Hannah’s face fell, too, and Erica could have kicked herself for ruining the good mood. In her darker moments, Amber talked about how she might not have another relationship, might not have time for one.
So if her sister wanted to play matchmaker, Erica wasn’t going to spoil her fun. Amber had precious little of it these days. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll be there. But you two can’t abandon me with him.”
* * *
ON FRIDAY MORNING, Julie walked into the bookstore for her early shift and sighed with relief as she felt the calm descend around her. Getting a job at the bookstore had been the best thing she’d done since her divorce. She loved the books, loved the fragrance, the muted colors, the amazing ambience of a bookstore set in a squat old lighthouse that had been moved into downtown.
Mostly, she loved the friendship she’d developed with the bookstore’s owner, Mary Rhoades. The sixtysomething woman was model-thin and gorgeous, and rumors abounded about her history among the rich and famous. Despite her appearance and background, she was warm and down-to-earth. When she’d moved to Pleasant Shores, she’d given up all traces of her earlier life except her Maltipoo, Baby; she carried the chubby old dog to work in a designer handbag every day.
What no one else in town knew was that Mary was the silent partner in the Healing Heroes cottage. The whole thing had been her idea, but she didn’t want to be visibly involved. She’d brought up the idea to Julie when she’d seen how living in the cottage was bringing her down. She’d encouraged Julie to move into Ria’s motel, even though her name would remain on the deed and she’d manage the property. Mary just paid the mortgage and, Julie assumed, took the tax write-off.
Whenever Julie tried to talk to her about why she would develop and support a venture like that without getting any credit for it, Mary gently changed the subject.
Baby woofed a greeting and then settled into the heart-shaped dog bed where she spent most of her waking hours. The light traffic sounds from outside were muted in here.
Julie’s new tenant, Trey, was at the register buying a couple of paperbacks, and her heart warmed toward him. If he was a reader, that raised him up in her estimation. She greeted him with a smile, and he gave her a nod and a smile. “You look pretty, if you don’t mind my saying so,” he said, and waved as he limped out.
“You do look nice,” Mary said as she surveyed Julie’s outfit. “Special occasion?”
Julie’s cheeks warmed. She was dressed nicer today than usual, and she couldn’t pretend about why. “Meeting Melvin to work through a tax issue with the accountant,” she said.
Mary’s perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted. “Dressing up for your ex?”
“Not exactly, but...yeah. I don’t want to look bad in front of him.”
“He doesn’t deserve it, but I understand. You want him to see what he’s missing.”
“Exactly.” And maybe he’d want it back. She’d gotten an impression from him that he was nostalgic about their relationship when they’d talked on the phone.
He hadn’t wanted to be married anymore, but maybe a little time being alone had reminded him that single life wasn’t perfect, either.
And he’d fallen out of love with her, but didn’t that happen, off and on, in most marriages? Love wasn’t a steady, unchanging thing; it ebbed and flowed.
“How are the grandgirls?” Mary asked.
Julie rolled her eyes. “They’re fine, except for some fighting in school.” She told Mary about Kaitlyn’s altercation and its fallout. “Plus, Ria told the girls they need to spend time with me. It’s as if they set up some kind of a schedule.”
“That’s rather sweet.”
“Right, but it makes me feel like an invalid who’s the family burden.”
“Why don’t you offer to help Ria at the motel? If Ria and the girls realized that you actually have business and marketing skills, they might treat you with more respect.”
“I’ve offered.” She had, hadn’t she?
“But with energy behind it? She probably doesn’t want to take advantage, but I’ve seen the woman. She’s exhausted most of the time.”
It was true. Ria always acted cheerful, and was alarmingly competent, but she carried a lot on her shoulders, especially since her divorce. “I’ll offer again,” she promised, and meant it.
When the time came for the eleven o’clock meeting with Melvin and the accountant, Julie walked along the Pleasant Shores waterfront, eschewing her car. Good exercise, walking. The sun shone warm on her shoulders, and the breeze was brisk but not terribly cold. Most of the businesses were closed or operating on limited hours during the off-season, but the breeze brought the scent of one that wasn’t: Goody’s Emporium. In addition to serving lunch, Goody made fudge and other confections for the tourists. The emporium also housed a little ice cream shop, which the locals tended to gather at during the off-season.
Julie inhaled appreciatively and briefly considered stopping in for a chocolate fix, but she restrained herself. She’d started entering her calories into a fitness app a few days ago, and she knew a piece of Goody’s fudge would push her over the day’s limit.
As she approached the accountant’s office, she saw Melvin striding toward it from the other direction. He was wearing those tighter dress pants that young men tended toward these days, along with a sport coat. Brown shoes, even though the suit was blue.
He used to make fun of clothes like that.
It was endearing, kind of. He almost had the figure for the clothes, marred only by a small potbelly, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he was in his fifties. Maybe he was dressing up for her, just as she’d done for him?
As they approached each other, she tilted her head to one side, studying him. His hair was definitely less gray than it used to be.
Had he dyed it? Really?
He gave her a stiff half hug that nearly broke her heart. He’d always been a little self-conscious; she’d smoothed the way for him socially. “Would you like to get a cup of coffee after our meeting, just to catch up?” she asked impulsively.
“No, I...I can’t. I don’t have time, but thanks. We should go in.”
He sounded nervous. Why nervous? It was no big deal to her whether they had coffee or not. She’d just been being kind.
The meeting went well, though, and they got their final tax issues figured out. Next year, they’d be able to file separately.
Afterward, they said goodbye and then, awkwardly, both ended up walking in the same direction. “Where did you park?” he asked.
“I walked down. I’m working at the Lighthouse bookstore now.”
“Ahhh,” he said, his voice faint. “See you later, Julie. I’m down this way.”
Even if Melvin did make moves toward getting back together, she wasn’t sure she’d do it. She wouldn’t mind seeing him socially, dating even, but she definitely wanted to continue being independent. At least for a while.
The bookstore was busy, and she helped customers, feeling surprisingly good.
Melvin had been a bit of a downer, actually. Today, and when they were married, come to think of it. Life was more fun without him. She liked getting healthy, looking good, making her own decisions.
She felt a presence behind her and turned to see a tall brunette in ripped jeans and a T-shirt.
“Hi, um, could you help me find the cookbooks?” the woman asked.
“Of course. This way.” She led her toward the side wall of the shop. “Was there a particular title you were looking for?”
She twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “Something easy. I’m a terrible cook.”
“What made you want to learn?” Julie asked, making conversation. She knew that often closed the sale.
The woman blushed. “I want to impress my boyfriend.”
Julie laughed. “He should be trying to impress you.”
“Make him take you out to dinner,” Mary chimed in from the cash register. “Cooking at home is overrated.”
“Oh, he does take me out! He’s very generous.” The young woman picked up one title, then another. “But he’s older, and it’s like...he kind of expects the woman to cook, you know?”
The woman was picking up low-calorie and diet cookbooks. Why would a skinny woman want to buy that kind of cookbook? And what man would eat that type of meals?
Julie held up one of her own favorites, featuring home-style comfort food. “If you really want to impress your man, this will do it,” she said. “Worked for me.” Until it hadn’t.
“Oh, really, did it?” The woman put down the other cookbooks and looked at the one Julie handed her, her forehead wrinkling as she looked at the glossy photos of pot roast and beef stew. “Do people still eat this kind of food?”
“Of course they do,” Julie said.
A text zinged on the woman’s phone and she immediately looked at it, dropping the conversation. Julie always found that annoying.
“He wants me to come meet him, but no way. He can come get me.” She tapped a text reply. “Okay, I’ll take that one.” She took the comfort food cookbook out of Julie’s hands.
“Here’s another one that focuses on traditional dishes, but it’s easier,” Julie said, and Mary nodded approvingly from behind the counter. She pounded the principle of up-selling into her employees: if a customer bought one book, she’d likely buy two.
“Thanks. I’ll take that, too.” The younger woman headed up to the counter, paid with a credit card while scrolling through her phone and hurried out of the store.
Julie and Mary both watched as she climbed into a car.
A familiar car.
“Isn’t that—” Mary asked, then snapped her mouth shut.
Heat rose from Julie’s chest up her neck and into her face. Her stomach dropped as if she’d just gone over the peak of a roller coaster and was headed down, down, down. “Melvin’s car. Melvin.” Slowly, she turned to face her friend. “Did I really just help Melvin’s new girlfriend figure out how to impress him?”
Mary stepped closer to the window, watching as the car moved off down the street. “Wonder if she knew his ex worked here?”
“She couldn’t have.” That was a level of setup Julie couldn’t stand to think about. “Melvin didn’t know when I told him earlier today. He seemed surprised.”
“Doesn’t mean she didn’t know. She could have easily looked you up online. You’re on our website, and Pleasant Shores is a small town.” Mary clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
Julie plopped down into a chair in one of their customer seating areas. “Why would she do that? Why would anyone do that?” She felt like she’d been had.
“Sizing up her competition,” Mary said.
“But I’m not...” Julie looked down at her new dress pants and heeled shoes, her scarf in Melvin’s favorite blue.
She was competition, or trying to be.
And at least she knew how to cook a pot roast.
She unwrapped the scarf from around her neck, marched over to the trash can behind the counter and dropped it in. She’d never liked that particular color of swimming-pool blue. Never liked pot roast, either, for that matter.
“If she thinks I’m her competition,” she said, “that’s kind of funny. Because I wouldn’t have him back if he crawled to me on his knees.”
A voice inside reminded her that she’d sung a different tune when she’d thought he did want to come back.
“That girl actually looked familiar,” Mary said. “Didn’t she work at the school for a time?”
“I don’t know her.”
“Pretty sure,” Mary said.
Julie’s stomach lurched. If the girlfriend had been living in Pleasant Shores, or at least working there, did that mean Melvin had known her for a while? How long? And how long had he been interested in a skinny woman half his age?
CHAPTER SIX
FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER at DiGiorno’s didn’t go as badly as Erica had feared. Even with Trey at his charming best.
They spilled out of the tiny establishment holding their stomachs, laughing and waving to Nonna, the ancient lady who worked as hostess every Friday night and knew all the gossip in town.
Word that they’d all had dinner together thus would spread, but Erica wasn’t too worried. It hadn’t looked the least bit like a date, and Trey had paid equal attention to Amber, Hannah and Erica. For all she knew, the others had felt the laser focus of that smile as much as she had.
“Let’s go get ice cream!” Hannah, who’d walked out ahead, spun to look at them. “Please, Mom? We haven’t done that since we moved here.”
An uneasy feeling slithered through Erica’s middle. No, the dinner hadn’t gone badly, but that didn’t mean it would be wise to prolong it. “Most of the ice cream shops are closed until Memorial Day,” she said.
“Not Goody’s.” Hannah spun back around and pointed to the pink-and-white building partway down the block from them. “It’s open late on Fridays, just like always. Look, you can see people going in now.”
Amber pursed her lips and nodded. “Fine with me.” She put her hand on her stomach reflexively, and Erica could guess why. Since her surgery and chemo, she didn’t have a big appetite. She’d eaten more than usual of her pasta platter tonight, but that meant she wasn’t likely to eat ice cream; it would make her sick.
“I could go for ice cream,” Trey said. “Even though I’m stuffed. There’s always room for ice cream.”
Hannah smiled brilliantly at him. “I agree. Especially after spending the afternoon working on the flower beds at the school with Kaitlyn and Venus. Talk about stressful!”
“You girls worked well together. I was proud of you.”
“So we deserve ice cream, right?”
Then everyone looked expectantly at Erica, like she was supposed to make the decision. Why was that? And how could she be the wet blanket who said they ought to go home, especially when Hannah and Amber were having so much fun? “All right,” she said. “Let’s get a quick ice cream, but then I’m beat.”
“Way to live a little, sis.” Amber wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they all headed toward Goody’s. “Having fun?” she whispered into Erica’s ear.
“To a degree.”
Amber snorted. “Why do I even try to help you get a life?”
They strolled along the sidewalk that fronted the water. Erica wrapped her sweater tighter against the cool breeze and glanced over at Amber to see if she was getting chilled. She’d worn a leather jacket and baseball cap, though, and seemed fine. Hannah, who’d just worn shorts and a T-shirt, had Trey’s jacket wrapped around her.
Soon enough they pushed through the door of Goody’s, and immediately the scents of cupcakes and cookies surrounded them.
“You know we’re going to have to take some baked goods home,” Amber said.
Erica nodded. Reflexively, she patted her stomach and started to make a remark about gaining weight, but she closed her lips in time. Both because she didn’t want to overemphasize weight in front of a young girl like Hannah, and because, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t carrying an extra ounce. In fact, she was downright bony and should probably get a double-decker cone.
Except with Trey here looking so good and being so friendly, she didn’t know if she could eat a bite.
Several families, all local ones Erica had seen before, were clustered around the bright tables on the ice cream side of the place. One set of adorable twins, about three, stood taking turns licking an ice cream cone while the mother and father laughed.
Jealousy tugged at Erica’s heart. Once upon a time, before Mom had gotten sick and they’d learned more than they wanted to know about cancer genetics, she’d anticipated having just that type of family. On
e that enjoyed time together at the beach.
She’d babysat and taken child development classes in high school, not, as people assumed, because she wanted to be a teacher, but because she wanted to be a mother.
Now that option was closed to her.
Don’t pity yourself. Look at Amber.
Amber was a mother, and when she’d gotten pregnant way back when, Erica had been thrilled. Even though Amber had been too young and her boyfriend had bolted, both Erica and their mother had barely been able to contain their excitement.
Now Amber was so terribly sick and their mother was gone. Being a mother hadn’t made Amber’s life easy, and now... Erica’s throat tightened. She glanced over at Hannah and was glad to see her looking carefree. She waved to someone across the shop, and Erica recognized Pete, one of the boys from the academy, there with his dad. “Get some ice cream and go talk to them,” she encouraged Hannah.
“No! I’ll look like a dork!”
Amber and Erica exchanged glances. Hannah wouldn’t have said that unless she liked the boy, or at least cared about what he thought of her.
Hannah ordered her ice cream, and Trey insisted that Amber put her money away; he was paying.
“Come on,” Amber said to Hannah. “Let’s go talk to them.”
“No way!” Hannah glanced over and then back at Amber, her face pink.
“I want to meet his dad,” Amber said. “You’re just my excuse. Come on.” She marched over and Hannah wrinkled her forehead at Erica and then followed her. Soon the father and son had scooted over, making way for Amber and Hannah in their booth.
“What are you having?” Trey asked.
Erica studied the flavors. “I think... S’more,” she said. “Two scoops.”
“I like a woman who likes ice cream,” Trey said approvingly. He ordered his own chocolate cone and they went to one of the tables.
It was next to the family with twins, who were finishing up, and then Erica realized they had a small baby, too. Again, jealousy swept through her. The baby flung his binky on the floor, and Erica and Trey both leaned over to pick it up, nearly bumping heads.
Cottage at the Beach (The Off Season) Page 6
