights, Graham and Bowie were right there with Grady, matching drink for drink. They’d close the bar down and make their way down to the docks, where they’d yell for Austin until the sun came up or the police took them home. The next night, they’d start all over again. It was their way of coping, of helping Grady get through an unbearable time. They had all lost Austin, but Grady took it the hardest. He’d been there and had been unable to save his best friend and business partner.

After the funeral, it was time to get back to life. Only, life as Graham knew it was never going to be the same. He had to make a decision, one he never thought he would have to make at the age of twenty-two. Stay in California and work two jobs until he could get back to where he’d been, or go home. Home meant he’d be with his friends, his brother, and his parents. Home meant Rennie would still be there because of Brooklyn. But what about Monica? Did he love her?

He did.

Graham opened the front door of his house as quietly as possible. He tiptoed down the hall and opened his door. He flipped his light switch on and gasped loudly. There was someone in his bed, but who? His heart raced, pounded forcefully with each step he took toward his bed. Graham leaned over the covered lump to peer at their face. His body relaxed when he saw it was Monica. He sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed heavily. Graham hoped to slow his beating heart and not to wake his girlfriend.

Monica stirred. Graham turned to look at her from over his shoulder. He missed her while he was gone, but he also enjoyed the time he spent with Rennie. These two women owned him, but in different ways.

“Hey,” she said softly as she reached for him. Monica rolled over and held the blankets