Summer at the Shore

by Carol Ross

  So here she was about to spend the day with him again. She was converting a storage room at the clinic into a “cat room” for Lucky Cats. Jay and the kids had volunteered to help. She couldn’t very well turn down his help. Uh-huh.

  Mia stood, picked up the dish and carried it inside the house.

  “Still no sign of Jane or Edward?” her mom asked from where she stood in front of the sink washing kale for their breakfast smoothies.

  “I know. Me, too.”

  “What? Mia...?”

  Mia slowly became aware that Nora was giving her an odd look.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. What?”

  “Are you okay, honey?”

  “Yep. Fine.”

  Nora looked unconvinced as she turned on the blender. Mia covered the dish and put it in the fridge. She’d try again later.

  “You know what else is weird?” Mia said when the blender stopped rumbling.

  “I don’t know the first weird thing, but I’ll bite. What’s weird?”

  “In the last few weeks, we’ve logged calls from people reporting stray cats hanging around. In the last couple days, Charlotte and I have been calling back to get details to set up traps. Now some of the callers are saying that the cats are gone or they haven’t seen them for a while.”

  “Hmm.” Her mom poured smoothie from the blender into two glasses, placed a paper straw in one, and handed it over. “That is weird.”

  Mia took a sip, then held the glass up for examination. “Mom, this is delicious.”

  Nora chuckled. “Don’t sound so surprised. Coyote?”

  “Sorry, but sometimes your concoctions taste better than others. I thought about that. But it seems unlikely to me that a coyote would get both Jane and Edward at the same time, doesn’t it? And what about all these other cats?”

  “Sounds like you’ve got a mystery on your hands here. Too bad you couldn’t get the surveillance video like they do on those TV crime shows, huh?”

  * * *

  THERE HAD BEEN very few times in Jay’s adult life when he’d seriously misjudged a situation. Being forced to take on so much responsibility at such a young age meant that he’d made plenty of mistakes early on. The role he’d taken on within his family ensured that he learned from them—he couldn’t afford not to. But he could now count the act of kissing Mia Frasier among the worst of his missteps. Because now he couldn’t stop thinking about her, fantasizing about ways he could let her into his life, all of them impossible. And underlying it all was her ridiculous assertion about military men.

  In his experience, the old adage held true about women loving a man in uniform. In fact, he was used to it being an advantage where women were concerned. Why wouldn’t it be? Military men were brave, loyal, skilled, smart, fit. At least... He was. Or he liked to think he was. He tried hard to be all of those things. For some reason, the fact that he wasn’t relationship material kept shifting to the back burner in his thoughts. Because he could be, if he tried, and that’s what mattered here. Except, it didn’t really.

  He knew he should just let it go. He couldn’t have her, and yet a part of him wanted to pursue her. Not only to prove her wrong in general, he realized, but to make her see that just because he was in the military that did not exclude him from being what she wanted—

  “Earth to Jay,” Laney bellowed from beside him on the passenger seat.

  “Whoa.” He glanced her way. “Why are you yelling at me, Lanes?”

  “Because I’ve said your name like five times and you haven’t responded.”

  “Really? Sorry, kiddo. What’s up?”

  “I need to have my registration form in by Friday for volleyball camp.”

  “I remember and I think I have everything ready to go. Josie emailed the form this morning with her signature on it, I have a copy of your last physical, and I already made out the check.” Josie had been signing the kids’ parental consent forms for so long no one ever questioned it.

  She’d also called to let him know that their mom and Neil were back in town. Instead of the dramatic scene they’d anticipated, Neil had immediately retained an attorney. This was even better than they’d anticipated, Josie informed him, because it meant they’d be in court sooner. Jay wished he shared Josie’s confidence. He still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that this was going to work.

  She flashed him a bright smile. “Thanks, Jay.”

  “Of course. How’s it going at school?”

  “Good,” she chirped brightly.

  “Any new friends?”

  “Yeah, lucky for me we’ve been playing volleyball in PE for the last two weeks of school. I met a couple more girls from the team. And you already know Elise from my math class. I really like her.”

  “That’s awesome, Lanes. Good for you.” Jay was happy to hear it, but not surprised. Laney was such an engaging girl—intelligent, outgoing, kind and confident. He was sure her beauty and athletic ability didn’t hurt, either. Laney was going to be fine. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the backseat where Levi sat with a pair of earbuds connected to his phone. Levi, on the other hand, was causing him concern. He needed to get out and meet some people, kids his own age, not coworkers at the vet clinic or fur-covered buddies with four legs.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Laney brush her palms against the knees of her blue jeans. She glanced his way for a moment before staring ahead again. She did it again, but this time, she inhaled a deep breath and asked, “Have you talked to Josie? Is there any news about the custody thing?”

  Clearly, she was nervous. It pained him to see it. He wanted to ease her mind, to shelter her from as much of this as he could. “I spoke to her this morning. It’s all going fine.” He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

  “Fine?” she repeated. “What does that mean? What’s going on? What’s the status?”

  “Not much to report yet,” he lied. “These things take time, Laney. Besides, it’s not anything you need to be worrying about.”

  “When do we go to court? When do Levi and I get to testify? I asked Josie and she said to ask you.”

  “You’re not.”

  Her voice went up several octaves and decibels. “What do you mean? Why?”

  “Because you’re a kid, Laney. I don’t want you exposed to this kind of thing.”

  “Wait a minute,” Levi chimed in from the backseat. Jay hadn’t thought he was listening. “You’re not letting us testify? Does Josie agree with you?”

  “Yes,” he lied again. Feeling guilty, he clarified, “Now she does.”

  The fact was, he and Josie had argued this point. Josie thought they should consider it. Testimony from Levi and Laney, she argued, would be compelling enough to help their case. Jay agreed that it would be compelling all right, but not enough to make them go through the trauma. He’d been there. After he and Josie had been forced to return to Oregon there had been a hearing. The attorneys had been cold, uncaring and vicious. They didn’t care that you were just a kid trying to survive in a home with an incompetent parent. They made you look like you were selfish and lacking compassion. He wouldn’t allow his little brother and sister to go through what he and Josie had. Josie had finally, reluctantly, conceded that she would take the matter of them testifying off the table. For now. Jay hoped he’d find a way around the option.

  Laney was glaring openly at him. Levi seemed to be waiting for more information. Jay didn’t have time to follow up because he pulled the car into the lot of the vet clinic. He went with a simple, “I don’t want you guys thinking about it and worrying about it. Just leave everything to me and Josie, okay? It will work out.”

  Were things going to be weird between him and Mia now? If he was smart, he would do whatever it took to ensure they weren’t. He needed to accept the fact that a relationship with her was
impractical if not impossible. Then again, he realized as he climbed out of his car and spotted Mia packing a box that he hadn’t added “smart about women” to his list of attributes.

  * * *

  MIA WAS FEELING GOOD. She’d been afraid things were going to be strange between her and Jay. But as the day wore on she thought maybe he’d reconsidered his assertion that their conversation wasn’t over. What did that even mean? she wondered again. They’d established that there was an attraction between them, yet they both had reasons why a relationship wouldn’t work. He hadn’t said what his reasons were, but it didn’t matter because they were on the same page. And that was a good thing, she kept telling herself, even as the memory of that kiss played over and over in her mind.

  In a couple hours, they’d cleared the storage room of boxes and given it a thorough cleaning. Dr. Anthony had offered to let them use a portion of his garage for storage. While she and Levi took a second load of boxes there, Jay and Nora started assembling a large kitty play structure. Laney went to work setting up litter boxes, putting together toys and assembling nylon play cubes.

  They were busy adding the finishing touches on the kitty condo when she and Levi returned. Laney, her tasks completed, walked over to admire the fuzzy newborns they’d brought in the day before. She reached a gentle hand to the mama kitty along with some words of comfort. Considering what she’d already learned about Jay and Levi, Mia wasn’t surprised to see that Laney was good with the cats. She was, however, concerned about Laney. She seemed a little off, like she was trying a little too hard. Mia recognized insecurity masked with bravado because it had been her way of coping as a teenager as well.

  “I love kittens. It was so sad to see them lying in the dirt under Mr. Jergen’s porch.”

  She was certain the mother cat had belonged to someone in the past because of her friendly disposition. Nora, Ty, Levi and Laney hadn’t had any trouble collecting the cat and her kittens. They’d had to disassemble Mr. Jergen’s wood pile to get to them, but he’d been a good sport about it. The kids had managed to get the pile restacked according to his specifications. Mia was proud of her little Lucky Cats team. After the kittens were weaned, wormed and caught up on their shots, they could be put up for adoption. What she really needed was someone to spend time with the kittens during this period to make sure they were used to human contact. Which gave her an idea.

  “Hey, Laney, how would you feel about a part-time job at Lucky Cats?”

  “What kind of job?”

  “I need someone to manage this cat room, emptying litter boxes, feeding, watering, and playing with the cats. The more people-friendly and cuddly the kittens are, the more apt people are to adopt them. If you could round up some volunteers, like kids from school or whoever, and schedule some time for them to spend with the cats...”

  She continued to explain, but Laney was already agreeing before she even had a chance to finish. “I would love it! School is out in a couple days and I’ll have even more spare time. I know my friend Elise will do it. And probably Brianna and a couple girls from the volleyball team.”

  “Perfect.”

  Charlotte stepped inside the room to announce that she’d ordered lunch to be delivered. The weather was lovely, with patches of blue sky poking through scattered clouds. She suggested they go across the street to the city park to eat. It was a popular gathering place in Pacific Cove and several groups of people were scattered around. Picnic tables dotted the grassy space. A family had taken up residence at one and two little girls were playing a game of tag nearby. A flock of ducks and geese glided in the water near the shore of the pond. A group of teenagers were tossing a football.

  “Hey, I’ve got a sack of lettuce and greens in my car,” Nora said. “Levi, will you run back and get it? Inside the cooler on the backseat.”

  “Sure.”

  The park was set on the edge of a small lake and home to a variety of waterfowl. Nora often scored left-over produce from the health food store and came here to feed the birds. She handed over her keys and Levi jogged across the street to retrieve the goodies. Laney and Jay headed toward the water while Charlotte and Nora settled at a table in the shade of a large maple tree.

  George and Coastie wandered off toward the shore behind a line of flower bushes. Mia followed. Coastie brought her a stick and laid it on her shoes. She picked it up and tossed it near the water’s edge for her to fetch. George pawed at the ground, digging for who-knows-what. She was certain that bloodhound nose of his could find a single bacon bit in a haystack. When his head came up, his jaws held a mud-covered, unidentifiable chunk of crud that looked suspiciously like a bird carcass.

  In a firm tone, she said, “Leave it.” Then added a quiet, “Georgie, please don’t eat that.” He dropped it. “Good boy!” she cried, giving her hope that he’d eventually abandon this tendency to ingest anything that would fit inside his mouth.

  “Hey.”

  She turned to find Jay standing behind her. “Hi. Thanks for all your help this weekend.”

  “No problem. Thanks for offering Laney a job. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know. But I realized I need someone and she’s great with the cats.”

  “She’s thrilled. Getting paid to play with cats.”

  “And empty litter boxes and brush and groom unwilling cats and clean up hairballs. She’ll earn it, I promise.”

  Flashing her a grin, he then bent and picked up a rock. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it skipping expertly across the pond’s surface. Coastie ran up to him and let out an excited bark as if congratulating him on a job well done. She sat, staring up at him, tail wagging enthusiastically. Jay reached down and rubbed her ears.

  He tossed the stick for her again and she took off. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Sure,” Mia said, even as her pulse executed a nervous flutter.

  “About what happened yesterday in your office?”

  “Okay.” She felt her cheeks go hot. Unfortunately, they were going to continue the discussion. Just as he’d promised.

  “I feel like I owe you an explanation.”

  She shook her head. “About what?”

  “About why I don’t... Why I can’t get involved with you.”

  She waved a casual hand through the air. In direct opposition to the burst of nervous chatter that followed: “No, you don’t owe me anything. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter, does it? Obviously, we’re on the same page, so...” She shrugged and told herself to shut up.

  “But I don’t think we are on the same page and that’s what has me bothered.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My reason doesn’t have anything to do with your profession.”

  She grinned. “Why would it? Veterinarians make great partners.”

  “As do military personnel.”

  She scoffed. “Trust me. They don’t.”

  “That is totally false.”

  “Really?” she asked wryly.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, why don’t you tell me why you don’t want to get involved with me?”

  “My reason is...complicated. And complex. And really important.”

  She waited, studying him with narrowed eyes. When it appeared he wasn’t going to explain, it dawned on her. “Wait a sec, are we having this conversation because you want me to know that your reason is better even though you won’t tell me what it is?”

  He opened his mouth to speak, closed it and then shifted his feet. “It sounds bad when you say it like that, but yes.”

  “Does it have to do with your family?”

  “It has a lot to do with Levi and Laney, yes. And other...stuff.”

  “Stuff? That’s it?”

  “That’s all I’m going to tell you.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Well, I
’m not up for a game of twenty questions. My reason is good, too.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Unbelievable...” she murmured, squeezing her temples. “Here’s another reason why I don’t like military guys—you always think you’re right.”

  “No, I don’t. I don’t always think I’m right. But when I am right, I like for it to be acknowledged. And when I’m insulted because of my profession, I feel compelled to defend myself and my honor, and the honor of all my brothers and sisters in uniform.”

  She gaped at him. “Insulting your profession? That’s what you think I’m doing?”

  Tilting his head, he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly intimating that yes, he believed that was the case.

  “My feelings don’t have anything to do with your profession, Jay. Like I told you in the hospital after you rescued us, I am incredibly grateful for what you do. I’m grateful for you, for my brother and for every single person who chooses to serve in the military, even my dad in the sense that he was truly devoted to his country.

  “I love the military. I support the military. I give to veterans organizations and send gift boxes to the men and women fighting overseas. Around Memorial Day, I offer a Pets for Vets program, where I give free veterinary care to the pets of servicemen and women. It’s not that I don’t like the military. It’s that I don’t want the military in my personal life. It dictated nearly every aspect of my life for eighteen years and I hated it. I didn’t have a choice then. Now I do. I don’t want that anymore. What’s wrong with that?”

  He looked startled by her response. She hoped she didn’t sound too bitter. Clearly, he hadn’t thought about this from her perspective. That was fine. People rarely did. She didn’t talk about it much for that reason, for fear that it sounded selfish. But she didn’t think it was, or mean for it to be. The hallmark of her childhood had been instability. For most of her life, she’d been working to overcome the ramifications of her upbringing. Where the military had seemed like the most important thing to her father, more important even than his wife, certainly more important than his daughter.