Memories in Sea Glass: Driftwood Key Beach Reads #2

23. Jess

Later that day, Jess glanced over at Clint as he parked the truck outside Mary’s house.

He looked more relaxed than he had back in town. He always seemed more comfortable at the McKinnon house.

My house too, lately,Jess thought to herself.

Though maybe he only looked relaxed now because he was exhausted. The two had agreed to stay late when the mayor announced they were looking for volunteers to clean up after the town water balloon fight. Popped balloons could be dangerous for pets and wildlife, so a crew of people went over the park with a fine-toothed comb after the battle, to ensure that not a single scrap of colorful rubber was left behind.

Clint had suggested that if they were staying on anyway, maybe they should participate. Jess had agreed, even though she was pretty sure they had been the two oldest competitors.

Never the aggressive type, Jess hadn’t taken the chance to throw a single balloon. Worse, she had been laughing too hard to defend herself or even run away. Her time at war had been over before it began when a young girl’s balloon hit her between the shoulder blades with a splat just moments after the battle commenced.

But Clint fought valiantly, managing to take out a couple of teenage boys and the young man who ran the Towel Shack before Anna McKinnon nailed him with a masterful shot right in the center of his chest.

“Avenge me,” Clint yelled to a random little girl as he pretended to die a terrible death.

“Okay,” the little girl yelled back and scampered away after Anna, clearly delighted.

“You’re a funny guy,” Jess told him thoughtfully as he strolled over to join her on the sidewalk.

He looked even more handsome than usual, his golden hair lit up in the afternoon sunlight, white t-shirt wet and clinging to his muscular chest.

She glanced down at her hands, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Maybe,” he said, shrugging. “I like goofing around with the kids.”

She couldn’t help thinking to herself again how sad it was that he’d never had kids of his own.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she’d said at the time.

But she was still thinking about it now, an hour later, as they pulled up at the house. Clint deserved kids and grandkids. He was a good man. He deserved it all.

“You ready?” he asked, turning off the engine.

“Definitely,” she told him.

“Water balloon fight gave you an appetite, huh?” he asked, cocking one eyebrow.

He meant for food, but Jess felt her cheeks heat anyway. She nodded and hoped he hadn’t noticed her blushing.

“Let’s go then,” he chuckled as he hopped out. “I’m hungry too.”

She grabbed her bag off the floor and by the time she sat up, Clint was opening her door for her.

“Thanks,” she said, trying not to notice how close he stood as she scrambled out without taking the big hand he offered her.

They headed past the old gumbo limbo tree and into the backyard. Her heart surged with happiness when she saw all the people she loved spread out on the lawn before her.

Chase was obviously feeling right at home. He had baby Fern on his hip and was running after Jeb, who was laughing his little head off. Liberty watched the three of them with a smile on her face.

Jess sometimes forgot how many nieces and nephews Chase had, and how much Liberty said he loved playing with them. No wonder Liberty wanted so badly for the two of them to have a family. They would both make wonderful parents.

The sight of them made her heart ache, so she glanced over at the house instead. Glory and Mary were stepping off the back porch, carrying bowls of potato salad and Mary’s famous homemade coleslaw, and chatting softly.

Becca sat at a table between Liam and Anna, the three of them laughing and munching on appetizers as Anthem played her acoustic guitar quietly at the end of the table. Jess was pleased and surprised to see her friend Joanie from the flower shop beside her as well as Anthem’s friend, Zara with her Aunt Cheryl. Zeus, the German Shepherd was curled up at Cheryl’s feet.

Becca looked up and waved happily to Jess and Clint as they approached.

“Hey, guys,” Kyle yelled as he flipped the burgers on the grill. A big platter on a nearby wooden table was already covered in grilled chicken and kebobs.

“Hey,” Clint called back.

“Mom,” Glory said happily. “Wait until you see all the food.”

“It looks amazing,” Jess said, heading over to check it out. “How was your day, pumpkin?”

“Awesome,” Glory said.

“She was a real help,” Mary added warmly. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”

“Did you guys have fun in town?” Glory asked. “I know Uncle Everett did.”

“What do you mean?” Jess asked, looking around and realizing she didn’t see Everett or Justine.

“Oh, we’ll let them tell you,” Mary said, her eyes twinkling.

“I’ve got a shirt for him,” Connor said, jogging into the backyard with a plain white t-shirt in his hand.

“Thank goodness,” Mary said. “He would have had to wear one of Louis’s shirts if you didn’t.”

Jess tried to imagine preppy Everett Steele in one of Louis McKinnon’s faded Hawaiian shirts and had to smile. Before Connor could head into the house, Everett and Justine came down the back porch steps.

“Hi, Aunt Jess,” Justine said happily.

Everett gave her an awkward wave. The pristine white button-down Oxford he’d been wearing this morning was pink and drenched.

“What happened?” Jess asked.

“I was in the watermelon eating contest,” Everett said darkly, causing his daughter to giggle.

“Don’t worry,” Justine managed. “I have video.”

“Heaven help us,” Everett muttered. But he was smiling.

“Here, man,” Connor said, handing over the shirt.

“Thanks,” Everett replied.

“I want to see that video,” Jess told Justine, who was already pulling out her phone.

“Don’t you dare,” Everett growled.

Jess glanced up and was surprised to see that he had peeled off his ruined shirt. She had never really wondered what her brother-in-law would look like with his shirt off, but she definitely didn’t expect it to be like this. In spite of his office lifestyle, Everett clearly hadn’t gotten soft. He had a strong chest and well-muscled arms that flexed a little as he pulled the other shirt over his head.

Jess looked away immediately, feeling a little embarrassed for noticing.

“You can’t escape it forever, Dad,” Justine teased. “Besides, it’s hilarious, and a great icebreaker when you’re meeting this many new people all at once.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Go on.”

“Watch this, everyone,” Justine said, clearly delighted.

She seated herself at a picnic table and everyone dutifully gathered around.

“You’ll have to compete next year, Mom,” Glory laughed.

The others cheered and laughed, and Kyle pretended to be worried he was going to lose.

Next year,Jess thought to herself, smiling. We really are putting down roots.

It felt good.

Once Justine had the video ready to go, and everyone was gathered in anticipation, Jess glanced over at Everett to be sure he was really okay with this and was relieved to see him looking relaxed and happy.

Everett grinned at her, looking a little sheepish and she smiled back, glad he was okay.

Anthem set her guitar down on the table and scrambled over to watch as Justine tapped her phone and placed it on the table.

On the screen, a group of people were seated at a long table, a platter of huge watermelon wedges in front of each of them.

“Go,” someone yelled from off-screen.

The camera zoomed in on the first contestant. He was familiar, probably someone Jess had seen around town. He ate quickly, spitting out seeds as he went. The next contestant did about the same, and the camera started panning faster.

It paused on Kyle McKinnon, who was putting away watermelon like a machine.

“My goodness, Kyle,” Mary said, shaking her head.

“What can I say?” Kyle asked from his place at the grill. “I love watermelon.”

“You’re the only one not watching,” Connor called to him.

“I know what happened,” Kyle laughed.

The camera was moving again. It stopped when it reached Everett.

“Oh, my,” Mary said.

Jess leaned in, hardly able to believe what she was seeing.

Everett was applying himself to the watermelon as if his life depended on it. His shock of dark hair had fallen forward with the force of his efforts and his white shirt was already pink with juice.

He spat out watermelon seeds like a machine gun and Justine’s giggle on the video was echoed by everyone at the table now.

“That’s… amazing,” Jess said. “I never knew you were a competitive eater.”

“I never was before,” Everett admitted. “I guess I was just trying to impress my daughter.”

“It definitely worked,” Justine laughed. “I’ll never look at you the same way again.”

Jess smiled at the two of them.

“I still won though,” Kyle called over from the grill.

Everyone laughed warmly.

Jess thought that it was great to see Everett letting down his hair like that. Letting Justine see that he knew how to have fun and wasn’t always proper and perfect was a surefire way to bond with her.

“What do you think, Jess?” Everett asked suddenly.

“I think you’re going to be a really fun grandpa,” she told him warmly.

“He sure is,” Justine said, smiling and wrapping an arm around her dad as Everett pressed a kiss to the top of Justine’s head.

Jess’s heart melted a little at the sight. Everett was changing from the man she’d always known him as. And it wasn’t just the way he looked right at home in the McKinnons’ backyard with his hair tousled and a t-shirt instead of a button-down. He was warming to the idea of his daughter becoming a mom.

She could not have been any prouder of the two of them.

Everett met Jess’s eyes over Justine’s head as the video played on, making everyone else laugh.

She nodded to him, hoping the respect she felt was conveyed in her eyes. He gave her a slow smile, his eyes searching hers, though she had no idea what for.

“What are your plans tomorrow?” Clint asked Jess quietly.

She turned away from Everett, relieved to escape the strange intensity of his gaze.

“I’m not sure,” Jess said, then remembered something she’d been meaning to do. “No, wait. I do have a plan.”

“What is it?” Clint asked simply.

“I’m going to visit my mom,” she decided out loud.

In all the time she had been back in Driftwood Key, Jess had never felt ready to visit her mother’s grave.

At first, she had just been overwhelmed by all that was happening. Between the trip down here, finding the house in need of so much work, starting her new job, and the girls arriving one by one, there hadn’t been time to do anything but survive.

And then when things calmed down enough for her to finally have a routine, she hadn’t been sure she could face the sadness of that visit when she was still mourning Silas.

But now she felt better, stronger.

“Do you want company for that?” Clint offered.

She smiled up at him.

Clint was like a gruff angel, so kind and so willing to be there for her—a solid, steady presence that made her feel safe. But Jess had learned the hard way that her comfort and safety shouldn’t depend on other people.

“I’m okay,” she told him firmly. “I think I should do this on my own.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly, but he nodded, respect in his eyes.

“How about if I stop by with coffee after?” he offered. “You can tell me how it went.”

She nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude.

Clint was a good friend. She had a whole crew of good friends here at Mary’s house. And her daughters were growing up into such wonderful women.

It was long past time that she talked with her mother, and let her know that everything was going to be just fine.