Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Corey smiled as he listened to his twins chatter excitedly about Little Clams. It was a beautiful Friday morning, and the summer day they could see through the windows of their new house looked green, golden, and inviting.
“And Ben is so cool,” Max said. “He can juggle three beanbags at once. He said he’s going to teach me. Isn’t that awesome?”
“That is awesome.” Corey grinned at his son as he poured pancake batter into a frying pan. “You’ll have to show me as soon as you learn.”
Haley was sitting at the counter next to her brother, smiling just as excitedly as he was. It warmed Corey’s heart to see her looking so happy.
“What about you, Haley?” he asked her. “What’s your favorite part of Little Clams?”
“Miss Olivia,” Haley answered without hesitation. “And making art. There are so many fun craft projects there. Miss Olivia says I’m really good at the crafts.”
Corey’s ears pricked up when he heard Olivia’s name. “I’m glad you like your teacher, honey. She seems really nice.”
“She’s so nice,” agreed Max. “The nicest teacher I’ve ever had. And she’s fun.”
Corey smiled, and then looked down at the pancake he was making and felt his heart sink with disappointment. He hadn’t burned it or anything like that, but once he’d flipped it over, it was clear that it was unfortunately flat. It wasn’t going to be very good to eat, and he guessed that his kids would be disappointed by the pancakes he was making.
His late wife, Amy, had been so good at cooking. She’d made pancakes that were amazingly fluffy, but he had no idea how to replicate her culinary achievements.
Not having a partner in life affects everything, he reflected, struck again by how different his life was now, without her. Everything from big to small. We were used to having her around, and now there’s a mom-sized absence in our lives.
He finished making the pancakes and served them to the kids, along with orange juice and sides of sausages and scrambled eggs.
“These pancakes aren’t very good, Dad,” Max said honestly, chewing his first mouthful thoughtfully.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Max,” Corey responded automatically. “Sorry about the pancakes, kids. I’m still learning how to cook. I’ll figure it out.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Haley said. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, surprised by how well she was responding to disappointment. “The eggs and sausage are still really good. Besides, there are blueberries in the pancakes, so they’re okay even though they’re flat.”
Once they’d all finished eating, they piled into the car and he drove them to Little Clams. He parked in the parking lot and walked inside with them, with each of them holding his hands on either side.
Corey found that he was a little nervous as they approached the classroom. Olivia was standing in the doorway, and as soon as the twins appeared, she greeted them with a huge smile.
“What are we going to do today, Miss Olivia?” Haley asked, scampering up to her teacher.
“Today we’re going to play some math games, put on a puppet show, and take a nature walk,” Olivia said, beaming at her. “Does that sound like fun?”
“Yes!” Haley said. “I love math. And nature.”
The twins waved goodbye to their dad and hurried into the classroom to talk with their friends.
“Thank you again,” Corey said to Olivia, lingering in the doorway. “They love your class. It’s helpful. It’s easy for them to want to come here.”
He felt like he was being awkward, but he didn’t really know how to get the words out any better.
She beamed at him, making his heart do a somersault. She had such a wonderful smile. “I was talking about you with my aunt the other day—at least I think I was.” She laughed, looking like she was blushing a little. “Are you the person who owns the new souvenir shop in town?”
“I am.” He nodded. “Coastal Keepsakes.”
“Well, Blueberry Bay is happy to have you. Welcome to our town.” She laughed again—a pleasant sound, almost like bells. “It’s a great place. I just moved here recently, but I’ve spent enough time here to know what a good place to live it is.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m getting that impression myself, but it’s nice to hear it from an expert.” He smiled.
“I wouldn’t call myself an expert.” There was that wonderful laugh again. “But I can tell you that there’s amazing coffee at Tidal Wave Coffee, and the best seafood you’ll ever have at The Crab, and—well, you’ll figure it out.” She grinned. “So what brought you here to Blueberry Bay?”
“We were looking for a fresh start.” He wasn’t sure how to answer that question without going too deeply into his personal history.
She asked him about where they’d lived before, and she seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him better. More than that, there was a gleam of interest in her eyes that he didn’t know what to do with. He hadn’t dated at all since his wife had passed, and it had been a long time since he’d tried to read signals of interest from a woman.
Were there even signals coming from Olivia, or was he just imagining them?
He couldn’t tell if she was just being friendly, or if she had some kind of special interest in him. He felt like his flirtation radar was rusty, and he felt nervous about reading too much into her behavior because he was hoping she was interested in him. He was hoping that very much.
A couple more kids arrived, and then Olivia glanced at her watch.
“Almost time to start,” she said, smiling. “I’d better get in there. Good to talk with you.”
“Good to talk with you as well,” he replied, feeling stiff and awkward.
She closed the door and he turned and started down the hallway, wishing he could have stayed and talked to her longer.
Just as well, he thought, smiling wryly. I was awkward during that entire conversation anyway. I hope I can talk to her again sometime soon, and hopefully act a little more charming.
He glanced behind him at the school as he walked toward his car. He thought about his kids, starting their lessons and having a wonderful time, and he smiled. Then he thought about Olivia teaching them with that sincere sparkle in her green eyes, and his smile grew even wider.
“What kind of food does Michael like?”
Caitlin chuckled at the way her daughter was frowning in concentration at the sandwich she was making. Caitlin had set out lettuce, tomato slices, and various other sandwich fillers such as lunchmeat, cheese, and condiments. They were preparing for a picnic by the water, and after packing chips, fruit salad, and seltzer waters—and chocolate milk for Pearl—they were finishing their preparations by making sandwiches. Pearl had eagerly volunteered to make Michael’s sandwich, but now seemed to have run into a dilemma of uncertainty.
“What do you remember him eating before?” Caitlin asked, leaning against the counter and winking at her daughter as if it was a game. “Does he like tomatoes?”
Pearl wrinkled her nose, since she herself did not like tomatoes. “Yes, I think so.”
“I think so too. What else? Lettuce?”
“Lettuce is good for you,” said Pearl, grimacing, and Caitlin hid a grin.
“And what about cheese? Does he—”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Michael’s here!” Pearl called eagerly, the sandwich forgotten. She hopped off the stool she’d been standing on and raced for the door.
Laughing happily, Caitlin watched as her daughter opened the door and leapt into Michael’s arms. He closed his eyes for a second, treasuring their hug, and Caitlin’s heart warmed.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she said, hurrying over to him. “How’s your day going?”
“Great, now that I’m here,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. He beamed at her. “How about you?”
“Good. We’re almost finished getting the picnic ready. We were just trying to figure out what you might like on your sandwich.”
“Do you like cheese, Michael?” Pearl asked solemnly.
“I love cheese, Pearl,” he said, and winked at Caitlin as the little girl scampered across the kitchen, eager to finish the sandwich.
“Do you need anything?” he asked, giving Caitlin a hug. “Can I help with anything?”
She shook her head, smiling up into his eyes. She felt a rush of happiness, thinking of how much she loved him, and struck by how consistently he showed his love for her.
“No, we should be good, thanks. You can help us pack up the sandwiches in a minute here, and then we’re all ready to go.”
Soon, they were piling into Michael’s car, ready for a day at the beach. Caitlin was wearing a beautiful new swimsuit under a white sundress, paired with light blue sandals and earrings to match. Michael glanced at her as they drove.
“You look beautiful, Caitlin,” he told her.
She beamed at him and reached over and squeezed his hand.
Once they reached the beach, they camped out under an umbrella, setting out beach chairs and towels and the cooler that had their lunch in it. A tangy breeze blew in from the sea, ruffling their hair and cooling their faces.
“This sun is wonderful,” Caitlin murmured, sitting down in one of the beach chairs and stretching her legs. She wiggled her toes in the warm sand. “So relaxing.”
“Agreed.” Michael sat down next to her with a contented sigh. “It’s a beautiful day.”
At that moment, they heard someone calling Michael’s name. Caitlin turned, smiling with interest, and then her smile disappeared.
Janelle was walking toward them across the beach, holding her surfboard under one arm and wearing the same sleek wetsuit that she’d been wearing when Caitlin met her. Her long hair was damp and tossing around her shoulders, so it was clear that she’d been in the water already.
“I knew I’d be able to find you here one of these days!” Janelle said triumphantly, beaming at Michael as if Caitlin wasn’t even there. “This looks like a perfect time for a surfing competition.”
“Sorry, Janelle, but I—”
“The waves are perfect,” she interrupted, flashing a grin at him like he’d just enthusiastically agreed. “And I know you’re all set to go out on the water.” She winked, probably referring to Michael’s surfboard, which was resting behind the beach umbrella. “Come on! We haven’t competed in way too long.”
Michael continued to shake his head. “I’m planning on taking Pearl out on the water. No competitions for me today.”
“I want to watch the competition!” Pearl cried, abandoning her sandcastle and becoming interested in the adults’ conversation. “That sounds really cool.”
Janelle laughed like a trumpet. “She’s cute.” She spoke in such a loud, over-the-top manner that Caitlin had to stifle a laugh. “Come on, Michael! Let’s surf.” She tossed the board down onto the sand and hopped onto it, pretending to surf. Pearl laughed, but Michael gave Caitlin an exasperated look, showing that he found it ludicrous. Caitlin felt reassured, knowing that he wasn’t attracted to any of Janelle’s antics.
“Come on, Michael!” Pearl urged, and with a sigh, Michael stood up.
“Okay,” he said. “We can compete for a little while.”
“Yay!” The little girl clapped her hands, and Michael grinned at her, making it clear that he had only agreed to the competition for her sake.
The two surfers went out into the water together, and Pearl watched them eagerly. Caitlin watched Michael with a feeling of pride, but after a while, she started to feel a little doubt as she observed how expertly he and Janelle competed with one another. There was nothing to suggest that Michael felt anything for Janelle, and she trusted that he didn’t, but she started to wonder if Michael ever felt disappointed that she couldn’t relate to his passion for surfing.
Our differences were something that I wrestled with at the beginning of our relationship, she thought, but I thought I’d put those concerns to rest.
Now, watching the two surfers glide gracefully over the waves together, she wasn’t totally sure. Part of her felt as though perhaps Michael felt like their relationship was missing something, since she couldn’t share his passion with him.
After a little while, Michael returned to the shore, and despite Janelle hurrying out of the water after him, clearly wanting him to keep surfing with her, she went on her way after a brief conversation that Caitlin couldn’t hear. It was clear from Michael’s facial expression and body language that he was politely but firmly telling her that he intended to spend the rest of his day with Caitlin and Pearl.
“That was amazing!” Pearl shouted, hurrying across the sand toward Michael as he approached them.
“Thanks, Pearl,” he said, welcoming her hug. He looked up at Caitlin and winced a little as he said, “How did you like it?”
“I think you’re amazing,” she told him, winking. “I love watching you surf.”
He beamed at her, and soon he and Pearl were out on the waves together as he taught her how to surf. Caitlin watched them with affectionate interest, but her thoughts kept returning to her concerns.