Driftwood Dreams

by T. I. Lowe

  “Perfect pair?” Josie took a guess at the translation of the words written at the bottom of the canvas.

  “Oui. Paire parfaite.”

  Josie nodded and took a step over to the last painting, holding her questions until he was done.

  August brushed his fingers over the three words added to the bottom. “Rêve, Audace, Brillance.”

  Josie shook her head, not quite understanding the translation.

  “Dream, Bold, and Shine. It’s the three words I envisioned for this piece. This painting is busy and chaotic, but with reason . . . with purpose. It reflects our lives. One I want us to work on together as a team.”

  Josie wasn’t sure if he meant a personal relationship or a professional one, but she was too much of a coward to ask. Better to wait and let him explain when he was ready. At the moment, she didn’t think she needed any more to worry about.

  “I have one more piece to show you.” August led her to an art easel in the corner and pulled the cover off to reveal a collage of surprising beauty.

  Josie gasped. “How’d you get these?” She pointed to the various pages displaying her elaborate designs. Designs she thought were hidden among stacks of books in Dalma’s living room.

  “Funny story.” August chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair, brushing the thick locks away from his eyes. “Dalma has been giving me books over the last few weeks every time I’m at her house. I kept sticking them in the truck and had no idea I was driving around stunning artwork. I discovered the hidden treasure the same day we danced in the rain.”

  Josie’s face warmed as her eyes remained fastened to the collage of book pages. “But . . . how’d you know I did this?”

  August turned and stood blocking most of the collage so she had to look at him. “Give me some credit, Jo. I can spot your artwork, but one page in particular confirmed it.” Wearing an impish smirk, he reached behind the easel and came back with a single page. The familiar A fashioned from the Eiffel Tower caught her eye first. “I love the design you made with my name.”

  Josie attempted to snatch it from his hand, but he yanked it out of reach. “I can’t believe that rascally woman gave you my books,” she growled and tried again to grab the paper without success, trying not to panic. Some of the books actually held more than just her designs, and she made a mental note to swing by Dalma’s and try finding them before August got his hands on those too.

  August wrapped his arm around Josie’s waist and firmly planted her at his side. “Your heart is on display all over those pages. Jo, you’re doing the world an injustice by not sharing this.” He waved the page toward the collage.

  “Life hasn’t given me the opportunity to share it,” she whispered, turning her eyes to the wood floor.

  “Looks to me like you’re finally getting an opportunity. What do you think?” His eyes brightened.

  With so much on her plate, did she want to go there right now? No. Too tired to go anywhere near it, she said instead, “I think I’m ready to eat.”

  August took it as a joke, his head inclining as he let out a rumble of laughter. “Then I guess I should feed you.” He halted her retreat when she turned away from the paintings. “Whoa. Before I do, I’d like to steal this memory.” He turned Josie so she was facing the paintings.

  “Okay. Tell me how we’re going to steal this one.” She wrapped her arm around the crook of his and waited to be wooed a little more. The man even had wooing down to an art form, even though she didn’t think he realized it.

  “When I look at these paintings, I’ll remember when I began drawing them as a surprise for you and the moment I realized I was willing to do whatever it took to have you in my life.” He pointed to the canvases. “You see, your soul is painted in the same colors as mine, so I knew this was all it would take to convince you.”

  “Then I’ll remember it the same.” She smiled, thinking the ruggedly handsome artist had a poetic side to him as well. “August, my life is a hot mess right now, but I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of yours.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, ma’am.” August placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leading Josie to the dining table. He pulled a chair out for her to have a seat.

  As she settled in the chair, she watched him tug on oven mittens. From the savory smell of garlic and oregano perfuming the air, she just knew he had prepared lasagna. Instead, he pulled a pizza box from the oven. Now she had to laugh. “I thought you were actually cooking me something.”

  “I’ve kept it warmed to perfection.” He placed giant slices on two plates and sat them on the table before moving over to the fridge and reemerging with two glass bottles of soda. “Confession: if it’s not going into a deep fryer or on a grill, I’m useless.”

  Josie snickered. “Thank goodness.”

  “Why?” August asked while grabbing a handful of napkins.

  “I was beginning to worry there wasn’t one thing you weren’t good at.” She took the napkin he offered.

  August joined her at the table. “Hope this doesn’t ruin my superhero status.”

  Josie eyed him. “Superhero?”

  He gave her a coy smile. “I heard y’all that day on the beach.”

  Heat circled her neck and climbed over her cheeks, but she decided to play it off. “I won’t tell Opal about your lack of cooking skills so she can keep thinking of you as her superhero.” They both laughed.

  After saying grace, they dug in.

  A few bites in, August wiped his mouth and said, “Seriously though, I got caught up at the camp with some supply deliveries. I had good intentions of coming up with something a little more elegant than this for you . . . but you know how it is.”

  “Truly, I do.” Josie reached for her cola as she let out a sluggish yawn.

  “Busy lunch shift?” August asked.

  “Yes. The season is gearing up, so I have to adjust the work schedule and put in more food orders from our suppliers. It’s a bit daunting.” She shook her head. “Enough about that. Are y’all set to open the camp on time? Is everything a go?”

  “Seems close to it. We hired a few more camp counselors and a recreation director today. We only have one more instructor position to fill and the staff lineup will be complete.”

  “That’s good. What position is left?” She knew what position but played ignorant and plucked a banana pepper off the slice of pizza and popped it into her mouth.

  “Art instructor.” August wiped his mouth with a napkin and grew serious. “That position has been set aside for you, but Carter says time is running out. Are you still considering it?”

  Her stomach did a flip. “I don’t know . . . Honestly, between helping you and my diner duties, I don’t think I can make it work.”

  August nodded his head in the direction of the paintings hanging on the wall behind her. “You know you want to shine. That position will allow you to.”

  She chose not to look at them and stared down at the half-eaten pizza. “It’s not that simple. I don’t think I can, and I figured you would have found someone else by now.”

  “What happened to that girl eating sand to show off that she can? You didn’t let anyone or anything get in the way back then.”

  Josie considered talking it out with August to see if they could find a way to make it happen, but she ended up choosing silence and another bite of pizza instead, knowing it was ultimately her problem and not his.

  She was worn thin and her dad was looking equally haggard lately. She was worried about him. All the man did was work, work, work, and for some reason he’d started taking on her job, too.

  Something had to give before someone broke. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing another parent, so the give part was clear to her.

  The tension seemed to build around the silence until August broke it. “If the diner wasn’t an issue, you’d be saying yes to my offer to work at the camp, wouldn’t you?”

  “Sure.” Josie shrugged a shoulder and placed her
napkin on her empty plate.

  August looked at her thoughtfully for a while and then gave his head one quick nod as if to confirm something she was too tired to ask about. “Okay . . . it’s time for you to head home, young lady, and get some rest that I’ve been responsible for stealing from you.” August stood and Josie did the same.

  “I’m returning your money for those paintings.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am. You’re not paying me for your own art. That’s silly.”

  “It’s the best money I’ve ever spent, so don’t rob me of that.” His grin showed just how proud he was to tease her with her own words from several weeks ago. August moved over to the brass pole. “You wanna?”

  When Josie’s eye fixed way down to the cement floor below, her stomach did a somersault. “Nah. I’m good with the stairs. Don’t feel like plunging to my demise.”

  “Suit yourself.” Without hesitation, August wrapped himself around the pole and whirled to the floor before Josie could blink.

  Shuddering, she took the stairs and met him by the door, where he walked her to the truck.

  After helping her climb in, August leaned in and brushed a tender kiss to her lips. “We still have a little time before the camp opens, so just think about it. And in the meantime, I promise to leave you alone.”

  Josie didn’t like the idea of him leaving her alone but kept the comment to herself. She gave him one final kiss before closing the door.

  Josie veered down Miss Dalma’s avenue just as she did most nights, wanting to check on the little lady before heading home. The porch light was on and made it easy to see her sitting on the porch.

  “What are you doing out so late, dear?” Dalma asked as soon as Josie made it up the stairs.

  It was barely nine, but Josie didn’t point that out. She sat beside Dalma in the glider swing, closed her eyes, and said on a yawn, “I had dinner with August.”

  “That fellow has overcome so much in his young life. Don’t be another difficult part of his story.”

  Josie’s eyes snapped open and glared down at the little woman beside her. “Where in the world did that comment come from? It was dinner. Nothing difficult about it.”

  “Humph.” Dalma scoffed as she smoothed the lapels of her robe, the porch light glinting off the oversize sapphire ring on her pinkie. How her bony finger could support such a giant gem was beyond baffling. “Did you know he came to me for help the summer before he began high school?”

  “No, ma’am. What kind of help?”

  “Good. You shouldn’t have known about it. It was a secret, but now I’m going to share it with you because it shows just how much August has had to fight for the life he’s dreamed of, and when I’m done telling you, you better promise to never tell a soul and to not make him fight for you.” Dalma gave Josie such a scolding look even the swing paused to take notice.

  Josie only nodded, feeling right shameful over being called difficult.

  “August was already pretty far behind with his education, so he came into the library one day and asked me to help him learn to read better before starting high school. The poor thing was basically illiterate. Couldn’t hardly read a lick.” Dalma pushed her foot against the porch planks to start the swing back into motion. “It was a struggle for him, and we had to start with some pretty basic books, but once I introduced him to the Magic Tree House series, he really got into it and his reading improved. Our August liked the adventure those books took him on.” Dalma smiled warmly.

  Josie listened to the roar of the ocean off in the distance as they silently rocked in the swing, impressed yet heartbroken for everything August bravely overcame. “I had no idea.”

  “As you shouldn’t.” Dalma patted Josie’s knee, the ring clinking around and making the gesture have more of an impact. “That young man is tenacious to a fault, so don’t be a scaredy-cat when he invites you to be part of his adventure.”

  “And you’re cunning to a fault.” Josie waggled a finger at her as Dalma gave her an innocuous look. “Don’t even play innocent with me. You’ve been giving August my books.”

  Dalma clucked her tongue and waved. “Oh, that. Someone had to share your artwork, since you’re too chicken to do it yourself.”

  “I am not chicken. I just have more important things on my plate besides drawing.”

  “It’s more than just drawing and we both know it. God gave you that gift to share, so shame on you for being disobedient.”

  Josie cleared her throat. “I thought I was sharing the gift of compassion with the world . . . Doesn’t that matter?”

  “Oh, my sweet Josie, it does matter and you have a heart of gold. Truly, you do. The world would be almost perfect if it were filled with Josies.” Dalma patted Josie’s knee again.

  “Almost?” Josie teased.

  “Yes, almost. A perfect Josie would be showing off how great and mighty her Savior is by sharing the talented gift he created in her.”

  They grew quiet again until a fish breached the water in the inlet and disrupted it.

  Josie sighed. “I’m going to work on it, okay?”

  “Good enough for me.” Dalma smiled.

  Josie wrapped her arm around Dalma, cherishing the lucid moment with her. They were becoming fewer and farther between. “Please agree to move in with me. I promise to be a good roommate.”

  “That idea ain’t even an option, dear.” Dalma huffed.

  “Why not?”

  Dalma pointed over to the window behind the glider swing and clucked her tongue. “Because the Knitting Club had a vote about a roommate. Those ole heifers moved Vanessa Sánchez in here without my permission.”

  Josie looked over and saw Miss Vanessa sitting by the window watching them. She was a member of the Knitting Club who had lost her husband last year to colon cancer. At only sixty-eight, she was considered the baby of the group. Josie offered her a small wave, feeling grateful for the Knitting Club’s meddling for once and relieved that Dalma would no longer be living alone. “I like Miss Vanessa.”

  Dalma clucked her tongue again. “She’s all right as long as she doesn’t get wound up and start mouthing off at me in Spanish. I told her I didn’t understand a word she was blathering, but she keeps doing it just to get a rise out of me.”

  Josie laughed and followed it with a yawn. “I’m going to call it a night.” She hugged Dalma close once more before dropping her arm and standing. “You know I love you, Miss Dalma.”

  “Yes, and you know I love you more than my teeth, dear.”

  Josie waved her silly comment off and started descending the porch steps, even though she knew it was the truth, considering Dalma had never misplaced her. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders knowing someone was watching over Dalma around the clock. But then the weight of August’s offer took its place and made a restful night’s sleep impossible.

  22

  Tug-of-war had never been August’s favorite game. The tedious back-and-forth always grew old on him fast. He wanted results and didn’t like the constant pull and give the game demanded—one where if he allowed just the slightest bit of slack, he chanced losing all that he’d worked so hard for. He wasn’t sure if it was Josie’s intention to make him participate in that private game of tug-of-war, but he found himself once again with the rope growing slippery in his hands.

  At the moment, he stared down another challenge and was determined to be victorious in that matter. He narrowed his eyes and gave his opposition all the attitude he could muster in the particular situation facing him. And that was no easy feat.

  “You listen up and listen up now . . . You’re gonna take this like a man,” August said slowly while his opponent narrowed his own eyes in a similar manner, looking as if he was ready to do battle with the problem at hand. August wrapped the line taut around his finger and gave it a slight tug, causing Zachary to reach out and grab his wrist.

  “No, not wet. I not wetty.” The little guy’s words came out in a lisp d
ue to the fishing line wrapped around his loose front tooth.

  They were hunkered down in the corner of Derek and Nan’s office at Sunset Seafood House, where August was trying to solve yet another problem. The one where the little guy was walking around with his first loose tooth barely holding on to the gum and no one else was brave enough to do anything about it. Never August’s style, he cornered his youngest brother as soon as Zachary arrived from his day at school.

  “Dude, you’re making a big deal out of nothing. What part scares you?”

  Zachary continued to grip August’s wrist, a petition not to yank the line. “It’s gonna huwt.”

  “Nah, man. You just need to chill.” Before the ill was out of his mouth, August flicked his wrist and the tension of the fishing line gave, producing a tiny pearl-size tooth on the end of it. Before August could celebrate, Zachary’s hand lashed out and connected to the unsuspecting man’s face.

  Both brothers sat on their knees in shock with rounded eyes, the older one holding his cheek while the younger one cupped his mouth.

  “You slapped me!” August finally bellowed out.

  “You pulled my toof!” Zachary lisped as his little face grew pink.

  “Yeah, and did it hurt?” August hitched an eyebrow way up, giving the expression as much attitude as he could while rubbing at the throb in his cheek.

  Zachary stilled and gave the question some thought. “No . . .”

  “That’s what I thought.” August gave him a smug look and stood. “Come on.”

  “August, you mad at me?”

  August looked back and saw the little guy’s eyes were growing watery. “Nope. Lesson learned.”

  “What lesson?”

  August lunged for his brother and slung him over his shoulder and did a quick spin until he had Zachary giggling. “Next time I’ll hog-tie you first.” He playfully popped him on the backside. “Seriously, I know you didn’t mean to hit me. Just a knee-jerk reaction.”