Memories in Sea Glass: Driftwood Key Beach Reads #2

2. Jess

Jess got out of the cab and gazed up at the old beach house, unable to contain her smile.

She was home.

The last time Jess had come down from Pennsylvania and found herself looking up at the house on Seashell Lane, everything had been different.

Desperate for funds after her husband left her without a word, Jess and her teenage daughter, Glory, had fled here to Driftwood Key, planning to clean out the beach house so it could be sold. When they arrived, the yard had been overgrown, there was a tarp over part of the roof, and the paint was peeling off the porch in curls. Now, just over a month later, everything had changed and Jess was returning like a conquering hero.

She also finally had answers about why Silas had left her, though they weren’t at all what she expected.

It turned out that her husband hadn’t run off with another woman, like everyone had suspected. Instead, he’d pulled his vanishing act because he was sick. And though she would always be furious with him for not allowing her to be by his side, she knew that he had loved her in his own misguided way. And whatever might be left of their assets after the mountains of medical bills were paid would be hers.

Suddenly, Jess had choices. And the first one she made, with the help of her daughters, was to come home to Driftwood Key.

From the look of things, Jess’s transformation wasn’t the only one going on.

She drank in the sight of the lush greenery surrounding the pretty wraparound porch with its fresh coat of paint and brand-new ceiling fans. The roof had been repaired, so the blue tarp was finally gone. She smiled when she realized Clint had painted the old wicker porch furniture a pale pink while she was away.

The scent of salt on the air and the sound of the ocean just behind the house all combined to make her feel like herself, like she was home.

She heard someone say her name in a familiar, rumbly voice as Clint walked around from the back of the house, a huge wooden storm shutter under one arm. His golden hair lit up in the sun and Jess couldn’t help noticing the way his brawny form filled out the poor t-shirt that clung to his strong arms and chest as if for dear life.

Don’t look at him that way,she told herself. You’re done with men. And besides, he’s practically your brother.

It was true. They had both been fostered by Mary McKinnon and her family back when Jess was younger than Glory. She had only spent just over a year there, but the time with that wonderful crew had stayed with her always.

And Clint had clearly fallen in love with them too, as evidenced by the fact that he had never moved away, and made it his mission to check in on Mary, now that she was older and her husband had passed.

In the time since Jess had been back, she’d found herself more and more drawn to him. But he was tough to read, and wasn’t one for talking about his feelings much.

“Clint,” Jess said simply.

She didn’t tell him that she had missed his steady presence, or that she was happy to see him now, happier than she had any right to be.

“I heard what happened,” he said, concern in his deep voice.

That made sense. Jess had called Becca McKinnon again on the journey back to Florida, and had a heart-to-heart with her about everything that had transpired in Pennsylvania. Becca had been the one to let everyone else down here know what was going on, and that Jess and her girls were coming back.

Jess had figured it would be a hard thing to talk about, so it was best not to have to explain again and again, and she was glad she didn’t have to now.

“Good,” she said simply.

“Listen, Jess,” he said. “I know it will take time for you to work through… everything that happened. But I’m around if you ever want to talk. And there’s something else.”

She waited.

Clint lifted his free arm to rub the back of his neck as he struggled for words.

“I guess it’s no secret how I feel about you,” he said, lowering his arm at last, and looking her in the eye. “I’m not pushing for anything. Just thought you should know where I stand.”

Jess only blinked up at him, too blown away to respond.

Teenage Jess had a secret crush on Clint all those years ago. And grown-up Jess respected and admired him. It was a shock to learn that she wasn’t the only one who felt some sort of spark between them.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” he said, his voice low and rough.

She felt a shiver of awareness go down her spine. It was enough to remind her that this wasn’t a good idea.

“I’m really glad to see you too, Clint,” she said carefully. “And our friendship means the world to me.”

He nodded, wincing a little like he sensed there was a but coming. To his credit, he didn’t look away.

“I just lost my husband,” she said. “For the second time, really, in a year.”

Clint nodded.

“I used to think he wanted to protect me,” Jess said. “But in retrospect, I think he just never really saw me as an equal.”

Clint scowled, and Jess imagined that he’d like to punch Silas in the nose. Twice, maybe.

“Anyway, I just can’t picture myself in another relationship right now,” she went on. “Maybe not ever. If that means you don’t want to hang out anymore I get it?—”

“Not a problem, Jess,” he said, cutting her off. “I understand your situation. Just wanted to get my own feelings off my chest. You don’t have to return them, and we don’t ever have to talk about it again. Your friendship means a lot to me, too.”

She nodded, feeling more grateful to the man than ever.

“And I’ll be hanging out as long as you let me,” he went on. “This place is almost done, and I never walk away from an unfinished project.”

Jess felt an unexpected wave of frustration and tried her best not to let it show.

Is Clint really just one more man trying to take care of me?

The thought had come unbidden, but maybe there was something to it. Gazing up at him, it was hard not to imagine falling into his arms—physically and metaphorically. She could let him take care of everything, and her life would go back to being easy, like it was with Silas.

But that was exactly what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Jess had made plenty of mistakes in her life, and she was sure to make a whole lot more.

But she wasn’t about to have to learn the same lesson twice.

“About the project,” she told him, determined not to be a damsel in distress. “I’ll have some funds as soon as the estate is settled. I can hire a contractor, so you don’t have to keep working on this place for free.”

“I like it here,” Clint said simply.

She stared up at him, momentarily speechless once again.

Something about his straightforward way of communicating touched her heart. It was easy to believe Clint. He didn’t bother smiling unless he wanted to smile, and he always said what he meant.

“Well, I don’t have to be a charity case,” she said. “Why don’t you work up an invoice for me for everything you’ve done so far and whatever else you think needs doing?”

“Are you still planning to sell this house, Jess?” he asked, eyes narrowed.

“I hope not,” she admitted. “But Silas’s medical bills were significant, as the lawyer describes it. I have to wait until they’re all paid to know what I’m left with.”

“Don’t you own the house outright?” Clint asked.

“I do. But what I earn at the flower shop might not be enough to maintain a place this big,” Jess said, feeling a little embarrassed. “Back home I’d be able to find a full-time job, but Driftwood Key probably isn’t clamoring for fifty-year-old admin assistants with no job experience.”

He frowned.

“Anyway, even if I have to sell, the place will need to be fixed up,” she continued. “And I’ll get more than enough from the sale to pay for the repairs, if nothing else.”

“Well, in any case, you won’t be paying me,” he told her.

Rebellion surged in her chest again, she wasn’t anyone’s helpless woman, not anymore.

“But,” he said quickly, as if he could sense her resistance, “you can buy materials if there’s anything you want that I don’t have sitting around the shop.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” she decided. “I had the cabbie drop the girls at the diner before he brought me here. I was just running back to check on things and get the car.”

“By yourself?” he growled.

While Jess and her girls were back up in Pennsylvania, Clint had called to tell her that he’d come by the beach house and he thought someone had been inside. He also let her know that there was a strange man wandering around town asking about Liberty. She had been so busy with everything else that she hadn’t really given it much thought.

“It’s broad daylight,” she said, shrugging. “Besides, you said he already came by the house.”

“Doesn’t mean he won’t come back,” Clint said darkly.

“So what, are you just going to sleep on my front porch with a shotgun?” she teased him.

“Maybe,” he said, shrugging.

“Of course you’re not going to do that,” she told him, smacking his shoulder. “Now I’m just going to grab my things and I’ll see you later.”

He looked like he had more to say, but he bit it back and nodded, watching after her silently as she headed up the front steps.

She had to give him credit for not trying to push her. He did seem to genuinely care about her and the girls. He was a good friend.

It would just be a little easier to remember that she only wanted to be friends if he hadn’t told her how he felt.

I don’t need a man,she reminded herself firmly. I’m a mom, I’m an aunt, and soon I’ll be a great-aunt, too. I don’t need to be a wife or a girlfriend.

But the pounding of her heart betrayed her, and she did her best to grab her stuff and her car keys quickly so she could get to the diner and distract herself with some time with the girls.