4. Twist Of Fate

Somehow Knox found himself walking into a restaurant on the water Friday after work, waiting to meet Sage Mancini for dinner and a drink. Or a drink and maybe dinner.

He was pretty sure he was going to mess it up somehow and had to go back and reread the email twice sent to him yesterday.

She'd answered his question about any renovations in the place and then tossed out getting together after work tonight to catch up.

He didn't know what the fuck "catch up" meant to a woman.

A guy, it'd be a beer. A woman, could be anything from that and more or nothing else.

He was waiting by the door rather than the bar, and a minute later, Sage came. She had on light-colored jeans that looked a little baggy on her, but he knew that was the style now. Her short-sleeved multi-color shirt was fitted and tucked in at the waist. She had a pair of teal pumps on her feet that matched some teal in her shirt.

She looked stylish like he'd always thought when they were in school. Not over the top but a comfortable fashion style that not many could pull off.

Her hair was pulled away from her face, flowing down her back, and had a slight wave to it.

The makeup on her face was minimal but added a depth of dimension to her eyes, making them pop out a bit more.

"Hi," she said. "Am I late?"

"Right on time," he said. "I was early. I didn't want you to think I wasn't going to show up."

"I wouldn't have thought that," she said.

They walked to the hostess. "Table for two or the bar?"

He looked at Sage to make that decision. This would give him a better idea of what the night would bring.

"A table is good for me," she said. "You?"

"Whatever the lady wants," he said.

The hostess grinned. "Every man should say that."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. Could be that was his problem years ago. He did what he wanted and didn't care so much about going out of his way.

He watched enough men bend over backward for his mother and how they ended up getting shit on. No way. Not doing it.

Or maybe that was more his thinking when he was younger, but the older he got and the longer he remained single, he started to doubt his actions.

If anyone knew what he was worth, he was positive he'd be attracting more women that he wouldn't want in his life.

When they were seated, Sage said, "Please don't be that way."

"What way?" he asked.

"The ‘whatever the woman wants' way," she said, smiling. "I know there are a lot of women out there who would eat it up, but not me. I had a man like that and hated it. Or looking back, I should have hated it more and didn't. Doesn't matter. I think women respect a man a little more when they have a voice. When the man and the woman each have a voice." She blushed. "Sorry. There I go giving my opinion when I normally don't do that."

"No," he said. "I want to hear it. I happen to agree with what you just said. It's refreshing to hear a woman feel the same way."

"Phew," she said, wiping her hand across her forehead. "I thought I made a mess of it just now. I always seem to end up on the wrong side of everything even though I try to stay out of things."

"I doubt that," he said.

"You'd be surprised," she said drily. "Anyway, I'm dying to know how you ended up in Mystic."

"I actually live in Groton," he said. Which was only about fifteen minutes from Mystic. "My business is between my house and Mystic. I travel throughout the area. Nothing is really that far around here."

"No," she said. "I'm learning that. You said you didn't move here when you left Long Island?"

The server came over and got their drink orders. They both got a beer. He figured she'd get some fancy drink or at least wine and found he was happy to be proven wrong.

She also said she was starving and they ordered loaded waffle fries while they looked at the menu. He was thrilled she was setting the pace so he wasn't making any assumptions here either.

"Nope," he said. "I'm sure you heard the rumors back then. My mother left my father."

"I tried not to pay attention," she said.

"Good. I'm glad. But not many felt that way." He was happy to be starting over somewhere new where he could at least omit some things.

"That's on them," she said. "People divorce all the time."

"Yeah," he said. "But not everyone's mother has an affair and gets knocked up by another man, then tries to pass it off as her husband's."

"Oh," she said her mouth staying frozen on that syllable.

"Yeah. My younger brother, Blaze, came out with red hair. Kind of goes with his name. My father had dark brown hair like everyone else in the family."

"It's hard to hide it then," she said.

"There was a lot of explaining to do. My father had been hearing rumors, but I think he didn't want to believe them. Looking back, it wasn't the first time, I'm sure."

He'd heard the fights his parents had before then but tried to cover his ears.

His mother did a good job of tarnishing his father to him when she made him move. To the point he barely talked to his father at visits, but his father never gave him a hard time about it.

"That's too bad," she said. "That had to be hard."

"It wasn't easy. Blaze's father didn't last more than a few years and there have been several men after. My mother and I, we don't have the best relationship now."

"I think I'd struggle over that too," she said. "So I've got to know, how did you end up here?"

This was where he had to be careful about what he said. He stuck with mostly the truth.

"My father got a job at Yale two years after my mother left. My grandparents lived close by and it worked out better. He wanted to go back home, I guess. I stayed with my grandparents more when I visited. My mother moved around some for a few years, but I was at least able to start and finish high school in the same place. Blaze is the one that has been uprooted the most."

"I'd be so upset if I had to leave school at that age."

"It's hard to make new friends," he said. "But the school I went to was big enough that no one thought much of it. It's not like all the kids grew up together from kindergarten on."

"That's a benefit," she said.

"Back to how I ended up here. My father bought a summer home here."

"Has to be by the water," she said. "If I was buying a summer home, I'd want it on the water."

"Not directly on it but with a great view of it from the primary suite on the second floor," he said. "It's a block away, with neighboring houses facing the backyard."

He wouldn't add any more. The view he had from Baker Cove put his house over the million-dollar mark just from the location alone. That didn't include the renovations and addition he did.

His twenty-five-hundred-square-foot house wasn't anything over the top or special other than the location though. He'd converted the attic to a primary suite with a bath and sitting area, along with a balcony. He figured if he was close by, might as well have the view anytime he wanted without having to walk to the beach like his father used to do.

"I'd love that," she said. "But renting is what I do. So your father had a summer place. Are you saying that is where you live now?"

"It is," he said. "My father passed away five years ago. We hadn't been close for a long time and were just reconnecting."

"I'm sorry for that," she said. "I'm so close to my family. The thought of losing either of my parents makes my heart race right now."

"Consider yourself lucky," he said. "Say what you want to say to them while you can. You never know when you won't have that chance."

It'd been hard for him to move into the house left to him, but he wanted to do it to feel closer to his father.

It never happened. It felt as if no one could get close to his father.

His mother had said that for years and used it as an excuse to cheat.

In his eyes, that was wrong every day of the week. You just didn't cheat on someone. For any reason.

But his father tried in his way.

He was the only person who helped Knox when he was sick of being jerked around by his employers.

His father had won the lotto the year before his passing. Knox found it an ironic twist of fate that his mother got nothing at that point other than more misery since she always bitched his father wasted money on his weekly lotto tickets.

In his eyes, his father had it coming to him for the time he'd been led to believe he had a second son and found out otherwise.

There must have been no words to explain that to anyone. Or the embarrassment that would have come with it.

His father used some of that money to let Knox start his own company and get on his feet.

Then a year later when his father had a seizure and hit his head when he fell, his life had ended. A freak accident they'd said.

If he hadn't requested the autopsy, he wouldn't have even known it was a seizure that caused his father to hit his head.

They'd had plans to meet for dinner that night. When he got the call that a student found him in his office, he'd thought it was a joke.

All he had left of the man that he was so angry at for years was a house and a shit ton of money that would never buy him what he wanted. The time to make it right.

"That's a good thing to remember," she said.

"So how did you end up here?" he asked. "We can turn this around to you."

Just then their beer came out and their loaded fries at the same time. She was rubbing her hands together. "I've been dreaming of these all day since we agreed to meet here."

He laughed when she reached in and snagged one.

The hostess grinned. "Are you ready to place your orders?"

"I'll take the bacon burger," he said. "Since I'm eating fries now, can I just get a side of mac and cheese and leave the fries off?"

"Sure can," the server said. "How do you want your burger?"

"Medium," he said.

The server turned to Sage. "I'll make it easy for you and get the same."

When they were alone, he asked, "Did you really want that or wanted to make it easy."

"Both," she said. "It's a double win. Dive in. These are awesome."

She was putting some on a plate so he did the same.

He wasn't sure if she was stalling telling him how she ended up here or just starving as she'd said.

"These are great," he said. "I haven't been here before, but I'll be back."

"My brother told me about this place," she said.

"Your brother lives here too?" he asked.

"Part of how I ended up here. I was working in Manhattan. It ended up not being the job I thought I'd have."

"That happens a lot," he said.

"Don't I know it. I'd been there since right out of college, but things weren't going my way. That's the best way to explain it. Trace came to Mystic to research a new series and ended up falling in love and moving here."

"A new series?" he asked.

"I forgot. You don't like to read. My brother is T. Manny."

"Impressive," he said. "Even I know who he is."

"Yeah," she said. "I make sure I read those books so when people put the two together I don't sound like I'm not supportive." She waved her hand. "Anyway, his wife works for Blossoms."

"I know Blossoms," he said.

Which of course now it occurred to him the name Poppy and the Bloom sisters. They owned and operated the business. He'd even done a job once with Zane Wolfe. Or they were on site at the same time as a home renovation doing their parts.

Zane was married to Lily Bloom.

"Hard not to in this area," she said. "I'm the Marketing Director. They knew some of what I did prior and Violet, my sister-in-law, would call and ask me things. Lily did too. She's the oldest of the sisters, but you probably know that."

"I do," he said.

"Anyway. They are just growing so much and needed to branch out. They created this position and I thought, why not? A change of pace never hurt anyone. So there you go."

"Seems simple enough," he said.

Only he had a feeling it was anything but.