by Kay Lyons
Dominic looked at Samuel and saw the kid staring at the floor. Uh-huh.
He'd seen the boys' latest antics when the remaining potato chips were getting thrown off the pier so that the birds swarmed unsuspecting tourists. This fishing opportunity wasn't about a reward so much as keeping an eye on the kid while curbing his own boredom as a man used to working every day. "Go grab your gear. Don't forget a pole for me. Bait is my treat."
Samuel took off toward the back of the building.
"You don't have to do this."
"I know I don't. But lying on the beach isn't my thing, and I like to fish. If Samuel wears out and wants to do something else, I'll make sure I return him here first for permission."
"Oh, hello. Who are you?"
A woman emerged from the rear of the office area, and Dominic knew he stared at yet another of the sisters.
"Carolina, this is Dominic Dunn. He's in the third-floor suite."
"Oh, yeah, I heard— Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Carolina looked very much like her sister, but her bohemian style and flowy clothing left her appearing more flower child than beachgoer. "Oh, Ireland, I just ran some local kids out of the pool. Gonna have to keep an eye out."
"It's that time of year," Ireland said, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't help that they know Dad is out of town. They're more afraid of him than they are of us."
Dominic smiled at the image. Ex-military soldier versus two women who'd probably order them out but check them for signs of tears and offer a snack before they left the area? Yeah, he'd bet on the kids. "Local tradition?"
The ladies glanced at each other, and Ireland raised a telling eyebrow.
Carolina grinned. "You could say that."
Ireland huffed out a sound that was part laugh, part groan. "Maybe for you. As the eldest, I was the one who was always responsible when you wouldn't mind orders and went pool hopping." She shook her head at Dominic. "The local motels and HOAs had fits."
"Well, if Dad would've allowed us to swim in our pool, we wouldn't have had to go elsewhere."
"The pool is for paying guests. Like I tell Samuel, he gets to swim in off-season and slow times. Especially when the rules are kids have to be accompanied by adults and I can't be out there when I'm working in here."
"Ahhh. That was the trick," Carolina informed them, nodding. "Tagging just the right adult so that it looked like we were with them or with their kids so we didn't get caught."
He chuckled at the antics. "So you didn't go pool hopping with her?" he asked Ireland.
"I'm eight years older so no. When she was doing all of that, I was working or going to school."
"Yeah. The problem with being the youngest in the family is that I missed out on all the real fun. They got to travel the world as kids whenever our dad was reassigned overseas while I've been stuck here most of my life."
"Ready!"
"Sunscreen?" Ireland asked her son.
"Ah, man." Samuel released a heavy-laden sigh and dumped the load he carried onto the floor at his feet before racing back down the hallway behind the desk.
"Don't worry about bait. I'll make a call to the pier house and tell them Samuel is coming to fish so they can help keep an eye on him."
"It's no problem."
Maybe it was what Lisa had claimed to be mother's intuition, but Dominic knew Ireland had picked up on something when her gaze narrowed on him.
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
He moved into the room enough to snag the poles and tackle box.
"Dominic…?"
Knowing he'd want to know if it was his child—and having already been through the underage-drinking stage with his own kids—he paused. "I saw some behavior today that needs addressing… before it potentially becomes a problem later. Look," he said, glancing down the hallway to where Samuel had disappeared. "I've raised two kids and coached ornery Little League boys for several years. It's nothing I haven't had to handle before in one way or another. I'll talk to him. Okay?"
Her shoulders slumped. "Dominic, just tell me. What was it? Sneaking smelly bait in coolers? Changing the words on portable signs? Pool hopping like the kids Carolina just ran off?"
He whistled. "Dang, the kids here are busy in summer."
"You have no idea. Now what has my little darling been up to?"
Carolina giggled. "From that expression, I'm guessing more than one of the above."
"Really?"
Ireland looked horrified as only a concerned mother could.
Samuel raced back into the room, a huge grin on his face and a smear of white down his nose. "Ready."
"You know, I'm craving some chips. You don't have a bag to bring with us, do you?" he said to the boy.
Ireland's eyes widened slightly before narrowing on her son. "Sure we do. We have a brand-new bag in the cabinet," she said. "Sammy, go get it."
Samuel's face paled to the shade of the sunscreen on his nose and his eyes got as big as saucers. "Uh… It's gone. I got hungry."
"You ate an entire bag of chips?"
"I shared some."
"With whom?"
"Um… just the kids from school."
"What kids?"
Obviously not wanting to rat out his friends, Samuel lifted a bony shoulder in a shrug.
"Just kids from practice. Sorry, Mom. Are you ready?" Samuel asked Dominic.
Dominic winked at Ireland. "Yup. Let's get fishing."
* * *
"He's hot," Carolina said after the door had shut behind Dominic and Samuel.
"He's too old for you—and in mourning."
"Might be too old for me but he's not too old for you."
"Did you miss the and in mourning part?"
"Can't mourn forever. And I saw the way he was looking at you. And that wink? Totally hot."
"The wink was because we were putting the screws to Samuel, and Dominic's look was one of pity because I'm doing a horrible job as a parent."
"Oh, stop it. You are not."
"Yeah? I wonder how many poor tourists got the fright of their life today thinking they were suddenly in The Birds. It's a wonder someone didn't call the police."
"Come on, you can't be that mad. It's funny and you know it."
It was. She'd seen local kids pull the stunt several times since she'd moved here, but the trickster had never been her son. "What's next? Tipping lifeguard stands?"
"That's better than cows. At least no animals are hurt during the tipping."
Once more Carolina grinned, and Ireland shoved her fingers into her hair as though to pull it out, unable to stop the smile that formed. "He's being a normal boy, right? Do you think this is because of his dad?"
"Sammy's doing great, all things considered."
"Maybe. But he's only ten. What's he going to be doing at twelve? Thirteen?" She gulped. "Sixteen?"
"Hmm… That's a tough one. But based on what I did with my friends at that age and if you refuse to date, you'd better hope this is Dad's last vacation until Sammy turns twenty-one. Just saying."
Chapter 10
"So, you going to open that bag of chips we got?" Dominic was watching Samuel when he posed the question and saw the boy's guilty expression.
"You saw, didn't you?"
"Yup."
"We were just having fun."
"You stole drinks from people."
"I didn't."
"You were part of the crew, Samuel. That makes you just as guilty as the boys who took those drinks from the coolers while you distracted the people. What were they, anyway?"
Samuel scuffed his shoes along the lower rung of the pier railing and shrugged. "I got water."
"And the others?" Dominic cast his line and waited.
"A Gatorade and… one of 'em was a beer. But I didn't drink any. Jon— Just the other boys did."
"I see."
"I promise I didn't drink any. Are you going to tell my mom?"
"Don't you think I should?"
"She won't
let me go to the game tomorrow if you do."
"If stealing is something you plan to do all summer, maybe you shouldn't be allowed to go."
Samuel lowered his chin to his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they were going to steal. Honest. We were just messing around with the chips and laughing at the tourists freaking out. They bet me I couldn't throw some in the air and get fifty people to watch."
It sounded like Samuel had been suckered into participating by the older boys, but it didn't change the end result. "Yeah, well, here's the thing—you are who you hang out with, and by association, whether you knew it or not, today you stole something that wasn't yours."
"Really?"
"Really. So before you run around with boys who steal for fun, you need to ask yourself if that's who you want to be. It might seem like pranks now, but if you're hanging with those kids and they do something more serious, the police will be involved. They could have been called today had you been caught, and you'd be just as guilty as those other boys because you were with them. That's something you need to think about."
"Yeah. I guess."
Dominic felt a tug on his line and patiently waited. Once his line tightened, he did a little tugging of his own.
"You've got one!"
He began reeling and peered over the railing to see the flash of silver in the water below. "Not very big."
"Bring him up! Let's see!"
He laughed at Samuel's enthusiasm for what looked like the smallest fish ever and was surprised to find a baby shark on the other end of his hook. People passing by paused to see what he'd caught and take a look as Dominic unhooked it and dropped it down into the water below.
He settled himself back onto the bench beside Samuel, who had reeled in his line and was attaching a different kind of bait.
"Are you going to tell my mom about stealing the drinks and the… beer?"
"No." Dominic glanced at Samuel and held the boy's gaze. "You're going to tell her."
"But… she's gonna be really sad. And mad. I don't want to make her cry."
"Then I guess that's something else to consider before you pull a stunt like that again, isn't it? How your mom and grandparents and family will feel."
Samuel's chin trembled and the kid swallowed hard.
"Look, Sam, I'm guessing your mom will be happy you told her. Honesty is important, and so long as you've learned your lesson and you don't do it again—"
"I won't. I really won't. Grandpa'd be so mad at me. But I didn't know they'd done it until I got under the pier and saw them." His head lowered and the boy's mouth twisted down. "I guess I should've known they didn't really want to hang out with me. Mason kinda laughed when Christopher asked me." Samuel cast again and plopped down onto the bench.
"So they’re older boys?"
Samuel shrugged. "Yeah. I think Christopher's fourteen."
"You don't have buddies your age you can hang out with?"
"Yeah, but a lot of 'em are on vacation or… doing stuff with their dads."
"You miss your dad, huh?"
The boy shrugged again but Dominic could read the truth in Samuel's expression. "Well, I don't know how long your grandpa will be gone, but maybe we can hang out some while I'm here. If your mom agrees to it— after you tell her about the stunt earlier."
"Do I really have to tell her?"
"Men have to accept responsibility for their actions, good and bad."
"Maaan. I hope she doesn't cancel the game."
Dominic reached over and ruffled the kid's hair. "Me, too, buddy. Me, too."
Chapter 11
Dominic found himself back on the pier near sunset, facing the wind and watching as the last of the sun’s rays lit up the sky in bright reds and oranges.
He and Samuel had fished for a couple of hours then grabbed some burgers for dinner before Samuel headed off to baseball practice. The kid had promised to talk to his mom and confess, and Dominic wondered what Ireland's decision would be regarding the ball game tomorrow. On the one hand, he could see the need for punishment, but on the other hand, he also saw Samuel's need for such time, to refill the well neglected by his missing father.
"Dominic! Hello there."
Dominic turned and found Carol, one of the kayaking ladies, standing nearby, on the opposite side of the chain-link fence closing the pier to general access. Everyone had to enter or exit through the pier house during the season.
"I thought that was you standing there. Beautiful sunset, isn't it?"
He nodded his agreement and took in the bike she was locking up for safekeeping.
"Hang on and I'll join you. If you don't mind, that is? I walk to the T every evening before I head home."
"Sure." Dominic lost sight of Carol while she made her way through the pier house, but once through the door, she approached him with a big smile. She was a pretty woman for her age, which he guessed to be close to sixty.
"So have you decided to stay for a few days or are you out here saying goodbye?"
"I'm going to stay on a few days."
"I'd be surprised if you didn't. Rarely is anyone ever in a hurry to leave. I love living here. Maybe while you're here you'll run into someone who can show you the highlights."
"Uh… Maybe." He wasn't sure what else to say since he was pretty sure Carol meant her friend Beth.
His thoughts must have shown on his face because Carol laughed softly. "Don't worry. I won't tell Beth I ran into you or she'll be hanging out here hoping to see you again."
"Thanks."
"You haven't dated anyone since your wife passed, have you?"
He was surprised by Carol's forthrightness but the expression she wore was one of sympathy. Dominic tossed his empty coffee cup into a trash can and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Is it that obvious?"
"A little. But only because I recognize the look of dread since I wore it for so long."
He glanced down at the woman and realized they shared more than some might think. "My last first date was twenty-four years ago. That doesn't seem… real."
She chuckled and nodded. "That just confirms you're a good man, Dominic. I've known other widowers. Their wives were barely in the grave and they were out looking. It was sad and disrespectful, in my opinion. Like the person was as replaceable as a light bulb."
"That's not love," he said in agreement.
"No, it isn't. But your wife… You said she's been gone a year. Am I remembering that right?" Carol frowned and shaded her eyes with her hand. "Look. Dolphins."
He followed to where she pointed, and three fins broke surface nearly at the same time. "That's right, a year. Do you see dolphins often?"
"Almost daily. Just have to watch for them."
He inhaled and, because his gut told him Carol would indeed understand, quickly filled her in as to Lisa's preplanned trip for him.
"That's… that's just so thoughtful." Carol wiped away tears from behind her sunglasses. "What a gift to receive. She obviously loved you as much as you loved her."
"I think so, too."
"Well, I'm so glad you decided to stay a few more days at least. May I ask what changed your mind?"
"A couple of things, I guess. I don't want to be disrespectful of the effort she put into planning this whole thing and… I found myself making plans."
"Plans. As in…?" Carol's expression changed from surprise to pleasure. "A date?"
"No, no. Not like that." He leaned his forearms against the railing and scanned the surface for more dolphins. "It just kind of came about. There's this kid, a local. I helped him with a baseball pitch, and he mentioned he's never been to a game."
"His parents are allowing him to go with a stranger?"
"No. Technically, his mother is taking him. I'm the one tagging along because the kid asked me to join them."
"A single mother?"
"Yeah. But it's not a date," he quickly said.
"Is she pretty?"
The question gave him pause. "She's… beautiful."
> "Nice?"
"Very."
"So why not make it a practice date then?"
"A practice date?"
"Well, does the mother think she's going on a date?"
"No. It's for her son. An experience for him. If we wind up going. He got into some trouble today," he explained. "So she may cancel."
"Would you be disappointed if she did?"
Once again Dominic was taken aback by Carol's questions, but after a long moment, he nodded. "Yeah. I think I would be. I haven't done anything like that in years."
"Hmm. Well, all the more reason to have a practice date if you do go. She'll be none the wiser. If you go, go, have fun. Practice your flirting if you feel like it, and just enjoy the day without the pressure of a real date. Then when you're ready and decide to go on a real date, it won't be as stressful."
"Is that what you did? Is this experience talking?" He straightened from his slouched position and turned toward her, watching as her smile lit her face with happiness.
"How did you guess? My George was sneaky. He knew I was afraid of falling in love again after being so broken by my husband's passing, so instead of asking me on a date, he'd just show up and it would turn into one. This is a small town when all of the tourists are gone. It was easy to find ourselves at the same place, and George… He'd ask me to dance or bring me a drink. Sit beside me. We met at different events for months before we went on an official date, and I didn't realize until afterward that he'd planned it all along."
"That is sneaky."
"George said he knew he had to creep into my heart before I shut him out of it because of fear. And all I can say is that I'm glad he did."
Carol placed her hand on his arm, but instead of the contact feeling overtly sexual like had with Beth, with Carol it felt friendly and comforting.
"Speaking of which, I should head home to my George. He's ready for dinner by now. Enjoy your time here, Dominic, especially the ball game. Life is short, as we both know. Take a chance and live while you can."
Chapter 12
Dominic walked Carol through the pier house and out onto the boardwalk, where she retrieved her bike and headed home.