Forever This Time (Hope Harbor) Read online

  Drew grinned. “Yep. They can barely look at each other now without shooting daggers. He was horrified when she threw her bag out the window of the bus and his mouse escaped. She had to go home and explain why her new bag was missing. I’m sure to this day Dad and Gigi think she made it up.”

  “Do you know what happened to Lara Cooper?”

  “Yes. That’s a sad case. She was pursuing a degree in horticulture and her father got cancer. By the time I knew about it, he was in palliative care and died here on the island. She came home to take over the nursery with her sister running the business side of it. Most days you can find her out on a lawnmower keeping everyone’s gardens looking trim.”

  “Oh no. What a shame. She was very clever and so into her plants from what I remember.” April picked up a sugar packet and ran it through her fingers. “Is she going to continue her studies or is she home for good?”

  “I don’t really know. I did hear that she’s being doing some work with some of the local farmers. Something to do with the types of seeds they use, that kind of thing. She’s a hit at the farmer’s markets with their plant seedling stall.”

  “The island seems to have some very clever people.” She didn’t count herself among them. Not after all the mistakes she’d made.

  “It does. Must be something in the air. Who else did you want to hear about?” Drew put his cup down and leaned back in his chair. A shaft of sun hit his hair, the different colors of gold glinting in the light.

  “I don’t remember them all. They’ll all come to me eventually. Gail said she’d organize a catch up with some of the gang that came back.” They lingered over lunch, catching up on old friends.

  “Sounds like Gail had a good idea. I don’t get out enough so it would be a good excuse to make the effort myself.”

  “Great. I’ll call you when she gets back to me. Now I really should get back to work. Thanks for the coffee.” April stood up and waved to Roberto who was standing at his coffee machine. “Thanks, Roberto.”

  Drew stood up and put his hand on the small of her back, guided her out to the pavement and together they walked back to work.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The little boy’s feet slapping on the steps and his cries broke the quiet Sunday morning calm. “Drew, Drew, Gram and Pop are making Mom cry.” His face crumbled. “You have to come and help her.”

  Atticus dropped his toast and stood up. “Let’s go. Leo, stay here with Gigi.”

  Together they ran up the hill to the gingerbread house where April stood on her front porch. Her stricken face paled even further when she saw them arrive.

  An old woman stood on the pathway and threw obscenities at her. “You ain’t good enough to raise them grandkids of mine. Women like you oughta be banned from having anything to do with children.”

  “You’re a hussy, is what you are.” The unruly man with her joined in hurling his own tirade of abuse.

  “Now, listen here folks. That’s enough of the shouting.” Atticus stood in front of them while Drew ran up to April.

  “Who are they?”

  “Rob’s parents.”

  “Get out of our way. This is nothing to do with you.” The man pushed past Atticus and headed up the steps, but Atticus grabbed his arm, pulling him back onto the sidewalk.

  “If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the police in to remove you.”

  Tilly hovered in the doorway, fear on her face. Drew put an arm around April’s shoulders and turned to the girl. “Go down to our house and stay with Gigi. I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

  She nodded her head, gaze still on the elderly couple. “Yes, Drew.” Then she ran down the path, avoided her grandparents, and disappeared from sight.

  “You don’t know what you’re dealing with here.” The woman spat the words out. “Viscous creature she is, killed our boy and now she’s poisoning our grandchildren against us. She ought to be in jail.”

  “Ma’am, I think its best you leave now.” Atticus tried to be patient and defuse the situation, but even Drew could see that wasn’t going to work.

  “What you gonna do about it? This ain’t none of your business.” The man poked Atticus in the chest.

  Drew jumped down the steps onto the path, wedged himself in front of his father, forcing the man back. “That was a mistake you’ll regret.” He pushed the angry couple down onto the road, step by step until there was a large gap between them, his father, and April. “Stay right there or I will make sure you regret it.”

  Drew pulled out his phone and made a call, keeping his gaze on them. “Hey, Ben, Drew. Can you call up to the gingerbread house and convince a couple of abusive characters to leave April alone please?” He listened a moment. “Sure, thanks.” He slipped the phone in his pocket. “The police’ll be here in two minutes. That’s all the time you have to get out of here.”

  “We’re not leaving until we get what we came for.” April’s mother-in-law grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him away from Drew back up toward the house, but he kept between them and April.

  April spoke to him. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Drew. They’ll make more of a fuss.” She held a hand around her stomach, the other up to her mouth as she watched them.

  Atticus walked up the steps and stood beside her, a reassuring hand around her shoulder. “You haven’t seen Ben in action, darlin’. He’s changed a lot since he was school captain. Decorated officer that takes no crap from anyone. Just the person you need in a case like this.”

  It took the local police officer less than the two minutes to arrive. He assessed the situation as he got out of his patrol car and strolled up the sidewalk to where Drew stood holding April’s in-laws back from approaching her. “Problem here, folks?”

  Drew grinned as they took a step back. Ben had that effect on people.

  ***

  April stared at the man who had once been thin and weedy. The butt of many a joke between his class mates.

  “He started working out at college. Impressive, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, definitely. But it’s not going to solve anything, Atticus. They’ll only make trouble for you as well.” As much as she hoped Ben could sort out the issue, she had her doubts. He hadn’t had any experience with Rob’s parents. She had.

  Her father-in-law spluttered and waved his fist. “This woman should be locked up. Not fit to raise them grandkids of mine.”

  “Is that a fact?” Ben glanced up at April with an intense gaze, and she felt a sense of horror wash over her. The last thing she wanted to bring to the island was her problems. So much for hoping they’d be sorted before she had to inform everyone of what she’d had to deal with.

  “Damn straight it is. Told the judge that too. We want to take them home and raise them right, away from this drug dealer, here.”

  April’s skin prickled and she kept her gaze ahead. She wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Drew after this was over. What must he think of her now with those accusations thrown her way?

  “Do you have any legal documents that say you have the right to take these children from their mother?” Ben adjusted his dark glasses.

  “Well, no but we’re their rightful guardians. Rob wanted us to raise his children, said so in his will. It’s her fault he’s dead. Her and the drug dealers she was mixed up with killed our boy. Now we’re here to take the children into safe keeping.”

  Ben stood his ground, staring at them through his dark glasses. “So, you don’t have any legal documents to say you have the right to take these children from their mother?”

  “She’s a witch. Convinced the judge none of it was her fault but she lied, I tell you. I have his will and that states his wishes plain and simple.”

  “April, is there any reason these folks should be here harassing you?”

  “No.” Bile rose in her throat. The paperwork should have been here by now, but would they believe her without it?

  “Okay folks. Let’s move it along.” Ben took the man�
�s arm. “You can either accept a lift down to the ferry with me, or I’ll gladly give you a ride to the station where you will be charged with creating a disturbance. If you choose the first offer and leave the island, nothing will happen. But, if you decide to stay and cause a nuisance, you will be charged. Do I make myself clear?”

  Drew strode back up to where she stood and whispered in her ear, “What can I do to help you?”

  She wanted to ask him to take her away, but she had to see this through. “Would you mind making sure the children are okay please? Maybe take them for a drive away from the house. I don’t want these people to know where they are right now and the children have seen enough.”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want. I’ll take them to the beach. Give me a call when you’re ready.” Drew squeezed her arm and slipped away to do as she asked.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “I’ve fixed it, Drew. They won’t bother April anymore. Ben made a few calls to the mainland and confirmed what she told him. Those people don’t have any right to take the children regardless of what they say about a will.”

  “Dad, I don’t understand. What the heck happened there? They were attacking her, screaming obscenities in front of the children.” Drew took a breath. “Those poor kids were so upset. Gigi had a heck of a time settling them down, especially Leo. They weren’t happy that I took them away and they want to come home and see April, make sure she’s alright.”

  He glanced down to the private strip of sand in front of his house at the children. They searched for shells with Gigi, bursts of laughter rising up from the beach. He’d done as April asked and with Gigi in tow they’d herded the children into his car and brought them around the point to his house to keep them away from the fray, leaving his father and Ben to deal with the unwanted visitors.

  “Give her a little time to gather herself. Ben’s down on the wharf now making sure they leave the island, otherwise he’ll charge them.”

  “What did they want, Dad? I get they were after the children, but why on Earth would they think they had any right to do that?”

  “It’s a long story, Drew, and one I think you need to talk over with April.”

  “Funny how she tells you everything but not me.” He sighed, hating that he sounded needy. “Sorry, that was uncalled for. You were always there for her when her own parents weren’t, so it makes sense. I just wish she would trust me to help her.”

  “She will eventually. It takes time to repair a relationship. Especially one that had a marriage to someone else in between.”

  “Yeah. I suppose.”

  “You know what your problem is, Drew? You’re impatient. Always have been ever since you were a baby. Surprised your mother and me by coming well before your due date and you haven’t stopped leaping in since. You need to learn to sit back and let things happen in their own good time. Now, try and amuse those children until you hear from me again and you can bring them home to their mama.”

  ***

  “Thank you for coming to the rescue, Atticus. The kids didn’t need to see that.”

  “Don’t you worry about it, darlin’. Ben will see them off the island and then you can breathe easy again.”

  She collapsed down on the couch and rested her head back on the cushions. “I can’t believe they came here to cause me trouble. The judge told them they had no case against me, but they can’t seem to let go.”

  “Must be hard to lose your only child.” He perched on the window seat and crossed his arms, his ever-present calmness reaching out to her.

  “I understand that and I feel for them, but they’re only making it harder for me to have any sympathy for them. The children are terrified of their own grandparents and that’s not right.”

  “No, it’s not, but you have to do what’s best for those kids and that’s all you need to worry about. Your in-laws will have to come to terms with their own problems and deal with it the best way they can. One day they might wake up and see what they’re missing, but it’s not your problem to fix.”

  She smiled. “You were always the one to put everything in perspective. Thank you for coming when Leo showed up. I can’t believe he headed for your house like that. Guess he gravitated to the same thing I did when I was little.”

  “You’re more than welcome. He’s a very wise little man.”

  “Speaking of which, I need to see my babies. Where did Drew take them?”

  “Him and Gigi are out at his place, on Point Piper Road.”

  She tilted her head as a prickle of memory travelled down her spine. “At Point Piper Bay?”

  Atticus nodded his head.

  “He brought that house, the double story place down the long driveway?”

  “Where you guys used to park up? Yep, he sure did. Spent the last year or so renovating it too.”

  Holy crap. The house they talked about when they were young. He’d gone and brought it without her. The times they’d snuggled in a blanket on the bluff in front of that land and talked about what they would do, where they would live, and the children they would have. When the land sold and foundations for the house had started to be laid, they thought their dream had been derailed. It would seem that Drew had won out in the end. He’d always been persistent. She’d forgotten that about him.

  “Oh.”

  “I think you need to have a good talk, April. Seems to be lots of unresolved differences that could be sorted out with a decent conversation between the two of you.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I have far too much baggage and Drew’s moved on.”

  “Don’t be too sure of that.”

  She glanced at Atticus as he smoothed his fingers over his moustache, a secretive smile on his lips. What did he know that she didn’t? It didn’t really matter. Drew had made it clear where she stood. “I’d like to go and get my children. Thank you for coming to my rescue, again.”

  “No problem, darlin.’ Do you think you should wait until we hear from Ben before you bring them home? Drew said he would return them back to you.”

  “Maybe, but I need to see them anyway. I can hang out at the beach until he gets in contact with you. Call me please, when he does.” She stood up and searched for her purse and car keys. “Don’t think I’m not grateful, but I need to see my babies.”

  “Don’t go worrying about my feelings. You go and do what you’ve got to do. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” He walked her out of the house and stood on the path while she climbed in her car.

  April waved and drove down the road to the harbor and turned right to go along out to the point. She couldn’t believe that Drew had brought the house they’d claimed as their own. She wondered if he’d taken any other woman there and shown it off. He was bound to have. A man as good as Drew wouldn’t be sitting back waiting for a childhood sweetheart who’d dumped him, to return home. For all she knew, he had a steady girlfriend and she just hadn’t seen her yet. Hadn’t she told both Aggie and Matt she didn’t want to know whether he was dating or not?

  When she came to the turnoff, her heart rate picked up. She hadn’t really thought this through very well. Coming back to one of their special places brought up all sorts of memories, some of which she would be better off forgetting.

  The road had been maintained and the bumps they used to laugh about were no longer there. As she drove over the rise, the view took her breath away. As stunning and awe inspiring as it had always been, it still had the ability to make her sit up and take notice. The trees had grown, giving the house more privacy than she remembered. Gigi’s car was parked near the house and she could see her children scampering over the sand with her at the beach below. April couldn’t see Drew, but he wasn’t her focus right now.

  She parked next to Gigi’s car and made her way down the slope to the private beach. Laughter reached her ears and she smiled. At least the confrontation hadn’t made that big an impact on her children. If it had, they would be quiet and subdued. The island must be working its magi
c on them too.

  “Hi.” April raised her hand and waved. They looked up and squealed, running to meet her.

  “Mom.” Leo threw himself into her arms. “You’re okay?”

  “Of course I am, honey. You know Gram and Pop wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Tilly ran up and bent over, getting her breath back. “Told you, Leo.”

  “But they were yelling and saying nasty things.”

  April saw Gigi walking toward them and smiled. “Honey, we’ve spoken about this before. Gram and Pop are hurting. They’re still sad your dad died and they lash out at me because they’re in pain. We have to remember not to take it to heart.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.

  Tilly hugged her from behind, her voice muffled as she leaned in for comfort. “It’s still not fair, Mom. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Gigi tilted her head and watched April comfort her children.

  “I know, babe, but there’s not much we can do about it.”

  “I gather my brother has it all under control.” Gigi smoothed her hand over Leo’s head and smiled at April.

  “Yes, he does. They’re leaving on the next ferry.”

  “Let’s go up to the house and have some juice. I know Drew keeps some in the fridge. He won’t mind if we drink it.”

  “I’d feel a bit rude doing that, Gigi. The children and I can go somewhere else.”

  “I wouldn’t hear of it and neither would Drew. Come on.”

  She guided them up the path to the front lawn of the house. “Now you sit and relax while I go and get you all something to drink.”

  April sat down on the grass with her children while Gigi bustled off to arrange drinks. When she came back outside with a tray of glasses, April gladly accepted one.

  “It’s so pretty sitting here watching the view. If you’re very lucky, you can see the seals playing just out past the point. It’s a shame you can’t see the orcas, but they’ll be down near California for winter. It’s too cold for them up here right now. Maybe next summer you’ll get to go out on a boat and get up close and personal.”