“Whoa, hon! Let me get acclimated, okay?”
Amber sighed good-naturedly. “Fine. I’ll do donuts around you.”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Priscilla practiced paddling and balancing and basically trying not to die or seriously injure herself while Amber paddled in a zig-zag pattern, investigating docks and rigs moored on them. Once she found her rhythm, Priscilla noticed something especially addicting: calm. No phone, no noise—ambient or otherwise, just the peaceful bounce of the sea and air. She drew in a long breath of crystal air and allowed it to fill her completely from the inside out.
Amber floated up next to her. “This is the best day ever,” she said, simply.
“Tell me why.”
“I dunno. Maybe cuz there’s no drama.”
“You mean, because the water is calm.”
Amber puffed out her lips, thinking. “I like getting to do this by myself. Well, with you, I mean, but by myself too.” She stuck her paddle into the water, giving it a small shove.
Priscilla wondered more about Amber’s life. How long had she been in foster care? Had she ever stayed in one place long enough to have bonded with anyone? Had she ever had her own room or did she always share?
Amber shot a glance over her shoulder, interrupting Priscilla’s musings. “Race ya to the main channel!”
Priscilla grinned. “You’re on.”
Two hours later, they returned their paddle boards and showered off under the open-air spigot near the rental company.
“I’m starving,” Amber said.
“Me too. There’s a burger place close by. Does that sound good to you?”
Amber nodded, and five minutes later they were sitting on a wooden deck, waiting for their burgers while watching other newbies take out paddle boards.
Amber snorted a laugh. “That guy over there looks like you.”
Priscilla cocked her head and looked toward a guy who was obviously going out for his first time. “What are you saying?”
“Just look at him. He’s on his knees but looks all wobbly.” She caught eyes with Priscilla. “Like you.”
“Well, I’m insulted.”
Amber bobbed her head and laughed, and Priscilla loved the look of it. Even if her ego had to take more hits to achieve such merriment.
They received their cheeseburgers and immediately set out to devour them. After a few bites, Priscilla set her burger down and considered Amber, who continued to eat with gusto.
“Amber, are you comfortable telling me about your living situation?” Priscilla asked.
Amber kept her eyes focused on lunch, a small shrug the only indication that she had heard Priscilla’s question.
“If you’re not, that’s fine too. But if you’d ever like to talk about things, I want you to know that I’m here. And I’m a good listener.”
Amber put down her food and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She gave Priscilla a brief, hooded look before glancing away toward the water. “Lynn’s okay. She has little kids and no husband, so I try to help out around the house. It’s okay.”
“That’s good of you to help.”
“Whatever.”
Priscilla watched a mask slowly materialize over Amber’s face, one that attempted to hide any semblance of emotion from her expression. “And do you get along well with her children?”
“They’re babies, but yeah, they’re okay.” She snapped a look up. “It’s not like I’ll be with them that long anyway.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Cuz people don’t adopt old kids like me.” Her expression, which had begun closing off minutes ago, had almost completely shut down. She looked up, her eyes dull. “I’m a lifer.”
A lifer?
Where had she heard that recently? A picture of Johnny, the inn’s evening bartender, popped Priscilla’s mind. He had said that about her one night, and it had been like a balm to her ears. It was as if he confirmed what she had already known—that she had come home. For life.
Priscilla took a hard look at Amber. The young girl was a chameleon of sorts. At EduCenter she could collapse into giggles with her friends on cue, but she could also shut down as quickly as she had with Priscilla right now. Her eyes grazed the young girl’s face, compassion overwhelming her. While Johnny’s pronouncement had given Priscilla a sense of peace, Amber’s sounded more like a sentence, one that she had resigned herself to living.
Tears welled in Priscilla’s eyes, but she blinked them away. Changing the subject, she said, “You had amazing balance out there. Have you surfed before?”
“Nah. Never been surfing. One time I was at the public pool though and my swimming teacher said I had good balance when I was learning how to go off the diving board. Maybe she wanted to make me feel good, but”—she shrugged—“maybe I kinda do.”
“Well, I was impressed.”
“You should be. I thought you were gonna fall off!”
“Good thing I didn’t.”
“Yeah.” Amber giggled. “I didn’t want to have to go into that icky water and save you.”
“But you would’ve?”
She shrugged. “Guess so.”
Chapter 9
Katrina leaned close to Priscilla, a tinge of guilt in her voice. “Just one more? Pretty please?”
Priscilla was flat ironing a client’s hair, supposedly her last client of the day. A very long day. But she couldn’t say no to Katrina.
At her nod, Katrina gave her a weird little side hug and scampered off. Her client, a guest in the hotel, smiled at her in the mirror. “You’re an angel,” the woman, who looked to be in her fifties, said. “You’ve been on your feet since the minute I walked in here two hours ago to get my pedicure. Wish I had your energy!”
Priscilla chuckled. “What can I say? I love my job.” She set the flat iron down on the counter and put her hands on the back of the woman’s chair. Looking at her in the mirror, she asked, “What do you think?”
The woman clapped her hands together and let out a squeal. “I absolutely love it! I haven’t looked this young in years. Priscilla, you are more than an angel—you’re a magician.”
“I’m so glad you like it!” She smoothed her hands over the woman’s hair, shaping it around her face. She couldn’t help herself. “If you have some dry shampoo with you, it should last you a few days.”
“I do have some! Oh, thank you so much.”
After the woman had gone on her way, Priscilla grabbed a broom and began sweeping under her chair. Katrina sidled up next to her. “I come bearing a gift,” she said, holding up a pair of the inn’s complementary slippers.
Priscilla laughed. “What this?”
“I really appreciate you staying a little later tonight and thought maybe your feet could use a break.” She pointed to Priscilla’s high-heeled sandals. “I have no idea how you stand on those every day.”
Priscilla dumped a dustpan full of hair into a bin. She put away her broom and took the plastic-wrapped, terry cloth slippers from Katrina. “I’ll admit—these do look perfect right about now.”
She stepped out of her sandals and put them in the corner, then she slid her aching toes into the slippers. “Ahhh.”
Katrina laughed. “Don’t get too relaxed—your next client is here.”
The woman looked about forty. She had a dimple in her cheek when she smiled, and wavy dark brown locks. Something about her seemed familiar, and Priscilla mentally scanned her mind, wondering if they had met before.
“Welcome.” She motioned for the woman to sit in her chair. “I’m Priscilla.”
“Hello, Priscilla. I’m Gwynnie.”
Priscilla snapped a look up, meeting the woman’s gaze in the mirror. The woman smiled back at her. “Wade’s sister.”
“Of course!” Priscilla nodded. “I see the resemblance between you and Sadie now. She is so darling.”
“She has talked non-stop about you since the pool party. You made quite the impressio
n on her,” Gwynnie said.
Priscilla tilted her head to the side and splayed the fingers of one hand across her chest. “Really? That makes me so happy.”
Gwynnie smiled, but didn’t say anything more. Priscilla wracked her brain, trying to recall whether Wade had told her to expect his sister in the salon. Hadn’t she already spent time at the spa on the day he had brought Sadie to the pool party?
“So,” Priscilla asked, “what are we doing today?”
“I thought it would be fun to get to know the woman who has caught my brother’s attention.”
Priscilla froze. She wasn’t aware that anyone else knew that she and Wade were, um, that they were maybe getting to know each other ...
Gwynnie flat out laughed. “I’m guessing I surprised you, didn’t I?”
“Well, I ...”
“My brother and I are totally different. He’s pretty stoic, at least about his personal life. Not me. I usually say what I think, not too worried about using a filter. Does that bother you?”
“Not in the least, honey. Makes it easier to get to know you.”
“That’s what I always say, too!”
Priscilla laughed. “Shall we get started?”
“Yes, please. And do whatever you want—I hear you are amazing.”
“Who’s telling you those lies?”
“Ha ha. I was in here last week getting a pedicure—well, you know that already—when I overheard it. Then Wade mentioned his friend Priscilla, so I put two and two together and decided to stop in on my way through town to see if you could squeeze me in.”
“I’m glad you did.” She whipped out a cape and draped it over Gwynnie, latching it at the back of her neck. “Let’s get you washed.”
A few minutes later, Priscilla was running a wet brush through Wade’s sister’s hair and wondering how much she ought to share—and how much to keep to herself. “You know, Sadie seemed pretty smitten with her uncle. It was beautiful to see.”
“Uncle Wade spoils her. I’d complain, but she needs a good male role model in her life, so I let him get away with it.” She took a breath. “I know he told you about my ex.”
When Priscilla hesitated, she added, “Because of you, my brother and I have reconciled. Not that we were estranged, but you said something that caused him to talk to me and hear my side of things.” She turned slightly. “I really appreciate that.”
Priscilla positioned strands of Gwynnie’s hair between her fingers, ready to start snipping. “I’m glad you didn’t mind me adding my two cents to your situation. He had expressed concern, so I simply said that there could have been more to the story than what he seemed to think.”
“Whoo—you are so diplomatic.”
Priscilla smiled.
“I really hope things work out between you two.”
Priscilla kept her voice even. “We are really just beginning to get to know each other.”
“Yes, well, my brother is a great catch, but he’s also a workaholic. I’m sure this is no surprise to you.”
Priscilla nodded. She continued to slide her fingers down sections of Gwynnie’s hair, focusing on precision to the best of her ability.
She sighed. “Our father was a good man. Mom died when we were young so Dad buried himself in his pursuits. He was a funny man, but not that great at keeping money all the time. Some things made him a lot of money—like the little house he invested in that the state bought to make way for a highway. But then he’d reinvest and lose, not just a little of it, but all of it. Then he would start all over again.”
“That must have been hard on you.”
“Not really. I was too young to notice what was happening, but I learned when I grew older that my brother worried all the time. I don’t think the yo-yo financial situation was such a great experience for Wade.”
Priscilla didn’t mention what Wade had divulged regarding his own financial status. “Is it possible that Wade actually learned much from your father about business?”
“Yes and no. I think he did pick up some pointers, whether he’d acknowledge that or not, but he also learned to be afraid. A hoarder, even.” Gwynnie’s eyes flashed wide in the mirror, as if she’d suddenly had a revelation. “I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t judge my brother by what I’ve said. Promise me!”
“Oh, honey, you don’t have to worry about that with me.”
This appeared to calm her some. “I hope not. Wade’s a good man. A little hyper-focused at times, but he’s got a generous heart.”
Priscilla nodded, thinking of the way Wade offered his time to the kids at EduCenter. He also didn’t think twice about donating money—lots of it—when he learned of the need. Sure, she had seen signs of his grumpiness, but maybe she needed to cut the man some slack. Her mind fluttered back to the kiss he had surprised her with the other evening and realized, maybe she already had.
Priscilla opened the shutters of her condo, ushering in the pinprick of light forcing its way through the fog. She, for one, was getting tired of the lack of sun.
Her cellphone rang. Someone was calling from EduCenter.
“Hello?”
“Priscilla? This is Candace James, from the center. How are you today?”
“Candace—how nice to hear from you. I’m doing very well, thank you.”
Candace lowered her voice. “Listen, I wanted to tell you about a little situation, but I’d like you to keep it on the down low. Can you do that for me?”
Priscilla curled up on her sofa, curious. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
“It’s about Amber.”
She sat up. “Is everything okay with her?”
“No. Not really. She had a disagreement with her foster mom and was kicked out.”
“Kicked out? Oh, no. Where is she?”
Candace sighed. “I took her in on an emergency basis. I-I just couldn’t let her be thrown back into the system again. She’s a great kid, but she hasn’t been able to develop much trust in other humans.”
A knot formed in Priscilla’s throat and she swallowed it back. “What can I do to help?”
“I’m so glad you asked, because, honestly, I was hoping that you would consider becoming her foster mother, Priscilla. I have never seen her take to someone the way she does to you. There’s already a remarkable level of trust between you two.”
Priscilla let Candace’s words settle into her mind and heart. Instinctively, she knew the center’s director was right—something special had developed between them. But become a foster mother?
“I know it’s a lot to ask, and of course, you can say no. But I hope you’ll think about it. She’s going to be heading into high school soon and I shudder to think how she’ll handle the pressure of all that without a stable home life.”
Candace’s words weighed on her and her mind whirred. Raise a teenager? That would be an unprecedented adventure, even for her who had traveled the world with only two pairs of shoes.
“Are you still there?”
Priscilla nodded. “Yes, yes. I am thinking about your proposition.” She wondered what Wade might say. She hadn’t been able to forget the way he kissed her the other night, the way he’d lingered with her out in the parking lot. Just about everything from that day had been so unexpected.
Like this phone call.
“I must warn you, though, that approval doesn’t happen overnight,” Candace said. “You’ll have to apply and take a course. Then they’ll have to inspect your home.” She paused. “As board chairman, Wade could formally recommend you as well.”
“I understand,” she said. “And I am honored you would think of me. I promise to think seriously about this and get back to you as soon as possible.”
“That’s all that I ask.”
Chapter 10
It had been a long week, but not without its perks. New York had always been a temptation for Wade, ever since his grandfather had taken him to the City when he was a kid—the first place he had been allowed to stay out until well
after dark. He remembered pizza slices as big as his head, roving cartoon characters in Times Square, and strangely, jumping over the hot stench of subway exhaust as it bellowed out of the sidewalks.
The satisfaction of a job well done settled in his middle. He looked again at the signed contract on his iPad, the one that he had negotiated with his partners until well into last night. They had run into trouble several times, the deal nearly washed away, but in those times his heart pumped harder and his energy surged. Heavy hitters owned most of the block where his building, a large multi-unit structure he had invested in twenty years before with a group of partners, stood south of the garment district. Who knew that the rest of the block, except one old house, would be snatched up and plans made for a high-rise building that would stretch from corner to corner?
The building he owned sat squarely in the center of the block, a pre-war building that wore scars from the past. Buying into it had been a risk for him, especially back when his investing skills were raw and untested. But as of last night, that risk had paid off handsomely. The developer would have to purchase his investment property to build what had been proposed and approved by the city. And they had sweetened the deal by including future rental income losses in the final price.
Now all he and his partners had to do was wait for the owner of the final, small home next to theirs to be released to the developer. They had been assured that the small home was no Up story. The structure was not some memories-filled home that the current owner had lived in with a beloved wife. Instead, it had been passed down from a grandparent, had subsequently been rented out for many years, and desperately needed repairs.
He could not have asked for a better situation to find himself in.
Wade blew out a breath and settled into this high-backed first class seat, the rumble of the jet’s engine a soothing tradition. The next time he flew to New York, it would be for fun. Maybe to see a show. Or tour MOMA again. As he considered his options, his eyelids began to feel heavy and the next thing he knew, they had landed at Los Angeles International Airport. He awoke to the sounds of seatbelt unclicking and bell tones alerting flight attendants that they would be disembarking soon.
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