“I know I went the year you’d gotten your driver’s license. Because my parents were so worried about me riding in your convertible.”
He chuckled. “I remember. I drove over to pick you up, and I thought your daddy was going to have a fit. But that was a fun trip.”
She’d forgotten about those lazy beach days. She didn’tmake it to the beach much anymore. She and Luke went every now and then, but they’d been so busy last summer. At the thought of Luke, she grew somber.
“You okay?” Jefferson asked as they walked into the park.
Her eyes landed on the bandstand where she and Luke used to meet. “Yeah, fine.” She pulled a dummy out of her pocket. “Look what I have, Milo.”
The dog let out an excited bark and sat so she could take his leash off.
“Now, you’d better mind me.” She unclipped the leash and tossed the dummy.
Milo bounded after it and scooped it up.
“Bring it here,” she called. She glanced at Jefferson. “I don’t usually let him off leash. That’s Luke’s department. But Milo needs some exercise.”
“He definitely shops in the husky dog department.”
Milo ran toward where she and Jefferson stood but veered off course. He dropped the dummy and charged full speed after a squirrel.
“Milo, no!” Summer ran after the big, brown dog. A busy street surrounded the park, and she wasn’t sure if he’d stop before he got to the road. “Milo!”
The squirrel darted around the bandstand and past a trash can then crossed South Bay Street.
Milo followed behind.
“Milo, stop right now,” she called as she ran.
The dog ran into the road, oblivious to traffic.
Summer’s heart pounded. She gasped for breath and said a silent prayer for the dog’s safety.
An SUV screeched to a stop, nearly hitting Milo.
She waved at the driver and reached the sidewalk where a startled Milo now sat. She sank to her knees and buried her face in the dog’s fur. Her quiet sobs racked her body.
“He’s fine now,” Jefferson said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She stroked Milo’s coat, trying to stop her tears from falling.
Jefferson knelt down next to them. “Hey,” he said in a low voice. “Do you want me to call Luke to come pick you up?”
Summer shook her head and wiped her eyes. “No,” she whispered. “Luke’s not at home.”
Jefferson furrowed his brow. “Is he working?”
“No. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.” She searched her pocket for a tissue and came up empty-handed.
Jefferson held out a handkerchief. “Take this.”
She managed a smile. Jefferson might be the only guy she knew who actually carried handkerchiefs. “Thanks.”
“Now fix your face and tell me what’s wrong.” He took the leash from her hand and clipped it onto Milo’s collar. “Come on, boy.”
They walked toward Legare Street, the silence punctuated by Summer’s sniffles.
“Well?” Jefferson said finally. “Spit it out. I may not have seen you in fifteen years, but I still know you well enough to know when something is wrong.”
“It’s nothing I want to talk about.” As soon as she said the words, she realized they weren’t true.
“Is it your business? Is it in trouble?”
She shook her head. “Nothing like that. Business isbooming.” If only her problem were business related. It would be much easier to rebuild a business than a marriage.
“Then what? Luke?” Jefferson peered at her closely.
She fought to keep her face neutral. “It’s nothing.”
“Sunshine, I know when you’re lying.” Jefferson directed Milo around a tree. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Whatever. You’ll tell Mitch, and he is the mouth of the South. My parents will be at my front door before I can even blink.”
“That’s not true. If you want to unload on me, I’ll keep it to myself. Promise.”
Her eyes filled with tears. She was becoming one of those weepy girls she’d always hated. “There’s a lot to the story, and it’s very complicated. I don’t want to get into it right now. But Luke and I have some things to work through. He’s staying on our boat for a few days.”
Jefferson drew his brows together. “I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I mean that. I am sorry that you’re going through any pain.”
“Thanks. I think it’s been hard for him to bounce back after Bobby’s accident.” She didn’t mention the miscarriage. But she knew in her heart that it had been both things together that had been too much for Luke to handle.
“That’s tough.” Jefferson shook his head. “I’m sure he’ll get things worked out though.” He glanced at her. “And I know he doesn’t mean for you to be hurt in the process.”
She widened her eyes. She’d expected Jefferson to rip Luke apart, not defend him. “Yeah. I know you’re right. I just hate this unsteady feeling.”
They stopped in front of her house.
“Thanks for your help.” Summer reached over and took Milo’s leash from Jefferson. “And for your handkerchief.”
He chuckled. “You’re welcome. And you can hang on to that handkerchief.”
She managed a tiny smile. “What, you don’t want it back?”
“Consider it my gift to you.” Jefferson grinned. “I hope things get better soon. And I’d be glad to lend an ear if you need to talk.”
“Thanks.” Summer and Milo went through the gate that led to the house. She waved to Jefferson over her shoulder and went inside.
Jefferson might not be her first choice for advice, but at least he seemed to think things for her and Luke would be back to normal soon. And that was oddly comforting.
Chapter 20
The ringing phone blasted Justin out of a very sound sleep.
“Hello,” he mumbled.
“I need your help,” Samantha said, her voice barely audible. “I think I’m getting strep throat, and the baby has the stomach virus. Mom’s coming to get Allison, but she can’t handle her and Colton both.”
“You need me to come get him?”
“Please. Can he stay with you for a few days? I don’t want him to catch this.”
Justin sat up. “Sure. Of course.” He held the phone back to see what time it was. Not even ten. After the late night, he hadn’t bothered to set an alarm. “I’ll have to run over to my parents’ and switch cars with my mom.” He felt safer putting Colton’s car seat in Mom’s Taurus than in his old pickup. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
He clicked off the phone and hopped out of bed. He didn’t have groceries suitable for Colton. He’d have to swing by the store and pick up some stuff. Colton had spent the night before, but never multiple nights.
Thirty minutes later, he had showered and called his mom to tell her about Samantha. He headed toward his parents’house to switch cars. Just as he flipped on his blinker to turn into their subdivision, an awful thought hit him.
Tonight he was supposed to have his first official date with Ashley.
After the way he acted last week, he was afraid canceling would be the death of any potential relationship. But he hadn’t told her how involved he was in Colton’s life.
He pulled into his parents’ driveway and turned off the engine.
Mom met him at the door with her keys in her hands. “Hey, hon.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Does this mean we’ll have a little one at the cookout on Monday?” she asked.
Justin nodded. “Probably. Hope that’s okay.”
“Of course. I might have your dad pick up one of those little pools for Colton to play in.”
His parents were past ready to become grandparents. But Justin’s brother and sister-in-law were focused on their careers right now, and he hadn’t met the right girl yet. “That sounds great. I know he’d love it.”
“I guess this means you’ll get to bring him with you to churc
h,” Mom said.
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m excited about that. I’ve thought about seeing if she’d mind if I pick him up every Sunday, but I’m afraid of overstepping my boundaries.”
Mom put an arm around him. “You have to do what you think is best. It seems to me that she’d probably be happy for you to take him off of her hands.”
“Maybe.” He was never sure. Sometimes he honestly thought Samantha would give Colton to him if he asked.
But the child needed a mother, even one who wasn’t totally involved in his life. Right?
“Either way, we’ll be happy to see the two of you tomorrow at church and at the cookout on Monday. I’m proud of you, son. Colton isn’t your responsibility, yet you step up and care for him when he needs you. Not a lot of guys your age would do that.”
He blushed. Her kind words made him feel awful considering what he was about to ask. “Thanks. I’d do anything for the little guy. He needs a man in his life.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But is there any way you and Dad could keep him for a few hours tonight? I already had plans, and hate to cancel.”
Mom raised her eyebrows. “Your dad and I already have plans to have dinner with a couple from church. Why? Do you have a date?” Her voice rose at least an octave as she asked the question.
He groaned. His mother worried nonstop about his love life. “Yes. I do. A date that I’ve already gotten off on the wrong foot with. I’m pretty sure canceling because I have to babysit an old girlfriend’s son isn’t going to win me any points.”
“Is she a nice girl?” His mom sounded so hopeful.
He chuckled. “Yes. Very nice.” Ashley was the kind of woman he’d always hoped to find. But he’d hoped to get to know her better before springing his relationship with Colton on her.
“Well, then she should understand.” His mom smiled and held out her keys. “Now go pick that sweet boy up before he gets sick.”
He kissed his mom and got into the older model white Taurus. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. May as well get this over with. He scrolled to Ashley’s name and hit the button to call her before he lost his nerve. He hit the SPEAKER button as he backed out of the driveway.
“Hello,” Ashley said on the other end.
“Hey, Ashley, it’s Justin.” He took a deep breath. Would this end things for good? Only one way to find out.
“I’ve got some bad news.” He forced the words out. He’d disappointed her with the way he’d acted last week. And now he was disappointing her by canceling.
Justin felt certain he would never regain her trust after this.
Ashley furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?” She set down her coffee cup and waited for the bomb to drop. Getting a “bad news” call from a guy on date night never ended well.
“I’m not going to be able to make it tonight,” Justin said. “Something’s come up.”
Ashley waited for him to explain, but he didn’t. “What do you mean? Do you guys have a show tonight or something?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s a favor I have to do for someone.”
She could hear noise in the background. He must be in the truck. “A favor?” She knew she sounded like a parrot. But what was the deal with this guy? First he acted like a jerk. Then he apologized and she totally bought his explanation. And now he was canceling because of some kind of vague favor? Something didn’t feel right about this.
“I’m so sorry. I hope you’ll let me make it up to you. Maybe one night next week?”
She furrowed her brow. “Next week? I’m free tomorrow night after church. And off work on Monday for the holiday.” She hated this position. If she gave him a hard time for canceling, she would come across as unreasonable. But if she let him get away with it, it would set the wrong tone for any future relationship that might happen.
“Oh, well…” He trailed off. “I’m actually going to be busy for a few days.”
Right. Busy. “You know what, Justin? Maybe we should forget it. If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation for canceling, then I’m not sure we should bother rescheduling.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt proud of herself. The old Ashley would’ve let him get away with canceling and treating her badly. But not anymore. It was time to find a backbone. No more doormat.
Justin sighed. “Okay. Tell you what. I’ll be there tonight. But there will be something we have to take care of. I’ll need you to have an open mind.”
She had to admit she was curious. “Fine. See you at six?”
“We’d better make it an earlier night if that’s okay. Can you be ready at four?”
Four? What had she gotten herself into? “Yeah, I can do that.” She clicked off the phone and wondered what Justin had up his sleeve.
He was clearly up to something.
Chapter 21
So how is Daddy anyway?” Luke asked.
Rose pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Finally, she looked up. “Not well. Not well at all.” She sighed. “He couldn’t recover from Bobby’s accident.”
Luke at least could identify with that. “So his memory is…gone? Like he doesn’t know you at all?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Not exactly. Alzheimer’s is a tricky thing.” She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “He’s best in the morning. Sometimes he will know who I am then, and we can have lucid conversations. But there are days he doesn’t know, days he thinks I’m Mama.”
“Really?” He knew the resemblance was strong. It made sense that Daddy would think that.
“I let him hold my hand and talk to me. He talks about us and Bobby. And sometimes work.” She smiled. “I used to try to correct him and explain who I am. But it seemed to make it worse. This way he stays calm.”
“How often do you visit?”
She met his eyes across the table. “Daily. And quite frankly, you should be ashamed. I know you haven’t been there even one time, because there’s a guest book in his room.”
He leaned back and rested his head in his hands. He and Daddy hadn’t gotten along when the old man was lucid. Why should it be any different now? “I’d probably only upset him.”
Rose narrowed her eyes. “He’s our daddy, Luke. He provided for us for all those years. I don’t care that you didn’t have the best relationship with him. He’s still the only daddy you’re ever gonna have.”
Luke nodded. Summer had said much the same thing to him in February when he turned down Rose’s invitation to Daddy’s birthday celebration. “I know. But he wouldn’t want to see me anyway.”
Rose shook her head. “He talks about you. And it isn’t anything bad either. I think you should go.”
“Maybe.”
“Well, I need you to change that ‘maybe’ to an ‘I promise,’ because I need to be out of town for a few days.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Where to?”
Rose smiled. “We’re taking the kids to Disney World in Florida. They’re so excited. At Christmas this year, we gave them little Mickey Mouse ears with their names on them. Katie Beth knew immediately.”
“That will be awesome.” Luke had always envisioned that kind of family vacation. But they hadn’t had the funds when he was growing up, and now he and Summer didn’t have a family and probably never would. “When do you leave?”
“It hinges on your promise.” She reached out and gripped his hand. “I can’t leave town for five days without knowing you’ll go visit him.”
“So you are saying that if I don’t go visit Daddy while you’re gone, you’re gonna disappoint your kids?”
She nodded. “Yep. And I’m going to tell them it’s because Uncle Luke is so selfish.”
He scowled. “Sis, I think you might be a little evil. You know I don’t want to be the reason your kids don’t meet Mickey.”
“Then you’ll do it? Just an hour or so a day?”
“Fine. But some of it will have to be after work.”
She jumped up and came around the table
to throw her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”
He laughed. It had always been impossible to stay mad at Rose. “When do you leave?”
“Two weeks from today.” She jerked her head toward the living room. “Now why don’t you go on in Bobby’s room and look through his stuff while I get lunch fixed?”
He set his milk glass in the sink and made his way toward his brother’s room, not sure he wanted to look through Bobby’s things.
Somehow divvying up his stuff made everything feel too final. It was time to let his little brother go, and Luke still wasn’t ready to do that.
He walked into the room and sat on the bed, remembering when it had been decked out with a Star Wars comforter.
Unexpected tears filled his eyes, and he angrily batted them away. He hadn’t cried. Not when the call came. Not at the funeral.
Summer had tried and tried to get him to talk about his feelings, and each time he’d pushed her away.
But today, in the silence of Bobby’s room, he wished she were there holding his hand.
Summer sank onto the leather couch and flipped through the DVR to see what she had saved to watch. It was hard to believe there was a time when the DVR was the source of most of the fights between her and Luke. He’d store as many shows as they had memory for, but she liked to keep the list pared down. Especially old sporting events. What was the point of having an old football game saved? He knew the outcome. When he’d find out she’d deleted some old game, he’d get so upset.
Most of their fights had ended in laughter and kisses. Not like now. But she didn’t feel like they were fighting as much as they were simply no longer connecting. Ever since she told Jefferson about their temporary separation, she’d been wondering if it was really temporary.
They’d promised to stay together until death parted them. And she’d always thought those vows were serious. But maybe they weren’t as binding as she’d expected.
She took off her wedding ring and looked at it. She still wore the same ring Luke had given her nearly seven years ago. Even though he’d offered numerous times to buy her a bigger ring, she refused. This one was her. Was them.
A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina Page 12
