Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

***ARCHIE***

A rchie climbed the steps to Max's cabin and let himself in the front door, "Hey, how come you get steps, and we all have to climb ladders?" he called, making his way back to the kitchen. "And what smells so good?"

"I have steps because I own the place," Max said, turning from the stove. "And what you smell is a local fish stew that is going to make you weep with joy when you taste it."

"Since when do you cook?" he asked, walking over to the stove and looking in the pot. "It does smell good."

"I've picked it up since I've been on the island," Max said, giving the pot one more stir. "This needs a few more minutes. Let's go out and sit on the deck. I've got the best view of the ocean, too."

Once they were settled at the table, he looked out at the ocean, "Wow, you weren't kidding, this is incredible," he said, getting more comfortable. "I could definitely get used to this."

"It's not all fun and games. You haven't been here during the rainy season," Max said, shaking his head. "Everything just about washed away that first year. I've never seen that much rain, but we'll be ready for it this year."

"Yeah, but look at this view," he said, shaking his head. "I'd put up with a little rain to see this every day. I'm so tired of the city that I want to scream. This wasn't how I imagined I was going to spend my life."

"If I remember right, you were going to become a doctor and save the world," Max said, smiling at him and shaking his head. "We were so young back then, ready to take on the world and make it what we thought it should be."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back and do it all again, but this time I'd do it right," he said. "Instead of falling into Susan's trap, I'd do like I promised back then. I had so many plans. I was going to travel all over the world and bring healthcare to remote places on Earth and make a real difference in the world."

"It was a big dream, that's for sure," Max said. "But it's not too late, you could still do that, I don't see anything stopping you."

"You mean besides a huge alimony payment," he said. "Come on, Max, we're too old to go running off trying to fulfill our childhood dreams."

Max was silent for a second, "I hate to tell you this, old buddy, but you're sitting in the middle of one of mine," he said. "We're never too old to dream, and if that's still your dream, you should do something about it."

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, letting himself dream about that kind of freedom for just a second, and then shook his head. "It's impossible," he said. "Susan would have me thrown in jail or something."

"I've got my friend working on that," Max said. "I'm expecting a call from him tomorrow. He seems to think you've got grounds to have the entire divorce decree thrown out. "

"You're kidding, the entire thing?" he asked, not sure he'd heard Max right. "I don't exactly want to go through all that again, but Susan got way more than she deserved."

"We'll have to wait to see what Bruce says tomorrow, but if anyone can do it, he can," Max said. "He's a bear when he thinks he's uncovered corruption in the justice system, and he won't let it go until he exposes everyone involved."

"I would love to see that," he said, a smile on his face. "It would be worth every dollar I've spent on that…… well, you know."

Max laughed, "Always the gentleman," he said, then got to his feet. Come on. I'm sure dinner is ready. You can tell me what you've been up to the last couple of days. Sorry I haven't been around to entertain you. A few things came up that needed my attention."

"I don't need you to entertain me, I've been doing fine on my own," he said, following Max into the kitchen. "I've taken a sailing lesson, did some spearfishing, taken a couple of early morning runs, and spent plenty of time on the beach."

"Sounds like I shouldn't have been worrying about you," Max said. "You seem to be doing just fine on your own."

"Well, actually, there is something you could arrange for me," he said, then hesitated for a second. "The woman I've been running with mentioned that we could go out with the fishing boats. It sounded like fun, so I told her that I'd check with you."

Max paused, a ladle full of stew halfway to one of the bowls, then carefully poured it in before turning to look at him. "A woman?" he asked. "You didn't tell me about that."

"It's not what you think, so stop looking at me like that," he said. "We're just friends, that's all, I meant what I said about staying single, and Felicity……well, something happened to her, I don't know what, but she's a bit skittish."

"You're talking about Felicity Russell, aren't you?" Max said, shaking his head. "You need to be very careful with her. She's a bit more than skittish, and you could break her heart in a second."

"I told you it's not like that," he said, getting annoyed. "Can you arrange for us to go out with the fishing boats or not?"

"I can arrange it, but I still don't know if it's a good idea," he said. "She might get the wrong idea, or someone else will, I don't know……"

"You know what happened to her, don't you?" he asked, even more annoyed. "I won't ask you to tell me, because I know you won't, but I know someone hurt her, and I have a feeling it was her husband or boyfriend."

When Max didn't say anything, he had his answer, "Bastard," he said. "I'd kill him if he was here right now. No man should treat a woman that way. I hope he's paying for what he did to her."

"Come on, let's go eat our dinner," Max said. "It's going to get cold."

***Felicity***

Felicity pushed her plate away, "I could get used to this," she said with a contented sigh. "There's nothing better than a big breakfast after a run, and it's even better when I don't have to cook."

Brittany laughed, "We're getting spoiled already, and we've only been here a few days," she said. "I'm going to hate going home and having to take care of myself again."

"Speaking of home, we really should talk about what we're going to do when we get back," she said. "It's time I made some plans for the future."

"There's plenty of time for that after the trip," Brittany said. "I know you want to move out, but I don't see what the hurry is."

She hesitated a second, afraid she would hurt her sister's feelings. "Brittany, you know how much I love you and how much I appreciate everything you've done for me; I wouldn't have made it through this without you, but it's time we had our own lives. As long as I'm living with you, you'll continue to protect me, to interfere between me and the world. That has to stop, or I'll never get completely better."

Brittany didn't say anything for a second, then let out a long sigh, "I'm just afraid I'm going to lose you again," she said. "I don't think I could bear it."

"That's not going to happen," she said, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'm never going to let a man come between me and the people I love again. I'm stronger now than I've ever been."

Her sister's eyes filled with tears, "I think you are," she said. "I'll miss you though."

"I'll miss you too, but I promise I won't go far," she said, relief pouring through her. "I still need you Brittany, I just need some space of my own."

"I understand. It won't be easy to let you go, but it's better for both of us," Brittany said, then shook her head. But I don't want to talk about it anymore; it will just depress me."

Just then, she spotted Archie making his way over to them, "Oh, look, there's Archie," she said. "He's supposed to let me know about going out on the fishing boat. He had to check with Max this morning."

Her sister groaned, "Does it really leave before dawn?" she asked. "I don't know if I can handle getting up that early."

"Oh, come on, you big baby," she teased. "When will you ever get an opportunity to do something like this again?"

"I know, I know, never," Brittany said. "But seriously, Felicity, that's the middle of the night. "

Before she could answer, Archie was at the table. "Good morning," he said, smiling at her, then looking over at Brittany. "You must be Felicity's sister. It's nice to finally meet you."

Brittany studied Archie for a second, then let out a little huff, "It's nice to meet you too," she finally said. "Would you like to join us?"

"Thanks for the invitation, but I'm on my way to a sailing lesson. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that everything is all set for tomorrow morning," he said. "We need to be down at the dock at 4:30 am, so the boat can go out with the tide. I know that's really early, but I think it will be worth it."

"It had better be," Brittany said, a scowl on her face. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

She gave her sister a dirty look, "We'll be there," she said. "Do we need to bring anything?"

"Just yourselves," Archie said. "Max is coming too. He's taking care of lunch, so all we have to do is have fun."

"Sounds great," she said. "We'll see you in the morning."

When Archie was gone, she looked over at Brittany, "See, I told you, he's just a nice guy looking for someone to hang out with," she said. "It's all perfectly innocent, so you can stop thinking the worst."

Brittany stared at her for a long time, then shook her head, "I can't believe you don't see it," she finally said. "He's got the hots for you, Felicity, I could see it the second he looked at you."

A little thrill raced through her, but she pushed it away and shook her head, "You're wrong, he just wants to be friends. I don't know why that's so hard for you to believe," she said. "He's not trying to take advantage of me, he's not being nice because he feels sorry for me, he's just trying to be my friend. "

Her sister sat back in her chair, "I actually agree with most of what you just said," Brittany said, shrugging her shoulders. "The only thing you got wrong was the just friends part. He's attracted to you, Felicity, and I saw the way you looked at him; I think the feeling is mutual."

"Even if it is, I'm not going to do anything about it," she said, knowing that she couldn't lie to her sister. "It scares me just thinking about it, makes me feel a little sick to my stomach, and I don't know if that will ever go away, if a man will ever be able to touch me without it bringing back……well, you know."

Brittany reached across the table and took Felicity's hand. "I'm not saying you should do anything about it, Felicity," she said. I just thought you should know that there are still men out there who will be attracted to you. You should take as much time as you need before you start dating."

"Maybe if Archie and I met at a different time and place, but it's not just me holding back," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I get the feeling that someone hurt him too. He doesn't talk about it, but I can feel a wall between us, a divide that has nothing to do with me."

"Well then, maybe you two are perfect for each other right now," Brittany said, shaking her head. "But I still don't completely trust him, and I'm going to keep my eye on him."