Driftwood Lane

  “Great. Look for our car when you get there, and give me a jingle if you can’t find us. I have to go, the gallery is packed!”

  “We’ll see you then.” Meridith said good-bye and hung up. The children would be glad for the company. Especially Noelle, if Rita’s son was present.

  She was glad they’d decided to be in the parade. She knew from the books on grief that the festival was a milestone event, and the children were using it to honor their parents. She looked at the cross and cap dangling from the mirror. She also knew the festival could trigger a resurgence of loss, and she was glad they were joining Rita and her family. The distraction could be just what they needed.

  A chilly breeze blew through the window, ruffling her hair. She took a deep whiff of the flower-scented air and relaxed into the white leather seat, letting the car glide toward Sconset behind a black antique Ford.

  The children had settled in their seats, the excitement of the parade draining away as Nantucket town faded in her rearview mirror.

  A For Sale sign in a landscaped yard caught her attention, turning her mind back to the previous evening when she and the Goldmans had sat on the porch sipping hot chocolate after the children turned in. They’d inquired about Summer Place’s future, and Meridith had confided that she was selling.

  “We’ve talked over the years about buying a bed-and-breakfast now that I’ve retired,” Mr. Goldman said.

  “Summer Place is like a second home to us. Wouldn’t that be great if we could work something out?” Mrs. Goldman said.

  They’d talked over an hour, and Meridith was thrilled. If the Goldmans bought it, she wouldn’t have to put the place on the market, wouldn’t have to pay a Realtor fee, and the house would go to familiar people. She thought that might help the children adjust to the idea of moving to St. Louis.

  The thought of returning home brought her to Stephen. Though the topic of the children hadn’t resurfaced all week, their conversations had been stilted.

  When she answered his calls, a strange sensation welled in the pit of her stomach, a sort of weighted feeling she was eager to be rid of. She needed to clear the air. But every time she considered broaching the subject, she remembered Stephen’s words. I guess you have a choice to make.

  Maybe he was waiting on her. The real problem then was that there was no choice, no decision. She couldn’t abandon the children. How could she let her siblings go to foster care, possibly separated? Why couldn’t he understand that?

  These thoughts had circled her mind all week, always ending in that heavy-weighted feeling and the realization that, regardless of the ring on her finger and the promise it implied, her relationship with Stephen might be over before it had hardly begun.

  The car in front of her braked as they entered the town of Sconset, and Meridith pulled to the side of the road behind the long line of cars.

  “There’s the Lawsons’ car.” Max pointed across the street.

  Rita had seen them pull up and was waving as they exited the car. The kids ran to catch up with the Lawsons, and Meridith retrieved the cooler from the trunk.

  She made her way across the street and wove between cars and people, crossing the lawn. The weight of the cooler strained her arms.

  Rita’s son, Brandon, was jogging toward her, no doubt on a mission to take her load. But he was still twenty feet away when her foot hit a dip in the ground. Her ankle turned and her leg crumbled under the heavy weight of the cooler.

  Jake wandered down the Sconset street. The smell of grilling burgers wafted through the air, tempting him. He scanned the crowd of people and tangle of parked cars and lawn chairs.

  The kids had begged him to join them for the picnic, but it presented a challenge. What if someone mentioned his niece and nephews in front of Meridith? What if they mentioned his cycle or the fact that he usually wasn’t back from the mainland in time for the festival? What if they offered their condolences on Eva’s death?

  “Hey, Jake! Come join us,” Willow called from a knot of people clustered behind a black ’72 Chevy.

  Jake approached the group and shook Wyatt’s hand as his friend stood. “Sweet ride.”

  “Wish it were mine,” Wyatt said. “Got plenty of food.” The smell of garlic and something sweet seconded his offer.

  “And my cousin from Boston is here.” Willow winked. “She’s dying to meet you.”

  Before he could decline, a tall, honey-haired woman appeared. Willow introduced them, and they chatted a moment before the cousin went to help Willow set out the food.

  “Pull up a chair,” Wyatt said. “I wasn’t kidding when I said we have plenty.”

  “Thanks, but I’m looking for Meridith and the kids. Have you seen them?”

  Wyatt gave him a look. “They’re over that way with another family.” He leaned in close. “Dude.” He gestured at Willow’s cousin, who was fighting the wind with a checkered tablecloth.

  Jake had already forgotten her name. “Kids are expecting me. I’ll catch you later.”

  Wyatt shook his head.

  By the time Jake stumbled upon Meridith and the kids, his stomach was rumbling. They were situated in a circle of lawn chairs, a red-and-white cloth spread in the middle. He was relieved when he didn’t recognize the family sitting with them.

  “Jake!” Max was the first to spot him.

  “Did you see us in the parade?” Ben asked.

  “Sure did, little man. It was the best car there.”

  “Have you eaten?” Meridith asked.

  “No, ma’am.” He noticed Meridith’s foot propped on a cooler, a bag of ice over the ankle. “What happened?”

  “Oh, she took a little stumble,” the brunette woman offered.

  “You okay?” Jake lifted the Ziploc bag. Her ankle was almost purple. “Ouch.”

  “Told you I was clumsy.”

  The word took him back to the dance lessons, and he could almost feel Meridith in his arms again.

  “Don’t think we’ve met.” A bearded man stood, offering his hand. “I’m Lee Lawson.”

  “Jake. I’m working on Summer Place.”

  “I’m Rita, a friend of Meridith’s.” She shook his hand, then gave Meridith a peculiar look before introducing her two teenagers. “We’ve already eaten, but we have plenty of leftovers. Let me fix you a plate.”

  Lee set up another lawn chair beside Meridith, and Jake discreetly pulled it a few feet away, behind the Lawsons’ car, where he could hide from anyone who might know him. He tugged his ball cap lower for good measure.

  By the time Jake sat, Rita was setting a loaded plate in his lap.

  “Thanks, appreciate it.”

  The turkey club hit the spot, settling his empty stomach. The group talked about the festival and which cars they’d voted for.

  “There’s Martin O’Neal,” Lee told his wife. “Haven’t seen him all winter.” He went to talk with his friend.

  “Can we walk around?” Noelle asked.

  “Yeah, can we?” Ben asked.

  Max and the Lawson girl stood.

  Meridith scanned the crowd. “Oh, guys, I don’t know. It’s so crowded, and I can’t go with you.” She gestured to her ankle.

  “I was about to suggest a walk.” Rita stood. “Jake can keep you company.”

  The group was off and walking before Jake could finish chewing his bite of cranberry salad. He watched them go, watched the Lawson boy settle in next to Noelle. She elbowed him, laughing.

  Rita took Benny’s hand, and Max stole the hat from the Lawson girl’s head. She chased him a few feet before recapturing it.

  “I think they’re going to be okay,” Meridith said. She’d shaded her eyes with her hand, watching them. Despite the ankle that must be throbbing, she looked at peace.

  He remembered when the Galaxie had come into sight earlier. He’d been standing in the crowd lining Main Street, catching up with people he hadn’t seen since fall. They’d been near the end of the parade behind a black antique Ford. But once his
eyes caught on the Galaxie, everything else faded away.

  The kids waved at the crowd, all smiles. Even Meridith’s face was wreathed in joy, obviously enjoying the Nantucket tradition. His breath had felt stuffed into his lungs for just a moment. They looked . . . like a family.

  “Don’t you think they’re going to be okay?” Meridith’s question belied her former confidence.

  “Kids are more resilient than we give them credit for.”

  “What do you know about kids?” Meridith teased.

  “Used to be one.” He traded a smile with her. “Pretty cool what you did for them today.”

  Meridith took her hand down, looked at Jake. Those green eyes were downright mesmerizing.

  “I didn’t do anything.” She shifted the ice pack. “I couldn’t believe it when Noelle and Max brought out those mementos. Pretty smart kids.”

  “Pretty smart big sister.” More and more he was coming to see it. If he could only understand why she’d take them from their home. But he didn’t want to think about that today. Would rather think about the way the sunlight made copper sparkles in her hair. Or the way her nose turned up ever so slightly on the end.

  “I worry about them, you know?” she said. “It’s tough being a kid.”

  “For some. Others are more blessed.”

  She cocked her head at him. “Not you?”

  He wondered how she knew that.

  “You mentioned a foster mother once.”

  When they were dancing. He remembered now. “Not me.” He tried not to think about it and mostly succeeded. “I was in foster care most of my childhood—parents died young.”

  “Like my siblings’.”

  He nodded. Being separated from Eva was the worst. He’d been too young to understand, but old enough to feel responsible, even if he was the younger one. At first they’d seen each other regularly, but busy schedules had gotten in the way, and soon he’d lost track of her.

  “I was pretty tough, though,” he said. “Made it through with only a few scars.”

  “That I can believe.”

  Her smile made him want to stare at her all afternoon. He thought of Willow’s cousin. Her beauty was no rival for Meridith’s pixie chin and guileless eyes.

  “I’ll bet you were a handful,” she said.

  “Got myself into a few scrapes.”

  “I knew it. You were a rule breaker.”

  “What do you mean, ‘were’?” He shrugged. “I was good at not getting caught, made the most of it.”

  “I’ll just bet you did.”

  Jake felt a smile pull his lips. She was almost flirting, but he wasn’t going to point it out. The moment he did, it would be over. He scanned the crowd for people he might know and need to avoid.

  “What turned you around?”

  “Who says I turned around?”

  She laughed, and the sound reminded him of the wind chimes on the porch, bright and happy.

  “All right, I turned around. Or rather, God turned me around.”

  “God?” Surprise lined her tone, raised her brows.

  “I’m not a heathen, you know.”

  “Sorry. Go on.”

  He’d have to be careful here. No mention of motorcycles, the mainland, or the motorcycle ministry that finally opened his eyes. “Met a friend about two years back who took me under his wing. Good man. I wanted what he had.”

  “Which was . . . ?”

  He looked at Meridith. She took the kids to church faithfully each week. This wasn’t news to her. “A relationship with God. He showed me how it’s done.” Actually, Eva and T. J. had planted the seeds, but he couldn’t say that. He pulled the leather strip of his necklace, freeing the silver cross from his shirt. “This was his.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Died about a year ago after fighting lung cancer awhile.” He’d been sick when he’d met up with Jake at a cycle hangout in Tallulah, Louisiana.

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  He thought of Eva and how hard he’d worked to find her after turning eighteen and heading out on his own. It seemed like the system had conspired to keep them apart. “Pretty much all alone in the world.”

  “I’m an only child too.” She seemed to remember the kids. “Well, I guess I’m not. They feel more like my children than my siblings.”

  “Responsibility will do that.”

  “It is a lot of responsibility.”

  Two women he knew from church approached, waving.

  “Jake, we’ve been looking for you,” Sierra said.

  The other one, Rowan, touched his shoulder. “A few of us are going out on my boat after the picnic, then back to my house for pizza and a movie. I hope you’ll come . . .” Her blue eyes begged.

  “Can I let you know later?”

  “You have my number,” Sierra said, her gaze flickering toward Meridith.

  “Get a cell phone,” Rowan said, sashaying away. “You are way too hard to track down.”

  Especially when he was hiding from the public at large.

  “Girlfriend?” Meridith asked once the girls disappeared in the throng of people.

  “Friends from church.” Jake rubbed his jaw, unsure why he found the attention embarrassing.

  “You should go with them—you don’t have to babysit me.”

  “Nah.”

  Meridith removed the ice pack and put it in the cooler, then offered him a Coke. She closed the lid and propped up her foot again. The swelling had gone down, but it was still discolored.

  “I can drive the car back,” he said. “I rode up with a friend.”

  Meridith flexed her foot and winced. “That might be best. Thanks.” She settled her elbows on the aluminum chair’s arms. Her diamond ring glinted in the sun.

  He wondered if she’d told Lover Boy about the kids yet. It was nearly May. School would be out in a month. Might as well ask, since she was so chatty.

  He couldn’t seem to pull his eyes from the sparkling rock. “You tell him about the kids yet?”

  She followed his gaze to her hand. “Oh.” She straightened the diamond, then cradled her hand in her lap. “I did, actually.”

  He tried to read her expression, gave up. “How’d it go?”

  “Not so well.”

  Maybe Wyatt was right. Maybe it was about to hit the fan. He found himself irrationally pleased, and not just on account of the kids.

  “You’re still wearing the ring.”

  “It didn’t go that badly. I think Stephen needs time to adjust to the idea. And once he gets to know the children . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she finally pressed her lips together.

  Maybe if they called off the wedding, she’d move to Nantucket, keep Summer Place. As soon as hope began to swell, a sharp prick of guilt popped the bubble. Meridith obviously loved the guy. Who was Jake to wish a broken heart on her? Besides, while a breakup might mean she kept the kids here, it also meant he was up the creek with his identity.

  “Jake! Hey, buddy!” Another acquaintance approached, transferring his glass of wine for a handshake.

  “Mr. Stanford,” Jake said, standing.

  Did the man know about Eva? He prayed nothing would be said to give him away.

  “You were right,” Mr. Stanford said. “Those windows made a huge difference in heating costs this winter.”

  “Glad I could help. Mr. Stanford, this is Meridith . . .” My employer? My friend? My late sister’s stepdaughter? He closed his mouth.

  They traded greetings, and the man commented on Meridith’s injury. Jake just wanted him to go, but he remembered how chatty the man had been while Jake installed his windows.

  Mr. Stanford engaged them in a lengthy conversation about landscaping while Jake pocketed his hands, trying to think of a polite way to end the conversation. He was saved by the return of Rita and the kids.

  Mr. Stanford said his good-byes, and Jake took his seat, relieved. The kids listed the friends they’d seen while Rita and Lee packed up. Jake gathe
red Meridith’s supplies.

  “Why don’t you come back to our house?” Rita said. “We always cook out the night of the tailgate picnic, and since the pool’s up and running we can swim. Unless your ankle’s hurting too much, honey.”

  “Oh, can we?” Noelle asked.

  Jake noted the way she traded looks with the Lawson boy and wasn’t sure he liked it one bit.

  “Well, I suppose we could,” Meridith said. “We’ll need to stop by the house for our suits.”

  “Jake, you’re welcome, too, of course.” Lee scratched his beard. “Otherwise, I’m overrun with women.”

  Jake glanced at Meridith—didn’t want to wear out his welcome. But Meridith, seemingly undisturbed, was gently tugging her sock onto her foot.

  “Thanks, don’t mind if I do.”

  After running Meridith and the kids home for their suits, Jake drove the Galaxie to the Lawsons. The family lived in a mid-island home with a sloping front yard and a wide front porch lined with a plethora of daffodils.

  The evening was so enjoyable, Jake forgot to return Sierra’s call. He had no trunks, but the adults didn’t swim anyway. They played spades on the patio, and he and Meridith won easily. By the time the kids were piling into the car to return home, Jake felt almost like they were a family. Meridith had, for whatever reason, let her guard down for the day.

  He helped her to the car, and they started toward Summer Place in the dark. The wind blew across the open convertible, tossing his hair, and the kids huddled in the back complaining of freezing to death. Meridith pulled her blue sweater closed and hugged herself.

  He wished she’d move closer so he could keep her warm. He imagined his arm wrapped around her shoulders, her face tucked into his chest against the wind. It was a picture he liked. Too much. Being near her all day, out of their element, had been revealing.

  But it hadn’t revealed something new about Meridith so much as it had revealed his own feelings. Not that he hadn’t been aware of them; he just hadn’t realized they were rooted so deeply.

  If only she weren’t already taken. And, okay, if she didn’t believe he was someone else.

  Wyatt was right. He was an idiot. He was in the middle of a mess, but it wasn’t too late to ask for help—it was never too late. He sent up a silent prayer as he drove through the quiet neighborhood streets. Usually he made sound decisions and could calculate the outcome. This one had him baffled. And now that feelings were involved—his own—he had more at stake than he cared to.