The Valentine Project, page 14
The look on her pretty face didn’t suggest teaming up on the personal front was on her list of things she wanted to do.
“You can’t just leave,” Flynn hissed fiercely before noticing Carson was near enough to hear. “Um . . . Edda wants to do the scavenger hunt, Dad.”
“Okay. I’ll look for you two later.”
Flynn didn’t look all that happy. Carson hoped the kid hadn’t put too much of his heart on the line.
Adele nudged him with her elbow, tilting her head in Gwen’s direction. Gwen’s grandmother didn’t have to use her words for him to get her meaning.
Talk to her.
I will, he promised with a nod and stepped closer to Gwen, who’d turned her back on him and was deep in conversation with David.
“Maybe it’s too soon to be talking about getting married,” he overheard her say as she glanced quickly at her grandmother.
David looked uncomfortable but not persuaded. “We don’t think so. I think you should talk to your grandmother.”
“Grandma Adele told me the reasons for you marrying so quickly, but—”
David and Adele wanted to get married? Wasn’t that a good thing?
Carson briefly touched Gwen’s shoulder to interrupt. “Do you want to walk the scavenger hunt to see if everyone is enjoying themselves?”
“Gwen!” Adele scolded at the same time, then stepped around him and took her granddaughter’s hand, dragging her off to the side. “Mind your manners, young lady.”
Carson didn’t intend to listen, but it was a small space.
“But Grandma—”
He could understand Gwen’s concern, but Adele and David were certainly old enough not to need anyone’s permission for the decisions they made.
“Listen. You have to mind your own heart, not mine.” Adele pulled Gwen into a hug and caught his eye. He wanted to move out of earshot, but she briefly shook her head. “There will come a day when you get to decide who you’re going to marry. It might be someone you know really well. It might be a stranger. Whoever it is, the choice will be yours. David is mine.” She leaned back and looked Gwen squarely in the eyes. “Understand?”
Carson had the feeling that Gwen wasn’t the only one Adele was talking to. He was grateful for the nudge. Was it time to decide if he wanted to get married? Did he want to marry a stranger or someone who, if he was honest, had always been near and dear to his heart?
“I understand,” Gwen said softly.
Did she? Understand that somewhere down the road, Adele was saying, they could choose to be together?
Gently patting Gwen’s cheek, Adele winked. “Good. Now, let’s get this scavenger shindig on the road.”
Before Gwen could turn around and realize he’d heard everything, he quickly closed the distance between them. “How about that walk?”
Gwen swiveled to face him, hands pushing into her coat pockets. “I, um, have a few things to finish up here. I’ll catch up with you in a little while, if that’s okay?”
“Sure, I’ll see you then.” He walked out of Angel Pines, then sat in his car without starting the engine.
What did he want? Really? He’d promised to give Flynn the best life possible. But what did his, Carson Loman’s, best life look like?
Angel Pines Senior Living sat on a slight incline. He stared at the long, two-storied gray building, with its circular drive and parking out front.
Clouds obscured the sun. Rolling down the Jeep’s window brought in the sound of the ocean. Angel Point was where he belonged. With Gwen. But he’d lost the inside track. The warm, charming woman who had opened up to him this last week was gone. Why? For the first time, he felt like he’d lost something very important. Someone very important.
What do you expect from the lady, Carson? You left her, remember?
The sixteen years of silence between them had put a lot of kindling on the fire. It wasn’t surprising she wasn’t on the same page. Why should she be? She needed proof that what he felt now was deeper and so much more important than what he’d felt when they were teenagers.
He started the Jeep and drove until he passed the starting point on Warren Avenue, then backtracked to park in the fire station’s visitor parking area. He picked up a game card from his desk before starting his scavenger hunt at the nearest participating business.
If he didn’t run into Gwen before he got to Ginger’s, he’d send a text and see where she’d gotten to. Her excuse that she had things to finish at Angel Pines, when she was so organized ahead of all the events and had the Wildcard Ladies holding the fort at the senior living residence . . . well, it just didn’t hold water.
Keeping his eye out for Flynn and Edda, too, he stopped in at The Dragon Gallery, Nolan’s Kite Shop, and Darla’s Honey Pot, collecting his merchant stamps and signatures and a heart stamped with small angel wings over the town’s name in stylized block letters for each Valentine-related item he found.
Way to go, Gwen. With every heart he collected, the deeper she burrowed into his own heart.
His next stop was Second-Hand Dresses. Racks of dresses and shoes lined the walls. The owner, Erica Burroughs, a silver-haired woman with black-rimmed glasses, welcomed Carson, asking, “The deputy mayor’s not with you? I want to tell her how much fun everyone is having, including me. This scavenger hunt was an excellent idea.”
She pulled her shawl close around her shoulders, her enjoyment palpable.
Good question. Where was Gwen? “She should stop by soon. She had a few things to do.”
“Well, when you see her, tell her for me that everything’s going very well, and I’ll see her at the speed dating social tomorrow.”
“I’ll let her know,” he promised as he got her initials on his card, collected more hearts, and left the shop.
He was standing in line outside Rose’s Bakery when he saw her come out of Faith’s Attic on the next block. Waving to catch her attention, he motioned to show that he was saving her a spot in line. She momentarily hesitated before resuming her way toward him. Carson’s heartbeat stumbled. Something definitely wasn’t right.
When she reached him, he let a space open ahead of him. “Everything going okay at Angel Pines?”
She nodded, looking just like Flynn when he didn’t want to talk. He didn’t let that stop him. “Adele is taking care of things there?”
“Yes. She and David and the Wildcard Ladies have everything under control.” She sounded calm, but she wasn’t looking at him.
He reached out and gently circled his fingers around her arm, rubbing softly up and down. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” She finally looked at him with a fair amount of caution tugging at the corners of her lips. She didn’t pull free. He counted that as a plus.
“Are you sure?”
“I just have a lot on my mind.” She shrugged and very quickly changed the subject. “Flynn and Edda seem to be getting along.”
The line inched forward. Carson let his hand drop. “Yeah, they’ve been hanging out a lot lately.”
You can’t just leave.
He remembered the snippet of conversation he’d overheard. Should he be concerned, or at least talk to George? See if the other firefighter was having the same communication problems with his teenager that Carson was?
With Gwen’s help, the kid did seem to be doing better.
“Did you know her mom took off and left Edda with George?”
Gwen frowned. “I didn’t. That must be very hard for the girl.” He wished he could massage away the furrow between Gwen’s brows, but instead he said, “She’s pretty withdrawn. I’m just hoping her anger doesn’t rub off on Flynn.”
“It won’t. He’s a strong kid, and I think he’s doing fine.”
The eternal optimist. That was Gwen and one of the things that drew him to her, even back when they were young. “I’m sure you’re right.”
Still, he texted his son. “Do you and Edda want to meet for lunch? Gwen and I are at Rose’s. We can get a table.” Flynn didn’t respond right away. Carson cocked his head at Gwen. “Huh. Wonder what he’s doing.”
“Maybe he’s hiking or gaming with Edda.”
Before he could decide how he felt about that—especially since, when he was the same age, he and Gwen had spent all their spare time together—he heard someone calling his name and looked up to see Darci crossing the street.
“Carson, I was hoping I’d run into you again,” she said, leaning on his arm as she caught her breath.
Beside him, Gwen went silent.
Darci didn’t give him a chance to take care of the introductions. Threading an arm through his, she held out her free hand. “Hi. My name is Darci. I’m a friend of Carson’s and Flynn’s from Chicago.”
“Nice to meet you, Darci. I’m Gwen Olsen.” Gwen instantly straightened. Pasting a smile on her face, she shook hands. “What brings you to Angel Point?”
Gwen’s expression was composed, but having known her most of her life, he had an idea she was carving, Carson and Darci sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, on her mental tree.
She was mistaken. There was only one woman he wanted to be kissing, and it wasn’t Darci.
“I’m actually applying for a job at Seaside Fire and Rescue.” Darci patted his arm. “Carson was so excited about moving here, I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.”
The line scooched forward, allowing him to discreetly disconnect himself from Darci’s arm. He didn’t want to embarrass the woman, nor did he want to give Gwen the wrong impression. The three of them entered Rose’s.
“So, after living in Chicago, you think you’d like living in a small town?” Gwen appeared to be interested in Darci’s answer, her tone casual, as if the three of them were friends meeting at Rose’s for their bi-monthly brunch.
She didn’t look in his direction. Carson didn’t want to believe she didn’t care that suddenly he had an undisclosed girlfriend who had turned up out of nowhere.
“I would go anywhere for this big lug.” Darci casually bumped into his shoulder, a smile spreading across her face. He would have rolled his eyes if both women weren’t looking at him for confirmation. He knew for a fact Darci did not like small towns. At all. She’d made that very clear when he was first considering moving back to Angel Point.
Gwen got to the counter and ordered coffee and her usual apple fritter.
He edged around Darci. “I’ll pay for that.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got it. Thanks.” Gwen already had her wallet out. Arguing that he’d love to pay, in the middle of Rose’s lunch crowd, wouldn’t earn him any points, for sure. Still, he was tempted.
Darci, of course, had no such qualms. He needed to set her straight as soon as he had a private moment.
Just as they got their orders, a table opened up. At the same time, he got a text from George. “Need to talk. Where are you?”
“Rose’s,” he texted back. It was then he realized he hadn’t heard back from Flynn. He sent his son another text.
Moments later, George rushed in. He took a look around the table, then asked, “Can I talk to you privately? It’s about Flynn and Edda.”
“Sure.” He exchanged a look with Gwen before saying to Darci, “I’ll be right back.”
Gwen followed him out of the bakery—thank goodness she’d gotten his silent hint—to a quiet spot away from the dwindling line outside Rose’s. George had his back to the slow traffic making its way along Warren Avenue.
“What’s going on?” Carson asked.
George stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I think Edda ran away. She said she was going to be with Flynn today and help him with the scavenger hunt, but she’s not answering her phone.”
“Neither is Flynn.” Carson checked his phone again and frowned. “At least not my texts.”
Beside him, Gwen checked her phone too. “He hasn’t contacted me. Tuesday, we have a tutoring session. He hasn’t canceled.”
“Why do you think she ran away? With Flynn?” Carson texted his son again. He was starting to get a little worried himself. George pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it over. “She got this letter from her mother this morning. I found it under her bed. I thought she was doing better lately. Flynn has been good for her, bringing her out of her shell, but then this letter came. Where could she have gone?”
“The return address is Portland,” Gwen said, her brain thankfully in instant problem-solving mode. It was one of the things he’d always found very attractive. She didn’t wait for anyone to solve any problem. “Would they hitchhike to Portland?”
George started pacing.
Carson said firmly, “Flynn promised me he wouldn’t hitchhike ever again.” He trusted his son’s word. He had to.
“The bus station,” Gwen said, straightening, her green eyes flooded with certainty. “They might be there.”
“Let’s go.” Carson crossed his internal fingers she was right, then stopped. “I have to let Darci know we won’t be back.”
Gwen stiffened, if he could call the minuscule movement of her shoulders that. “Of course. We should grab our food too.”
“I’ll get it. You stay with George.” He dashed into Rose’s and stuffed their food into a takeout bag. He told Darci, “I’m sorry, but we have to cut this short. An emergency has come up.” Grabbing the dishes, she put them in the dirty-dish container next to the wall.
“Anything I can help with?”
“No.” She had a good heart. Stacked up against Gwen, though, she just wasn’t the woman for him. “Thank you.”
“See you later?”
“I don’t know how long this is going to take.” She looked disappointed, but he didn’t want to encourage the lady.
Nodding, she smiled. “Okay. Good luck.”
Carson dashed out the door. George had his Tahoe parked at the curb, raring to go. Gwen sat in the back. He handed her the food bag and jumped into the shotgun seat. He’d barely gotten his seat belt on when George took off. Watching out for pedestrians slowed them down, but seven-and-a-half blocks later, they pulled into the parking lot of the old train station he’d heard had been renovated to accommodate buses.
George barely turned off the engine before he was out of the car and running toward the station. Gwen was right behind him. Carson brought up the rear.
Gwen was a rock star. How could he not fall the rest of the way in love with a woman who cared so much about what was happening to her best friend’s son? No matter how badly he’d screwed up, the truth was, she would always be his best friend. And if he got lucky, a whole lot more.
He stepped into the bus station to see George heading toward the two teenagers sitting on a bench against the far wall. The bus schedule hung above their heads. Carson sucked in a relieved breath.
George sank down beside Edda. Gwen sat on the other side of Flynn. Carson pulled up a free chair in front of the pair, who were looking around for an escape. There was none. They were boxed in.
As calmly as he could, Carson cleared his throat and said, “Okay. Tell us what’s going on.”
“I know you got a letter from your mom, Edda.” George held out the envelope.
Tears rolled down the girl’s face. “You read it?”
George nodded.
“Then you know what she said,” Edda said, misery barely cloaked in sarcasm. Her chin dropped to her chest. “She said she’s okay, but she wants me to stay with you, Uncle George.” Edda threw up her hands. “How can she be okay if I’m not with her?”
That was more words than Carson had heard the girl speak at one time. His heart broke for her.
Flynn’s chin notched up. “I was going with her to make sure she got there okay.”
“It’s true, Mr. Loman. He wouldn’t let me go alone,” Edda said in Flynn’s defense before she twisted to face her uncle. “It’s not that I don’t like living with you, Uncle George. I just wanted Mom to change her mind. Flynn doesn’t think she will, but I had to try.”
Feeling for the guy, Carson clapped his fellow firefighter on the shoulder. He knew very well how hard it could be to take care of a miserable teenager.
“How did you pay for your ticket?” he asked his son, more curious than upset. At least, Flynn was using his head, even if he didn’t tell him what was going on before taking such a risky chance.
“I took it from your ‘rainy day jar’ this morning.” Flynn tapped his leg, a habit he’d picked up after talking to a counselor during the adoption process. “I left you a note.”
Missed that. The jar was on his dresser in the bedroom. He’d been in too much of a hurry to see Gwen that morning to notice anything missing or that there was a note.
Gwen covered ‘s Flynn’s hand with hers and nudged his son’s shoulder. Flynn stopped tapping.
The signs were all there. She was already a part of their family. Carson just hoped she wanted to be the mom and not just the favorite “aunt” or their best friend.
“We’ll talk about that later and decide how you can make amends.” Carson stood. “When was the last time you kids had anything to eat?”
Flynn faced his dad. “Not since breakfast.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle George,” Edda said sadly at the same time, staring at the fingers twisting together in her lap.
George pulled his niece into a tight hug. “Look, if you want to see your mom, I’ll take you.”
“Really?” Edda pulled back, her smile a little wobble.
It was the first time Carson had seen the girl anything but unhappy. Beside him, Flynn shifted from one foot to the other, a grin spreading across his face.
“Women,” Flynn leaned close and whispered, as if he—at fourteen—was the one who’d had experience with girls instead of his dad, the one turning thirty-five. “I tried to get her to talk to George, but she wouldn’t listen.”
At least his son had tried. “Edda, how does The Chowder House sound? Are you hungry?”
“I’m super-hungry, Mr. Lohman.” Edda blushed. “I’ve never been to The Chowder House.”
George stood, pulling the girl to her feet. “There’s a first time for everything.”
