by Jill Sanders
When Eve came over and sat across from him, her face was a little flushed.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said between clenched teeth, her eyes darting to Palmer.
“Problem?” he asked, trying to gauge her mood.
“Later,” she said sweetly. “For now, let’s enjoy dinner and have some fun.”
For the next hour he kept the conversation lighthearted, far away from her family and problems. The rain let up enough for them to see what resembled a sunset over the water.
“Do you need help carrying anything up to your room?” he asked when Palmer had finished the brownie Eve had ordered for her.
Eve smiled. “No, thank you.” She glanced towards the door. “It appears that my new room is… no longer mine.”
“What?” He shook his head.
“My… family took it upon themselves to move my things back into my grandfather’s rooms while I was away.”
He opened his mouth to say a few choice words about them, then realized his daughter was watching him, intently.
“How… nice of them,” he said, shaking his head.
“Yes,” Eve agreed. “Until I know exactly where I’ll be staying, I think my things are safest in my trunk.”
“Agreed.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you again,” she said, looking down at their joined hands. “I didn’t know who else to call.” He heard a slight hitch in her breath and squeezed her hand lightly.
“I’m here.”
“We.” Palmer sighed and rolled her eyes, causing him to chuckle.
“Correction, we are.” He nodded to his daughter.
“That reminds me.” She snapped her fingers. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to buy Palmer’s painting of the boat. The one in oil.”
He stilled and then remembered the first painting his daughter had done with the new oils he and his dad had bought her. It was one of the best Palmer had done so far.
Palmer had been a few weeks shy of her fourth birthday when he’d first noticed her talent for art. He’d encouraged her to explore it, without pushing too much. He’d learned all he could about paints, colors, canvases, and brushes so he could help her. No matter how much he’d learned, his daughter’s raw talent outweighed it all.
Instead of using the expensive paint brushes, she used everyday items like the old kitchen sponges he’d tossed out or old work rags. She’d even used a few rocks and sticks to make marks in her watercolors. There wasn’t a drawing or painting she finished that hadn’t impressed him.
“You want to buy it?” he asked.
“Yes, if it’s for sale?” She leaned closer. “You can put the money into a fund for art school,” she suggested.
He glanced down at Palmer. “Eve wants to buy your painting. Would that be okay with you?”
Palmer nodded with a smile. “I told her it’s not my best. I’m just learning how to paint with the oils.”
Eve smiled and reached for Palmer’s hand. “I love it very much.”
“You can have it,” Palmer answered.
“If you want to be a real professional painter, you have to charge me for it,” Eve suggested.
“Okay.” Palmer shrugged.
“How much do you think it’s worth?” he asked Palmer.
His daughter shrugged again. “A dollar?”
Eve chuckled. “How about I write your daddy a check and surprise you?”
He glanced up at Eve. “That’s not…”—her eyebrows shot up. — “…a bad idea,” he finished with a smile.
“Smart and sexy,” she said under her breath.
He felt his body respond instantly. Damn, he wanted some time alone with her. Time to kiss her again. To plaster that sexy body of hers against his. The memory of how she’d tasted had him licking his lips, wanting more. Then his daughter laid her head against his arm and let out a loud yawn.
“We’d better get going.” He pulled Palmer into his lap. His daughter clung to him, telling him that it was indeed time to go.
“I’ll see you Monday?” Eve asked, eagerly.
He smiled and nodded, then remembered her car. “We’ll need to talk.”
She nodded slightly, her eyes going to Palmer’s sleepy face. “Thanks for coming to visit me. Come back anytime.”
“Mkay.” His daughter yawned. “Night.”
“Night sweetie.” Eve stood and followed them outside.
“Don’t let your family get to you,” he said softly. “And if you have to go anywhere”—he glanced over to where her car was parked— “let me know first. I’ll come and make sure everything is still okay with your car.”
Worry flooded her eyes as she looked off towards the parking lot. “Okay.” She touched his arm. “Thanks again, for… everything.”
He nodded and turned away, afraid that if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t be able to.
“Daddy?” Palmer said, halfway home. He’d expected her to fall fast asleep the moment the truck turned on.
“Yes, sweetie?” He took a quick glance back at his daughter. Her little lips were puckered in thought.
“Eve was sad,” she said, surprising him.
“When sweetie?”
“Before the brownie,” she answered.
He thought back. Leave it to his daughter to notice the small details. “Yes, sweetie.” He tried to never lie to her. Shielding her from some truths at this age was different than outright lying, but about this, he figured he could at least clue her in. “Her family has upset her.”
Palmer was quiet for so long that he believed she’d fallen asleep. But when he parked in front of his garage, she said, “Then I want her to have my painting. It will cheer her up. You can take it to her, but it should have a pretty frame. Maybe you can make one for it?”
He turned and smiled at his daughter. “That is a wonderful idea.”
“There was an old painting in the hallway. It had dark wood for a frame. I liked it.” He helped her climb out of her car seat and held her to his chest while they walked through the light rain to the front door.
“Beach wood,” he said as he let them into the house.
He remembered the oil painting of the inn, which had been commissioned long before either he or Eve had been born. He had a few pieces of wood that he could trim down to make a frame. Actually, he had several pieces of reclaimed wood that he could throw together to make a beach-themed frame. Something that would make the colors of Palmer’s painting pop.
“Daddy?” Palmer sighed against his shoulder. “I like Eve.”
“So do I, honey.” He ran his hands over her hair.
“Will you marry her so she could be my mommy?” his daughter asked as he helped her into her pajamas.
His heart did a little dive. “You have a mommy. In heaven,” he added, remembering how much Kendra had wanted to be a mother.
“I know, but I want one that can hold me and watch cartoons with me when I’m sick and you’re sick too.” She grabbed her favorite blanket and hugged it to her as she crawled under the covers. “Promise me you’ll make the frame for Eve.”
“I promise,” he said easily and bent down to place a kiss on Palmer’s forehead.
His daughter let out a large yawn and rolled over on her side. “I wouldn’t stop loving you. I’d just love her too.”
His heart swelled as he watched his daughter drift off to sleep. How had he gotten this lucky?
He had to admit that someday soon, she would be smarter than he was.
Shutting her door, he stepped out into the living room and pulled out his phone. He doubted Eve had had time to fall asleep yet, so he dialed her number.
“Hi,” she answered, sounding a little breathless.
“Hi. Were you still up?” he asked.
She chuckled. “It’s only a little after eight.”
He turned and glanced at the clock on the wall and instantly felt like an idiot.
“The perks of having
a five-year-old. Early nights.” He rolled his eyes and mentally imagined banging his forehead against the wall. “Do you have time to talk?”
“Yes, I just brought up some of my things.” He could hear her moving around, and then the phone went quiet and he guessed she had sat down.
“Did you get a new room?” he asked.
“No, I’m back in my grandfather’s rooms.” She sighed. “I’m too tired to fight my family any more tonight.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, before.” He moved out to the garage and started looking over the chunks of driftwood he had for the frame.
“My family?” she asked.
“Yes. Well, maybe. Your car battery cables were loosened. Which is why your car died earlier.”
“On purpose?” she asked after a brief silence.
“I can see one cable coming loose, but both?” He sighed. “No. When was the last time you had the car checked out?”
She was quiet and he could tell she was thinking about it. “A month ago. During its normal oil change. They cleaned the connectors, replaced a spark plug, and put in a new air filter.”
“I doubt they’d leave the cables loose.” He set a few pieces of wood aside.
“No. Okay, so what? If someone loosened the cables before I left, wouldn’t they have come loose on the way to Seattle?”
“With how loose they were, yes.” He frowned.
She was silent. “The only place someone could have messed with my car was on the ferry. I went up to get a sandwich.”
“Was there anyone you knew on the ferry?”
She was silent again. “No, I didn’t see anyone. I can ask around and see who was missing yesterday before I came home.”
“It might be better if I asked around. That way, no one will suspect anything,” he suggested.
“I can’t ask you to be any more involved in my madness.”
“Too late.” He remembered Palmer’s request. “I think we both know we’re too far beyond that.” He waited, hoping she’d agree, and when she finally did, it caused his heart to flutter and float.
“Eve, I want some time alone with you. Soon,” he promised.
“I’d like that.”
“Wednesday night,” he blurted out. “My dad can take Palmer Wednesday evening.”
“I…” He could tell she’d been ready to turn him down but stopped. “I’ll make it work. Where?”
He thought about it. About how small the island was and her request to keep their relationship from her family.
“I’ll pick you up at the dock. We’ll take the boat out for a sunset dinner.”
“Perfect. I’ll provide the dinner, you provide the boat,” she said with a chuckle.
“It’s a date.” He felt giddy suddenly.
“Dylan?”
“Yes?” He felt suddenly energized at the prospect of being alone with her.
“I really enjoyed dinner tonight with you and Palmer. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I… didn’t have anyone else I could call.”
He felt his heart break a little at the thought of her surrounded by family, yet so alone.
“You can call me anytime,” he said softly.
“Goodnight.”
“Night. I’ll see you Monday,” he added before hanging up with her.
With the goal of getting the frame done so it could set and dry, he worked past midnight until it was perfect. He would have to sand and stain it tomorrow, but for now it was held with clamps to dry overnight.
Instead of using four pieces of dried beach wood, he’d cut several pieces into smaller sections, then glued and tacked them together to make a mishmash of colors and textures.
When he carried Palmer’s painting out and placed it carefully in the frame, he knew that it was perfect. There were three light blue pieces of wood mixed in with the white and beige ones, which ended up matching the hull of the sailboat his daughter had painted perfectly.
The next morning, he showed Palmer, and she hugged him tightly.
“I knew you could do it.” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “You need a shave.” She giggled.
He did, and a haircut, which he’d been putting off.
“Tonight,” he promised. “I’ll stop by the barber shop after I pick you up from school.” He hugged her again.
“Eve’s going to love it.” She clapped her hands and did a little dance.
“Are you sure you want to let go of this one? It’s one of your best,” he asked.
“Yes.” Palmer nodded quickly. “I want her to have my first. If I’m going to convince her to be my mommy…”
“Palmer,” he warned softly, but his daughter was on a roll.
“Then I have to show her how good of a daughter I can be,” she finished.
“You’re the best,” he agreed and hugged her. “But for now, let’s keep this between us. A secret. You might scare Eve off if you tell her you want her as your mommy.”
“Because her family is so mean?” she asked.
It was better than any excuse he could come up with, so he nodded.
“They deserve to be bitten by bees.” His daughter crossed her arms over her little chest and pouted.
He couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. “Where did you hear that?”
“Tyler Dawson said that his older brother ate all his Halloween candy last year and, this year, he was going to put a live bee in his candy bag, cause his brother is lergic to them and that they would eat him up.”
Dylan made a mental note to let Shelly Dawson in on her youngest son’s plans. “Allergic,” he corrected Palmer. “And bees don’t bite, they sting,” he added with a chuckle as he hugged her to him one more time.
12
Let’s go to the moon
By the time Dylan walked into her office Monday morning, she had already fought and won two battles with her family.
She’d found out that it had been her aunt Louisa who had requested her things be moved out of room 432. Apparently, she’d run into Mr. Strommen, an old friend of hers, and he’d explained that he wasn’t happy with staying in a room on the lower levels, since he’d been staying in 432 room all the years he’d been coming to the inn.
Eve had confronted her aunt during breakfast, after spending another night sleeping on the sofa, since she hadn’t had the time to replace her grandfather’s sheets or comforter yet. Nor any desire to, if she was being honest.
“Is there a reason you felt it was within your power to have my private things moved from my room?” she’d asked her aunt, who had been sipping a cup of coffee in one of the booths facing the water.
The weather had cleared up and the sun was just drying the grass and yard from the rain.
Her aunt Louisa had married her uncle Gerald when Eve had been five. She didn’t remember the woman ever not being around, but she’d never gotten close to the woman and always felt the slight distance between them was not Eve’s doing.
Louisa Candlewood had at one point been thin and pretty. Not that she wasn’t now, but age hadn’t been kind to her. Her skin was wrinkled thanks to too many summer days sitting around the pools at the inn. Of course, she’d had several plastic surgeries trying to undo all the damage and, now, her skin looked very thin and stretched with wrinkles.
The fact that her aunt drank like a sailor probably didn’t help. Rumors were that Louisa and Gerald hadn’t shared a bedroom for years. There had been earlier whisperings that one or both of them had had several affairs. Eve didn’t put it past either to cheat.
The loneliness had turned the woman bitter and cold and Gerald mean and foul tempered. The pair didn’t spare a chance to jab at each but were oddly united against anyone else who spoke out against their little family.
Now, her aunt glanced up at her as if she was an inconvenience. “You weren’t using the room,” she said with a slight shrug.
Eve swallowed down her temper. The one thing she couldn’t do was come to her family with anger. She never seemed to win an
argument when she was emotional. Then again, she hardly ever won anything around them lately.
“I was gone for one night. They were my private things.” Eve leaned on the table and lowered her voice. “How would you like it if I hired a moving company to come in and remove your things from your rooms?” Eve’s eyes narrowed. When her aunt’s face paled slightly, Eve nodded and stepped away before she could reply. Before she got too far, she threw over her shoulder, “I’ll expect you and your family to be out of your rooms by the end of this week.” Her meaning was very clear as the words hung between them.
Score one for Eve. She smiled and, in the lobby, ran into her cousin Steve and his girlfriend, DarCee.
The first time Eve had met the woman, who was almost ten years older than Eve, the blonde had instructed her on just how to spell her name.
“DarCee.” She had held out her hand to Eve. She’d heard that her cousin had been dating the blond woman for the past six months. “That’s spelled D-A-R-capital C-E-E,” she’d said with a plastered smile. “It’s my thing.” She’d giggled and turned to Steve. “Steve goes by Fray. It’s more exciting.” She’d sighed and giggled. “He’s very well-known now. Everyone knows him as Fray instead.”
Not everyone, Eve thought. Since then, every interaction Eve had had with DarCee had been just as compelling. It was hard to imagine how a woman of more than thirty-five could be so… childlike. Yet every day, both DarCee and Steve lessened Eve’s belief that someday her cousin would be able to be a valuable member of society.
Seeing the pair standing in the lobby with a large rocket and a very expensive camera, she made her way towards them.
“I hope you don’t expect to set that thing off on the property.” The statement seemed to set the pair back a little.
“We’re free to—” DarCee started, but when Eve raised her eyebrows at the woman, she shut her mouth.
“Dad said—” Steve started and again stopped talking when Eve narrowed her eyes at him.
“I will not allow you to scare our guests or put the property in danger. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Nor will I bail you out of jail if you destroy someone else’s property. I am not Reggie.” She made sure he understood clearly.
