by Carol Ross
“Don’t worry,” Mia whispered as her mom disappeared into the kitchen for her “creamer.”
“George is always hungry.” She patted the dog who, at again hearing the word cookie, had pushed himself up into a sitting position from where he’d been lying on Mia’s feet. She took two from the tray, handed them to the dog, broke another in half and spread a few crumbs around so it would look like they’d been enjoying the treats.
“What kind of dog do you think she is?” He rubbed his chin on the top of Coastie’s head, which Mia found incredibly endearing. She couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t just keep the dog.
“She looks Australian shepherd, but her silky coat and coloring says Brittany or springer spaniel. There might be some border collie in there, too.”
He nodded, studying the fur-ball now sprawled contentedly across his lap. Mia noticed that Coastie’s cinnamon-brown spots closely matched the shade of his hair. They looked good together.
“It’s so great of you to take care of her. I wish...” He trailed off as Ruby came closer to investigate the new canine invading her couch space. They both watched as she stuck her neck out and executed a pretentious sniff. Coastie didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the intrusion.
“What do you wish?” Mia asked. She found herself holding a breath.
“She was healthy,” he finally said. “I wish she was healthy so we could find her a new home. I hate to drag this out.”
“You could keep her—you know? If no family is found.”
Mia watched his entire body stiffen with discomfort.
“Oh... No, I can’t. I’m really not a dog person.”
From her spot on his lap, Coastie looked up and gave his chin a lick.
“Really?” she answered doubtfully.
He winced. “I know, I’m not sure what the deal is with this dog in particular. But I can’t keep her. I don’t do pets.”
“Huh.” Mia felt her smile dim. Disappointment settled into her as she realized how much she’d been hoping he’d decide to keep the dog. It was probably better this way, she told herself. Regardless of her own rule, she was already liking the guy; if she had to add animal lover to the list it would only make him that much more difficult to resist. “Must love animals” was another deal-breaker. Jay Johnston was now in violation of her top two dating criteria.
“Hey, guess what, Mia?” Nora said, coming back into the room. “Jay has offered to take a look at our sticky back door.”
Living on the beach meant constantly battling issues that could arise from the humidity. The previous homeowner had installed a custom-made back door constructed from wood. It was incredibly lovely, but unfortunately, when wood absorbs moisture it swells, which was the case with the door.
“Oh, that’s really nice, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind. I like to fix things.”
“Is that a skill you learned from your father?” Nora asked as she settled back down on the sofa. Mia gave her head a little shake at her mom’s obvious attempt to vet their guest.
“No,” Jay answered. “Self-taught for the most part. I worked for a carpenter for a while when I was younger. He taught me the basics. I learned on my own from there.” Mia silently added “good sport” to the list as she watched him swallow a large bite of cookie-blob.
“Do your parents live here in the Northwest?”
“My mother lives in Portland.”
“Oh, that’s not far. You two must be close. Probably requested Air Station Astoria to be near her?”
“Uh... Not exactly. But I did request Astoria to be closer to...other family.”
Other family? Mia’s curiosity was piqued. What did that mean?
“Are you married?” her mom asked, taking care of the question at the top of Mia’s list.
“No. These are really good, Nora,” he lied, shoving another cookie into his mouth.
Not married, but obviously uncomfortable talking about himself. Mia hoped her mom wouldn’t go too far. And yet she found herself irrationally disappointed when Nora changed the subject.
“Mia may have mentioned it but my husband was military, too. Navy,” she said proudly. “Thirty-two years. I’m sure he still would be if he hadn’t up and died on me. We saw some amazing places, didn’t we, Mia?”
Mia answered with a flat, “Yep.” Because they had seen plenty of the world, but as far as Mia was concerned it had not been worth it.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Frasier. Did he die in combat?”
“What happened to calling me Nora? And no, he didn’t. Heart attack. I miss him every day, but I’m determined not to go out that way.” She gestured at the cookies. Jay dutifully took another bite.
Nora went on, “My son, Mia’s brother, is in the Navy, too. Kyle is a SEAL. He’s overseas right now...”
Mia listened silently, painful memories battering away at her, as they began chatting about the military. This was good, she told herself. It reminded her of all the things she’d disliked about military life while growing up: moving almost constantly, having to make new friends, attending new schools, learning new languages, a dad who was more devoted to his job than his family. She’d never understood her mom’s enthusiasm or Kyle’s infatuation. Mia didn’t share their devotion. But then, she’d essentially been invisible to her father. As a child, there’d been times Mia was convinced she’d been adopted or dropped here from another planet. In middle school, she’d gone through a phase of Googling terms like “switched at birth” and “mistaken babies” trying to calculate the odds. She wasn’t about to go down that road again as a grown woman. Her path was now hers to choose.
“I think I better head home,” Jay said a while later. “I’m beat.” He stood, Coastie still snuggled in his arms. He thanked her mom for the tea and cookies, promised to check out the door as soon as he could, and vaguely added that he’d look into that yoga class.
Mia said, “I’ll walk you out.”
He followed her to the entryway and stopped. Glancing around, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Finally, he held Coastie out for Mia to take. “Can you hold her for a minute while I get her stuff? I don’t want to trip over her while I pack all this stuff up and put it in the car.” He pointed at the round fleece snuggle bed Charlotte had purchased. “Is this dog bed for her, too?” At her confirmation, he let out a chuckle. “It’s going to take up half my living room.”
Mia took the dog, who let out a whine as she stared longingly at Jay.
Mia laughed. “Tell you what, I’ll carry her stuff. You carry the dog.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Jay chuckled as he gently removed the dog from her arms. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked as he looked down at Coastie. She gave his cheek an enthusiastic dog kiss.
In spite of his comments, the gentle way he treated the dog spoke volumes. She wouldn’t let him out of here with Coastie if she didn’t think he’d treat her well. A thought occurred to her then. “Never had a dog before, I’m guessing?”
“Nope.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here for you. Anything you need.” She kissed one of Coastie’s velvety soft doggy cheeks. “Both of you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
JAY DROVE HOME, Coastie happily riding shotgun beside him, wondering how in the world he’d managed to get himself so...involved. He barely knew these people yet he’d offered to fix their sticky door, agreed to consider trying a yoga class (thanks again, Aubrey) choked down three cookies he was pretty sure were made out of sawdust and fostered a dog. What next? he wondered.
He pulled into his driveway and realized that if he walked down to the beach from his cabin, hung a right, and stuck to the shoreline, it would be less than a mile to Mia’s house. Geography might mean they were close, but he and Dr. Mia Frasier were otherwise
worlds apart. He thought about her gorgeous home as he studied his weathered gray rental cabin, a fraction of the size with two small bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, and an open kitchen-dining-living area. It did have a cool loft with giant windows looking out onto the beach. Well, it would be cool as soon as he repaired the narrow, deteriorated stairs leading up to it, his current project.
Even with his Coast Guard housing stipend, the only way he’d been able to afford a place on the beach at all was because it was a rat hole. The elderly man who owned it, Mr. Faraday, didn’t want to expend the funds or the energy to make it habitable. In exchange for a huge break in rent, Jay had agreed to fix the place up. So far, he’d caulked and weatherproofed the exterior, replaced the roof shingles, installed some new wiring and light fixtures, repaired the dry rot in the floor, and evacuated the rats. Most of the rats; he was pretty sure they were all gone, although a couple days ago he’d heard a suspicious clawing sound coming from beneath the floor in the bathroom. The plumbing still needed some work, but overall he was satisfied with the progress he’d made. He felt confident by the time his assignment at Air Station Astoria was up, Mr. Faraday would be happy with what he’d accomplished, too.
Beside him Coastie stirred, seeming to sense they’d reached their destination. That’s when Jay saw the curtain move. He’d been so distracted he hadn’t noticed that the lights were on inside the cabin. Lights were expensive, and he never left them on when he wasn’t home.
He looked at Coastie. “Will you be okay if I leave you here for a minute while I check this out?”
Her response was a soft sigh as she curled into a ball on the seat.
Jay patted her, got out of the car, and headed around the back of the house. He considered calling the police but held back, because what burglar would be stupid enough to turn the lights on? Reaching the back door, the top half of which was glass and currently had no curtain, he peered inside. Not a thief. Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh of equal parts relief, frustration and happiness. Nope, this was much more complicated than a simple burglary. He headed back to his car.
He opened the door and gave Coastie a scratch under her chin. “Okay, girl, we’re home. Do you want to check out your temporary digs? I hope you like it. The inside isn’t much, but I think you’ll find the beachfront setting more than makes up for it.”
Coastie jumped out and trotted in a large circle, getting a feel for her new “yard,” which was essentially sand with a few patches of reedy scrub grass here and there with an occasional rock poking through. Jay gathered his pack and the large shopping bag containing the dog’s necessities. After she’d sniffed around and done her duty, she trotted over to him and stared up like “what’s next?”
“Ready to go inside and meet my family?”
She let out a yap and then raced toward the front door. Jay shook his head and followed. He supposed he was lucky in a sense, because if he was going to accidentally foster a dog, at least he’d gotten a smart one.
With Coastie trotting beside him, they headed inside, where Jay was enveloped by the heavenly aroma of garlic, onions and spices that made up the unmistakable scent of Gran’s Bolognese sauce. The smell made his heart ache with love and longing for his deceased grandmother even as it made his stomach yearn for pasta. He dropped his bags. He’d seen his little brother Levi through the window, but he hadn’t been expecting Josie. She was the only person in his life, outside of Gran, who could make this sauce.
Josie’s presence meant he wasn’t surprised to see his little sister Laney, too, who was now throwing herself into his arms.
“Jay, hi! I’ve missed you so much.”
“Hey there, little one. I miss you, too. So much.” He hugged her close, a mix of love and affection tightening his chest. “Not so little, though, huh? You’ve grown since I saw you last.”
“You think?” Stepping away, she beamed at him. His fifteen-year-old sister had dreams of hitting the six-foot mark, a goal she felt she needed to attain in order to get to college on a volleyball scholarship. As it was, she was only a couple inches shy.
Levi was next. “Hey, buddy,” he said, pulling him in for a hug. At sixteen, Levi had recently hit the six-foot mark and Jay suspected he would eventually surpass his own six foot four inches.
And finally, his sister Josie. “Hi.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Jay felt his heart squeeze with a special kind of love, a love he knew that only a brother and sister who’d been through a hell like theirs could know. Aside from the surprise, and the speculation as to the reason for this unannounced visit, he was filled with utter joy to see his siblings.
A notion occurred to him then. “Where’s your car?” He’d bought Josie a used van a few years ago, but it wasn’t parked out front.
“Craig brought us. He’s visiting his aunt in Remington.” Craig was Josie’s boyfriend of nearly two years.
“You got a dog?” Levi asked, a special reverence in his tone. He joined Laney on the floor in front of Coastie.
Laney fired off questions. “Is it a she? It looks like a she. What’s her name?”
“It is. Her name is Coastie.”
Josie lifted a brow. “Really, Jay?” she asked wryly. “You named your dog after yourself?”
Jay chuckled and shook his head. “She’s not really mine and I didn’t name her. It’s a long story. A sailboat capsized trying to cross the Columbia River bar and her owner drowned. She was supposed to go to a shelter, but she needed some stitches. There’s a vet in town who is treating her for free while we try to locate family. I’m just her foster parent.”
“I like the name.” Laney giggled as Coastie nibbled and tugged on her sweatshirt sleeve.
“There are some toys in that bag.” Jay pointed to where he’d dropped it earlier.
“Sorry about the surprise,” Josie said flatly, shifting her gaze toward Levi. “I thought Levi told you we were coming.”
Levi took a defensive tone. “I sort of told him. You told me to ask if he had time tomorrow and I did. And he said yes.”
“What’s going on? Levi’s text said Mom took off again? Where are the Ds?” Jay referred to the youngest members of their clan, Dean and Delilah, their six-and four-year-old half siblings.
“Yes, she did. They are staying with a friend of mine tonight. We need to talk.” Josie pointed to the round table that was now set for dinner. “Let’s sit down and eat first. Are you hungry?”
“Yes, especially for what you’re cooking.” He grinned. “Hey, Lanes, you want to help me get Coastie her dinner? There’s dog food in that bag, too.”
A few minutes later, with Coastie happily crunching her kibbles in the corner, the four siblings sat down to a dinner of pasta with their grandmother’s famous sauce, Caesar salad and crusty French bread. Despite his family’s difficulties, he loved his brothers and sisters more than anything. Every single day he wished he could do more for them than send his paycheck home.
They spent some time catching up, avoiding the topic he assumed they’d come here to discuss—their mother. Since Jay had been stationed in Astoria, he tried to make the long drive from Pacific Cove to Portland to visit at least once a month, and Josie brought everyone as often as their schedules allowed, but kids grew and changed so quickly. Unlike their mother, who didn’t ever change and seemingly refused to try.
As Jay had gotten older, his sympathy toward their mom had grown. In many ways, her erratic behavior was not her fault. And while he understood this, it didn’t lessen their reality. Like the string of men she continually had in her life. The repercussions of which they were left to deal with. Which, Josie soon confirmed, was the specific reason for this visit.
“Mom got married again,” she finally said, pushing her plate away. “She left for her honeymoon last night.”
Jay rolled his eyes. He didn’t have to say wh
at he was thinking, because who took a honeymoon after their sixth marriage?
“I know.” Josie gave her head a little shake. “They went to the Redwoods.”
“She promised after the last guy that she wouldn’t...” He stopped himself, because what was the point of bringing up one of their mom’s perpetually unfulfilled promises? As he raked a frustrated hand through his hair he reminded himself that she wasn’t capable of keeping promises like a normal person. “I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone.”
“That’s because she’s only known him a few weeks. But this guy is unacceptable.”
“Aren’t they all?” Jay asked, and in this statement he was including his and Josie’s loser of a father, Jacob, whom they hadn’t heard from in nearly twenty years. Their mom had six kids with three different fathers. She’d had five husbands, and too many fiancés, “special friends” and live-in boyfriends to count.
Josie inhaled deeply and said, “This guy has a criminal record, including a child abuse conviction.” Her face twisted with disgust. “She’s done it this time, Jay. We are free. Or at least we’re going to be.”
They’d been in similar situations before, thinking they had a way out, only to be disappointed. He motioned for her to continue.
“Like I said, she left yesterday and we had to act fast because who knows how long she’ll be gone? We packed our bags and left. When she gets back the legal papers will be waiting for her.”
“Legal papers?”
“We’re taking her to court.”
Jay gaped at his sister. “Josie, we’ve tried this before.” When they were teenagers, before the Ds had been born, they’d taken Levi and Laney and fled to their Aunt Stephanie’s house in California. Stephanie had tried to keep them, but the legal system had forced them to return. The police had shown up and threatened to arrest Stephanie, and lectured him and Josie on the inconsideration they’d shown their mother. The court proceedings had been a nightmare. After that, they had resolved themselves to a life of taking care of their younger siblings as best they could; Josie took on the role of day-to-day caretaker while Jay became the breadwinner.
