by Kay Correll
He took a steadying breath and turned to look at Robin instead of being a sullen jerk. Her sparkling emerald eyes almost caught him off guard. Her delicate hands encircled the mug as she took a sip. Her fingernails were painted a rose pink color. He frowned. When was the last time he’d noticed what color her nails were? Ever?
“Jay?”
“What?” He pulled himself away from studying each little detail about her. And why was he scrutinizing them now? She was seeing someone now. A foolish time to ask her out. Not that he would ask her out. He set the bowl he was holding down with a clatter. “No, I didn’t know they’d decided on a wedding date.”
“Well, a time of year, at least. Looks like you’ll have another wedding to cook for.”
“Looks like.” He turned back to the counter and whisked the pancake batter, though it was already stirred. But that was better than his newfound ability to observe every single detail about Robin. Like her hair brushing her shoulders and the slight pink hue of her lipstick. Or the way her skirt flowed around her, hitting just at her knees, and her tanned legs poking out below it with pink flat shoes. Sensible shoes, in his estimation, instead of those ridiculous heels some women liked to wear. Not practical for being on your feet all day.
Why was he thinking about women’s shoes?
“Okay… well… I guess I’ll let you get back to work.”
He didn’t miss the slight hurt in her voice.
“Uh-huh.”
“I’ll let you know what the actual date of their wedding is.”
“I’ll see it on the calendar.”
“Okay, then.” Now the hurt came through loud and clear in the soft tones of her voice.
She left the kitchen, and he turned around, staring at where she’d disappeared out the door. He was a jerk. A first-class jerk.
Honestly, she was probably better off without him. Without even being friends with him. Though, double honestly, he was probably just thinking that to protect himself. He didn’t like the feeling of his heart being strangled in his chest.
Robin left the kitchen, annoyed at Jay. She often stopped by and chatted with him off and on during the day. No need for him to be so rude today. Men. She had no clue why he’d been in such a lousy mood for days now, but she hoped he snapped out of it soon. Poor Dana, working in the kitchen all day with just Jay and his bad attitude.
He’d hopefully get over it soon. He wasn’t the most outgoing, friendly guy, but most of that was just a front. She knew he had a kind heart even if he liked to keep that fact hidden.
And he’d really hidden it the last few days…
She headed off to her office, slipped behind the desk, and checked the computer. They had two dates in December that Charlotte could have her wedding. Perfect. She reached for her phone to call Charlotte but paused and laughed when Charlotte poked her head in the doorway.
“I thought I’d come over and see what you found out about available dates.”
“First weekend in December, or third weekend.”
“Oh, the first weekend. That will be perfect,” Charlotte said.
“Looks like you have a wedding date then.” Robin keyed it into the computer.
“I have a wedding date.” Charlotte looked a bit stunned.
“Yes, you have a wedding date.” Robin grinned at her.
“That means I’m really getting married.”
“That’s what happens when you get engaged and set a wedding date.” Robin rolled her eyes.
“I’m going to head to the marina and tell Ben.”
“And maybe he’ll be in a better mood than his good friend Jay,” she mumbled.
“What?” Charlotte eyed her.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that Jay is in some kind of mood today. Has been for a few days. I know he likes his alone time in the kitchen, but I just popped in there to tell him about your wedding and he…” She shrugged. “Never mind, he’s just in a bad mood, I guess.”
“Or…” Charlotte looked like she wasn’t sure of what she was going to say.
“Or what?”
“Or maybe he’s a bit jealous that you had that date with Mason?”
“He wouldn’t be jealous.” She shook her head. “That’s crazy. We’re friends.”
“You know he likes you, don’t you?”
“No, he doesn’t. Well, he does. We’ve been friends for five years or so.”
“Right. I’ve seen how he looks at you.” Charlotte tilted her head. “He doesn’t look at other women that way.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m right.”
“I know people don’t usually win an argument with you… but I am right this time.” Charlotte turned and left.
“No, you’re not,” she muttered long after Charlotte had disappeared.
Charlotte wasn’t right. Things weren’t like that between her and Jay. They weren’t. And she wasn’t about to lose him as a friend by trying out dating him. What if that didn’t work out and she lost him as a friend, too? She’d miss his easy companionship—well, except for the last few days—and they still had to work together here at the inn. How awkward would that be?
Nah, Charlotte was wrong.
Chapter 6
Jay banged pots and barked orders at everyone throughout breakfast. Dana finally came over to him with a tentative expression on her face. “Why don’t you go take a short break? I’ll clean up the breakfast mess and get started on lunch. I’ve already got the soup going.”
He looked across at the large pot on the stove. He hadn’t even noticed she’d made the soup. And he hadn’t asked her to make it, so why had she? Of course, she could see that vegetable soup was on the menu and they’d talked about it yesterday, but he wasn’t totally sure he approved of all this initiative she was taking these days.
He let out a long breath, realizing he was really the issue, not Dana. “Yeah, maybe I will. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I’ve got this.”
Fine, she had this. He would just go out and take a quick walk on the beach and clear his mind. He headed out the back door and down to the beach. He stood at the edge of the beach in the shade of a trio of palm trees. Going to be a hot one today. The light breeze barely stirred the humidity. It was a much better day for swimming in the ocean than standing here in the heat. For a brief moment he wondered if he had time to go for a swim. Maybe the water would soothe him. He detested being this out of sorts. He glanced back at the inn.
He knew what he really needed to do, and a walk on the beach or a quick swim wouldn’t solve it. He needed to go apologize to Robin for being such a jerk. She had every right to date Mason, and he had no right to judge her for it or be so… rude. He had been rude. She was his friend. Guilt pinged his every nerve.
Yes, he’d go find her and apologize. He hated feeling like he was on the outs with her. With that settled, he headed back into the inn and found her in the lobby area. “Hey, you.”
She turned around. “Hi.” She didn’t sound very welcoming, not that he blamed her. Her usual smile was noticeably missing.
“I’m sorry about this morning. I was in a lousy mood.”
“You were.” She turned away and made a big production about adjusting a picture on the wall that as far as he could tell was perfectly straight to begin with.
Ah, she wasn’t going to cut him any slack. Not that he deserved it. He reached out and touched her arm. “No, really, I’m sorry. I was being a jerk.”
“Yes, you were.” She pulled her arm away.
The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted her blonde hair. And there it was again. Noticing small details about her. He tried again with the apology.
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. You ever going to forgive me?” He gave her an impish smile. If he could make her smile, they’d be okay. He was sure of it. Kind of sure.
“I—”
“Robin, there you are.” Mason walked up to them.
Jay couldn’
t help himself, he glared at the man. Lousy timing, buddy.
“Dad has a wedding surprise for Lillian that I’m hoping you’d help me coordinate,” Mason said while standing there in his precisely pressed slacks and collared knit shirt and loafers.
Who wore leather loafers at the beach?
“Of course I will.” Robin smiled at Mason.
Sure, go ahead. Smile at the guy. It’s not like we’re in the middle of my apologizing or anything.
“Great, I’d appreciate that.” Mason nodded to him. “Hey, Jay.”
“Mason.” He turned to Robin. “I better get back to the kitchen.”
“We’ll talk later, okay?”
“Nah, we’re good. Don’t worry about it.” He turned and stalked back to the kitchen in a worse mood than before.
Robin headed back to the bungalow late afternoon for some paperwork she’d forgotten to grab this morning on her way to work. She walked up to the porch and saw her neighbor, Mrs. Gleason, sitting on her porch with her dog, Barney. She headed over to say hi.
“Hi, Mrs. Gleason, how are you and Barney doing today?”
“Not very good, dear.” Mrs. Gleason reached down and petted her dog. “You see, my daughter wants me to move into a retirement place.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, and I understand. I do need more help these days and my daughter is always running over here to help me. I don’t like being a burden to her.”
“I can understand.” Robin reached down to pet the beagle, then leaned against the railing.
“But there’s a big problem.” Sadness lingered in Mrs. Gleason’s eyes, and Robin wasn’t sure her neighbor hadn’t been crying.
“What’s that?” She asked gently.
“The retirement place my daughter wants me to move to—and it’s right near her home on the mainland, so it’s very convenient for her—they don’t allow pets.”
“Oh, no. Can you find a different place?”
“That’s the nearest one to my daughter, and she already does so much for me. I had a little accident, and she doesn’t want me driving anymore.”
Robin had seen Mrs. Gleason’s car after the accident and it didn’t look like it had been such a little one, but thank goodness Mrs. Gleason hadn’t been hurt.
“I’ve been trying to find a good home for Barney, but I’ve not had a lot of luck. My daughter said we could turn him over to the beagle rescue group, but… well, I can’t bear to think of him with strangers, just some random people they pick. And Barney will miss me. I’m sure he will. The whole thing is breaking my heart.”
“I’m sure it is. I’m so sorry.”
“And my daughter is coming to pick me up soon. I’m going to her place for the weekend and my grandson is allergic to dogs, so Barney can’t go with me. And Barney hates the kennel. We’re dropping him off on our way. I feel like I’m just letting him down.”
“I could take him for the weekend.” She surprised herself by even offering.
“You could?”
“Of course. That’s no problem.”
Mrs. Gleason stood and gave her a hug. “You’re a godsend, my dear.”
“Let’s get his things and bring him to my house. We’ll get him all settled before I head back to work.”
Mrs. Gleason looked down at Barney. “What do you say, boy? Want to spend the weekend with Robin?”
Barney just stared at Robin. She wasn’t sure he was up for their newly concocted plan. She hadn’t had a dog since she was a young girl. With Charlotte gone so much with Ben, she’d enjoy having Barney for a few days.
They got the dog’s things and took them to her house, then Mrs. Gleason’s daughter came by to pick her up. Robin and Barney stood on the porch, watching her pull away. “Come on, Barney. I still need to find those papers and get back to work.”
Barney just sat there on the porch.
“Barney. Inside.”
And yet, the dog just sat and stared at her.
She finally reached down and grabbed his collar and led him inside, where he promptly sat by the door. She went to the kitchen, hoping she’d left the papers there. After shuffling through a few stacks, she found what she was looking for and headed back to the main room.
Barney lay on the floor by the door, chewing on one of her red shoes. “Barney, give that to me.” She took the shoe away from the dog and looked at it. Ruined. Completely ruined. “No. Bad boy. You don’t chew shoes.”
Maybe this whole weekend visit wasn’t such a brilliant idea.
She went around the house picking up everything she could think of that Barney might get into. She firmly closed the doors to her bedroom and Charlotte’s. She should really text Char and let her know that Barney was here, too.
Once she got the house all dog-proofed and made sure he had water in his bowl, she walked back to the main room and found him lazing on the couch. Okay, sure, we let dogs on the couch here, right?
“I’ve got to go to work. But I’ll be back soon.”
Barney looked up at her with bored eyes.
“Okay, then. You be good.” She walked back outside, locking the door behind her. As she glanced back at the house, Barney was peeking out the window, watching her leave. She waved to him, which seemed kind of silly, but she did it anyway.
Chapter 7
Charlotte walked into the inn that afternoon. Her sister had texted and said they were here. This was the first time they’d visited since Charlotte had finally stood up for herself with them. She and her father had worked out a comfortable truce, but things still weren’t working out very well in her relationship with her mother and her sister.
After Charlotte ran out of all her excuses for delaying—like cleaning all her paint brushes and rearranging the paint colors along with unloading the dishwasher and scrubbing the counters—she’d finally gone over to meet them for happy hour.
She found them sitting outside on the deck. “Hi.” Her mother and sister were dressed in freshly ironed slacks with not a wrinkle in sight and rather fancy blouses. Not appropriate for beachwear, but then they always seemed overdressed. She looked down at her simple skirt, t-shirt, and sandals. Her father—remarkably—was in khaki shorts and a knit shirt instead of his standard country club attire he usually wore to casual affairs. He looked relaxed and at ease.
Her father rose and gave her a quick hug. Her mother didn’t. Nor did Eva. Her mother did nod with a small smile, though. Maybe that was progress.
“I’d forgotten how horrible the humidity is down here.” Eva looked up from where she was doing something on her phone. “I don’t know how you can stand it.”
She didn’t answer Eva’s complaint and perched on a chair beside her dad, ready to flee if needed.
“I was going to order you a drink, but I wasn’t sure what you’d want,” her father said and grinned. “Except I’m quite clear these days that you don’t like chardonnay.”
She smiled back at him. “I think I’ll have a beer.”
He signaled the waiter and looked at her mom and Eva. “You two ready for a refill?”
“I’ll have a chardonnay,” Eva said.
“I think I’ll switch and have a martini.” Her mom handed her empty wineglass to the waiter.
Her dad ordered the drinks, and she sat there fiddling with her bracelet, waiting for the right opportunity to tell her family about her wedding date. Neither her mother nor her sister had asked to see her engagement ring. There hadn’t been much excitement when she’d called to tell them about the engagement.
Her father leaned close. “Let me see that ring of yours.”
She held out her hand, glad someone in her family was interested.
“That’s very pretty.” He nodded.
Her mother looked at it next and frowned a bit. Eva glanced at it and said, “Kind of small, isn’t it?”
“It’s perfect.” Charlotte snatched her hand back and then gratefully took her beer from the waiter. She took a sip, then set it down. “And I have news. Ben a
nd I have set our wedding date. The first weekend in December.”
“Fabulous.” Her father smiled.
“This December? That’s not enough time to plan a wedding.” Her mother looked over with shock plastered on her face.
“It’s enough time for me. I’ll have everything planned and ready.”
“You can’t get married then. That’s such a busy time of the year. We have business functions almost every weekend.” Eva shook her head.
“And you know I run the annual Snow Gala. That’s the second weekend in December. I couldn’t possibly get away the weekend before that.”
“You just need to change the date,” Eva said. “You need to be considerate of your family’s time and obligations. We’re not as… free and uncommitted as you are. Our lives are very busy.”
She counted to ten, which she always seemed to need to do when her family was around. Then she took a sip of beer. “We’ve already picked the date and scheduled the wedding for here at the inn. I reserved a suite for you here from Thursday of that week through the weekend. Let me know if you’re not coming and I’ll cancel the reservation.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. “You’re going to keep that date after Mother and I said how inconvenient it was?”
“I am.”
“We’ll be there.” Her father reached over and patted her hand. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“But, Glen, you know it will be impossible for me to get away the weekend before the Snow Gala.”
“You’ll just have to figure out a way, Isadora. I, for one, am very excited and happy for you, Charlotte.”
And he was probably right. He was the only one. She looked up and saw Ben headed their way. She jumped up, crossed over, and hugged him, holding tightly for a moment before letting him go. “Thanks for coming. I thought you might not be able to get away.”
“I wasn’t going to just leave you to have all the fun.” He grinned and gave her a quick kiss.
