10
JUNE
The first thing June became aware of was the unfamiliar surroundings and the uncomfortable cushions beneath her. For a blissful moment, she allowed herself to believe that her encounter with Holt on the beach had been nothing more than a particularly vivid nightmare brought on by the head injury and stress of the past few weeks.
Then she heard Carmen’s voice in the hallway, low and urgent, speaking to someone on the phone.
“No, she’s resting now. Yes, I’m sure it was just too much walking too soon after her accident.”
The memory came flooding back with startling clarity. Holt’s face, older but unmistakably the same. The way he’d said her name, as if thirty-eight years hadn’t passed at all. The feeling of the world tilting sideways before everything went black.
“Carmen?” June’s voice came out as a croak.
Her sister appeared in the doorway almost instantly, ending her phone call with a quick goodbye. “You’re awake. I was just on thephone with Willa.” She shoved the device into her pocket. “How are you feeling?”
“I have a bit of a headache,” June replied honestly before asking, although she already knew the answer from the expression on Carmen’s face. “Did I dream it, or did I just run into Holt right here in Sandpiper Shores?”
“No, it wasn’t a dream.” Carmen sat on the edge of the bed, her voice gentle but firm. “Holt Dillinger carried you home after you fainted on the beach. Grace led him here.”
June closed her eyes, feeling the room spin slightly. “He’s here. In Sandpiper Shores. I can’t believe he’s actually here.”
“Neither can I,” Carmen said dryly. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. He always did have impeccable timing when it came to disrupting your peace of mind.” She shook her head. “That man is like a bad penny.”
“What did he say? Did he ask any questions? Did Grace or Becky say anything to him?” The questions tumbled out of June in a rush of panic.
“He was concerned about you,” Carmen said carefully. “And Grace mentioned your car accident, which seemed to upset him. But that was all. What would the girls say to him?”
“I don’t know,” June said, breathing out as she cautiously sat up. “I guess it’s just the shock of seeing him. Here in Sandpiper Shores.”
“Little sister, it was bound to happen,” Carmen pointed out. “He was born here. His family basically created the town.”
June sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, I know.” She shook her head. “I have dreaded this day since Willa and Shaun told me they were moving here.”
Carmen found. “You know I’ve always thought that strange.”
“What?” June said. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t find it strange that out of all the places Shaun and Willa could’ve been assigned, they ended up here?” Carmen said. “Here, slap in the heart of the Strand family stronghold?”
June’s head started to throb a bit more as that cold feeling started creeping up her spine once again. “It was the only place that would position both of them. Which was very nice of them, considering Willa was pregnant and couldn’t work right away.”
“Uh-huh,” Carmen said, nodding. “There is no doubt that Shaun and Willa are amazing. Shaun was the best Captain for this station.”
“But…” June drawled, watching her sister intently and realizing deep inside she’d had the same suspicions that her sister was voicing.
“But it just seemed strange,” Carmen said. “Why didn’t Shaun take the position in Miami?” Her frown deepened. “Willa already had a position there.”
“Yes, then Ace moved back home to Sandpiper Shores,” June pushed forward, refusing to admit what her sister was insinuating. “The Sandpiper Shores Fire Chief retired, and so did two lieutenants here. Ace was offered the position, but he wanted to start up his family’s aircraft business, so he put Shaun and Willa forward.”
“If that is what you want to believe,” Carmen said. “Shaun was going to turn this offer down to stay in Miami, and then he took a mysterious urgent meeting, and then the next day he changed his mind about coming here.”
“What meeting?” June looked curiously at her.
“The meeting he took with someone from Sandpiper Shores the day before he decided to take the job here,” Carmen told her.
“I didn’t know of the meeting.” June’s eyes searched her sister’s eyes.
“Maybe Willa will know,” Carmen said. “I can just tell you what I found out the day he left work to go to a meeting, and he was overheard telling Willa he was going to meet with a representative from Sandpiper Shores.”
