by Rula Sinara
“I just...well, fine. Just one pet to feel her coat. She won’t jump like earlier?”
“Duck, stay.” Damon tipped his head toward his dog who put her head in the boy’s lap as proof that she wasn’t going anywhere. Zuri took a slow step toward her, reached down and ran her fingers through the dog’s impressive coat, then stepped back as if not wanting to press her luck.
“Boy is her hair thick. I can’t imagine brushing through that,” Zuri said.
“She has a double coat. The real grooming happens a few times a year when she blows it. She’s worth the trouble. She’s an amazing dog.”
“I don’t understand why she was abandoned. I’m not a dog person and even I wouldn’t have just left a pregnant pet somewhere and taken off. And not that it would matter to me, but aren’t Newfoundland dogs expensive? You’d think her owner would have wanted to make money off the litter. Or they could have at least taken her to a shelter. It would have been better than abandonment. That’s just cruel.”
Abandonment. Was she trying to say more? Her attention was on Duck, so he was probably the only one drawing connections. His leaving Boston had more to do with himself than any intention of abandoning family and friends. And he couldn’t be accused of abandoning a child he never knew he had.
“My guess is that they didn’t know she was pregnant. A lot of people will go and get a puppy, not realizing how fast they grow or how much training and exercise they require. Especially a dog Duck’s size. They just think all the fluff is cute and they get nostalgic over the character Nana in Peter Pan and they are totally unprepared for what ownership entails, including the cost of spaying or neutering. Puppyhood doesn’t last as long as the teen years seem to.”
He realized how that came out when Zuri raised her brow at him. Was everything going to be a Caden analogy from here on out?
“So, you rescued her. Just like you do with swimmers,” Caden said. There was that hero implication again.
“I believe it’s pets who rescue us,” Damon deflected.
Zuri nibbled at her bottom lip the way she used to while helping him with math problems. He could see her mind churning, reading into what he said, but she had no way of understanding what he’d been through as a SEAL or how the loss of his brother still haunted him. She couldn’t appreciate the impact Duck had had on his life in the short time since the adoption. How his dog’s presence had helped him sleep better at night and focus during the day. How she’d lowered his anxiety level behind the mask of confidence he put on every morning.
“I’m starving. That pizza smells good,” Caden said.
“Caden, you have to wait to be invited to the table,” Zuri said.
“Sorry,” Caden added.
“No need to apologize.” Damon headed toward his kitchen and pulled the oven open. “I used to eat an entire roasted chicken by myself at your age. And I’d get hungry again within a couple of hours. I’d be upset if I ordered all this food and you weren’t hungry. There’s nothing formal about eating here. Let’s dig in. Just don’t give any to Duck. It makes her gassy. Oh, and there’s chocolate chip mint ice cream if you want some afterward,” he hedged, as he carried the warm pizza boxes over to a dining table right off the kitchen.
“No way! That’s my absolute favorite flavor. Aunt Zuri thinks it’s gross.”
“You don’t say.” Damon chuckled and glanced at Zuri. She splayed her hands and tried not to smile. Maybe things hadn’t changed so much after all. And maybe looks weren’t the only thing his son had inherited from him.
The kid proved that he could eat as much as Damon ever had. Zuri, on the other hand, sitting right across from him at the table, didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. She barely made it through one slice by the time Caden had finished his sixth. Maybe Damon asking the boy questions made her nervous, but he hadn’t asked anything that didn’t sound conversational. Eating in silence would have been weird. At least he’d gleaned a few stats on the kid between the boy’s mouthfuls. He was twelve, made mostly As in school—until this year—and took piano lessons. No sports. Not one, other than the required physical education class at school. That’s gotta change. Damon washed his last bite down with water and scooted his chair back.
“Coffee?” he offered.
“No thanks. I need to sleep tonight. I think we should...” She motioned her head toward Caden, who’d gone to use the restroom. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“Not a chance. I was just waiting for the right moment to tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Caden asked, catching them off guard. Duck had instinctively followed the kid to the restroom and was escorting him back to the table. That dog’s maternal instincts were strong.
“That Mother Duck seems to think you’re her new puppy,” Damon said. Caden chuckled.
“You’re sure she’s safe with kids? She never lashes out? Ever?” Zuri asked.
“I’m sure. She’s well-trained and her breed in general is sweet-natured and protective. I know her size can be scary but trust me. Caden’s in good paws.”
Zuri rolled her eyes at his use of paws in the expression. Damon chuckled as he picked up the empty pizza boxes, folded them and put them in his recycling bin. Zuri cleared up their used napkins and cups, then joined Caden in the living room. Damon was glad he’d renovated with an open concept. With Duck, the space would have seemed cramped otherwise.
“Come sit down on the couch a sec.” Damon motioned for Caden to park himself on the couch, while he and Zuri each took a chair to either side of the boy. Caden’s face went from relaxed to suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at his aunt, then at Damon.
“What’d I do now?” Caden asked.
“Nothing at all,” Damon and Zuri both chimed in a little too eagerly. Zuri grabbed the small pillow on the chair and hugged it.
“It’s all good, Caden,” she said. “I just didn’t want you wondering how I know Mr. Woods. I mean, obviously I knew him before. We wouldn’t be having dinner here with a total stranger we’d just met on the beach. You know never to go to a stranger’s house, right? But this is different because well... Damon and I knew each other before.”
She was the one rambling now. Nervous. She twisted her hands into the pillow as she spoke. He needed to jump in and rescue her but he didn’t know where to start.
“Wait a minute. You two know each other? Like, before earlier on the beach? Aunt Zuri never dates, but I thought maybe you two hit it off. Like one of those love at first sight—”
“No! Nooo.” Once again, Damon and Zuri had jumped in together, adamantly shaking their heads. Zuri waved her hands as if to clear the air of that notion. “God, no,” Zuri added emphatically. Poor Caden scrunched his face and sat on his hands.
“Okay, okay. Chill,” he said.
“You misunderstood,” Damon said, softening his voice.
“Yeah, totally. That’s not what happened. At all,” Zuri insisted. Her cheeks were flushed. Aunt Zuri never dates. Interesting.
“Then what’s up? You’re both acting weird. Who are you, really?”
“Your aunt and I were just friends. A long time ago. She used to help me out with homework once in a while.” Just friends. The words pinched his chest. That’s what he’d thought and he’d valued their friendship, but he’d ruined it. Sure, she was the one who’d messed up the way things were by asking him out, but his reaction and actions afterward had pushed things to a point of no return.
Caden frowned. Damon scrubbed at a day’s worth of stubble. He usually shaved at night to save himself time with early morning work schedules and taking care of Duck’s needs. Today had been akin to getting struck by lightning, but it would all work out. This was going to be all right. He knew how to handle an ambush. He was trained to deal with shock and the unexpected. He’d get things under control. The kid liked his dog and seemed to like him enough. They were getting along s
o far.
Don’t overthink it.
“So, you were classmates?” Caden asked.
“I was a year behind him, but Damon knew your mom, too. They were in the same class. We all went to the same high school. The same one you’ll go to after middle school,” Zuri said.
“You knew my mom?”
“Yeah. I did.” Damon looked over at Zuri for guidance. He couldn’t read her face. He cleared his throat and studied the pattern in the rug for a moment. This was that moment...the seconds before an order came through from his commander. The brief instant where he told himself he could cheat death. Where there was no room for second-guessing or fear. He let out the breath he’d been holding and looked the kid straight in the eyes. “Caden, I’m your father.”
The boy recoiled. His forehead wrinkled and his hands fisted in Duck’s wavy coat. He glared at his aunt, confusion and shock swirling in his eyes.
Zuri leaned forward and put her hand gently on Caden’s knee but he shrugged her off and got up. He looked like he wanted to punch something. The sweet kid from moments ago had all but disappeared.
“Caden, please sit down,” Zuri begged. “You wanted to find your father. You’ve been asking questions and deserve all the answers, honey. I’m trying to do what’s right. I thought you’d be happy to have your wish come true.”
“No. I wished for Mom to get better. And when I wished I could find my dad, I swore I’d give anything to find him. But I didn’t mean trading Mom for him. I didn’t want her dying. I’d rather have her back than live with...with...you.” He practically spat the word “you” at Damon, who’d clearly gone from cool to evil in a flash.
Caden stomped over to the other side of the coffee table, inhaling and exhaling in rapid fire. Damon stood, not wanting to scare him off, but aware that the boy’s anxious breathing could lead to him hyperventilating. He’d seen it happen with parents on the beach during a child water rescue.
“Nothing is changing. We just want to talk.” Damon winced at his own words. Nothing was changing? Too much had changed for the boy in the past few months. Caden took a step back, bumping into Duck, who stood her ground behind him like a solid wall.
“Stop treating me like some stupid kid!”
Damon remembered yelling those same words at his parents once. He had felt helpless, ungrounded and desperate. He had hated the feeling that his life had been spiraling out of control. The least he could do was spare his own son that pain.
“You’re not stupid. That’s not what’s happening.” Zuri tossed the pillow aside and shifted to face her nephew. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. Caden glared at her.
“This whole trip was a setup? You knew all along? I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to send me away already?” he accused Zuri. “You promised Mom that you’d take care of me but you lied. You don’t want to.”
“That’s not true,” Zuri said.
“You guys are not making me move. Now I know why you’ve been acting so nice. You thought you could fool me, but I’m not an idiot. I don’t need you,” he told Damon. “I don’t want anyone but Mom. If you’re such a lifesaver, then maybe you should have saved hers. I want to go home.”
Caden took off, slamming the front door behind him. Zuri shook her head at Damon when he started after him.
“Don’t. Give him time. We can touch base tomorrow.” She grabbed her purse and ran after her nephew. Duck whimpered and stomped her paws near the door, anxious to follow.
“Not this time, Duck. Zuri’s right. I’m the last person he wants to see right now.”
Less than twenty-four hours as a father and he’d already failed. Maybe Zuri was right.
Maybe his son would be better off with her.
CHAPTER THREE
ZURI WALKED PAST the B and B’s patio doors for the third time that evening. She wasn’t trying to spy on Caden. He seemed to be content sitting at a firepit with Melanie’s granddaughter, who’d come to visit her grandmother for the holidays. The girl, Sara, was about Caden’s age and quite pretty. She wore her long, red hair in a French braid that ended at her waist and had managed to put a shy smile on Caden’s face for the first time since they’d gotten back from Damon’s place. A smile that disappeared thirty minutes ago, when Zuri had offered to carry down the tray of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers Melanie had put together.
Caden was still angry with her. Heck, he was angry at the world. But somehow this Sara girl had him forgetting why they were in Turtleback. At least for the evening. It had taken a while for Zuri to convince him that there was no way for them to head back home to Boston this evening.
“Don’t you want to join them? You could take these throws down with you, if you like. It’s dropping into the mid-forties tonight. Even with the wind gone and that fire roaring, it’s getting brisk.” Melanie held a stack of handwoven blankets in her arms.
“I think I’ll stay up here, if that’s okay,” she said, cradling her hot chocolate. She didn’t want to ruin his mood any more than she already had. The two kids seemed to be doing all right on their own. She let the ocean air wash over her face when Melanie opened the door, then watched as she made her way down the deck steps and over to where four Adirondack chairs and the firepit were set up in the sand, right before the reed-dappled sand dunes and wood planked path that led to the beach. Sara wrapped a throw around her shoulders. Caden shook his head, presumably declining the offer. Melanie set the stack on one of the chairs and rejoined Zuri.
“He said he’s not cold. I tried. I don’t want anyone getting sick before Christmas.”
Zuri thought of her sister enduring one chemo treatment after another until they knew she wouldn’t make it to Christmas or the New Year. She still couldn’t hear the word sick and merely think of the common cold.
“It’s fine. He’s used to chillier weather. Today’s high of fifty-five felt like spring to us.”
“How about more hot chocolate?” Melanie asked, as she headed for the kitchen.
“I’m good. Thanks.”
Zuri glanced outside again. Everything would turn out all right. It had to. She needed to stay strong for him. Melanie returned with a plate of cookies and set it on the coffee table. Each one was a meticulously decorated Christmas tree. They almost didn’t look real, but they smelled heavenly.
“You made those? I’m impressed.”
“I wish I could bake like that. Savory meals are my specialty. Baked goods, not so much. I have a business deal with The Saltwater Sweetery to provide any breakfast goods or desserts for my guests. I don’t know if you saw it when you came through town. Best bakery you’ll ever visit. Darla, the owner, is gifted. She even made her own wedding cake this past Thanksgiving. Her wife, Nora, is a tech at the vet clinic but loves organic gardening, so she supplied real orange pansies for the cake instead of using fondant. It was divine. Did you know pansies are edible? I didn’t.”
“I knew roses were but I hadn’t heard about pansies. Sweets are my downfall. I’ll have to stop by the bakery while I’m in town.”
“You definitely should. I have brochures from some of the other shops stacked on that console by the door. Feel free to browse or take any that interest you.”
“Thanks.” She wasn’t sure how their visit would pan out or whether they’d have time for sightseeing. She had promised her sister that she’d take Caden on a vacation to help him cope, but right now, after their visit with Damon, everything seemed so heavy and serious. She simply couldn’t wrap her head around more carefree activities like sightseeing. It didn’t feel right, especially since her nephew already wanted to go home. Maybe she should have listened to her parents and taken him to spend the holidays with them, surrounded by family support. But Damon is family to him. She took a brochure to be polite.
“Sara knows the town well. I’m sure she won’t mind being a tour guide, if you like.” Mela
nie looked out the window and gave Zuri a knowing smile. “What I wouldn’t give to be a teenager again. There’s nothing as sweet as puppy love.”
Sweet? If only Mrs. Biddle knew how painful puppy love could be. Zuri had been too much of a bookworm in middle school to tune into boys, but in high school Damon had been her first real crush and it didn’t end well for her. All it did was convince her that the term crush referred to having your heart smashed to bits and stomped on. She was a late bloomer when it came to self-esteem and confidence, but several years of college and graduate school had done the trick. Maybe the secret was being surrounded by like minds, such as fellow STEM students.
Caden was studious, or he used to be. He did seem to relax around Sara. She doubted it was puppy love but perhaps Melanie had more experience observing relationships. After all, she did get to observe the dynamic of her renters. But their hostess had no idea why Zuri and Caden were really in Turtleback, other than for a vacation.
She’d even assumed they were mother and son, before Caden corrected her at check-in. Zuri hadn’t missed the worried look on Melanie’s face at the time. Apparently, there was something about an aunt taking her nephew to the small beach town off-season that had sent off warning bells. It wasn’t until they had returned from Damon’s that Melanie had apologized for acting strangely. She had explained that only ten months ago, the sheriff’s now fiancée had shown up in town after kidnapping her baby niece and posing as her mother. But one call to the sheriff earlier today, who had in turn checked in with his friend, Damon, after he was seen with Zuri and Caden, cleared things up and put Melanie at ease with her guests.
And here Zuri had assumed the only danger in Turtleback Beach involved hurricanes, riptides and, perhaps, sharks.
“You miss being a teenager? You’d really want to deal with puberty again?” Zuri asked, trying to keep the conversation light.