Someday Beach

by Jill Sanders

  “My mother, Elizabeth, passed away a few years back.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Dad…” He shook his head and chuckled. “Mark is still going strong.” He laughed. “I remember thinking how frail he looked so many years ago when I first saw him. Hell, if he doesn’t look just the same now, though.”

  She smiled. “You said something about an older sister?”

  He nodded. “Julie still lives there. She retired from teaching a few years back and just opened some of the rooms up as a kind of bed and breakfast.” He chuckled again. “I’ll prepare you now. She’s a… free spirit.” He smiled over at her and her eyebrows shot up. He shook his head. “You’ll see. I think you’ll like her,” he said as they drove over the long bridge that would lead them to the other side of the bay.

  “It must have been nice growing up so close to the beach.”

  He nodded. “Course, we used to spend more time in the bay than anything. Everyone except Cole, that is. We had a little boat that we’d go out fishing in. We would always spend weekends camping out, trying to see who could catch the biggest fish.”

  She smiled. “Sounds like you had a wonderful childhood.”

  He nodded and then glanced over at her. “Living with the Graytons was the best thing that ever happened to me. To all of us.” He shook his head and watched the road as it turned.

  He was silent for a while, but when he turned off the main road, he glanced over at her and asked. “What about you?”

  “Me?” She watched the scenery go by. She’d been thinking about her childhood, how everything had changed.

  “Sure. I can tell you don’t want to talk about your folks, but surely you had some good times?”

  She nodded and then turned to him when she realized he was paying attention to driving and not looking at her. “I guess I had the standard good times.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Was it your folks?” he asked and she knew what he was asking.

  “Yes and no.” She looked off as they rounded another road. “They both had such high-powered jobs and when my father…” She sighed. “Let’s just say his current job takes precedence over family life.”

  “No job should come before your family,” he said, frowning over at her.

  “I agree, but Daddy doesn’t see it that way, and neither did my mother.” He slowed down for a tight curve.

  “What exactly does your father do?” he asked as they turned off the road and hit a dirt driveway. She was so busy looking at the wonderful old house in front of her, she didn’t focus on her answer.

  “He’s a politician,” she said absentmindedly as she took in the beautiful house. “Oh! This is wonderful.” She smiled and looked over at him. If she had been paying attention, she would have seen his slight frown as he stopped the truck. “I can’t believe you grew up here.” She jumped out of the truck and tried to take everything in.

  The house was a huge three-story Victorian, painted a light shade of blue. The front porch was massive and ran the whole length of the place. The windows gleamed in the sunlight.

  “It’s just like in a fairy tale,” she said, turning to him.

  He chuckled. “It’s a nightmare to paint.”

  She shook her head. “It’s wonderful.”

  “Well, come on.” He took her hand and led her to the front porch. Julie was standing in the doorway, smiling at them when they walked up.

  “Hi.” She nodded to Shelly when they stood in front of her.

  Shelly could see what Marcus meant about his sister. She had long dark hair that was parted in the middle. She wore a loose dress with a flower pattern on it. She wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks and it looked to Shelly like the woman was used to going barefoot. Marcus walked over and gave the woman a hug.

  “Julie, this is Shelly Harrison. She’s opening a shop a couple doors down from Cassey.”

  Julie nodded again. “It’s so wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard lots about you from Cassey.” Julie gave Marcus a stern look, which quickly disappeared when Marcus smiled. “Well, come on in. I was just making some lunch. I have guests, so we won’t be eating alone.”

  Julie’s guests were a nice couple from New York who were visiting Florida for the first time. The young couple not only looked very much in love, but very anxious to be off spending time to themselves.

  She met Mark Grayton, the man Marcus called dad. To say the man was frail was an understatement. Shelly thought he looked weaker than her grandmother had just before she’d passed away. But Marcus had told her that he’d always looked that way. Mr. Grayton seemed like a good man. He shook her hand and cracked a joke, making her laugh as they sat down for lunch in a large dining room.

  They ate sandwiches and some wonderful homemade chicken soup as Marcus and his family chatted and joked with Julie’s guests.

  “We’ve decided to go paragliding, today,” Julie’s guest Steve blurted out as he reached over and took his girlfriend Lori’s hand in his. “We’ve never been. Can you recommend some place to go?” he asked Marcus.

  Marcus chuckled. “Never been myself, but I hear SeaBreeze is good. They’ve been in business for as long as I can remember. They have a little booth set up in Sea Side. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks,” Steve said again and squeezed his girlfriend’s hand.

  After lunch, the young couple took off, no doubt heading to the beach. Marcus and his father went out to unload the items from his truck that he’d come to deliver while Shelly helped Julie clear the table.

  “It was wonderful to meet you,” Julie said, taking the dishes from Shelly. “It’s been a while since Marcus has brought anyone home.” Julie smiled at her.

  Shelly instantly felt like she should explain. “Oh, Marcus is such a good friend.” Just hearing the words come from her mouth made her cringe.

  Julie chuckled when she saw it. “Marcus is many things.”

  Shelly nodded and decided to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the day.

  “Cassey and Roman think the world of you.”

  “Oh?” Shelly couldn’t help it, she smiled. “I simply adore them both. Cassey is such an inspiration and Roman too, with his home for children.”

  Julie nodded. “It’s so wonderful seeing how far they’ve all come.” Julie turned away from the messy sink. “I can clean this up later. Let’s go sit out on the porch since it’s such a nice day.”

  Shelly nodded and followed her outside. Marcus and his father were done unloading the large box from his truck, and she could hear them out in the garage banging on something.

  “Those two always disappear out to the work shop.” Julie chuckled.

  “You have a beautiful home,” Shelly said sitting down next to Julie on a large swing.

  “Thank you. We owe its beauty to Marcus and Roman.” She smiled. “When they first came to us, the house was in bad shape. Marcus was always looking for something to do around here.” She shook her head and then took a sip of her drink.

  Shelly smiled. “We drove around looking for houses today for him to fix up.”

  Julie laughed and nodded. “That boy loves to stay busy.” Her smile faltered. “He never did like sitting still for too long.” She shook her head.

  “He mentioned needing a vacation.”

  Julie laughed. “The moment that boy takes a real vacation, you let me know, because then I’ll know hell has frozen over.”

  Shelly frowned a little.

  “Of course, there was that time he broke his wrist.” Julie chuckled. “’Bout near killed him not being able to fix anything.”

  “How did he break it?” Shelly asked, sitting back to listen.

  “Well, that was the summer Roman and Marcus decided that anyone could do what Cole did. Surfing and body boarding like he does.” Julie looked at her to make sure she understood, so Shelly nodded for her to continue. “Marcus took the skim board and the first time he tossed it down and jumped on it, his feet flew one way and his body the other.” S
he chuckled again. “Landed on his wrist with a snap. He never tried boarding again.”

  Shelly shook her head. “I’m not big on sports, either. I was in dance for a few years, but I could never get the hang of anything else.”

  “My sister Karen was the one that was always good at everything.” Julie looked off towards the garage as a loud noise came from there. There was a burst of laughter and she smiled. “That boy saved him. He saved us all, really.”

  Shelly waited, watching Julie who shook her head as the smile faded.

  “I haven’t told anyone else this”—Julie looked towards her—“but I had a son about Marcus’s age. Stephan died less than a year before Marcus came to us.” Julie’s eyes looked so sad. “Dad and I took it the hardest.” She smiled when a new burst of loud laughter came from the open garage doors. “I don’t even think any of the kids knew about Stephan.”

  “Why not?” Shelly left the question hanging.

  Julie shrugged her shoulders. “No real reason. Each of the kids was going through their own personal hell, as were we. We didn’t ask them about their lives.” She shrugged again. “We didn’t talk about ours.”

  Just then the men walked out of the garage. Marcus’s arm was slung over the older man’s shoulders in a loving manner. They looked good together, like they belonged, making Shelly wish that she would experience something like it, at least once in her life.

  Chapter Nine

  Marcus could tell that Shelly was thinking on the drive back home. Her eyes were a little misty and she kept them trained out the side window instead of straight ahead.

  “Did Julie say something to upset you?” he asked as they started driving over the bay bridge.

  “No.” She shook her head. “She’s a wonderful woman. I like them both.” She smiled over at him.

  When they’d crossed the bridge, he pulled off onto a side road and went to one of his favorite hidden fishing spots and parked. Here there was no traffic, no noise to take his attention off of the conversation he wanted.

  “Shelly?” He punched the button releasing his seat belt and turned towards her. “Something is bothering you. Talk to me.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. He sat there waiting.

  “I…” she started, but then shook her head before she continued. “As you have probably guessed, I didn’t have a great family growing up. As I mentioned, my parents were too involved in their careers to bother with raising their daughter. Not until I hit my teens did I finally realize that I was just a tool to them. Something to be used when they needed a family photo opportunity for an event. They dragged me to charity events to boost my father’s career.” She closed her eyes again and he could tell she was struggling with the pain.

  “Your dad is Congressmen Gerald Harrison, isn’t he?” He watched her flinch at her father’s name and then her eyes met his and he could see even more pain.

  “Yes.” She looked down at her hands. “The only time he was around when I was growing up was when there were news cameras watching.” She sighed. “To my mother I was someone who prevented her from being the socialite she needed to be to further her husband’s career.”

  He reached over and took her hand in his, scooting closer to her. She glanced over at him. He thought there would be tears in her eyes. Instead, there was just a dull, empty look. He could tell that years of pain had taken their toll on her and doubted that she cried anymore about the pain her parents had caused.

  “It got to the point that I was just going along with everything they demanded. Everything they wanted. Then one day, the day that Nanna died, something snapped and I woke up. I’d always dreamed about coming back here, to my someday beach, of opening a shop, of living here forever.” She looked at him. “I bought my building and shortly after, I packed everything I could and jumped in my car and didn’t stop until I was here.” She smiled.

  He smiled at her. “You’re a strong person.” He pulled her close and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

  “I don’t know about that. I didn’t lie when I said that I’d told my parents about moving here, about opening my own shop.” She pulled away a little and looked up at him. “But the fact is, I didn’t really tell them face-to-face. I left them a voice mail. Then, the other day, my mother called and told me that the joke was over and it was time for me to come home. Do you know, they actually think I’m just down here on vacation?” She laughed bitterly.

  “What did you tell them?” He played with a strand of her hair that had fallen over his hand.

  She sighed. “I told her that I wasn’t going back to school. That I’d officially dropped out and was opening my own shop here and nothing they could say or do would make me change my mind.”

  “And?” He waited, holding his breath.

  She laughed. “She told me that she was too busy to continue this pointless conversation since she had just arrived at the country club and was meeting several women for lunch. Then she told me to call her back later this week after I’d come to my senses.”

  He shook his head in disbelief.

  “So, what made you sad today? Did my aunt say something to upset you?”

  She looked up at him and shook her head no. “It was just… seeing you, with them. So happy together.” She sighed.

  He smiled. “My family has plenty of room in their hearts.” He pulled her closer and placed a gentle kiss on those soft lips. He felt the quick punch of desire but pushed it towards the back, knowing that it wasn’t what she needed at the moment.

  When she pulled away a little, he was happy to see that her eyes were back to shining. Then she frowned a little. “Did you know that your aunt had a son your age that died?”

  He nodded. “I found out shortly after I arrived there. Why?”

  She shook her head and smiled a little. “She told me that you saved them all. But from hearing you talk, they saved you.”

  He smiled and nodded. “It was a mutual rescue.”

  She chuckled and then sobered a little. “How did Stephan die?”

  “Car accident. Took him and his father at once.” He shook his head. “About a week after I got there, I found a picture of them along with the newspaper article.” He frowned and dropped his hand. “The first two months of being there, I watched my sisters change, become happier.”

  She smiled up at him. “They were very lucky to find you.”

  He shook his head. “I was the lucky one.” He sighed. “What do you say to starting your project a little early?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “I thought—”

  “Since I’m the boss, I can set the schedule,” he interrupted her. “Besides, I feel like pounding something with a sledgehammer. What about you?”

  She smiled. “Sounds fun. What shall we bang on and destroy?”

  He laughed. “I was thinking of starting on the back wall that needs to come down. But first, a stop off at my place to get some tools.”

  After he’d piled a few tools he knew they would need in the back of his truck, they headed back to her shop. She let him in and he got to work making sure the power and water were off on that level while she raced upstairs to change.

  When she came back down in her work clothes, he handed her a sledgehammer, gloves, and some protective glasses. “Ready?” He picked up his own hammer and stood a few feet away from her.

  “I’ve never done this before. Do I just…”

  He laughed. “You can over think this. Just swing and hit something. Oh, make sure to use full swings. I don’t want to see any girlie stuff here.” He smiled at her.

  “Girlie?” She frowned. “I don’t do girlie things.” She pouted a little.

  He laughed. “Prove it. On the count of three?” She nodded and he counted and swung with her. He was impressed. She may have never done this before, but she put everything she had into each swing.

  It took them a little under an hour to have the back wall knocked out.

  “That felt good.” She smiled over at him
and he could see a slight sheen of sweat on her brow. “What else needs destroying?” She looked around.

  “Hang on, Xena.” He laughed. “Part of destroying is cleaning up.” He nodded to the huge pile of boards and drywall that sat at their feet. “We’ve got to haul all this out to that dumpster we delivered on Friday.” She frowned a little, but then she set her sledgehammer down and pulled the wheelbarrow closer so they could load it up.

  He had never dated a woman that didn’t complain when hard work was required. Shelly was the exception to the rule. She poured one hundred percent into everything she did. By the time the mess was completely gone, they were both covered in dust, dirt, and sweat.

  It totally shocked him that she still had a smile on her face. She’d tied her hair up in a braid, and some of it had escaped to fall around her face. She looked at him and he felt something shift inside, something that he had never felt before. It took his breath away and he was speechless for almost an entire minute.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, looking at him funny.

  All he could do was nod his head. He tried to look away from her, but she was standing in the fading light of the big windows with the setting sun behind her. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Even covered in grime, she was beautiful.

  Then she walked towards him slowly and he lost the rest of his breath as he watched her move. Her hips swayed in the tight jeans she was wearing. Even the large shirt she’d thrown on looked very appealing.

  She didn’t stop walking until she bumped into his chest with hers. Then her arms wrapped around his shoulders and he couldn’t stop his hands from going to her hips, pulling her closer.

  “I just can’t seem to stop wanting this,” she said before she stood up on her toes and placed her lips against his.

  *******

  Shelly’s hands shook as she tugged on his hair to bring his lips down to hers. She’d witnessed his eyes heat from across the room and knew his mood had changed. She couldn’t stop her body from responding to his as his fingers dug into her hips. She wanted him and instantly felt torn.