Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [27]
Turning the page, he found a photo of Ashley and a young man. The caption: Sean Amberson welcomes home high school sweetheart, Ashley McKenna.
Amberson? Wasn't that the name of one of the men lost at sea?
Tyler flipped back to the article on the storm, tracing the names of the five sailors lost with his finger. The final name was Jeremy Amberson. The brother of Ashley's boyfriend? That was an interesting connection. Sean Amberson sounded like someone who might have insight into the McKenna family, especially Ashley. If he couldn't get answers from the McKenna sisters, maybe he could get them from their friends.
Chapter Five
"Ready?" Kate asked, watching Ashley take a deep breath before boarding the sailboat. "They're waiting for you."
"Thanks for coming with me. I know you should be at work," Ashley said.
"It's fine. Theresa handles the store as well as I do. Although I hate to admit that. You know me, control freak to the end."
Ashley nodded, but Kate could tell her sister wasn't listening. Her mind was wrestling with the task ahead of her. It saddened Kate to see her once-courageous sister battling simple and often imagined fears. At one time, Ashley had been so decisive, so eager to explore the unknown. Now there always seemed to be a battle going on between mind and body, between right and wrong, truth and lies.
"Here I go." Ashley squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She called to one of the crew that she was coming aboard. An eager male came to assist her, stretching out a strong, secure hand for Ashley to take. And she did, stepping onto the boat with just a bit of a stumble.
Kate watched while Ashley went into photographer mode. With the camera in her hand and the vast expanse of water at her back, she seemed able to keep the fear at bay as she instructed them on where to stand and where to look.
While Ashley took care of business, Kate looked around. It was a beautiful day. The stormy night had blown away all the dust, leaving the sky a bright, brilliant blue, and the water glistened like diamonds in the sunlight. There were colors everywhere, from the sails on the boats to the multicolored roses in planters along the waterfront that gave Rose Harbor its name. There was excitement in the air, too. The slips were filling up with boats, the local bars teeming with racers looking for crews.
For a moment, Kate felt a strange sense of yearning that she didn't begin to understand. She'd turned her back on this world a long time ago. And she didn't regret it. She didn't miss the life she'd led. Not for a second. She knew how quickly the magic could go, the wind could change, the race could turn from one of friendly competition to cutthroat obsession. Out in the middle of the ocean anything could happen. The sea could swallow up a boat without anyone knowing. People could disappear.
Kate turned her back on the water and tried to quell the sudden nausea in her stomach. She shouldn't have come down here. She should have stayed safe at home or in the bookstore. God, she was getting as bad as Ashley.
"Kate?"
"Sean," Kate murmured in surprise as he approached. "Ashley said you were back." She slipped her hands in the pockets of her slacks. She always felt awkward around Sean, especially since he'd grown into a man, a man who reminded her of Jeremy.
"What are you doing down here?" he asked.
"I came along with Ashley." Kate tipped her head in Ashley's direction.
He nodded with a pleased smile. "Ah, she got on the boat. I guess the sun brought out her courage."
Kate looked away. His brown eyes