I closed the car door, turned the key in the ignition, and…nothing happened. Oh, no. I tried again, heard a few clicks, but still no turning engine. Damn, damn, damn. A broken-down car was the last thing I ever would have expected to have to deal with on this day. I needed some help, and I needed it quickly. My dad had bought me an auto club membership when I first returned, but I feared they’d take forever to get here. I pursed my lips, glanced around. Who could help?
Hey, Stowe’s car—a white sedan of some sort, a rental probably—was parked in his driveway.
Two minutes later I was on my neighbor’s front porch, ringing the doorbell. I knew next to nothing when it came to mechanical things, so I had no clue what the problem with my car could be. I sure hoped Stowe was better informed than me.
Just as I was finishing that thought, the man in question opened the door. “Oh, hi,” I said casually, like visiting him early in the morning was a common occurrence. “Or I guess I should say good morning,” I corrected.
Stowe, dressed in sweatpants and a navy T-shirt that clung to his muscled torso, leaned up against the door frame. “Hey, early morning visitor,” he drawled, smiling. “Good morning, indeed. It’s always a great start to the day when you find a beautiful lady at your door.”
“Uh…” I was caught off guard by the unexpected compliment, and maybe also a bit by how good Stowe looked—linebacker shoulders, defined pecs, trim waist.
He apparently took note of my perusal of his physique, as I noticed him suppressing a chuckle. “Since you’re here, would you care to join me for breakfast?” He gestured to the interior of his home.
“Oh…uh, no thanks.” I crossed my arms, hoped I wasn’t blushing. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you”—he shot me a look that told me I definitely wasn’t—“but my car won’t start.”
Stowe quipped, “Well, damsel in distress, it’s your lucky day. I think I can help.” He looked past me to the M6. “It’s probably just the battery. Just give me a minute, and I’ll take a look.”
“I appreciate it,” I murmured.
Stowe asked me if I wanted to come in and wait, but I declined, opting instead to hang out on the porch. He’d already noticed me ogling his body—how embarrassing—I didn’t need to compound my discomfort by traipsing into his lair.
In my defense, I truly was just a bit caught off guard that Stowe was so…built. The T-shirt really showed a lot. Adam had a lean, muscular body, but Stowe’s was more bulky. I actually preferred Adam’s physique; it was more suited to my tastes. But that wasn’t to say Stowe didn’t have an amazing body, one I could definitely appreciate. And think about…
“Maddy?” Stowe’s questioning voice interrupted my reverie, making me wonder just how long he’d been standing in the doorway, apparently ready to go.
“Sorry, I was just”—I started down the steps—“lost in thought.”
Stowe quickly caught up. “It looked like it,” he said from beside me on the bottom step.
We walked over to my driveway, saying nothing more. When we reached my car, he asked if I could pop the hood and try the ignition, and he’d try to see what was going on exactly.
I did as he asked with the same result as before. “Ugh,” I uttered as I pressed my forehead to the top of the steering wheel. “Stupid car.”
“It’s just a dead battery,” Stowe said consolingly from the front of the car, blocked partially by the raised hood. “Do you have any jumper cables?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe in the trunk?”
Stowe laughed. My window was down, and he patted my shoulder as he walked by. “No worries, I have cables in the rental. We need it over here anyway, so just give me a sec.”
So his car was a rental. The Maine plates should’ve been a tip-off since he supposedly hailed from Florida. I didn’t have time to consider anything further though; Stowe was back in a snap. And a few minutes later my car was up and running, the battery fully charged.
I thanked my handy, buff neighbor—he really had saved the day without knowing it—and then I drove down to the dock at Cove Beach.
***
Brody transported me over to Fade Island. After we were well on our way, he asked how I was holding up. I’d never told him why I’d been leaving the day he (with my father) had helped me move back to the mainland, but he had to have realized there was some kind of trouble between Adam and me. Now it appeared Brody had come to the conclusion that Adam had broken up with me.
I told him I was fine, but felt no need to enlighten him further. It stung to think he probably believed, as his cousin Jennifer had, that Adam had grown tired of me. For the rest of the trip, I sat quietly as we traveled the waters. When we finally reached the island, though, my mood improved.
I was pleased to see the Navigator parked in the same exact spot I’d left it. A ray of hope that Adam hadn’t given up on me—on us—sprang forth. And when I eventually crawled up into the big SUV, that ray of hope brightened.
Taped to the steering wheel was a note. My eyes misted with tears as I read and reread the words Adam had penned:
If you’re reading this, then you’re back.
Please let it be for good.
All my love…Adam
I whispered his name reverently and stared at the note for a small eternity. Finally, I
