Chapter 30
thirty
. . .
Jameson
T he late afternoon breeze feels like a cool shower on a hot day. It's the best part of the day on the coast when the sun is still shining, the morning haze has been replaced by blue sky and the air coming off the water is refreshing and brisk. Rio and Indi are inside making hot dogs for an early summer dinner. They are laughing more than cooking.
I close my laptop and take a sip of beer. In high school, I never would have dreamed of this ending. I never thought I'd be lucky enough or worthy of having someone like Indiana in my life. I don't think I ever thought about having a stock portfolio when I was sitting in detention or in the principal's office either. And I certainly didn't expect to be a dad at this age. It's amazing how much things can change. Now I have one more thing to add to the list.
The sliding door opens, and Indi sits down and stretches her long legs out on the lounge. "We're just waiting on the French fries. Rio is on oven watch. She says there's a fine line between good fries and overdone ones."
I nod. "It's true. She's got a gift for pulling them out at the right moment."
"She has a lot of gifts," Indi says.
I look over at her. "I agree. And you're exactly who she needed in her life after what happened with her mom."
"I think I needed her more than she needed me."
I cross my arms. "And what about needing me?"
Indi reaches across, and we clasp hands. "You were a nice bonus." She gazes out at the ocean. "In fact, if I had a job or career to go with all this happiness, I could say my life is perfect."
I release her hand and sit up to face her. "I think I can help with that."
She sits up. "What's that gleam in your eye about, Mr. Wilde?"
"I've been emailing and talking to Harry, the owner of the Gold Rush."
She winces. "Poor man, was he able to patch the place up?"
"It's been taken care of. He wants to sell. He says he's ready for retirement. He's given me a good price, and I'm planning to accept it if I can find the right person to run the place. I'm too busy with the excavation company."
Indi is staring at me, waiting for more. Her eyes round when she figures out what I'm asking. Her hand flies to her chest. "Me? You want me to run the Gold Rush?"
"What do you say, Jones? You up for a challenge?"
The onshore breeze pushes a strand of hair across her mouth. I can't stop myself. My callused fingertip tugs a little at her bottom lip as I push the strand away.
"Gosh, do you think I can handle it?" I can see the wheels spinning as she asks.
"I know you can handle it. But is it what you want?"
"I can change the interior and the décor?" she asks excitedly.
"You'll have carte blanche to do whatever you like with the place."
Indi flies off the lounge and hops into my lap. She kisses my face a dozen times. "I would love to do it."
"Great, then I'll get together with Harry to get the papers written up."
The sliding door opens and Rio raises a brow at us. "Not before dinner, you two. And I would like to announce that the fries have been cooked to perfection." She ends the announcement with a chef's kiss.
Indi hops off my lap. "I need to get on Pinterest and Instagram for ideas. So much to do."
I stand up and meet her at the glass door. I place my hand over hers to stop her from opening it. I pull her into my arms. "Not quite yet, Jones. I need another few seconds of you, alone, without the kid or the fries." I press my mouth against hers for a long kiss.