Jacob let out a snort. “I can charm anyone I want.”
“Your daughter doesn’t count.” And just like that, his mood plummeted and from the silence on the other end, he knew that Colin regretted saying it.
“Jacob, I—”
“It’s okay Colin, I have to go. I need some time and to think about the best way to talk to my daughter about this.”
“I will be right over.” He heard Colin shift about, and it sounded like he was getting out of bed.
“Hey, come over later and bring her favorite ice cream, okay? I will call you when you can come over. Just give me a chance to talk to her.”
“Are you sure? Jacob, you don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes you take the big brother role a little too seriously.”
He gripped the steering wheel tight and said his brother’s name in warning. “Colin.” He didn’t need a lecture right now. This was his way of handling it and he liked to do things that were hard alone. Even though he loved his family sometimes, he just needed distance and space.
He heard Colin swear. “Okay, I will be over later, and I can also make dinner. Free of charge, just for you.”
Jacob lips curved in a tired smile.
“Thank you that would be nice. Talk to you later.”
“Okay, love you.” His brother’s voice sounded like a whisper in his ear.
“Love you too.” He hung up and started the car, he didn’t know how long he sat there and cried.
Chapter 3
Sierra rubbed her temples. A headache was coming on, along with the joint pain she was already suffering through. She placed her fingers back on the keyboard to finish up the last chapter before calling it quits for the rest of the night.
But when the words began to swim, she let out a string of curses. She really needed to get this done; her deadline was fast approaching.
Sierra slowly got up, bracing herself on the desk, then the walls as she moved around the room she used as an office. She stretched her tight muscles and massaged her joints and scar tissue still left over from the accident.
The wind picked up; a storm was brewing. It would last for the next couple of days on the island before moving on. Sierra didn’t mind storms. She loved the chaos, but this type of weather pattern always affected her joints, especially the ones that had been broken.
Sierra moved to the kitchen and put on the kettle, taking out the teas she needed to help her through the pain. Trying to distract herself, she looked outside her window. The reminder of what day it was scratched at the door in her brain and if she let the memories in, she would need something stronger than tea.
The inside of the house dimmed with the darkening sky. She could just imagine that the waves were rougher now, slamming against the rocks and the shore. The few inhabitants on this private island, she could count on one hand, mostly retired people who wanted to be as far away from city life as possible. Everyone knew each other but minded their own business and that suited Sierra perfectly.
A forked streak of lighting split the sky and the lights in the small home flashed off and back on.
Sierra moved around the kitchen, gathering old kerosene lamps and candles, just in case. While the kettle heated, she lit the lamps and candles, placing them around the house. Returning to the kitchen, she poured the hot water in a mug and added the two tea bags, letting it steep. As she sipped the hot liquid—burning, as she liked it—Sierra watched the lighting show outside. Soon, the lights did shut off, and candle glow broke the darkness.
Sierra stiffened during one spectacular display of lighting; it had briefly highlighted her image in a nearby mirror, showing her light brown curls. She liked to keep them very short now, fanning over her forehead, hiding her ears and falling against her cheeks and grazing above her shoulders. Her button nose sported a smattering of small freckles, contrasting against her light brown skin and the dark doe eyes staring back at her. Her lips were the envy of people who used Botox to plump them up, and her round chin completed the picture. Unfortunately, the dark couldn’t hide the scar pulling her right eye down slightly and the hideous rise of it across her cheek.
She had never been considered beautiful, but she’d known how to apply her makeup to make her look sultry and pretty, to emphasize her features and hide the freckles on her face.
Now her face was laid bare for the world to see, if she ever decided to leave her sanctuary. Which seemed unlikely. She deserved to live the rest of her life alone and on this remote island, just like her grandmother’s best friend did.
Just thinking of Pat opened the dam of memories. Her shouting at her husband on the car phone, their three-and-a-half-year-olddaughter crying and screaming in the back of the car. Furious, she had turned and yelled at her daughter, eyes blurry with tears and booze. She didn’t notice the vehicle drifting onto the side of the road. Gravel crunched under the tires as she swerved to miss a tree, and the car spun out of control. Plummeting down an incline, the vehicle flipped and threw them around like clothes in a dryer.
Everything went dark, and she woke to her face on fire. One eye was blinded, her ears were ringing. Even groaning brought a rush of pain. She could taste blood in her mouth and began to freak out. Through the haze, she could feel the seatbelt digging into her shoulders, her neck. She realized she was upside down and the seatbelt was keeping her from falling onto the ceiling. Her arms hung, touching the hood of the car. When she had tried to pull them to her, she screamed, almost passing out; a bone stuck prominently out of her forearm. Inhaling, trying to stay conscious, she reached with her other hand for the buckle. Just as she was about to press the button, a loud voice echoed through the car.
“Ma’am don’t move; help is on the way.” She tried to turn her head to the unknown male voice, but everything hurt; she began to cry.
“Please help me.” She whispered.
“Oh my god, there is a child in the car.” She could hear a woman say.
