by Ginny Baird
“Did someone say Bloody Marys in here?” she asked Chad and Margaret, forcing a grin.
“Yes, indeed,” the older man said. “Help yourself.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By the time Derrick’s parents arrived, everyone was in good spirits. Everyone except for him. His earlier conversation with Meredith had left him off-kilter. She’d called their kiss a mistake. And who knows? Maybe it was. If that’s what she believed, she’d obviously not been experiencing the same vibe that he was. He’d been wrong about so many things, including Olivia. Why not be wrong about Meredith, too?
He glanced at Olivia sitting by his side, recalling their conversation last night. She was good to give him space—give both of them space, really. After being around Meredith, Derrick doubted he’d ever feel more than chummy about Olivia. Meredith had changed his view about a lot of things, including the qualities he wanted in a woman. But she had her TV show in Boston and his life was definitely here.
His dad, Parker, strode into the den wearing a grin. “Well, here’s the happy brood!” He held out his arms and hugged them all one by one. Parker’s dark hair was graying at the temples, and his eyes were blue like Derrick’s, although he probably resembled Brent the most. Derrick’s blond-haired, dark-eyed mom, Elsa, was not far behind him. She circulated the room, issuing hugs and heartfelt greetings before stopping to squeal with delight over baby Julia.
“Will you look at how big she’s grown!”
She got to Meredith next. “Oh Meredith, what fun to see you! We’re so happy that you’re here,” she said. Parker greeted Meredith, who introduced Titi Clarita. Derrick watched the swirl of activity and waited for his parents to notice Olivia.
“O-liv-ia,” his mom said. “Aren’t you a sight?” Weirdly, she didn’t rush to hug her like she had the others and Derrick had a suspicion that he’d been right when he’d asked Sally about his mom’s feelings. His mom had her reservations about Olivia, too. Was it for the same reason? Maybe so. Although Olivia had cleared up a lot of things yesterday and he did believe she valued him now, that still didn’t mean they were right for each other. And it wasn’t like they hadn’t been trying.
“Hi Mrs. Albright.” She smiled at his dad, too. “Mr. Albright. Great to see you both.”
Sofia stepped in. “William and I learned Olivia was living close by, so we decided to invite her to the christening.”
Elsa clasped her hangs together. “That’s what we heard.” She shot Derrick a curious look but he shook his head. If his folks were worried that he and Olivia had already gotten back together, they had no worries now. His mom almost sighed audibly at his silent signal.
“Oh! Well!” Elsa said. “This is just…super.” She gave Olivia a hug. “So glad you could join us.” Her gaze swept the room, including Meredith and her Titi Clarita. “So fun that all of you could join us.”
“Hel-lo!” an upbeat male voice called from the hall. “Anybody home?”
“Of course they’re home,” a woman answered in lilting tones. “You saw all the cars!”
“And that,” Sofia said, “would be my parents.”
Derrick’s grandparents went with Sofia and William to greet Sofia’s parents at the door. William carried Julia, who peered over his shoulder bright-eyed.
“Wow-wee!” Sofia’s mom said. “Will you look at our big little girl!”
The baby gurgled in response, causing chuckles in the foyer.
Sofia led the group back into the den, where Parker and Elsa also welcomed them. Sofia’s mom now held the baby, snuggling her close.
“This is my mom and dad,” Sofia said, addressing the room. “Ginette and Amar Fuentes.” The thin, dark-complected man with gray hair and a beard smiled around the room. “Hello, everyone.”
His slim and pretty wife wore her hair in tight charcoal-colored ringlets. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled. “Good afternoon.”
“You remember William’s brothers Brent and Derrick from our wedding,” Sofia said to her parents. “This is Brent’s wife Hope and”—she shot a cursory glance at Olivia—“Derrick’s ex-wife and um…our old friend, Olivia. And, you know Sally.”
Sally waved hi.
Sofia nodded toward Meredith and her aunt. “These are our family friends, Meredith Galanes and Clarita Rincón.”
Ginette grinned at the group. “So nice to see you all again, and to meet the rest of you.”
Olivia seemed to suddenly become aware of her outfit. When they’d arrived, she hadn’t wanted to disturb Meredith and her aunt in the guesthouse in case they were still sleeping or getting ready.
William had given Derrick the side-eye when he’d seen him and Olivia pulling into the driveway together, but Derrick hadn’t told him a thing. Mostly because there wasn’t much to tell. Nothing had happened with Olivia and it was looking less and less likely that it would.
“Eeep! I nearly forgot,” she said. “I meant to go down to the guesthouse and change before lunch.” She sent a questioning look at Margaret.
“There’s plenty of time. You run on ahead.”
…
Later that afternoon, the group played a croquet game on the back lawn by the water. Meredith had pretty much ignored Derrick through most of the lunch, but she’d done so in such a sly way that the others had failed to notice. Sofia’s mom discovered common connections between some of her friends and Meredith’s family in Miami, and they’d spent a lot of time talking about that.
Olivia tugged at his arm as he picked up the croquet wickets by plucking them out of the ground. “That was fun. A lot better than the baby shower games.”
He frowned. “What was wrong with those?” His gaze traveled across the lawn to where Meredith slid croquet mallets back into the holder, working alongside Sally. Hope and Brent gathered croquet balls off the grass and put them away. They bantered back and forth among themselves, but Derrick couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then they all laughed and stared at him.
“We were just talking about the baby game!” Sally called. “And your buffing action!”
Derrick wryly twisted his lips. “That was my winning move. Ask Mer,” he said, attempting to draw her into the conversation.
She grinned but her smile looked stilted as she gave a thumbs-up, and Derrick was discomfited by her reaction. Not forty-eight hours ago, they’d been close. Or, at the very least, on the same team. Then they’d experienced that moment on the island and he’d thought something deeper was developing between them.
Now, though, it seemed like they were at odds. That disturbed him, and it honestly shouldn’t have. When they’d met last summer, they’d stayed “at odds” with each other the entire week. The way they’d left things in the hall had been uncomfortable, but he wasn’t really sure what they had left to say. She’d made it very clear that her focus was still in getting him and Olivia back together, and that their kiss had been a mistake.
“I thought that diaper game was disgusting.” Olivia wrinkled up her nose. “How did Sally think of that?”
“Come on,” he said. “It wasn’t that bad.”
She noted his gaze on Meredith. “You and Meredith aren’t talking much.”
People were filtering back to the house for some downtime before the pizza supper. The Fuenteses had offered to bring in this casual dinner as their treat. They’d gone upstairs to settle in and unpack. So had Derrick’s parents. Grandpa Chad and Grandmother Margaret were resting, while Clarita had gone back to the guesthouse for a breather—which probably meant a soak in the hot tub she’d been enjoying so much.
“I guess things have been busy,” Derrick said.
“I like Meredith. She’s nice.” Olivia gave a wistful smile. “She gives good advice, too.”
“She’s had a lot of practice.”
Olivia giggled. “Yeah, but I wasn’t talking about her matchmaking advice.”<
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“Then what were you talking about?”
“I was talking about me, silly.” She grinned. “My life! My goals!”
This threw him because Olivia hadn’t bothered to broach those topics with him. “Oh. Um. You and Mer talked about those?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Well?”
She rolled her eyes, appearing impish. “I’m still deciding.”
“Ahh. So…that’s great,” he answered, having no clue what she was hinting at.
“Derrick,” she asked, “what are your life goals?”
“Well, I’m already the director of the boat school, so that one’s met.”
“Anything else?” She leaned toward him in a flirty manner. “Marriage? Babies?”
He blanched and she swatted his arm. “I’m talking in the future, Derrick. Not anytime soon. And also—hey—not necessarily with me.”
He swallowed hard as Meredith disappeared into the main house behind Sally. Suddenly, all he could think of was his and Meredith’s goofy attempts to wrap the cradle. And then, the competitive gleam in her eye when she’d pinned all those baby things up on the clothesline. And the way she’d molded up against him when she’d kissed him on that island, setting his world on fire…
“Derrick?”
“Huh?”
“I was asking about the future. When we were younger, you said you were unsure about kids. Is that still how you feel? Because, over the long-term, you know.” She shrugged. “I’d probably want them.” Her eyes glimmered in the sunlight. “How about you?”
“What?” he asked, undeniably distracted by thoughts of Meredith cradling a small infant in her arms. Then she emerged from the house holding Julia and settled down in a rocker. Her voice drifted toward him over the lawn as she spoke with Hope, who sat beside her, but it was hard to make out what she’d said.
Olivia noted where he was looking and mistook his interest in Meredith for an interest in the baby. “It’s kind of fun to imagine it, huh?” she said. “Having one of your own.”
“Yeah,” Derrick answered. But he wasn’t imagining having a child of his own with Olivia. He was fantasizing about having one with Meredith.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“What were you doing up at the house all that time?” Clarita asked, coming back inside from the deck. She’d just climbed out of the hot tub and had a towel wrapped around her swimsuit.
“Watching Julia. Sofia and William looked like they really needed a rest, so I volunteered to keep an eye on her.”
“That was nice of you.”
“She’s such a sweetie. It was no bother.”
“I noticed you not talking to Derrick,” Clarita said sagely. “All during the games today.”
“Oh no. Was it that obvious?”
“Probably only to me.”
“He thanked me, you know.”
“No, when?”
“In the hall,” Meredith said, “before lunch and before all the parents got here.” She wasn’t about to tell Clarita about that kiss. That would only add fuel to the fire about her speculations.
Clarita studied her a long while. “If your feelings for Derrick are that strong, maybe you should talk to him, mija.”
She didn’t even bother denying it. “What? Now? And ruin his chances with Olivia? No. I won’t do that.”
“How do you know it’s Olivia he really wants and not you?”
“I’d say that’s fairly obvious. They were pretty much inseparable today.”
“Maybe Derrick wanted someone to talk to, but the person he wanted wasn’t available.”
Meredith huffed. “Titi Clarita, please. Don’t turn this around.”
“Maybe he’s confused, mija. Maybe if you talked to him—”
And confuse him further? No, she’d already messed with his mind enough. Messed with both their minds, and her heart was paying for it.
“No, Titi Clarita. I’m sorry, but you’re the confused one. It’s not me that Derrick wants. It’s her.”
“Thanks to you.” She frowned sadly.
“Yeah.” Meredith set her chin. “Thanks to me.”
While her aunt changed out of her swimsuit upstairs, Meredith placed her newly folded clothing in her suitcase, then picked up the flat sneakers Derrick had given her to lay on top. They’d been muddy and wet from kayaking and the rain yesterday, so she’d had to run them through the guesthouse washer and dryer along with some towels to make them suitable for packing.
She stared at the canvas navy blue shoes, holding one in each hand. She’d never had a man give her sneakers before. In an odd way the gift had been almost romantic, because he’d thought of her and had wanted to make her happy. She could just imagine all the great and thoughtful things he’d be doing for Olivia, now that they were getting back together. Probably building her tons of fabulous furniture for their happy future together.
Her throat tightened, feeling tender and sore, and her eyes burned hot.
She kept telling herself over and over again that Derrick wasn’t the guy for her.
He was Olivia’s fated match. She imagined the two of them having their second wedding right here in Blue Hill, and her lips trembled. Then she blubbered out more tears when she envisioned Derrick saying, “I do” and taking Olivia in his arms. Olivia would be in a gorgeous wedding gown, wearing designer heels.
Her aunt appeared in the doorway, dressed and with towel-dried hair, looking all fresh and pretty. Everything that Meredith currently was not.
Meredith pressed the tennis shoes to her chest. “He gave me these,” she said in a whimper.
Titi Clarita’s eyes brimmed with sympathy. “Have you worn them?”
Meredith nodded through her tears. “One special time.”
“They’re very nice.”
She met her aunt’s gaze, feeling desperate and broken inside. “Do you think I’ll ever meet anyone?” Her voice cracked. “Anyone as perfect as him?”
“Of course you will.” Clarita scurried down the short flight of stairs to hug her. “You’re a wonderful woman. Intelligent. Beautiful. Strong. You’ll come through this. You’ll see.”
Meredith wept in her embrace, not bothering to hide it.
“All we have to do is get through tomorrow morning,” Titi Clarita said. “And tonight.”
Meredith groaned, then burst into more tears.
…
Meredith had less dealings with Derrick that evening than she’d expected, since he and Olivia pretty much kept to themselves. They appeared to be reminiscing a lot with William and Sofia, sitting in a group in the den and swapping jokes about the days when the four of them were friends and used to get together.
Julia dozed in her new cradle parked in front of the hearth, which was not in use during this time of year. Similar to lunch, the meal was informal, with most folks sitting around in the den and the living room on the far side of the library.
Hope finished visiting with Meredith, catching up with her about Jackie’s new man, and with both of them agreeing they approved of the relationship. Hope left to go mingle with Brent, Clarita, and the “grown-ups” in the living room, and Sally came and sat beside her.
“How you holding up?” she asked quietly between munches of pizza.
“I’m sorry?”
Sally’s gaze darted across the room to Derrick who sat by Olivia on one of the sofas. He’d finished eating and leaned back in a comfortable pose, as did she, the two of them nestled together like a pair of lovebirds.
“Okay, I guess.” Meredith caught herself. “I mean, really okay. Great, even. It’s awesome how everything’s working out.”
“Derrick and Olivia seem to be reconnecting,” Sally said. Although she didn’t exactly look grateful.
“I know you and Olivia have a past,” Meredith whispered.
“Oh yeah?” She tried to sound casual about it, but Sally’s hint was pretty obvious. “Who?”
“Someone who could keep him in line,” she answered. “But in the right way, because she loves him.”
“Their reunion is so new,” Meredith said, trying to play the bigger person. “Eventually, love will come along.”
“Hmm.” Sally took another bite of pizza. “If you say so.” She set down her plate and grinned. “After all, who am I to argue with you? You’re the expert in matters of the heart.”
Sure, I am. That’s why mine is aching so badly.
Meredith decided to follow Hope’s earlier lead and escape the den to “mingle.” Sitting here watching the Olivia and Derrick show was doing her no good. “If you’ll excuse me,” she told Sally. “I think I’ll go refill my drink and check on Clarita and the others in the living room.”
After a bit, the evening wound down and people briefly discussed whether they should play another family game or watch a movie.
“Sofia and I will probably call it a night,” William said. Sofia had slipped away to tuck Julia in upstairs, and he’d apparently encouraged her to stay there. “We’ll probably just read for a bit before bed.” Meredith could understand the new parents being tired. She also suspected that Sofia and William were a little more introverted than some of the others, so appreciated their alone time.
It occurred to Meredith that all of Olivia’s things were still in the guesthouse. She wasn’t sure whether Olivia intended to stay there tonight or move over to Derrick’s. One thing was certain—Meredith wasn’t going back to his cabin.
Brent and Hope decided to stay in the den and watch a little TV. Sally teased she’d give the newlyweds some privacy, disappearing to her bedroom on the third floor. Meredith stood in the foyer with her aunt and Derrick and Olivia at the bottom of the stairs talking to Sofia’s parents.
