Love On Anchor Island: An Anchor Island Novel Read online

  To Alex’s great relief, the twins had both entered the world screaming and healthy at five and five and a half pounds respectively. He was keeping them through the weekend as a precaution, but he had no doubt they’d be ready to go home on Monday. Callie would be staying as well and would need extra help when she did go home, since her activities would be limited due to the C-section.

  After the last month of bed rest, he doubted she’d appreciate that news.

  “I’m back!” Beth said as she hurried into the room. Roxie entered less enthusiastically behind her. The puffy eyes and red nose told him something was wrong.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as she lingered near the door. The only reply was a noncommittal shrug. Alex stepped closer and was surprised to see fear in her eyes. “They’re all okay,” he assured her.

  Roxie crossed her arms and looked everywhere but at the happy family.

  “There you are,” Callie said. “Roxie, come see them.”

  She stood frozen in place, and Alex noticed a single tear slide down her cheek. She brushed it away as Sam approached her.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Sam Edwards shocked everyone in the room when he wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for saving my girls.”

  As if the kindness was too much for her, Roxie curled into him and sobbed against his chest. Sam looked over to Alex, gesturing for him to take over. Seconds later, his shirt was damp with tears, and Roxie had the hiccups.

  “I thought it was my fault,” she mumbled with a sniffle. “I thought she fell.”

  “Oh, Roxie,” Callie said, joining the cry fest. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “No.” She pushed off Alex’s chest and sniffled again. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. If I hadn’t put the headphones in, I would have heard you call me.”

  Will Navarro walked in at that moment, stopping when she saw all the tears. Only then did Alex notice Beth dabbing at her eyes.

  “Please tell me these are happy tears,” Will said.

  Everyone laughed, breaking the tension. Sam distributed tissues to the women as Callie said, “Come and let me introduce you, Roxie.”

  The petite brunette smiled as she dried her eyes. Approaching the bed, she said, “Beth was right. They’re beautiful.”

  Nodding first to the infant on her right arm, the mom said, “This is Rachel.” And then nodding to the other, she said, “And this is Roxanne.”

  The crying started again, this time mixed with laughter. The men exchanged a look before Sam said, “Come on, Connor. Let’s go check out the cafeteria.”

  “Are they sad, Daddy?” the boy asked as his father picked him up.

  “They’re happy, son.”

  “But they’re crying.”

  Sam cut his eyes to Alex. “Yeah. Women do that sometimes.”

  Before following the pair out, he watched Roxie’s face light up as her namesake was lifted into her arms. He’d told her once that she had friends and family here. After today, he hoped she believed him.

  “Hi,” Roxie said, finding Alex at the maternity ward nurses’ station. She’d been too busy holding the babies to notice he’d left the room.

  “Hey, there.” He closed the chart and gave her his full attention. “How are you feeling?”

  “Embarrassed,” she replied. “Relieved. A little hungry.”

  As she’d expected, Alex said, “I can help with that last one.” He held out a hand, and she slipped hers into it, letting him lead her down the hall. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you know.”

  Easy for him to say. “I just cried like a baby in front of Beth’s friends.”

  “They’re your friends, too. You know that, right?”

  She hadn’t before today, but Roxie was starting to see that Alex might have been right about a few things. Time to fess up. “I really thought today was going to be my last on Anchor Island. I was packing to leave when Beth showed up.”

  “What?” he said, stopping in midstride and turning to face her. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because every time I’ve messed up in the past, everyone turned on me. Even when it wasn’t my fault.”

  Closing the space between them, he pressed a hand against her cheek. “I told you that people aren’t like that here. And can we please agree that you did not mess up?”

  Roxie wouldn’t go that far. “I shouldn’t have had those headphones in. What if I hadn’t heard a noise and gone up to check on her?” Alex opened his mouth to respond, and she pressed a finger against his lips. “I appreciate you wanting to make me feel better about this, but I’m a big girl. Living up to my mistakes has never been the problem. Getting forgiveness for them has been. I found that today, and that’s a good thing.”

  He kissed the tip of her finger. “Were you really going to leave?”

  “I didn’t want to leave.” Not a statement Roxie ever thought she’d make. “For several reasons.”

  Alex smiled. “Is one of them me?”

  The doctor had an ego after all. “Maybe?”

  Lifting her chin, he said, “Good,” and pressed his lips to hers.

  “Alex,” snapped a deep voice from somewhere behind her, and Roxie jerked back. “Who is this?”

  Pulling her against his side, he faced the man who looked strikingly like him and said, “This is Roxie Chandler. Roxie, meet my father, David Fielding.” Nodding toward the man standing beside his father, Alex said, “This is Jeremy Butler, the hospital administrator.”

  She couldn’t have heard that first part right. “Your father?”

  The older man assessed her from head to toe and did not look pleased but kept his thoughts to himself. “Administrator Butler has been gracious enough to give me a tour of the facility.”

  The tour guide, whom Roxie had never met, didn’t look much older than Alex. Though his smile seemed genuine, she would have recognized him as the man in charge even without an introduction. With broad shoulders, towering height, and an impeccably tailored suit, Jeremy Butler exuded power.

  “I appreciate Jeremy taking the time to show you around.” Alex’s tone said quite the opposite. He seemed more annoyed that his father had bothered the higher up.

  “I was happy to do it,” Mr. Butler said.

  “Between seeing the hospital for myself,” Alex’s father continued, as if the two men hadn’t spoken, “and witnessing your work today, I see now that you aren’t wasting your talents, and I approve of you continuing here on the island.”

  Nice of him to grant his approval. Not that Alex needed it.

  “Have you ever told him that you’re proud of him?” she asked, unable to keep her mouth shut. “Or ever once stopped to think that he’s happy where he is and that should be enough for you?”

  “Roxie—”

  “No,” she said, stepping closer to the older man. “Alex isn’t just a good doctor. He’s a good person. The people on this island care about him not because of his name or because he has some flashy office, but because he cares about them. Would your patients say the same about you?”

  Jeremy Butler cleared his throat and sent Roxie a supportive smile, while Alex sighed behind her.

  “Young lady,” the elder Fielding said, “I don’t know where my son found you, nor do I care. This is a family matter, and therefore, none of your business.”

  “Wrong,” Alex said. “Roxie is part of this family. Or will be eventually.”

  “You can’t be serious.” He looked her up and down once again. “Look at her.”

  “Every chance I get,” he drawled.

  Sliding on the heavy coat he’d been carrying, Alex’s father said, “I can see that I’m wasting my time.”

  “Ya think?” she snorted, and Alex squeezed her hand.

  “I appreciate your help today,” he said to his father. “But Roxie isn’t saying anything I haven’t been saying for years. You chose your path. Let me choose mine.”

  “I never thought a son of mine would sett
le for this.” The flippant wave to his surroundings only proved that the man could not be reasoned with.

  “I would only be settling if I went back to Philadelphia,” Alex countered. “If you spend a little time here, you’ll see that for yourself.”

  Roxie couldn’t blame him for trying to make peace. Not when she longed so badly for the same with her own family.

  “I’ll be driving back to Norfolk tonight. I have a flight out in the morning.”

  When Alex’s face fell, Roxie wanted to punch the old man. She didn’t. But she really wanted to.

  “That’s your decision,” he said, offering his father the dignity he would likely never get in return.

  Without so much as a handshake, Alex’s father walked away from the son he didn’t deserve.

  The silent witness to it all said, “He’ll come around someday.”

  Alex shook his head. “Probably not. Thank you again for showing him around. At least now he should leave me alone for a while.”

  Jeremy slid his hands into his pants pockets and smiled, revealing a set of deep dimples. If Roxie hadn’t already picked her man, she’d have been much more devastated by the view, which was damn fine.

  “If it helps, he spoke highly about you during our tour. He clearly doesn’t know how to say it, but he is proud of you.”

  “I appreciate you saying so. Now I promised this woman some food.” Alex kissed the back of Roxie’s hand. “Time to deliver.”

  They bid Jeremy goodbye and continued on in silence. At the cafeteria entrance, Alex placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Thank you for that.”

  Looking up, she said, “You aren’t mad?”

  “No, but given the chance, I’ll return the favor someday.”

  Rising on her tiptoes, she gave him a quick kiss. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Epilogue

  The sun was up, Roxie was happy, and the population of Anchor Island seemed to double overnight. Today, she was helping at the Dempsey’s Bar & Grill spring festival stand, and the conch fritters were flying. She could barely keep up with the demand, and all she had to do was add the dipping sauce and hand them over. Nick was doing the real work, dancing between the grill and the fryers.

  “Three more fritters and one smothered,” Roxie called, while taking a customer’s payment. The smothered was Dempsey’s cheeseburger, so called because it was topped with grilled mushrooms and onions. “Step to the right, and your food will be ready in a couple of minutes.”

  “Good morning,” said Will, stepping up to the table. “How is my newest employee today?”

  Once the excitement of the new babies had ebbed, Roxie had done an impromptu interview with Will, who had hired her on the spot. She’d already been assigned to an event and had spent the last five days learning a long list of local vendors for everything from catering to photography.

  “I’m good. Can I interest you in a fritter?”

  Roxie’s new boss rubbed her stomach. “I made the mistake of hitting Opal’s stand first. The mini cupcakes are awesome, but I had way too many of them.”

  If the cupcakes were anything like the cheesecake, Roxie didn’t blame her.

  “I’m actually here to introduce you to my other newest employee.” Will waved for someone at the next stand over, and a leggy blonde joined them. “Lauren Riley, this is Roxie Chandler. You met her cousin Beth at the crafts booth earlier.” As Roxie shook the newcomer’s hand, Will added, “Lauren is our new chef at the Marina restaurant.”

  “You own that now?” Nick said, coming up behind Roxie and scaring the crap out of her.

  “Warn a girl,” she said, but he was too focused on the chef to listen.

  “We bought it last month when it went up for sale. Since Randy already has Anchor Adventures attached to the marina, it made sense to own the rest of the property.”

  Roxie had once asked Beth exactly what Will did that she and her husband owned so many businesses. In addition to the adventures and the wedding planning was a fitness center, and now the restaurant. The details given were sketchy, but Will’s family had some attachment to old money, and she’d chosen to use her part of it to better the island.

  “So you’re a chef?” Nick said, as if he hadn’t heard from the back. The man was obvious as hell and looked like a dog annoyed that another was sniffing around his territory.

  “I am,” the woman said with the hint of a Boston accent. “Are you on grill duty today?”

  “I’m head chef at Dempsey’s,” he informed her. “The name’s Nick Stamatis.”

  Roxie looked to Will with brows arched. She’d only ever heard him referred to as head cook, but far be it from her to correct him. This had the potential of being a real pissing match, and Lauren looked like she could more than hold her own.

  “Really?” The grin said Lauren sensed a challenge. “Where’d you go to school?”

  Nick flinched, but only Roxie was close enough to see it. “I learned on the job. You?”

  “Le Cordon Bleu,” she replied, the grin widening into a full smile. “But I’m sure your training was good, too.” Turning to Will, she said, “I found a stand offering fresh fish. I’m going to check it out. It was nice to meet you, Roxie.” Nick was pointedly left out of the goodbye.

  “Well,” Roxie said, “that was fun.”

  Nick snarled as he watched the new competition walk away, and then returned to his grill.

  Will leaned forward and lowered her voice. “If he chases off my new chef, I’m going to turn him into a conch fritter.”

  “Did you not see how she sliced him at the knees? I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Nick could stand to have his ego knocked back a few pegs, and the blonde appeared up to the task.

  “I hope you’re right. Gotta run. If I don’t get by again, I’ll see you at the office on Monday.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Order up,” Nick snapped louder than before, and Roxie wondered how long this cranky streak was going to last. The male ego was such a fickle thing.

  After passing the food to the waiting customer, she spotted Alex coming her way, and her mood lifted. “Hey there, handsome. Interested in something hot and spicy?”

  He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I am, and I’ll have some food, too.”

  Roxie laughed, loving how his green eyes sparkled when he flirted. “Which do you want? Fritter or burger?”

  “Fritter, please, and make it two.”

  He handed over a twenty as she said, “Feeling hungry, huh?”

  With a casual tone, he replied, “One for me and one for my date.”

  She wasn’t scheduled to leave the stand for another hour, so who the hell was his date? “Come again?”

  “You’re off the clock, Miss Roxie,” said Patty Dempsey, stepping through the flaps at the side of the stand. “Our good doctor is springing you early.”

  “Why?” she asked, uncomfortable leaving before the end of her shift.

  The Dempsey matriarch pushed her along before handing two fritters to Alex. “When a handsome young man comes to take you away, you go, my dear.” With a wink at Alex, she shoved Roxie out of the tent.

  “Okay. Geez. No need to be so pushy.” Taking her hand, Alex led her to his car at the edge of the festival grounds. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Roxie did not like surprises. “Are we leaving the island?”

  “Nope.”

  He opened the passenger door, and she reluctantly climbed in. “I don’t like this.”

  “You will,” he said and closed the door.

  Less than five minutes later, after she’d drilled him with questions—which he evaded—for the entirety of the drive, he parked the car at the end of a lane. Roxie assumed they were walking onto the beach, but instead he escorted her to the front of a white waterfront cottage sporting blue shutters and a narrow front porch. Roxie had helped repair the interior, and it had been one of her favorites.

  “Wh
at is this?”

  Holding out a key, he said, “It’s your new home.”

  Had he bumped his head? “My what?”

  “You said you wanted a place of your own. I asked Sam if he could spare a summer rental for a long-term guest, and he gladly came through. Beth, Sid, Will, and Callie all had a hand in the furnishings, so if there’s anything you don’t like, you can take it up with them.”

  Roxie couldn’t believe it. A place of her own. She’d never been able to afford an apartment by herself in Richmond. Now she not only had her own place, but a beautiful view to go with it.

  “Can we go inside?” she asked, anxious to see what her friends had created for her.

  “Of course.” Alex dropped the key into her hand. “Go for it.”

  Unable to control her excitement, Roxie ran onto the porch, then struggled to unlock the door with her shaking hands. Finally, the key turned, and she stepped into a beautiful, beach-themed bungalow, full of soft whites, muted blues, and hints of yellow.

  “Oh, Alex. It’s perfect.”

  “Yes, you are,” he said, and she spun to see his eyes on her. “Are you happy?”

  She nodded as tears threatened. This man was turning her into a sap. “I’m happy, and I’m home. Thank you. No one has ever given me anything this good.”

  He closed the gap between them and pulled her close. “You deserve it, Roxie. You deserve everything.”

  Ear pressed against his chest, she said, “I never expected to fall in love on Anchor Island.” Roxie squeezed him tighter before pressing her chin against his sternum. “But I’m so glad I did.”

  The look in his eyes told her the feeling was mutual. “So am I.”

  Thank you for reading Love On Anchor Island! I hope you enjoyed this visit to my fictitious little Outer Banks island. If you’re interested in reading Nick and Lauren’s story (the dueling chefs!) then don’t forget to pre-order In Over Her Head, coming Feb 2021.

  INSERT COVER IMAGE HERE

  Love is on the menu when two chefs heat up the kitchen—and each other—in this newest addition to the Anchor Island series.

  Chef Lauren Riley has one philosophy—never depend on anyone. A loner and a perfectionist, she’s on Anchor Island to turn Pilar’s into the best restaurant in the Outer Banks, not to make friends. But despite her cold demeanor, the locals refuse to take the hint, and she soon learns the meaning of a found family.