Keeping Cape Summer (A Pelican Pointe novel Book 11)

by Vickie McKeehan

  Simon skirted the 101 and hit the Pelican Pointe city limits using the Pacific Coast Highway. As he connected with Main Street, he realized this sleepy little village had grown on him. In the two years he’d been here, he’d often avoided coming into town. But now, he was anxious to make it his forever home.

  He made a right at Beach Street and a left at Tradewinds. “Want to go by the house? Logan went ahead and dropped off the key last night.”

  “That’s so like Logan. He did the same thing with me, gave me the key ahead of closing. Let’s go inside and measure everything, make plans where your furniture should go.”

  Recognizing that the excitement in her voice equaled his, he brought her hand up to his lips, pressed a kiss to the palm. “You realize we’ll be neighbors. Maybe you’ll get tired of having me around.”

  “Maybe you’ll get tired of me first.”

  Keeping it light, he fired back, “Possibly, since you’re so annoying.”

  She jabbed his arm.

  “Hey, kids in the car. Never attack the driver,” Simon pointed out as he pulled into the driveway of his house. His house. He sat there for a minute, taking it all in. But since the vehicle had stopped moving, the kids either wanted to keep going or get out of the confined back seat.

  After getting inside, Delaney toddled around like she had the first time, slow and methodical. While Jayden was a blur, going room to room, unable to settle on where he should send his cars flying toward the baseboards.

  They measured everything twice. Gilly took notes. “To remind you later about what you don’t have now, but will need after moving in.”

  Didn’t the house have everything he needed already? Stainless-steel appliances, a huge walk-in pantry, an island, gorgeous cabinets. What could he possibly need? “Like what?”

  “Window coverings for one thing. Some of the rooms already have blinds up, but the ones that don’t…you’ll need to decide if you want to go with drapes or more blinds.”

  “Maybe I’ll just leave them uncovered, let the light in.”

  She gave him a pathetic look. “That’s okay for now, but down the road you’ll want to be able to have something for privacy. Or is that just because I’m a single mom and have read way too many books about serial killers who started out as peepers?”

  Simon made a face. “There’s a lot to this house thing.”

  “You don’t have to do it all at once. Gradually is more fun anyway, shopping for things, adding a piece here and there after spending weeks looking for just the right rug or artwork.”

  That didn’t sound like great fun to Simon. But Gilly was going on and on about color schemes and something called Feng Shui she’d read in a magazine.

  “This is why I let my mother order me a Pottery Barn chair two years ago. I didn’t have to do anything to get it. One day, a truck pulled up, dumped it off, and I watched two guys rip off the plastic wrap. Boom, it was there for me to enjoy.”

  Gilly put her hands on her hips. “This is starting to get a little too real for you, isn’t it?”

  “I just wanted a house, a decent place for Delaney to grow up. Now, I suddenly have to worry about décor, worry if what I have in the cottage will work here. It’s discouraging, intimidating.”

  She hid a laugh because his face said it all. He was so serious. She could’ve sworn his usual clear-blue eyes showed such real alarm they’d turned the color of frosty ice. “Look, don’t mind me. I get like this sometimes. I should’ve known better than to bring this all up now because right before I signed on the dotted line, signed my life away really, I remember feeling this overwhelming sense of panic. Could I make this work? What happens when I miss a payment? What if work dries up around here and I’m back commuting to San Sebastian?”

  “So you’re saying this tightness in my chest is normal?”

  “I think so.” She ran a hand up his arm. “I’m sorry I got you worked up.”

  His hand reached out to cup the back of her neck. “I’m hoping you get me worked up more often, just not about buying this house.”

  She poked him in the ribs. “No second-guessing allowed. You’re doing the right thing, even though the farm is fine for a visit. By the way, Jayden and I love our pumpkin. We put it right on the porch. I told him you’d turn it into a jack o’lantern.”

  “Me?”

  She went over to the French doors and swung them open. Jayden came running through the kitchen, followed by Delaney. Both kids scooted out into the yard where the lawn was lush and green. “See? Backyards, grass, all this room to run around, magnets for kids.”

  Watching Delaney flap her arms and fall into the grass lifted him up out of the sheer fear he’d felt. He ran his hand across the island counter. “I’ll be able to stand here and fix her lunch for school, maybe a Fluffernutter or two.”

  “A what?”

  “You know, a sandwich.”

  “Never heard of it. Is that a Rhode Island thing?”

  “Surely not. No kid heads off to school without a Fluffernutter in their lunch box. You take two pieces of white bread, spread on peanut butter, nice and thick, and smear marshmallow Fluff over the top.”

  Gilly made a face. “Eww. That sounds disgusting.”

  “Not as disgusting as peanut butter and bananas.”

  “I don’t eat that either. Let’s finish the walkthrough and go get lunch.”

  They enticed the kids back inside, so they could tour the upstairs, Simon carrying Delaney and Gilly toting Jayden on her hip.

  “What have you decided to do with this big playroom?”

  “No idea yet. But I think I’ll put Delaney in this corner bedroom farthest away from the stairs.”

  “Probably a good idea.” Roaming the end of the hallway to the landing, Gilly stopped at the middle bedroom doorway. It had the cutest little nook built into one of the corner walls that she’d missed on earlier visits. “This would make a great place for a teenager to sit and read. Her bed would look great over there. I’d go with this room for Delaney instead of the other one.”

  Simon shook his head. “I just got a punch to the gut thinking of her as a teenager.”

  “Get used to it, pal. That girl is growing like a spring weed. Before you know it, she’ll be fighting off the boys.”

  He knew it was true. Life seemed to be racing along at a fast clip, which was why he tabled his angst about the house. “Let’s get out of here and get some chow.”

  “Chow!” Jayden yelled into his mother’s ear.

  Delaney took hold of his face with both hands. “Da-da.”

  “I love it when she says that.”

  “It is pretty cool,” Gilly said in agreement. “Where to from here?”

  “Let’s go grab sandwiches and eat at the beach. We could even eat on the boat. It’s moored in Smuggler’s Bay.”

  “As long as you’re not offering to whip up those nutter things.”

  “Fluffernutters.”

  “Whatever. You know I have to go to another one of Sydney’s fundraiser meetings on Friday night.”

  “How’s that coming?”

  “We agreed the masquerade ball was a go.”

  “I don’t get it. Where’s the fundraiser part come in?”

  “There’ll be an auction. Nick and Logan are working on that. Apparently, they have some fantastic prizes lined up to bid on. Although I haven’t seen the list yet, rumors say they’re auctioning off stuff around town.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like that empty storefront next to the church. They want someone to open up another business and this is a good way for them to get it dirt cheap.”

  “Interesting. What kind of business?”

  “That’s up to the person who wins the auction.”

  They ended up at Gilly’s house, making tuna fish sandwiches for themselves and peanut butter and jelly for the kids. After bagging the food, they headed off toward the Bay, each pushing a stroller.

  Simon had dug out Delaney’s from the cargo cont
ainer, loaded it up in the back of his truck, and returned Jayden’s to Gilly. “I’m beginning to think I might’ve made a mistake buying the pickup.”

  “Oh, no, Simon. Really?”

  “It doesn’t have the space in the interior I need. It’s hard to cram in the diaper bag and all the other crap and still have room for other passengers. Just look at this morning and how jampacked we were on the way to the airport. You had to sit sandwiched in between two car seats.”

  “What are you gonna do about it?”

  “I’m thinking about asking Brad to find…God help me…a minivan.”

  “Was there a thirty-day return clause?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “How much money would you lose?”

  “You know what they say about driving a car off the lot. It loses ten percent of its value before you get to the first stop sign.”

  Simon pointed to the Sea Dragon in a slip next to the pier. “It doesn’t have wheels, Jayden, but she can really move when I want her to.”

  Jayden sat up in his stroller to get a better view. “Boats!”

  Simon helped Gilly aboard first carrying Delaney and then came back for Jayden. “Welcome aboard.”

  The deck rolled under Gilly’s feet. Her free hand latched onto the railing to steady herself with Delaney.

  “Got a get your sea legs,” Simon called out. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  She took his advice and plopped her fanny down next to her son.

  Simon pointed to a pelican perched on top of a nearby pylon. “Look at that, she’s waiting to catch her lunch.”

  “Dat’s a big bird,” Jayden noted. Unlike his mother, the toddler was right at home with the sway and give.

  Overhead, seagulls sailed gracefully through the air, calling to each other, their squawking booming out over the sapphire water.

  Once Gilly got her balance back, she passed around the sandwiches.

  As the gentle waves lapped and rocked the sides, they ate in silence. But Gilly couldn’t take her eyes off Simon. She got it now. It was as if the man had been born for the water. The breeze lifted all that golden-touched brown hair, reminding her he could’ve been Jack Sparrow, and this was his personal armada.

  “Why didn’t you join the Navy?” she heard herself ask. “You obviously adore the water, grew up around it.”

  “No logical answer to that. But the Army recruiter was a little more heavy-handed than the Navy guy. And I was sure the Army would piss off my father more. Turns out, I was right.” He squinted into the afternoon sun. “How do you go about righting so many wrongs over the years?”

  “That’s easy. Forgive yourself.”

  “How do I do that?”

  She bounced Delaney on her knee. “Pick one and start with that. I’ve thought about what you said earlier, about being neighbors. I won’t get tired of having you around.”

  Their eyes met. “Whether you believe it or not, I’ll be someone you can count on. Always.”

  “Always is a long time, Simon.”

  “So, what are we talking about here? If I’m off base…”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s more like I’m in shock hearing you use the word ‘always.’”

  So much for telling her how he really felt. No way was he going to bring up the L word now. “Maybe we should both take a page from Gretchen Bremmer’s playbook. She’s trying to get on with her life, trying to reach for something she hasn’t had in two years.”

  “Try never. That’s me. I’ve never had real love in a relationship. Not ever. I know that now, so I relate to how your mother must feel when it comes to meeting John. At least she had your dad all those years.” Gilly looked out over the shimmering sun-kissed water and bit her lip. “I want that kind of commitment.”

  “Then we are on the same page.”

  “I think we’re getting there, at least I hope we are.”

  Twenty-Six

  Maybe it was that positive mindset about the future that carried them through those first few days after Gretchen left.

  As September slid without fanfare into October, signs of autumn began popping up around town. Nowhere was that more evident than in Drea’s Flower Shop. The florist had filled her front window with locally grown colorful blooms from The Plant Habitat. Golden chrysanthemums, vibrant orange and scarlet celosia, and spiky, lemon-cream asters, adorned the shop, enticing the passerby to order early for homecoming, the first such event at Ocean Street Academy.

  Hayden had decorated the stoop outside her bookstore with pots of various sizes containing black-eyed Susan, simple marigolds, and bright yellow pansies.

  Doorsteps and porches throughout the neighborhood displayed their pumpkins and scarecrows perched on bales of hay along with leafy golden wreaths on the front doors.

  Time for a change of seasons. Fall was officially in the air.

  The autumn days had an Indian summer feel to them. Warm sunshiny days and beautiful clear nights kept people outdoors, especially guests booked into the B&B who wanted to take advantage of special end-of-season rates and all that the coast had to offer. The good weather meant Simon was busier than ever.

  But Gilly still had her three-day-on shifts to contend with, and those were the most hectic times of all. While Connie’s health was still in question and she recuperated from the nasty infection, Simon continued to look after Jayden.

  Crazy work schedules meant being even twenty minutes late could blow the best laid plans out of the water. The church’s daycare program acted as their stop-gap measure; getting from one hour to the next in the afternoon sometimes meant lining it up at the last minute. The staff got used to the couple’s requirements in short order. Everyone agreed the most important thing was getting the kids covered.

  With the big move coming tomorrow, they’d discovered that packing up the cottage with toddlers around was impossible, so they’d foisted the kids and the dog off on a willing Neenah Brewer. She’d promised to keep them the entire day if Simon would mow her grass. He eagerly took the offer.

  So far, it had paid off. They’d finished up in the kitchen, wrapping dishes and glassware securely for the bumpy ride into town.

  “It’s time for a break,” Simon announced, after taping up the last box and looking around at the bare cabinets. “It’s almost two. Why don’t we grab some lunch? And don’t suggest we eat in this dustbowl.” He fanned the air where little bits of dust particles tried to cling to his face. “I need to get out and experience fresh air.”

  “Where would that be? I’m sick of pizza.”

  “Me too. What about The Shipwreck?”

  “Bar food?” She wrinkled her nose. “As long as I don’t have to cook, I’m in for…whatever.”

  “I heard that Durke hired an actual cook. No more microwaving junk food and charging six bucks for jar salsa and chips out of a bag.”

  “I haven’t been in there since the initial opening when I went with Aubree and Kinsey for a night out. Sure. I’m willing to support local fare even if it probably tastes like crap.”

  They hopped in his truck⸻Brad Radcliff was still trying to find him a good price on a minivan⸻and headed for town.

  “I’ll be so glad when this move is over.”

  Gilly twisted in the passenger seat. “Have you heard from your mom?”

  “I talked to her mid-week. She mentions John every other sentence.”

  “And that bothers you.”

  “I wouldn’t say bothers, more like…it’s different, my mother bringing up this guy in odd ways. He’s actually planning to pay her a visit, fly to Newport in two weeks. According to her, they spend every night Skyping.”

  Gilly let out a laugh. “You gotta love their enthusiasm.”

  “I guess.” Simon found a place to park near the wharf and went around to open the door for Gilly. He draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked into the newly revamped bar. Usually hopping with chatter and music so loud it could perforate an eardrum, on this Saturday afternoon the place wa
s dead.

  Waitress Geniece Darrow met them at the door with a one-page menu done on glossy cardstock. “Hey, there. Late lunch? Sit anywhere. Your choice.”

  They beelined for a table in the back. Geniece came over to take their drink orders.

  Gilly went with a glass of red.

  “Beer for me,” Simon stated, skimming the simple menu. “I’ve only had the wings here, but I see Durke added three sandwiches, lobster rolls, roast beef, and turkey club.”

  Geniece nodded. “He started serving them last summer for the tourists. They were so popular with the beachgoers, he decided to keep them permanently. Or as permanently as we are around here. Roast beef is the real deal, piled high on a French roll with au jus. Lobster is fresh, the club is served on thick slices of bread. All of them come with fries.”

  Gilly had given up trying to lose a few pounds. “I’ll have the club.”

  “I’ll go with the lobster roll.”

  After Geniece hurried off to the kitchen, Gilly crossed her arms on the table. She loved studying him. Today he wore a green T-shirt with White Horse Tavern emblazoned on it and a pair of stonewashed jeans so ancient they’d lost their denim color. His hair was ruffled and always seemed to be needing a comb. His arms were tanned, his body lean and loose. Her heart did a slow roll into lust.

  She met his eyes. Leaning closer, and barely above a whisper, her voice went raspy from wicked thoughts. “It occurs to me we have free time to ourselves. Very rare lately. We can either spend it between the sheets…”

  Simon’s eyes went wide and didn’t let her finish. “I vote for that.”

  She reached across the table and locked her fingers with his. “I need a shower. And my place is less than five minutes from here.”

  He frowned. “Why didn’t you mention this before we ordered?”

  “I thought you were hungry.”

  “Not that hungry.” He signaled for Geniece. “Any way we could get those sandwiches to go?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll go bag them up.”

  He sent Gilly a confident look. “There. Problem solved.”

  They couldn’t get to Gilly’s house or the shower fast enough. They were hungry, but not for food. They yanked off shoes and tugged off clothes as they spun their way down the hallway and into the bathroom. Simon reached over and turned the knob for the water. As it heated up, so did he. Their need snapped and spun, untangling knots and tensions. When they stepped under the spray together, it was all slick bodies and slippery hands, feeling, exploring, stroking.