She slipped out of his jacket and set it on the table beside him. The cops have probably cleared out the rowdies by now and Im working for tips. People are going to want their drinks and theyre paying me to fetch them.
She turned toward the hatch, but Brendan grabbed her arm. He picked up his jacket and held it out to her. Take this. Its cold outside.
She shook her head, her pale hair tumbling around her face. No, Im fine. She hesitated then gave him a quick smile, the only smile shed cast his way since theyd met. Thanks. For the jacket. And for coming to my rescue.
With that she was gone, disappearing into the cold December night and returning to a world to which she didnt seem to belong. Brendan almost went after her, curious to know her name and her story, wondering what had brought her to work at the Longliner. Was she the girlfriend of a fisherman? Had she grown up in Gloucester? And why did her eyes remind him of the sky on a perfect spring day?
He backed away from the hatch and shook his head. Hed had his doubts about carrying her out of the bar. That had been his first mistake. It would be stupid to compound the error by going after her. She was out of his life, no harm, no foul. He should be happy hed gotten away so cleanly.
Yet as he made himself a pot of coffee and settled down to work at his laptop computer, Brendans thoughts returned to her again and again, to that winsome smile and that spark of mischief in her eyes. To the curious air of mystery that seemed to surround her. And to the way he felt the instant he touched her, as if theyd made some strange, magnetic connection.
Brendan shook his head and refocussed on his work. She was gone and he was better off for it. Though Conor and Dylan had fallen into lifelong commitment and everlasting love, Brendan was pragmatic enough to know that he wasnt meant to do the same. His work required the freedom to come and go at will and he had to protect that freedom at all costs.
Even if it meant walking away from the most intriguing woman hed met in years.
YOU CANT FIRE ME! It wasnt my fault.
Amelia Aldrich Sloane stood outside the Longliner, staring up at the second floor above the bar. The owner of the bar was silhouetted in the window of her tiny room. He tossed out a garbage bag stuffed with her belongings and it landed with a whoof at her feet.
I warned you the last time, he said, leaning out the window. One more fight and you were through. Do you know how much damage you caused?
Its not my fault, Amy repeated.
The hell it isnt, he shouted back.
How is it my fault? she demanded.
Youre too damn pretty, he said tossing her suitcase out the window. Youre like catnip to a bunch of tomcats. Men cant seem to keep their hands off you and that starts fights. And fights cost me money, sweetheart. Much more than youre worth as a waitress.
But I need this job, Amy cried, running to grab her suitcase as it hit the ground and burst open.
I hear Buddys House of Crabs is hiring. Get a job there. With that he slammed the window shut, leaving Amy to stand on the silent street. She cursed softly then grabbed her jacket from the heap and slipped it on. Well, I wanted adventure in my life, she muttered, gathering her things. I guess I should be careful what I wish for.
It was half past two in the morning and shed just lost her room and her job all in one fell swoop. She should have known something was wrong when she had returned to the bar and the other waitresses had refused to talk to her. The owner had been summoned by the police and when he finally got the full story, hed pulled Amy aside and told her to clear out.
At first, she thought he was kidding. But when he climbed the stairs to her room and started tossing her belongings out onto the street, she had no choice. Shed raced outside to collect what she could before the bar patrons stumbling home after closing time were able to grab a souvenir or two. As it was, they all got a nice round of chuckles from her predicament.
Now what am I supposed to do? she murmured. Working at the Longliner had been the perfect setup. She needed to stay below the radar and seeing as she worked for tips only, the owner had no need for proof of her identity or her social security number. But the wandering hands of a customer and her rather indignant response had put an end to what shed hoped would be a long-term job.
She hadnt had much of a plan when shed left her life back in Boston, only that she was determined to get as far away from her old life as possibleaway from her dictatorial father and her socialite mother, away from their powerful influence over her life. And most of all, far away from her scheming fiancé, the man whod grown to love the Aldrich money more than he loved Amy.
Her life had been planned for her from the moment she was born, the only child of Avery Aldrich Sloane and his beautiful wife Dinah. And for most of her life, shed dutifully followed the plan. But then one day, just a week before her big society wedding to Craig Atkinson Talbot, shed come to the realization that if she stayed, she would never really live her own life.
She had been on the run for nearly six months, lucky enough to keep just one step ahead of the private detectives her father had hired. Shed lived in Salem, in Worcester and in Cambridge, picking up odd waitressing jobs and calling on old friends to put her up on their sofas. She figured if she could just keep out of sight for another six months, then she was in the clear. The trust fund her grandmother had set up for her would be all hers, no strings attached. The day she turned twenty-six years old, shed become a comfortably wealthy woman, a woman free to experience all the things shed missed in life, free to search for adventure and excitement.
As she arranged her belongings neatly on a bench in front of the bait shop, she thought about what the money would mean. Shed always rejected her parents obsession with financial matters, thinking their avaricious nature somehow unseemly. But since shed been trying to live on her own, Amy had realized that money, at least a small amount of it, came in pretty handy.
Though shed been brought up in the lap of luxury, Amy had always wanted to test her parents boundaries. Shed argued for public school, but was forced to attend an exclusive private prep school. When shed insisted on a public university, a big college where she could get lost in the crowd, her parents gave her a choice of Sarah Lawrence or Vassar. That time she won a small victory, choosing Columbia University in New York.
It was at graduate school at Columbia where shed met her fiancé, a wonderful man from a good Boston family who was studying law, hoping to open a community law office. When shed first introduced him to her parents, theyd been pleased with his family connections but worried over his career prospects. He was the perfect man for her next rebellious step.
But that soon changed once Craig fell under the spell of her fathers money and influence. It wasnt long before he was working for Aldrich Industries as a corporate lawyer. A few months before their wedding, he was promoted to Executive Corporate Counsel, a powerful position that came with a six-figure salary and stock options. It was then that Amy realized his dream of a community law office had been put aside and that the man shed fallen in love with was not the man she was about to marry.
So she ran. Just a week before she was scheduled to walk down the aisle, she packed a bag in the middle of the night, drove her car to the train station and hopped the last train out of town. Shed cleaned out her checking account the day before, giving her enough cash to live on for three months. That cash was long gone.
So she ran. Just a week before she was scheduled to walk down the aisle, she packed a bag in the middle of the night, drove her car to the train station and hopped the last train out of town. Shed cleaned out her checking account the day before, giving her enough cash to live on for three months. That cash was long gone.
Amy reached into her pocket and withdrew a wad of bills shed collected as tips. By the light from the streetlamp, she began to count it, wondering if shed have enough for a room for the night. She glanced up at the sound of footsteps, quickly hiding the money in her jacket pocket. But then she recognized the man who approached. It was the guy whod started the fight in the bar, the man responsible for her predicament.
It was as if he appeared from nowhere again to rescue her, her hero with the dark windblown hair and the chiseled features. Amy swallowed hard. A shiver of attraction raced through her but she refused to acknowledge it. She was cold. Shed been sitting outside for fifteen minutes and she was simply cold, thats what caused the shiver. What are you doing here? she asked when he stopped in front of the bench.
I was just taking a walk to clear my head, he said. What are you doing sitting out here? You shouldnt be here all alone. Are you waiting for a ride home?
Actually, that was home, she said, pointing back to the Longliner. I lived above the baruntil about fifteen minutes ago. Until you got me booted out of my job and my place to stay.
Me?
You heard me, Amy said. Because of you, I lost my job and my place to stay, not to mention two decent, though incredibly greasy, meals a day. I told you I could take care of that guy.
He had his hands all over you.
Amy laughed softly. You dont hang out much at the Longliner, do you? Thats par for the course. Besides, a little grope here and there makes the tips better. I know my own limits and I know how to enforce them.
He shook his head. The owner couldnt have fired you just because of one fighta fight that really wasnt your fault. Let me go talk to him. Ill
This was my third fight, if you must know. I guess he was getting a little sick of paying for shattered glasses and broken tables.
He sat down next to her, bracing his elbows on his knees. You must have friends or family you could call.
Amy shook her head, warmed by his concern. No. My family lives on the west coast, she lied. Besides, we dont talk much. And I havent been here long enough to make friends.
Well, where are you going to go?
Amy shrugged. I dont know. Ill figure out something.
He cursed beneath his breath. I suppose you dont have money for a motel room?
She heard the concern in his voice, caught the trace of guilt in his expression. He did believe this was his responsibility, even though Amy knew it really wasnt. She reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out the cash shed made on tipsbarely thirty dollars. Its your fault, you know. I was handling the problem. If you wouldnt have butted in, I could have stopped the fight. But as soon as you pulled me out of there, all hell broke loose.
If you had stayed, you would have gotten hurt, he said.
Well never know, will we.
They sat on the bench for a long time, staring out at the harbor, their breath clouding in front of their faces. Then he stood up and grabbed the garbage bag and her leather suitcase. Come on, then, he muttered.
Amy stood up and snatched the bag from his hand. Come on where?
You can stay with me. Theres a crew cabin on my boat. Its clean and warm. You can spend the night and tomorrow you can find a new job and a new place to live.
Amy gasped, completely taken aback by his offer. Shed expected a few extra dollars for a motel room, maybe an offer of a ride. Stay with you? I dont even know your name. How do I know youre not some psychopathic serial killer?
I guess you dont, he said.
Whats your name?
Brendan Quinn, he replied. Whats yours?
Amy Aldrich. She stared at him for a long moment. Brendan Quinn. I suppose that doesnt sound like a serial killers name.
I told you, Im a writer.
She motioned him closer. Reaching out, she touched his chin and tipped his head up to the light. You look like you have an honest face. Im very intuitive and Im sure Ill be safe with you.
Im sure you will, Brendan replied. He held out his hand and she hesitantly placed her fingers in his. Its nice to meet you, Amy Aldrich.
They started off back down the dock, Amy glancing over at him every now and then. He really was quite handsome. Shed noticed that the moment hed walked up to her in the bar. His dark hair was just a bit too long, brushing the collar of his leather jacket, and his face was covered with the dark stubble of a day-old beard. But it was his eyes that captured her attention. They were an odd mixture of green and gold, not exactly hazel, something much more intriguing.
When they reached his boat, he tossed her belongings onboard then helped her on deck. She lugged her suitcase toward the hatch and then dragged it down the steps. As she took in the cozy interior, she sighed in relief. Although shed be sleeping in a strange place, Amy somehow knew that shed be safe here. In truth, this would be the perfect spot to stay for the next few months.
Can I make you anything to eat? he asked.
Amy nodded, looking around the cabin, searching the place for more clues about the man she was entrusting with her safety. He lived comfortably. Though the interior of the cabin wasnt luxurious, it was functional. And tidy. The shelves of books and the laptop computer proved his claim to be a writer.
Where do I stay? she asked.
He pointed forward. First door on your right. There should be an empty bunk.
Wheres the head? she asked.
He paused and looked at her. You know boats?
Amy shrugged and started forward. My dad had a small boat. She stepped inside the crew cabin. In truth, her father had a huge boat, a yacht on which she and her mother had spent summer vacations cruising the Mediterranean while her father stayed in Boston. She tossed her things on one of the lower berths, then rummaged through a bag for clean clothes. What she wore smelled of smoke and stale beer.
When she emerged from the bathroom with a freshly scrubbed face and clean clothes, she found him waiting for her at the table. She sat down next to him and picked up the glass of milk hed poured for her then took a slow sip. I really appreciate this, she said, setting the milk down and licking her upper lip.
No problem, he murmured, his gaze fixed for a moment on her mouth.
To distract his attention, she took a bite of the ham sandwich hed prepared. Shed been so used to eating bar food for every meal that a simple ham sandwich tasted like gourmet fare. Why did you jump into the middle of that fight? Amy asked. I was in a roomful of men and you were the only one who came to my aid. Why was that?
I dont know, Brendan said. You just looked like you needed me.
The same way I needed you outside the bar? Amy asked.
Yeah, maybe. Brendan chuckled.
But why?
He shrugged. When I was a kid my Da used to tell us stories about our ancestors. The Mighty Quinns. They were always the heroes, brave and strong, chivalrous. I guess the stories stuck.