Terri Osburn - Up to the Challenge

“There’s always a choice.” Joe tapped his boot. “Beth told you Sid loves you. She got the impression you didn’t believe her.”

Lucas was still groggy enough to struggle with the sudden change in topic. “I’m sure Beth believes that, but she’s wrong. Sid made it clear yesterday that her heart is in no danger from me.” The words still rankled. He’d like to think the damage was to his pride, but the pain in his chest said otherwise.

“I don’t know what Sid told you, but Beth isn’t wrong. Sid has been half in love with you since high school.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m still not sure how you never saw it,” he said, ignoring Lucas. “She went to every baseball game you played in. Waited for you by the bike stand every day after school, always hoping you’d notice her. And you never did.” Joe put the chair into motion. “Until now.”

“By the time I was in high school, you were out on fishing boats full time. How would you know what Sid did or didn’t do?”

“Some of us aren’t as blind as you are,” he said. “I went to your games. Picked you up on rainy days. What I didn’t see, Mom saw. Or Dad. But not you.”

Lucas leaned his head against the cast-iron headboard. “High school is ancient history. A teenager’s crush doesn’t have anything to do with now. What’s the point of this, anyway? You don’t even like me. Shouldn’t you be happy to see Sid rid of me?”

The chair stopped. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

“Don’t approve then.” Joe had made it clear on more than one occasion how he felt about Lucas’s life choices.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Lucas shook his head. “What did you say?”

“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about living away from here. You have every right to live wherever you want.”

Maybe this was another weird dream. Any minute now, juggling clowns would march out of the closet and fill the room.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Lucas asked, not ready to accept the new brother sitting before him.

“Beth has helped me see a lot of things.” His boot hit the floor and Joe lifted out of the chair. “A couple months ago, you woke me up and told me to stop being an idiot. To go after the woman I loved. I’m just trying to return the favor. Sometimes you have to be willing to give up what you think you want to get the thing you need.”

He moved to the door and Dozer jumped off the bed to follow. Lucas could finally breathe again.

“Either way, I hope you’ll be willing to stand up for me at the wedding. If not, I’ll understand.”

Be the best man when his brother married his former fiancée? Lucas considered that twisted scenario, waiting for the bitterness to hit his tongue. All he tasted was morning breath.

“I’d be honored.”

“Good. Maybe someday I can return that favor too.”

Then Joe turned off the light and was gone.

The last of the rain and clouds cleared out overnight, leaving Anchor basking in sunshine and a warm, soft breeze. The day was perfect, which brought the tourists into the streets in droves. Lucas must have dodged ten bicycles by the time he hit the edge of the village.

Saying good-bye to his parents had been tougher than he’d expected. Though his dad was looking better every day, there was still a fragility about him. The reality that his parents would not be around forever sat heavy on his chest, making him promise to come home more often.

His bags had been packed the night before so there wasn’t much for him to do after Joe left. Going back to sleep wasn’t an option, what with his brain replaying Joe’s words and the lingering threat of more dreams about Sid. So she’d had a thing for him in high school. That was ten years ago.

Though he did wonder how he’d missed the signs. Would he have cared if he knew? He tried to picture the Sid from high school. She’d been small. Quiet. At least around him. A memory teased at the back of his mind. A school dance. Bleachers. Lucas passed the wild horse pens on his left, and struggled to bring the memory into focus.

There had been another kid. Dean Schnitzel. A jerk, Lucas remembered. No one was upset to see him move away in the middle of senior year. But Sid would have been a junior then. Why would he remember her with Dean Schnitzel?

The scene came back to him. Dean and Sid under the bleachers. She was shoving him away, her shirt torn by the time Lucas interrupted them. How in the hell could he have forgotten that? He’d offered to give her a ride home, but fear and embarrassment shone in her brown eyes, illuminated by the field lights, before she’d run off without a word.

He’d considered reporting Dean, but that would have put Sid in the spotlight. Let everyone know what had happened, and force her to face the questions and scrutiny of the island at large.

So he’d let her go. Let her deal with the situation on her own. And Sid had done the same yesterday, run away after another asshole treated her like shit. Only this time, Lucas had been the asshole.

“Son of a bitch,” he said, and turned the wheel hard.

Sid couldn’t sit in the house. She kept seeing Lucas on the couch or at the stove. The bedroom was the worst. She’d given up by two in the morning and dragged a blanket out to the couch. Then she learned why they put infomercials on in the middle of the night. She’d been so tired, she actually considered buying a belt that claimed to create six-pack abs with electrical pulses.

The guy on the commercial had been wearing the thing while eating ice cream. In the light of day, it was crazy. At four a.m., the damn thing looked like a brilliant idea.

By eight she’d showered while naming every tool in her workshop in her head to keep from thinking about Lucas. By the time she got to hacksaw, she wanted to saw her own head off. Now she was strolling through her backyard, listening to the waves and watching the gulls dip down for breakfast.

Without thinking, she found herself on the pier, standing in the same spot Lucas had served her dinner. When she closed her eyes, she saw him stepping from behind the umbrella, tanned skin glowing in the morning sun. Lips wide in that grin that made her toes curl. She dropped down onto the boards and dangled her feet over the water.

The spray misted her bare feet, but the water felt good in the heat of the day. The movement of rain out of the area meant less humidity and a warm breeze. She closed her eyes and let the wind whip through her hair. A drop of water landed on her hand and only then did Sid realize she was crying.

Not the heavy sobs of the day before. This felt more like a cleansing. A mourning. Randy was right—Lucas had a choice, but she hadn’t let him know what all of his choices were. She never asked him to stay. Never told him how she really felt. Not that she believed that would have made a difference, but she couldn’t blame him for going when she practically put him on the ferry herself.

Still, the tears came. She didn’t have any tissues so she used the sleeve of her T-shirt. A new one she’d ordered online had arrived the day before. She was behind on laundry so she’d worn it. The phrase on this one, “The Universe abhors a vacuum … so don’t be a sucker,” seemed apropos somehow.

“Hey,” came a voice from behind her, then a warm body sat down at her side.

Sid blinked, certain she must be hallucinating.

“Hey,” she said, tentative. Waiting for Lucas to disappear.

He looked up at the sky. “Beautiful day.”

The weather? He was going to talk about the weather?

“Yeah.” She sat straight, her face turned away from him. Trying to be inconspicuous, she wiped a tear on her sleeve.

Silence prevailed, and Sid felt every muscle in her body tense. Why was he here?

“I stopped to say good-bye to Drillbit,” he said, as if reading her mind. “She told me you were out here.” She turned to see if he was serious and caught the grin. “I thought that might get your attention.”

Lucas wiped one of her tears away with his thumb, and Sid’s heart tried to fling itself out of her chest. “Why are you really here?” she asked, surprised she found the power to speak.

He looked out over the water. “I was heading for the ferry when I got this idea.”

“An idea?”

“Yeah. An idea. It involves you, so I thought I’d come over and run it by you.”

She’d thought any ideas involving her had ended yesterday. Her eyes dropped to her hands twisted in her lap. They were gripped tight enough to turn her fingers purple. “What’s the idea?”

Would he ask her to go with him? That had to be it. She was ready to scream yes when he said, “I’ve got one more challenge for you.”

Sid clamped her eyes shut. How stupid to think he’d take her with him.

“I don’t think I’m up for any more challenges.”

“That’s too bad,” he said, turning his body to face her. “This one could be a win-win for both of us.”

What was the man babbling on about? Why wouldn’t he just leave?

“Sid,” he said, and waited. Knowing he’d sit there forever until she turned, Sid gave in.

“What is it?”

He looked very serious and a little scared. Sid’s breathing slowed and the sound of waves and birds faded until she couldn’t hear anything but her own heartbeat and the man before her. “I was thinking about setting up a law office on the island, but I’ll need someplace to live. Do you think I could live here? With you? For the rest of my life?”

Sid sat blankly for a moment, processing what he’d just said.

Then she choked on the joy rushing through her system. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t breathe. If this was a joke, she’d kill him.

When she didn’t respond, Lucas scooted closer. “What do you say? Are you up to the challenge?”

“Fuck yes,” she said, and launched herself into his arms.

Anchor Island is a product of my imagination, but wholly inspired by Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The layout, street names, and even the weather are liberated from this tiny island at the base of the Outer Banks. So it goes, Dempsey’s Bar & Grill has a real counterpart as well. Howard’s Pub is one of the first establishments you’ll see as you drive into Ocracoke village. A lively restaurant with a friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, and food that will have you coming back for more. If Anchor and Dempsey’s sound like places you’d like to visit, I highly recommend scheduling your next vacation around this beautiful and historic area of the mid-Atlantic coast.

The heroine of this novel, Sid Navarro, is one of my favorite characters. She’s brash and confrontational, but still vulnerable and sweet. Though she’d be quite put out to know I called her sweet. Sid sports an interesting wardrobe, and all of her (somewhat inappropriate) T-shirts can be added to your own closet if you look hard enough.

No author gets to this point alone, and I am no exception. My agent, Nalini Akolekar, is always in my corner and I cannot thank her enough. My editors, Kelli and Becky, helped me make this book the best it could be, and my beta readers (Marnee, Jeanne, Maureen, and Lynnette) are always a source of great insight and support. That said, any imperfections in this book are solely mine.

My daughter gives up much for me to pursue this endeavor, and for that I will always be grateful. The pets are not as understanding, but they try.

Photo by Crystal Huffman