Chapter 6
6
“Is Beth nice?” Linnie asked as she skipped along at Jana’s side. They’d arrived early enough Saturday morning that there was plenty of parking. It was still ridiculously expensive, but it was available.
“She’s very nice. You’ll like her.”
“But she doesn’t have any kids, right? That’s sad.”
Jana held in a smile. “It is very sad.”
Linnie’s latest thing was a belief everyone’s life would be improved by the addition of children. Just yesterday she’d asked their mail carrier if he had a family and had been delighted to learn he had four sons.
“Sometimes people don’t like to talk about sad things,” Jana added. “So let’s not talk about Beth not having children, okay?”
Her friend had invited her and her daughter out to watch a surfing competition and enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning. Jana doubted Beth was prepared to be grilled on her child-free state by a four-year-old.
“I won’t say anything,” Linnie told her. She pointed to the water. “Look, Mommy. They’re already surfing.”
Sure enough, there were at least a dozen surfers out beyond the breakers. Most were just sitting on their boards, but a couple paddled toward shore, then caught the wave, stood and rode it in.
“Wow! Could I do that?” Linnie asked.
“I have no idea. I’ve never tried to surf. Teddy and Dex used to when they were teenagers. Let’s ask them about it when we get home.”
They walked across the sand toward the lifeguard station, where Beth had said she would be waiting. The early morning was cool, and the fog hadn’t quite burned off yet. Despite the low cloud cover, Jana had slathered both herself and Linnie with sunscreen. Burns happened fast on the beach.
She spotted the red umbrella Beth had told her to look for. Just then her friend saw them, stood and started waving.
“Is that her?” Linnie asked eagerly. “Is that your new friend?”
“It is.”
They quickened their pace and reached Beth. Her daughter smiled broadly.
“I’m Linnie and I’m four. Next year I get to go to kindergarten and then I’ll be in first grade and I’ll have homework. I can’t wait. Oh, and it’s okay that you don’t have any kids of your own. If you get lonely, you can borrow me.”
Jana did her best not to groan at Linnie’s unfiltered introduction. “Hi,” she said as she shrugged off her backpack. “So this is Linnie, who says exactly what she’s thinking.”
Beth laughed. “Hello, Linnie. Thank you for your very generous offer. I appreciate it. So, homework, huh?”
“Magnolia and Atlas already have it.” Linnie settled on the blanket Beth had unrolled under the umbrella. “Orchid doesn’t.”
“Orchid?” Beth glanced at Jana. “Interesting names.”
“My sister-in-law was in finance. She said she spent her whole day making sense with numbers. She wanted the rest of her life to be unconventional.”
“Orchid was the baby of the family,” Linnie added. “Then I came along.”
“I know you were a wonderful addition,” Beth said.
Linnie beamed.
Jana unpacked a small plastic bucket, a shovel and a couple of towels in case her daughter decided to go into the water. She’d also brought water and juice, along with a cut-up apple.
Beth’s tote had been just as filled, but her offerings were more pedestrian—things like sunscreen and hats rather than toys.
Linnie smiled at her. “I have a friend, too. Her name is Cinnamon and she’s new at preschool so I sat next to her. It’s hard to be new, ’specially if no one will talk to you. I wouldn’t like that, so I said we could be friends.” She paused. “Her name is very hard to spell. The teacher wrote it on the board and I couldn’t remember all the letters. My name is easy, like Mommy’s.”
She quietly mouthed something. “Your name is easy, too. I think those names are the best. When we get home I’ll ask Teddy to write your name down so I can learn it. We practice our letters when we get home from preschool.”
Beth glanced at Jana. “Okay, I’m confused. I thought Teddy was your brother.”
“He is. He gets Linnie on the days I’m in class. It’s a big help.”
“He works from home?” Beth grinned. “Let me guess. He has one of those fancy high-tech jobs he can do from anywhere.”
“Not even close. He has a studio out back. He’s an acupuncturist and a massage therapist.”
Beth laughed. “That’s a very Malibu career path.”
Several more surfers paddled out beyond the breakwater. A few of them rode back in. Somewhere down the beach, someone started playing a Beach Boys song over a speaker.
Beth pointed to a surfer heading in to catch a wave. “That’s Kai.” She smiled at Linnie. “He works for me in my sandwich shop.”
Linnie sprang to her feet and watched him easily make his way to shore. She clapped and bounced in place.
“Yay, Kai!”
Kai spotted them and waved. He grabbed a towel before walking over and sticking his board in the sand next to them.
“Hey.”
Beth smiled at him. “You looked great, Kai.”
He gave her a happy smile. “Thanks. It’s a good morning. The best waves were a couple of hours ago, but no one wants to come out to watch at six or seven in the morning.”
“This is my friend Jana,” Beth said. “And her daughter, Linnie.”
Kai nodded at Jana, then crouched in front of Linnie. “Hi, there. Do you like the ocean?”
“It’s very beautiful but big and I’m supposed to be careful because I’m small and I don’t want a wave to take me away. Mommy says there aren’t mermaids around here because mermaids need rocks to sit on to comb their hair and we don’t have the big rocks. She says one day we’ll go to Northern California where there are lots of rocks on the shore, so maybe we’ll see a mermaid.”
Her voice turned doubtful. “Only it’s not very warm there and if I were a mermaid I’d want to be in warm water, so I don’t know.”
“Want to hear about the time I saw a mermaid?” Kai asked, his tone serious.
Linnie’s eyes widened. “You did?”
He nodded, then stood and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you down to the water so I can point to where I was.” He looked at Jana. “We’ll stay in sight. I mean, if it’s okay with you.”
Jana nodded. “My daughter loves a good mermaid story, so have at it.” When they were out of earshot, she added, “You never mentioned Kai was so good with kids.”
Beth stared after him. “I didn’t know.” She smiled at her friend. “Don’t worry. Later I’ll grill him on the mermaid details and share all when I next see you.”
Jana laughed. “Good, because wondering could keep me up nights.”
She got comfortable on the blanket, all the while keeping Linnie in sight. This was nice, she thought. Usually she was running and doing. If she wasn’t working, she was heading to class or home to see Linnie. There was always homework to be done, or laundry or one of a thousand things. Taking a few minutes to just relax was practically unheard-of in her life. Later that afternoon, she would return to her frantic pace, but for right now, she was going to savor the moment and breathe.
“What’s new with you?” she asked casually, not expecting an answer. Only Beth grimaced and her shoulders got tight.
Uh-oh. “Something happened?”
“Not really.” Beth looked at her, then back at the surfers. “My brother told me he’s dating someone.”
Jana processed the information. “Is that bad? I thought you wanted him involved. Or am I remembering wrong?”
“You’re not. I want him happy, with a family. He needs that—the connection. He works hard, and he’s a great guy with a lot to offer.” She paused. “The woman scares me.”
Jana wasn’t sure what that meant. “How?”
“I’m afraid she’s in it for what she can get.” Beth sighed. “She’s a single mom, which is no big deal. Not everyone needs a partner. I get that, but I look at you, at how much you have going on. You have a job. You’re going to college. You’re a responsible, hardworking, caring person. The woman he’s seeing has told him she’s working to get by. I’m afraid that translates into waiting to find a man to take care of her. My mom was like that, so maybe I’m being irrational, but I’m afraid for him. What if she doesn’t actually care about him but instead sees him as a successful guy she can trap?”
Jana totally got the whole “worrying about a sibling” issue. “Have you met her?”
“Not yet.” Beth held up a hand. “I know, I know. I need to meet her first and make up my mind based on who she is rather than who my brother tells me she is. It’s just he’s clueless when it comes to reading people. He’s been burned by women being in it for the money before. I’m hoping she’ll be great, but I have such a bad feeling.”
“You have to meet her,” Jana said quietly. “You’re right. You don’t have enough information yet, and speculating doesn’t help. She might be terrific, or she might be exactly what you fear. But if you still have a bad feeling after you get to know her, you need to pay attention to that.”
Beth looked surprised. “Why would you say that?”
Jana motioned to where Kai and Linnie were playing in the very shallow part of the waves. “You have great instincts when it comes to people. You’ve talked about how all your employees have been with you for several years. That means you hire the right ones. Like I said, trust your gut.”
Beth visibly relaxed. “Thanks, Jana. You’re right. I’ve already told him that if they keep going out, I want to meet her. Once I do that, I’ll have more information. You give good advice.”
Jana grinned. “I’m glad you think so, because my people skills are sadly lacking.”
“I doubt that.”
“No doubting. My last boyfriend? Paul? I was so careful with him. I was worried about having a toddler and getting involved with a man, so I waited five months before I slept with him. I thought I knew him, but I was wrong.”
Beth’s expression turned sympathetic. “Your tone says whatever it was, it was bad. Married?”
“No, a single dad. He belittled me, insisted Linnie abide by his very strict rules, and when she pushed back, he slapped her.”
Beth’s gasp was audible. “He hit her? What did you do?”
“I grabbed her and walked out. Later, when he tried to talk to me, I told him it was over and that I never wanted to see him again. He didn’t take it well.”
She shuddered, remembering how scared she’d been for both herself and her daughter. And then how angry. Of course, once the anger had faded, she’d been left with humiliation and shame.
“I thought dating a single dad was a good thing,” she continued. “I thought Paul would get it and we could help each other the way Teddy and I do. But I was wrong about him. I dated a guy who hit my kid. I can never forgive myself for that.”
“Did you ever see him hit his children?” Beth asked quietly.
“No. He was stern, but there was never any physical contact like that.”
“So you didn’t know, and when you found out, you left.”
Jana nodded, knowing the words were meant to make her feel better, only they didn’t help at all. She’d messed up, and knowing she’d put Linnie at risk haunted her.
She glanced toward her daughter, who was laughing with Kai, then looked back at Beth. “I’d been so careful. After something like that, it’s really hard to trust my judgment. I still feel like the worst mother ever.”
Beth touched her arm. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I tell myself that, but sometimes it’s hard to believe the words. You would have figured out Paul was a bad guy. Trust your gut.”
“I think you’re giving me too much credit, but I will pay attention when I meet the new girlfriend.”
* * *
Sunday morning a week later, Jana glanced around the big dining room table and let the happy wash over her. The four kids were talking and laughing over pancakes that Teddy had made. Her brother was reading the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times , as he did every weekend. The morning was already clear and warm, with the promise of a beautiful day, and she’d had a very good week.
She’d gotten an A– on her first calculus test, she and Rick had enjoyed a quick dinner Wednesday night, and Linnie continued to be her bright, adorable self. She was in a good place and grateful for it.
“Seeing the boyfriend today?” Teddy asked.
“He’s on call this weekend, so no.”
“He’s not Mommy’s boyfriend,” Linnie informed her uncle. “He’s a friend who’s a man and they have dinner sometimes. It’s not serious.” She frowned. “I don’t know what serious means.”
“It means they’re keeping things casual,” Magnolia told her. “When they get serious, we’ll meet him. It’s the mature way to handle dating when one of the parties has children.”
Jana stared at her niece, then looked at Teddy, who seemed equally stunned by Magnolia’s words.
Magnolia offered them a smug smile. “I hear things.”
“Obviously,” Teddy muttered. “May I ask where these things are heard?”
“At school, mostly. A lot of my friends have divorced parents. It’s a thing.” She picked up a strawberry and took a bite. “I don’t understand dating at all. Why would you want to go out with just one person when you could go out with a group of friends? That’s a lot more fun.”
“You’re twelve,” Jana said, more to remind herself than tell anyone else. “Dating won’t be on your radar for a while.”
“I’m thinking maybe at twenty-five,” Teddy said.
Magnolia rolled her eyes. “Dad, you can’t stunt my growth like that. It’s not right.”
“I think a little stunting would be fine.”
Dex wandered into the dining room. He looked tired enough that Jana couldn’t help grinning.
“Rough night?” she asked, keeping her tone innocent.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Uh-huh. You don’t know what I’m thinking.” She looked at Teddy. “Do we know her name?”
Her brother shook his head. “He swears he’s done with short-term relationships, but I have my doubts.”
Dex ignored them both, took a chair and held out his arms. All four kids swarmed over him, each wanting his attention and plenty of hugs.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” he asked.
“I want to go back to the beach with Beth,” Linnie announced.
Dex looked at Jana. “Who’s Beth?”
“My friend from the food bank. I’ve talked about her. Linnie and I met her at the beach last Saturday, where we watched a surfing competition for a couple of hours. It was fun.”
“I liked her very much,” Linnie added. “And her friend Kai.”
“A surfer who works for her. Beth owns Surf Sandwiches. We do a Thursday afternoon shift together at the food bank. When it’s done, Beth and I hang out. She brings me the most amazing sandwiches.”
“I know the place,” Teddy said. “I haven’t been there in years.”
“You should go. Based on what she brings me, the food is delicious.”
Dex pulled Linnie onto his lap. “All right. So today. What are we doing?”
“I need a couple of hours to study,” Jana said. “Then I’m free.”
“We’ll do puzzles, then go play outside,” Magnolia announced. “By the time we want to come in, you should be done studying.”
Dex touched Magnolia’s nose. “Do I get a say?”
“Of course. If you have a better plan, we can do that.” Her tone indicated doubt that a better plan was possible.
Jana held in a smile as Dex pretended to consider his options.
“I think we should do puzzles for a while, then go play outside.”
Everyone laughed.
He stood. “All right, everyone grab a plate and take it into the kitchen. Then back to the family room for puzzles.”
When the kids were gone, Jana told herself to finish clearing, then she had to get started on her homework. Not that she was overly inspired, but it had to be done, and delaying only wasted time.
She’d reached for the bowl of strawberries when she caught sight of her brother’s concerned expression.
“What?” she asked.
He nodded toward the doorway. “Magnolia’s taking on too much again. She’s the oldest, and it’s a natural thing for her, but it’s not healthy. She shouldn’t have the responsibility.”
Jana knew her brother was right. “She makes it so easy. Every time there’s a decision to be made, she takes charge. She can’t help herself, and it’s difficult for us to stay on alert all the time.”
“I’m failing her.”
Jana stared at her brother. “Really? Is that where you’re going to go? Isn’t it a little early in the day for that much drama?”
She figured her brother would either sheepishly agree with her or get pissed. Teddy, being Teddy, grinned.
“Okay, maybe, but you get my point.”
“I do, and it’s a good reminder that we have to be more vigilant about not letting her run things. She needs to be a kid. She’s always been a responsible person, but it’s up to us to keep her from taking that trait too far. I’ll pay more attention, and I know you’ll do the same.” She softened her voice. “You know she’s doing good, right? She’s happy. Her grades are great. She has friends and goals and dreams.”
“I’m a natural born worrier. She’s my daughter.”
“You’re a good dad.”
“If I am, it’s because I learned from the best.”
She knew he meant their parents, and she agreed. Theirs hadn’t been a conventional upbringing, but they’d learned the most important lessons.
Once she and Teddy had cleared the table, she retreated to her desk to finish up her homework. She’d just booted up her laptop when her phone buzzed with a text.
Is this an okay time to talk?
* * *
Her mouth curved into a smile as she typed a quick Yes . Seconds later her phone rang.
“I didn’t know if you were having family time,” Rick said. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Because he was always so thoughtful. “Breakfast is done. I’m about to start studying.”
“Let me know if you ever need help with one of your subjects.” He gave a little chuckle. “I sort of did well in all of them.”
“Not a surprise, Mr. Straight A Student. I’m dating a nerd.”
“How do you feel about that?”
She smiled. “Really, really good.”
“I’m glad. So, I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to meet my sister. I was thinking dinner.”
Jana nearly dropped the phone. “What? I couldn’t. Rick, it’s way too soon for us to be meeting each other’s family.”
They’d been on all of three dates. Yes, each of them had been great, but they were still getting to know each other. Meeting family, even a sibling, implied a level of commitment they weren’t close to.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just… It’s too soon,” she repeated.
“I know we’re not there with each other. In our relationship.” He paused as if trying to figure out what to say. “It’s just, she’s my Teddy. She’s a big part of my life, and I’m hoping, well, I’m hoping that’s where you and I are going. I’m not suggesting I meet Linnie. That’s completely different. She’s a child, and this isn’t about that.”
While his argument was a little convoluted, she got what he was trying to say. He felt about his sister the way she felt about Teddy. In a way, he was being really sweet. Most guys would rather face a shark than admit they saw a relationship going somewhere, especially this early. But Rick didn’t play games. He put it all out there and dealt with the consequences. Plus she appreciated that he was being careful about her daughter.
“This is important to you,” she said.
“Yes.”
“Okay, we can have dinner with your sister.”
“For real?”
The delight in his voice made her smile. “Yes, for real.”
“Thanks, Jana. I’ll get something set up and get back to you. You’re the best.”
* * *
Beth tried to interest herself in dinner. Agatha was out with friends, so she was alone. Eating by herself had never been her favorite, yet she found herself doing it more and more. One of the good parts of being married had been having someone sitting across the table from her every night. She missed that. In fact, there were several things she missed about being in a relationship, so she should get serious about meeting someone.
In the past couple of weeks, she’d been trying to pay attention to her customers and figure out who was age-appropriate and single. While she could assess age fairly well, the whole “not involved with someone else” part was more of a challenge. If only people wore color-coded badges, she thought humorously. Forest green ones could indicate something like “single, straight and looking.” That would help her a lot.
She closed the refrigerator door and walked over to the drawer where Agatha kept the battered takeout menus. She could have something delivered, although lately she felt she had more of a relationship with the Uber Eats driver than was healthy. She knew the problem wasn’t actually about food as much as it was about her not having a personal life.
Beth stared at the menu, then shut the drawer. She wanted more, she admitted. She wanted connection. Even her brother was dating, although from the sound of it, the woman in his life was a promiscuous single mom searching for a life of ease. Which was very judgy but might not be inaccurate.
“Not the point,” she murmured as she walked into the dining room, where she eyed several headless mannequins wearing very skimpy crocheted bikinis. One of the tiny, nearly nonexistent scraps was done in fluorescent orange. As all Agatha’s work was custom and made to order, one of her clients obviously had a thing for the color.
“Better her than me,” she murmured, fingering the slender strap holding up the barely there top.
She returned her attention to her lack of dating problem. If she wanted someone to care about, then she needed to figure out how to start meeting people. As it was, she worked, she went to the food bank once a week and she was here. Where exactly was she supposed to meet a man or even make friends? Thank goodness she and Jana had started hanging out—she appreciated having a new friend in her life, but Jana didn’t solve the relationship problem.
Beth honestly had no idea what to do about that. She figured in a city the size of Los Angeles, there had to be ways for single people to meet, but wondered if, in the land of stars and beautiful people, she was too ordinary. There was a depressing thought. Should she—
Fortunately, just then, someone knocked on the front door. She headed over eagerly, happy for the distraction, only to find her brother standing on the front porch.
“Did I know you were coming by?” she asked, stepping back to let him in.
“No. I was heading home from the hospital and thought I’d stop by here first.” He smiled at her. “I knew you’d be here. You always come straight home after the store closes.”
She knew he was simply stating what he saw as a fact, but there was something in his words. Something…pathetic, she thought grimly. Because she did keep to a schedule, which made her what? Predictable? Boring? Neither of which was the point of Rick’s visit.
“Here I am,” she said lightly, leading the way to the family room, only to stop. “Wait, did you get dinner? Should I fix you something? Or we could order in.”
“I’m good.” He sat on the sofa and waited until she was seated in a club chair before adding, “I want to talk to you about the woman I’m dating.”
Ugh. Did they have to? That question was immediately followed by worry. “Did something happen? Does she want to borrow money?”
He frowned. “Beth, it’s nothing like that. She’s great, and you’re going to love her.”
Unlikely, Beth thought. In a perfect world, she would have nothing to do with the other woman, and Rick would end things in a few weeks.
“I want you to meet her,” he said, his tone earnest. “I want to bring her here for dinner.”
“What? Already? I thought you just met. How long have you been dating?”
“Only a few weeks.” His expression turned happy. “I really like her. You’re my family. I want you two to get to know each other.”
Of course he did, she thought grimly. Because that was who he was. “If you think it’s time, then let’s do it.”
“Yeah?” He sounded delighted. “Great.”
She held in a sigh. “I know you’re excited to be in a relationship, but you have to be careful. People aren’t always who they seem.”
“She’s exactly who I think she is,” he told her. “You don’t have to worry.”
“Worry comes with the job title.”
“Then you need to meet her. If she’s not who I think, you’ll figure that out, and you can warn me away.”
She liked the sound of that. “You promise you’ll listen?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I won’t promise I’ll act on what you say, but I’ll hear you out.” His humor faded. “I know you look out for me, but this time, you don’t have to. I swear.”
Beth hoped he was right, but she had her doubts. She supposed she should be grateful he wanted her to meet the new woman so quickly. If there was a problem, he might listen to her now rather than in, say, two or three months, when he was more emotionally involved.
He rose and walked toward her. She stood, and he hugged her.
“You’re the best,” he told her. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble for dinner. We can pick up something to go on the way.”
She shook her head. “I can figure something out.” The meal was the least of her concerns. The bigger problem was figuring out if the woman really cared about her brother or if she was only in it for what she could get.