Family Ties

Chapter Two - Royalty Returns

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~ Four Years Later ~

Matt stood on the beach of Chicagof Island with a wide grin on his face. Kenny didn't come out to Browntown often, and it had been a few weeks since he'd left, so he was excited.

Kenny's little boat was anchored out by the Integrity, and he zipped over in the skiff.

'How're you doin, buddy?' Matt called, wading out to help pull the little boat in.

'Good, good, I came all the way out here to bring you some good news!' Kenny replied.

'You got a date with an actual, living, breathing, non-imaginary girl?' Matt suggested, and Kenny gave him a shove.

'Your Princess is back in town, and she's been hanging out at the bar for three days waiting for someone...' Kenny grinned.

'Princess?' Matt asked, and Kenny rolled his eyes.

'That high class New York chick, from a few years back? The blonde one that left you in the morning,'

'Maisie?' Matt was astounded. Of course he remembered Maisie, he still had her note in his hut, wrapped carefully in plastic to protect it. 'Is she actually waiting for me, or is she just waiting for any handsome guy to sweep her off her feet?'

'She's been approached by a few, but she's always turned them away,' Kenny told him. 'Get cleaned up, I'm fulfilling my job as best friend and wingman. The worst she can do is say she's not interested anymore, right?'

#

Matt scrubbed pretty okay, if he did say so himself. Which he did, naturally.

After Kenny told him to stop messing with his hair for the third time in so many minutes, he just took to pacing the length of the tiny boat.

What if she was here to see someone else?

They knew the resort hadn't gone ahead as planned due to overwhelming local protest, so she had no proper business being back. Maybe she met someone else in her short time here?

Matt trotted off towards the pub with Kenny's jeering making him even more nervous. He pushed his way through the doors, and felt the breath knocked out of him.

She looked the same as she had three or four years ago, however long it was. Her long blonde hair spilled down her back, tucked under a pink beanie. She had one hand wrapped around a coffee mug, the other playing with her phone, her same black gloves resting neatly on the bar beside her. She wore her thick grey coat, and her black jeans, tucked into her boots.

Matt nearly believed that he had met her only yesterday.

'Come back for more?' he teased, sliding smoothly into the seat beside her. She jumped nearly a foot in the air, green eyes growing wide at the sight of him. She shoved her phone in her pocket.
'Matt! Oh my gosh, I didn't think I'd see you again!' she said with a smile, wrapping an arm around his neck. He hugged her back with a grin.

'Well, your note did say you'd look me up next time you were out this way, right?' he said, and she smiled brightly at him. Despite her apparently cheerfulness, Matt could sense that she was nervous about something, and she looked tired.

'You remember what it said?'

'I still have it!' Matt laughed, ordering a hot drink from the bartender.