by Aubree Lane
“I’m driving the boat, Britt. I can’t go anywhere. Would you like to take over?”
“Stop teasing me and stop trying to get me to laugh. It’s not going to take my mind off my churning stomach.”
A warm, comforting hand reached out and touched her shoulder. “Hang in there, Britt, we’re almost home.”
• • •
Brittany’s head still spun, but the warm sun on her back and the dry grass under her cheek felt good. Spread eagle on the ground, she caressed mother earth and luxuriated in its lack of motion. With every breath, the twist in her gut eased and the merry-go-round in her head slowed.
When she was able to sit up without wanting to crash back down, she watched Terence say goodbye to the ladies. Brittany couldn’t count the number of manicured nails which ran over his sexy biceps before the blonde, he sprayed an acre of water on earlier, wrapped him up in a fondling hug.
It was a good thing her stomach was void of all its contents or she would have puked with all the tipsy, flirtatious overtures.
Her brother-in-law was cordial, but did not return any of the overt affection. The blonde patted his cheek and headed up the hill in Brittany’s direction.
“Here you go, doll.” Blondie handed Britt a hundred dollar bill. “You were a real trouper out there today.”
Brittany was dumbfounded. She didn’t deserve a tip of any kind, let alone one of this magnitude. It wasn’t fair to accept it. “I didn’t do anything.”
The lady laughed and pointed towards the rest of her posse. “We’re all moms. Our kids would have moaned and complained the entire time. You sucked it up and didn’t make the rest of us miserable along with you, and for that, we are eternally grateful.” She kicked her head towards Terence, who was passing by with a couple of scuba tanks. “Besides, your dad is easy on the eyes, and that alone made the day quite enjoyable.”
Hearing the woman, Terence squared his back and shoulders. His head cocked to the side. He paused, considered making a comment, thought better of it, and continued on his way.
The blonde chuckled at his reaction. “Well, if he’s not your dad, he’s someone’s. He was great with you today. It touched our hearts the way he took care of you. We’re off, but we’re going to tell everyone we meet they should book a tour with your outfit.” She left Britt with a few parting words of advice. “I suggest you take a Dramamine next time, though.”
That ended their conversation and the woman walked away. The group piled into a light blue mom van and pulled out of the small parking area.
Brittany looked at the huge tip she received and understood why Terence put up with all their nonsense. A hundred bucks for sitting on a boat and throwing up for three hours no longer seemed like such a bad way to make a living.
Terence hollered down from Lena’s lanai, “Come on up, Britt. Lena has some food for us.” He laughed at the horrified look on her face and explained, “I know that’s not something that appeals to you right now, but you’ll feel better after you get something in your tummy. Lena made rice and toast just for you.” Motioning for her to get a move on, he sweetened the pot. “I’ll even try to drum you up a Gatorade.”
The thought of food made Brittany’s stomach turn, but Terence and Lena were being so nice, she didn’t want to refuse them. Her own mom and dad would have left her on the lawn to wallow in her own puke. The kindness she was being shown was a foreign concept, and Brittany wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.
Brittany couldn’t resist teasing him. “Be right there, Dad!”
Terence protested hotly. “No way! I am not old enough for that.” He massaged the tiny wrinkles beside his eyes and added, “Maybe it’s time I had a little work done.”
Brittany hauled her body off the ground and chuckled all the way up the hill.
Terence hugged her shoulders and guided her inside the house. “That zinger was much better than your joke about poop.”
“Who said I was joking?”
Her brother-in-law grabbed his chest. “Straight to the heart.” Terence’s happy expression dropped. His demeanor turned insecure and worried. “Am I really looking old?”
Brittany felt horrible. Shaking his confidence was the last thing she wanted to do. The whole idea that he looked bad was ridiculous. “Give me a break. You’d still look hot with a three-day stubble and wrinkled clothes. The blonde even made a point of mentioning it.”
Terence sucked in a laugh, and Brittany realized she had lost another round.
• • •
Not feeling exactly welcome at the Javiers’ after Erika witnessed the incident with Callie, Grady waited for Annie’s return on his own front porch. Mr. Javier assured him that Erika would get over her crush, and advised him to remain her friend and simply ignore, or laugh off, anything that might make him feel uncomfortable. Annie thought the same way, but Grady was pretty sure that strategy wasn’t working. At every appropriate opportunity, he told Erika how much he loved having a little sister like her, but it only hurt her more.
He drummed his fingers on the rail and contemplated his options. He was twenty and Erika was only thirteen. She was super cute with a great sense of humor. Grady enjoyed her company more than most of the girls he dated. If Erika was older and he had the blessing of her parents, he would consider exploring a relationship with her. But she wasn’t. It was impossible and there wasn’t any way he was going to cross that line.
To complicate matters, Annie’s sister showed up and Grady felt something forming between them. The kiss he and Brittany shared was burned into his memory. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the warmth, the tingle, and all the other responses his body made.
He wanted to kiss Erika’s aunt again and that was not going to go over well with anyone.
Grady drummed his fingers harder. If he and Annie became business partners, if Erika never got over her crush, if he and Brittany got together, and if Mr. Javier thought he was messing where he shouldn’t be messing, life was going to get very complicated.
The family loved him, but there were limits. Grady couldn’t play the poor orphan card forever. It was time he grew up and made some adult decisions. More importantly, it was time he started living with the consequences of his actions.
Callie was proof he was careless with the feelings of the girls who wanted nothing more than to take care of him and comfort him. His parents’ tragedy got him a lot of tail. It eased his pain for a few hours, but he still woke up lonely. Sometimes he even felt a little disgusted with himself, knowing full well he was never going to call any of them back.
Grady scratched his chin.
His mom taught him better. She would be disappointed. His dad would have understood, but Grady couldn’t see him condoning his behavior. A curve formed at the corner of Grady’s lips. He could hear his dad giving him a health lecture and making sure he was stocked up on condoms, all while shaking his head and telling him it wasn’t the way.
Grady missed his parents. He grabbed his car keys and headed for the cemetery.
• • •
“So you had a hand in this,” Annie accused lightly, looking into Larry Wright’s bright blue, laughing eyes.
“More than just a hand. I walked the kid through the entire process.” Larry came around the counter and placed a glass of iced tea in front of Annie. “When Eleanor asks me to do something, I think very carefully before I turn her down, and then I better have a very good reason.” He sat across from her and took a sip. “I think it’s a good plan. With all your business experience, and if you think you are up to the challenge, you and Grady could rock this thing.”
Annie’s eyes grew wide. “Rock this thing? You have been spending time with Grady. I’ve never heard that expression come out of your mouth before.”
“I have a teenage daughter. That’s one of Erika’s favorite sayings.”
“Yes,” Annie agreed, “our daughter says that phrase quite often.”
After all this time, it still struck Annie as od
d that she, Terence, and Larry shared custody of Erika. Even though she knew with every ounce of her being that Larry was Erika’s biological father, she still couldn’t wrap her head totally around it. Annie knew Larry years before the news of Erika’s parentage came to light. As a teenager, Annie and Larry’s daughter, Marissa, were best friends. Larry always treated Annie well and served as a better role model than her own step-dad. Being able to relate the same man as being Erika’s dad always seemed a bit of a stretch.
Larry winked. “Don’t worry, it still shocks me, too.”
“Am I that easy to read?”
“Only to me, Terence, and Erika. Then there is Eleanor, Lena, and probably Grady.”
Annie smacked him teasingly. “So everyone.”
Larry turned serious. “I don’t want you to worry about my relationship with Erika. She looks at me as a kindly old man that she’s stuck with. I get that. To her, Terence is her dad and you are her mom. Believe me, I’m very content with the role I play in her life. When things get rough, I can send her home to you.”
“Erika has a mom. Hannah would crap if she heard your view.”
Larry grabbed Annie’s hand. “I’m her biological father, but who are the two most consistently loving people in her life? That honor belongs to you and Terence. If Hannah doesn’t like it, she should live here and take care of her daughter. Instead, she chose to stay in Montana and Erika is fine with that.” Larry raised his glass in salute. “That should tell you something.”
It did. It told Annie that Hannah was still lost. It would be a difficult transition if she ever decided to join the family on Oahu, but Annie was determined not to stand between a mother and her child if the situation ever changed. As horrible as Hannah could be, she loved her daughter. One day, Annie would tell Erika exactly what Hannah sacrificed to ensure her safety and how she secured her future. Yet, she prayed that day was still a long way off. “As the parent with the most experience around here, tell me what we should do about Erika and her crush on Grady.”
Larry reared back and frowned. “Erika is crushing on Grady?”
“You didn’t know?” Annie bit her lip. “She talks about him all the time. I thought you would have caught on.”
“I thought it was just because he spends so much time at your house and that it was more of a brother sister thing.”
“That’s what it is for Grady.”
Larry released the tension from his body with a huge sigh. “Good! He’s too old for her.” Then the practical lawyer side of him took over. “How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad. Grady tried talking to her, but it hasn’t done any good. And the news gets worse. My sister showed up yesterday and the sparks are flying between him and Brittany. I don’t know if they will act on them, but Erika isn’t blind. She sees it, too.”
Larry weighed the options. “The way I look at it, we have two choices. We can stay the hell out of it, or we can try to find someone more suitable for Erika.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Back to your old manipulative ways, I see.”
Larry rubbed his nose and contemplated the possibilities.
• • •
Brittany sprawled on the beach and waited for Grady to join her. Annie still hadn’t returned from Larry’s and the waiting was driving him crazy. Erika was in a mood, Max was crying, and Terence looked like he was about to lose his patience.
Not used to so many emotions flying about, Brittany decided to sit on the sand and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. She was exhausted. Puking took a lot out of a person. Lena and Terence were great. The small amount of food she was able to eat at the B&B settled her stomach, just as Terence predicted.
If Grady didn’t show up soon, she planned to go home and cook dinner for the family. It was the least she could do. She truly appreciated Annie and Terence for taking her in, and she didn’t want to wear out her welcome. Until she could find a job, Brittany wanted to be so indispensable that kicking her out would be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind.
The help she offered Terrence today hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but she was sure she could throw burgers on the grill, some fries in the oven, and toss a salad without wreaking too much havoc.
Just as she was about to head home, Grady plopped down in the sand beside her.
“Hey there,” she said, smiling into his enticing green eyes. “So what’s the verdict? Did Annie give you the answer you’ve been waiting for?”
Grady pulled her close and nuzzled his nose in her neck.
It was nice to be hugged. Brittany closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulder against his bare chest. Warmth flowed through her body, and she remembered the surprising kiss they shared earlier in the day. She just met the boy cuddling her so gently, but she felt safe.
His breath caressed her skin when he whispered, “I like you, Brittany, but I have to tell you something.”
His arms hugged her a little tighter and Brittany figured she was about to get the brush off.
“I want us to get closer, but we have a couple of problems. Erika has a crush on me, and it would kill her if we got together.”
That was one heck of a problem. Brittany wasn’t going to start off building a relationship with Annie by betraying her daughter’s trust. “What’s the second one?” she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“I’m not good with relationships. I’ve been known to use the girls I date. I don’t call when I should, and I treat them badly, even when they’re trying to be nice.”
That sounded like every boy she ever dated, but it wasn’t like she wanted to get serious. Brittany was only eighteen. Life was such a drudgery living with her mom and dad. She was ready for some fun and games. As long as Grady was honest, she didn’t see the problem. “Any more issues we need to work out?”
“The biggest one of all,” Grady paused.
Puzzled, she turned her head and searched his face.
Grady kissed her.
Brittany wanted it to go on forever, but all too soon he pulled away and headed back up the beach.
The vast ocean reaching out before her was calm, empty, and excruciatingly lonely. Grady left her wanting. He warned her about him. The boy straight up told her he was going to treat her badly. She wanted to, but somehow she couldn’t throw a negative light on the kiss they just shared. His lips were warm, his touch a loving caress, and she wanted nothing more than to drown in his soft green eyes.
“Paradise,” she pffted, “I have more problems here than in San Diego.”
As if by magic, the pod of spinner dolphins appeared. The sun was going down. It was feeding time, but Brittany couldn’t help believing they showed up for the sole purpose of making her feel better. You couldn’t watch their acrobatic display and stay in a bad mood. Over and over, they leaped into the air before splashing back into the water.
Their carefree antics lightened her mood, and a little while later, she felt ready to go home and help with the family dinner. Maybe she wouldn’t cook tonight, but she would make sure she did the dishes afterward.
• • •
Grady was there to open the truck door the moment Annie pulled into the driveway. “You’ve been gone all day. I was getting worried.”
She knew Grady would be hovering. It would have been impossible to think with both the boy from across the street and Max demanding her attention. That was exactly the reason she stayed away. Taking the Coffee Cart to the next level would be a huge undertaking. There were a ton of things to consider. Annie wanted to be sure.
“Hi Grady. How was your day?” she asked calmly.
Grady blinked. “Not all that great.” His words dripped with sarcasm. “You disappear and don’t come home while I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for your decision. I thought a girl was stalking me and I was rude to her. I hurt Erika’s feelings, again, and I told Brittany we couldn’t see each other.” He bugged his eyes and pointed a finger under Annie’s nose. “That last one was hard to do, because I think I
might really like her. Brittany’s nothing like the other girls you’re always nagging me about.”
Annie grabbed her bag from behind the seat and slammed the door. “It sounds like you had a very productive day.” She turned her back on the anxious kid and proceeded up the walk.
Grady did not disappoint and hurried after her.
“Is that it?” he yelled. “Is that all you have to say to me?” He flung his arms in the air and barreled into Annie when she suddenly whipped around in front of him.
Annie’s face smashed into the young man’s slender chest. She rubbed her nose. Her voice was nasally when she spoke. “I only have one thing to say.” Annie stuck her hand out and grinned. “Put ‘er there, pardner.”
Grady jumped back. “Are you serious?”
She reached her hand out further and encouraged him to shake it.
The kid grabbed the side of his head and jumped up and down excitedly. He whooped and screamed, “I can’t believe it.” He grabbed her shoulders. “We’re really going to do this!” Grady hugged her tight, released her just as quick, and danced around the yard.
Her unshaken hand was still extended. “Do we have a deal, Grady?” she pressed.
He took off running happily down the street and yelled at the top of his lungs, “I love Annie Javier!”
Annie left Grady to celebrate. Three large pizzas sat on the passenger seat of Terence’s truck. The kid better calm down soon. One of the pies had his name on it.
• • •
After all the hoopla settled down, Annie and Erika sat on the front porch swing and swayed in the cool December evening. It was sixty-four degrees and Annie had on a sweater. She pulled Erika close. “Grady thinks he hurt your feelings today, is that true?”
Erika shuddered in her arms. “Do we have to talk about him, again?”
She stroked her daughter’s hair, lovingly. “No, but I think we should.”
“Do you plan on saying something new or will you be singing the same old song?”
Annie broke into a smile and sang, “He’s not the boy for you.”
