Seaside Surprises: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters)

by Claflin, Stacy

  "Sit down, Son," said his mom. "They'll come out when they're ready. The good doctors are probably busy taking care of him."

  "Or they forgot about us." Jake looked at the clock on the wall. "It's three in the morning. This is ridiculous."

  His mom stared at him. Her tear-streaked face nearly broke him.

  He sat next to her. "Do you really want to sit and wait? We need to remind them that we're here."

  She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "They know, Jake. And when they're ready, we'll be the first ones they talk to."

  "I should take you home. You need some sleep. I'll leave a note for them to call the house with any news."

  His mom patted his knee. "You should go home and rest. I'll have them call you after they talk to me."

  "Then what? How will you get home?"

  "You can come back for me or I'm sure your brothers will be in town soon. They're all making preparations to fly in."

  Jake made a face. "I can't leave you here alone."

  His mom looked around the waiting room. "I'm hardly alone."

  "What if you get hungry?"

  "There's a cafeteria downstairs. I know where it is. Remember how often we ate there when—?"

  "Yes. Dad isn't going to be here that long. He'll probably be home tomorrow, and ticked off that everyone flew in."

  "True. All the more reason to go home. He'll want you manning the shop, not sitting here."

  Jake shifted his weight in the seat. "I'll go home and rest—if you send one of my brothers to take over the shop tomorrow. There's no way I can be there all day after being here."

  She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I will. Get some rest and don't worry about me. I'll wait as long as it takes to see your dad."

  He raised an eyebrow, holding a quick internal debate. "If you do need to come back home, don't hesitate to call. No matter the time."

  "I'm fine."

  "I hope so." Jake stood and then kissed the top of her head. "I'll keep my cell on if you need me."

  She nodded and then opened up her purse.

  Jake stopped at the desk and let the nurse know that his mom was going to stay and he gave her his number. "Call me if she needs anything."

  He watched his mom as he walked out of the waiting room. She appeared to be texting someone. At this hour, probably family. His brothers weren't the only ones on their way over. Aunts, uncles, and cousins were, too. It was going to be a family reunion minus the barbecue.

  When he got off the elevator in the garage, he noticed a pay booth. He went up, paid his fees, and finally found his parents' car. He had to walk up and down several aisles before he found it, not knowing where his mom had parked. At least she'd been able to tell him which level.

  Jake yawned as he started the car. It was about a half an hour drive home, so he decided to stop for coffee—if he could find anything open at that hour. If he would have thought about it, he could have gotten some before leaving the hospital. He wasn't going back now.

  As he drove, he paid more attention to what was on the side of the road than the traffic around him.

  A horn blared as he went through an intersection. He looked up to see a red light and waved an embarrassed apology.

  No need to send himself to the hospital, also. He'd give his mom a heart attack if both Jake and his dad there. Instead of looking for a coffee stand, he rolled down the window and turned up the radio. Talk radio screamed at him, and he changed it to his favorite station. He sang along with one of the popular songs from when he was in high school.

  Before he knew it, he was back home. When he got inside, the answering machine—yes, his parents still insisted on one—flashed twelve new messages.

  Jake threw his keys on the table. He didn't want to listen to them, and he sure wasn't calling anyone back. But what if the hospital or his mom had called? He'd told them both to call his cell, but he couldn't risk it. He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, ready to take notes.

  The messages played, and he wrote down who called. At least it would save his mom the trouble of listening to them. She could call everyone back from his notes. If she could read his chicken scratch. He could barely read it. Jake needed to get to sleep.

  As the last message finished, he set the pen down and went to his room without bothering to get ready for bed. Even his shoes were still on. He threw himself on top of the covers and fell asleep, forgetting to set the alarm on his phone.

  Ten

  Sunlight woke Tiffany. She looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was early. If she got going now, she could talk to the mechanic and then check out of the hotel if her car would be ready that day.

  Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. Tiffany got ready as fast as she could, and then made her way to the auto shop. When she got there, her heart sank. The car still sat in the parking lot. Had he not even gotten to it yet?

  Or could he possibly be done?

  The tattooed guy from last time made eye contact with her as she walked in.

  "Checking on your car?" he asked.

  "Yeah. Is it ready?"

  "We haven't been able to get it in yet. But we did manage to get it towed yesterday. You wouldn't believe how busy we've been."

  "I can see that. Are you going to get to it this morning?" Tiffany looked around at all the other people waiting. She should have had it towed somewhere else, even if it would have been farther and more expensive.

  He looked through some files and then motioned for Tiffany to come closer. "It looks like I won't get to until tomorrow."

  Tiffany clenched her fists.

  "But I can see you're not happy about that. If you do me a favor, I can move it up."

  "What kind of favor?" She narrowed her eyes. What could he possibly want?

  "I need something from the Hunter Family Shop. Do you know where that is? Over on Fourth and Rose."

  Jake's shop. "I've been there." Her heart rate picked up.

  "Tell him Bobby sent you." Bobby scribbled something on a scrap piece of paper and folded it several times. "Have him grab this for me. Once you bring it back, I'll move you up in priority."

  Tiffany took the paper and tucked it into the outside pocket of her purse. "I don't suppose you've spoken with my grandfather?"

  Bobby looked confused for a moment. "You wanted me to call him, right? If you wrote a note on the paperwork, I'll give him a call when the time comes. It'll be much faster if you can bring me the items written on the paper."

  "I'll be back." Tiffany spun around and headed out the door. She pulled out her phone and saw no missed calls. Her stomach tightened. Something might have happened to her grandpa's phone and he couldn't get a hold of her. That had to be it. Trent was a jerk, but he wouldn't hurt Grandpa.

  She would try again after she was done with her little mission. Jake's shop was a few blocks away, but the sidewalks were already getting crowded. Why would anyone be up so early on a vacation? She'd sleep in as late as possible if she were on a vacation. Tiffany looked around and noticed most of the people had kids or were older. She didn't really see anyone her age—probably because they were smart and sleeping.

  Though it was crowded, she still made it to the shop in good time. She pushed on the door, but it wouldn't budge. She pushed again without success, and then looked inside. The lights were off and no one appeared to be inside.

  Tiffany sighed. Now what? Was there somewhere else she could get what Bobby needed?

  "Hey there, pretty lady."

  She braced herself for a confrontation, but relaxed when she saw Dimitri. "Hi. Do you know where Jake is?"

  "Looks like he stood up to his parents."

  "What do you mean?"

  "'Bout his long hours. Jake must be sleeping in. Strange that his parents would leave the shop closed, though. I'll see what I can find out. Want to help me?"

  Tiffany shook her head. "I need to eat before I pass out. This morning hasn't been going the way I planned."

  "Want me to text you when I find s
omething out? What's your number?"

  Her breath caught. She was keeping the number secret. Only her grandpa had it—wherever he was. "No thanks. I'll stop by after breakfast."

  Dimitri gave her a curious look. "Okay. I promise to have some info for you when you return."

  "Thanks." Tiffany turned around and walked back toward the auto shop. Her stomach growled as she looked for somewhere to eat. She was getting light-headed, so it wasn't time to be picky.

  Tiffany found a deli and ordered a breakfast burrito. Another customer had one, and it looked huge. Perfect. She sat near the back when she finally got it. She had eaten the entire thing before she knew it.

  She sat back, allowing her stomach to settle. Why couldn't things be easy? Or at least easier? It was good to be away from Trent—obviously. But she felt like a target, not being able to leave Kittle Falls.

  Tiffany wasn't far enough away from home to stop and settle down. Sure, she was a couple states away, but barely. She hadn't driven too far after she crossed the California border before stopping in town.

  The goal was to get to at least southern Cali before finding somewhere to settle. Maybe San Diego or something. Or possibly even going east. Texas was nice and big. It would be hard for Trent to find her. She'd never had any interest in going there, so it was somewhere Trent would never think to look.

  "Are you done with the table?"

  Tiffany looked up to see a family of five standing near her. All the other tables were full. "Yeah. You can have it." She picked up her trash and let them have the table. She tossed her stuff and went outside. It felt like it had heated up ten degrees since she had been inside.

  Maybe Jake was back at the shop already. She made her way back and found that not only the shop was still closed, but Dimitri was nowhere in sight. Someone who looked like a younger version of Dimitri stood behind the newspaper stand.

  She weaved her way through the crowds back to the auto shop and slammed Bobby's paper on the counter. "The shop is closed. A guy named Dimitri went on a quest to find out what's going on with Jake. I can't help you, so it looks like I'll just have to wait in line like everyone else. How long's it going to be?"

  Bobby looked surprised. He raised the eyebrow that had a ring through it. "Don't be so hasty. I really need the things listed in there. We can still help each other out."

  "How?" Tiffany crossed her arms. "And why me?"

  "Hold on." Bobby pulled out a phone and scrolled his finger around the screen before putting it to his ear. "Jake, you sound asleep. What are you doing?" He paused, his eyes widening. "Is everything all right?"

  Tiffany's hear skipped a beat. Was Jake hurt worse than the gash in his side from the other evening?

  "You going to open the shop today?" Bobby asked. "I've got a pretty girl here who wants to get over there. … Right. … Okay. Talk to you later, dude."

  Tiffany's mouth felt dry. "Is everything okay?"

  "He overslept."

  She let out a sigh of relief.

  "Were you worried?" He tilted his head as if trying to read her.

  Tiffany shrugged. "He's a nice guy. I'd hate to see anything happen to him."

  Bobby looked like he tried to restrain a smile. "He said he'd open the shop in about a half hour. If you can bring me that stuff, I can still move you up in the line."

  "I hope he has Aspirin," Tiffany muttered. She picked the list back up and stormed out. What was she going to do for a half hour? She made her way to the street, heat rising from her core up to her head.

  Tiffany felt like punching something. There was a street sign not far away. No, she'd only end up breaking her hand, and that was the last thing she needed. Not only that, but she'd be acting like Trent—and that was the last thing she wanted. She needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down.

  People gathered around something across the street. Maybe whatever it was would be enough to distract her until the shop opened and she could get whatever was so important to Bobby.

  She crossed the road and saw a guy who had a monkey riding a tiny bike. Everyone circled around gasped and laughed at its tricks. Being in the mood she was in, Tiffany wasn't impressed, but she watched anyway. The monkey did a wheelie and the crowd broke into applause.

  Tiffany looked at her phone. Twenty more minutes.

  Eleven

  Jake grabbed his phone before running out the door. His parents were going to chew him out for opening late. Even though he had told them he was going to work less, now that his dad was in the hospital, it was back to full days before he even had the chance to take a break.

  He slammed the door shut and jiggled the knob to make sure it was locked. They never bothered with the other locks with crime being so low. As he ran to the shop, he couldn't help thinking of all the lost business. He hadn't looked at the time since Bobby called, but judging by how warm it was it had to be close to lunch.

  When he got to the shop, Dimitri ran toward him shouting something.

  "I gotta open the shop. I don't have time to talk." Jake pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. He flipped the open sign over before he was all the way inside, and then turned on the lights.

  He ran his hands through his hair and looked around. It was disorienting to start his day like this.

  Dimitri came in. "Hey, I—"

  "You buying something? Because I need to get things going." Jake sprinted to the till, and prepared it for a busy day.

  "The beautiful girl came by looking for you this morning."

  Jake froze. "Elena? She's still here? She came to the shop?"

  "She said she'd be back. I thought you should know."

  "Thanks." Jake ran his hands through his hair again. He'd only run a brush through it before he'd gotten dressed. He hadn't paid any attention to how he looked.

  Dimitri walked to the counter. "Is everything okay? You don't look well."

  "My dad is in the hospital. I was there most of the night, and then when I got home, I forgot to set my alarm. If Bobby hadn't called, I'd still be sleeping."

  "What's wrong? Is he going to be fine?"

  Jake rubbed his stubble. "I hope so. I don't know much yet. Some of my brothers are coming into town. They're probably taking care of Mom. I need to give someone a call to find out what's going on. I don't know why the hospital didn't call me. I left them my number."

  "Like you said, your brothers are probably there. The staff probably figures they'll tell you what's going on."

  "Doesn't give them an excuse. For all they know, I'm not on speaking terms with them."

  "You're not?" Dimitri's eyes widened.

  "Of course I am, but they don't know that."

  "I'll give you some time to get the shop ready or call the hospital. I just wanted to let you know a pretty thing was looking for you. Tell your dad I hope he feels better."

  Jake nodded. He picked up his phone, but before he could dial, customers rolled in. He slid the phone in his pocket and greeted the people as they walked by.

  Tourists streamed in and out for the next ten minutes. Jake distracted himself with light conversation until there was a lull. He took advantage of it and called his mom.

  "Hello, Jake." She sounded tired.

  "Have you gotten any sleep?"

  "Here and there. Brayden is here and he's talking with the nurses and doctors for me."

  "Why don't you have him take you home? You need to rest."

  "I'm waiting to see your dad."

  "What?" Jake exclaimed. "You still haven't seen him?"

  "Soon."

  "Have they bothered to tell you what happened?"

  "They think he had a stroke, or even a blood clot. They've been running a lot of tests since he isn't talking."

  "Is he even awake?" Anger built in Jake's chest. "They can't keep you from him!"

  "He woke up for a little while, but then passed out again."

  "I need to get there."

  "No, Jake. We need you manning the shop."

  "Forget the
shop. There are more important things—"

  "No. We need the income. Now more than ever."

  "You know what? My brothers are going to have to help me out. With everyone here, I'm not doing this on my own. Remember what I told you? Either I hire someone, or someone from the family needs to help. I can't keep these double shifts. Just wait, soon I'll be in the hospital before long."

  "Don't talk like that."

  "Why not? You and Dad have no right to put this kind of pressure on me. I need a break. I was the one who took care of—"

  "Are you trying to get me admitted too? Don't talk to me like this."

  Jake could hear Brayden talking in the background. After a moment, he spoke directly into the phone. "What's going on, Jake? Mom's here worried to pieces about Dad. Why are you adding to her stress?"

  "I need to be there too, not stuck here in the shop."

  "Well, someone needs to run it."

  "Why is it always me? I'm sick of being treated like the family baby."

  "I need to be here to speak with the doctors. They can talk to me in ways they can't to Mom."

  "Right." Jake kicked a pole. Brayden was a big-shot cardiologist in Dallas. "Is it Dad's heart? Is that the problem?"

  If Brayden caught the sarcasm, he ignored it. "Doesn't appear so. They thought it might be a clot in the neck, but my money's on a stroke."

  "You're betting on Dad's health now?"

  "It's an expression. Don't you have customers to worry about?"

  "Not at the moment. I heard there's some guy with a monkey on a bike near the beach, so all the tourists are there."

  "Would you feel better if I called you as soon as I hear something?"

  "Yeah. And if one of our brothers arrive, send them to help me out. I've been working double shifts this entire season."

  "Ouch. I see why you're so grouchy. I'll call you when I know anything."

  "I would appreciate it." Jake ended the call and put the phone on the counter.

  The front door opened and he looked over. Elena walked in, and she was even more gorgeous than ever.

  Jake held his breath and ran his fingers through his messy hair. And he probably looked horrible.