Autumn Falls

by Delia Latham

  His pickup started just as she reached the top of the stairs, and she couldn’t resist turning to watch him drive away. Then, with a huff, she landed hard in the deck chair.

  What had she gotten herself into? She and Ceci were locked into the full season here in Cambria, and already she was drowning in some kind of emotional hoopla she hadn’t counted on. Autumn had two choices. She could talk Ceci into forfeiting their lease investment…or find a way to avoid Russ and Dalynn for the remainder of their time on the coast. Yeah, right. That’ll be easy to do, Cambria being such a huge metropolis and all.

  She jumped at the loud flutter of wings within inches of her ear. The blue jay landed on the railing near her elbow. Autumn wiped at her wet cheeks. She’d been crying? Oh, dear. Things were worse than she’d thought. “Hello, Mr. Blue.” Her voice lacked any kind of cheery chirp.

  Hopefully her little feathered friend hadn’t suffered any such loss, despite the lack of his usual boisterous greeting. When she finally focused still-damp eyes to really look at the bird, she understood his silence. “You brought me another gift? Aren’t you a romantic fellow.” She waited, but he seemed in no hurry to release the object in his beak. Autumn cocked her head in as bird-like a manner as she could muster. “Or maybe that’s not for me? Should I be jealous?”

  He tilted his head as if mimicking her movements. When she said nothing more, he fluttered to the deck floor and dropped his offering at her feet, then returned to his perch on the rail.

  Autumn picked up the shiny silver square. A charm—a match to the first one, except for the engraved words. “Love is not jealous,” she read aloud.

  Jay! Jay!

  Startled—and not only by Mr. Blue’s loud call—Autumn narrowed her gaze. What were the chances, after her silly question to the bird? Half afraid to see the other side of the charm, she turned it over and read…not exactly aloud this time, but a low murmur kept her from feeling cowardly. “It doesn’t brag, and isn’t proud.” Looking up, she studied the blue jay, who perched on the railing, still as stone, as if posing for her visual examination.

  “Are you some kind of avian preacher, Mr. Blue?” She pointed a finger at the bird, who preened himself as if she’d paid him the highest compliment. “Because if you are, you can forget it. I’m not in the market for salvation today. And if it’s matchmaking you’re after, I’ve already told you, that’s not happening either.” She laid the charm on the railing—gently. Scaring off the cocky little dude was not her intention. “So if you want to take back your gift, have at it.”

  He fluffed up his crest, hopped closer to the jewelry and picked it up in his beak. Autumn’s eyes widened. Had he actually understood her? Barely breathing, she watched the bird. He spread his wings, and for a second she thought he might take his pretty bauble and fly away, just as she’d suggested. Instead, he fluttered to a spot just over where she sat and dropped the charm in her lap. Then he flew away, as if in a huff at her ingratitude.

  Autumn gasped. She wasn’t educated on bird behavior, had never been much of a bird watcher, although she’d always appreciated the beauty of the creatures. But despite her lack of real knowledge in that arena, she didn’t think Mr. Blue exhibited typical bird-like behavior.

  She took the charm in her hands and studied the words on both sides. Love is not jealous. It doesn’t brag and isn’t proud. Should the statement have meaning for her? She was pretty satisfied with her life and rarely wasted time on wishing for what others had. She didn’t brag either…well, not much. Only when a situation seemed to demand a bit of self-adulation, or when someone else behaved in a manner utterly bereft of brainpower. In that kind of situation, she’d been known to spout off, usually something like, “Oh, thank God, I’m not that stupid!”

  With a chuckle, she headed inside to stash the blue jay’s gift alongside the other one. If nothing else, her odd little friend had brightened her mood a bit—but not enough to keep her from climbing into bed and pulling the covers over her head. Maybe she could dream up a way to put her misbehaving heart back on track.

  She stayed close to the lodge for a few days, fending off Ceci’s every effort to get her out and active, turning down each invitation to join her on various outings. Finally, three days after dredging up a pretend headache and hiding from the world, she got up early, determined to pull herself past the funk that had her in its grip. Cup of java in hand, she tucked her laptop under her arm and headed outside, careful not to slam the door. Ceci usually slept an hour or so later than Autumn.

  On the deck, she sipped at her coffee, enjoying the little bite in the air. Her sweater kept her cozy enough, and the coffee warmed her insides. She loved the view of the Pacific from this deck.

  With her coffee cup empty, she finally opened the computer and went online, searching for recommended activities in Cambria. She wanted to do something but didn’t feel quite ready for anything overly active or that brought her into contact with a great number of people. By the time Ceci crept outside clutching a huge mug like it held the breath of life, Autumn had her day planned.

  “Morning, sunshine.” She grinned at Ceci’s answering glare. Her friend was a go-getter in the fashion industry, but she didn’t “go-get” anything until at least 9 AM. She needed that much of the morning, and half a pot of strong coffee, to drive out the imps of sleep that sought to pull her back into their cozy lair. “What’s on your agenda today? I’ve been finding some things for us to do.”

  Ceci flopped into the other deck chair and guzzled coffee. No sipping for her.

  “Well, I’m glad to see you’re past whatever’s held you hostage the past few days. I was beginning to wonder if I should look into any recent UFO sightings around here. Kinda thought something not of this world had taken over my best buddy.” She grinned at Autumn’s sarcastic eye roll. “Actually, Shay and I were hoping you’d go with us to Cayucos. We’ll scout out some of the antique stores—she says there are too many to even take in all in one day—and have lunch on the pier. Mmm…that’s good coffee.” She lowered her mug and gave Autumn the closest thing to a grin she could muster before her second cup. “So, whaddaya think?”

  Autumn chuckled. “How long have you known me, again? Like, all our lives, almost? And you don’t know that antique stores are so far from being ‘my thing’ that they’re not even on the same planet.”

  Ceci’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? How did I not know that?”

  “Maybe because we’ve always had better things to do than shop in stores where someone else already wore out the products.”

  “Or because antique stores aren’t exactly plentiful on the famous streets of Bakersfield.” Ceci got up and headed inside. “Be right back. Gotta fill my cup.” When she came out again, armed with another steaming cup of coffee, she scooted her chair closer to Autumn’s before taking a seat. “Autie, I’m sorry. I’ve spent more time with Shay than with you since we got here. That wasn’t the plan, and I apologize. What did you have in mind for today? I’ll stay here and we’ll have fun together.”

  Autumn swallowed the lump in her throat. Love is kind. Ceci had a built-in kindness meter that always ran at full capacity. Her friend would forfeit this trip to Cayucos—an outing that clearly held tons of appeal for her—just to keep from hurting Autumn. That selfless part of Ceci’s natural makeup was one of the many things Autumn loved about her, but it also shone a light on a less-than-stellar portion of her own personality. Would she be as willing to give up something she looked forward to for Ceci?

  She squeezed her friend’s hand. “Not a chance. You and Shay are catching up, and that’s a good thing. We still have plenty of time. There’s no reason we have to be together every moment.” She smiled and hurried to add, “Not that I’m saying that wouldn’t be awesome.”

  Ceci laughed, and allowed her lovely violet gaze to move over Autumn’s face. “Are you sure? Because seriously, you matter a whole lot more than any old, ‘already-worn-out’ treasures I could possibly find in Cayucos.”r />
  “Absolutely sure. In fact, I know exactly how I’m going to spend the day.”

  “Yeah. How’s that?”

  “I, my beautiful friend, will don my big ol’ floppy sunhat, wear my most decent comfy clothes, and head for the tide pools.” She grinned, hoping Ceci didn’t ask too many questions, because the miniscule bit of online research she’d accomplished this morning hadn’t made her a pro on the subject.

  “Tide pools.” Ceci eyed Autumn over the rim of her mug. “Uh…wanna tell me what that means?”

  “You had to ask, didn’t you?” She grinned at the other woman’s spiked eyebrows. “It has something to do with checking out all those little pools of water around the rocks and ledges on the beach. High tide fills them up with seawater that it leaves behind when it ebbs, but lots of small sea creatures also get stuck there—sometimes literally, since they attach themselves to the sides of the rocks and make that their new home.”

  “Oh.” Ceci’s pretty face shadowed. “So, let me get this straight. Your plan is to sit around, peering into little pools of ocean water, hoping to spot some kind of sea life?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”

  “If you say so.” Ceci made a wry face and then grinned, her natural positivity rushing to the fore. “Gotta say, girlfriend, I’m really glad you didn’t take me up on that offer to hang around here. Tide pooling sounds like an activity—if it can even be called that—that would drive me crazy in half a heartbeat.”

  “Well, now you don’t have to worry about your sanity, and I won’t need to be concerned about boring you silly. We’ll do something together tomorrow.”

  “Oh, about that.” Ceci captured a full bottom lip between her teeth and shot Autumn a look that could only be called guilty.

  “What? What’ve you done, Ceci?”

  “Nothing. Not really…I mean, I haven’t technically done anything. I only said something, and that’s not really the same, is—”

  “Ceci!”

  “I told Miss Angie we’d go to church with her tomorrow.” Ceci spewed out her explanation so fast it sounded like one long word.

  Autumn dropped her empty coffee mug. It hit the wooden deck floor with a loud thud but didn’t break.

  “You told…Miss Angie…what?”

  “Oh, come on, Autie, it’s just one morning out of our lives. She didn’t beg, or try to guilt me into promising, or anything. She just invited us, and…well, there’s nothing wrong with doing something now and then just to be kind, even if you don’t really want to.” Pausing for breath, she grimaced. “Are you going to never speak to me again?”

  Love is kind.

  Autumn bit back the urge to spit out a particularly snarky retort. Someone somewhere seemed to think she needed a lesson in kindness. She nodded slowly, and managed a smile she hoped wasn’t as sick as it felt. “Then that’s settled. Church with Miss Angie tomorrow.”

  ~*~

  Russ tugged gently on the small hand nestled in his. “Come on, Dalynn. You’re moving like a snail today.”

  She stepped up her pace by an infinitesimal amount, shot him a sour look, and said nothing.

  “I know what’s going on, you know.” Russ sighed. Would he ever get this parenting thing right? “You’re still mad because I didn’t wake you up to tell Autumn goodbye the other day.”

  “Well, you should’ve, Daddy.”

  “Honey, Autumn had a headache. She was in a big hurry to get inside and lie down.” He sighed. “I’ve already explained all of this.”

  “I don’t care.” Dalynn pulled her hand out of his, crossing arms over her tiny chest. “I could’ve kissed her headache and made it all better.”

  I could’ve too, but I didn’t. Russ heaved a silent groan. Where had that errant thought come from? Didn’t matter. He needed to send it packing before it took root. Why would he ever risk another hurt like the one Linda had inflicted? He certainly couldn’t put Dalynn in the line of fire for that kind of upheaval again.

  “You’re right, baby. I should’ve woken you.” He swung her up into his arms and rested his forehead against hers. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

  She frowned, but the corners of her lips twitched, and then curved up into the smile that owned his heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. “I guess so.”

  “You guess so?” He touched her nose with the tip of his finger. “Is that the best I get? Just an ‘I guess so’?”

  Dalynn giggled. “I forgive you, Daddy. But don’t let me sleep through goodbyes again, OK? I really, really, really like Autumn, and when I really like somebody, I don’t like to say goodbye without a hug and a kiss.”

  “I will remember that, princess.”

  They were on the Boardwalk, enjoying the brisk ocean breeze and watching people.

  On almost any other Saturday, Russ would have insisted on going into the nursery for part of the day, and Dalynn would’ve accompanied him. She enjoyed it and knew a great deal about plants for her age. Russ had set up a small playhouse for her on an edge of the property but well within sight of himself and his staff at any given time.

  Today he’d foregone the self-imposed half-Saturday work rule and brought her to the Boardwalk to spend the day together, outside his own comfort zone. Her unexpected reaction to having slept through his goodbye to Autumn concerned him. Was she getting enough contact with people, other than himself and his employees? For the sake of honesty, he had to admit that he’d also known he wouldn’t be able to get his own mind off Autumn. Better to get out and do something, keep both of them occupied.

  An elderly gentleman a hundred yards or so ahead of them caught Dalynn’s attention. The man leaned heavily on a cane. A wool neck scarf whipped in the wind as he stood next to the railing and stared off at the ocean. He wore a hat, but wispy white hair peeked out from beneath it, blowing around his ears in breezy puffs of air. “He looks like somebody’s nice grandpa.” Dalynn said as she turned to her father. “But he’s sad.”

  To Russ’s surprise, her bottom lip trembled.

  “He’s very sad, Daddy. I think the grandpa-man misses someone, a lot.” She shot a damp-eyed, questioning gaze upward to meet Russ’s. “Maybe he didn’t get to say goodbye to somebody he really, really, really liked.”

  She was genuinely upset about not saying goodbye to Autumn. Russ’s throat closed, and he stroked a hand down the length of his daughter’s blonde hair, hanging loose and held back with a couple of barrettes. “You could be right, honey. A lot of people his age are lonely, and miss someone very much.” And many didn’t get to say goodbye, but he wouldn’t say that to Dalynn.

  She dug a fist into one eye, an obvious attempt to wipe away her emotion. “Let’s go say hello. Maybe then he won’t look so lonely.”

  “That’s sweet, honey. I’m proud of you for thinking of it, but…you know, I get the feeling the grandpa-man is just enjoying his memories of whomever he’s missing today. He probably came out here to be alone and think about the good times.”

  “Oh. OK.” She acquiesced, but the slight frown between her eyes said she didn’t understand. She was too young to have a good grasp of loss and all it entailed. Except that she’d lost her mother—in a manner of speaking—and she did know what it meant to miss a loved one.

  Not going there. Not today. Today is about being with Dalynn and having a good time. In an effort to distract her, he pointed out on the beach, where a woman sat close to one of the many tide pools along this route. She wore a humongous sunhat, and her head was bent toward the water as if she was deeply engrossed in whatever she saw there.

  “What about that lady, Dalynn? What do you think?”

  Dalynn squinted across the distance, and then grinned—a big, ear-to-ear smile that brought her dimples out in full glory. “I think…” She clapped her hands together. “I think it’s Autumn!”

  8

  Russ blinked. Surely not. He narrowed his gaze and peered closer.
He hadn’t quite decided, until the lady reached up and removed her hat.

  Only Autumn boasted hair that gloriously, vibrantly, beautifully red.

  “Let’s go see her, Daddy. Come on!” Dalynn was already off the boardwalk, onto the sand, and running toward her new “best friend.”

  He rolled his eyes, huffed out a breath, and trailed behind his child, who didn’t even look back. He chuckled. No, she wouldn’t, would she? She was afraid he’d say no.

  Autumn looked up as they approached and then nearly fell backward when Dalynn barreled into her and threw both arms around her neck.

  When Russ caught up, his daughter was kissing Autumn’s face, one cheek at a time.

  “Daddy said you had a headache and I was really, really mad ’cause I didn’t get to kiss it away and say goodbye. You’re always ’pose to say goodbye when you have to leave someone you like a really whole lot, and I like you a really whole lot, Autumn. Is your head better now? Huh? Did I kiss that ugly ol’ headache far, far away?”

  Russ couldn’t help laughing at Autumn’s expression. She was grinning, but her brown eyes looked a little dazed and confused. No wonder, with Dalynn not even pausing to take a breath.

  “Dalynn!” He interrupted her constant stream of disconnected comments, speaking loudly enough to get her attention. “Hey, give Autumn a break, kiddo. You’re talking faster than a train on a downhill slope.”

  She blinked and then giggled. “Sorry.” Her eyes rounded, and she brought one hand to her face. “Did I give you ’nother headache? Oh, no! I’ll kiss it away.” With that, she grabbed Autumn’s face and repeated the whole process of kissing both cheeks. This time, she added an additional little peck on Autumn’s forehead, which had already been kissed quite liberally by the wind and sun.

  By now, Autumn had pulled herself together and made a show of enjoying his daughter’s lavish display of affection and concern. She hugged Dalynn, kissed her cheek—just one of them—and pulled the child down beside her before looking up to address Russ. “What are you guys doing here?”