The Parent Trap

by Lee McKenzie

  “I don’t know...”

  “Oh, come on. I can tell you’re totally into him.”

  “I’m not...I mean, how...” If her dumb crush was obvious to Kate, did that mean everyone knew? Even Dexter? Casey felt her face heat up.

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Yes, you are. And the feeling’s mutual. He likes you, too.”

  “He does? I thought...I mean, he spends more time talking to you than me.”

  “That’s because boys are clueless about this stuff, but this’ll be fun. You and Dexter, me and Henry. Not to mention your mom and my dad. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  Casey couldn’t begin to imagine anything worse than her mom’s reaction if she found out about this crazy plan. But as she looked into the little dog’s big dark eyes, she knew she had to go for it. Petey was worth it. And hanging out with Dex was totally worth it.

  “Okay. This is going to work. I know it.” Kate grinned and held up her hand for a high five, and Petey barked excitedly when they slapped their palms together.

  This better work, Casey thought, because if their plan backfired, her mom was going to kill her.

  * * *

  JON WAS AT the kitchen island arranging pizza toppings on plates when the doorbell rang.

  “Kate?”

  “Got it, Dad.”

  A moment later, Sarah and Casey followed her into the kitchen.

  He looked up and caught Sarah’s smile as she and her daughter set bottles of cola on the counter.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Kate, would you put those in the fridge, please?”

  “Sure. What kind of pizzas are you making?”

  “One is vegetarian,” he assured her. “Tomatoes, peppers and artichokes.”

  “Mmm, my favorite.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Sarah asked.

  “Thanks, but everything’s ready. I just have to roll out the dough and then we can get them ready to go in the oven. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I can do that. Just point me in the direction of the glasses.”

  “Thanks. They’re in the cupboard over the dishwasher, and there’s ice in the freezer.”

  Casey looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Princess?”

  “She’s sleeping in my room,” Kate said.

  Jon cut the pizza dough into four portions and centered one of them on a floured board. “I hear you got a dog this afternoon,” Jon said.

  Sarah set four glasses on the counter. “We did not ‘get’ a dog. We are dog-sitting for a few days.”

  Undaunted, Casey launched into an animated description of Petey, how he was the cutest, smartest dog in the world, how he needed to find a forever home. While he listened to the girls chatter about pets, he watched Sarah pour drinks for everyone.

  Earlier he’d seen her come home from work in one of those elegant business suits she always wore. Now wearing slender-legged jeans with cuffs rolled above the ankle, yellow-and-blue flower-patterned espadrilles, and a sweater the color of butter, she looked fresh and youthful, too young to be the mom of a teenager. She handed glasses to the girls and smiled at him as she set one on the island counter close to where he worked.

  “Thanks,” he said, picking it up, raising it toward her.

  “You’re welcome.” She lightly touched her glass to his, ice clinking.

  The girls giggled. To his chagrin, he realized their laughter was directed at him and Sarah. If Sarah noticed, she didn’t let on. He set his glass back on the counter and, head down, went to work on the pizzas. He knew Sarah was watching as he rolled and fitted rounds of dough to the pans, brushed them with olive oil, spread them with sauce, layered on the toppings. He heaped both pies with generous handfuls of grated cheese and was sliding two of them into the oven when someone’s phone let out a wolf whistle.

  “That’s me,” Casey said, digging her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. “It’s a text from Henry. Oh, cool. Some of the kids from school are coming over to his place around seven o’clock. He wants to know if we can go over.” She gave her mom a hopeful look. “Can we? I haven’t seen him all summer and this’ll be so much fun.”

  “Can we, Dad?” Kate chimed in.

  He and Sarah exchanged a look. “I’m okay with it,” he said. “As long as you’re home by nine.”

  “Will they have time to eat before they go?” Sarah asked.

  “These will be out of the oven in fifteen,” he said, setting the timer on the stove. “I made one vegetarian and one with ham and pineapple...I remembered that’s Casey’s favorite...so they’ll have plenty of time to eat before they have to leave.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” Casey said.

  He’d noticed that she preferred to call him that instead of using his first name, and he quite liked it.

  “So can I go, Mom?”

  “What about Petey?” Sarah asked. “Doesn’t he need to be walked?”

  The girl looked deflated. “He does. Sorry, I forgot.”

  Hmm. The dog just might give him a chance to extend the evening, spend a little extra time with Sarah. “If you want, we can walk him after we’ve finished eating. I could use some exercise, too.”

  “Oh. Okay, I guess we could do that.” Sarah didn’t sound overly eager.

  Jon hadn’t even met the dog and he liked him already.

  Kate and Casey grinned and winked at each other over the tops of their sodas, obviously ecstatic about the prospect of hanging out with Henry and most likely one of the other boys from school. Sarah didn’t seem to notice and that was just as well, since he had his own selfish reasons for wanting to spend alone time with her. Finally, he had opportunity to apologize for his behavior last Saturday and, he hoped, to convince her that he was not the loser dad she thought he was.

  * * *

  SARAH BUNCHED HER napkin and set it on her empty plate. “I think I ate too much,” she said, groaning just a little. “Those pizzas were so good, especially the last one.”

  Which surprised her because she’d watched Jonathan make it—a layer of provolone topped with fresh sliced pears and sprinkled with gorgonzola and chopped pecans—and thought it had to be the strangest pizza combo ever. She had sampled it cautiously and discovered it was also the most delicious.

  “Glad you liked it.” He gathered up the paper napkins, stacked their plates and reached for the ones the girls had abandoned when they’d rushed out to meet their friends.

  “I’ll help.” She collected the glasses, dumped chunks of ice into the sink and loaded them into the dishwasher.

  The conversation had been easy and relaxed while the girls laughed and talked and gossiped. But then they’d left in a flurry of back-and-forth text messages with their friends, leaving the kitchen quiet and Sarah feeling awkwardly tongue-tied. She hadn’t anticipated being alone with him tonight.

  Jonathan gave the table and counters a quick swipe and tossed the cloth over the tap. “That should do it.”

  “So...I’ll run home and meet you out front with the dog?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Back at her place, she let a very excited, tail-wagging dog out of his crate.

  “Sit still,” she said.

  He sat immediately, tongue still in action, eyes alert with excitement.

  “Good dog. And you can stop being so cute. That works on Casey but not me.”

  She clipped the leash to his collar, determined not to let the cuteness of the little upturned face get to her.

  “Come on, you rascal,” she said, being tugged along as he bolted for the front door.

  Jonathan waited at the end of the driveway and he laughed when he saw Petey. “He is pretty cute, no question about that.”

  “Casey’s counting on that to soften me up. She thinks that by
the time the repairs at the shelter have been completed, I will be as much in love with him as she is and will want to keep him.”

  Jonathan fell into step beside her. “You’re saying that won’t happen?”

  “It can’t. We’re both out of the house all day so it’s not fair to the dog.”

  He didn’t respond and they walked in silence for a moment or two.

  “I’ve never been much of a cat person,” he said. “Kate had her heart set on having one, though, so a few years ago we gave in and adopted Princess from the SPCA. After my wife and I separated, Kate spent a lot of time in her room. The cat is in there most of the time, so I was glad then that she had a pet.”

  Sarah tipped her head so she could see his face. “You think I should let Casey keep him?”

  “Oh, geez, I have no opinion. I have a hard enough time making the right decisions for my own daughter. I’m just saying what worked for us.”

  “Well, we’re not getting a cat. I’m allergic to them.”

  He looked down at her, eyebrows curved up like a pair of question marks.

  “What?”

  “You just spent a couple of hours at my place. Did our cat bother you?”

  Huh. No, it did not. “Usually my eyes itch and I start to sneeze when I’m around a cat. And that’s the truth. I’m not making it up.”

  Jonathan smiled. “Just as well, then, that your daughter didn’t notice.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  They walked half a block without saying anything, the silence growing more awkward by the step until Jonathan broke it.

  “I owe you an apology,” he said. “A few of the things I said about Kate last Saturday night were uncalled for, and I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

  Sarah had wondered if he would bring that up and now she was glad he had decided to clear the air.

  “Apology accepted. I figured you must be pretty stressed, what with moving, starting a new job, helping your daughter adjust to a new home.”

  “I appreciate the benefit of doubt, but I was out of line. It won’t happen again.”

  She believed him. He’d seemed much more at ease tonight, and he and Kate were definitely more at ease with one another.

  They were halfway down the hill and on their way to the beach—Petey leading the way on little legs that were, as Casey had described, going “a mile a minute”—when it dawned on Sarah that they hadn’t started out with a destination in mind. “We can walk along the seawall, if you like.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that. I run down there and back almost every morning.”

  Oh, I know you do. I see you almost every morning. Not the time to confess to practically being a stalker.

  “You must like to stay in shape,” she said instead. “For teaching, I mean. And coaching.” Not for the sake of curious neighborhood women peeking through their curtains at dawn. When had she become that woman? The answer was obvious When this man had moved next door.

  “It definitely helps me keep up with my students and the kids on the teams I’ve coached,” Jonathan said. “I’ve been running since I was in high school. What about you?”

  “Me? A runner? Oh my goodness, no. Yoga and aqua-fit are more my speed.”

  “Also great ways to stay in shape.”

  She glanced at up at him, saw he was watching her and liked what she saw in those blue, blue eyes. Humor, the prospect of friendship. Possibly the promise of something more. Startled, she looked away. That had been a moment and he’d felt it, too. Did she want this? Was she ready?

  For several minutes they walked in awkward silence, crossed Shoreline Boulevard and turned onto the walkway that hugged the seawall and wound its way around the bay. Petey led the way on his fully extended leash, ears flapping, short little legs scissoring along the pavement.

  “So.” She tried to inject a little less awkwardness into the silence, only to discover she didn’t know what to say.

  “So,” he echoed. “This is a great town.”

  “It is. I love it here.” She was grateful to have the conversation shift to safe, neutral ground, too. “Especially at this time of year, after the tourists leave. Don’t get me wrong, though. I love tourists. They bring a lot of business to Serenity Bay. But once school starts in September, those of us who live here year-round get our town back. Then it feels like home again, like a real community.”

  “Tourists only come during the summer?” he asked.

  “Oh, no. We get visitors all year, but the majority are here in July and August. That’s when all the hotels and campgrounds in the area are at capacity, every berth at the marina is occupied. A lot of downtown businesses have sidewalk sales, and restaurants and even the deli across the street from my store set up outdoor patios.”

  Petey stopped to sniff a small piece of driftwood that someone had dropped on the path.

  “That’s what it was like when I was here in July,” Jonathan said. “When I signed the lease for the house. The real estate agent assured me that by the end of the summer, it wouldn’t be so busy.”

  The dog picked up the stick and gave it a shake and a toss and snatched it up again as though it were something alive.

  “Come on, Petey. Let’s go.” Sarah urged him with a gentle tug. The dog pranced ahead again, proudly carrying the little bit of wood like a prize catch. “Silly dog.”

  “He’s a cute little guy, that’s for sure.”

  “Have you noticed how everyone smiles as they walk by?”

  “Oh, yes. You know how this is going to turn out, don’t you?”

  “You mean with Casey wanting to keep him?” she asked.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of Casey’s mom wanting to keep him.”

  She looked up at him, caught the laughter in his eyes and sighed. “I really want to not want to keep him.”

  He laughed at that and let it go. “So, about Serenity Bay. When did you move here?”

  She was glad to revert to the previous topic of conversation and grateful not to be put on the spot about keeping the dog. She suspected he might be right, but that didn’t mean she was anywhere even close to admitting it.

  “Right after college, almost fifteen years ago. Even then it was a bustling little tourist destination, but there’ve been a lot of changes, too. Like the new subdivision we live in, and this resort.”

  They stopped in front of the sprawling two-story log structure, shoulders almost touching. Petey stopped, too, and sat obediently without even being told.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed it was new,” Jonathan said. “It blends into the forest and the beach, as though it’s always been here.”

  “It does, doesn’t it? But that wasn’t part of the original plan. The developer wanted to build a second marina, add on a casino. Almost everyone in town was opposed to it, including a handful of lawyers and one Supreme Court judge who retired here. They came to Serenity Bay to get away from all of that. So after a lot of petitions and town meetings and environmental studies, the original plan was scrapped and we now have the Serenity Bay Resort and Spa.”

  She couldn’t bring herself to tell him it was the original scheme that had brought her and Jim here in the first place. He had been hired by the developer’s accounting department to handle the company’s finances, and he’d never recovered from the bitterness of that defeat. And because of the animosity around that, Sarah had never really felt as though she fit into the community, either. And she’d hated that because she liked so many of these people, and once she realized what the impact the developer’s original plan would have had on the town, she had silently agreed with them. It wasn’t until Jim died that she’d been able to forge friendships and truly make this her home.

  “Do you ever come here?”

  “Not often. The dining room is very formal,
not at all the sort of place you’d take a family.”

  “Expensive, too. I checked it online.”

  That was true. “The same goes for the spa. As tempting as it is, it’s not the sort of thing I’ve budgeted the time or money for.”

  “You budget your time?” He seemed to think that wasn’t possible.

  “I have a routine I like to stick to and...” Oh, what the heck. “Hello, my name’s Sarah and I’m a list-aholic.”

  His laugh was deep and genuine. “Hello, Sarah. I’m Jon and I’m a basket case when it comes to being organized.”

  He held out his hand and she put hers in it. It was less of a handshake and more of a hand-hold, and then they were having another moment. After several seconds he let her go, and his warmth was replaced by the cool evening air.

  “I’m sure you’re not as bad as that.”

  “Would you ever pack up a house and move without labeling any of the boxes?” he asked, laughing when he saw her expression.

  “You did that?”

  “I did. And if you’re thinking it was chaos, then you’d be right.”

  “We all play to our strengths.” Casey was already raving about what a great teacher and coach Mr. Marshall was, and Sarah imagined that being an instant hit with the students had a lot to do with his casual, easygoing nature. “I would never have the patience to teach high school or coach a sports team.”

  “Thanks. I’ll try to remember that next time I get home from the grocery store and realize I forgot to buy milk and eggs.”

  “You don’t even make grocery lists?”

  “I jot things on a notepad on the fridge when I notice we’re running out of something. Then when I’m at the store, I try to remember what’s on the list. Does that count?”

  Um, no! But he sounded so hopeful. “Of course it does.”

  “You’re a terrible liar. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  “My mother. I could never pull one over on her.” Petey tugged on the leash. He had abandoned his stick and was ready to go again. “What do you think? Should we carry on to the point or go back?”

  “I’m okay to keep going.”

  So was she. Adult conversation was good, Jonathan’s light banter was even better, and she felt more relaxed than she had in ages.