Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Corey glanced nervously at where Max and Haley were playing in a corner of the shop. For the moment, both of them were playing quietly, but every time he heard something rattle or thump, he looked over at them in concern.
I need a better long-term plan for the weekends , he thought with a sigh. It’s fun to have the kids here in the store with me sometimes, but they get bored in here and I get too nervous. What if they get too rowdy and break something expensive?
But he didn’t have a childcare option for them on the weekends, and he had to keep his store open. So far, business had been excellent, but there were still a myriad of moving parts he needed to get used to dealing with. Having the kids there was an added stress on top of all the things he needed to think about.
It was a sunny, warm day outside. The blue sky had the slightly grayish hue that proclaimed the coming of autumn. Corey wished that he could let Max and Haley go outside to enjoy the day, but he reminded himself that Olivia made sure to get them outside during the Little Clams’ camp days.
He smiled to himself as he thought about Olivia. She had completely captured his imagination, and the two of them had had a couple more dates together during the week. He had been feeling like he couldn’t get enough of spending time with her, and she seemed to be feeling the same way. They got along amazingly well together, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.
As if he had somehow magically summoned her with his thoughts, at that moment, she stepped inside the shop.
“Olivia!” he gasped, smiling warmly at her. His heart gave a thump the moment he saw her.
She hurried across the room to him, and they hugged. She was grinning, her green eyes shining as if lit from within.
“What’s the occasion?” he asked her. “Just passing by?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to come see you and the kids.”
“Well, thank you.” He hardly knew what to say, he felt so happy that she’d wanted to come by. “It’s very sweet of you.”
“Miss Olivia!” Max cried, catching sight of his teacher. “Haley, Miss Olivia is here!”
The kids raced across the room toward Olivia and practically tackled her in a hug.
“Careful!” Corey cautioned, but Olivia was laughing.
“I’m happy to see you guys too,” she said, beaming. “How’s your day going?”
“Good,” Max and Haley chorused.
“Even better now that you’re here,” Corey said, taking her into his arms and kissing her gently on the mouth. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“Ooo!” Haley squealed when she saw the kiss, and Max said, “Eew!”
Laughing, Olivia and Corey pulled apart. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop kissing your dad. I know adults are gross,” she teased. “What’s new in the store? You two want to show me?”
Chattering excitedly, Max and Haley led Olivia off into another part of the store, and Corey watched them go, feeling a glow rise up in his heart. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her interact with his kids. She showed sweet enthusiasm about everything that they showed her, and she listened to them with respect, showing them that they mattered to her. She seemed to fit in effortlessly with his kids, he thought, noticing how comfortable they were with her.
She’s so good with them , he thought. She’s such a wonderful addition to our lives.
Once the kids had finished showing Olivia all the new merchandise, she came back to the counter, winking at him.
“Well, sir, it looks like you’ve got a lot of fine items in this store,” she said, pretending to have a serious deep voice, which made Max and Haley erupt into giggles. “I have to hand it to you.”
“Why thank you, ma’am,” he said, laughing.
She stayed at the counter for a while, chatting with Corey. There wasn’t much that they hadn’t already shared with each other about how their weeks had gone, but they caught each other up on all their latest news. Max and Haley played nearby, acting out a cowboy showdown—which had probably been inspired by Olivia’s deep-voiced character.
After a few minutes, a swarm of teenagers came into the store. They were wearing bright colors and chewing gum and talking loudly.
“Oh, boy,” Corey murmured. Teenagers made him nervous. They were excitable and all limbs and they usually operated as a wild hive-mind. “I’d better keep a close eye on them.”
“Do you want me to take Max and Haley over to my place for a while?” Olivia asked. “I have the day off. The three of us could hang out there together, and then when you’re done here at the store you could come over too? I’ll make dinner,” she offered, grinning.
“Are you sure?” His jaw almost dropped. Her offer sounded much too good to be true, but there she was, still smiling at him and clearly meaning it sincerely. “I hate for you to have to—”
“Shush,” she said, laughing and holding a finger up to his lips. “Remember the part where I told you I love your kids? I can’t think of anything I’d rather do with my weekend. We’re going to have loads of fun watching Disney movies and making puzzles, and then we’re all going to have some juicy cheeseburgers for dinner.”
“Are you—”
“Shush.”
At that moment, one of the teenagers let out a loud whoop and Corey glanced over nervously.
“Okay,” he said, feeling gratitude well up in his heart. “Thank you so much. That’s such a perfect offer.”
“Wow, you must really like cheeseburgers.” She winked.
He pulled her in for another kiss. “I do. That’s definitely the only reason why I’m excited about your offer.”
“Makes sense.” She grinned, and then turned to the kids. “Hey, Max! Haley! How would you guys like to come over to my place for a little while?”
“Yeah!” Max cried. “I want to see your house.”
“Well, it’s not a house, it’s an apartment,” Olivia explained, “but it is pretty cool.”
“I want to see it too,” Haley said.
“And then your dad is going to come over for dinner and we’re going to have cheeseburgers,” Olivia said as she started out the door with the kids. She grinned at Corey as they walked out, and he waved. “How does that sound?”
“I love cheeseburgers!” Max cried, and Corey chuckled as the door closed behind them.
“Bye, kids!” he called, and then smiled to himself as he reflected that it showed how comfortable they were with Olivia that they hadn’t even felt the need to say goodbye to him.
He turned his attention back to his shop, watching the teenagers like a hawk. He was distracted, however, as he thought about getting to spend the evening with Olivia and the kids. He smiled to himself, feeling as though he had found an oasis after struggling through a dry place for a long time.
“Ahoy, thar, Matey!”
“Avast, ye lubber!”
Olivia laughed as she watched Max and Haley pretend to swordfight with old paper towel tubes. The kids were pretending to be pirates, and they had turned Olivia’s living room couch and armchair into opposing pirate ships.
Olivia, who was pretending to be captured on Haley’s ship, was sitting on the end of the couch, watching the swordfight in awe.
“Okay, but be careful,” she cautioned them. “Make sure you keep those tubes away from each other’s faces.”
“We will,” Max said sweetly, and then turned back to his sister. “Die, you scurvy dog!”
Olivia was overcome with laughter and had to wipe tears away. She’d been having more fun that afternoon than she’d had in ages—well, maybe not more fun than when she went on dates with Corey. But that was a different kind of fun. The kids made her laugh and gave a sense of joy to her life like nothing she’d ever known—she’d always loved kids, but these two kids meant more to her than any kids ever had before.
Haley pretended to get stabbed and sank onto the couch cushions with a dramatic groan. “Ugh,” she said into a pillow. “I’ve been hit.”
Olivia applauded. “That was definitely the best pirate battle I’ve ever seen,” she said, grinning at the kids. “Ten out of ten.”
“You’ve seen other pirate battles?” Haley said, popping her head up with a sudden new birth of life.
“Nooo, just in movies,” Olivia explained, chuckling. “Well, pirates, what do you think? I’d want a snack after that intense of a battle.”
“Yay!”
Olivia’s apartment’s kitchen adjoined the living room area. They walked over to the counter and Max and Haley sat down on a couple of high stools while Olivia got some apples and peanut butter out of the refrigerator. She poured glasses of milk for everyone, and Max and Haley wasted no time in starting to drink theirs. They continued to chatter happily while she began to cut up the apples.
“Playing pirates is definitely my favorite game,” Haley said after swallowing a gulp of milk. She sighed in satisfaction.
“Me too,” her twin brother agreed. “The only thing better than playing pirates would be if we could really be on a boat. A real boat. I want to be on boat so bad.”
“You’ve never been on a boat before?” Olivia asked, surprised.
Haley shook her head. “I guess we were on a boat when we were really little, but we don’t remember it. Our old house wasn’t by the ocean or anything.”
“Well, there’s lots of boats here in Blueberry Bay,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to go on a boat soon.”
“Can we go on a boat sometime, Miss Olivia?” Max asked. “With you and Dad?”
Her heart warmed when she heard in his voice how excited he was about the idea. She also loved the idea of going on a boat with Corey and the kids.
“I think we probably can,” she said, grinning at him.
Then she got an idea. Why not that day? Corey was planning on coming by later. All she had to do was let him know there’d been a slight change of plans…
Once she’d set out slices of apple and peanut butter for the kids, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to text Corey.
OLIVIA: Hey, Corey! Would you be up for a bit of an adventure after work?
It was only a couple of minutes before he texted her back, and she grinned when she saw his text.
COREY: Sure. What did you have in mind?
OLIVIA: It’s a surprise.
COREY: Does this mean no cheeseburgers?
OLIVIA: It might possibly mean no cheeseburgers.
COREY: Shoot.
She laughed as she read his texts. Every time she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, her heart did a little somersault of happiness.
OLIVIA: Do you trust me?
COREY: Yes :)
For the next hour, Max and Haley were occupied by a Disney movie, and Olivia went to work planning her surprise. She surfed the internet for a while, and then stepped briefly into another room to make a phone call. When she emerged, she could feel her skin tingling with excitement.
When the movie was over, she packed a bag with sunscreen, snacks, and baseball caps for the kids, donning another baseball cap herself.
“Are you guys ready to go?” she asked the kids, her eyes twinkling.
“Go?” Max asked, confused. “I thought we were staying here.”
“That was the plan, but now we’re going to do something even more exciting,” she told them.
“A baseball game?” Haley asked dubiously, looking at Olivia’s hat.
Olivia laughed. “No, not a baseball game. You’ll have to come see. It’s a surprise.”
“Okay!” Max stood up happily. “Does it still involve cheeseburgers?”
“I think we can stop and grab some cheeseburgers on our way,” Olivia said, winking.
Haley was still sitting on the rug, biting her lip. She didn’t look excited about the surprise, she looked nervous.
“You okay, Haley?” Olivia asked gently, guessing that the little girl was teetering toward a meltdown. “Are you feeling stressed?”
Haley just sat there frowning, and Olivia hurried over to her. “Can you show me what you’re feeling on your bracelet?” she asked, tapping the little girl’s hand gently.
Haley bit her lip, concentrating, and then she placed her finger on the gray bead, which meant worried.
“Why are you worried?” Olivia asked, rubbing Haley’s back.
It was a full minute before Haley answered. “I don’t like surprises,” she whispered.
“Then it can just be a surprise for Max and your daddy, and it can be our secret,” Olivia told her. “How’s that?”
Haley’s expression brightened. “What is it?”
“Well,” Olivia whispered into the little girl’s ear, “I was thinking that we could all go out on a real boat tonight.”
“Really?” Haley shouted, looking overjoyed.
Olivia grinned and held a finger to her lips as Max called out, “What? What is it?”
“Don’t tell him!” Olivia urged, and Haley nodded sagely.
“Oh, boy, are you going to be excited, Max!” she said.
Feeling overjoyed that the bracelet really was helping Haley express her emotions, Olivia stood up and helped the little girl to her feet. “Let’s go,” she said cheerfully. “We should stop and buy some cheeseburgers before we pick up your dad.”
Half an hour later, they were hurrying down the sidewalk toward the souvenir shop. Olivia was carrying a large white paper bag filled with four cheeseburgers and French fries, and the delicious smell of the food was making her stomach grumble in anticipation.
Ahead of them, she saw Corey step out of the souvenir shop and lock the door behind him.
“Dad!” Max and Haley called, and they raced down the sidewalk toward him.
“Perfect timing, you guys,” Corey said, giving them both a bear hug at the same time. “I just closed up the shop.”
“You are going to be so excited, Dad,” Haley announced proudly. “Olivia and I have the best secret. It’s a surprise.”
Corey lifted his eyes to Olivia, beaming at her. “Is that right? I can’t wait to find out what it is.”
She grinned at him. “It’s not far from here. We can eat our cheeseburgers when we get there.” She lifted the bag proudly, and he gave her a sideways hug, laughing.
“Wow, a surprise and the promised cheeseburgers? This is turning out to be an incredible day.”
The sky was just beginning to shift from blue to gold as the sun sank lower in the west. The four of them walked along the sidewalk together, the kids skipping ahead and Corey and Olivia strolling along together holding hands. As they approached the ocean, the cool breeze became scented with the fresh, tangy smell of the sea.
“What’s the surprise, Olivia?” Max wheedled. “Please?”
“We’re almost there,” she told him, grinning, and she and Haley shared a wink.
As they turned the next corner, the wharf of Blueberry Bay opened up in front of them. Golden sunlight was sparkling on the deep blue water, and the white boats bobbed and rocked gently on the waves.
“Ta da!” Olivia sang out. “We’re going on a—” She gestured to Haley.
“Boat!” Haley shouted, with all the enthusiasm of an opera singer.
“What?” Max yelled. “Like real pirates!”
“Wow,” Corey said, looking genuinely as excited as Max. “I haven’t been on a boat in—” He turned to Olivia, beaming at her. “Thank you, Olivia.” He turned back to his kids, winking. “And you can be pirates as long as you don’t disrupt the other passengers. Or steal anything, obviously.”
“Arrr, okay!” said Max, turning one of his fingers into a hook.
“We’ll be nice pirates,” Haley said. She grabbed her twin’s hand and they started racing toward the boat.
“This is amazing, thank you,” Corey said, wrapping an arm around Olivia. He beamed down at her. “It’s so thoughtful of you.”
“I told you I was going to get my revenge for you paying for everything,” she said, laughing—and she laughed even harder when his mouth popped open into an “O.” “It’s a two-hour tour of the coastline,” she said, beaming at him. “The kids were saying today how much they wanted to go on a real boat, so I looked up boat rentals and boat tours, and got us signed up for this one.”
“I can’t wait,” he said, grinning at her.
They took each other’s hands and walked up the gangplank together. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bathing everything in a golden light. The ocean smelled salty and invigorating, and overhead, seagulls uttered hoarse cries.
They sat in a corner of the deck and ate their cheeseburgers and fries together before the boat took off. Olivia caught Corey smiling at her fondly as she handed out napkins to the kids.
“What?” she asked, laughing.
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He beamed at her.
Her heart gave a somersault, because she had a feeling he was definitely thinking about something.
A few minutes later, the boat launched. A friendly man’s voice came over a loudspeaker, announcing that he was their captain and was going to be guiding them on a tour of the coastline. Corey, Olivia, and the kids joined the other passengers in turning out toward the water as the boat began to surge forward.
“This is so exciting!” Haley squealed.
The tour was breathtaking. The wind picked up, whipping their hair back and adding a sense of excitement to the day. Soon, Haley and Max were actively pretending to be pirates, imagining that they were on their way to a desert island to dig up buried treasure. Corey and Olivia went along with the storytelling, doing their best impressions of pirates and trying even harder not to laugh at how adorable the kids were being.
“I’m having the time of my life,” Olivia said to Corey, wiping tears of laughter away.
“I am too.” He beamed at her. “I never knew how fulfilling it would be to be a pirate. I think I’m going to quit my day job.”
Olivia was overcome with a fit of laughter, and Corey had to remind Max and Haley that they weren’t allowed to swordfight on a real boat.
After a while, the kids ventured farther off along the boat, having promised to play safely and stay within Corey’s line of vision. With a contented sigh, Corey wrapped an arm around Olivia and the two of them gazed out at the gorgeous sunset.
“Thank you for an incredible day,” he told her, his blue eyes soft. “It means so much to me. First you offered to help with the kids, and now you’ve done this. You’ve made today so special for all of us.”
“It’s special for me too,” she whispered, gazing up into his eyes and feeling butterflies fill her stomach.
“I have to admit, Olivia, I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone else,” he said softly, his tone becoming more serious. “I expected to spend the rest of my life without a partner. I’m not sure I deserve this.”
She could see from the look in his eyes that he meant what he was saying, and she recalled what her aunt Marsha had said to her about overcoming the past.
“It’s not about deserving or not deserving,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s about embracing what life brings and not being afraid to grasp it. We don’t have to let our pasts define us. We get to shape the future we want for ourselves.”
He smiled at her, and the sad look in his eyes disappeared. “I’ve been thinking more and more about a future with you,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.
“I have too,” she said, unable to keep from smiling broadly. She felt incredibly happy. “Look at us go. We’re sailing into the sunset.” She laughed, and he laughed with her. “And from now on, we’re going to go wherever the wind takes us. Together.”
“Together,” he said, and he brought their heads together for a kiss.