Five Years or So

by Kay Correll

  “If you promise to finish getting dressed and quit changing clothes.”

  “Char, just go answer it.” Her friend disappeared out the door.

  Robin looked in the mirror. Charlotte was right. The dress was comfortable and not fancy and not too… too what? She shook her head and slipped on her red flats like Charlotte commanded. Why was she even worried about what she was wearing? She would’ve just gone in her work clothes if not for the fact that she’d managed to spill tea on herself during the lunch shift. Who knew it would be so hard to pick out clothes to wear for a simple dinner in town?

  It was just that Mason was so polished and accomplished. A CEO, for Pete’s sake. She didn’t want to look like some small-town bumpkin. She scowled. Since when did she care that she was born and raised in a small town? She loved Belle Island. She needed to just get over herself.

  She grabbed a favorite necklace—a small silver sand dollar on a delicate chain—and slipped it on. There, she was ready.

  She walked out into the main room of the bungalow where Charlotte was talking to Mason. He turned and smiled when she entered. “You look nice. Nice dress. Looks great on you.”

  The hint of a blush heated her cheeks. “Ah… thanks.”

  Charlotte smothered a laugh.

  Mason looked nice himself. More than nice. He had on khaki slacks, a knit collared shirt in navy blue, and expensive looking leather loafers. He looked fresh out of the shower with his hair still slightly damp. As she walked closer, she could smell the faint woodsy scent of his aftershave.

  She glanced over at Charlotte and sent her a save-me look. Charlotte just grinned in return. “You two have a fabulous time.”

  “I’m sure we will. You ready?” Mason offered his arm.

  She took his arm and as they started to walk out the door they ran into Ben. He looked at them in surprise, and she had to resist the urge to jerk her hand off Mason’s arm.

  “Well, hi.” Ben looked from Mason to her and back to Mason.

  “Ben, this is Mason. Gary’s son.”

  Ben reached out a hand. “Right, we met at Sara’s wedding.”

  “Right, I think we did. Though I met like a million people that night. It was nice of Sara to include me.” The men shook hands and she could swear they were sizing each other up in that way that men had.

  Charlotte walked up behind them. “Well, Sara and you will be kind of family since your dad is marrying her aunt. But don’t ask me to figure out what the actual relationship would be.” She turned to Robin. “You two go on to your dinner. Ben, come on in.” She reached for Ben’s hand and tugged him inside.

  Robin and Mason headed for the fancy sports car he’d rented. She looked at it and then at him, wanting to ask if he’d like to just walk. But then, he did have on those nice leather shoes…

  He opened the car door for her, and she slid inside. He came around and slipped in and they headed to Magic Cafe. Maybe she should have picked an out-of-the-way place to eat. Or even one over on the mainland. People on the island did like to talk, and if they saw her out with Mason, she was sure there would be speculation about what was going on. Which was nothing. Nothing was going on. Nothing at all.

  Tally greeted them when they got to Magic Cafe. She already knew Mason, of course. She remembered everyone she’d ever met, it seemed. They took a table near the sand, and Mason ordered a bottle of wine after looking at the list. It was obvious he knew his wines.

  They sipped their wine while they waited for their dinner. Mason was easy to talk to. He remembered she hadn’t found a dress yet and asked if she’d made any progress on that. No, she hadn’t, but Charlotte had promised to go with her later this week to find one.

  She really wasn’t sure why she’d been in such a tizzy getting ready tonight. He was a nice man. Attentive. Very good-looking. Just a big city CEO and that rattled her a bit, she admitted.

  After dinner, they sat watching the sunset as they finished their wine. Robin looked up and saw Camille and Delbert approaching and quickly squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.

  “Robin. So nice to see you.” Camille put on her trademarked fake smile.

  “Camille.”

  “And Mason, so good to see you again.” She flashed a perfect smile at Mason, nothing like the one she’d tossed at her. “Do you remember meeting us at Sara and Noah’s wedding?”

  “Yes, I sure do.”

  “Delbert, you remember meeting Mason’s father, Gary, that CEO who’s marrying Lillian. I heard he’s quite successful, but there was some kind of scandal… Anyway, I can’t believe he’ll be happy here on this little island for long.” Camille shook her head, and her perfectly curled hair bounced across her shoulders.

  How the heck did that woman keep perfect curls in this humidity?

  “Gary Jones’s son. I believe his company put in some bids on a few hotels we were building.” Delbert nodded.

  “I think so.” Mason nodded. “We didn’t get the jobs, though.”

  Delbert smiled ruefully. “Competition is tough in the hotel building business.”

  “It is.” Mason nodded agreeably.

  “It was nice to see you two. Camille, darlin’, we should let them finish their meal.” Del took Camille by the elbow and led her away to their table across on the far side of the outside seating, thank goodness.

  “She’s… interesting.”

  “Quite. She’s so full of herself and… well, she says unkind things about Lillian and the inn, and she spread nasty rumors about Sara and… well, lots of reasons that I really don’t like her.

  “That’s a lot of reasons.” Mason gave her a lazy smile.

  “It is. She told Lillian that it was surprising that she’d get married at her age. Imagine that. She’s just so… rude.”

  “So I take it she won’t be at Lillian’s and Dad’s wedding.”

  “No, she won’t.”

  “I actually looked up Hamilton Hotels after Dad made some mention about meeting Delbert. He’s quite successful and is doing a great job taking over the company from his father.” Mason gave a rueful smile. “Probably better than I am at taking over my dad’s company.”

  “Gary says you’re doing a great job.”

  “I still wish he’d come back and take over.” He shrugged. “But Dad will do what he wants. What’s best. I’m not sure the board of directors won’t give the CEO job to an outsider if Dad steps down permanently. That would be… strange. I can’t remember a time that it wasn’t Dad’s company, run by him. I mean it’s named after him for Pete’s sake.”

  “I’m sure your dad will decide soon. Although it may be after the wedding.”

  “I wonder what Lillian thinks about Dad going back to his job as CEO?”

  “I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything. Knowing Lillian, she’d support whatever decision your dad made and they’d make it work for them.”

  “You really think highly of her, don’t you?”

  “I adore her. And she’s a sharp businesswoman. And a wonderful friend and was wonderful raising Sara.”

  “Well, I hope Dad and Lillian are very happy.”

  “Me, too.”

  Ben and Charlotte ate dinner at the inn, then walked back to the bungalow she shared with Robin. Ben had been quiet most of the evening.

  “You okay?” she asked as they settled on the weathered bench out on the porch.

  “I am. It was just a long day at the marina.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Well, I am wondering what’s going on with Robin and that Mason guy. You know that Jay has a thing for her, right?”

  “Everyone knows that Jay has a thing for her. And she has a thing for Jay. They just never seem to do anything about it.”

  “I thought we’d talked him into asking her out when we were at the Lucky Duck a few nights ago. I was surprised to see her going on a date with someone else.”

  “Well, if he isn’t going to ask her out, then she should go out with other guys.”
r />   “But Jay and Robin… there is something going on between them.”

  “But if neither one of them does anything about their feelings for each other, then nothing will happen between them.” Charlotte leaned against Ben, and he circled his arm around her.

  “I wonder if Jay knows she has this date?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Ben turned to look at her. “I’m glad we’re past that awkward stage of dating.”

  “Me, too.”

  “You know…” He took her hand in his. “We should talk about setting a wedding date.”

  “We should.” She had been thinking about it but wanted to give them both enough time to get adjusted to being engaged. Besides, with the recent rash of four-week weddings, she wanted to take her time with hers. Decide on every little detail.

  “I was thinking we shouldn’t wait a long time.” He eyed her.

  “You’re not thinking of one of these plan-in-four-weeks weddings, are you? Because that’s a big fat no.”

  He laughed. “No, but how does Christmastime sound?”

  She thought for a moment. That was months away. It would give her time to choose everything and deliberate on every decision, which she was sure she would do. Her mother would think it was way too soon, but then, she didn’t worry about what her mother thought anymore. She knew some people planned weddings for over a year, but she didn’t need that. “Christmas sounds like a lovely time to get married. My parents and sisters are coming for a long visit this weekend. Let’s pick the exact date and I’ll tell them when they come to town.”

  He eyed her. “All three are coming? You okay with that?”

  “Dad just called today to tell me. He wants to play in a golf tournament here with his buddies. Dad promised that Mom and Eva will be on their best behavior. They’re staying at Charming Inn.” Four days of her family. That could get interesting.

  “And we need to think about where we want to live after we get married. Lady Belle would be kind of crowded for the two of us.” Ben’s thumb brushed back and forth on the back of her hand.

  “But you love her.”

  “Charlotte, I’ve seen your closet… there’s not enough room on the trawler for even your clothes.”

  She frowned. “I guess I never thought of that.”

  “And you need somewhere to paint. There’s no room for that on the boat, either.”

  “I guess we should look for a place then…” She worried about him moving off the boat, though. He had such a connection to it, and she knew it made him feel close to his father.

  “We don’t have to decide where right now. We have time. But we should start looking. Maybe something on the beach? With lots of natural light for your painting?”

  “That sounds nice. I’d love to look out over the beach. Or the bay if that’s more convenient to your work.”

  His mouth curved into a lazy grin. “Everywhere on the island is convenient to the marina.”

  She laughed. “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’m glad we at least came up with when we’re getting married.”

  “I want to get married at the inn. So I’ll check with them for exact dates that are available.”

  “Perfect.” He kissed her and stood. “And I should go. Have another long day tomorrow.”

  She nodded and watched him disappear down the sidewalk back to his beloved Lady Belle. She frowned. That was going to be a hard adjustment for him. Leaving the boat.

  A car pulled up and Mason got out and came around to help Robin out of the car. They talked for a minute or two, and Robin came up to the porch and sank into a seat beside her as Mason left.

  “Did you have a good time?”

  Robin kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs under her. “I did. Mason is fun and easy to talk to.”

  “Going out with him again?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Do you like him?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it.”

  Charlotte cocked her head to one side. “Really?”

  “Well, not much. I mean he lives across the country and he’s this big-shot CEO.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I just enjoy his company. That’s all.”

  Charlotte leaned forward. “Well, I have news.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Ben and I are getting married at Christmastime.”

  Robin clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful.”

  “We just need to check the inn’s schedule.”

  “I’ll do that first thing when I go in in the morning. A Christmas wedding. That’s so romantic.” Robin sighed. “Both you and Sara will be married.”

  “It won’t change anything with the three of us,” she assured Robin. “But I will be moving out of the bungalow. Are you going to look for a new roommate?”

  Robin frowned. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I can swing the rent on my own.” She shrugged. “But I admit I do like having you here with me.”

  “Ben said we might look for a place on the beach.”

  “Oh, that would be nice.”

  “I’m worried about him leaving the Lady Belle, though.”

  “It is his pride and joy.”

  “And he just recently rehabbed her and moved onto her to live.” She looked up at the stars as if they’d give her an answer.

  “People have to make changes when they get married. Do things that work for both of them.” Robin grinned. “Or so I’ve been told. I’m not exactly an expert on marriage.”

  “I’m not either. But I guess we’ll both have to make some big adjustments.”

  Robin stood. “Come on. It’s late, let’s go inside. You can’t make any of these decisions tonight, anyway.”

  She stood and followed Robin into their bungalow. The first place that had ever felt like home to her, where she belonged. And she’d be leaving it soon.

  Jay sat on a barstool at the Lucky Duck, nursing a beer. He looked up in surprise when Ben slipped onto the stool next to him. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself. Since when do you come here alone? I was walking back to the marina and saw you sitting in here.” Ben nodded to Willie to bring him a beer.

  “Yeah, well, Lil kicked me out of the kitchen. Said I was in too much of a lousy mood.”

  “And were you?”

  Jay looked at his beer, then back at Ben. He let out a long sigh. “Probably.”

  “Any reason?”

  “Nope, none at all.”

  “It had nothing to do with Robin?”

  Jay eyed his friend. “What do you mean by that?”

  “The fact she was out with Mason tonight?”

  He scowled. “That has nothing to do with me.”

  “Right. Nothing.” He took the beer from Willie. “So has Jay been here pouting all night?”

  Willie grinned. “Pretty much.”

  “I haven’t been pouting. I’m just…” He didn’t want to tell them he was mad at himself for not asking Robin out before she started seeing Mason. Mad that Robin would say yes to going out with Mason, even though she had every right to. Mad at himself for being mad.

  And he was jealous.

  And he was mad about that, too.

  Ben pinned him with a look. “You should ask her out, you know.”

  “So you’ve said. Probably a million times. But she’s seeing this Mason guy now.”

  “Sometimes you are so—” Ben shrugged. “Ridiculous. Nonsensical. You know you like Robin. Ask. Her. Out.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He dropped some bills on the counter to pay for his beer and walked out, leaving Ben to finish his beer on his own. Served him right. Sometimes a man just needed to sit alone without being nagged by a friend who thought he knew best.

  Even if the friend was probably right…

  Chapter 5

  Jay was surprised to find Dana already working when he got to the inn the next morning. “Hey, what are you doing here so early?”

  “You
said we were having cinnamon rolls this morning. Thought I’d get a start on those. And we’re running low on sourdough bread, so I’ll make that up after the cinnamon rolls.” She looked at him. “I hope that’s okay?”

  “No. I mean, yes. Yes, that’s fine.”

  He crossed over and grabbed things from the fridge that they’d need for breakfast. Possibly using a bit more force than necessary. He knew they probably did need an assistant cook here at the inn, but he loved his early mornings here by himself.

  Now Dana was invading his territory.

  But Lil kept insisting they needed a backup, and he needed help. He stopped and stared at the eggs and bacon on the counter. Why was she so insistent about it? It wasn’t like he was going to leave. Like ever.

  But was Lil afraid he would leave now that he’d made a name for himself? Or kind of a name. At least in the area. And Delbert had offered him a job at The Cabot Hotel on Moonbeam Bay. But he’d turned him down. He owed Lillian too much.

  He started making batter for pancakes, all the while watching Dana as she hummed—hummed—as she made the cinnamon rolls.

  It used to be quiet in here in the mornings, too.

  Robin breezed into the kitchen, looking for coffee, not five minutes later. Great. Now the women could chat and shatter whatever peace there was left in here. Besides, he wasn’t sure he was ready to see Robin. He was still ridiculously mad at her for going out with Mason. Which was crazy. And he hated crazy.

  Robin stopped by where Dana was working and did chat with her for a few minutes, of course. Then she headed over to where he was working. “Morning, Jay.”

  “Hey.” He continued working, barely looking up at her. Ignoring the question he wanted to ask her. He wasn’t going to ask it, though. Because he didn’t really want to know how her date with Mason went last night. Just the thought of it squeezed his heart.

  Unfortunately, she was oblivious to his attempt to shut her out. “Did you hear? Ben and Charlotte decided they were getting married at Christmastime. I need to hop on the computer and look and see what dates we have available. She wants to get married at the inn.”

  No, Ben hadn’t told him that last night at the Lucky Duck, but he hadn’t really given him a chance. He’d just up and left, leaving Ben alone with his drink. Some friend he was.