But on the weekends he would drink himself into a stupor.
It was during those times Kaegan would use the small boat he kept hidden away in the underbrush of the bayou and escape through the swamps to a place he considered his hideaway, a deserted, uninhabitable island called Eagle Bend Inlet. Bryce had feared for his safety, worrying that one of those huge alligators was going to eat him alive.
She continued to study his home. She’d never been given a grand tour, like a number of others, but she liked the parts she’d seen. It was right on the bayou, on land that had been in the Chambray family for generations. She could imagine waking up here every morning to such a gorgeous view. According to Vashti, due to the risk of hurricanes, Kaegan had built a home that could withstand up to four-hundred-mile-an-hour winds. And the tilt of the foundation, which wasn’t even noticeable, was a deterrence to flooding.
She thought the place was huge for just one man but he’d always said that one day he would grow up and build a mansion...for them. Well, he had certainly built a monstrosity of a house, but it hadn’t been with her in mind. When he’d returned to town it had been quite obvious he hadn’t wanted her in his life any more than she wanted him in hers.
“Here you are.”
She turned to greet Vashti. “Yes, here I am on a Friday night. I could be somewhere else, you know, and would be if I thought for one minute that I wouldn’t hear about it from you tomorrow. One day you’re going to realize that no matter what you think, Vash, all Kaegan and I feel for each other now is contempt. Total dislike.”
Vashti rolled her eyes. “If you say so. By the way, did you see Ashley? She looks great pregnant. Ray wasn’t messing around. Who comes back from their honeymoon pregnant?”
Bryce took a sip of her wine knowing Vashti had deliberately changed the subject, but she was fine with her doing so. “A person who comes from their honeymoon pregnant is someone who’d intended to get pregnant. According to Ashley, they spent the entire time trying and it was all about a promise Ray had made her. They’ve been through a lot, and I’m happy for them.”
A friend of theirs, Ray Sullivan, had married Ashley Ryan six months ago. Last month the couple shared the news they were having twins. A boy and a girl. They’d even selected the names. The boy would be named Devon and the girl Ryan.
A smile touched Vashti’s lips. “I’m happy for them, as well. I love happy endings.”
Bryce rolled her eyes. “You also love torturing your two best friends. Why do you put me and Kaegan through this every time he gives a party? I don’t have to be here and we both know that he doesn’t want me here. The only reason he invites me and the only reason I come is because neither of us want to hear you bitch about it.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault that my two best friends fell in love behind my back.”
Bryce rolled her eyes again. “That’s what you get for leaving us alone for those six months.”
“Like I had a choice.”
Bryce knew at the time her best friend hadn’t had a choice. Vashti had gotten pregnant at sixteen. Her parents had sent her away. While she was gone Bryce and Kaegan had grown closer, and all the love Bryce had secretly felt for Kaegan suddenly blossomed.
She tried to recall a time when Kaegan hadn’t been a part of Bryce’s and Vashti’s lives and couldn’t. Neither could she recall a time she hadn’t loved him. K-Gee was what everyone called him. The descendants of the Pointe-au-Chien tribe mostly made their home on the west side of the bayou. Kaegan’s family’s ties to the cove and the bayou went back generations, even before the first American settlers. A few of the simpleminded townsfolk of Catalina Cove had never recognized the tribe, except when it was time to pay city taxes.
Although Kaegan was two years older than her and Vashti, the three of them had hung together while growing up since Kaegan hadn’t officially started school until he was almost nine. Dempsey Chambray felt his only son was more useful working in the family seafood business and for years had claimed Kaegan was being homeschooled. When the Catalina Cove school board discovered otherwise, they presented the Chambrays with a court order that stated Kaegan was to be put in public school immediately.
Kaegan was a supersmart and intelligent kid, and it didn’t take him long to catch up with the rest of the class. However, he couldn’t be put in his right grade because he began missing a lot of days from school to help his father on the boat. It was Mr. Chambray’s way of showing the school board that although they may have ordered that his son attend school, Kaegan was entitled to sick days. Most people knew that the days Mr. Chambray claimed Kaegan couldn’t come to school because he was ill, Kaegan was out on the water working in the family business. It was only when the school board threatened to file a lawsuit against Mr. Chambray’s business that he allowed his son to attend school without any further interruptions.
When Vashti returned to town after her pregnancy, Kaegan had advanced enough in his studies to be placed in his correct grade, leaving them two grades behind. But he didn’t forget them. Although his school day ended half an hour sooner than theirs, he would hang around just to walk Vashti and Bryce home every day.
It was one of the times he could be with her. He would reach Bryce’s house first and then cut through the woods to get to Vashti’s place. On some days before she got home, she and Kaegan would take the small boat he kept hidden over to Eagle Bend Inlet. It was there that Kaegan had taught her how to kiss and where they’d made love for the very first time.
“You’ve gotten quiet, Bryce. What are you thinking about?”
She glanced over at Vashti. Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own. “Where’s your husband? Shouldn’t you be with him instead of here pestering me?”
Vashti laughed. “I am not pestering you and you know it. But to answer your question, Sawyer got a call and had to leave, so I’m going to need a ride home.”
Vashti was married to the town’s sheriff. “No problem. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”
“Hmm, there might be a problem.”
Bryce lifted an eyebrow. “What?”
“After Kaegan’s parties, Sawyer and I usually stay behind and help him put stuff away and clean up. So that means...”
Bryce frowned, having an idea where this conversation was going. “It means nothing. Kaegan can tidy up his own place. Besides, I’m sure that woman over there in the white top and jeans would be glad to stay back and help him. She’s been keeping her eyes on him the entire night.”
“You noticed, I see.”
“How could I not notice?” Bryce refused to consider the tinge of resentment she was feeling had anything to do with jealousy. She dated and so did Kaegan. They meant nothing to each other anymore.
“I noticed you’ve been keeping your eyes on him a lot tonight, as well,” Vashti pointed out. Deciding not to give Bryce time to say anything, since it was obvious that she was in one of those bash-Kaegan moods, she said, “Now back to the issue of helping Kaegan tidy up. With the three of us working together it won’t take long to get his place back in order. You and I can pack up the food while Kaegan breaks down all the patio tables and tents.”
“Why can’t he do it by himself?” Bryce asked.
“Because
