The Seacroft: a love story (Paines Creek Beach Book 2)

by Lazar, Aaron Paul

  I can’t believe what just happened.

  Sensations of Uvi’s honeyed kisses lingered, along with the delicious pulsing of his muscles in the afterglow.

  Did he really do that? Had he just made passionate love with his boss?

  He shook his head in disbelief, then headed outside and glanced up at her window. She stood, looking down at him, then turned away.

  Strange. The way she’d practically seduced him was unusual, like a scene from Mrs. Robinson. And then there was the way she’d nonchalantly risen, dressed, and pronounced her expectations that he show up in her bedroom every night.

  She was unique, that was for sure. Unique. Gorgeous. Sexy as all hell. Still…

  He headed for his truck, not knowing what to think. A mishmash of feelings ran through him. The incredible physical joy vied with the guilt he felt for having sex with someone he was supposed to respect. He wasn’t in love with her, and that made him feel even guiltier. He’d just jumped when she beckoned and pumped away mindlessly, enjoying the moment.

  But it wasn’t right. He was evolved enough to know that. Wasn’t he?

  The question was, did he care? Did he care enough to stay away from her tonight? To give up the amazing sex? To risk his only source of independence and income? If she fired him for not cooperating, he’d have to go back to the blueberry farm. And Uncle Finn would probably force him back to college. To accounting hell.

  No way could he do that.

  And what kind of joke was his own claim that he was independent? Now, if he was her love slave, he wasn’t exactly free, was he?

  The whole situation didn’t sit well with him. But he couldn’t figure out a solution.

  As he’d grown used to doing his whole life, he pushed the thoughts away and leaned over his truck bed, checking the kid’s turtle sandbox he’d thrown in there yesterday. It seemed secure, and he didn’t think it was light enough to fly out the back when he picked up speed on the road to Blueberry Hill.

  He’d found the almost-new toy by the side of the road at a wealthy neighbor’s house with a “free” sign on it. Although Finn and Libby could certainly afford a sandbox, this was too good to pass up. All three girls would fit in it, and when they dumped fresh sand inside, they’d have hours of fun together. He grinned at the thought, proud of himself for finding it.

  He drove down the white oyster shell driveway and took a right at the gate. There, about a quarter mile ahead of him, was Vivian, pedaling back toward The Seacroft on her rusty old bike.

  He pulled up beside her. “Hey, Viv.”

  “Hey, yourself.” She stopped and stood astride her bike, tilting her head sideways. “Where you going?”

  “To see my little cousins. Wanna come?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “What? The little girls you mentioned the other day? The triplets?”

  “Yeah. They’re cute.”

  “Um. What about this?” She pointed to her bicycle.

  “We could throw it in the back. Plenty of room there.”

  She shocked him with her answer.

  “Okay. I’d love to.”

  “Okay, then.” He smiled and switched off the engine, hurrying around back to lift her bike into the truck bed. “Climb in.”

  She slid in beside him, and in a few minutes they were winding up the driveway to Blueberry Hill. When they arrived, he pulled around by the barn and parked.

  She sat still, unmoving, her face a study in doubt.

  “No worries. They don’t bite.”

  “What? Oh, sorry.” She turned to him. “It’s not that.”

  He touched the back of her hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought I could face it. I need to face it.”

  Confusion swirled through him. “Face what?”

  “This place,” she gestured toward the house. “My father used to be a volunteer firefighter.”

  “And?”

  “He died because he fought the fire here. That big one where your dad and uncle were saved, but their parents and sister died.”

  He sat bolt upright. “What? You never said—”

  A few tears trickled down her cheeks. “I know. I don’t like to talk about it. But the good thing is he saved your father and uncle.”

  “Whoa.” Cody leaned toward her. “He must’ve been really brave. I don’t think I could run into a burning house like he did. My God. What a hero.”

  She smiled through her tears. “He was a hero, you’re right. But he lasted only a few months after he was injured, and my mom said it always bothered him that he couldn’t get inside to save the others. You know. Your grandparents and the little girl. He tried, he tried really hard. That’s when the burning rafter fell on him, crushing his lungs and—”

  “Oh my God, Viv. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks.” She looked away, trying to gain control. “There were complications to the injuries. But of course, as you know, he didn’t make it.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “I know.”

  “We both lost our fathers,” he said.

  “We did,” she said, meeting his eyes.

  “It’s not easy.”

  “At least I had three years with mine. I remember him. You never got to meet yours.”

  “True.” He pocketed his keys. “But everyone says I look just like him.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s nice. It’s special.”

  He took her hand. “I’m really sorry about your dad.”

  “Thanks.” To his surprise, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And me, too. About yours, I mean.”

  “Thanks. I don’t talk about it much. I guess I’m still mad that he never looked me up.”

  “But I thought you said he didn’t even know about you?” she said.

  “I know, I can’t explain why I’m still so mad at him. He thought my mom had an abortion. So I guess I have no real reason to hate him so much.”

  “Well, yes, you do. He impregnated your mother, and wasn’t there for you. He should have fought to keep you. Shouldn’t have agreed to that phantom abortion. Damn him.”

  He swung his gaze to her suddenly. “Crap. You’re right. That’s why I’m so mad. He should have fought for me. Even if he was just a teenager.”

  “It’s okay to be mad. I’ve felt that way for so long… ”

  “Mad that your father died?”

  “Yes. But I’ve been angry with your family for being the ones whose fire killed him. I know. I know it’s stupid. It’s ridiculous! Nobody owns a fire. It wasn’t their fault.” She locked eyes with him. “It’s been sixteen years. It’s time I thought about the results of what my father did. I’d like to see the rebuilt house and the family living inside. It might make me realize how much good he did, you know, saving your uncle and father.”

  “Good idea,” he said. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

  Chapter 10

  Cody led Vivian through a living room and into a bright kitchen. Seated around the farm table were three little girls in high chairs. Their mother—Libby, she assumed—wore a harried expression and looked ready to cry.

  “Libby? I’d like you to meet Vivian. She works at The Seacroft, too.”

  Libby turned to Viv with a surprised smile. “Oh! Hello. It’s lovely to meet you.” She held out one hand for a brief shake, then ran to the stove to stir a pan of scrambled eggs. “The girls are eating late this morning. They were up all night with a stomach bug.” She gave a wan smile over her shoulder. “And now I think I’m getting it.” She turned pale, then handed the spatula to Cody. “Can you please take over, sweetie?”

  With that, she thrust a hand to her mouth and ran into the living room and up the stairs.

  Cody and Viv exchanged wry smiles. Viv headed to the children clamoring in their high chairs.

  “Who likes to sing?” she asked with a warm smile. “How about ‘The Wheels on the Bus?’”

  All three erupted in shouts of joy, clapping and
banging hands on their trays.

  “Okay, first things first. I need to know your names. Cody? Can you please introduce us?”

  He finished turning the eggs and walked over to join them. “This little munchkin here,” he said, tousling the blonde curly hair of the first girl, “is Sylvia. She was born fifteen minutes before Ramona, right here. So Sylvia’s the big sister.” He gave a high five to the equally blonde, curly haired imp, Ramona, who grinned at him. “Ramona’s the middle child, aren’t you, honeybun?” He moved down to the third high chair, whose curly blonde hair had strong reddish tints. “And the littlest sister, born seven minutes after Ramona, is Olivia. She’s the baby.”

  “They’re beautiful. I love how Libby and Finn didn’t name them cutesy-pie rhyming names.”

  “Yeah. It’s nice, isn’t it?” He reached into the cabinet for three colored plastic dishes with suction cups on the bottom.

  “Okay, Sylvia, Ramona, and Olivia,” she said. “Let’s sing.”

  She sang with the three children, using hand motions for the wheels on the bus and for each new verse. By the time they finished the fourth verse, Cody had spooned eggs into their bowls and had given them each a spoon.

  “There you go, little ones,” he said. “Now. What would you like to drink?”

  Olivia shouted, “Appew juice!” and the other two mimicked her.

  “Okay. Juice it is.” Vivian turned to the dish rack where she found three sippy cups. “Are these good?”

  Cody nodded. “Yep. And they have apple juice most mornings, so I’m sure their mother would approve.” He opened the fridge and set the juice on the counter. “Wanna do the honors?”

  “Sure.” She took the multicolored pieces from the rack and noticed initials written on the bottoms of the plastic cups with a sharpie. “S, R, and O. Looks like they have favorite cups, huh?”

  Cody laughed. “Don’t even try to give them the wrong cup. They’ll throw it across the kitchen and start to cry.” He pulled up a chair next to Olivia, who seemed to be having the most trouble with her eggs. Half of the bowl was already spread across her tray and some had already hit the floor. “Where did you learn to handle kids so well, anyway, Viv?”

  Vivian laughed. “All through school. In the early days, I helped out in the Sunday School rooms at church. Then later, I had a part time job at the day care center after school. It was fun.” She smiled sideways at him, noticing that Ramona was using her hands instead of her spoon. She gestured to the little girl. “Hey, at least Ramona gets the food where it’s supposed to go.”

  “Yeah. Finn and Libby are trying to teach them social graces, like using utensils. But at the age of two, it seems crazy.” Cody snorted a laugh.

  “Where is your uncle?” she asked.

  “Probably out in the blueberry fields. We’ll go find him in a bit. And I’ll introduce you to the horses. Would you like to meet them?”

  “I’d love to.”

  For the next fifteen minutes, they helped the girls with their breakfast, chatting and laughing as if they did this every day. By ten o’clock, they had the little ones in the triple stroller, slathered in sunblock and wearing pink sun hats. “Let’s go find my uncle Finn,” Cody said, maneuvering it through the grass in the back yard.

  The cedar-shingled barn rose tall in the morning sun, surrounded on one side by fenced pasture, and on the other by blueberry fields and a farm stand. The stand sat beside the barn, with a roof and two walls to protect it. The fourth side was open for customers to come inside, weigh, and pay for their blueberries. Viv noticed a huge old-fashioned weighing scale at the end of one counter, as well as an antique cash register. The back wall of the little add-on building was actually the side of the barn, and there she noted a small door that led into the larger structure.

  Cody pushed the stroller onto the gravel driveway. “I think I hear his tractor down there.”

  She listened. “Yes. Me, too.”

  “Wanna head down there?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  The girls kicked and squealed, with various renditions of “Go for walk,” among them.

  Viv ducked down to pick up a stuffed bunny Olivia had tossed in the air. She handed it to her with a smile. “Looks like the crew is getting impatient. We’d best be on our way.”

  They followed one of the grassy paths toward the noise of the tractor, finally locating it at the bottom of the hill.

  Cody waved to Finn, who turned off the engine and hopped down. “Cody? Is everything okay?”

  “Sure. We’re just pitching in and decided to take these little monsters for a walk.” Cody waved his uncle closer. “Uncle Finn, I’d like to introduce you to Vivian. She works at The Seacroft, too. That’s where I met her.”

  “Nice to meet you, Vivian.” Finn squinted in the bright sun and held out a work-roughened hand.

  Viv took Finn’s outstretched hand and instantly noticed his resemblance to Cody. Sure, Cody’s hair and complexion were much darker, but there was something about the eyes, nose, and mouth that shouted family. Finn was a very good-looking guy, and for someone in his thirties, he looked younger than his age.

  “Nice to meet you, too. I work for Mrs. Polansky. She calls me her personal assistant.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “That always sounds so pretentious to me.”

  “Not at all. These days, everyone could use an assistant. Especially my wife.” Finn squeezed her hand gently, then grinned at Cody. “Are you two dating?”

  To Vivian’s surprise, Cody flushed and looked away.

  “Er. No, we’re just friends,” he said.

  Vivian jumped in to save him. “We both needed to get out of that big old mausoleum today, you know? Cody was kind enough to invite me to meet the girls here, and I jumped at the chance. I love kids.” She smiled as if Finn hadn’t asked that most embarrassing question. In her mind, she thought if Cody ever asked her out, she’d say yes. But of course, that would never happen.

  Ramona squawked something that sounded like “frink.”

  Finn leaned down to her, his face tender and loving. “You want your cuppy, baby?”

  Cody grabbed it from the storage area behind the stroller. “Here you go, sweetie.”

  Olivia and Sylvia, as if being left out, cried, “Frink” in unison.

  Cody laughed, and Viv helped him get their drinks ready. They passed them to the greedy little hands and both laughed until tears filled their eyes.

  “Wow,” Vivian said. “Three is a lot of work.”

  Finn rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You’re not kidding. Three cribs. Three in diapers. Three car seats. And when all three cry and you’re the only one home, which two do you pick up?” He beamed a smile at the girls. “I try to get them all on my lap in the big old rocking chair, but it’s not easy.”

  Vivian instantly felt a bond with this man. He was kind. Loving. And the type of father she would have adored. What lucky little girls.

  Finn leaned down to touch Olivia’s plump knees. “And now we have another on the way. Can you believe that? You might have a little sister or brother come Christmas.”

  Cody looked toward the house and grimaced. “Uncle Finn? Libby’s sick. She said these guys were up all night with a stomach bug. Now she’s got it.”

  Finn’s eyes widened. “No way. Really?”

  “Really,” Cody said.

  “Oh, man. What’ll we do?”

  Viv spoke up. “I can help. I’m free all weekend, sir.”

  Finn smiled. “Don’t call me sir, please. It makes me feel old. Call me Finn.”

  “Okay. Finn,” she said, leaning down to retrieve another stuffed animal that Ramona had thrown to the grass this time.

  “Well, we’d be happy to pay you to help,” he said. “Right, Cody?”

  Cody nodded. “I’ll help, too.”

  Viv frowned and shook her head. “You will not pay me one red cent. I’d be happy to help out. No salary required.”

  “Well, then.” Finn put an arm arou
nd both of them. “You two may have just saved my life.”

  Chapter 11

  The next few hours were spent entertaining three rambunctious two-year-olds. They watched Peppa Pig, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Barney until Cody thought he’d go insane. He lay on the living room rug and let the little monkeys climb all over him, and took turns reading books to them with Vivian, who seemed to enjoy the whole experience.

  He watched her with growing affection. She’s really good at this. She’ll make a good mother some day.

  Sitting back, he watched her playing “Creeper Mousie” with Sylvia, eliciting peals of laughter every time she walked her two fingers from the baby’s toes to her neck and ear, where she was most ticklish.

  “Creeper Mousie

  Creeper Mousie

  From the barn

  Into the Housie”

  Pretty soon, all three lined up for the game, and Cody had to learn it, too, so they wouldn’t fuss while waiting for their turn.

  When little Olivia started to walk her fingers up Cody’s legs, repeating some of the words from the rhyme, he burst into such a belly laugh that he roared and cried and rocked back and forth on the floor. Vivian joined in, and both fell to the ground, crying and hiccupping until they could barely breathe. The girls thought this was definitely funny, too, and all three burst into hysterical giggles.

  Finn showed up in the middle of the laugh-fest, smiling from the doorway. “What’s so funny?”

  Olivia said, “Creepa Mousie” and they all started laughing again.

  “What? I don’t get it,” Finn said, grinning. He walked to the sink to wash his hands. “Who’s hungry for lunch? And after we eat, why don’t you two go for a ride on the beach? Popeye and Serendipity need some exercise. We haven’t ridden them more than a few times since the triplets were born.”

  Cody cocked an eyebrow at Vivian, who nodded tentatively and mouthed the word, “Okay.”

  After Finn made a half-dozen grilled cheese sandwiches, which he shared with Cody and Viv, he cut another sandwich into little pieces for the girls, then ran up to check on Libby, who wanted nothing but a glass of ginger ale and some Saltine crackers. Once she was taken care of, Finn took over care of the triplets. Cody and Vivian made their way out to the barn.