by Sarah Fox
After The Flip Side shut down at two o’clock, I spent time cleaning, paying invoices, and updating the pancake house’s website. As I’d anticipated, the walk home along the beach left me hot and thirsty, and I was glad to reach my beachfront Victorian, where my cat and dog waited for me, along with an ice cold pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge.
I made a mental note to pack a pair of shorts in my tote bag the next morning so I could change before leaving the pancake house at the end of the workday. The first few weeks of summer had been relatively cool, but that was no longer the case.
The animals were as happy to see me as I was to see them, but I didn’t stick around too long. I let them spend some time out in the yard while I changed into a cooler outfit and drank a tall glass of iced tea, and then I set off again, heading back into town on foot and making my way to Wildwood Park. Although the sun beat down on my shoulders, I didn’t second-guess my decision to walk. If I’d driven, I could have enjoyed my car’s air-conditioning, but I was glad for the chance to stretch my legs and enjoy the fresh air. Even if I did get too hot, I could always stop by Scoops Ice Cream after the opening ceremonies.
As I got closer to the park, I realized I’d made a good decision by leaving my car at home. Every parking spot was taken and a good crowd had already gathered. The limited shade offered by the trees had been claimed by people with blankets and lawn chairs, and the sunny areas were filling up too. At one end of the park, a small stage had been set up. A row of chairs on the stage stood empty, but upbeat music played from the large speakers set at either side of the platform.
I made my way around picnic blankets, chairs, and groups of people standing around chatting. I searched for familiar faces in the crowd, but so far I hadn’t recognized anyone. Many of the people present were probably family members of the athletes, in town to cheer on their loved ones. I also noticed a photographer, snapping photos of people I assumed were athletes. He had a nose like a hawk and had plenty of gel in his brown hair to keep it spiked on top. As I passed him, he introduced himself to a group of three women as Jay Henkel. He didn’t look familiar and his name didn’t ring a bell, so I assumed he was from out of town. Our local paper had only two full-time employees and I knew both, at least by sight.
A moment later I finally caught sight of my best friend, Lisa Morales. She was lounging in a lawn chair, with Ivan in the seat next to her. A cooler sat on the grass in front of them.
Lisa shaded her eyes and waved as she saw me approaching. “Hey, Marley. Where’s Brett?” she asked, referring to my fiancé.
“Still working,” I said as I reached her. “But he’s meeting me here later.”
“You’ll sit with us, right?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course we don’t,” Ivan said.
Lisa frowned. “Too bad we didn’t bring an extra chair.”
Ivan moved to get up. “I can go home and get one.”
“No,” I said quickly. “That’s okay. I’ll sit on the grass.”
He got up anyway. “Take my seat.”
“Thanks, Ivan, but I’m fine. Really.” I plunked myself down on the grass.
Ivan scowled at me, but that was his usual expression so it didn’t worry me.
He lowered himself back into his chair. “You’ll eat with us.”
It sounded more like a command than an invitation, but Ivan’s gruffness didn’t bother me anymore. He looked intimidating with his large muscles, tattoos, and almost permanent scowl, and he sounded scary at times too, but I knew he was a good man with a big heart.
Lisa knew it too. She and Ivan had been dating for several months now.
“Ivan packed us a picnic,” Lisa said, nodding at the cooler. “I hope you’ll help us eat it. He made all the food himself, and we’ve got plenty of it.”
“Then I’d be a fool not to take you up on your offer,” I said. “No one cooks better than you do, Ivan.”
He accepted the compliment with a hint of a nod. Lisa took his hand and gave it a squeeze. I noticed that he returned the pressure and his typical scowl eased slightly. I smiled, loving the fact that they made each other so happy.
As I made myself more comfortable on the grass, I checked out the crowd around us. I spotted a woman with honey-blond hair and thought she was Ed’s new lady friend, Yvonne, until I realized that Easton Miller was there too. The woman with him was his wife, Rowena, not Yvonne.
I waved to the Millers as they set up their folding lawn chairs on a free patch of grass nearby. They waved back and a moment later Pippa and Levi joined them, settling on a picnic blanket next to their friends.
“They’re not locals, are they?” Lisa asked.
“No, they’re here to compete. Well, three of them are,” I amended.
Before I could say anything more, a man approached the microphone at center stage and announced that it was time for the ceremonies to begin. Speeches followed, luckily not lasting too long. Then a video played on a large screen, highlighting inspiring stories of athletes from past Golden Oldies Games. By that point, Ivan had opened the cooler, and we munched on delicious finger foods as we watched. Not long after the video finished, the main part of the opening ceremonies wrapped up.
A concert was scheduled to take place next. A Seattle band had been booked to play for the next couple of hours, and most people were sticking around to enjoy the music. I’d grown tired of sitting on the ground, so I decided to get up and stretch my legs while the band set up onstage. I walked around the edge of the park, smiling at a few people I recognized, including Pippa. She was in conversation with a dark-haired man I’d never seen before, but she smiled back as I passed by.
Food trucks had parked along one street at the edge of the park and had a steady stream of customers. I saw Ed in line at a taco truck and a second later I realized that Yvonne Pritchard was mere feet away from me, standing in the shade of a maple tree, another woman I didn’t recognize chatting with her.
I was about to say hello to Yvonne when I caught what her companion was saying.
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer, Yvonne,” the woman said, her eyes on Ed as he picked up his order at the taco truck.
The reporter smirked. “I figure it’s worth putting up with him for a few days since he likes to pay for my meals.”
I barely kept my jaw from dropping. Anger burned in my chest and rose up to heat my cheeks. I was about to turn on Yvonne and give her a piece of my mind when Ed passed in front of me.
“Hi, Marley,” he said. He was carrying drinks and tacos on a cardboard tray and had a big smile on his face.
I forced myself to smile in return. “Hi, Ed.”
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I managed to say, despite the fact that my jaw wanted to clench.
He’d reached Yvonne by then, so I kept walking. Anger continued to warm my cheeks far more than the summer sunshine. Ed was such a nice man, and he seemed so smitten with the sports reporter. The fact that she was using him to get free meals made me furious. It was probably a good thing Ed had spoken to me when he did, otherwise I might have let my anger get the best of me.
I wished I could tell Ed what I’d overheard, but I didn’t want to be responsible for hurting him and wiping that big smile off his face. Besides, would he even believe me? I wanted to think he’d know I’d never make something like that up, but I also knew that feelings like the ones he had for Yvonne could be blinding.
But if I didn’t say something, would I be setting him up to be crushed by Yvonne?
I was still angry and upset when I’d completed my circuit of the park. Marjorie called out, waving me over to her, and I welcomed the distraction. She stood near the park’s drinking fountain and was talking with a slender woman with long, jet-black hair.
“Claudia,” Marjorie said to the woman, “this is Marley McKinney,
the owner of the local pancake house. Marley, this is Claudia Wu, one of my fellow competitors.”
I exchanged greetings with the women, masking my surprise. Claudia had to be at least fifty to compete in the Golden Oldies Games, but she easily could have passed for being in her early forties.
“Have you competed in race walking before?” I asked her.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been involved in the sport for a few years now, and I compete in several events each year.”
“She’s too modest to add that she wins most of her competitions,” Marjorie said. “She’s the favorite to win here.”
Claudia smiled. “I’ve been fortunate to do well in recent events, but you never know what will happen on race day.”
“I think it’s great that both of you are competing,” I said. “It’s inspiring to see so many people staying active over age fifty.”
I noticed someone waving out of the corner of my eye. As I turned that way, I realized it was Tommy. He jogged over to us, a camera around his neck.
“Evening, ladies.”
“Hi, Tommy.” I introduced him to Claudia. “Taking some pictures for the paper?”
“Yep. I thought I’d get a few shots tonight. Do you mind if I take a couple of the two of you?” he asked Marjorie and Claudia.
They readily agreed and moved closer together, smiling as Tommy snapped a few shots.
“Perfect,” he said as he lowered his camera. “Thanks. I’m going to track down a few more athletes for some photos. See you in the morning, Marley.”
We bid him good-bye, and Claudia excused herself as well.
I shaded my eyes so I could get a look at the stage. Several musicians were up on the platform with guitars, a keyboard, a bass, and a drum kit.
“Looks like the concert’s about to start,” I commented.
“Excuse me,” a sugary voice said.
Marjorie and I both turned toward its owner.
I gritted my teeth and forced my expression to remain neutral when I realized it was Yvonne who’d joined us.
“Are you one of the athletes?” she asked Marjorie.
“I am. I’m competing in the race walking event.”
“And you’re a local?”
“I sure am. I was born and raised here in Wildwood Cove.”
“Fabulous.” The reporter’s tone was far different than when I’d overheard her earlier. “I’m Yvonne Pritchard with the Seattle Insider. I’d love to interview you.”
She gave no indication that she’d met me before. She didn’t so much as glance my way.
“Oh,” Marjorie said, sounding pleased. “Sure. Why not?”
“I’ll see you later,” I said to Marjorie, wanting to get away from Yvonne. If I didn’t, I might end up saying something scathing and I didn’t want to cause a scene. I also didn’t want to spoil Marjorie’s moment.
“What’s it like competing in your hometown?” I heard Yvonne ask as I walked away.
I had to take a quick step to the side to avoid two little kids running across the grass. I was about to continue along my intended path when I noticed a tanned, blond man standing in my way, glowering at something beyond my right shoulder.
“I can’t believe she dared to show her face here,” he said under his breath, his voice full of venom.
The intensity of the anger on his face startled me. I could practically feel the heat of it radiating off his body. Without ever noticing me, he turned on his heel and stormed off. I shot a glance over my shoulder, wondering who he’d been talking about.
My gaze landed on Yvonne Pritchard.
Chapter Three
Clearly I wasn’t the only one who was less than impressed by Yvonne. I didn’t know who the blond man was or why he had a problem with the sports reporter. The ferocity of his anger left me uneasy, but so did Yvonne. She obviously wasn’t the nice woman she pretended to be with Ed, and she’d inspired such hatred in the blond man. That only left me all the more worried about Ed’s relationship with her. But what could I do about it?
Not much, I decided. It would be best to mind my own business. Hopefully Yvonne would be gone once the games were over, if not before. It seemed that would be best for everyone, especially Ed, even if he didn’t realize it.
That said, he was a grown man and had likely survived heartaches in the past. If Yvonne ended up hurting him, he’d have plenty of friends around to support him.
A man had approached the microphone onstage and was introducing the band. Before the music got started, I quickly returned to Lisa and Ivan and told them I was heading out. Although my original plan was to hang around for the concert, I no longer felt like staying at the park. All I really wanted to do was to spend some quiet time with Brett.
The band struck up the first song as I made my way out of the park. I paused at the edge of the audience to send a text message to Brett, asking if he wanted to meet me at Scoops Ice Cream. A delicious treat enjoyed while walking on the beach with my fiancé would be the perfect way to end the day.
Once I’d hit Send, I glanced up and spotted Sienna’s mom, Patricia Murray. She was heading my way and stopped to chat.
“Not staying for the concert?” she asked.
“No,” I replied. “I’ve got a craving for ice cream and Brett’s company.”
“Let me guess—you’re meeting him at Scoops.”
“Got it in one,” I said with a smile.
“Not long until the wedding now.”
My smile brightened. “Less than a month.” I felt like I’d been floating on a cloud of happiness ever since Brett had proposed to me back in the spring. I couldn’t wait for our late-summer wedding.
“Have you got your dress?” Patricia asked.
“I’ve picked one out,” I said, “but it hasn’t arrived yet. I ordered it online. I’m not a big fan of shopping, so I thought this would be an easy way to go.” I crossed my fingers. “I hope it wasn’t a bad decision.”
“I bet it’ll be fine. If you need alterations, you can always get Sally North to help you out. She owns the tailoring shop here in town.”
“That’s good to know, thanks. I’ll keep her in mind.”
We chatted for another minute or two about the wedding plans before Patricia continued on her way into the park. I checked my phone and saw that I’d received a response from Brett. He’d arrived home from work and was about to have a quick shower, but he’d meet me at Scoops in twenty minutes. That sounded perfect.
I was about to leave the park behind when I ran into Tommy again. This time he had a young woman with him. She had long auburn hair and appeared to be in her early twenties, like Tommy. She held a sheaf of papers in one hand and was giggling at something he’d said.
“Leaving already?” Tommy asked when he saw me.
“I’m answering the siren call of ice cream,” I said.
He grinned. “I already gave in to that temptation earlier today.” He addressed the young woman at his side. “This is Marley, my boss at the pancake house.”
“Avery Adair.” She held out a hand to me. “I’m an event volunteer.”
I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you from Wildwood Cove?”
“Port Angeles, actually. But I heard about the volunteer opportunity through my archery club and thought it would be fun to help out. Speaking of which…” She grabbed the top page off her pile of papers and offered it to me. “Are you interested in the event schedule?”
I glanced down at the paper. It listed all the days, times, and venues for the different sports. “Thanks. This is great. I definitely want to check out at least a few competitions.”
“I hope you do. It should be fun.” Avery took a step back. “Anyway, I should make the rounds and hand out more of these. Keep me company, Tommy?”
I half-expected her to bat her eyelashes at him. From the way
she was looking at Tommy, it was clear that Ed wasn’t the only one in town with a crush.
“Sure.” He gave me a parting grin. “Enjoy your ice cream.”
“I will,” I assured him.
I thought I’d make it out of the park without further delays, but when I reached the sidewalk the sound of angry voices drew me to a halt. Near the end of the line of food trucks, Claudia Wu and Yvonne Pritchard were facing off. I couldn’t hear much of what they were saying, but the snippets I caught weren’t the least bit friendly.
I stayed put, not wanting to land in the middle of the heated argument.
“You’re nothing but a pathetic troll.” Claudia practically spat the words at Yvonne.
Before the reporter could respond, Claudia strode off, her head held high, her eyes flashing with fury.
Yvonne rolled her eyes with a sour expression on her face and pulled out her phone. She started texting as she walked back into the park as if nothing had happened.
The tension that had built up in my shoulders eased slightly. I shook my head and continued on my way, hoping I could make it to the ice cream shop without encountering any further drama.
* * * *
My evening with Brett was as relaxing as I’d hoped it would be, and it helped me to push all the drama at the park to the back of my mind. Brett and I both worked on Saturdays, so we were up early the next morning, and I set off for The Flip Side a few minutes before six o’clock. I made the trip on foot, as I usually did during nice weather, and followed the beach toward town.
It was a perfect summer morning. The blue sky was clear of clouds, and the rising sun was peeking over the horizon, its light glinting off the ocean waves. A heron waded through the shallows and an eagle soared overhead. The salty air and the rhythmic breaking of the waves brought me a sense of peace and I couldn’t help but smile. I lived in a beautiful town, I was engaged to the love of my life, and I owned a business that I enjoyed. I didn’t think life could get much better.