“Sure. When’s the wedding?”
“Not for weeks yet. But Logan’s throwing me a bash at McCready’s the night before. I’d love it if you could stop in have a beer with us.”
“Great. Let me know when it happens. I’ll have to get a sitter.”
Thane and Jonah left and were almost back home when the boy wanted to know, “Can we go see Mimi now? And bring her the sweet-smelling flowers we brought last time?”
It occurred to Thane that maybe he should be concerned his son had an apparent fixation on visiting his grandmother’s gravesite. But then he’d picked up a book in Hayden’s bookstore about how to talk to young children about death and the grieving process. Thane didn’t want to overreact to what was easily becoming a frequent request to go out there. “We’ll stow our surfboards, change out of our wetsuits and go get those lilies.”
An hour later father and son were strolling among the headstones at Eternal Gardens heading toward the Delacourt family plot. At times, Jonah would stop to pick up little pebbles or rocks along the way and put them in his pocket. Thane would have to remember to go through them before he tossed them in the washer, otherwise he’d have a clogged mess on his hands.
When they reached the patch of grass with the gravestones, Thane pointed to one. “You never knew your grampa but he was good man.”
“He got cancer too and died when I was a baby.”
“That’s right.” Thinking he had his son’s attention, Thane was surprised when Jonah pointed across the lawn.
“Who’s that guy standing over there?”
“What guy?”
“That guy,” Jonah said, pointing to a man who stood in front of another memorial on the other side of the cemetery.
Thane followed Jonah’s gaze and spotted a man wearing tan shorts and a button-down shirt over one of the brightly-colored tees Malachi sold in town emblazoned with the Pelican Pointe logo. Even though the guy looked like a tourist, Thane recognized Scott Phillips.
“Well who is he?” Jonah repeated.
“That’s…” Not a real man, Thane wanted to say. How did one handle the topic of a ghost when it wasn’t even Halloween yet? Isabella had been right after all. He and Jonah were both staring at a guy who’d been dead for years. When Scott caught sight of them, Thane watched in amazement as he waved at them. Thinking on his feet, Thane looked over at his son. “That’s a… His name is Mr. Phillips.”
“I’ve seen him before.”
“Where?”
Jonah shrugged but then decided to divulge more. “The man surfs, like we do. I see him catching a wave. I see him at home too…sometimes.”
Thane did his best to keep his voice level without freaking out about that little tidbit. “How long have you been seeing him at the house?”
“Since we first got to Mimi’s. Can I put the flowers down now?”
“Sure.”
“Grampa can have some of my rocks,” Jonah stated as he started digging in his pants pocket for a variety of stones and pebbles. “I’ll pick the best ones. Are we gonna go see Izzy again?”
“How about we ask her to a picnic on the beach?”
“Yeah, I’m hungry.”
“Figured you were getting there. Let’s go, buddy.” As they walked back to the car, Thane glanced over his shoulder. Not surprising, Scott was nowhere around. He took out his cell phone, punched a number on speed dial.
Three thousand miles away in Manhattan, Fischer Robbins answered the call with a snark. “What did you burn this time?”
Thane ignored the sarcasm as he often did when it came from the man he considered to be more like a brother than a friend. “Not a thing, smartass. Haven’t you heard? I’m becoming a regular Rachel Ray in the kitchen. I do have a question though. Let’s say I wanted to create the perfect picnic basket, what would I put inside?”
“Before I answer that, I sense a female somewhere in the picture. If it were just you and Jonah, you’d find a way to brown bag it with a turkey sandwich. Am I right? You’ve met someone.”
Thane ignored the question. “Hey, you can’t argue with the fact that Jonah loves his turkey sandwiches. How about I make wraps, some type of meat and cheese?”
“It’s obvious you aren’t going to answer me. That’s okay. I’ll see for myself when I get there next week. In the meantime, buy some of Perry’s crab salad, make sure you keep it cold enough. Pick up a few fresh turkey slices and serve them on ciabatta bread with melted mozzarella, and a smidgen of honey mustard. Are you writing this down?”
“Yeah. How do you spell smidgen again?”
“Bite me.”
“Next time. Hey, I gotta run now. Jonah’s starving and I still have to line up the woman.”
“Sheesh, most men do that before they start making plans. You’re always getting lucky on your fame, Delacourt.”
“Yeah. Probably. But you love me anyway. See you when you get here. Drive safe.” Thane disconnected and then turned to fasten Jonah into his safety seat in the back. “Let’s go get some chow. Izzy can’t say no if we already have the food in hand, right?”
Jonah bobbed his head. “Right. ’Cause she’s probably hungry, too.”
Once Isabella opened her front door and saw the eager faces on both man and boy, she didn’t have the heart to turn them down.
So, on a stretch of sugary sand they’d set up their blanket and picnic area near water’s edge. Thane handed Jonah his turkey sandwich while Izzy forked up a bite of Perry’s crab salad, a better bet than the wrap idea.
“So you aren’t mad about my leaving this morning?”
“No, I figured as jittery as you were about the whole thing you wouldn’t last till breakfast. You weren’t afraid to walk home at that hour?”
She decided to tell him Scott had taken care of that little problem and watched his face for a reaction. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Thane stole a glance over at Jonah who was busy woofing down his sandwich before telling her about the conversation at the cemetery.
“But you didn’t see him?”
“Sure I saw him, big as life, standing in front of another headstone. It’s just that I was surprised to learn Jonah had been seeing him around for several months.”
“Seeing who?” Jonah asked, done with his sandwich. In typical child fashion, the boy segued into another topic, one that had nothing to do with Scott. “Izzy, did you know we don’t have to worry anymore about people following us with big cameras?”
“You don’t? That’s good to know.”
Thane stretched out on the blanket and watched Isabella do the same, unfurling her long legs to get more comfortable while Jonah sat between them and every now and then peppered the conversation with a random display of his six-year-old wisdom.
“There aren’t many paparazzi hanging around here in Pelican Pointe,” Izzy noted.
“It isn’t that. Dad doesn’t play football anymore so he’s not one bit famous. No one wants our picture.”
Izzy let out a belly laugh, looked over at Thane. “Your son has a way of putting things in perspective that gets to the heart of the matter.”
“He definitely keeps it real.”
Tugging at her shirtsleeves, Jonah said, “Izzy, Izzy?”
“What?”
“Um, wanna hear a joke?”
“Sure.”
“What did the turkey say to the computer?”
“I don’t know. What?”
“Google, google, google.”
She cracked up again. “I see Jonah got most of the sense of humor in the family. What’s your favorite sport? Do you like football as much as your dad does?”
“We usually watch the games on Sundays together, except today, today Dad wanted to have a picnic with you instead.”
Izzy sat back, stunned. “Wow, you’re both missing football because of me? I’m… Wait, what time is it? You still have time to catch the second game of the day.”
Thane threw his arms out wide. “We’re devoted f
ans but we aren’t without our ability to commune with nature. Look at this place. It’s a gorgeous sunny day and we’re in the company of a beautiful woman. Aren’t we, Jonah?”
“Right. Dad said you were hot.”
“Jonah! Do you have to repeat everything I say?”
“Well, you did say that,” Jonah stressed.
“But you don’t have to share every single thing I say with every person you meet,” Thane pointed out.
“But she is pretty.”
“Hey, if he said it, it’s clearly worth repeating, right?” Izzy teased Jonah.
“Lesson learned about watching what I share around Jonah,” Thane said ruffling the kid’s hair. “I have yet to invoke the spirit of the male bond ritual—what happens at home stays at home.”
“What does that mean?” Jonah challenged.
“It means you can tell me anything,” Izzy whispered, leaning over Jonah’s ear.
“I heard that,” Thane confessed. It gave him a jolt to see that his son had already begun to bond with her in such a short amount of time. How did he feel about that? Was Jonah that needy, that desperate for a mother figure in his life that he’d attach himself so easily to the first woman who entered his life? That gave him pause.
With no idea what was on Thane’s mind, Izzy made an offer. “Why don’t you guys come over to my place tonight for dinner? I’ll fix chicken tacos, guaranteed to fill the tummy. You guys can even watch football.”
“Yay tacos! I love tacos.” Jonah squealed.
“We need to work on your spelling for next week,” Thane said in a voice that caused an awkwardness to hang in the air.
Izzy met Thane’s eyes, an understanding passing between them. “Then I guess we’ll have to make it another time.”
That afternoon, Thane settled in front of the flat-screen to catch the last half of the game between the Giants and the Vikings. But his brain couldn’t focus on either team’s defense. Instead, he kept replaying the confused look he’d seen on Isabella’s face when he’d dropped her off. He’d asked her to the beach for a picnic and she’d returned the favor. And what had he done in response? He’d pulled back. Even Jonah had acted puzzled by his abrupt behavior.
So how could he fix this situation he’d created? He glanced at the clock and decided it wasn’t too late to mend fences.
He picked up his phone, texted her number.
Is your offer for dinner still open?
It seemed like an eternity before he got a reply.
What gives? Are you sure you trust me enough to fix your son a meal?
I deserved that. But I panicked. I’d like to come for dinner if you haven’t changed your mind.
It’s tacos on the menu.
That’s fine.
Then I’ll see you around six.
Chapter Ten
The aroma of onions and poblano peppers laced with a heavy helping of chili powder and chipotle wafted through her kitchen as she tossed the Spanish rice while it warmed in the skillet. Running a spoon around the creamy chicken, she checked its consistency before adding generous dashes of turmeric and cocoa to her simmering sauce.
It had been a very long time since she’d cooked for anyone but herself. It felt odd and yet she enjoyed going through the familiar tasks.
She turned to the counter, began chopping the ingredients for her own blend of Pico de Gallo. For fresh guacamole she pitted two avocados, mashed them up in a bowl, and added a splash of lime and salt.
When the doorbell rang, she wiped off her hands and headed for the front door, all the while the TV blared the beginning of the Sunday night game between the Colts and the Dolphins.
As soon as the door opened, Jonah held up a bag. “We brought more ice cream!”
“It’s my belief that you can never have too much ice cream on hand,” Izzy pronounced taking the grocery sack out of his hands. “I’ll go make sure this doesn’t melt. The game’s on. Make yourselves comfortable while I finish up. Dinner’s almost done. I just need to set the table.”
“We can take care of that, can’t we Jonah?” Thane offered.
“Yep. I’m good at putting out the spoons and forks and napkins.”
“Then, be my guest,” Izzy directed. “It’s great to have an extra pair of hands, or in this case, two extra pairs in the kitchen when making a meal.”
“Uncle Fisch says too many cooks make a mess,” Jonah tossed out.
Thane laughed. “He does. Fischer is one of those typically moody chefs who loves to have the kitchen all to himself.”
“On certain days that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,” Izzy said as she brought in serving dishes full of meat and rice. “Now, I’m taking drink orders. What will it be?”
“Beer for me if you have it,” Thane said. “Milk for Jonah.”
“I have an amber Belgian ale, I’m fond of, will that do?”
“In Pelican Pointe?”
“I was surprised that Murphy carries it.”
“Works for me.”
Izzy returned to the kitchen, got down a glass for the milk and two beers.
He took his first sip, commented, “Creamy, a little sweet, but woodsy.”
“That’s what I like about it.”
The trio gathered around the dining room table with walls painted a cheery cranberry red. This was different than Friday afternoon when they’d shared soup and sandwiches or when they’d dug into a plate of macaroni. Somewhere along the way a comfort zone had sprouted.
“I made a mild version for Jonah and a spicier one for us.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, what with your leg still bothering you.”
“Don’t be silly. I have to eat. I have crunchy tacos or soft. Which do you prefer, Jonah?”
“Crunchy. Even though my tooth is loose. See?”
He tilted his face up to her and opened his mouth, wiggled it back and forth with his fingers. Sure enough Izzy spotted the culprit.
“That’s pretty loose. Let’s hope it makes it through the meal.”
“I get a dollar if it doesn’t.”
Thane forked over tender chicken, dipped it into the mole sauce. “Oh this is good, really good.”
“I make a mean chili, too.”
“If it’s anything like this, you can cook for us anytime, right Jonah?”
With his mouth full of taco, the boy simply nodded and then let out a loud belch.
“What better compliment is there than that,” Izzy said as Jonah broke out into howls of laughter. Yes, she thought, the three of them were so much more at ease than before.
“Are we ready for dessert? The sea salt caramel gelato will go with the double fudge brownies I made.”
“Oh boy, sugar here we come,” Thane said.
“Okay, maybe that is too much. We’ll pass on the brownies and just have the ice cream.”
“No way.”
“Brownie a la mode it is then.”
The meal ended with a flurry of kitchen cleanup. Pots and pans went into soak-mode. Plates clinked together as Jonah helped load the dishwasher.
“Can I play a game on my iPad now?” the boy asked as the last plate slid in between the prongs.
“Sure. But before you do that, thank Izzy for fixing supper.”
“Thanks for supper, Izzy. You make good tacos.”
“You’re very welcome. Thanks for coming.”
Thane watched him take off for the living room and then bounce into one of the comfy chairs. “That boy is only still when he’s asleep.”
“But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
He moved to where she stood at the island, pulled her into him. Touching his lips to hers, he let her sweet and spicy taste sink in and ramp up before boosting her up on the counter. He began a slow nibble along her jaw and down to her neck. “You have beautiful, soft skin,” he stated as he left a string of kisses to prove it.
She held on to his muscled arms, locked h
er fingers behind his neck. She scooted into his hard abs, locked her legs around his toned torso. From the living room she heard Jonah let out a whoop during his game, which had her breathing out, “What about Jonah?”
Thane backed up a step, putting a halt to the make-out session.
“We need a time and place where we can be alone,” he whispered. “I want you, Isabella. But right this minute I have to head home to get Jonah in the tub and ready for bed. I want you to start thinking about us spending time together.” He tilted her chin up, met her eyes. “Are you up for that?”
“I’m definitely game.”
Chapter Eleven
Monday morning, a little after nine o’clock, Isabella answered the door and was surprised to see River Cody standing on her front porch.
“Hi, I’m River Cody, Brent’s wife. I don’t mean to drop in on you like this but I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, come on in. Would you like coffee?”
“No, I’d better pass. Had a cup of decaf already.” River made a face and launched into a detailed account of why she was cutting back on caffeine. The story revealed her pregnancy.
“Congratulations. Well, I have orange juice containing lots of folic acid good for the brain,” Isabella said in response.
“I’ll take it,” River said following Isabella into the gleaming kitchen. “Wow. I saw the ‘before’ pictures but I prefer the ‘after.’ I used to walk up here with Luke, that’s my son, to show him the lighthouse. I peeked into the windows once or twice after Logan got this place whipped into showplace form. It’s what inspired us to redo our old place.”
Isabella poured a tall glass of juice, handed it off. “Logan definitely has a flair for bold design and using vivid colors.”
“I love that he made it open and airy.”
“And got rid of the body,” Isabella quipped.
“I heard about that. Carl Knudsen’s work. You’re not spooked living here are you?”
“Not really. I think Scott Phillips watches over me.”
“Honey, Scott watches over all of us.”
“You didn’t even blink at the mention of his name. You believe I see him?”
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