The View from Coral Cove, page 7
“Who are you, Quincy Hamill?” she whispered. “Are you still alive somewhere? Did you want to be in my life?”
She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. Aunt CeCe had been right. Her mother had hidden her for a reason. This man had lied to her, betrayed her, misled her. And her aunt had pleaded with Maya—begged her—to forgive her mother. But how could she when she’d had plenty of opportunities to tell her daughter the truth?
Maya’s hands trembled as she stared at her laptop. She could get on the internet right now and search his name, and her heart screamed for her to do it. Yet her aunt’s warning rang through her head. Quincy Hamill was a stranger to her, and he could hurt her the same way he’d hurt her mother. For now at least, even though so many questions haunted her mind and heart, she’d just allow herself to digest the truth.
* * *
Maya pushed a box of Christmas decorations out of the smaller storeroom Saturday afternoon. Then she stood in the doorway and huffed out a breath. Although she’d been moving boxes between customers all morning, with only a quick sandwich for lunch, the room was still half full of them.
When the bell at the front of the shop dinged, she swiped one hand over her sweaty forehead and hurried back to the store. “Welcome to CeCe’s Toy Chest,” she called as she made a beeline for the front door.
“Miss Maya!” Ashlyn scurried toward her. Maya smiled to see her in a light purple shirt with a drawing of Rapunzel on it. “My dad said you need my . . . my . . . I remember! My expertise.”
Maya managed not to laugh. “That’s true. I do.” She looked behind Ashlyn to Brody.
He was smiling, too, and as their gazes entangled, goose bumps chased each other up her arms. He looked so handsome and professional in those khaki chino trousers and a gray collared, short-sleeved shirt. She inwardly groaned as she touched the messy bun on top of her head, certain she looked like a train wreck! She hoped her mascara hadn’t run. If only she’d worn something nicer than a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt with the store’s logo over the breast pocket. But not only did most of Coral Cove’s shop owners and their employees keep it casual in this beach community, she’d known she’d be working in the storeroom.
Brody nodded toward his daughter. “Ashlyn’s been itching to see you ever since I told her you wanted her opinion on something.”
“That’s right,” Ashlyn said. “Dad and I came as soon as he finished working at the clinic and we ate some lunch.” She glanced around the store. “Where’s Tinker Bell?”
Maya pointed toward the ceiling. “She’s upstairs. Since Miss Gayle doesn’t work here on Saturdays, and I’ve been running in and out of a storeroom, I was afraid she might get lost.”
“Oh.” Ashlyn frowned but then brightened. “So what do you need to talk to me about?”
“You gave me an idea when we were out for pizza, and I want to know what you think of it.”
Maya explained her proposal for hosting parties in the back room, detailing how she planned to decorate it and serve tea and cake.
Ashlyn’s eyes rounded as Maya spoke, and then she clapped her hands. “That sounds amazing!”
“Does that mean you like the idea?”
“I love it!” Ashlyn spun to face her father and took hold of his hand. “Dad, can I have my birthday party here?”
“Yes, you may.” Brody shrugged. “It’s fine with me.”
“When is this birthday?” Maya asked.
“The end of August,” Brody told her.
Maya nodded. “That works. I just need to finish cleaning out the room and then paint it and decorate it. Right now it’s still pretty full of boxes and supplies. I worked on it yesterday and a little bit today, but I haven’t made much progress.”
Ashlyn started toward the door leading to the hallway. “Let’s go get it ready now.”
“Whoa there, Ashlyn,” Brody called, and she faced him. “Honey, it’s up to Miss Maya when she works on the room.” He stepped over to Maya and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s fine. In fact, I’d be happy to pay her to help me.”
“Really?” Ashlyn rushed back to her.
Brody shook his head. “Miss Maya doesn’t need to pay us to help her move some boxes. And we do want to help her, don’t we?”
“You do?” Maya asked. “But isn’t there something I’d be preventing you from doing today?”
“We just have to check on the cats over at the rescue.”
Ashlyn tapped her father’s arm. “Why don’t we help and then go to the rescue?”
“That works for me. What do you think, Maya?”
“I would greatly appreciate the help. It’s time to close anyway.” Glad she’d decided to keep the same Saturday hours Aunt CeCe had established, she walked to the front of the store, flipped the sign to Closed, and locked the door.
Ashlyn rubbed her hands together as they started toward the back of the store. “Let’s get to work!”
Chapter 7
“It’s well after four already,” Maya announced when she glanced at her watch.
Maya, Brody, and Ashlyn had moved what seemed like dozens of boxes both big and small, as well as other items, from the small storeroom into the larger one. But it was too crowded to leave them all there. So her helpers assisted Maya in organizing seasonal decorations, choosing unneeded items to throw into the trash or donate, setting aside stock to add to the store’s displays, and marking a few boxes of mementos to take up to the attic.
At one point Maya thought, Aunt CeCe, I love you dearly. But did you really have to not only keep everything but keep it in such a scramble?
Brody came to stand beside her. “Is it really that late?” His lips lifted. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
Her eyebrows flew up. “You and I have completely different ideas of what fun is.”
He laughed, and she couldn’t help laughing too.
“I need to let you get to the cat rescue.”
Ashlyn joined them, holding a pink jewelry box decorated with bright purple, yellow, and green flowers. “Look what I found.”
Maya gasped as she reached for it. “I haven’t seen that in years. Where was it?”
Ashlyn handed her the box and then pointed toward a pile of cartons behind her. “At the top of that open box back there. There were some blankets over it.”
Maya opened the jewelry box, taking in the ballerina, the little mirror, and the colorful rubber bracelets, beaded necklaces, and Hello Kitty watch inside. She lifted the watch and turned it over in her hands. “Oh my goodness. This was my mother’s.” She clucked her tongue. “I think it just needs a battery.”
Ashlyn reached for it. “May I see it?”
“Of course.”
When she gave Ashlyn the watch, the little girl examined it closely. “Wow. This is so cool.”
“You think so?”
“Oh yeah. And those necklaces and bracelets are too.”
Maya closed the jewelry box and gave it to Ashlyn. “It’s all yours. Enjoy it.”
“Really?” Ashlyn’s dark eyes widened.
Brody rested his hand on Maya’s shoulder. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know.” Maya peered up at him, admitting she enjoyed the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. “But I have no use for the jewelry, and Ashlyn likes it. Consider it payment for the tea party idea and her hard work today.”
Ashlyn set the box down on a folding chair before wrapping her arms around Maya’s waist. “Thank you, Miss Maya!” Then she opened the jewelry box, pulled out the rubber bracelets, and shoved them onto her right wrist.
“You’re welcome.” Maya touched Ashlyn’s hair. “Maybe your dad can find a battery for the watch.”
Ashlyn looked up at Brody. “Can you, Dad?”
“I’m sure I can.” Brody turned to Maya. “Would you like to come to the cat rescue with us?”
She gave him her best coy smile. “If you let me pick up supper for us on the way, since I owe you at least one meal.”
“You win.” He grinned as he lifted a forefinger. “But I’m driving.”
“Perfect.” Maya touched Ashlyn’s arm. “So what would you like for supper?”
Ashlyn tapped her chin. “Um, pizza?”
“Okay.” Maya chuckled. “Let’s just check on Tinker Bell first, and then we can pick up the pizza on the way.”
* * *
Brody maneuvered his pickup into the parking lot as his veterinary clinic came into view. He loved the long, one-story building painted bright blue and boasting a delightful mural with shadows of dogs and cats chasing colorful butterflies and bees in a field of cheerful flowers. Behind the building was the large fenced-in area where clients walked their dogs, and beyond it were the two large red barn-shaped buildings that served as the cat rescue.
Maya, seated beside him in the passenger seat, turned toward him as he steered the truck into a parking spot. “What does the C stand for?”
“The what?” Brody slipped the truck into Park and, puzzled, looked over at her.
Without missing a beat, Ashlyn leaned forward between the two front seats. “His middle name is Charles, after his grandfather.”
“Oh. You’re asking about the sign.” Equally inviting, he thought, were the artistic signs at the road and on the building that read Coral Cove Veterinary Clinic and Bea’s Cat Rescue. The names Brody C. Tanner, DVM, and Cameron J. Montgomery, DVM, sat at the bottom.
Brody turned toward his daughter and touched her nose. “You don’t miss a thing, do you, Ash?”
Ashlyn lifted her chin. “You need to pay better attention, Dad.”
Brody climbed out of the truck, then darted around it and reached for the large pizza box in Maya’s lap. “Let me carry that.”
“I can handle it.” She nodded toward the clinic. “Just hold that door open for me.”
He unlocked the clinic door, then held it open for Maya and Ashlyn before locking it behind them. “Welcome to the clinic. Obviously, this is the waiting room.”
Maya glanced at the long wooden reception counter, the blue bench seats and chairs, and the colorful paintings of cats and dogs on the walls.
Brody breathed in the strong scent of cleaners, grateful that his staff took sanitizing seriously.
Ashlyn steered Maya behind the counter. “The rescue area is outside.”
Brody slipped around them and pulled open a door. “I built the rescue buildings after my mom passed away. I thought we could eat in the breakroom and then go outside to see them.”
As they walked down a hallway, Brody pointed out his and Cam’s offices, a restroom, examination rooms, a laboratory, an X-ray room, and an operating room.
“Our breakroom is back here.” Brody took the pizza box from Maya’s hand and then pushed open the last door.
Maya followed him into the room, which had a kitchenette with a sink set into a small counter, a stove, a microwave, a dishwasher, a refrigerator, and several cabinets. A rectangular oak table with six chairs sat in the middle of the room while a chocolate-brown sofa lined the far wall under a window.
Brody opened a cabinet. “I’ll get some plates and napkins. Ash, would you please grab us some sodas from the fridge?”
“Diet for me, if you have it,” Maya told her. Then she placed the pizza box in the middle of the table before washing her hands at the sink.
“May I eat with the cats?” Ashlyn asked, setting two cans of Coke and a Diet Coke on the table.
“Will you be careful? The last time you ate out there, you spilled an entire can of Coke on the floor, and we had a sticky mess. We have enough messes to clean up around here.”
“I promise I won’t spill this time.” Ashlyn crossed her fingers over her heart.
“Fine,” Brody finally said. “Here are the keys.”
“I won’t let you down, Daddy. Miss Maya, come and find me after you eat, okay?”
Maya, who’d been perusing a cluster of photos on the wall, glanced at Ashlyn over her shoulder. “I will.”
A minute later, Ashlyn hurried out the door carrying a plate with two pieces of pepperoni pizza, a can of Coke tucked under her arm.
Brody turned to Maya, and she pointed to the photo behind her. “That has to be your mom.”
Brody came around the table and sidled up to her, then took in the photo of his mother holding an orange tabby. She’d been in her fifties then, and her dark hair had just started to gray. But her blue eyes were still bright, her smile warm, her face glowing with happiness. “What gave it away?”
Maya looked up at him. Her expression was almost intense, and it jolted his heart. “You have her eyes.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“She was beautiful.”
“She was.” He frowned. “She suffered an aneurysm in her sleep one night.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He gave a solemn nod. “I think about her every day.” His lips formed a flat line. “Ashlyn and I miss her so much.”
“I completely understand.” Maya pointed to where another cluster of framed photos hung. They all featured Ashlyn, Brody, and volunteers posing with several cats. The red barns stood behind them. “This place is incredible. I’m sure she would be so proud of you and Ashlyn.”
“Thank you.” He made a sweeping gesture toward the table. “We should eat before the pizza gets cold.”
“Good idea.” Maya sat down across from Brody, and he passed her a plate and the can of Diet Coke before pushing the pizza box her way. She chose a slice and thanked him. “Did your mom run her cat rescue out here from the beginning?”
He shook his head. “No. Much to my father’s dismay, she started it at home. Dad built the main level of our house with three en suite bedrooms for our family of four, a half-bath, a family room, a dining room, and, of course, a kitchen. The upper floor has two bedrooms and a bath he designed for guests. But Mom started keeping foster cats in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and then they took over the other one as well. Before we knew it, the whole floor was theirs.”
He grinned. “Dad used to complain about it, but I could tell it didn’t really bother him. He just wanted her to be happy.” He lifted his drink. “She left instructions in her will asking me to keep the rescue going. I didn’t expect to lose her so soon, but she once mentioned that she’d like me to keep the rescue in her memory. We’re an officially approved charity, and we pay someone to run it for us part-time. We also have volunteers, but I’m definitely involved. It means a lot to me.”
“When did you start this practice?”
“It hasn’t always been mine. When I came home after my sister died, I first worked here for Dr. O’Reilly, the same vet I worked for when I was in high school. He was getting close to retirement and gave me the option of buying him out. My best friend, Cam, and his wife were considering getting out of Raleigh and coming to the coast. We’d gone through undergrad and vet school together and kept in touch despite the miles between us. I wanted to invest the money my father left me, and I convinced Cam to come and join me in the practice here. We pooled our resources, and the practice became ours five years ago.”
As Maya chewed another bite of pizza, he took a drink of his soda and watched her. She looked like she was trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together.
“You look like you want to ask me something.”
“When did you lose your father?”
“My father was a cardiologist. Ironically, he died of a heart attack when I was twenty-two. I can’t believe it’s been thirteen years.”
“That’s terrible. You must have been devastated.”
“We all were.”
“Were you close to him too?”
Brody nodded. “Oh, we had moments when we disagreed. And sometimes he was tough on me. But I knew he always had my back. I took it hard. I was finishing up my undergrad at NC State.” He ran his fingers through the condensation on his can of Coke. “But my sister took it the worst. Like I told you before, she was only sixteen. Then she went down a bad road and never recovered.”
“I’m sorry your family has been through so much heartache.”
“Thank you.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, and he realized he and Maya had both been through tough times with their families—something they had in common.
“You mentioned your mom was a single mother. Do you know your father?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never met him. Mom told me he left us before I was born. But the other night I found out that isn’t true.”
“What do you mean?”
She explained the contents of her aunt’s letter. “I’m still reeling from the truth.”
“Are you going to look for him?”
She stared at her soda as she shrugged. “I’m not sure. Aunt CeCe warned me to be careful with my heart, and I’m not sure how I would handle it if he rejected me.”
“But he might be excited to meet you.”
She nodded. “That’s true.”
Just then the door burst open, and Ashlyn rushed in holding her empty plate and soda can. “Are you two coming to see the cats or what?”
Brody wiped his mouth with a napkin, then grinned at Maya. “I guess that means we need to finish eating and get to work, huh?”
After cleaning up, Brody and Maya followed Ashlyn out the back door into the large grassy area outlined with a chain-link fence. Brody wondered how everything looked through Maya’s eyes. The two red barns had screened-in porches with chairs, cat trees, litter boxes, and woodchip floors. Several cats milled around the barn on the right.
As they stepped through the gate and into the second fenced-in area, Ashlyn took hold of Maya’s hand. “Those are the cat houses over there. The one on the right is where the cats called feral cats live, and then the one on the left is where the cats that can be adopted live. The feral cats are allowed to come in and out of the houses through the cat doors, but we keep the tame cats inside since we want them to go to homes where they’ll be kept inside.” Ashlyn tugged Maya toward the barn. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Ashlyn, slow down,” Brody called after them.
