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“Guess we have to thank Stella for bringing you back into town,” Maia piped up with a teasing grin, breaking through the momentary stillness.
“She’s like that pebble in your shoe,” Hunter responded, the barest hint of a smile in his eyes. “As much as you try to ignore it, eventually you can’t anymore.”
I burst into laughter and punched him in the arm. Pretty sure it hurt my hand more than him.
“Here’s to family.” Gabe raised his glass, prompting us all to follow suit.
“Family,” we echoed, and the word seemed to hang there, full of promise and pain in equal measure.
“Stella, is it nice only having one job again?” Liv asked brightly from Evan’s side, clearly attempting to lighten the mood.
“Oh, yes. Driving between here and Key West every day was getting pretty old. And I have to thank Evan for bringing me back home.” I held up my glass to him, but in true Evan-like fashion, he just blushed and touched his mouth with his napkin.
“You more than earned the job, Stel,” he said quietly.
“And now Calypso Key has the best dive staff and the best chef in the keys,” Maia chimed in, her eyes meeting mine with an unspoken understanding that we both needed this normalcy—even if it was thin as ice.
But the comfort food could only do so much. Hunter hardly dared to raise his head from his plate. I could feel the tension coiling around us, a silent serpent waiting to strike. Because though several family members had come home once more, Hunter had no place here. Evan coughed, an echo of discomfort that traveled through the room.
“My new orchids are really settling in,” I commented hastily, trying to right the sinking ship. “They look like they’ve been there for years.”
“You always had a green thumb,” Dad noted, his voice a bridge over troubled water. “You take after your mother that way.” But the undercurrents were there, palpable and anxious. He turned to his eldest son and gave Gabe a wide smile. “And now Calypso Key is doing better than ever. I’m sure your mother is smiling down on us. We can all celebrate right now and next weekend too.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Maia turned toward me. I knew that look, the one that meant business mixed with a touch of familial duty. “Evan and I have nearly everything ready for the festival, but I need a hand with a few things. Stella, could you help organize coverage for the medical tent? I think you’re the right person for that job.” She arched an eyebrow at me, and I silently asked myself why I had confided in her after meeting Aiden at his clinic.
“Of course I’d be happy to help.” I’d completely forgotten about our annual Sea and Sun Festival, a Calypso Key staple that Maia had taken the reins of. I tried to reconcile the side of me that wanted to see Aiden again with the one wanting to stay as far away as possible.
“Thanks,” Maia replied, lifting her glass in a toast. “We want to make sure everyone stays safe while having fun.”
“Always a priority,” I agreed.
“Medical tent?” Hunter asked, his brow furrowing slightly. “Have the festivities gotten that wild?”
“No. Sometimes the heat gets to people, or there’s too much sun,” I explained, brushing off his concern. “It’s mostly precautionary.”
“Ah,” Hunter said as he picked up his fork again. “I know all about precautionary measures.”
Several hands paused in mid-motion as we all digested that. Hunter had spent a decade as a Special Forces operative in the Marines. Now he worked in private security, but none of us knew what exactly that meant. The only thing we all knew for sure was that the man sitting next to me was the polar opposite to the devastated, crushed boy who had left. But he wasn’t the only one who’d been nearly destroyed, and I tried to walk the fine line of loving both of my brothers.
Evan’s face tightened as he stared at Hunter. He took a breath and appeared about to speak when Liv placed a soft hand on his forearm, her headshake almost imperceptible. Evan relaxed. Liv had been instrumental in helping Evan face his own demons, and all of us were glad to welcome her into the family.
Evan met my eyes. “Always better safe than sorry.” His smile was brief, but it was there. I took whatever he was willing to give.
“Exactly.” I poured all my focus into smoothing the edges of the conversation. The awkward tension. “Now, who’s ready for dessert?”
Chapter Eight
Stella
The warmth outside was a welcome change from the pressure cooker that had been the dining room. As I walked down the hill toward the resort alongside Hunter, the seaside breeze carried the faintest hint of salt and jasmine.
“Well, all things considered, lunch went pretty well. Don’t you think?” I asked him softly.
“I guess. With you there filling in all the awkward pauses.”
“Evan shook your hand. That’s… progress.”
“Small victories,” he said with a sigh.
