“That’s good to hear.”
“I took your advice. After giving him a photo of the woman I knew as Bethany, he says he’ll do what he can to find her using something called face recognition software. If she has a driver’s license anywhere in the US, she should pop up. First, he’ll start with licenses issued within the last couple years. It may take time but for the first time in a long time…I’m hopeful.”
“It’s a start.”
“What about you? Why did you go see Brent?”
“You know why. I was upset about so many boxes turning up. I vented because I didn’t think Brent was doing enough. Turns out, he has it handled. For the second time, he made me feel like an idiot but at least he listened to what I had to say.”
She munched on a fry before assembling her lettuce and tomato on top of her burger. She took a generous, juicy bite. Looking up at the evening sky, the stars winked back at her. “I met a lot of new people today. I started out this morning at five-thirty. I’m exhausted.”
“I stayed up last night until one o’clock putting a business plan together.”
“When do you plan on meeting with Nick?”
“Whenever I think I’m ready. It’s a little intimidating to take a dream to the bank and ask for a loan.”
“But you know Nick. He handled my mortgage like it belonged to him. Professional, thorough, he even explained everything to me in detail.”
In the dark, Ryder saw her eyes sparkle. He drew her close, muffled her words with the press of his lips. “I want you.”
“Same here. I’m tired of waiting, Ryder. We need some alone time.”
“We could pray for rain.”
“How would that help?”
“You could close up the tent.”
“Ah. I’d just like it if we could go to the dance tomorrow night together.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Around two a.m. drowsiness hit Ryder.
The streets were deserted. The diehards had closed up McCready’s an hour earlier. Even the carnival workers had called it a night.
Bored, he sat down on the bench at the pier to listen to the lapping water hit the shore. He found the sound only made him want to curl up in his bed even more. To fight his weariness, he took out his Thermos, poured a cup of coffee.
He looked up about the time a man appeared right out of the water. He decided he must be seeing things until the figure got closer. He narrowed his eyes, prepared to leap to his feet to defend the wharf against an invading army of one. But then he recognized the walk, the face, and relaxed his stance.
“You’re like the Gill-Man from the black lagoon.”
Scott raised his arms, wiggled his fingers. “See, no fish hands.”
“Might as well sit down, although I’m not sure that Troy won’t freak out when he spots me talking to myself.”
“How do you know Troy doesn’t see me?”
“Does he?”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“It’s a little embarrassing to ask a guy if he’s seeing a ghost walking around town.”
“It was a good move asking Brent for help.”
“That was Julianne’s idea.”
“Another good move.”
“You know, I was told you could help me find Bethany. So far you haven’t taken out a map and been my guidepost to her front door.”
“Helping you is why I’m here. Have you ever wondered why Zach acts so belligerent lately? Like today. Why he gets upset at the least little thing? It isn’t like him.”
“Could’ve fooled me. Since I’ve been here I only know Zach’s prickly side. It seems to me he carries around a lot of resentment about something. That chip on his shoulder is about as big as Yellowstone.”
“Ask him about it.”
“You mean the fact he doesn’t want anyone dating his sister? Troy’s putting that to the test.”
“No, it’s more than that.”
“Did you see him this morning in line for coffee? He almost bit his sister’s head off and it was all in good fun. Then later, at the school…”
“Zach’s troubled.”
“Let me guess. Drug habit he picked up working construction in Colorado?”
“No.”
“He’s torn about his sexuality?”
“Not that either.”
“Then what? I get tired of your guessing games especially at two in the morning.”
“Back in Colorado Springs he got picked up for stealing equipment and fencing the goods.”
“Zach got arrested?” Ryder shook his head. “Logan finds out he’s liable to can him on the spot.”
“He wasn’t guilty, you idiot. He was wrongly accused, spent a week in jail before the cops finally wised up and were able to straighten out the mess, get down to the truth, and find the real culprits responsible. The charges were dropped. Like you said though the chip on his shoulder is an indication he hasn’t put the incident behind him. No one stood up for him when it counted. Since then, he puts distance between himself and just about everyone.”
“What about Bree?”
“Bree doesn’t know. He never called her.”
“How’s anyone supposed to stand up for him if he won’t let anyone past that thick armor of his? He keeps pushing people away.”
“Don’t give up on the boatbuilding idea. It’ll be good for the town, good for you, and good for Zach. Include Troy, because no one works harder than Troy. Stop being such a wuss and go see Nick, talk to him about the viability of such an enterprise.”
Ryder turned to his right to respond, but Scott was already gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Ryder was able to grab a couple hours sleep before doing the milking. After taking a shower he sat in the executive offices in front of a computer screen and opened a software program to cut payroll checks. From there he entered all the supply orders online, checked the delivery schedules for the upcoming week and authorized payments to vendors.
By the time he grabbed his tools and walked in to start his Saturday shift at the school, it was fifteen minutes after eight.
Along with the other crew members, Ryder helped to finish the demolition in both locker rooms, all the while fearful they would uncover another mysterious box. They didn’t, and were relieved when the wall came down without them having to place another call to Brent.
At the first break Ryder noticed Zach hanging back from the rest of the men. He was surprised when the guy said, “The other day over lunch, were we just bullshitting each other about the boatbuilding thing?”
“I wasn’t. I’d love to do it. Why?”
“Because I might know someone who’d trust us enough to build one.”
“You’re kidding? Here in town?
“No. There’s a guy by the name of Jacob Hettinger who races boats. I happen to know he’s looking to add to his fleet. We could do it, Ryder.”
“Is he a flake? Can we rely on him to pay?”
Zach chuckled. “His daddy has major bucks, comes from old lumber-mill money in Portland. Plus, he owns a construction company that puts up buildings all over the Pacific Northwest and as far south as Colorado and New Mexico. Believe me the guy is good for the money.”
“What type boat does he want? We’d have to work on the design, sailboat, speedboat, or one for sport fishing? Me? I prefer to build a sailboat but we shouldn’t pigeon-hole ourselves by specializing.”
For the next thirty minutes they went over an abbreviated business strategy. Ryder realized he’d need to make a few corrections to his proposal.
After they clocked out for the day, they took a walk to check out Borgerstrom’s old place together. This time, it might be more than just a longshot.
“We need to find Troy, form a solid plan between the three of us on what exactly we do with that old space before we bring it to Nick. And Zach?”
“What?”
“I need to ask a favor.”
People browsing and milling about kept
Julianne hopping most of the day but it was the ones with cash in their pockets that made the time blow by in a flash. Her inventory dwindled to four side chairs, a few odd tables and one high-back settee. She’d re-covered the Warrington-style bench in a bright red-and-cream-striped fabric. She’d known when she chose the pattern it would take a special buyer to fall in love with the color scheme.
So when the Harley-riding Russ Dennis expressed interest in the little loveseat, no one was more surprised than she.
“This will make an excellent accessory in my bedroom,” Russ confessed. “I need something at the end of the bed so my favorite girl has a place to curl up.”
Julianne sighed. Even the tattooed Russ seemed to be getting more action these days than she did. Just sad, she decided. She and Ryder definitely needed to take care of that problem. And soon. Maybe tonight was the night. But then she remembered he’d be walking guard-duty instead of spending time with her.
“Did I just see Russ carting away a girly settee?” Lilly Pierce asked from the doorway of the tent.
“You did. A piece he assures me goes with his bedroom ensemble.”
Lilly chortled out a laugh. “Who would’ve thought? I hope you plan on going to the dance tonight.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Wally and I are ecstatic you’ll be the principal next fall when the school opens. I hear you bought the old Richmond house.”
“That’s odd. You’re the first person to call it that.”
“Why? That’s what Wally calls it. People seem to forget that it was Layne’s house in the first place. According to Wally it was after Layne married Eleanor she painted it that dreadful pink and purple.”
“But the deed at closing said the property belonged to Landon Jennings.”
“That’s after Eleanor committed suicide. The way Wally explained it to me she transferred ownership to her brother before taking her own life. And before that, since California is a community property state, she went to court to get some kind of judgment to own the house outright after Layne walked out. Wally has a problem with that though. He says all this talk lately about Layne’s walking away is ridiculous. Layne would never have left those kids.”
“That seems to be the prevailing sentiment. It’s heartbreaking what Eleanor did in front of her children that night.”
“All I know is what Wally’s told me about it. She must’ve been seriously whacked to end her life the way she did, to make a big production out of it right in front of her babies. What kind of mother does that?”
“Like you said, seriously whacked.”
“I’m looking forward to the live music. You know, the town council added it to give parents a night out. The good thing is we don’t need a sitter. It’s a family event where the kids are welcome right along with the adults.”
“That’s what I love about this town. It’s a community that comes together when it counts.”
Her father had already headed back to Santa Cruz and Julianne was closing up for the day when she looked up to see Nicole Cannon standing in the tent.
“I’m never surprised to see you surrounded by a bunch of second-hand junk,” the sandy-haired woman said.
“Then why did you drive fifty minutes to get here?” Julianne shot back.
“I wanted to see firsthand what you’d gotten yourself into. I drove by the school before asking someone to point me to your tent. That place is a mess. There’s no way it will open on time.”
That comment along with Nicole’s behavior had Julianne leaping to defend her school. “That mess when it opens will be the finest, state of the art school in Santa Cruz County.”
“I doubt that.”
“I don’t care if you believe it or not. And what I’ve gotten myself into is a terrific town and a fantastic opportunity. It’s a shame you can’t stand the thought of me having either one.”
“My mother and I knew you’d eventually sink to this.”
“Sink to what? To principal? To having my own school? Where I come from that’s called advancement but since you’re still stuck substituting I can see where you’d be so jealous it’s eating you alive.”
“Jealous? Of a woman who didn’t even have a mother around? Don’t be absurd.”
Only when Keegan Bennett walked in did the hostile banter come to a sudden halt and Nicole turned to leave.
“What was that all about?” Keegan asked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s nothing. Childhood bitterness.”
“Hmm, pettiness is what I heard. Anyway, I came because I want that oak table with the beachy blue and white ceramic inlay.”
“I love this piece so much I thought about keeping it for the new house.”
“Too late. I want it to replace my end table in the living room. You put the tile top in there, didn’t you? How on earth did you manage that? I’d love it if I had a creative side like this.”
“Me? You do the tough job rescuing animals. I just fiddle with fixing things up. Let me help you tote this over to the house.”
Since she passed right in front of Hidden Moon Bay Books on her way back, Julianne made a stop she’d been meaning to make to check out the bookstore. This was her perfect chance.
As she walked in the door, the beautiful blonde behind the counter balanced a stack of paperbacks in her arms. “Hi Julianne!”
“Hi Hayden.”
“How’d you do today? We were swamped. Ethan had a book signing early this morning and we sold out of all his books.”
“Congrats. Turns out, I sold more stuff today than I did yesterday. Are you and Ethan coming to the dance?”
“Wouldn’t miss it? We’re leaving Nate at home though and getting a sitter to have us a little alone time. How about you?”
“I’ll be there but by myself.”
“That’s no fun. Don’t tell me Ryder’s working.”
“All right, I won’t tell you,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m sorry. What can I do for you today? Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“I know it’s a longshot but… By any chance do you have any books on building boats?”
“That’s a tough one. If I have anything at all, it would be in the how-to section. Let’s take a look.”
Julianne followed the store owner into another room where all the shelves were jammed to capacity. “Your inventory is amazing.” Her eyes immediately went to a hardcover on flea markets. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this, tried to find it online but it’s out of print. I walk in the door and find it among your stock.”
As Hayden perused the shelves, she talked as she searched up and down the aisles. “Did I mention the other night when you were over that my sister has decided to relocate here?”
“To Pelican Pointe? Really? From back east, right?”
“From St. Louis. Sydney’s an ER nurse. She’s fed up with living in the city. She’s been trying to get up the nerve to make a new start. Ever since my wedding she’s wanted to make the move here but her on-again off-again boyfriend always talked her out of it. Now, she’s finally had enough of both.”
“Good for her. When will she get here?”
“As soon as she sells her condo.” About that time, Hayden spied what she’d been looking for. “How about this? It’s a manual, like a textbook. Will that work?”
“Perfect.”
“Really? Do you want it gift-wrapped?”
“You do that?”
“All the time.”
“Then wrap it up. I’m taking the flea market book too.”
Julianne had one more stop to make before heading out to the B&B. She dashed through the door of Drea’s Flowers. The place wasn’t as large as it looked from the outside because all kinds of greenery and blossoms took up the display space.
“Hey there, Julianne. What can I do for you?”
“I’m hoping to persuade you to put something together extra nice for Jordan. She and Nick have been so nice to me.”
; “No problem. Yesterday I received some gorgeous, rare blue orchids especially for the fair. They’re tall and elegant and would make an impression on anyone. I’ll give you a great price on them.”
“Sold. Could I take them with me today? I’d like to give them to her while I’m here this time.”
“Absolutely. I’ll just be a minute.”
“You obviously love your job,” Julianne said, keeping up the conversation even though Drea had disappeared into the back.
“Oh, I do. I’ve always loved everything about flowers. Even as a little girl the best place on earth for me was the garden center, second to being around my dad, that is. He worked for his father, my grandfather, at the train store, the only hobby shop in town. It used to be across the street.”
At the mention of her father, Julianne’s heart went out to Drea.
But the woman went on, “All three of us would go in there to hang out to spend time with both of them. That is…” Her voice trailed off. “When my mother would allow it.”
“Your mother didn’t like the idea of you visiting your own father? That’s so…odd. Why?”
“My mother was ill.” Drea tapped the side of her head. “Up here. I don’t remember all that much about her. And what I do recall was…not good. Caleb was just a baby but I know Cooper loved that store. He’d sneak in there after school and spend hours and hours until she’d come to drag him out of there, Saturdays too. He’d get in trouble for it. Poor thing. My mother wasn’t very kind to her oldest for some reason.”
“How sad.”
“It was. But then she took her own life and it was like we’d been saved. I know that sounds horrible, perhaps even callous, but my mother wasn’t a very nice person.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, life isn’t perfect.” When Drea finished arranging the buds in a clear vase, she said, “Here you go. Will that be cash or charge?”
“Charge,” Julianne said as she handed off her MasterCard. Sensing this was the perfect opening to find out a little about the florist, she blurted out, “Do you ever wonder what happened to your dad?”
Drea ran the plastic through the reader, appearing unfazed by the question. “I used to. But years go by and you realize that no matter how much you wonder, I’m not sure we’ll ever really know. It was heartbreaking for us when our dad left though.”
Last Chance Harbor Page 19