Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Daisy had asked if Parker could spend the evening at her house, Callum had asked his son what he thought. He’d been certain that Parker would say no. Instead, his son said yes immediately, then looked at Callum pleadingly.
It had definitely been okay with Callum. Not only would he have a free night, but Parker would also have fun.
Which was why he was now able to enjoy the evening with Brynn.
They chose the Mexican food truck because, as Brynn had laughingly said, spicy food went well with beer.
The line was long, but since neither of them was in any hurry, they didn’t mind. The conversation flowed easily about a variety of topics as they shifted from one subject to another.
Brynn was so easy to talk with that Callum was tempted to share his troubles with her. But tonight, Callum kept the conversation away from the future. He was not about to let the pressure he’d received from his boss today ruin the evening.
Brynn seemed equally determined to keep the conversation light. “I don’t think I told you this story. But yesterday, I had this grand plan to be super productive and knock out all my errands on my way home. I’m feeling like a boss as I walk into the grocery store, grab a cart and start power-walking through the aisles. I’m grabbing veggies and snacks—everything’s going great.
“Then I notice people kind of giving me side glances. At first, I think, ‘Wow, I must look really determined.’ But when I get to the checkout line, the cashier looks at me funny and says, ‘Uh, ma’am, did you realize you have a dog rope in your hair?’
“Only then do I remember that Buttercup had handed me her small rope toy. My hair kept falling in my face, so I used the rope to tie back my hair. I intended to take it out once I was back in my office, but I forgot.
“I had spent my entire shopping trip with a bright blue rope toy sticking out of my ponytail like some weird fashion statement. I told the cashier it was my attempt at starting a new trend. She just laughed and gave me a coupon.”
Callum chuckled and shook his head.
Brynn’s red lips quirked in a rueful smile, and he was struck again by how amazing she looked tonight, with her blond hair hanging loosely past her shoulders and long dark lashes framing big blue eyes. For years, this girl, this woman, had simply been one of the gang. His parents and hers were good friends. His grandfather and her grandmother were married to each other.
Despite all the connections, there had never been anything romantic between him and Brynn. Other than, he had to admit, sometimes he’d look in her direction, their eyes would meet, and a strange kind of awareness would shimmer in the air for a few seconds.
Callum cleared his throat. “What did you do with the rope toy?”
“Gave it back to Buttercup, of course.”
There was no opportunity for her to say more. They’d reached the front of the line .
He glanced at her. “Do you still like taco dogs?”
She flushed with pleasure. “You remember.”
Over the years, there had been many instances where she’d been with her parents, and he’d been with his, and they’d both ended up in line at this same food truck. The festival or event might have been different, but what they’d ordered had remained constant.
“Two taco dogs and two Cokes.”
Brynn pulled out several bills, but he pushed the money aside. “My treat.”
She hesitated briefly before stuffing the money back in her bag. “Thank you. When we get dessert, it’ll be my treat.”
“I wouldn’t say no.”
Callum liked that Brynn looped her arm through his when they stepped from the food truck and searched for a place to sit and eat.
How had he not noticed how terrific she smelled tonight?
“…here?”
Callum blinked, realizing she’d been talking while he’d been inhaling the intoxicating scent of her peach-scented shampoo. “Pardon?”
“Weren’t listening, were you?”
“I was…” Only then did he notice the impish twinkle in her blue eyes. Chuckling, he shook his head. “Busted.”
She laughed. “It was nothing important. I simply wondered what you thought about sitting here.”
They’d moved to an area where dozens of tables and chairs had been set up.
Because of the number of people, Callum expected trash to be everywhere already, but the tables and the area were surprisingly clean. “Works for me.”
They’d just reached an empty picnic table when a young girl with sleek dark hair stepped before them .
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Brynn spoke quickly. “I didn’t realize this table was taken.”
“It’s not.” The girl turned, and Callum was seized by the feeling that he should know her name. She looked like someone he…
“Ava, it’s good to see you.” Brynn looked at him then. “Callum, you remember Ava Kendrick. She’s Eliza and Kyle’s daughter.”
Ah, yes. The puzzle pieces fell into place. Now he understood why she looked so familiar. Ava was a younger version of her mother. “I do remember. It’s good to see you.” He realized then that she’d been cleaning up the tables. “Is this a summer job?”
He knew little about what Ava was doing with her life other than that she was close to his sister’s age and in college somewhere.
“I’m president of the Junior Cherries group.” Ava pointed to his cousin in the distance. “Sarah Rose is also a member. Although most of us are away at college during the school year, we volunteer to help at these community events when we’re home.”
It didn’t surprise Callum that the two young women would be involved since their mothers had been active for years in the Cherries organization. The group, formally known as the Women’s Events League, had been responsible for planning holiday events in Good Hope for decades.
Callum’s mother had served as the organization’s treasurer for over twenty years. This was the first he’d heard of a junior group.
Ava’s gaze turned sharp and assessing as she looked from him to Brynn, then back again. Her red lips curved upward. “I heard you two were involved.”
“We’re not—” Brynn began, but the young woman had already turned away.
“Don’t mind her.” Callum picked up the hot dog and took a bite, then immediately scooped up a few napkins as the topping oozed out. Studying the mess in his hands, he smiled. “You know, these dogs are every bit as good as I remember.”
The next morning, Parker looked up from his breakfast of eggs and toast and announced, “I want to build a sandcastle.”
“Sandcastle?” Brynn smiled. “Where did that come from?”
“Joey said that everybody is going to the beach to build sandcastles today.”
“Joey?” Brynn glanced at Callum.
“That was the little boy Daisy was babysitting last night.”
“Joey isn’t a baby,” Parker protested. “He’s going into kindergarten, like me.”
Brynn loved that the boy was already making friends. It would make the transition to school this fall that much easier.
That was if he and Callum remained in Good Hope, she reminded herself. Callum hadn’t said that he was staying, though he did seem happy here, and Parker was thriving.
“Do you know anything about building sandcastles at the beach?” Callum asked her.
Bringing a finger to her lips, Brynn thought for a second, then shook her head. “I don’t.”
Before Callum could say a word, Brynn picked up her phone and tapped on the icon for the Open Door app. When she’d been growing up, the Open Door had been a community newsletter about local events, activities and—of course—gossip.
When she’d moved back home after school, she found that the newsletter had transformed into an app, which Brynn had to admit felt way more useful. If there was a sandcastle even in Good Hope today, the Open Door would have the information.
In two quick swipes, Brynn found what she was looking for. “There’s a sandcastle competition going on today. It appears to be for adults, and you had to preregister. ”
Parker’s smile faded. “So I can’t build one?”
“Sure you can, buddy.” Callum took a drink of coffee. “We just won’t be part of the competition.”
“Which means you can build whatever type of castle you want, instead of,” Brynn scanned the judging criteria, “having to build one in thirty minutes that depicts a famous landmark.”
The boy’s brows pulled together. “I don’t know what that is.”
“Which is why it’s good you don’t have to build one.”
“I like castles with moats,” Callum told his son.
Parker’s eyes lit up. “Can we build one with a moat?”
“Sure.” Callum ruffled his hair. “We can do that.”
“Brynn.” Parker pinned her with his blue eyes. “You like to build moats, too, right?”
Brynn nodded. “What’s a castle without a moat?”
Parker flung his arms wide. “We’re going to build the bestest castle ever.”
Brynn expected the beach area to be busy. While it wasn’t exactly empty by any means, most had congregated at the far end where the competition would be held.
Callum stopped at a spot far from the crowds. He glanced at her. “This work?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Why are all the people down there?” Parker pointed.
“That’s where the competition will be held,” Callum explained.
The boy’s lip jutted out. “I want to be there.”
“We’ll walk down there when they start building, but that won’t be for a while.” Brynn kept her tone matter-of-fact as she set down her beach bag. “Here, you have plenty of room to build your own castle. ”
After a few seconds, Parker nodded, then his gaze shifted to the bay. “I want to see the water.”
The boy took a few steps but was stopped by Brynn’s hand on his arm. “First things first.”
With her free hand, she pulled out a tube of sunscreen. “You’ll need this.”
Parker frowned when she squeezed a glob into her hand. He cast a pleading look at Callum. “Do I hafta?”
“We both hafta,” Callum said, taking the tube from Brynn’s hand and squeezing some into his palm.
Brynn waited until Callum began slathering the lotion on his own body before starting on Parker. After making sure the boy was covered, she turned to Callum. “If you want, I can get your back.”
“I wouldn’t say no to a pretty woman putting her hands on me.”
His smile sent a rush of warmth surging through her. Though she wanted to linger and revel in the feel of his muscles sliding beneath her fingers, Brynn made quick work of the task.
Self-preservation, she told herself.
She wondered how she could so easily forget that when, seconds later, he offered to reciprocate. The sun was high and bright overhead, and she was nearly as fair-skinned as Parker and Callum, so she told herself she really had no choice but to accept his offer.
His palms were calloused, as she’d expected. The slight roughness and the feel of his strong fingers on her back was a little slice of heaven.
Brynn wished she’d worn a bikini instead of a one-piece. Would he have lingered if there had been more skin?
All she knew was that with Parker urging him to hurry, hurry, he also didn’t linger.
When Parker and Callum were set to head for the water, Brynn held up the floaties they’d purchased on their way to the beach. “Forgetting something?”
Callum offered a rueful smile. “Thanks.”
He started to turn back to Parker, then glanced at her. “Aren’t you coming?”
“In a minute.” She lifted her face to the sun. “I’m going to sit here for a bit.”
“Okay, Parker.” Callum took his son’s hand. “Let’s hit the water.”
Callum in a swimsuit was almost more than her fluttering heart could take. He had an athlete’s body with strong, muscular shoulders, narrow hips and powerful legs. She even found his slender feet sexy.
There was also something heart-tugging about a strong man protectively holding the hand of a small boy that made her heart melt.
The water must have been cold, because it wasn’t long before they returned, shaking water off them like dogs after a bath. She laughed, liking being part of their happiness.
Brynn supervised while they built a sandcastle. The daughter of an architect, she immediately noticed that Parker had a keen eye for details. Instead of a flat structure, the boy included walls of varying heights and was using a small stick to create texture on the walls while his dad dug the moat.
The two worked in companionable silence as Brynn watched and lazed in the sun. “He’s doing a fabulous job.”
Her statement had Callum pulling his attention from the moat to her cleavage and then to her face.
Brynn’s lips twitched.
“I agree,” he said hurriedly.
“To what?”
“That Parker is doing a fabulous job.” Leaning close, and as if oblivious to everyone around them, Callum brushed her lips with his and spoke softly. “I’m glad you came, though I wish we had more alone time.”
His blue eyes turned dark, and Brynn felt the sand shift beneath her. For the first time in her life, she found herself tempted to step from the firm shore of what she’d always known to a place where she could be over her head in minutes.
If they made love…
If he left…
Brynn shoved the thoughts aside. No need to think of any of that now. They had a castle to finish.