by Teri Wilson
Pages…plural. Good grief, how many questions did they have?
Lucas suppressed a smile and prepared to face off with Nick and Ally.
“Question number one.” Nick squared his slender shoulders. “Where did you grow up?”
Jenna reached for her wine glass. “Well, this is relaxing.”
Lucas did his best to keep a straight face as he answered the question. “Arroyo Grande.”
“Okay. My turn.” Ally consulted her written list. “Who taught you how to surf?”
“The VCR.” Lucas popped a bite of salad into his mouth.
Jenna laughed. With any luck, she was starting to have a good time again. He wanted this to be a nice date. Scratch that—he wanted it to be an excellent date, despite the impromptu interrogation.
Ally screwed up her face. “What’s that?”
Really? The VCR wasn’t that out of date, was it? “Proof that I’m a lot older than you.”
“Okay. Next question.” Nick glanced at his sister.
Ally straightened. “Oh, this one is mine. What do you like best about our mom?”
Jenna went as pink as the flowers in the bouquet he’d brought her.
“Okay, no. You don’t have to answer that.” She glanced around, clearly in search of a diversion. “More salad?”
Um, no. One entire bowl of leafy green vegetables mixed with candy was plenty. Nevertheless, Jenna darted to the kitchen. Behind her, he spotted crayon drawings of Tank tacked to the refrigerator.
Lucas thought for a moment, considering the question. “What do I like best?”
Nick nodded. “First thing that comes to mind.”
“You really don’t have to answer that,” Jenna said as she walked back to the table. She looked almost terrified.
Didn’t she realize he could name at least six things he liked about her, just off the top of his head? He even liked her nerdy little cardigans. He liked them even more than her mermaid swimsuit because they were so quintessentially Jenna.
But he didn’t want to say anything that might be interpreted as glib. It was a meaningful question, and it deserved a meaningful answer.
He met Jenna’s gaze and answered as honestly as he could. “She’s full of surprises.”
Jenna stopped in her tracks, salad bowl in hand. She blinked a few times, and Lucas’s heart skidded to a stop when he realized her eyes were glossy with tears.
He gave her a tender smile while Nick grinned from ear to ear. Ally was so delighted by his response that she grabbed a pen from the kitchen counter and struck through the rest of her list. Lucas had passed their little test with flying colors.
He released a breath. “Can I have some more water?”
Jenna smiled. “Absolutely.”
Nick and Ally exchanged a glance and collapsed into giggles.
“What are you laughing at?” Lucas deadpanned. He speared a chocolate chip with his fork. “The salad’s great, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Ally said. Then she abandoned her notepad, and the meal proceeded without any more questions.
Lucas could breathe easy…at least for a little while.
After dinner, Jenna asked him if they could see the finished version of the video he’d prepared for the meeting with the potential summer camp investors the following day. He didn’t mind, of course. He’d spent hours getting it ready, and as he’d told Jenna over crab and shrimp at Sam’s, he could usually let things go once he’d done the best he could do.
But as he slid the disc into the DVD player, he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. And when he sat down and waited for the video to start, he found himself watching Jenna, Ally and Nick instead of the action onscreen.
He cared about their opinions, maybe even as much as he cared what the investors had to say.
What was happening? This was supposed to be a fun evening. A date. And suddenly, it was beginning to feel like something else.
It was beginning to feel like something more.
He did his best to focus on the flickering images on the television screen—scenes of children running on the beach, jumping into a cool blue pool and splashing in the ocean—scenes that mirrored the time Nick and Ally had spent at Tybee all these weeks. But his gaze kept flitting back to Jenna and her kids snuggled together on the sofa, and warmth bloomed inside him, as colorful and alive as the new flowers sitting on Jenna’s kitchen counter.
The video ended, and he pushed the off button on the television remote. “So. What do we think?”
Nick and Ally bounced in place on the sofa and answered him in unison. “It was awesome!”
Lucas laughed and glanced at Jenna. “How much did you pay them to say that?”
But he was pretty certain he couldn’t buy that kind of enthusiasm. It felt priceless.
“You should be proud. It’s really good,” Jenna said.
The softness in her eyes made him wish he was sitting beside her and the kids on the couch instead of all by himself in the living room’s overstuffed chair. He wasn’t sure he belonged over there, though, nor did it look like there was enough room.
Who chose this furniture, anyway? Oh, right. He did. This was his house, both halves of it. And he still hadn’t managed to bring himself to tell Jenna.
He cleared his throat. The details of the beach house rental were probably something he should get out in the open. But before he could say anything, Jenna nodded toward the kids, and Nick pulled a small square gift box out from behind one of the sofa cushions. He passed it to Ally, who in turn handed it to Jenna.
“Here.” Jenna held the box toward him. “The kids got you a little something.”
“What? You guys are crazy.” He took the gift and ran the pad of his thumb along its carefully tied white bow.
There was no telling what was inside. Another craft project? A multi-colored dessert?
“Open it.” Ally grinned at him.
Lucas untied the bow and braced himself for something covered in glitter, shells or chocolate. Maybe even all three. But when he lifted the lid of the box and peeled back a few layers of yellow tissue paper, he didn’t see any of the trademark features of a homemade gift. He saw smooth burgundy fabric, dotted with tiny white polka dots. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise as he lifted a fine silk necktie from the tissue paper.
This wasn’t just a gift from the kids. It was from Jenna, too.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said quietly. She’d cooked him dinner and invited him to spend the evening with her family. And now this…
Could it be true? After all these weeks of hiding behind her fence, had Jenna Turner finally decided to let him in?
“It’s for good luck,” Ally said.
Nick shrugged. “Well, you could say thank you.”
Lucas laughed and unfolded the tie, trying to imagine himself wearing it.
“Now you have a tie for your meeting.” Jenna tilted her head.
“You didn’t have to.” Lucas’s throat grew thick, and he had a sudden memory of a Father’s Day long ago and giving his dad a similar silk tie. “But thank you. Thank you very much.”
Ally scrambled off the sofa, walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Lucas wasn’t prepared for the sudden display of affection and sat still as stone for a moment before hugging her back.
It was too much all of a sudden—the dinner, the gift, the urge to be more to this little family than just the messy surfer next door.
He wanted to make them proud. He wanted to live up to the vision these kids seemed to have of him as someone who they should look up to…someone who mattered.
Lucas had no business wanting those things. He couldn’t be a father figure. He didn’t even know how.
You’ve built the life you want, remember? Simple, free, easy.
He sw
allowed hard. Why did easy suddenly seem synonymous with empty?
Lucas extricated himself from Ally’s embrace and stood, shifting from one foot to the other. “Okay, you know what? I should probably get going.”
Nick sighed. “He’s not a big hugger.”
They weren’t going down that road. Not here. Not now.
Besides, he really did need to get back to his side of the duplex. Tomorrow was important, and he was suddenly questioning all of his priorities, which wasn’t the best way to impress an investor.
“I just want to get up early and get a surf in before my meeting. You know, de-stress,” he said.
Jenna rose from the sofa to stand beside him. “You’re going to do great.” She smiled in Nick’s direction. “Well, it’s a big day for everyone tomorrow. Nick has his swim trial.”
Was that tomorrow? Lucas hadn’t realized it was scheduled for the same day as his big meeting.
He should be there for Nick. He wanted to be there. But his meeting was off the island, and he wasn’t sure what time he’d return.
“What’s the lucky number you need to make swim team at school?” Jenna cast a quick look at Nick, but Lucas was pretty sure she knew exactly what time he had to beat. They all knew.
“1:18,” Nick said.
“1:18.” Jenna glanced at Lucas. “Remember?”
“Of course I remember.”
Nick turned hopeful eyes on Lucas. “So you’ll be there?”
He nodded. “I am going to try my hardest.”
Nick’s gaze shimmered with admiration. “‘Cause I always do better when…”
When I’m there.
Lucas didn’t let him finish. “You know what? I’ll be there. I promise.”
The look of relief on Nick’s face hit Lucas square in the chest.
He cleared his throat. “And on that note, thank you so much for dinner. The salad was delicious. I had a really nice time.”
“Me, too. Thank you,” Jenna said, and Lucas realized he’d been waiting the whole summer for her to smile at him the way she was right then.
How had he not known he’d been waiting for that all along?
His breath hitched. “Good night.”
“Good night,” she said, and her glowing smile stayed with him while he walked back to his side of the house.
He carried it in his heart as he sat down to go over the details of his presentation one last time. Tank nestled next to him on the patio sofa and even though Lucas’s laptop was open on the table, glowing in the dark beside a stack of charts and budget projections, his thoughts kept straying back to it. Time and again.
He picked up the tie and turned it over in his hands. Beside him, Tank let out a soft woof.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Lucas bent and kissed the top of the pup’s head. “But no, this does not mean we’re going to Disneyland.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jenna darted around the kitchen in her favorite pajamas the next morning, slicing fruit and scrambling eggs. No pancakes today, she’d decided. No chocolate chips. This was a special day for Nick—a day that called for protein, vitamins and minerals.
She couldn’t help smiling to herself as she pushed the eggs around the frying pan with a pretty turquoise spatula. Despite her mild case of nerves about Nick’s swim test, she was practically giddy. Last night had been so cozy, so…unexpected. Something had definitely shifted between her and Lucas. Something important.
After Lucas had gone home, Ally and Nick kept stealing glances at her, grinning from ear to ear.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she’d finally told them, but she couldn’t even get the words out without a bubble of joy rising up within her.
She wasn’t imagining things. Even the kids had noticed the feelings swirling around the beach house between her and Lucas. Jenna wasn’t quite sure what they meant yet, but they were real.
“All right, come eat!” she called, scooping a generous dollop of eggs onto Nick’s plate.
He bounded up the stairs, already dressed in his favorite swimsuit with the shark print and a striped shirt that looked an awful lot like something Lucas had worn recently.
“I want you to get all the major food groups in before your test.” She added an extra spoonful of eggs to Nick’s serving as he pulled out a chair.
“You need to stop worrying, Mom. I’m ready.” He plopped down and picked up a fork.
“I know you are.” Jenna stirred the bowl of cantaloupe and strawberries she’d prepared and slid it toward him. “I just want you to feel good. Full of energy.”
He studied her as he chewed a bite of eggs. “You look happy.”
The goofy grin she’d been wearing since last night hadn’t gone anywhere apparently. “I’m always happy, bud.”
“Yeah, but you look extra happy today.”
“Well, I finished my draft last night. So…” She did a happy little dance.
Finally. The book was done.
She’d been walking on air after Lucas left, too keyed up to sleep. So she’d stayed up late and finished putting the final touches on the ending. Now she could enjoy their last few days at the beach without worrying about whether or not she’d still have a career when they got back to Savannah.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Nick said bluntly.
She focused intently on the cantaloupe. “No?”
“I think our neighbor—”
“Okay, mister.” Jenna interrupted. “No time for speculation. Eat!”
She wasn’t ready to discuss her feelings for Lucas with her kids. She didn’t even understand them yet herself.
Nick obediently stabbed a strawberry with his fork while outside on the patio, Tank let out three happy yips.
Jenna glanced out the window on her way back to the kitchen. Her heart fluttered when she spotted Lucas heading toward his Jeep, dressed in a finely tailored suit and tie. Not just any tie, but the tie—the silky-smooth burgundy one she’d finally settled on at the beach shop while Maureen tried to talk her into new earrings to go with her pretty blue date dress.
He looked so handsome, so businesslike. It was startling.
“I’ll be back soon, buddy.” Lucas waved at Tank, then climbed into the driver’s seat and headed down the gravel drive. Off to the meeting with his investors.
He was going to do great. Jenna just knew it.
“Ally, breakfast!” she yelled before floating to the kitchen.
It’s going to be a good day.
A few hours later, Jenna’s optimism took a serious hit.
She and Ally sat on the bleachers at summer camp, watching eight campers line up by the pool. Two groups of boys had already gone, and now Nick and Grayson were up, along with the other boys their age.
Jenna glanced at the empty space beside Ally, the spot they’d saved for Lucas. She’d expected him to turn up at least half an hour ago when the swim trials first started, but she hadn’t heard a word from him. If he didn’t show up within the next few minutes, he’d miss Nick’s race.
He’s going to be here.
Of course he was. He’d promised, and Lucas wasn’t a parent, but surely he knew better than to make a promise to a child that he couldn’t keep. Especially a child who looked up to him as much as Nick did.
She craned her neck for a better view of the parking lot, but his Jeep was nowhere to be seen. When she swiveled her gaze back toward the action poolside, she spotted Nick sitting on the starting block of his lane. While the other boys stretched and fastened their goggles in place, he slumped with his back turned to the water and his swim goggles propped on his forehead. The dejected look in his eyes just about broke Jenna’s heart.
Lucas, where are you?
Her leg jiggled. She couldn’t sit still and suddenly time was moving too fast. Kayla strode to the pool’s edg
e with a whistle around her neck and a stopwatch and clipboard in her hands.
“All right, guys. Have fun out there,” she said.
Jenna had to stop herself from jumping out of her seat and asking for a time-out.
Couldn’t she see that Nick wasn’t ready? He’d been so confident this morning at home. So sure of himself. But that had been back when he thought he’d have Lucas there to cheer him on.
Kayla obviously sensed something was wrong, because instead of blowing her whistle and calling for the kids to take their starting positions, she approached Nick’s lane with a smile.
“Nick, you’re up next. Let’s see if you can beat your personal best,” she said.
Only his eyes moved. He didn’t hop to his feet, nor did he bother adjusting his goggles. “Have you seen Lucas?”
“Um.” Kayla glanced around. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
Was he? Jenna was beginning to wonder.
“Line up.” Kayla gave Nick’s knee a gentle nudge.
He dragged himself upright on the starting block, and Jenna couldn’t take it anymore.
She reached into her purse for her cell phone and dialed Lucas’s number. Maybe if he was on the way, she could convince Kayla to wait.
But the phone rang and rang. It rolled over to voicemail just as Kayla’s whistle pierced the air and the swimmers dove into the pool. Nick’s race started with a half-hearted splash, and Jenna had no choice but to face reality.
Lucas wasn’t on the way. He’d never make it by the end of Nick’s race.
He wasn’t even answering her call.
Lucas gazed out the window of an upscale restaurant located right on the beach, mere steps away from the surf. Frothy waves tumbled onto the shore, dotting the damp sand with shells while the two men sitting across the table from him decided the future of his summer camp.
He’d barely eaten a bite of his lunch. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted this deal until now. All his talk about letting things go had actually convinced him that he wasn’t personally invested in the summer camp.
