Christmas at Remarkable Bay by Victoria Purman

Author:Victoria Purman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2019-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

George followed Mara and Abbie up the beach, watching the sway of Mara’s hips and the way she swung her free arm playfully, unselfconsciously. The two of them—the woman and the girl—were in lockstep, almost the same height, Mara’s blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and swinging side to side as she walked.

A girl who’d been abused by the very people she should have been able to trust and a woman who’d been in trouble herself as a kid. A woman who had beaten herself up because she thought she’d failed that young girl.

In his eyes, she’d done exactly the opposite. Mara had been there for Abbie just when she needed her. He understood now why Mara was so invested in what happened to Abbie. He understood what it was to be driven to right a terrible wrong. To find redemption. That’s what had kept him going after Karen had been hurt, the idea that he had to make it up to her for letting her get shot.

He hadn’t been able to stop Karen’s descent into hell. He could never make it up to her. No matter how many times he looked after her dog. No matter how many late night trips he’d made to her place to clean her up and get her into bed. No matter how much he did for her.

And now two other people needed him.

And that’s what was churning George up inside. The knowledge that they both needed him to be something he couldn’t be. A hero. He wasn’t that guy. He couldn’t be that guy to anyone anymore, and the sooner they knew that, the better off they would all be.

He reached the road, checked for holiday traffic and crossed.

‘George?’ Mara was standing on the front lawn of her rental, waiting for him. She had one hand on her cocked hip and the other was held to her face, shielding it from the sun. As he came closer, he could see the confused expression on her face. She’d probably seen the same look on his.

‘Yep?’

‘Abbie and I have decided to take a walk down to Ocean Street and grab something from the bakery. I simply can’t convince her on the Tim Tam thing. Feel like tagging along?’

He needed to be alone. When he felt like this, it was best that he didn’t inflict himself on other people. He glanced along the road. ‘I’ll pass. I’ve got some stuff I need to do.’

‘Oh. Okay.’

‘I’ll grab the dog and head off.’

Mara stepped forward. She looked up into his eyes and her full lips fell open slightly with a breath. ‘You okay?’

He didn’t want to feel it, that buzz of attraction and lust that reared up in his chest again. And he didn’t want to see it in her eyes either, but it was there. He met her gaze, and when he didn’t see confusion anymore but understanding, he was even more unsettled. No one knew how hard Karen’s injury had been on him. No one.

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