Page 29 of The Pilot

“Your brother’s getting married! Here!” Evelyn exclaimed, then promptly burst into tears. She threw herself at Chad and hugged him as hard as she could. “I’m so happy!”

Everyone was standing and congratulating Chad and Britt, and Linc took the time to sidle up next to Harper. She was smiling, but she also looked a little uncomfortable.

“You’ll get used to it,” Linc reassured her.

“To what?”

“This. The crazy that is my family. Poor Marit’s first date with Zach was here at the house, and she had to endure Britt and Chad getting engaged and the excitement that went along with that. My mom was beside herself, even more giddy than she is right now.”

Harper giggled a little. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the wine and the warmth of the heater.

“We thought something was wrong,” Kash said, as he hugged his mom around the waist.

Linc realized that Kash was growing like a weed. He was taller than he’d been even a few months ago, when he ran the crates at Lobster Fest in town. He wasn’t much heavier, but it would only be a matter of time at the speed he was growing.

“Can I go back to the beach and look for cool stuff with Granddad?”

Victor hadn’t come up to the deck, but he’d wandered closer so he could eavesdrop on what was happening.

“Of course, baby.”

“I’m not a baby,” Kash muttered, before hugging his mom once more and running back down the stairs. He and Victor wandered off, with Kash talking a mile a minute and his granddad nodding now and then.

“They’re getting along so much better now that they aren’t living under the same roof. Thank you for that, Linc. Seriously.”

He’d told her over and over that she didn’t need to thank him, and she’d done her best to stop, but there were times, like now, when it seemed she couldn’t help herself.

“You’re welcome,” he said simply. He couldn’t resist putting his arm around her waist and giving her a small sideways hug. He wanted to do more, but since their circumstances were so new, he refrained.

Dropping his arm from around her, he took a sip of his beer as the women settled back down into the chairs and began to talk about the upcoming wedding.

Linc didn’t really care about the details of his brother’s nuptials, just that he was happy. Being in the kitchen with Zach wasn’t an option, and Knox had gone back to the beach to join Victor and Kash. Chad had sat down and pulled Britt onto his lap, and seemed content to listen to the women make plans for his own wedding.

Linc found himself restless again. Honestly, he felt a little left out. But he didn’t really mind. Lately, he’d felt a touch disconnected from his family. Maybe it was exhaustion catching up with him from so many nearly sleepless nights. Maybe it was the house he’d bought, taking up all his time.

Maybe it was because his brothers were moving forward, getting married, starting families, and as the oldest, he felt as if he should’ve already done what they were doing by now.

Whatever the reason, he decided to take a quiet walk around Lobster Cove. Make sure all was well. He entered the house, told Zach he’d be back shortly, and left out the front door.

First, he wandered over to the auto body shop. He was as proud of the place now as he’d been when his dad had first opened it. He remembered the hours upon hours he and his father had spent with their heads under the hoods of cars. Their fingers covered in grease as they attempted to get a lawn mower working again. The joy they felt when they got a snowmobile started after replacing the engine.

The fact that it was still operating today made it feel as if their dad was still with them. Of course, he wasn’t, which sucked. Austin Young would’ve been thrilled that two of his sons were engaged and soon-to-be dads. He’d already be planning on introducing his new grandchildren to his beloved engines. Hell, their first gift from him would probably be a tiny little T-shirt with Lobster Cove Auto Body emblazoned on the front.

Next, Linc headed over to the rental houses. He peeked into the window of the smaller one and winced at what he saw. It had been gutted, and it was obvious it would be months before it was ready to rent again. Possibly even later than spring, which meant Harper and Kash wouldn’t be moving in there anytime soon.

From the houses, he made his way toward the massive boat storage area. There were boats everywhere he looked, all covered with the white shrink-wrap they used to protect them from the elements and critters in the winter. When he and his brothers were little, they loved to play hide-and-go-seek around the boats. They never went into the boats themselves, but crawling around and under them seemed like the most fun ever back then.

Laughter rang out from the house . . . and Linc sighed, wondering what he was doing. Why was he out here by himself and not with his family?

Feeling drawn to the house, back to Harper, wanting to see her enjoy herself and relax for once, Linc decided to do one more thing before he rejoined everyone.

He headed for the woods, taking a direct path through the trees instead of going the long way around by the water, which had been his plan. It didn’t take him long to get to the fort that he and his brothers had all played in at one time or another. Chad had found Kash there in the early summer, and had made up a name on the fly for the decrepit structure. Fort Bad Assery.

Thinking about that still had the ability to make Linc smile. There was nothing badass about the sticks and wooden planks they used to play in. Kash had improved the structure, but it was still looking a little shaky, especially now that the boy wasn’t there to continue the upkeep. The things he’d stored inside had been removed for the winter, and all that was left was the dirt floor and a mouse nest in the corner.

Linc wasn’t sure why he was there. Why he’d felt the urge to check on the pathetic little fort. Maybe because he wanted to be able to reassure Kash that it was still standing? To reminisce?

Whatever the reason, now that he was there, Linc suddenly felt himself falling into the dark place in his head that he did his best to keep locked away.