by Debby Mayne
Suddenly Rosemary stopped, so Amanda followed suit and turned to the older woman, whose expression had turned to one that was disquieting. Amanda had a strange feeling in her gut.
“Tell me something, Amanda,” Rosemary said softly but with resolve. “Do you always change the subject when you don’t like what’s being discussed?”
Amanda let her head fall forward as she expelled a burst of air. Leave it to Rosemary to cut to the chase. “I don’t know….”
“I don’t mean to upset you, dear, but my son is emotionally involved, and I don’t want him getting hurt.”
When Amanda looked back up at Rosemary, she simply shook her head. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt—Jerry or me.”
“I understand that.” Rosemary reached for Amanda’s hand and grasped it firmly between both of hers. “Harold and I were kind of hoping…well, we were thinking that something might develop between the two of you.”
Amanda didn’t say a word. What could she say? Even though she suspected as much, she was flummoxed by Rosemary’s ready admission.
“Okay, I think it’s time to lighten up,” Rosemary finally said after a couple of minutes of silence between them. “Jerry should be done with the groceries by now, and hopefully he woke his father. Perhaps you can help me get the appetizers ready.”
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me,” Amanda said. “But I’ll be glad to help you with anything you need.”
“I want to say one more thing, and then I’ll quit being so annoying.”
Amanda waited for a few seconds, and when Rosemary didn’t continue, she turned toward her. “What do you want to say?”
“You remind me of myself when I was younger. I did everything for everyone, and I rarely looked after myself. When our first two children were born, I wore myself out. Steven came first, and then three years later, we had Jennifer. As soon as she started kindergarten, I went back to work part-time, and that was the first time in my adult life I had my own life.”
“When did Jerry enter the picture?” Amanda asked.
Rosemary smiled and shook her head. “About two years after we’d decided it was too late to have more children.”
“I bet you’re happy he came along.”
“Oh, absolutely.” Rosemary guided her toward the high-rise condo then took the lead to the elevator. “Jerry was the light in our lives during his entire childhood. After the other two were grown and gone, Jerry stuck around and made sure we weren’t lonely.”
Amanda detected a note of consternation in Rosemary’s voice. “Where are Steven and Jennifer now?”
Rosemary punched the elevator button then turned to face Amanda while they waited. “Steven’s company transfers him every couple of years. He’s in Alabama now. Jennifer and her husband moved to North Carolina shortly after their daughter, Isabelle, was born.”
“I bet you miss them.”
“You bet right.” The elevator door opened, and Rosemary got on and moved over for Amanda. “Jerry makes sure they call us every week, but he thinks we don’t know he’s behind the calls.”
It sounded as though Jerry was quite a bit like Rosemary and Amanda—only in a much more masculine way. He didn’t mind being a protector while at the same time taking care of everyone’s feelings. Unfortunately, that elevated him to a new level in Amanda’s mind and made her care about him that much more.
The elevator came to a stop and dinged, and the door opened. Rosemary stepped out and headed toward the condo. “We don’t need to tell anyone about our little discussion, okay?”
“Sure,” Amanda agreed. “It’s just between you and me.”
“I knew you’d understand.” When they got to the door, Rosemary reached for the knob and opened it. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Jerry greeted them as soon as they walked inside. “I already put a few things out on the dining room table, but I wasn’t sure what you wanted with some of it.”
Rosemary shooed them out of the kitchen. “I’ll finish with the hors d’oeuvres. Why don’t y’all go out on the balcony and chat? It’s such a nice evening.”
Amanda looked at Jerry, who appeared to be uncomfortable. “We don’t—” she began before Jerry interrupted.
“Come on, Amanda.” He gestured toward the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. “We need to talk.”
As soon as they stepped onto the balcony, Jerry slid the door closed behind them. She walked over to the railing and inhaled deeply.
“So what did you and Mom talk about?”
Amanda glanced over his shoulder and tried to act nonchalant. “Just regular stuff.”
He chuckled. “I know my mom. She has an agenda, but I also know she probably swore you to secrecy. Please forgive her for being so aggressive.”
There was no point in acting coy, with Jerry being so intuitive and direct. “Your mother means well, I’m sure.”
“Yes, she does. But that’s still not a good reason for putting you on the spot.” She turned around and saw that he’d folded his arms, physically closing her off. His coolness was disarming.
“She asked me about Matthew.”
Jerry looked like someone had punched him in the face. His jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered.
“Matthew and I have been very good friends for years. That’s all. We’ve been there for each other when things have gotten rough.”
“Isn’t that the foundation of a strong relationship?”
She nodded. “Of course, but neither of us wants more than friendship with each other. I really don’t like when people assume more than that.”
Jerry frowned as he joined her at the railing and looked out over the Gulf. When he finally turned toward her, he offered a slight smile. “Trust me, I understand.”
“My mother hasn’t been the model parent….” Amanda paused and turned to see Jerry’s reaction. He looked at her, waiting. “Not like your parents, anyway. She relied on me to help with Lacy. It wasn’t easy—especially when I was in my last couple of years of high school and later, when Lacy started acting out in middle school. Matthew was a skateboarder and surfer, and I was more into school sports, like track and volleyball. We started out talking about sports, and then the conversations turned to more personal things. He had problems at home, so he started hanging out at my house to get away. Even back then people assumed he and I were an item, but the chemistry wasn’t there.”
“Did you even try?”
She shook her head and smiled. “Not really. Neither of us wanted to ruin a good thing. I think he might have had a crush on Lacy a few years ago, after she graduated from college, but her whining eventually got on his nerves. He’s the one who helped me with her and my mother.”
Jerry had one fist planted on a hip and the other hand on the rail. He turned to her and smiled—this time with warmth. “I’m glad you had someone to help you.”
“You’re fortunate to have such great parents,” she added.
“Yes, I know. That’s why I never want to let them down. Since we seem to be in the confession mode, I might as well let you know that I’ve been disappointed in my sister and brother. They don’t come around as much as they should.”
Movement inside the condo caught her eye. They both turned in time to see Rosemary gesturing for them to join her and Harold.
By the time they left the condo for the restaurant, Amanda was no longer hungry. Rosemary had added spicy meatballs and stuffed celery to the platters of vegetables, chips, and nuts Jerry had already put out. All she ordered at Captain Kosmakos was a Greek salad. She wasn’t even able to finish that, so she asked for a to-go box to take the rest home.
When they got to the condo parking lot, Amanda said good night and went to her car. The evening had been nice but packed with emotion, and she needed to be alone.
The next morning, she’d barely opened the store when Tiffany arrived. “Need me today?”
“Why? Do you still need the hours? Don’t you want to take a little break and hang out with frie
nds?”
Tiffany looked embarrassed as she shrugged. “Yeah, well…”
“You know I can always use a couple of extra hands—especially on Mondays.”
“Good!” Tiffany walked to the back room to put her purse down then came back out front. “What would you like me to do first?”
They reorganized the shop, stopping only when customers came in. By noon, everything looked good. “I appreciate your coming in, but I don’t want to keep you cooped up too long on such a pretty day.”
“It’s hot out there,” Tiffany said. “I’m glad to be in the air conditioning.”
Amanda had met Tiffany’s family in church a few years ago. After the service, Pastor Zach had pulled her aside and let her know how the family struggled and how he wanted people to remember them in their prayers. A group of men had gone over to repair the roof of their small bungalow, and Amanda had hired Tiffany part-time as soon as the girl turned sixteen. At the time, Amanda only did it to help Tiffany, but she turned out to be a quick study who didn’t mind doing whatever needed to be done—from renting out equipment to showing customers how to use it. Fortunately business was good, and Amanda loved having Tiffany there for backup.
“Hey, look who’s coming!” Tiffany pointed at the window.
Amanda spun around in time to see Jerry’s mom and dad round the corner and open the door. She looked back at Tiffany, who smiled and quickly glanced down at the counter.
Harold led the way and stopped a couple of feet from Amanda. “Wanna go for a walk?”
“I told him you had to work, but he wouldn’t listen.” Rosemary looked contrite as she stood with her hands clasped in front of her.
Tiffany cleared her throat. “If you wanna go, I’m cool with that.”
Amanda thought for a couple of seconds then nodded. “Sure, but I don’t want to be gone long.”
“He’s still on that treasure-hunt kick.” Rosemary rolled her eyes.
“One of these days you’ll be glad.” Harold puffed out his chest. “I’ll find the treasure, and everyone will be happy.”
“I’m sure.” Rosemary shook her head.
“Where do you want to go today?” Amanda asked.
Harold rubbed his chin in thought then beamed. “How about we head toward John’s Pass?”
“Sounds good. Let me get out of these sandals and put on some walking shoes. Be right back.” She took off for the back room then came out a couple minutes later in time to see Harold looking at the helmet display.
“We just picked up a new line. See any you like?”
“Harold doesn’t need a new helmet. He already has one that’s practically new.”
“It’s boring,” he said, as he lifted one of the new ones with redand-orange flames off the shelf. “I like this one.”
“Why don’t you take it and have Jerry bring back the last helmet he bought? I saw it still in the box on the table by your front door last night.”
Harold’s eyes lit up. “If I could have this helmet, I’d wear it all the time.” He gave his wife a puppy-dog look. “I promise.”
Amanda looked at Rosemary, hoping the woman wouldn’t be so practical. She was relieved when Rosemary nodded.
“Okay, but I expect you to wear it.”
“I promised, didn’t I?”
Amanda got one of the boxes below the display and carried it over to the counter. “Put this aside for Mr. Simpson. He can pick it up when we come back.”
Tiffany grinned and did as she was told. Then she turned to Rosemary. “Where’s Jerry?”
“He’s working on his computer today.” Rosemary cast a glance in Amanda’s direction as if to make sure she was listening. “He can work anywhere as long as he has his laptop with him.”
Amanda took a couple of strides to the door then stopped and held it open for Rosemary and Harold. “I’ll be back in about an hour, unless you need me beforehand. I’m taking my cell phone.”
“Take your time,” Tiffany said. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You’ve got a good thing going here,” Harold told her as they left the building. “Business seems good, and you have that young lady who seems awfully good at what she does.”
“Yes, I’m blessed.” She sensed that something else was behind Harold’s words.
“I think you could probably have a successful business no matter where you were,” Rosemary interjected.
Time to change the subject. “So we’re supposed to be looking for treasure, right?” She focused on Harold, who didn’t look her in the eyes.
Rosemary grunted. “She’s talking to you, Harold.”
“I know she is. I’m just thinking.”
“What’s there to think about?” Rosemary sniped. “Either you’re looking for treasure or you’re not.”
Amanda was about to say something when Harold spoke out. “Sometimes treasure is in the most unexpected places. And it doesn’t always look like what you would think.”
“What are you talking about?” Impatience was evident in Rosemary’s voice.
“What I’m saying is…” He stopped and planted a fist onto his hip as he turned to Amanda. “It’s not always about things.”
“Oh, brother.” Rosemary offered a sympathetic smile to Amanda. “Please excuse my husband.” She twirled her finger around her ear. “Sometimes he’s not altogether there. It’s the Alzheimer’s.”
Her voice had dropped to a low whisper, but Amanda suspected Harold knew exactly what she’d said. He clamped his mouth shut, jutted his jaw, and took off walking ten paces ahead of them.
They were about a quarter of a mile from the shop when Amanda couldn’t take the suspense any longer. Harold had dropped back and was only a couple of steps ahead. Finally, she simply had to ask.
“Did you and Harold need to discuss something with me?”
Rosemary tilted her head and forced a look of innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”
“I figured the two of you came without Jerry because you wanted to talk about something.”
“Well…” She glanced ahead at her husband, who’d stopped and turned to face them.
“C’mon, Rosemary, she’s on to us. Don’t lie to the girl.”
Rosemary gasped. “Why, I’d never lie.”
Harold chuckled and shook his head. “We’re heading back to Atlanta in a few days, and we wanted to see what you thought about our son. You have my wife convinced that you and that skateboard fella aren’t romantically involved.”
“That’s true,” Amanda said slowly. She wasn’t sure how much to tell them about her feelings toward Jerry. If she said she wasn’t interested, she’d be lying. However, if she told them that the chemistry between them crackled every time they were together, she’d be telling them too much.
“So out with it.” Harold folded his arms and waited.
“I…uh…” She gulped as her face heated with a blush. “Jerry is one of the nicest guys I know.”
“That’s not what we’re asking.” Harold progressed to foot tapping.
Finally Amanda decided to tell them exactly what was on her mind, even if it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. “I’ve lived in Treasure Island almost all my life, and this is where I want to stay. I have my shop, a house I like, and my church.”
“But are you happy?” Harold was relentless.
Rosemary closed the gap between herself and her husband and gently put her arm around his waist. “That might be too personal, Harold. Let’s not make her uncomfortable.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He squinted at Amanda. “Are you gonna tell us if you think you could fall in love with our son?”
A nervous giggle escaped Amanda’s throat. “I think that’s a moot issue, since the three of you are leaving soon.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Rosemary said in her typical take-charge manner. “We’re supposed to be on a treasure hunt, and that’s what I aim to do.”
He made a face and shook his head. “I’m suddenly not in the mood to hunt
for treasure anymore. Let’s go home.”
They walked Amanda back to the shop, where she got the new helmet with red and orange flames. Rosemary promised she’d have Jerry drop off the unopened one and pay her the difference, even though Amanda said it would be an even swap.
After they left, Amanda felt as if someone had knocked all the air out of her lungs. She leaned against the wall in the back room and closed her eyes.
“That bad, huh?”
Amanda opened her eyes and saw Tiffany standing a few feet away. She nodded. “Yeah. They wanted to know my intentions with Jerry.”
Tiffany grinned. “Isn’t that the job of the girl’s family to ask the guy?”
Amanda lifted a brow and snickered. “Can you imagine my mother doing that?”
“No way. So what did you say?”
As tired as she was about discussing this, she didn’t want to hurt Tiffany’s feelings. “I told them that a long-distance relationship would be difficult.” The sound of the bell on the door caught their attention.
Tiffany bobbed her head as she glanced over her shoulder toward the showroom. “I’ll be right there.” Then she turned back to Amanda. “I’ll take care of the customer while you pull yourself together.”
Amanda started to argue with her, but Tiffany’s no-nonsense expression let her know not to argue. After her young employee left her alone, she chuckled to herself about how a teenager was more astute than her own mother.
Once the customer was gone, Tiffany returned. “So did they argue with you?”
“No, not at all.”
“I hope you don’t move to wherever they’re from.” She made an exaggerated pout. “I’d really miss you.”
Amanda smiled. “Trust me, I like it here and I don’t plan to move.”
The rest of the day was business as usual at the shop. Tiffany left about an hour before closing. By the time Amanda locked the door to head home, she was emotionally exhausted. Fortunately, Lacy had said she’d be out with friends, so Amanda wouldn’t have to deal with more turmoil later.
However, when she opened the door to her house, the first thing she saw was Lacy sitting there staring at the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks.
