by Jenny Hale
She pulled back and her shirt was soggy with water and paint.
“Got ya,” he said, his eyes lingering on her longer than usual. Then he broke out in the most gorgeous smile, sending her stomach into somersaults.
Nine
“I’ve been waiting for you two to finish… You’re soaking wet!” Olivia said with a grin from the upstairs window, loud music sailing toward them. Her red curls dangled above them, the ringlets naturally perfect since the humidity hadn’t set in yet. Usually, by noon, Olivia had it pinned up in wild, unmanageable strands. She was looking at Callie in that way they had when they could tell what the other was thinking. “Could you come inside? I need your help with something.”
Callie and Luke went up the steps to the porch. Luke reached around her and opened the old screened door, the hinges creaking out their age, the screen punched out at the bottom. When they got to the family room, he stopped. The room itself was nearly perfect structurally—it had a vaulted ceiling with paddle fans and a large window that stretched up part of the back wall, allowing a panoramic view of the sea. The only change she and Olivia wanted to make in this room was to extend the windows and add French doors that opened onto the new porches, and they’d wanted to remove the old built-in shelves that were against the wall, separating it from the kitchen.
In the center of the hardwood floor, Wyatt was building an enormous contraption with gears and other pieces in all the primary colors. He dropped a marble into the top, testing the pathway he was making.
Luke bent over him to view it. “What are you building?” he asked.
“It’s a double pathway shoot. Watch this,” Wyatt said, placing another marble on top. As it rolled, he shifted a lever, changing the direction of the marble.
“That’s cool,” Luke said with a smile that reached his eyes. “May I build something?”
Wyatt’s eyes grew round with excitement. “Sure!”
Luke reached into the box and rummaged around, his gaze darting between the box and the track. He unsnapped a few pieces, redirected the original pathway and put in some gears. “Let’s see if this works. How many marbles do you have?”
“Four.” Wyatt handed them to him.
Luke dropped them onto the track, one after another, the shiny spheres rolling like wildfire until they hit the gears, shooting out in four different directions, all coming out at the end at the same time.
“Whoa!” Wyatt said, impressed. He tipped his head to take a closer look at the new part Luke had put together.
“I have to go help your mom, okay?” Luke said as he stood. He ruffled Wyatt’s hair and followed Callie.
When he smiled at her, she had to take in a breath to steady herself. His ease with children made him even more attractive. She cleared her throat. “He hasn’t met any other kids here yet,” Callie said in a hushed voice as they left the room. “He’ll meet people once school starts, but I hate that he’s alone most of this summer.”
Luke looked thoughtful. Then, as they climbed the stairs, he said, “My nephew is turning eight. He’s having a birthday party at my house. Why don’t you all come?”
“I was only voicing my concern. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“On a bunch of eight-year-olds? I doubt you’d be imposing,” he said when they’d reached the top of the steps.
As she led him into the room where Olivia was working, Luke’s gaze was on her. It was the kind of look that revealed how his face would rest after laughing or when he’d just been told some good news. It was sincere and sweet.
“I need a little help with measuring,” Olivia said through the pencil in her mouth, the music still blaring. She regarded Callie and Luke before her eyes settled on Callie with a grin. She was up on a stepladder, marking spaces on the ceiling. She had the pencil in her mouth to free her hands to measure the next length but she was just short of the distance to reach. She stopped and took the pencil from her lips. “I need someone tall. Luke, can you stand on that box over there? It should hold you.”
Callie grabbed the wooden crate that had held some of Olivia’s things when they’d first moved in and scooted it across the bare floor toward Luke. This was the room Callie was sleeping in until they’d chosen bedrooms. Her air mattress was pushed against the wall, the blankets still askew from when Luke had woken her up this morning.
There was almost nothing in the room at all—no blinds, no curtains, no furniture except the small dresser she’d found at an antiques shop on the mainland. They’d delivered it the day after she’d bought it. It was a butter cream color, the legs curled outward but the rest of the design quite simple. She imagined the whole room done in yellow and cream with delicate white starfish in lightwood baskets and driftwood artwork on the walls.
Olivia moved the stepladder to a new spot. Luke took the end of the tape measure and stretched it across the ceiling.
“I want to see how many recessed lights we can fit in this room. It’s big and not as bright as I’d like with the main light fixture in the center.”
They’d talked about recessed lighting for all the guest rooms. They were going to put them on dimmer switches so that guests arriving late could have soft ambience to set the mood. The Beachcomber was going to be about relaxation and getting away from the hustle and bustle of regular life. While it wasn’t going to be luxurious and fancy, it was going to be calm and understated—the perfect place to be after a long day at the beach.
“Once I have measurements, maybe we can look at the plans over dinner,” Olivia said, her shoulders rising in excitement. “Luke, would you like to join us?” Before he’d even answered, and despite Callie’s look of warning, she added, “We’ll probably just get a pizza, but you’re welcome to stay.”
“I’d love to,” he said with a wink at Callie.
Callie tried not to think about the distraction he was causing. His little game of cat and mouse was nothing more than that—a game. She was certain. Why else would he be wasting time at her little beach house? There she was getting all fluttery around him and that was probably just what he wanted.
But then her eyes fell on the journal sitting on her dresser. How alone Alice had been in this house, and how much laughter had been here today. Whatever his motives, it had been good.
“Well, we’d better get the rest of that sanding and painting done then,” she said, trying to keep her thoughts from showing.
“Why in the world did you ask him to dinner?” Callie said, peering out of the window at Luke as he tossed a ball with Wyatt. They’d finished their work for the day and Luke had offered to take Wyatt outside to play, help him catch a few fish, while Callie and Olivia got cleaned up. He’d worn his swimming trunks to the house this morning and he’d taken off his paint-drenched T-shirt. Callie had tried not to focus on his tan skin. Luke threw the ball to Wyatt, a long pass that arced into the air, sailing straight to Wyatt’s arms. When Wyatt caught it, Luke raised his hands in celebration.
“He’s nice,” Olivia said, leaning over Callie’s shoulder. “And you need someone nice in your life.”
The comment surprised Callie. What was she talking about? “I can make my own choices, thank you very much,” she said, her words coming out playful despite the message she was conveying. She knew Olivia was just trying to help, but Callie didn’t need it. She’d done just fine on her own.
“He showed up to help, brought you breakfast, painted all day, finished the sanding in the living room… I think he likes you.”
Callie spun around. “I think he’s just bored. And why would it matter anyway? I’m too busy to bother with all that nonsense. We have a business to run.”
Olivia smiled knowingly at Callie, which only frustrated her because she didn’t know. “Don’t be afraid to take another chance,” she said. “Even if it’s unexpected. And don’t be scared to open up. I know that’s hard for you to do, but you really should let people in, Callie. I think he’d like it if you did.”
Callie chewed on her lip, unsure h
ow to respond.
“You’re loads of fun, Callie. You should let people see that.” Olivia looked over her shoulder out the window and laughed so loudly she clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle it.
Wyatt was swimming now and Luke was standing on the beach keeping an eye on him. Written in giant letters in the sand were the words, Callie! Come outside!
Callie pulled back to focus on Olivia’s face. “He’s a distraction,” she said unconvincingly.
Olivia’s face was kind. “From what?” Taking Callie by the arm playfully, she said, “Come on, let’s go outside.” She grabbed three bottles of beer from the cooler and the opener and headed toward the door.
With a deep breath, Callie went out behind her. No matter what Olivia thought was right for her, she’d never put her trust in someone she’d just met who had no real reason to be in her life at all. According to those articles she’d read, Luke had a short attention span, and she wasn’t going to get hurt because she wasn’t going to let herself.
When they got to the beach, Luke took the bottles from Olivia and opened them for her, sticking the caps in his pocket and handing a bottle to each of them.
“Hi,” he said to Callie with a warm smile. “Did you see my message?” He nodded toward the sand.
“Subtle,” she said, although he looked so adorable, his smile peeking out from behind his bottle as he took a sip of his beer, that she had to work to hide her own grin. He certainly was charming. She had to take a sip of beer herself to be able to take her eyes off him.
“Nice shirt,” he said with a smirk.
“I need to do laundry.” She looked down at her I survived the Beach Bum Burger Bash T-shirt. It was too long, nearly covering her shorts.
Wyatt came up to them dripping wet. “Mom, did you see my handstand? I did one before the wave got me.”
“I did!” Olivia said with excitement. She grabbed a towel from the beach bag Luke must have brought down with them and wrapped it around Wyatt, but he took it off. “Come down to the water and watch me.”
“Okay,” Olivia said with a grin toward Callie and Luke. She took the towel to the shore and laid it on the sand, sitting down, her back to them.
“Thank you for letting me stay for dinner,” Luke said, the bottle of beer swaying between his fingers by his side. “I’ve had a lot of fun today.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t have work to do with that big company of yours,” Callie said, wondering how he’d had the time to spend all day with them, given what she’d read about the size of the Sullivan empire and his father’s work ethic. She remembered what she’d read: … speculation regarding the motivations of his son Luke. Does he have the drive to take on a company of this magnitude?
“I’m on vacation at the moment. Well, I was supposed to be, but I got a call that the lawyer wanted to meet with me about a few properties so I cancelled my trip and I’ve just been popping in to put out the biggest fires.” But before she could respond, he added, “But my dad works every single day of the week, no matter what.” His face had dropped to a frown. “He thinks that’s how you make a million, working all hours. I suppose I should believe him because he’s definitely proven that fact. I work differently from how he does, but I work hard too.”
“I wasn’t implying you didn’t,” she said, feeling guilty. She’d thought he’d just say something cute and be his usual flirty self, but then she remembered his reaction on the boat the other day.
He took a swig of his beer and then looked over at hers, that smile returning, to her relief. “Your beer’s going to get hot,” he said.
She tipped it up and took a long drink.
Then he said more calmly, “Work’s good though. I don’t want to make it sound like it isn’t. I love what I do.”
“What’s an average day like for you?” Callie asked. Wyatt and Olivia came back up, Wyatt out of breath from all his swimming. He was busy drying himself off while Olivia joined in the conversation, her beer half finished.
“I usually go for an early run or something and then I start work at around eight in the morning. I take a long lunch, and then come back to it at around three o’clock, working into the night when I need to. I finish up the day’s business, and after that, if there’s time, I do whatever—surfing, parties…”
“I like parties!” Wyatt said with a smile as he walked over.
“Yeah, they’re fun,” Luke said, visibly glad to talk to him. He was great with Wyatt. “If it’s okay with your mom, I’d like to have you come to my nephew’s birthday party tomorrow evening. Would you like to do that?”
Wyatt turned toward Olivia, with a wide-eyed smile. “Can I, Mom?”
Probably because she’d only just heard of the party, Olivia, blinking and visibly processing all at once, said, “Tomorrow? I… Uh… Sure. If it’s okay with Luke and his family.”
“Totally fine, I’m certain, but I’ll check with my sister.”
Callie always knew what Olivia was thinking and, right now, she could tell by the look in her eyes that she had a dozen thoughts going through her mind. Callie could guess them: What will I wear? What will Wyatt wear? What kind of present will we get a rich kid who has everything?
There was a knock at the door. Callie, expecting the pizza any minute, opened it to find Gladys instead, hugging an enormous turquoise pot with yellow and purple painted flowers that matched the purple of the tall, stalky plant in the pot.
“I brought you something,” she said as Callie reached out to help her set it down on the porch, the weight of it causing a thud. “And I stopped by to see Wyatt,” she added. “He texted me earlier and said that I had to come over and watch him swim against the waves. He says he’s a pro now.”
“Did you walk all the way across the street with this pot?” Callie asked.
“A girl’s gotta get her cardio in somehow!” Gladys said with a wink, coming inside the doorway. “Hi, Wyatt! … Oh!” She coughed and straightened her shirt as Luke walked up beside Callie.
“Luke Sullivan,” he said, holding out his hand.
Gladys shook it, surveying him inquisitively.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. “I was just coming to help Callie get the pizza. I thought you were the delivery guy.”
Gladys’s head slowly turned to Callie and her eyebrow rose ever so subtly before she spoke to Luke. “I’m terribly sorry,” she said, “But Callie didn’t tell me she’d made any friends around here. You surprised me. Glad to see some new blood in the house.” She’d gotten over her shock, but her loaded glances told Callie she’d have some explaining to do. By her reaction, it was pretty clear that Gladys knew who Luke was.
Luke stepped onto the porch and bent down to look at the pot. “This is nice,” he said, running his fingers over the colors on the front of it. “Did you paint it?”
Gladys nodded.
“I like the shadows you’ve added along the petals.”
“Well, it was just something I did for fun,” Gladys said, brushing it off, clearly as affected by Luke’s interest as Callie was. “This plant I have here attracts butterflies and if you get really close to it, it smells like licorice.”
Wyatt leaned in to test the scent.
“What’s all the fuss up here?” Olivia said, joining them. “Oh! That pot is gorgeous.”
“Thank you, dear. Glad you like it.” Gladys reached over and pressed the soil down around the flowering plant to keep it firm after the journey across the street and then clapped the excess off her hands over the pot. “I planted four for myself, and thought I’d do one up for you two. It’s delicate. If the rain decides to grace us with its presence, you might want to bring it in if it gets too windy.”
They’d been pretty lucky since they’d first arrived at The Beachcomber, but Gladys had warned them, and Callie knew it was only a matter of time before they’d have to deal with the late afternoon thunderstorms that rolled in after the high heat of the day.
“Well, I won’t stay if you
have company. I just wanted to stop by and give you that. Wyatt, I can see you swim another time.”
“You can stay if you’d like,” Olivia said. “We’ve got pizza coming and there’s plenty.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Y’all enjoy your supper. I’ve got a mess to clean up on my back deck and it might rain.” She turned to Wyatt. “I can see that trick tomorrow, dear.” She opened the door herself and walked out onto the porch.
“Please, may I show her, Mom?” Wyatt asked.
“No one’s out there, Wyatt. It’s not safe—the surf is really rough right now. Why don’t we show her tomorrow?”
“I can go out with him,” Luke said.
“Thank you, Luke, but I wouldn’t want to trouble you. It’s dinnertime, Wyatt. Let’s wait.”
Wyatt’s face dropped but he nodded in understanding.
“Really,” Luke said. “It’s fine. I’ll take him out to show his grandmother. We’ll be five minutes, right Wyatt?” He winked at him.
“Okay,” she relented. “Five minutes. But then you need to come in. Don’t make Luke stay out there all night.”
“You and Luke go get ready, Wyatt,” Gladys told him with a smile. “I’ll be out in just a second.”
“Yes ma’am!” Wyatt walked beside Luke to the back door, talking the whole way.
“I really wish he wouldn’t go out so far,” Olivia said. “He has no fear sometimes. It’s so worrying.”
“He knows better than to swim alone,” Gladys said. She always tried to set Olivia’s mind at ease. “He told me he couldn’t go into the water without an adult. For an eight-year-old, that’s pretty responsible.”