Heather Graham - Heather Graham Bundle - The Island / Ghost Walk / Killing Kelly / The Vision

She weighed the situation while she logged on and opened up her art program, working on plans to promote the Summer Sizzler and make sure she got everyone in the place excited about the dance lessons.

Do I tell Ben about this or not? she asked herself, returning to the question of the girls and their prank.

Amber would hate her.

Amber would have to get over it.

Maybe she should give the girls a second chance.

She forced her mind back to business. She was going to need a picture of Maria Lopez, which should be easy enough to find online. She pulled out Maria’s card to call her for permission.

She found a picture that was sensational and was also able to reach Maria immediately. In an hour her flyer had come along perfectly and was ready for printing. With that accomplished, she sat back in her chair—just as her brother made an appearance at her door, his daughter right behind him.

He was frowning. “You knew you had the girls?” he asked.

She could see Amber’s eyes. Pleading.

She shrugged, not willing to outright lie when the girls had done something so wrong.

“They never cause any trouble here, Ben.” She stared at Amber. “Almost never,” she added with a grim smile.

She saw him relax. She hadn’t lied, though she hadn’t exactly told the truth, either.

“All right, but I’m supposed to know as well when it’s early dismissal,” he told his daughter.

“Dad,” Amber said, and there was a slight note of reproach in her voice. “You have the school calendar. You just don’t always pay attention.”

Ben opened and closed his mouth. “Yeah, I have the school calendar,” he said finally. He sounded gruff. He turned and walked away.

Amber stared after him, thinking he was still angry. Beth knew better. He was just feeling as if he’d somehow failed as a parent.

Amber stared at Beth again, and Beth was startled to see tears rising in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Aunt Beth. Really sorry.”

“Don’t do it again,” Beth said softly. “And your dad lives for you. Give him a break.”

Kim slipped an arm around Amber as they walked off together.

“Hey,” Beth called. “Kim—what’s the story? Am I driving you home later, or are your folks coming?”

The girls turned back to her. “I’m getting picked up at five-thirty by the guardhouse,” Kim said. “Thank you,” she added quickly.

“Right,” Beth murmured. “Amber, after Kim’s folks have come, we’ll find your dad and have dinner before we leave, okay?”

Amber nodded and took off with Kim.

Beth watched them go, forgetting her own anger. This aunt thing wasn’t easy, she thought. Of course, life never was.

She smiled slightly, turning back to her work, writing herself a mental note that she should be checking up on Amber’s school schedule more than she had been.

BEN WASN’T ANGRY; he felt depleted. He was actually a pretty good father. He just sucked at trying to be two parents at once.

He sat at the outside bar, sipping a beer. “Hey,” came a call.

Looking around, he saw Mark Grimshaw. As kids, they’d taken sailing lessons together. Then they’d wound up at law school together upstate, and, like their fathers before them, they’d both become members of the club.

“Hey yourself.”

“Your latest case is sure making headlines,” Mark told him.

Ben must have winced, because Mark quickly apologized. “There’s a group of us—and not all attorneys, honest—at the pool. Why don’t you join us?”

Ben lifted his beer. “My daughter’s here. I think we’ll just grab a bite and go home.”

“It’s early. They’re not even serving dinner for another hour. Maybe your daughter wants to hop in the pool, too.”

No, his daughter wouldn’t want to hang with her old man. But maybe a few laps would tire him out, if nothing else.

“Sure. Let me go to my locker. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Mark nodded, smiling. He was a pleasant guy. Worked on civil cases, had a great reputation. Ben had tried to set Beth up with him. Beth liked him well enough but insisted there was just no chemistry.

In the locker room, Ben shed his coat, eased out of his tie and began to turn the wheel of the combination lock on his door. As he did, he thought he heard a noise and hesitated, looking around.

He wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone. Lots of guys came straight from work, changed and headed out to the pool or their boats.

What surprised him was that he didn’t see anyone.

He was certain that he hadn’t been alone a moment ago.

Working too hard, too much. Worrying too hard, too much. Hell, if life was just a jaunt out on the boat, days on an island…

Hell. He suddenly wanted to give Beth a good shake. He was jumpy because of the stinking island!

With a shake of his head, he turned back to his locker and started the combination over.

Click…click…click.

The lock opened.

He changed and went out to the pool.

It wasn’t even dark yet. He’d been ridiculous, thinking he’d heard something. Someone.

Disgusted with himself, he strode out to the pool and dived in. Strong-armed, he did lap after lap. When he came out, dripping, his friends were waiting with a beer.

Amber had come out. She smiled, waving to him. Apparently Kim’s folks had picked her up. She walked over. “Dad, think Aunt Beth would mind if we ate burgers out here? I was thinking about hitting the pool, too.”

“Sure. Aunt Beth won’t care. It’s a nice night, and you’re right—we should just be casual out here.” He left it at that, but inside he was inordinately pleased that she’d wanted to spend some time with him after all.

She smiled again, then scampered off to change. His heart took a sudden plunge.

It was hard to love someone so much and not smother them with that love.

As he watched his daughter walk away, he felt again the pinpricks that had haunted him in the locker room.

Fear.

Irrational but all too real.

He was scared. And he wasn’t at all certain why.

It just seemed that suddenly a shadow, something dark, had entered his life, stealing away comfort and ease….

He looked up.

The sun was still out, brilliantly shining.

The shadows, he tried to tell himself, were all in his mind.

BETH WAS GLAD SHE HAD KEPT her mouth shut about the girls messing with her computer. When she joined her brother and niece out at the pool, she found a number of families engaged in a game of chicken.

Ben, with Amber on his shoulders, was trouncing the opposition. There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie going on. Nice.

She sat on the sidelines, watching, until Amber saw her and waved, then tapped her dad on the top of the head and alerted Ben to her presence, as well.

The competition tried to take advantage of Ben’s distracted state, but Amber turned back, ready to take on the world. Her opponent went down, and Amber laughed delightedly.

Like a child.

Then the two of them, after high-fiving each other in victory, laughed and left the pool, joining Beth on the sidelines.

“Congratulations,” Beth said.

“Thanks,” Amber said. “You’re cool with this, right? Hamburgers okay with you? I’ll go put our orders in. Would you rather have fish, Aunt Beth, or the salad bar?”

Beth shaded her eyes to stare at her niece. “Are you suggesting I should choose the salad bar?”

“No!”

“I’m going to have a hamburger and fries and iced tea,” she told Amber. “Ben?”

“The same.”

Amber nodded, grinned and went off to the counter to order.

Ben stared at his sister. “Dancing?”

“You could learn to dance,” she said defensively. “Salsa, I’ve decided. For a party—‘Summer Sizzler.’”