No Ordinary Summer

by Linda Barrett

  “Maybe they need a dog.”

  Shelley Anderson spoke aloud, but when Daniel glanced at her, she was staring into space, talking to herself. Okay. He’d met the neighbors. Delivered the keys. Introduced Jessie. His missions were accomplished. Time for him to say good-night.

  “So, if you’re all set now,” Dan began, “then Jess and I will get out of your way.”

  She refocused on him and nodded, then turned to stare at her car. At the duffel bag. At the house. Then back at the car. She faced him again. “We’re fine. We can handle it.” Her tone was brittle, her eyes tired, but she forced a smile and stood taller, as though recharging her energy reserves. “Thanks for the keys,” she said. “Good night.” Then she yawned twice.

  The woman was not fine. And neither was her little family.

  Fortunately, they weren’t his problem.

  But he hoisted the duffel bag and carried it to the porch. Then he walked to the car and grabbed two suitcases from the trunk. The sooner the Andersons were inside their apartment, the sooner everyone in Sea View House could get some sleep.

  “I can handle it,” repeated Shelley, snatching a grocery bag.

  He didn’t know if she could or couldn’t and didn’t care. Dan deposited the last of his bundles on the porch, satisfied that every large item had been dealt with. Then he turned to Shelley once more. “You’ll all want to sleep late tomorrow.” He nodded at Emily, who lay across the duffel bag, Jess by her side. “Unfortunately, I’m meeting some friends for breakfast. Hope I don’t disturb you when I leave.”

  “No problem,” she replied. “Actually, we’ve got a breakfast date, too. With Bart Quinn at the diner.”

  Bart! He nodded, grateful for the heads up. He’d breakfast with Bart and the other ROMEOs during the week instead. Spending more time with the Anderson family was not high on his priority list.

  THREE IN A BED. Shelley and both kids. It worked for the first night at Sea View House, although they were all so exhausted, they could have fallen asleep on a concrete floor. Shelley yawned and groped across Emily for the wristwatch on the night table. She managed to knock it to the floor. Through half-closed eyes, she glanced around the room. Pale gray light filtered between the window blinds and hinted at the coming morning. But it was still early. She stretched and closed her lids completely, ready to doze off. But Josh rolled over, his knee connecting with her hip. She slid aside, tried to straighten his leg, but her son instantly found a different angle, restless in his sleep. A characteristic acquired in the past year.

  She studied his beloved sweet face, his little-boy mouth pursed while he slept, and wished she could kiss his worries away. Children should be allowed to have childhoods! Instead, Josh had wanted to protect her last night from their upstairs neighbor.

  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Was the cost of divorce too high? She leaned over and kissed Josh gently on the forehead. Should she have tried to compromise? She slipped out of bed and found her way to the bathroom, then to the kitchen.

  Pale sunlight permeated the curtains and shone directly through the glass panes on the door. Suddenly, Shelley felt her spirits lift. She turned the door bolt and stepped onto the porch.

  At high tide, the Atlantic’s foam-topped breakers hit the shore in a steady rhythm. To the left and right, an expanse of clean sand stretched as far as she could see. Nothing disturbed the scene. In the quiet of the morning, she stood alone in the world, in that place, at that moment.

  And then, the picture changed. From the left, a man and a large dog entered her vision, jogging along the hard-packed sand close to the water. He wore a gray sweat suit and running shoes, and began to strip as he reached the vicinity of Sea View House.

  Shelley didn’t move. Her hands tightened on the porch railing. She couldn’t help noticing his dark wavy hair, the wide shoulders, the ease of movement. Daniel Stone didn’t resemble any professor she’d ever had in college!

  His eyes were trained on the ocean and the dog romping in front of him. She was staring at his broad back, now bare to the sun. Shelley watched him raise his arms over his head then out to the side, stretching and then shaking them. Triceps, lats, and smaller muscles stood out in relief with each movement. Her respiration rate increased; shallow, short breaths kept her going. When Daniel reached for his waistband, she stopped breathing completely. And didn’t blink.

  Speedo! He wore a Speedo underneath. A tight, brief suit for some serious swimming. Shelley rocked on her feet, not knowing whether to feel disappointment or relief as the twosome entered the water. Disappointment won. Not so surprising when she realized how restless she felt inside. Aroused. And damp. Being a voyeur had turned her on! She shook her head in disgust. Was she so sex starved that the sight of a half-naked stranger could have such an effect?

  She paused in her thoughts. Could be the answer was yes. Her appetite in that important area of life hadn’t been satisfied in almost two years. With all her other worries, she’d barely noticed, or pushed it aside when she had. Why, for heaven’s sake, had her sexuality chosen to reawaken itself now?

  She turned to go back inside, but the professor and his dog were headed farther into the ocean, and she couldn’t look away. His broad back tapered into a narrow waist, followed by a tight rear end. His long legs consisted of well-defined muscles, period. No flab anywhere on him. The man looked better than good.

  Then he and Jessie dived into the water and began to swim parallel to the shore. They continued about a quarter mile, then reversed direction. Within minutes, Shelley realized that she was watching a genuine athlete at work.

  His strokes were strong and steady; she wondered if he had more stamina than the dog, and got her answer when Jessie paddled to shore, shook herself off and ran along the beach in tandem to Daniel’s progress. Did the man think he was doing laps in a backyard swimming pool?

  On that thought, the scenario changed unexpectedly. Daniel rolled on his side, then onto his stomach, then rolled over again, drifting with the current. His arms and legs weren’t moving. Jessie immediately leaped into the foam, aiming directly for the man. Shelley tensed as she watched the two. Was Daniel in trouble? Damn! How could she help? She glanced quickly around the open porch. No equipment. Where were ropes kept? Inflatable raft? A tube? She had no idea. She looked out at the water again. Man and dog were still riding the current.

  Heart pounding, she ran down the three steps to the backyard and headed toward the water as fast as she could. She kept her sights on them among the small waves and saw Jessie using her head to butt Daniel toward shore. Shelley doubled her efforts. Surely she could help Jessie bring Daniel onto the sand. As she watched, the pair finally reached shallower water, and Daniel stood up. He leaned over Jessie, lavishing praise and hugs on her. Looking and sounding as healthy and as in control as an Olympic swimmer.

  Shelley stood immobilized. Panting. In shock. Having a hard time grasping what had just happened. And then it hit with the force of a monsoon. “You son of a bi—” she glanced at Jess, who really was one, then back at Daniel “—raccoon. How dare you! How could you! You scared the living daylights out of me.”

  HE’D BEEN CORRECT last night about two items. The woman downstairs was as crazy as a loon. And her hair did have red sparkles. Lots more of them in the morning sunshine than were visible in the pale moonlight.

  She was still yelling at him, however, and instinct suggested he take the path of least resistance. He kept his mouth shut and let her explode.

  “This is the Atlantic Ocean, you idiot, not a wading pool.”

  It was no hardship to watch her chocolate-brown eyes heat as her anger exploded at him. But then he felt like a heel. Her anger masked real fear. She’d been scared.

  He put his hand up in a stop motion, hoping she’d cool down. No such luck. He waited and waited, until she finally wore herself out. But then she turned her back and started walking to the house.

  “Hang on a sec,” he called.

  “Not interested,”
she replied, continuing on her way. “Play your games with someone else.”

  “Saving lives at the shore is not a game.”

  She twirled to face him. “You’re saying that? As far as I can see, you broke the first rule.”

  He cocked his head.

  “Never swim alone.” This time she met his gaze and didn’t look away. Her big eyes held the passion of her convictions. And for the first time, Dan saw a strength that made him rethink his first impression of her.

  “I wasn’t alone.” He nodded at Jessie, who’d sat herself at his side, seemingly following the conversation of the two humans. “She’s been trained for water rescue—usually freshwater—and I put her through practice a couple of times a week.” He decided to go the extra mile. “I’m sorry you were so frightened.”

  He watched as her gaze shifted from him to the dog and back to him again. He watched her expressions change as she processed the new information. Finally, she leaned closer to Jessie and scratched her under the chin. “You didn’t mean to scare me, did you, sweetheart? You’re quite a wonderful animal, aren’t you?”

  Jessie licked her face and vocalized her agreement with a whimper. Shelley threw back her head, allowing her laughter to harmonize with Jessie.

  Gamine smile, a champagne-bubble laugh, shining eyes filled with humor and a heart-shaped face that could empty a man’s mind of all rational thought. In a flash, Dan pulled on his sweatpants to hide his obvious response. He felt alive again after a long time, but he didn’t need to announce it to the world.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ALMOST TWO HOURS LATER, under a bright morning sun, Shelley loaded her kids into the car and headed toward the Diner on the Dunes, which was not on the beach at all. Instead, the eatery was located on Dunes Street. Her stomach rumbled, and she was happy to recall that the diner was Bart Quinn’s favorite breakfast hangout. The food had to be good!

  She pulled into a crowded parking lot. Looked like Saturday breakfasts were popular with everyone in the town. After finding a spot, Shelley led the children to the front entrance of the single-story white clapboard building. She raised her eyes and saw round windows near the roofline, framed in steel like the portholes of a ship. Cute.

  As she was about to push open the door, she noticed a bright red-and-white sign above the entrance. Home Of The ROMEOs. ROMEOs? Her imagination ignited. Maybe a motorcycle gang? Or a group of star-crossed lovers drowning their sorrows in a pot of coffee? Or maybe simply the name of the owners?

  The aroma of fresh coffee had her salivating as soon as she stepped inside. The hostess greeted them immediately and took them to a large round corner booth in the back that at first glance seemed totally occupied by men. Men with white hair. Men with gray hair. Men with no hair. Men with sharp eyes trained on Shelley.

  “There you are,” boomed Bart, rising from his seat to welcome her. He turned toward the others, who were now smiling. “This is Shelley Anderson, and these two are Joshua Anderson and Emily Anderson. They’ll be spending the summer in Pilgrim Cove at Sea View House.”

  Bart’s friends all spoke at once. Words of welcome and best wishes. Friendly men.

  “Breakfast with this bunch is a ritual for all new tenants of Sea View House,” said Bart as Shelley and the children sat down. “We want you to know your neighbors.”

  Shelley smiled. Bart was a kind person.

  “I’d like to introduce the ROMEOs,” said the Realtor.

  Shelley nodded at him. “The ROMEOs! I was wondering about that.” She looked around the table. “Not a motorcycle gang?”

  She couldn’t tell which man chuckled the hardest, or rapped the table the loudest, but one gent had a tear rolling down his face.

  Bart—still laughing—pointed at the reserved sign, which was surrounded by coffee mugs in the middle of the table. The word ROMEOs appeared across the center. Shelley pulled the sign toward her, and saw, in smaller lettering beneath the title, Retired Old Men Eating Out. ROMEO.

  Now it was she who couldn’t stop laughing. “I don’t see any old men here!”

  “You picked another winner, Bart!” said the man closest to Shelley, with the wavy salt-and-pepper hair. “First, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Laura McCloud, and now Shelley Anderson. We’ve got a banner year going so far.” The speaker offered his hand. “I’m Sam Parker. Semiretired. Parker Plumbing and Hardware on Main Street. Welcome to Pilgrim Cove.”

  “You’ve already met Sam’s grandson Casey at the office,” said Bart, looking at Joshua. “Remember?”

  Josh nodded.

  “And Katie, too,” piped up Emily. “She plays baseball.”

  Every ROMEO looked as proud as if Katie belonged to each of them, but Shelley was intrigued by her own daughter. Had Katie’s baseball playing made an impression on Emily? She had no time to dwell on the subject, however, because the other men started to introduce themselves. Shelly shook hands with each in turn.

  “Ralph Bigelow, retired from the light and power company. Any electrical problems at the house, you call me.”

  “Lou Goodman, former librarian at the high school. I hate the word retired so now I volunteer at the public library.” He looked at the kids. “We’ve got a terrific children’s department. And when Laura McCloud reads to the kids, the stories come alive.”

  “Max Rosen,” said the man next to Lou Goodman. “Call me Doc—everyone does. I sold my Boston medical practice and now I’m semiretired. I cover the ER at our local hospital a few days a month and I’m on call for Sea View House.”

  “And for any of his friends who have an ache, pain or worry,” mumbled Bart.

  “And I’m Joe Cavelli,” said the final member of the troop. “My son’s married to Bart’s younger daughter, Thea. She and her sister, Maggie, own and operate the Lobster Pot. The best restaurant in New England.” Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “These old coots,” he began, nodding at his companions, “think you’re going to remember all this information. But you won’t. This will help.”

  He handed Shelley a larger than normal business card. On one side was printed “ROMEOs.” On the other was a listing of each name, phone number and specialty.

  “According to this list, there are a couple of you missing today,” she said. “Mike Lyons, environmental conservation, and Rick ‘Chief’ O’Brien, retired police chief. So…let’s see…there are eight of you.” She paused and looked at each of them. “Thanks. This is great. I feel like I’m surrounded by a squad of fairy godmothers…er…fathers.”

  “Just as long as you don’t feel surrounded by a bunch of Mad Hatters,” said Lou Goodman, the librarian.

  Shelley chuckled and shook her head. “I didn’t for a moment think that. Just nice people.”

  A lot of coughing and shuffling. “Okay, no more compliments for you gentlemen!” said Shelley. They looked more relaxed immediately.

  “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

  “Perfect timing,” said a young waitress, pad in hand, standing next to the table ready to take their orders. She looked at Shelley and nodded at the ROMEOs. “I know what these guys get. Dee told me a million times. But what will you and the kids have?”

  “Pancakes,” said Josh without hesitation. “Sausage on the side.” He looked at Shelley. “That’s Dad’s favorite breakfast when we go out in Boston.”

  Shelley nodded. “That’s fine, honey. Whatever you want.”

  Inwardly, she sighed. Her son didn’t even like sausage! She turned to Emily. “How about you, Em? French toast?”

  Emily nodded, looked at the waitress, then pulled Shelley closer to her. She whispered, “Ask her if it’s like yours. Real good.”

  Shelley kissed her daughter’s cheek and squeezed her. “I’m sure it’s very good, sweetie.”

  “What? The French toast?” asked Bart, who then started to laugh again. “If Dee was here today, she’d give you her recipe. But right now, she has other things on her mind. Like getting married tomorrow!”

  The waitress took o
ff with their order, and Shelley learned about the courtship of Dee Barnes and Rick O’Brien, who’d be culminating their five-year relationship with a wedding.

  “And we’ve got another wedding coming up next month, as well,” said Bart, looking at his friend, Sam Parker, who then looked at Shelley.

  “He means my boy, Matthew, and Laura McCloud, who I mentioned before. Third weekend of June. Evening ceremony on the beach near Sea View House. Laura wants it there and Matt’s not objecting. She thinks living at Sea View House brought her luck. Personally, I think it’s a bunch of rubbish. People make their own luck. But—” Sam looked off in the distance “—they’re very much in love. My grandsons are crazy about her, and that’s all that counts.”

  Shelley looked around the table. Lovable curmudgeons. All of them. “Seems that something’s always happening in Pilgrim Cove.”

  “True enough,” said Bart, “especially with the tenants at Sea View House.” He winked. “You never know.”

  As if on cue, the waitress returned. “I have a message for you, Mr. Quinn. From Daniel Stone. Said to tell you he’s running late. Don’t hold breakfast for him. He’ll catch you during the week.”

  So the professor’s breakfast friends were the ROMEOs! Shelley started to chuckle. The chuckle evolved into a full-throated laugh. Daniel Stone was as wide-awake as she was. He wasn’t running late. He was just running. From her!

  “Darn that boy!” said Bart.

  Shelley heard the disappointment in the Realtor’s voice, saw it on his face and was a little startled. “What’s wrong?”

  “I wanted to officially introduce you to Daniel Stone, so you’d know he’s an upright fellow. A man you can trust as your closest neighbor.”

  “Right,” said Sam Parker, as three other men nodded their agreement. “We’ve all met him. And he’s as fine a man as they come.”

  Nice of them to be concerned, but not necessary. “Not to worry, gentlemen.” Shelley leaned toward the center of the table as if to share a secret. “I trust Jessie. She wouldn’t be as sweet as she is if she weren’t being treated well by her…hmm…fine man. And besides…” She paused for effect as silence reigned over the table. “Daniel carried my heavy suitcases to the door last night,” she teased in a stage whisper.