by Rita Garcia
They returned almost two hours later, each with an arm full of bags from the Seaside Boutique, around the corner from Serenity Blooms.
“The four of us are going to look smashing.” Although not totally comfortable with her latest fashion finds, the new look intrigued Jezzica.
Catylen beamed a smile at her sister. “We don’t have much time.” They separated at the top of the stairs, going opposite directions to their rooms.
When Jezzica finally strolled down the stairs, her sister and nieces were waiting. At the bottom of the steps she modeled her new outfit—a soft opaque, lacy top with tiny rosebuds stitched around the neckline and seed pearls scattered across the front. Rusty rubbed his head on the leg of her white jeans, Jezzica picked him up, cuddling him and rubbing his ears.
“Oh, Jezz. It’s dazzling on you.” Catylen inspected her sister from the front and back. “We really are going to be late if we don’t rush.”
Lauren and Tasha followed them out the door. Before the four were even down the sidewalk, a wolf whistle rang out.
Zack stood in his driveway with a towel in his hand, pausing from drying his truck. He walked to Jezzica’s cottage. “Wow, wow, wow, and wow.” He placed his hand on his chest. “Are the four of you trying to give me a heart attack? Or maybe I’ve already died and this is heaven.”
“When did you become the sweet talker?” Jezzica laughed and opened the driver’s door. “See you later, Romeo.” If the way Zack had given her the once-over was any indication, her new look was a success.
At the inn, Jezzica maneuvered into the valet parking lane. The skirt of Catylen’s new maxi dress swirled around her ankles as she led the group through the entrance. She’d only taken a few steps when she suddenly froze, with the others almost running into her.
Jezzica followed the direction of her sister’s flabbergasted glower. Mike sat at one of the tables in the bistro area with a cup of coffee in his hand and two empty plates shoved back on the table.
Lauren placed a protective arm on her mother’s shoulder. “What’s Dad doing here?”
“Did he just show up, without even calling?” Tasha pressed her lips together and glared at her father.
Catylen moved forward and the girls flanked her on both sides. Catylen slowed as she approached Mike.
Mike stood in a nonchalant fashion. “Hello, Cat.” Jezzica had often heard him use the shortened version of Catylen, thinking it sounded endearing—not this time. Almost as an afterthought, he acknowledged his daughters.
Catylen’s determined expression revealed a new strength. “You should’ve called first.”
“I need permission to visit my family?” Mike looked from Tasha to Lauren. “I miss my daughters.”
“I don’t want to see you.” Lauren gave her father a hard stare. “How could you have cheated on Mom?”
“Dad, we need space right now.” Tasha’s eyes watered as she chewed on her bottom lip.
Catylen turned to Jezzica. “Take the girls and join the others. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.” Then she gave Mike a pointed stare. “Sit. We need to talk.”
As Jezzica reluctantly motioned for the girls, she noticed a woman standing to the side, leaning against a lobby wall observing Catylen and Mike.
Lauren grabbed Jezzica’s arm and pointed to the woman. “Aunt Jezz, that’s the woman. How could he?” Tears unleashed as Lauren ran back to her mother. “Mom—he brought her here.” She nodded toward the woman, who was now dabbing tears from her cheek.
Catylen rose with a legal file in her hands and put an arm across Lauren’s shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie. Dad and I are finished.” Emphasizing the word finished. “And he’s leaving.”
“Now you’re turning my daughters against me.”
Catylen’s laugh held a dash of sarcasm. “You did that all by yourself. Honesty would have helped. And it’s on your shoulders to mend the chasm you’ve dug between you and our daughters.” Catylen walked to her sister. She looked at her daughters, who once again stood on each side of her. “Let’s go to a garden tea.”
The four presented a unity of strength as they marched forward without a backward glance. They strolled under the arbor and entered an enchanted garden that both lifted the spirit and calmed the soul. Fragrant wisteria flowed from woven seagrass baskets. Roses added sweetness and color, and graced the jasmine-draped walls. Pots of botanicals surround the tables. Gina, from Serenity Blooms, placed a fresh floral arrangement on the serving table. Lauren and Tasha had helped Gina put together small vases of flowers for the center of each table on the large patio.
Maggie greeted them. “Put your things down and come mingle. Samantha should be here soon.”
The waves drew Jezzica’s attention to the revitalizing magic of the sea. Rachel Hernandez, the wife of the new fire chief, leaned against the railing of the steps leading down to the shore, chatting with Thelma. She smiled at Jezzica. “How’s the bookshop coming along?”
“We’ve had a few glitches, but we’re set to open the beginning of July.” Jezzica turned toward the sound of the waves—not quite believing the shop was almost ready to open.
“Will you be open in time for the Founder’s Day parade?” Thelma sipped tea from the cup cradled in her palm.
“That’s a great idea.” Jezzica squinted, already formulating a new plan.
Catylen looked at her sister. “The girls and I will help.”
“With a little strategizing, we might be able to pull it off.” Jezzica’s eyes roamed the area. It was a relief to find her nieces laughing and talking with Brenda and Peggy, daughter and wife of Alec, a cop with the SCPD.
The noise level increased as Samantha came through the arbor with an awesome look of surprise. Maggie’s face beamed. It couldn’t have been easy to keep the garden tea a secret in Serenity Cove.
Samantha waved to Maggie and went to greet her grandmother. The way she bent down giving Elizabeth a hug had Jezzica wiping the corner of her eyes. She knew the story of how Samantha’s grandparents had struggled with accepting her. Now the affection between the two was obvious. Betsy lived with Samantha’s grandparents and helped out since the grandmother’s stroke. Samantha fondly touched Betsy’s shoulder. “Thank you for bringing my grandmother today.”
The empty sandwich trays were removed. Jezzica smiled at the way Julia fussed over the array of bite-size cakes and sweets, along with almond macaroon cookies, cream puffs, and truffles.
Jezzica looked around and noticed Catylen heading down the pathway leading to the shore. “Wait up, Caty.” She turned and leaned against the wooden rail until Jezzica reached her.
Shoes dangling from their hands the sisters barefooted through the sand. “Want to talk?” Jezzica hated the pain in her sister’s eyes.
“We’d agreed to protect the girls, and now he does this. The hurt on their faces broke my heart.” Catylen took a visible deep breath. “Mike gave me divorce papers. He didn’t even have the decency to allow me to make that move.” She swiped at the wetness on her cheeks. “He’s the one who cheated, so shouldn’t I have been the one to start proceedings against him?”
This selfish, uncaring attitude wasn’t a side of Mike that Jezzica had ever seen before. “Mike always adored you and the girls.”
They walked a little more. “And why did he need to insult me even more by bringing that woman with him, as though they were on a holiday instead of delivering divorce papers to his wife?”
Does life ever make sense? Geoff’s gone and Mike betrayed Catylen in the worse possible way. Jezzica grasped her sister’s hand. “We’ll get through this. We’re strong women, and together we’re even stronger.”
Chapter Thirty-five
Zack pushed through the side door of the police station, the first time he’d set foot in the building since his suspension. Why had Logan summoned him? With a deep breath, he knocked on the frame of the chief’s office door and went on in.
Logan motioned toward the front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
“Put me out of my misery here. What’s going on?” Zack dropped onto the chair.
“For starters, Internal Affairs has completed its investigation. You’ve been vindicated of all charges.” Logan pushed two large envelopes across to Zack. “Those are your copies of their official findings.”
Zack relaxed back in his chair. “For starters?”
“Vincent Faraday’s widow dropped the lawsuit.” Logan’s eyed him closely.
Zack shifted positions, and shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the problem?”
“It puzzles me why his widow withdrew her charges. I’m not asking. I don’t even want to know how you influenced this change of heart. Did you do anything I should be concerned about—anything that will adversely affect this department? Anything that might backfire?”
“Played a little hardball with Susan, Louis Barclay’s daughter.”
“No threats that might come back to haunt you or this department?”
“You have my word, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Logan leaned down and unlocked his bottom desk drawer and placed Zack’s gun and badge on his desk. “Welcome back.” He stood and shook Zack’s hand. “Officially report back on Monday morning. We’ll meet first thing and review our current cases.”
“Thank you, sir. It’s good to be back.” Zack left and paused in the doorway of his own office. “Thank you, Father.” He sat at his desk, and had no complaints about filtering messages and doing paperwork. He loved being a detective, and even more so now that his career had almost been destroyed.
He finally reached the end of the list, and went in search of coffee.
In the coffee room, Nicole sat at the table with a sandwich and her fingers in an opened bag of chips. He filled a mug and sat across from her. “How’s it going?” Seemed to be a day for firsts. The first time he’d been in the station for much too long. And the first time he’d seen Nicole since she told him of her plans to leave Serenity Cove.
She stared down at the table and after a few long moments, looked up at him. “Ted asked me out.”
What was he supposed to say? “A good thing?”
“Could be.” She tried to hide her shy smile.
“Ted’s a great guy.”
“There wasn’t an opening in Mariner Bay, so I decided to stay on here and see how it goes.” Her smile faded and there was a hint of tears in her eyes.
“I’m glad you’re staying. I would’ve missed you.” He stood and moved toward the door. Unrequited affection could make a guy really uncomfortable, especially when he was the target. He enjoyed working with Nicole and hoped they could again.
“Hey, Zack.” Nicole raised her eyebrows. “Were you serious about your offer? I’d like to make the move to your division.”
“Let me clear it with Logan. Otherwise, welcome aboard.” He offered his hand.
She grasped his hand and smiled. “Thanks, boss.”
“You’ll be a great asset to the detective division.”
Back in his office, he quickly shut down his computer and grabbed his cap. The bright afternoon sun beaming through his window, told him there was enough time to do something spontaneous.
He drove to Main Street and parked in front of a certain female’s shop. The windows sparkled—painted with an announcement for the grand opening. He stepped through the door, then hurried to where Jezzica was struggling with a potted plant. He followed her instructions and hefted the plant on top of one of the tall shelving units.
“Tell me what you think?” She motioned to the shop’s interior.
“Looks like you’re ready to open.” He walked to the fireplace. “The bricks cleaned up nicely. I like how you arranged the seating on each side.” He chuckled as he placed his hand on the back of one of the chairs covered in a brown plaid. “Are you sure you intend to sell books? It’s a great place to relax and read.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Come see the archway leading to the coffee shop.” Jezzica led the way into the newly designed shop. The wall behind the counter was lined with several shiny new machines.
“Hi, Tasha. I think I may be your best customer.” Zack chuckled.
“As much as I miss Julia, I like what Tasha’s done with the space. Like bringing a little latte love to Serenity Cove.” Jezzica grinned at her niece.
They walked back through the opening into the bookshop. “Any chance I could persuade you to play hooky for the afternoon?” He tucked his hands into his pockets, expecting her to decline.
“What do you have in mind?”
He tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. “We could rent a sailboat down at the harbor.”
“Let’s do. It’s a gorgeous day.” She went behind her desk and grabbed her denim bag. “I’ll give Caty a call on the way.”
He took a deep breath. This was turning out to be one of those days when life couldn’t get any better. They climbed into his truck and he smiled at the beautiful woman next to him. His heart had chosen a difficult path, one that he was very willing to pursue.
Chapter Thirty-six
Zack nudged the boat out of the harbor. The balmy breeze promised a fabulous afternoon of sailing. Jezzica leaned back, facing the soft wind savoring the release of tension.
“That’s what happens out here in the open waters.” He cut the engine back to a purr and reached for the bottle of water she offered him.
“It’s heavenly out here. I haven’t been out in a boat since—” Since she and Geoff had joined another couple on a dinner cruise. “In a really long time.” The last thing she wanted was to put a damper on the afternoon.
“Want to head over and have a late lunch at the Mariner Bay Harbor?” He handed her the now empty water bottle.
“I hear they have an awesome restaurant on the waterfront.” The boat tipped slightly and a spray of water teased her skin. “I think I want a boat. The cottage has a small boat dock—big enough for two boats.”
“I’m considering making the owners of my place an offer to buy it. There’s a dock there as well, and a boat would be next on my list.”
“So your move to Serenity Cove is permanent?”
“I could see living here for the long term. It’d be a great place for kids.”
That put a little tension back into her neck. “My sister and I loved our summers here.”
“Look on the port side.” Zack pointed to the water.
A school of manta rays were swimming by. One suddenly leaped out of the water, causing quite a disturbance on the surface. “They’re amazing.” Jezzica grasped the edges of her seat cushion as the boat rocked in the waves.
“They often turn backflips in the air.” As if taking commands from Zack, one did exactly that. The group swam away, uninterested in the boat or the people on board.
“We’ll have to bring Lauren and Tasha next time.”
He turned and smiled and she cringed at his words, reminding herself to take it slow. At least this time she wasn’t falling apart. Jezzica looked up and saw the Mariner Bay Harbor. She patted her rumbling stomach. “I’m ready to eat.”
“About five minutes.” He turned slightly starboard. The clouds overhead thickened and the wind’s strength became a little more persistent. They drifted into the harbor, and Zack fastened down the rolled sails and locked the cabin before stepping up onto the dock.
They followed the boardwalk to the Harbor Restaurant. Jezzica laughed and looked up at Zack. “Creative name.”
“Wait until you taste the food. You’ll never forget the name.” He chuckled as he opened the door.
A ship’s wheel circled with Welcome Aboard hung behind the hostess station. Oars and anchors hung on the grass-cloth covered walls of the reception area. As the hostess led the way, her steps echoed on the plank flooring. She seated them at a table with blue and white striped canvas fabric on the chairs. The inviting nautical décor promised to deliver the eating experience Zack had raved about.
“This is amazing.” She scanned th
e menu. “What do you recommend?”
“I’m probably not the person to ask. I’m having my usual—the Mariner’s Monte Cristo sandwich.”
“Make that two. I haven’t had a great Monte Cristo in forever.” She closed the menu and set it on the edge of the table.
Appreciating the harmony between the great food and spectacular view, she smiled across the table at Zack—a man who awakened an unexpected longing in her. She wanted to know this incredible man better.
“Your expression tells me I’d like to hear your thoughts.” He gave her a half smile and winked.
The butterflies inside fluttered to the strings of romance. “Don’t think so.” Her smile widened, as he seemed to read her musings—maybe even shared them.
After finishing their meal, they strolled the length of the Dolphin Wharf. Over the railings, the clear water perch swam lazily about the algae-covered piles.
A few drops of rain and Jezzica followed Zack’s upward gaze. Clouds blocked the afternoon sun. “Let’s head back before this gets serious.” He grasped her hand. The sessions with Dr. Ellie resonated with Jezzica, and just maybe she and Zack had a chance.
As they pulled up anchor and eased out of the harbor, a group of dolphins frolicked in the waves. Zack maneuvered the boat into the open sea. The rain, although not pouring, was definitely more than a drizzle.
“Lift the lid and look inside the seats. There should be something to help keep you dry.”
Jezzica searched and found an umbrella. Unfolding it, she made her way and stood next to Zack and held it above their heads. A rainbow appeared, with colors brighter than any she’d ever seen. Her stomach churned a couple of times as the boat lifted and dropped with the ripples of the waves.
“There’s something enchanting about the rain.” She moved a little closer and wrapped her arm around his waist. “I like sailing in the rain.” She smiled up at him.
The boat lurched harder and she stumbled back. She tried to regain her footing, but suddenly something slammed into the boat. The craft rocked and a wave of water covered the boat as it capsized. Tossed among the rolling waves, she managed to grip a rope from one of the sails. She searched for Zack as the rope burned against her hands. She couldn’t see him.
