Her Summer Crush, page 20
Cody stared at the email message again. What about this job? He needed to give them an answer. An idea occurred to him, and he snapped his fingers. There was a way he could accept this job and be with Luci, too. He tapped in his reply.
The following day, the director of the expedition answered his query. Yes, it just so happened they were looking for a writer, and Cody’s wife was welcome to apply for the position. Cody made a fist and pumped the air.
Wife. He sobered a bit as he let the word and the concept sink in. He’d thought it would be a long time before he had a wife. Now, after a couple of months back in Willow Beach, back with Luci, all that had changed. Yet, he knew this was what he wanted.
Now he had to propose, which created a whole new set of problems. For starters, he needed a ring. Not wanting to risk any gossip that might reach Luci before he did, he nixed purchasing it locally at Crown Jewels and instead went to a store in Oceanside. He wished she was with him, but he did the best he could to pick out a ring set he thought she would like.
Back at home, he placed the ring box on the table, took out his phone and speed-dialed Luci’s number. When she came on the line, her voice sounded thick, as though she had a cold. “You okay?” he asked.
“Ah, yeah, I’m...okay.”
“Something’s wrong, I can tell.”
“Never mind. Why are you calling? It’s Saturday. Why aren’t you out with Dex and Shar?”
“They’ve gone. They both got assignments and wanted to visit their families again before starting work. They said to tell you bye and that they enjoyed meeting you.”
“They got assignments? So, you did, too, right?”
“Yes, I did. In fact, that’s what I want to talk to you about.” This wasn’t going at all the way he’d planned. “How about dinner tomorrow? Since you’re not doing your family dinners, we could go out instead.”
“No, thanks, Cody. I don’t feel like going out.”
“Then I’ll come over tonight—unless you’re busy.”
“Not busy. But I don’t think—”
“I’ll bring dinner. Something you’ll like. C’mon, Luci... I really need to see you. It’s important.”
She sighed. “Okay, but I can’t promise to be good company.”
Two hours later, Cody rang Luci’s doorbell. He held a large take-out box from Beach Café, where he’d purchased a crab salad for Luci and a burger for him. Not the fancy dinner he’d planned for his proposal, but it would have to do. The ring was in his jacket pocket, along with information about the expedition and other details of what would be their new life together. He hoped. Now that the moment was almost upon him, he was a little shaky inside.
Luci answered the door. “Hey, Cody.” She offered him a weak smile.
“Ready for your favorite salad from the Beach Café?” He handed her the box.
She opened it and peeked inside. “Crab salad? That’s so thoughtful of you. Come in.”
They fixed plates and took them out to the patio, where they watched the waves splash the shore and the clouds drift by and the birds swoop, all the while making small talk about everything and nothing. She only picked at her salad, finally putting down her fork and saying, “I’ll save the rest of this for tomorrow.”
“You’re hurting, Luci. Want to talk about it?”
She looked away. “I don’t know. It’s—it’s a mess.”
“Glen giving you fits?”
She waved a hand. “No, not any more than usual. It’s my family, although I don’t know why I’m still calling them that. We’re not acting like a family—more like strangers on the street.”
“Hey, that’s pretty extreme.”
“Yeah, well, last night, Dad told us he has—guess what?—a grandson no one knew about. Not even him.”
Cody put down his fork and stared. “What?”
“That woman who was at the sand-castle contest with the little boy. You met her in Oceanside, you said. It seems she and my father, well, you get the picture.”
“Oh, yeah. Helen and Erv.”
She sat straight. “You knew about this, too? Did everyone in town know about what my father did besides me?”
He held up both hands. “I didn’t know for sure, but I had my suspicions. I saw them together in a café in Oceanside, and I talked to her at the kids’ park one day when I was there. She said she was an old friend of his.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I had no proof there was anything between them, and it wasn’t my place to speculate about your father. But, if anything, I wanted to protect you.”
She frowned. “I’m not sure that’s protecting me. I was so caught off guard.”
“Why don’t you tell me the whole story?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we?” And so much more, he wanted to add. But the time wasn’t right to bring up the other reason he’d come tonight. She was hurting now. Big-time. He needed to be there for her.
He stood, picked up his plate and reached for hers. “I’ll put these in the sink while you grab a jacket. Then we’ll walk and talk.”
“Well...all right.”
While he cleaned up the kitchen, she grabbed a jacket and tied a scarf around her hair. They left the apartment, walking through the dunes and the soft sand to the hard-packed sand near the surf. The sun perched on the horizon. By the time she’d finished the whole sorry story, the sun had long disappeared and a couple stars had popped out.
He put his arm around her and drew her close. “I’m sorry, Luci. Tough stuff going on for you.”
She rested her head against his shoulder and gave a soft sigh. “Thanks for letting me vent.”
“Anytime.”
“We’d better be getting back.”
He kept her hand in his as they retraced their steps. He slipped his other hand into his jacket pocket and grasped the ring box. Was now the time?
“You’ve had some bad shocks,” he began. “But I’m betting everything will work out.” Oh, man, that was lame. Couldn’t he do better?
“I don’t know,” she said. “But one thing’s for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“No matter how angry I might be, I won’t abandon them.”
“Were you, ah, considering that? Moving away...or something?”
“A lot of possibilities have been going through my mind.”
“Maybe getting away would be best for you. Give them time to figure things out for themselves.”
She shook her head. “No, my place is here in Willow Beach. More so now than ever before. They need me.”
“But—” He clamped his jaw shut, knowing any further argument would be futile.
“What?” she asked. “What were you about to say?”
“Nothing.” He opened his fingers and let the ring box drop to the bottom of his pocket.
* * *
LATER THAT EVENING, as Luci was brushing her teeth, she realized Cody had never told her about his assignment. That was her fault. She’d monopolized their time together with her problems. He’d understood, too, and taking him into her confidence had relieved her stress. Well, she’d hear about his new assignment next week at work. And then he’d be gone.
What would it be like to travel around the world, free and unencumbered by responsibility? She recalled their day trip and his wanting to give her a glimpse of his life. She had to admit the outing had been fun, offering the spontaneity she rarely allowed herself. Would she be able to live that way?
But what did it matter, when he hadn’t asked her to share his life. No, that was not part of his plan. Or hers, either.
After a restless night, she was back to brooding over her family and their problems. She still had unanswered questions. Luci wished she could talk to Helen Stevens and hear her side of the story. The more she thought about it, the more the idea took hold. But, even if she could contact Helen, would Helen be willing to talk to her?
There was only one way to find out. Helen and Jason were staying with a friend in Oceanside. Her father had mentioned the friend’s name. Mavis something. Mavis Cook, that was it.
Luckily, Mavis Cook was listed in the Oceanside phone directory. When Mavis answered Luci’s call, Luci identified herself and asked if she could speak to Helen. A few seconds later, Helen came on the line, and two hours later, Luci pulled up in front of Mavis Cook’s modest frame home. She sat there a minute staring at the front door, her stomach churning. Did she really want to do this? What could she possibly gain by talking to Helen Stevens?
Helen answered the door. “Come in,” she said, stepping back to admit Luci.
Limping and leaning on her cane, Helen led Luci along a hallway to a living room dominated by a brick fireplace. She scooped up a picture book and a couple of toy airplanes from a chair and dropped them into a box at one end of the fireplace. “Jason’s not real good about picking up his toys,” she said and then gestured to the chairs and sofa. “Sit down wherever you like.”
Luci chose the sofa, and Helen eased into a chair across from her, propping her cane against the seat. The scent from a bowl of roses on the coffee table reached Luci’s nose, reminding her of her mother. “Where is your grandson?” she asked.
“He and Mavis went shopping. They’ll be back soon.” For a couple seconds, they stared at each other, and then Helen said, “So Erv told you about me and Jason.”
Luci straightened her spine. “Yes, and I want to know why you came here. Why now? You never told him about his son. All those years...why not just leave it that way?” She swallowed hard against the anger and indignation welling up inside. “But, no, you had to come here and...and break up our family.”
“I might have upset your family, but, according to Erv, you were already having problems.”
“He told you our personal business?”
“Erv and I are old friends.”
Luci squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think about that.
“But you asked me a question that I will try to answer. I don’t know if coming here was the right thing to do. I only know I always felt so guilty because I’d never told Erv about Brian, or him about Erv. Father and son, and they never knew each other. How sad is that?”
Helen pulled a cell phone from her skirt pocket. She swiped the screen and then handed the phone to Luci. “This is Brian.”
Dressed in his army uniform, a smile on his face, Brian stood tall and proud. Luci gasped. “Except for his dark hair, he looks like Don. They have the same smile, the same straight nose.”
“Yes, that’s what I thought when I met your brother.”
“And Brian’s our half brother. I never thought of that.” A lump formed in Luci’s throat.
“Yes, that’s right. You’re related to him, too.” Helen gestured to the phone. “There are more pictures. Keep scrolling.”
Luci complied and by the time she’d reached the end of them, she’d seen several more of Brian, some with his wife and some of their son, Jason.
“His wife was very pretty.” She gazed at a photo of the petite, dark-eyed woman.
“Her name was Delara,” Helen said. “It means ‘beloved’ in her language.”
Luci looked up. “Dad said they were killed in an accident.”
Helen’s eyes clouded. “They were on a ski trip. Brian loved to ski and wanted to teach Delara. Jason was too young to go, so I took care of him. They were driving on a mountain pass. It was snowing, and a truck jackknifed, setting off a chain reaction of collisions. Brian and Delara’s car went through the guardrail and over the cliff.”
Luci put her hand to her throat. “How awful. I’m so sorry.” She let a few moments pass and then handed back the phone. “What did Brian think happened to his father?”
“When he was old enough to ask, I told him his dad had died before he was born.” She sighed as she laid the phone on the coffee table. “But that didn’t chase away my guilt.”
“Why didn’t you tell Erv about Brian?”
“Because I knew how much he loved Anna and his children. His family. I didn’t want to risk him losing what he loved because of what had happened between us.”
“Didn’t you think it would upset him to learn about Jason?”
She twisted her hands in her lap. “I worry so much about Jason. I’m all he has now and as you can see, I’m not in the best of health.”
“What happened to you? If I may ask.”
“Of course. I was an actress for a while, but later gave that up to work behind the scenes. One day, a huge pile of bricks toppled over onto me. Two surgeries on my shattered hip, and I still can’t walk normally and without pain. The doctors want another go at it, but I don’t know about that. The accident forced me into disability retirement. Luckily, I have enough money for me and Jason to get along.”
“Francine thinks that’s why you came here. To ask Erv for money.”
Helen shook her head. “Erv said she tends to be cynical. But, no, I wouldn’t take it even if he offered.”
“Then what? Do you want my father and mother to take Jason and raise him?”
Helen stared at her in horror and pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my, no. I would never give him up. I told you, I just wanted him to know his family.”
Luci struggled to keep her voice level. “But he’s too young to understand the relationship between him and my father.”
“He understands what ‘grandfather’ means, and that’s the main thing. The truth can come later.”
Luci pressed her lips together. “We’re not the perfect family you may have thought us to be. In fact, there’s not much family left. My parents aren’t getting along. Francine plans to leave Will. Don and my father aren’t speaking because Don quit the bank to run a charter-fishing business. So far, his marriage seems intact, but who knows how long that will last? Arliss is a patient woman, but everyone has a breaking point.”
Helen nodded. “I heard about everyone’s troubles, and I’m sorry. But I know your father really loves your mother, and I’m sure she loves him, too. I believe they’ll all work out their problems. Love will win out.”
“What makes you so sure? Did you love my father when—when—oh, never mind, I don’t really want to know.”
“I want to tell you about that time,” Helen said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened then. And I realize that what I felt for your father, initially, was a crush.”
A crush? Luci leaned closer.
“He was on the football team, and I was flattered when he paid attention to me. We went out a few times. When we met at the reunion, there I was, back in college again with my crush on the big football player.”
“How did you know it wasn’t love?”
Helen smiled. “Love takes time to develop. It’s more than looking at the other person with stars in your eyes and thinking he’s perfect. Love is knowing he’s not perfect and caring for him, anyway. Love is sharing your life, the good and the bad. It’s making sacrifices to be with each other.”
“Wow. To know all that, you must have experienced it.”
“Oh, I did. I met a man later in life, and we fell in love.”
“What happened? Where is he? Did you marry him?”
“We were engaged, but before we could get married, he died of a heart attack. Brian was ten at the time. We would have been a nice family.” Her smile turned wistful.
“I’m sorry you lost your true love,” Luci said, wrapping her arms around herself. “But I’m still upset.”
“I know you are, Luci. And I understand that you’re worried about your family.”
“I thought we were all so happy together. I couldn’t wait to come back to Willow Beach and be with them.”
“Family is important. I know your dad thinks so, because when he was separated from Anna and Don and Francine, he was really very unhappy.”
“Then why is no one happy now?”
Helen looked thoughtful for a moment and then said in a quiet voice, “Do you think maybe you’re expecting too much of them? You want everything to be perfect, but life just isn’t. And people aren’t perfect, either. Goals change. Lifestyles change.”
Luci stared at her hands lying in her lap. “I hate to see everyone so at odds with each other, the way we have been since I came back.”
“That would upset me, too. But maybe you should let them work things out among themselves and, well, move on with your own life.” She waved a hand. “I know, I’m a fine one to tell you how to run your life, but don’t neglect your young man.”
Luci frowned. “My young man? Who are you talking about?”
“Why, Cody, the man you were with at the sand-castle contest.”
“Cody and I aren’t dating...”
“Well, it’s obvious he cares for you a great deal, and you for him. I could tell by the way you looked at each other.”
“We’re just friends. Besides, he’s leaving soon to take another job.”
Helen pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh, my. Are you sure you want to let him get away?”
Before Luci could answer, the front door opened and closed, and she heard footsteps and voices in the hallway.
Jason burst into the room. “Grandma, Grandma, look at the airplane Mavis bought me.” Holding up a toy airplane, he ran to Helen.
“That was nice of her, dear.” Helen put her arm around him, brushed back his hair and kissed his forehead. “We have company.” Holding his slim shoulders, she turned him around to face Luci. “You met Luci at the sand-castle contest. She’s your grandfather Erv’s daughter.”
“Hello, Jason,” Luci said.
Jason clutched his toy airplane to his chest. “Hi, Luci. I remember you.”
“And this is my friend, Mavis.” Helen nodded toward a tall, gray-haired woman, who had come into the room behind Jason.
