Kara Lennox - Reluctant Partners

“I have a lot to make up for where Johnny’s concerned.” He could never undo the fact that he hadn’t tried harder to mend the rift with his uncle. The only thing he could do now was try to carry on the fishing business in his memory.

“Wherever he is,” Allie said, “I bet he’s watching. And I know he’s forgiven you for anything you feel you might have done wrong.”

Cooper understood now that-Allie was none of the things he’d suspected of her. She’d loved Johnny, not as a lover and not just as a friend or employee, but as a daughter would.

Cooper was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he settled for kissing her on the forehead and releasing her. If he could have he would’ve bundled her into the captain’s quarters and showed her just how he felt about her. But Otis had appeared in the hatch, his forehead wrinkled with worry.

“Everything okay in here?”

Allie went to him and hugged him, too, making Cooper feel just a little bit less special. “Oh, Otis, everything is beautiful. I wish Johnny was here to see it.”

“Me, too, honey. Port Clara lost a great man when Johnny Remington passed over. But I know he’d be pleased to see how you’re carrying on, so strong.”

“If I’m strong, it’s because he made me that way.”

Damn. Cooper had a lump in his throat, and he was going to start boohooing any minute if they didn’t stop talking about Johnny.

“Maybe we better get going,” he said, his voice gruff. “We have a lot of work to do before our first charter tomorrow morning.”

IT WAS ALL ALLIE COULD DO not to weep with joy as she piloted the Dragonfly back to the Port Clara Marina. The engines sounded better than they had in years, and if Allie didn’t know better, she would say the boat was riding a bit perkier in the water, almost as if she was proud of her makeover and wanted to show it off to all the other boats.

Cooper hadn’t joined her on the bridge, choosing instead to sit at the bow, his legs dangling over the side as he held on to the railing and faced into the wind.

Maybe he was giving her time alone to say goodbye.

She never should have convinced herself she was going to win. She had no legal expertise, after all, and only a small-town lawyer to help her out. Cooper, on the other hand, knew the law, and he’d been confident of his success from the very beginning. She’d been wrong to dismiss that confidence as arrogance or bravado.

Now she had only a couple of days to come to terms with the loss. But knowing how Cooper cared for the boat and for Johnny, maybe the loss would be easier to swallow.

As they eased the boat into her slip, Allie saw Jane was back, puttering around on the deck of her beautiful boat. This time Kaylee, her three-year-old daughter, had come with her. The darling blond-haired little girl stood at the railing, looking like a beacon in her bright orange life jacket.

She hopped up and down and waved frantically when she caught sight of Allie. “Allie, Allie! Mommy, look, Allie!”

Jane turned and her face registered a smile of recognition, though Allie couldn’t help noticing that she appeared strained even from a distance.

“Ahoy, you!” Jane called as she came to the railing and rested her hand on the top of Kaylee’s head. “Oh my gosh, the Dragonfly looks fantastic!”

Cooper busied himself tying off the lines, so Allie descended the ladder and hopped onto the dock. She joined Jane on the Princess II .

“Hi, there, flipper!” she said to Jane’s daughter, who was the light of Jane’s life. Allie privately thought that Kaylee was the only thing keeping Jane sane, given the oaf she was married to. Allie picked up Kaylee and held her aloft as the child squealed in delight, then gave her a hug and set her down.

“Where did you disappear to?” Allie asked Jane. “I thought you guys were down for the whole weekend, and then suddenly you were gone. I hope nothing’s wrong.”

“Actually, something’s right, or about to be,” Jane said with cautious optimism. “I haven’t wanted to talk about it, but Scott and I are getting divorced. In fact, it will be final in two weeks.”

“Oh, Jane, I’m so sorry.” Although really, Allie wasn’t sorry at all. Scott Simone was a monumental jerk. But any divorce was difficult. Separating spouses had to admit defeat and failure of their marriage, which probably had started out with great hopes and expectations. “What about Kaylee?” It would be just like Scott to fight for custody, simply to be hurtful.

“I have full custody, thank God. Scott asked for one weekend a month. Can you imagine?” She lowered her voice and whispered in Allie’s ear, so Kaylee wouldn’t hear. “That’s all he wants to see his daughter. Ten-to-one he won’t even want that, and it’ll be just as well. Kaylee will be better with no father than one who clearly doesn’t put her first.”

Allie couldn’t agree more.

Jane resumed talking in her normal voice. “We came down here last weekend for one last-ditch effort to work things out, to see if we could remember why we’d gotten married in the first place. But when Scott punched out Max Remington, that was it for me. He was insanely jealous of any male who even talked to me, no matter what the circumstances. It was only a matter of time before he started hitting me instead of the supposedly flirting men.”

“So Max wasn’t flirting?”

Jane looked embarrassed. “Well, he was flirting a little. I suspect a man like Max Remington simply can’t help himself. When he’s near anything female, he flirts. It oozes from his pores.”

Jane’s gaze flickered to behind Allie, where Cooper still puttered around. “I’m dying to know what’s going on. Can you stay for lunch? The Princess II is all mine now, to do with as I please. It’s the sum total of my settlement.”

Allie was appalled. Scott Simone had been worth millions.

Jane laid a hand on Allie’s arm. “No, it’s what I wanted. Full custody of Kaylee is the only thing that mattered to me. I don’t want Scott’s money.”

“But how will you live?” Allie asked. “You aren’t going to sell the boat, are you?”

“I’ll keep it if I can. At least it’s a roof over our heads, and I have a little cash to tide me over until I can find a job. I’m fine, really.”

“All right,” Allie said. “But if you need anything, I’m right next door.” At least for three more days.

Allie returned to the Dragonfly, where Cooper had found himself a deck chair and was looking pretty satisfied with himself.

“I thought you said we have a lot of work to do.” She nudged his Top-Sider with her foot. “We at least need to lay in some provisions for tomorrow. I assume you want something a little fancier than cold cuts for your brother.”

“Can we do fancy?” he asked. “I’ve made a lot of bold promises, but quite honestly I’ve been planning to hire someone to do the food and drink.”

“I got it covered,” she said with a grin. “If Miss Greer can spare Sara, I’ll ask her to help. We’ll knock your brother’s socks off.”

Cooper returned her smile, but suddenly his face froze as something caught his eye behind her.

“What?” Allie asked, whirling around, and that was when she saw him. The very brother in question, as if she’d conjured him up by mentioning him.

Allie could have picked him out of a lineup-even a lineup of corporate lawyers-because he looked just like Cooper. A bit taller and rangier, perhaps, but he had the same blue eyes, the same prominent nose, same yuppie weekend-casual wardrobe.

As he strode purposefully toward the Dragonfly, his eyes took in every detail as his brain processed them-evaluating, assessing. His mouth firmed, as if he didn’t like what he saw.