Page 21 of The Pilot

“My mom’s planning a big Thanksgiving. With all of her sons home, and with two grandbabies on the way, she’s almost giddy with happiness and wants to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. She’s going to make way too much food, and I have it on good authority that she’s asked Zach to help as well. Will you and Kash come? And invite your dad too?”

The offer to invite Victor was impulsive, and one he’d probably regret. But hearing Harper talk about the love she had for the man, he couldn’t exactly leave him out of the invitation. And if he wanted Harper and Kash there, Victor would have to be included as well.

Linc was very aware that none of his brothers would be thrilled to share a table with their old neighbor, but wasn’t that what the holidays were about? Forgiveness and togetherness? Like it or not, Victor Rogers was still their mom’s neighbor. And Chad and Britt’s, actually. He was a curmudgeon, and he had done some not-so-neighborly things in the past when it came to Lobster Cove, but he’d also been vital in finding Marit, and informing everyone about Camden kidnapping Mom and Britt.

“I don’t know . . .” Harper said.

“Think about it. You know my mom. Know she’d be over the moon to have you and Kash there. And your dad too. Her heart is huge, and the more the merrier as far as she’s concerned.”

“Thanks, Linc. I know you didn’t bargain on any of this.”

“You’re right, I didn’t. But I’m not sorry about it either. My life had gotten . . . well, let’s just say you and Kash are a good distraction.”

“Distraction?”

Linc wasn’t ready to discuss this, even though he’d brought it up. “Good night, Harper. Let me know about Thanksgiving so I can tell Mom.”

He gently shut his door, knowing he’d made the right decision by inviting Harper and her family to Thanksgiving. It might be awkward having Victor join them—if he even accepted—but someone had to extend an olive branch. The man would never win any neighbor-of-the-year awards, but it was past time to put differences aside and attempt to mend fences.

Linc heard Harper puttering around in the kitchen for a few minutes, then her footsteps on the stairs. It wasn’t until he heard her door close that he relaxed. He hadn’t realized he was so tense until that moment.

His life had already changed immensely, and it hadn’t even been a full day. If anyone had told him twenty years ago that he’d be living with the girl who’d tormented him every day, he would’ve called them insane. And yet, here they were. And the weird thing was . . . he actually liked having Harper there.

Life had kicked her in the teeth, but she was still plugging along. He admired that in her. Hell, he simply admired Harper. She was no longer the spoiled brat she’d been all those years ago. He hated that she’d had to go through such tough times in order to learn what was important in life, but her experiences had turned her into a woman that Linc respected.

Was . . . attracted to?

No, no, no. He couldn’t be attracted to Harper Bates. Wouldn’t that be hilarious, if he and the girl who’d bullied him relentlessly ended up together? It was like a bad Hallmark movie.

Though, Linc couldn’t deny the attraction was there. She was beautiful, even in her exhaustion and worry about Kash. She worked hard. Wasn’t afraid to apologize for her past behavior or make amends. Was a damn good mother.

In fact, Linc pretty much hadn’t found anything that majorly turned him off.

He needed to be careful. Very careful. Because she was going to leave, of that he had no doubt. Her goal from the moment she’d come back to Maine was to find a place of her own for her and Kash. He had to keep that in mind. The last thing he wanted was to become another decision she regretted.

Taking a deep breath, Linc grabbed a book off the stack on the table next to his bed and climbed onto the mattress. He arranged his pillows behind his back and got comfortable. He hoped to read until he got tired, and with any luck, he’d sleep for a few solid hours before his nightmares woke him once again.

Chapter Five

The transition from living with her dad to living in Linc’s house was going surprisingly well. Harper expected to feel awkward around Linc, but he truly seemed to have put their past history behind him. Though she found it harder to forget how she’d treated him once upon a time, since he was being so cool about it, Harper was beginning to come to terms with her past as well.

And Kash was already flourishing living under Linc’s roof, being around him all the time. As each day passed, Harper saw her son doing more and more things to mimic their host. He was more polite, calmer, and seemed to sincerely enjoy things like cooking, doing his own laundry, and taking out the trash.

He’d always gone out of his way to take care of her, but being around Linc had made those instincts even more prevalent in her son. When Harper came home from work, she didn’t have to do much of anything. Kash insisted on setting the table, doing the dishes, and even finishing his homework without any nagging on her part.

And seeing him and Linc discuss what he was learning in science class, and hearing the stories Linc told him about the weather phenomena he’d witnessed firsthand from the cockpit of a plane, was as eye opening to her as it was to her son.

Almost a week had passed since they’d moved in, and to Harper, it felt as if they’d been here much longer. Linc was an easy man to live with. If anything, she wished she had more time to simply sit and talk to him. To get to know him better.

But she had a feeling if she did have that time, it would make things . . . complicated. Harper liked Linc. A lot. He was a good man, a good son, a good brother, and an excellent role model for Kash. It was as if he’d been a father for years. He seemed to know exactly what to say to Kash to make him happy, to motivate him or cheer him up.

Harper hated how much she had to work as the holidays approached, because that meant she was away from Kash even more than usual. School wasn’t going well for him. Not academics, those were great as always. But socially, he was struggling to find his place. To find a group of friends who would have his back.

And much to her dismay, bullies had homed in on her son as an easy mark.

Kash didn’t say much, but what he did admit to was heartbreaking. And Harper knew all too well that what he wasn’t saying was probably twice as bad as what he was.

There was one boy in particular, an upperclassman, who seemed to delight in tormenting Kash and other younger kids at lunch . . . one of the only times the high school and middle school kids mingled. He’d gotten his friends involved as well, including his girlfriend.