Chapter 9 #2
“You guys might have to learn to cook,” I said.
“I know how to make some things already,” Adelaide boasted. “I can make nachos, fruit kebabs, and Pop Tarts.”
Ari brought the check and glanced at Veronica’s untouched Belgian waffle. “Did she . . . have to go?”
“Yeah, because Dad hurt her feelings,” said Owen.
“I’m going to apologize,” I said, giving Owen a dirty look. “As soon as we find her.”
“She’s going to be our new nanny,” announced Adelaide.
Ari smiled. “She seems like she’ll be a really fun nanny.”
“Did you know that’s our uncle’s picture on the wall over there?” Adelaide pointed to Dash’s black and white headshot, which was signed, To everybody back home at Moe’s, Dash Buckley. “He’s a TV star.”
The smile slid off her face as Ari glanced at the wall behind her. “Yeah. I know your uncle.”
“Don’t you like him?”
“Everybody likes Dashiel Buckley. He told me that himself.” Ari grabbed the check and my credit card. “I’ll take that up for you.”
I nodded, wondering if something had gone on between Mabel’s best friend and Dash at some point. “Thanks.”
“So where should we look?” Owen asked when we were standing on the sidewalk outside Moe’s.
Shielding my eyes from the sun, I looked down the block to the right and left. Downtown was always busy on Sundays, and Main Street was crowded with people ducking in and out of shops and restaurants or strolling down toward the harbor with cups of coffee.
I remembered how Veronica had remarked yesterday that she hadn’t seen it yet—and how she wanted to at least taste some fudge before she left town. “Come with me,” I told the kids. “I have an idea.”
They followed me into the nearest fudge shop, where I let them each choose a small piece—chocolate peanut butter for Owen and chocolate mint for Adelaide. For Veronica, I purchased plain vanilla, wishing there was some way to add sprinkles to it.
As the kids munched on their unexpected treat—I didn’t normally let them have dessert at ten a.m.—we walked to the corner and turned onto Spring Street, which sloped down toward the harbor.
After crossing Bayview Road, we stood at the foot of Waterfront Park, which was packed with picnicking families, dog walkers, joggers, and couples stretched out on blankets beneath the shade of a huge maple tree. Behind the lenses of my aviator sunglasses, my eyes scanned the crowd. Was she here?
“I see her!” Owen shouted, pointing toward the seawall.
“Where?”
“Over there—sitting on the rocks.”
I followed the direction of his finger and spotted the pale blond hair blowing in the breeze. My pulse picked up. “Okay. I don’t want you two near the water. Can you stay here please? Under this tree?”
“I think we should talk to her too,” Adelaide said. “What if you hurt her feelings again?”
“Then she won’t be our nanny and we’ll be stuck with you all the time,” Owen added.
“I’m not going to hurt her feelings again,” I said impatiently. “Now stay here.”
They groaned, but I held up one hand. “Listen, I just bought you guys fudge after breakfast. Give me a break.”
They exchanged a look that served as an agreement and plopped down beside the tree. “Fine,” Adelaide said, “but don’t mess this up.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Turning around, I took a deep breath and approached the seawall.
Veronica was sitting on one of the bigger boulders, staring out at the bay, her arms wrapped around her knees. Carefully, I made my way over to her and dropped down on the large, flat rock beside her.
It was windy by the water, so she might not have heard me approach, but when she didn’t even look over at me after I sat down, I knew I was being ignored.
“Hey,” I said.
She didn’t answer. Just pushed her sunglasses up her nose.
They were round and oversized, like a movie star might have worn several decades ago.
In fact, she could have been a movie poster sitting there by the water in her fancy outfit, the sun glinting off the gold in her hair. My heart began to beat faster.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Fine.”
I adjusted my hat and looked out at the sailboats and cabin cruisers in the harbor.
The Pier Inn Marina was to our right, and out on the restaurant’s deck, people sat enjoying brunch under huge striped umbrellas.
To our left was the unimpeded view of the water offered to the giant homes along Bayview Road.
Lighthouse Point curved out into the bay just beyond the marina, each house boasting its own dock lined with water toys—boats, jet skis, giant inner tubes, dinghies.
At the tip of the peninsula stood the lighthouse itself, looking pretty much the same as it had since it was built in 1884—white-painted bricks, windows on all four sides, the keeper’s two-story brick dwelling beside it.
Things were slow to change in Cherry Tree Harbor.
And we had a historical preservation committee that liked to keep every stone, tree, and brick just as it always had been for the last one hundred and fifty years.
People liked to complain about that whenever they wanted to modernize their home or business, but I sort of understood it. I was resistant to change too.
And I had a feeling the woman next to me could change everything.
I pushed that fear aside and focused on the task at hand. “You missed breakfast.”
“I wasn’t hungry anymore.”
“So you probably don’t want this fudge I got for you.”
She looked down at the bag I held out. “What kind is it?”
“Vanilla. They didn’t have any sprinkles—I asked.”
She didn’t laugh. “No, thank you.”
“Come on, Veronica. I’m trying to apologize.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Because usually an apology sounds like ‘I’m sorry’ and not just ‘I got you some fudge.’”
“I’m sorry.”
Now she pushed her glasses to the top of her head and looked me in the eye. “For what?”
“For making you feel bad about last night. The truth is, I do feel guilty about taking advantage of you in a vulnerable moment, but that’s not why I kissed you.”
Apparently finding me sincere, she replaced her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “Thank you. I accept your apology.” She held out one hand. “And your fudge.”
Relieved, I gave her the bag.
She reached inside, took out the slice, and bit off a piece. “Mmm. Want some?”
I started to say no, but she held it up for me to take a bite right from her fingers. As it melted in my mouth, I thought, This is what she would taste like right now if I kissed her—creamy, buttery, sweet. My insides twisted like a corkscrew. “Thanks.”
“So what’s your favorite fudge flavor?” she asked.
“I don’t eat many sweets.”
“But you must indulge sometimes.”
“Not often. I’m pretty disciplined.”
She took another bite of fudge. “What do you do for fun?”
“I make furniture.”
“But that’s still work,” she pointed out. “I meant in your spare time.”
“I spend all my spare time with my kids.”
“You don’t do anything just for you? Like, to let off steam?”
“I run, if I have the time. I used to have a motorcycle, but I sold it when the twins were born.”
“Jeez. You are all work, no play.”
“Who said that about me?” I asked testily. “Mabel?”
“Actually, it was Ari.”
I rolled my eyes. “Same difference. She’s like the second little sister I never asked for.”
“You’re lucky. I wish I had one little sister.” Veronica sighed and focused her attention out over the bay again before tilting her face to the sun. “It’s so beautiful here.”
I admired the curve of her throat. “Then stay for the summer.”
“I’m not sure I should, Austin.”
“Why not? Did you get a better offer since I last saw you?”
“No,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”
“You’re wanted here. Jesus, everyone you’ve met adores you—my kids, my siblings, even crusty old Larry.”
She paused, looking at me sideways. “What about you? Do you like me?”
“Yes. As a friend.”
Her brows peeked over the tops of her sunglasses. “A friend, huh?”
“Yes, Veronica. If you stay, we’ll be friends.”
“My friends call me Roni.”
“Roni.” I took a deep breath and counted to five. This woman could test the patience of a monk. “Will you take the job?”
“I’m considering it. But maybe I should ask you some questions first.”
I ran a hand over my jaw and glanced back at the kids—they were right where I’d left them, licking their fingers. “Like what?”
“Do you have a criminal record?”
“No.”
“Are you going to make me use a chore chart?”
“Maybe.”
“Will you fire me if I serve fried bologna sandwiches every night?”
“Definitely.”
“Good to know.” She nodded succinctly. “I accept your offer. Of employment and friendship.”
“Thank you,” I said, although I wasn’t sure why I should thank her when it was me doing something for her. “We can go over your duties, the schedule, and payment when we get back to the house.”
“Deal.”
I stood up, then offered her a hand, which she accepted, although she was remarkably sure-footed as she made her way over the rocks.
“Mabel offered you the use of her car for the summer,” I said when I reached the grass where she waited for me.
“Oh, that’s so sweet.” We began walking toward the tree where the kids were scrambling to their feet.
“And we should get you a new phone number right away. I need to be able to contact you. And set up a bank account.”
“Okay.” Veronica waved at the kids, who came running over.
“I found you first!” Owen yelled happily. He had chocolate all over his mouth.
“I’m so glad you did.” She ruffled his hair, then pulled a package of wipes from her bag and gave him one. “Here. You’ve got a fudge beard and mustache going.”
“Do I look like my dad?”
She laughed. “Exactly like him.”
“Are you going to be the new nanny?” Adelaide asked.
“Yes.” She stood tall and saluted. “Roni Sutton, nanny, reporting for duty.”
“Dad, can we show Roni the lighthouse?” Owen asked as he wiped his mouth and chin.
“Okay, but not the inside tour.” I checked my watch. “I promised your Uncle Xander I’d help him out with something this afternoon.”
“But the inside tour is the best,” Adelaide whined. “You get to see where the keeper lived, the bedrooms and kitchen and everything. And you get to climb the stairs and look out from the top!”
“I know, but we have to get Veronica a new phone, and it’s already—”
“Come on, Daddy, don’t be a stick in the mud.” My daughter turned to Veronica and said, “That’s what Aunt Mabel calls him when he doesn’t want to do something fun.”
“Or a party pooper.” Owen giggled at saying one of his favorite words. “We call him that a lot too.”
“He can’t be that bad,” said Veronica, winking at me. “I bet he’s fun when he wants to be.”
They took her by the hands and pulled her in the direction of the lighthouse, leaving me standing there wondering if I’d just made the best decision ever or the biggest mistake of my life.