Sweet Caroline

by Becky Lower

  Caroline brushed her hand over her eyes, which stung again. “He’d been awfully nice to me when Michael died. I took off way too much time then. So, when this whirlwind wedding got scheduled, he told me I had no vacation time left. I’m pretty sure he’ll fire me once I return, since he didn’t authorize this visit.”

  Abbey pointed a finger. “This is the weekend, Caro. Your time to do what you please.”

  “Not in the world of software development. We’re about to launch a new product I designed, and all kinds of things have to be taken care of. I’ve been working late nights and weekends for six months now.” Caroline sighed as she relived all those long hours she’d logged since taking off the time to grieve for Michael.

  Abbey stood and paced around the kitchen. “And your boss is still not satisfied? I’d say you’ve more than made up for any time you took off. And then, you have the problem with your apartment. How much longer is your lease?”

  A few tears slipped down Caroline’s face again. “I have two more weeks to find a new place.”

  Stopping in front of Caroline, Abbey ticked off items on her fingers. “So you might not have a job when you get back home, and you’ll be out on the street before spring arrives. Clevelanders may pride themselves on their strength of character, but you’re carrying things to an extreme, aren’t you?”

  “What would you have me do instead? Run away from my troubles?” Caroline’s throat tightened as she tried to control her voice, which hovered very close to wailing.

  Abbey yanked a chair from under the table and sat again. “Here’s an idea. The apartment above the card shop is vacant now since Penny’s officially moved into Del’s house. I’ll show the place to you this afternoon, and you can take up residence any time you’d like.”

  Caroline gasped at the “Free Pass” card she’d just been handed. “I can’t accept the apartment unless I can find a job and pay you rent. What could I possibly do here?” Her thoughts tumbled together as she searched for a stumbling block in Abbey’s idea.

  “We have jobs here in the Cove, too, so you can find work with one of the retailers if you need a change of pace for a while. Or, if you’re looking for something still in your wheelhouse, the school system is all computerized now, and they are constantly updating things. They’d love to have your expertise. You could become a project manager and help them roll out new programs for the faculty and staff. Applying for a position at the school will take some time, and if you need a job immediately, you can work at the card shop to pay your rent.” Abbey shrugged. “Penny’s gone for two weeks on her honeymoon. Plus, I haven’t told many people yet, but Charlie and I have another kid on the way. I’ll need to take off some time, so we’ll be short staffed for a while.” Abbey ran her hand over her still-flat belly, her clear blue eyes sparkling as she revealed the new addition to the family.

  Caroline’s hopes rose as she pondered Abbey’s idea. “I’m so happy for you. And for Penny. Let me consider your suggestion for a few days, okay? You make relocating to the Cove a very tempting solution.” A way out from her current precarious situation had presented itself. Moving to Lobster Cove might be just what her life needed. She could smell the salt air on a daily basis, a cleansing potion for her soul. Relocating and living in Lobster Cove would mean coming face to face with Grant on a regular basis. Would the trade-off be worth it?

  ****

  Grant had already scheduled a practice for his basketball team on Sunday afternoon, and he arrived at the gymnasium ready to work his players until they dropped from exhaustion. Focusing on something other than the wedding fiasco would help his frustration level while he honed his players’ skills. The first round of the playoffs happened next week, and he hoped to take his team all the way to state finals in their division. No Lobster Cove team had ever made even the quarter-finals before, so he’d set himself a lofty goal.

  His other goal, repairing the damage he’d done to Caroline when they were both fifteen, might not be as attainable. Since the day Del had told him who he would be paired up with for the wedding, he’d been holding imaginary conversations and practiced different ways to explain his stupid actions.

  Any conversation needed two sides, and Caroline hadn’t said much. Even on the dance floor, where they fit together so nicely, she gritted her teeth and didn’t say anything of consequence. She couldn’t wait for the dance to end so she could leave the festivities. Leave him. He soon lost interest in the proceedings himself and left the reception alone, annoyed beyond belief, disappointed, aggravated, and exasperated. What could he do next, if anything? She’d be back in Cleveland by this evening, and their paths would probably never cross again.

  His team of teenage boys ran through the drills without him having to say much, and each one had to stay at the free throw line until they’d made five baskets. He sat on one of the benches circling the floor, holding the electronic tablet full of different play formations. He had also loaded stats on each player, which he idly paged through. Simple technology he could manage. The program he had to use when filing his grades from history class about drove him insane, though. A simpler way of doing things had to exist.

  Grant raised his gaze from the tablet to his players. He noticed a few were dragging this morning. Joey and Brian were two of the most popular kids in school and had active social lives. He’d seen them more than once with various girls at Mariners Fish Fry and envied their carefree attitudes. From their appearances today, Grant would bet money they’d found some beer and partied all night. Another reason to envy them. Grant certainly hadn’t even come close to having any kind of party last night. He stood, tablet in hand, and motioned for the boys to gather around.

  “Okay, team. Gather ʼround while I show you a trick play we can incorporate on Friday.” He queued up the diagram on the tablet. He’d had trouble sleeping last night, as pictures of Caroline with her tight lips and her cool attitude kept popping into his head. Instead of tossing and turning, he used his restlessness to devise some new plays. “In honor of Joey and Brian, I’m calling this play Spin the Bottle.”

  The pair threw shocked glances at one another then turned their wide-eyed gazes to Grant.

  He grinned. “You can’t possibly think you’re the first to drink too much and play that silly game, do you? We had Spin the Bottle even way back when I was your age.” How well he remembered the stupid game and where it had led him. “All right, team. Let me run through this. Form two groups so I can show you how to execute the play.”

  Grant threw a basketball to Joey. “First, you dribble the ball up to the free throw line. Brian, come toward the ball from your position and meet him. He’ll glance in the opposite direction before he spins around and tosses the ball to you. Then, everyone else will rotate around the court clockwise, and the ball will go from player to player. Spin the Bottle. We’ll mix things up a bit and hopefully we’ll confuse the other team.”

  “So, who takes the shot?” Joey let his gaze wander from one player to another.

  “Just as life is full of opportunities, when any of you gets the chance, take a shot. We’re a team, and whoever sees the opening should try for the net.” Grant joined the boys out on the floor and showed them how to run the play. If he ran himself ragged along with the team, he might get some much-needed sleep tonight.

  He answered questions from his players about the nuances of the option play. “Even though we’ll only use this formation once or twice during the game, we have to run through the play time and again until we can rely on muscle memory to get us through.” His voice relayed his caution. “We need to keep the other team off balance.”

  Joey and Brian were slow to pick up the intricacies of the new play, so he used them as his props while he took the ball and demonstrated how the play would unfold on the court, making them scramble to keep pace with him. Grant feinted one way and then dribbled in the other direction in a behind-the-back ball fake that fooled most of the boys.

  After two highly paced run-throughs,
Joey clutched his stomach and ran in the direction of the locker room.

  Grant grinned. Ah, youth.

  The odor of sweaty bodies filled the air as the practice continued.

  After two hours of hard work, he finally took pity on the boys who’d had too much fun last night, as well as the rest of the team. He had just finished making his notes when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller’s name and raised an eyebrow as he opened his phone. “Aren’t you on your honeymoon, Del?”

  Del’s chuckle reverberated over the line. “Yes, and I’ll agree I have better things to do than chat with you. But my bride won’t cooperate until I find out how things unfolded yesterday with you and Caroline.”

  “They didn’t.” Grant slumped back in his chair and rubbed his chest. “She still hates me. Maybe even more so today, since she had to sit by me all day yesterday.”

  “Rats. So, Penny and Abbey’s grand scheme backfired?”

  “Yep. Afraid so. I never had much faith in the plan anyway.” Grant tugged on his hair. “Listen, I just finished practice and am in desperate need of a shower. And you have a bride to entertain. Sorry I couldn’t give you good news to pass along, but we all figured their idea would be a gamble in the first place.”

  “Okay, man, I’ll let you go.” Del inhaled sharply. “My bride won’t be happy.”

  Grant let out a brittle bark, sounding like a Chihuahua who had spotted an intruder in the yard. “She’s not the only one.”

  Chapter Four

  After church for Abbey and a spiritual run on Caroline’s part followed by a Sunday dinner, Abbey and Caroline headed toward town. The minute Caroline entered The Treasure Chest—the small greeting card store her cousins had opened a few years back—a feeling of peace like she hadn’t experienced in a long time wafted over her.

  Ever since Michael deployed to Afghanistan, she’d been on edge. Every time the phone rang, she’d expected the worst. Then, the worst did happen, and he arrived home only to be buried. Her precarious job situation and uncertainty about her apartment had piled on, and she’d been mincing around on eggshells for months. Although until she got to the Cove, she hadn’t realized her stress level had been so off the charts or that the perpetual knot between her shoulder blades could disappear.

  Her showdown with her boss when she made clear her decision to attend the wedding had evoked the reaction she’d expected. She recalled their entire short conversation.

  “When you do decide to return to Cleveland, we need to have a serious talk.” He’d puffed himself up.

  He always puffed up his chest like a pouter pigeon to appear larger when he became confrontational. The action never worked, and if this situation hadn’t been simmering for a while, she would have found it almost comical. She took a deep breath. “We can have that talk right now if you’d prefer.”

  “No, I’ll wait. But get your butt back here.” He growled before she’d stomped out of his office.

  So, she probably no longer had a job. And her lease on the apartment she adored would expire at the end of the month. Cleveland had become an empty town, at least for her. Even her parents had relocated to Florida a few years ago. She should start over, and Lobster Cove beckoned.

  Abbey escorted her up the back staircase to the apartment above the shop.

  Penny had cleared out most of her furniture but a few pieces still remained, so Caroline had no problem sorting out the function of each area. “This is cute.” She glanced at Abbey and nodded toward the living room. “Small and cozy.”

  “The place can be yours if you decide you need a change. I happen to be acquainted with the landlord,” Abbey replied with a grin. “In the summer time when the windows are open, you have the scent from the Atlantic wafting in since we’re so close to the harbor. Have you come to a decision?”

  “Not yet, Abbey. I need to get back to Cleveland and see what, if anything, is left.” Caroline plopped down into the one remaining chair in the room and put her head in her hands. “I mean, Lobster Cove is working its magic on me, as always, but I’ve lived in Cleveland my whole life.”

  “Well, then, I’d say you’ve suffered enough.” Abbey’s grin widened. “Just joking. Cleveland has some good points. The Rock Hall and Lake Erie are at the top of the list of my favorites. Can a lake begin to compare with the vast Atlantic Ocean? Not even a close call.” She squeezed Caroline’s hands. “You deserve to be happy, and that’s been in short supply in your life. Come to the Cove.”

  Caroline squirmed in the chair, tears threatening. A few of them carved a path down her cheeks. “If I do relocate here, I’ll run into Grant. Lobster Cove is a small town.”

  Abbey grew solemn, her grin fading. “Would running into him be such a bad thing? He’s become a very handsome man. You said so yourself, before you figured out whom you were talking about. He’s got a respectable job, he’s fun to be around, and he’s gorgeous.”

  Caroline brushed away the tears and laughed. “You mentioned his looks twice.”

  “Well, he’s good-looking enough to warrant me saying it twice.” Abbey tugged on the front of her T-shirt, emulating a wildly beating heart.

  Caroline blew out a breath. “I don’t have an answer yet. This would be a huge step. But Mom and Dad are in Florida now…”

  Abbey clapped her hands together. “See? You have nothing holding you in Ohio. Come to Maine. Come to the Cove, Sweet Caroline.”

  The corners of Caroline’s mouth canted upward. “No one’s called me Sweet Caroline in years.”

  “Well, after our Mom and Dad named Penny and me after a couple of Beatle tunes, your folks had to find a way to compete. Neil Diamond’s classic song became your name, like it or not.” Abbey leaned over and gave Caroline a momma-bear hug. “Come on. Let’s head home. I received a weather alert on my phone as we were coming up to have you look at the apartment. A storm’s coming in, a Nor’Easter. You may be stuck here in the Cove for a few days while you make up your mind.”

  “A Nor’Easter’s expected this afternoon?” Caroline followed Abbey down the stairs and jumped into the passenger side of the minivan, dodging falling snow. “How could you not have told me earlier? I’m scheduled to depart tonight.”

  Abbey’s knuckles grew white on the steering wheel as she exited the alley behind the shop and steered onto slippery Main Street. In the hour they’d been in the shop and the apartment, the weather had shifted from not bad to major storm. “Well, I got the alert just before I showed you the apartment. The storm’s barreling up the coast, so if you’re flying into Boston first and then on to Cleveland, chances are good your flight will be delayed or cancelled. We’ll check the airlines when we get home.”

  Caroline lowered her head into her hands, her thoughts skittering around what this delay would cost her and moaned. “My boss will really fire me now.”

  “For a weather delay? If that’s all he needs to give you the boot, you should fire him first, and tell him what he can do with his job.” Abbey huffed out a breath.

  “Maybe I will. I defied his wishes when I told him I would be attending the wedding. Maybe I should go all the way.” Caroline raised her head and glanced out the window. “Snow is so pretty when it comes down, don’t you agree?” She rolled down the window a few inches and breathed in the clean winter air. Then, she rolled the window even farther and stuck out her head to catch a snowflake on her tongue.

  Abbey punched Caroline lightly in the arm. “If you like the pretty snow, you’re definitely in the right place. If this storm is a true Nor’Easter, snow will probably be hanging around in piles until May.”

  Caroline rolled up the window again and sat quietly, matching the snow falling softly around them. What did she have to hang onto in Cleveland, anyway? All signs pointed in the direction of Lobster Cove. The one big stumbling block was Grant. She’d spent sixteen years despising him. Now, if she relocated here, she’d be forced to come face to face with him, at least occasionally. Probably more often, since he and Penny’s husban
d were best buddies. Did she really want to put herself into such a perilous position?

  She took a deep breath, an about-to-jump-off-the-high-dive kind of breath. “I must be missing something since you, Penny, and even your kids love Grant. Why don’t you fill me in?”

  They were at a stoplight, so Abbey shifted her gaze from the road to Caroline. “You really should have come back here to visit more often and seen for yourself how much he struggled to fit in when we were teenagers.”

  Caroline bumped Abbey’s arm lightly, returning the jab. “Well, because of him, I lost out on a lot of quality time with you and Penny. I loved coming here every summer. I can’t buy the concept of Grant having to struggle to fit in. He had so many friends during my last time here. So tell me what I missed.”

  “Can we agree he’s become a handsome, respectable man?” Abbey’s voice held a bit of a laugh as she returned her attention to the slick road.

  “I’ll give you that much, but being handsome and respectable doesn’t negate how he treated me when we were kids.” Caroline stared out at the falling snow, attempting to sort out her conflicted feelings.

  Even with the awkwardness between them during the wedding ceremony and all it entailed, he’d still managed to get her to relax a bit. She hadn’t danced with anyone since Michael. Grant put her at ease on the dance floor and even dipped her—almost as if they’d been dancing partners for a long time. Maybe she should give him a chance.

  Abbey shook her head. “I won’t tell you Grant’s story. It’s his, and he should be the one to share the tale if he chooses to do so. All I’ll tell you is he struggled with self-image, too, just as you did. As does every teenager on this planet.”

  “I had no idea.” For the first time, Caroline thought about the evening so long ago from Grant’s perspective, as Abbey had encouraged her to do. Grant had been one of the most popular guys in school, and he’d been really cute. Maybe his story had more moving parts than she originally thought. “I have a hard time picturing Grant having trouble fitting in. He’s a tall and strong man.” Aware she was fishing for information, she suddenly needed to find out.