Charleston Harbor Novels: Books 1 - 3

by Debbie White

  “No worries. We’ve been talking about it for a while, but we just really started looking this past week.”

  “Oh, before I forget. We have some furniture for you. Jack is storing it out in his man cave right now.” Annie laughed when she recalled their little episode about playrooms and man caves.

  “Great, that will be so awesome. I think Grandmother and Auntie may give me a few things, too, but I’ll wait and let them offer to me first.”

  “How are you going to tell them?”

  “Danny and I are going over for dinner on Thursday night. We’ll tell them then.”

  “Okay, well let me know if you need any reinforcements.”

  “Charles and Betsy will be there, too.”

  Annie pulled her head back. “Really?”

  “That’s what Auntie Patty told me.”

  Annie strummed the tabletop with her fingers. She knew better. Grandmother and Auntie had something up their sleeve.

  Chapter 24

  Jack gave her the down and dirty quick version of driving the boat. She didn’t have the heart to tell him but she’d driven a few in her day. She didn’t let on, though. She made him feel important that way.

  “Show me,” he said, dangling the key with a red and white bobber attached.

  “I put the key here, and I turn it like this,” she said, listening to the engine sputter before catching and moving the propeller. “Then I put the shifter here,” she said, lowering the gear, “and then I give it some power.”

  The boat took off and Jack wobbled back and forth on his feet while he steadied himself. “Whoa, speed racer, slow it down a bit,” he said, holding the brim of his hat in place.

  Annie gazed over at him and flashed him a wide smile. Then all eyes on the water as she bumped up the speed a tad more. The boat bounced and hit the waves hard, causing her to adjust her speed. She looked over at Jack. He held on to the canopy poles, not taking his eyes off of the water. Annie slowed the boat way down, almost to a crawl, and relaxed. “Am I making you nervous?”

  Jack let go of his death grip and stepped over to the cockpit area. “A little,” he said, tipping his head up and down. “A little,” he said, repeating himself.

  Annie laughed. “I’m not a newbie. I’ve driven boats before. It’s been a while, but you know what they say about horses.”

  Jack knitted his brows together and smacked his lips. “Yeah, that’s horses. Not horsepower as in this boat. It has a lot you know.”

  “Here, you take over, then.” Annie scooted over.

  “No, you wanted to drive the boat, so drive it.”

  Annie looked over her shoulder and then hit the throttle, sending Jack reeling. He grabbed the canopy poles once again, but not without giving her a dirty look.

  After they’d been gone for about an hour, she headed the boat back toward home. She pulled it along their dock and idled while Jack jumped out of the boat. She tossed him the rope to tie Lady Powell up with, shut the engine down, and gathered her things.

  They held hands as they walked up to their property and Sweet Magnolia. “You know, we should think about building a proper boat cover so we can berth the boat during the winter,” Annie said, holding his hand as the climbed the last of the small incline.

  “Okay, so you know boat jargon, too? Who are you and what have you done with Annie? She’s about five feet three inches tall, has reddish blonde hair, and green eyes. “

  Annie playfully slapped him on the shoulder. He grabbed her hands as she pulled away, pulling her toward him, his mouth quickly on hers. She kissed him back as her hands made their way down his back, resting on his back pockets. She gave him a little squeeze on his back end.

  “Hey, don’t do that unless you mean business,” he said through kissing lips.

  Annie pulled away from his kiss although she really enjoyed it. “Tomorrow is the big party. Are you excited?”

  “Sure, it’ll be fun. Tomorrow morning the guys will be here, bright and early to help set up.”

  “I’ll have coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls ready for them.”

  “Don’t feed them too well or we won’t get any work out of them,” Jack said teasingly.

  “Jack Powell!”

  “I’m going to head to the garage for a bit. I’ll be in soon for dinner,” he said as he veered toward the garage and she headed up the stairs to the front porch.

  She whirled around when she got to the top and looked out on to the horizon. A burst of orange danced in the distance as the sun set. The light wind rustled the leaves both on the trees and on the ground. Annie made eye contact with the stately magnolia tree and recalled their wedding day—how beautiful the arch decorated with flowers was and everything else that day. She sighed then her eyes grew big. An idea just popped into her head. She quickly ran down the steps to the garage. “Jack. Jack,” she called with labored breath.

  “What is it,” he said, a look of concern written all over his face.

  “I just had the most wonderful idea.” She grabbed his hands and swayed them back and forth.

  Jack’s eyes darted to their laced hands and back to her face. “Okay, what is this wonderful idea?”

  “I want to bury a time capsule—near the magnolia tree.”

  “Say what?”

  “You know, like a buried chest. It will contain some memorabilia of us. One day, our children can uncover it and they’ll have something special.”

  “Why not just buy one of those heavy duty tote containers and I’ll store it right here in my man cave?” he suggested, looking high up on the pre-made shelves where all the other storage containers were kept.

  “That’s boring. Anyone can do that,” she said disgustedly.

  “What would you put in it?” he asked.

  “That will be revealed on the day we do it. We’ll have a little ceremony—just you and me under the magnolia tree.”

  “Okay,” he said, stretching out the word.

  “Don’t answer me like you think I’m crazy, Jack. This is important. I’ve seen it done before. I’ve read about it before, too.” She crossed her arms and pursed her lips tightly.

  “I’ve read about people filling bottles and tossing them into the ocean, too,” he said.

  Annie’s eyes grew wide.

  “Annie Powell!”

  “Well, that’s an idea. But I don’t like the idea of tossing glass bottles into our beautiful waterway. I’ll buy the perfect container so that it won’t rot in the ground.”

  “I’ll make something. I have lots of pressure treated wood here. I can line the box with some sort of waterproof material and I think it will hold up okay. Let me research it.”

  “Oh, Jack, that would be so awesome, and even more special. Something you make with your own hands.” She hugged him tightly.

  “Anything for you,” he said, switching off the lights and exiting the garage holding her hand.

  “Jack?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you suppose you could make me a wood swing for the magnolia tree?”

  “Sure, I’ll start on that after I make the box … and the porch swing … and the new picnic table and …”

  Annie smacked him on the shoulder. “Okay, I get it. I’ll stop dreaming up projects.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

  Chapter 25

  Jack and Annie sat around their beautiful table he’d built, sipping their coffee when they heard the truck drive up. Jack moved his chair back and crossed to the kitchen to rinse out his cup. The truck door slammed shut, followed by a light rap on their front door.

  “Come on in, Peter,” Jack yelled from the kitchen.

  The door creaked as it opened and Peter stepped in. “Good morning, Annie,” he said, tipping his head.

  “Good morning, Peter,” Annie said, getting up from the table. “Coffee?” she said as she raised her cup.

  “No, thank you,” he said, lifting his baseball cap off and scratching his head.

  “Let’s get started
then. People will be arriving in about …” Jack trailed off as he glanced up at the clock on the wall, “wow, in about four hours.”

  Annie set out the large platters for the burgers and hot dogs and began to slice onions, tomatoes and get the rest of the garnishes ready. She followed the instructions on the handwritten recipe card for Milly’s sangria and made three large pitchers of it. Mary talked her into renting a margarita machine, so they had that as well as cold beer, soda, and water iced down in large oval metal containers that imitated horse troughs.

  She changed into her jeans and long-sleeved shirt, tossed her hair in a rubber band and went outside to help the men. They’d already strung all the lights, arranged the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit, and unloaded the huge grill from the trailer that Peter towed in on the back of his truck.

  “I guess you don’t need my help. Looks like you’ve done it all,” Annie said with her hands on her hips, looking around.

  “We still need to set up the folding tables and chairs. Do you want to cover them with anything?” Jack moved to the stacked tables that leaned up against the house.

  Annie stood with her mouth agape. “Yes, I have them in the house. I knew I was forgetting something.” She ran to the steps and took two at a time, reaching the door quickly.

  Jack laughed loudly as he watched on. “Man, did you see how fast she took off when I said that?” He looked over at Peter.

  Peter nodded. “Yes, sir.” He picked up one of the tables and shuffled his feet as he carried the cumbersome item to an area by the magnolia tree. “Here?”

  “I don’t really know where she wants them set up. Let’s wait,” Jack said, pursing his lips tightly.

  “Here, here are the coverings,” Annie said singingly as she came traipsing down the stairs. Stacked to her chin were several plaid plastic table cloths.

  Jack quickly took them from her and crossed over to the original wooden picnic table and set them down. Annie went to work and started covering the tables as she directed Peter and Jack where to set them up. The three stood back and admired their work.

  “Looks great,” Annie said.

  “Yep, looks very festive,” Jack said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

  “Well, I think I’ll run home and jump in the shower. I’ll be back by around four to help with the grilling,” Peter said, reaching his hand out to Jack.

  Jack cupped Peter’s hand and shook it. “Thanks again, man, for helping.”

  The three looked up when they heard another vehicle approaching.

  “It’s Richard,” Jack said.

  Annie looked down at her watch. “He’s a little late, isn’t he?”

  Jack looked over his shoulder to Annie as he stepped forward. “That’s Richard, always late to the party.”

  Annie shook her head and then crossed over to the steps that would lead up to the front porch. She raised her hand and waved. “Hey, Richard,” she said.

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I had a flat tire out on Shephards Lane. Then, when I got the tire changed, my check engine light came on. So I drove all the way home and brought Diane’s car instead. When it rains it pours,” he said, chuckling.

  “Well, Peter and I got everything done. Sorry you came out here for nothing,” Jack said.

  “There’s nothing I can do to help?”

  Jack turned to look up at Annie, who still hadn’t moved from the front porch. She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, I know,” she called out. “We need firewood for the pit.”

  Jack’s hand flew out in front as he pointed his finger at Annie. “Thanks, I almost forgot.”

  Annie went inside and she could hear Richard and Jack splitting logs and chatter while they were doing it. After about thirty minutes or so, Jack entered the house.

  “Okay, now we’re really ready.”

  “Is Richard gone?” Annie asked.

  “Yep, he’ll be back at around four to help with the grilling.”

  Annie frowned. “It’s a good thing Peter’s coming at four or we might not get to eat today.”

  Jack placed a hand on each of her arms and gently squeezed. “You’re so right. Richard is a lot of fun, but he’s not very reliable.”

  “How’d Diane end up with a guy who isn’t reliable?”

  “It’s called love, Annie. I don’t know, maybe she overlooks his one bad trait for all his good ones. He’s a good guy and he’s a great dad to little Crystal.”

  “True. It’s a good thing he works for the family business, too, or he might be unemployed.”

  “I don’t know about that, Annie. He loves to drive the cars. He’s never been late picking up a customer, ever.”

  “Well, that’s good. I like Richard, don’t get me wrong, but he said he was going to help us with the decorating for the wedding, and he didn’t. He said he would help us with the house and the bakery, and he didn’t. Now, he said he would help us with the party, and he didn’t. It’s a serious pattern with him.”

  “With Richard, you know what you get, Annie. As long as we always have a backup, we’ll be fine.” He pulled her in for a kiss.

  Annie tipped her head up and down. “True. Well, the patties are made and the sangria is done and really. All I have to do is put the potato salad out. When Mary and the ladies get here we can handle that.”

  Jack smiled. “You mean we have time to spare?” He lowered his hands from her arms and laced his fingers with hers.

  “Jack Powell, it’s twelve o’clock!”

  “Yep, just in time for some afternoon delight.” He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. He nibbled on her ear, finally landing his mouth on hers. He kissed her deeply, holding her tight. It was no use. She couldn’t resist him.

  Chapter 26

  Annie’s jaw dropped when Richard, Diane, and Crystal showed up before four o’clock. The men chatted until Annie elbowed Jack, letting him know to fire up the grill.

  “I think it takes a while for the briquettes to burn,” Annie said.

  “Yes, dear,” Jack responded.

  “Yes, dear,” Richard mimicked.

  Annie shot Richard a sly look. “Whatever,” she said, holding her chin up. She laced her arm with Diane’s. “Come on, Diane, I know when we’re not wanted.” The two women laughed as they marched toward the front porch.

  “Yeah, you women go do women stuff and leave us here to do—”

  “Manly stuff,” Diane called out over her shoulder.

  Jack and Richard broke out in laughter, and the tone now set for a lively party had Annie and Diane smirking, too.

  Just then, Peter arrived. Annie looked over her shoulder one last time and shouted out to the men. “Here comes more relief.”

  Jack waved her off. “We got it,” he yelled back.

  Diane and Annie made several trips from the kitchen to the food tables, lugging platters. Mary soon arrived with Danny, Grandmother, and Auntie in tow. Grandmother and Auntie found a comfortable place to sit and watched as the young people rushed around, putting the finishing touches to the barbecue.

  “Are Vicky and the girls coming?” Aunt Patty asked.

  “Yes, they are. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen them. We talk on the phone every now and again, but it will be so nice to see them,” Annie said, smiling.

  “I don’t know if those men are drinking more beer or grilling our food,” Grandmother said, spouting off.

  Annie laughed. “Both. They’re doing both. I just hope they don’t burn the burgers.”

  “I love the taste of charred hot dogs, though,” Lilly said, nodding.

  “Yep, just when they have that little outer crisp skin—almost burnt, but not quite.” Annie licked her lips in anticipation.

  Annie’s eyes traveled toward the east side of the house where the road led out and away through the marsh and eventually toward the main road. “The rest of the guests should be arriving soon.”

  “What’s going on with the property over
yonder?” Mary asked.

  Annie furrowed her brows. “I don’t know really. We heard a lot of hammering going on and see that a frame of some sort is going up. I guess we’re going to have neighbors.”

  “That’s a shame,” Mary said.

  “Well, not really. It gets pretty lonely our here. It might be nice to see some lights on in the distance. Right now, our closest neighbor is down the main road about a mile.”

  “Eventually, more and more people will start moving out of the city to rural places like this,” Auntie said, her eyes moving from Lilly, to Annie, to Mary, and then Diane.

  “More people are arriving,” Mary said, craning her neck to see who it was. “Looks like it’s Vicky and Scott.”

  “Oh, and Cassie and Jessica are right behind them,” Annie said, smiling.

  Jack’s family arrived next and then a few more friends, and soon the back half of their property was lined up with cars.

  “We should have asked some people to carpool,” Jack said, leaning in and whispering in Annie’s ear.

  “Some did, but you’re right. We’ll remember that for next time.”

  Annie and Jack made the rounds, greeting everyone. And although they’d asked for no gifts, the large wooden table Jack had built was now covered with gift wrapped boxes of various shapes and sizes.

  Everyone loved the house and what they’d done with it, and of course, everyone wished them much love and happiness. Once all the house tours were done, Annie rang the bell that Jack hung from the magnolia tree and made an announcement. “Thank you so much for coming today. It means the world to Jack and me. Before we grab our food and eat, I’d like to say a little blessing.”

  Everyone clasped their hands and bowed their heads.

  “Thank you for this beautiful day and the food we’re about to eat. Thank you for blessing us with our loving family and friends, and this day to share our home. Amen.”

  Amen rolled off the tongues and then Annie rang the bell one more time. “Come and get it,” she called out.