“Sean, is everything okay?” Sonia called from the living room.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.” He checked in with the pub, then made his way back to his date.
“What took you so long?”
“I had a lot of messages.”
Crossing her arms and legs, she glared. “Uh-huh. Who from?”
Tension straightened his spine. “Two from the pub and one from Tucker.”
“And that’s all?”
Oh, that’s it! “Yes, Sonia, that’s all. Here,” he tossed his cell onto the couch beside her. “You want my password?”
Sonia uncrossed her arms and sat forward, running her hands through her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m being unreasonable.”
Sean felt it better not to agree with her, so instead he said, “I’m going to make myself some coffee. You want tea?”
She nodded.
After setting up his single-cup coffee maker, he filled the kettle with water and set it on the gas. He turned it on a low light, knowing Sonia didn’t like tea boiling hot, then went to join her.
“I have some cookies Di—, ahem, I have some cookies if you want dessert.” Admitting Dianna baked them was probably not a good idea.
“You know what? I think I’m just gonna go.”
“Why?” What the fuck did I do now?
She held up her hands in a reassuring gesture. “It’s nothing you did. I’m just in a bad mood, and I’m taking it out on you.”
He should argue, shouldn’t he? But in all honestly, he was glad she’d decided to call it an early night. Ending another date with yet another fight wouldn’t be good.
Still it didn’t stop him from being pissed off.
Walking her to the door, Sean kissed her cheek. “My nights are full for the next few days, so I’ll call you early in the week. You sure you can’t make it to the beach with us tomorrow?”
He really should sound more convincing about wanting her to go, but a whole day with her and Dianna at the same beach would probably end in disaster. Sonia would snap at her the whole time, and Dianna—-he shuddered. He didn’t want to think about that. Dianna didn’t take shit from anyone.
“No, I’ve been putting my mother off for a week now. I want to spend time with her.”
After making sure she was safely in her car, Sean closed the door and paced his foyer, debating on whether to watch some TV, read a book or just go to bed.
A good book would take his mind of his troubles—and that weird reaction to Dianna’s voice over the phone earlier. He headed for his office when his cell vibrated. Again his heart leapt. Maybe it’s Dianna calling to beg him to join them?
Holy shit, stop it Sean. What the fuck?
He checked the caller ID and his heart sank a little when he didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Hi Sean, it’s Jack Wheeler. We met at your pub earlier.”
“Oh, sure, I remember.” He smiled at the unexpected call, his mood suddenly lighter. “What’s up?”
“I’m finding myself in a bit of a dilemma and since you so graciously offered…”
“What can I do to help?”
“My wife, Angie, was driving around looking for a house she heard was for sale and got lost. As she was trying to find her way home she got a flat tire.”
“She doesn’t have GPS on her cell phone?”
There was silence for a moment, then a hushed, “That’s what those things are.”
“Jack?”
“Oh, sorry. Um, no, it’s not working.”
“I’m not surprised. The 4G network is a little dodgy in some areas.”
“Yes, well, I’m sure they’ll have the power back on soon enough. But in the meantime, I need to find her. Do you know where Pine Terrace is?”
“I sure do. I have friends near there.” Wow, the houses in that area were crazy expensive. Jack and Angie must do very well for themselves.
“Oh, good. Can you give me directions?”
Sean was about to comply when a thought occurred to him. “Actually Jack, it’s pretty dark over that way, with a lot of private roads. Maybe I should go with you.”
“Are you sure that’s not too much trouble? I don’t want to put you out. I’m very good with directions it can’t be that hard to get there.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m only two blocks away from you and I have nothing planned for the rest of the evening.”
“All right, I’ll pick you up in five minutes.” With that Jack hung up. Sean grabbed his house keys and jacket then waited by the door. It was then he realized he hadn’t given Jack his address.
Searching through his phone, Sean was about to call him back when Jack pulled up. How did he find out where he lived?
Sean locked his front door and headed for the blue Dodge Charger.
“Thanks for helping me out like this,” Jack said as Sean hopped into the passenger seat.
“No problem. It’s not that far.” Sean turned to him, curious. “How did you get my address? The internet?”
“The what?” Jack looked at him like he’d just spoken Polish.
“You know. On-line?”
He just stared.
“Jack?”
“Your friend, Dianna,” he finally said. “She mentioned to Angie that your house, um, had the, uh….” He glanced over Sean’s shoulder. “Most beautiful roses on Lakewood Drive.”
“Oh, ok. “ Sean laughed. “For a minute there I was kind of freaked out.”
Jack joined in his laughter, but it sounded forced.
They found Angie quickly, and despite their objections, Sean insisted on helping change the tire. After that, he gave them a quick tutorial on how to use the GPS on their cell phones.
“Thank you so much, Sean.” Angie kissed his cheek. “I can’t imagine how long it would’ve taken for Jack to find me without your help.”
Her husband gave Sean a firm pat on the back. “Since you don’t have a car at the moment, is there anything we can do for you?”
How did Jack know he was without a car? He must’ve forgotten he’d mentioned it. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Are you sure?” Angie asked. “There’s no place you’d like to go? Like—I don’t know, a party or something?”
Sean was silent for a moment. Could he really ask them to take him to Trisha and Josh’s place? It was literally within walking distance from where they were and they would have to pass the street on the way back to their neighborhood anyway. From the looks on his new friends’ faces, they might actually be insulted if he didn’t.
“Actually, yeah, there is some place I’d like to be.”
Chapter Five
“OH MY GOD, that is so beautiful.” Dianna shifted on the comfortable sofa and studied the tablet screen, while her friend and neighbor, Kate Harris, flipped through her honeymoon pictures. They had taken refuge in the study, away from the music and mayhem of the ‘small gathering.’ “I would love to go to Greece.”
“You should. It’s amazing.”
Dianna warmed at her friend’s happiness. Four years ago, Kate’s husband died from cancer, leaving her with two teenage boys to raise on her own. No one believed she would ever get over the loss, until the young, handsome Dr. Jake Harris moved to town. Many people were still reeling from their whirlwind courtship that ended in marriage two weeks ago.
“I’m sure I could make the trip once I move to Paris.”
Kate glanced up from the pictures and narrowed her brown eyes, reflecting the wisdom of her forty years. “And when will that be, young lady?”
“One of these years. When the time is right.”
“Take it from someone who knows. Life is too short to wait until everything is perfect. Do it now while you’re still young.”
Yeah, there were a lot of things she should do while she was still young.
“I was wondering where you two had gone.” Susan, Kate’s sister, entered the quiet study.
“I was just showing Dianna the pictures f
rom my honeymoon.”
Susan settled into the chair facing the sofa with a grin on her face. “Did she tell you what else she did?”
“I assume she wasn’t there to brush up on her photography skills.” Dianna turned her focus to Kate. “But from the look on your sister’s face, I’m guessing it was more than just sight-seeing.”
Pink rose in her friend’s cheeks. “Jake and I made love on the hotel balcony, under a full moon.”
Dianna gasped. “No! You could’ve been caught.”
“That’s what made it so exciting.”
“Just her feeble attempt to outdo my husband and me and our little tryst in an alley by Rockefeller Center,” Susan said.
“Yes, you’re very bold.” Kate shut down her tablet. “But my favorite is still the beach. It’s amazing as long as you bring a couple of blankets.”
And here we go.
Dianna sat back and stared into space, as the sisters battled over whose sexual exploits had been the wildest. This happened way too often—getting caught up in this girl-talk with nothing to say.
God, she was tired of it.
She’d put off looking for a would-be lover long enough. The search would begin tomorrow. Well, maybe not tomorrow, she was going to the beach. And Sunday wasn’t the day for such sordid tasks. Monday she had errands. But Tuesday—Tuesday she was going to sit down and find a guy to take to bed even if it killed her!
Kate nudged her shoulder. “Hey, aren’t you going to share?”
Dianna gulped. “I…um, no. I’m good.”
Susan swatted her sister’s arm. “Leave her alone. It’s probably grossing her out to talk about sex with two middle-aged ladies.”
Dianna offered the older sister a grateful smile. As her gynecologist, Susan knew better than anyone else in town why Dianna wasn’t sharing.
Boy, was she going to be shocked at her visit on Thursday. Dianna had set up the appointment the day after she’d made the decision, believing if she got the worry of birth control out of the way, the rest would be easy.
How she explained to her gynecologist why an unattached virgin needed birth control was going to be loads of fun.
“Middle-aged my ass.” Kate hit her back, a little harder. “You just had a baby for goodness’ sake.”
“So I’m an old lady with a baby. Which reminds me.” She turned to Dianna. “Your mother’s here.”
With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. “Did she bring a date?”
Susan nodded slowly. “Uh-huh.”
Bracing herself, she looked her in the eye. “And?”
“And I think you could’ve been his babysitter.”
“Don’t you mean you?”
“No, honey. I mean you.”
“You can’t be serious. That would make him like,” she did the math in her head, “sixteen!”
“She’s just being overly dramatic.” Kate flipped the tablet case closed and then got to her feet. “He’s probably in his mid-forties, but doesn’t look his age.”
Please, God, let that be true.
Dianna entered the great room of Trisha and Josh’s mansion on the beach, walking to the beat of LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem”. She searched out her mother in the gathering of people celebrating the couple’s sixth anniversary. She found her.
And had to bite back a horrified groan.
Definitely not mid-forties. If that man was even out of college Dianna would dance nude in the rain on Two Mile Hollow Beach.
“Dianna, darling, so happy to see you.” Loraine Duvall approached, her arms spread. She looked as beautiful as ever, classy, thin. Mocking Dianna’s average looks. But the sheer delight in her mother’s hazel eyes couldn’t stop her from smiling back.
“Hi, Mom.” She hugged her, always caught off guard by the strength of her mother’s embrace. And perfume.
“How’s my beautiful girl?”
“I’m good.” Her gaze shifted over her mother’s shoulder to the—for lack of a better word—surfer boy behind her. Not a teenager, not that she ever believed that anyway, but definitely younger than her. “I see you brought a new friend.”
Her mother pulled away and turned, taking him by the arm. “Sweetheart, this is Zippy.”
“Zippy. Of course it’s Zippy.” Dianna offered what she hoped was a friendly smile to the blond, overly tanned dude. “Nice to meet you.”
He jerked his pointy chin in her direction. “S’up.”
Mom placed a perfectly manicured hand on her date’s well-toned bicep. “Zip, why don’t you go back to your chat with Josh. Maybe you and he can coax Austin out of his corner to talk about their books.”
“Awesome.” And off he went. Dianna half expected him to produce a skateboard out of nowhere and hop on. Then she scolded herself for being surprised that, not only could he read, but apparently he could also appreciate the brilliance of her cousin and his writing partner’s thrillers.
Talk about judging a book by its cover.
“I didn’t know Austin was in town.” Dianna stared at the quiet blond man, practically melting into the corner when her mother’s date reached him. Trisha’s brother, Austin, was Josh’s writing partner and what a pair they made. Their debut novel hit every best-seller list there was eight years ago. Now, six novels and three film adaptations later, they were still on top.
“He arrived from Vegas this morning.”
“He’s been in town a lot lately.”
Loraine adjusted the bulky gold bangle bracelet on her wrist. “This is between you and me, but I sold the house next door to him and Meagan. They don’t want anyone to know yet. Not even Trisha.”
Dianna stared at Mom shocked. “Wow. That’s a hell of a commission for you.”
“It certainly is, but I’m hoping the move will help Austin deal with whatever demons are trapping him in this depression of his.”
“Maybe. God knows he’s been through a lot.” She turned to her mother, her lips tight. “Who knows? Maybe Zippy will coax him out of it.”
Loraine held up her hands in surrender. “I know what you’re thinking and he’s not as young as he looks.”
“You promised you’d start dating guys closer to your own age.”
“I know, dear, but Zippy’s soul is close to my age.”
Dianna groaned, but didn’t bother to argue further. When had her mother ever taken a promise seriously? “Is he at least older than me?”
Loraine patted her chin-length, light-brown bob. “Well, no, but he’s not much younger either.”
“Great.” Dianna turned toward the kitchen. No wonder she couldn’t find a nice guy her age. Her mother was dating them all. “I need a beer.”
Just then, Josh turned off the music and stood in the corner of the great room near the massive marble fireplace, banging a fork against his beer bottle. “Hey, everyone, Trish and I have some news.”
The room of about twenty or so people went silent. Even Austin sat up and paid attention.
Josh put his arm around his wife, the smile on his face so big it had to ache. “Trish and I are having a baby.”
The room erupted with laughter and shrieks of joy. The crowd encroached on the mommy-to-be, each getting a chance to hug her or pat her tummy.
Everyone except Trisha's brother. Without a word, Austin stood and left the room. Dianna hoped Trish hadn’t noticed his departure, but after the way Austin had been acting since that horrible accident he and his wife were in almost two years ago, she probably wouldn’t be surprised.
Moments later, Josh’s housekeeper wheeled out Dianna’s gift: a cake in the shape of an old-fashion English pram.
Dianna took a moment to enjoy the delighted gasps from the folks around her as they took pictures and posted them to Twitter and Instagram. Once the crowd thinned and went back to partying, she followed the housekeeper toward the kitchen to help serve.
Along the way, Loraine hooked her arm with Dianna’s. “Let’s get some coffee.”
They entered the kitchen where
Sean’s mother, Ellen Donovan, stood by the table, hovering a knife above the cake, looking for a place to make the first slice.
“There’s not a real baby in there, Ellen,” Diana said with a grin.
“I know you silly goose. I’m just not sure where to start. I’m an interior designer. I make things beautiful, not cut up beautiful things.”
Loraine headed for the coffee machine while Dianna held out her hand to her friend’s mother. “Want me to take over?”
With a relieved smile, she surrendered the utensil. “Having a good time, kiddo?”
Dianna pressed the knife into the moist dessert thinking it best to be vague. “Pretty good. You?”
“I’d be better if my eldest son was here. Where is he anyway?”
“Out with Sonia.”
“Humph!” Ellen snorted and snatched a dish for herself, using a plastic fork to cut up the cake into unrecognizable pieces. “I don’t like that girl.”
“Why not?”
“Call it Mother’s intuition. I just don’t trust her.”
Loraine sipped from her mug, leaning her hip against the center island across from them. “She seems perfectly nice to me.”
“Yes, she is. A bit too nice. Like she isn’t real.” Ellen closed her eyes as her lips closed around a forkful of cake. “I bet she can’t bake like this either.”
“Not many people can.” Loraine beamed with biased pride.
Dianna snickered. “Thanks for the vote of confidence Mom.” Then she turned to Ellen. “I tried to get your son to come—” A loud “Duuuuude!” coming from the great room interrupted her sentence. “And, by the sound of my brother’s howl, he just walked in.”
“I’m going to say hi.” Ellen shoveled the rest of the cake in her mouth. “Save me another piece. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”
Loraine stopped Ellen at the doorway, pointing an accusing finger. “Only if you promise to be cordial to Sonia. I don’t want anyone ruining my nephew’s happy day.”
Angels in Seashore Cove (Love and Laugh in Seashore Cove Book 2) Page 5