23. Jonah
“Lawson!”
Jonah looked up from the cold app plate he was preparing in the far corner of the Driftwood kitchen, seeing his line chef, a sweet Puerto Rican named Luis, coming closer.
Oh, man. Were his last two orders of crudo that bad? Because…they weren’t great.
Nothing Jonah had done since the minute he’d said goodbye to Pepper five days—and four hours—ago had been great.
“Yes, Chef?” He met the other man’s gaze but didn’t know this dude well enough yet to read his expressions.
“We’re slow. You can go. Sorry, but Saturdays on the line are hit or miss, and with that storm? It’s a miss. We don’t have the reservations to keep you here.”
Jonah nodded, fully expecting the early dismissal. It was a good thing, frankly, since he had no nanny and Connor and Meredith had kindly stepped in to babysit on what was supposed to be their “date night.”
“Should I finish this order?” he asked.
“We’ve got it covered. See you Monday, my friend.”
Jonah was out of his apron, cleaned up, and headed back to the Summer House before six.
Six o’clock on a Saturday…he knew what that meant. Pepper was at Sunset Shores.
He wasn’t surprised his mind went straight to her. It was the only place it had gone this past week when he wasn’t working—classes had been canceled—or getting status reports on Jo Ellen’s progress, which were shockingly good.
True to her word, Pepper hadn’t taken his calls, but she had answered his two texts with kind but brief responses. He even broke all the rules and sent a picture of Atlas—clearly the act of a desperate man—and all she did was give it a stupid heart in the corner.
As he opened the front door, he heard his son gurgle and Meredith laugh, which did help a little.
“Where’s my boy?” he called.
“I’m right here,” Connor answered from the kitchen in hilarious falsetto.
Laughing, he came around the entryway wall to find them both at the island, Atlas in his bouncy seat, being fed and adored by the two of them.
“You’re home early,” his sister said, holding the tiny spoon aloft. “We’re having bananas and the green bean mush you made for dinner.”
Atlas kicked at the sight of him and gave a gummy, green bean smile.
“Hey, champ.” Jonah leaned between their barstools and kissed his son’s head. “Not sure why they call it ‘solid’ food, huh, buddy?”
He giggled and opened wide for the next bite, which came from Connor, who was handling the bananas.
“Sorry for killing your Saturday night,” Jonah said, dumping his backpack on the table. “You’re free to check out any time. Thanks for the coverage.”
“We’re fine,” Connor said, sliding the spoon under Atlas’s lip to catch some goo that didn’t make the mouth. He threw an affectionate look at Meredith. “This is surprisingly fun.”
Oh, boy. Now they were going to fall in love and he…he was miserable, alone, depressed, and…yeah, alone.
“Where is everyone? Hospital?”
“Eli and Kate are,” Meredith said. “And Maggie. Vivien and Peter just took a walk on the beach. Emma went to her new church friend’s house for a game night.”
“Latest on Jo?” he asked.
Meredith beamed. “Looks like she’s coming home tomorrow,” she said. “Can you believe that?”
“That’s incredible,” Jonah said, meandering to the fridge to open, browse, see nothing of interest, and close it. He turned around to find Meredith staring at him with that look—the all-knowing, more mature even though she was younger, Miss Perfect gaze he’d been getting most of his life.
“What?” he demanded.
She angled her head. “Jonah, come on. Talk to us.”
“About?”
“What’s eating you,” she said. “You’ve been morose since Pepper quit. You’ll find another nanny and we don’t mind…” Her voice trailed off as she straightened. “Are you crying?”
“No!” he denied hotly, blinking. “I just…onions from work.”
She angled her head, suddenly looking so much like their mother, it hurt him physically.
She was Melissa 2.0 with the same hair, the same eyes, and as she got older, an identical way of carrying herself. It made him want to tell her everything.
“She didn’t quit,” he said glumly, dropping onto the barstool on the side of the island.
Connor’s head shot up from the banana bowl. “You fired her?”
“No, no. She…” He looked from one to the other, knowing he was seconds from vomiting out a sob story and he’d not only have to trust his sister, he’d be giving a lot of leverage to this new dude in her life. Well, he needed help. Bad. “We broke up.”
They both stared at him.
“Excuse me?” Meredith finally asked. “You were…seeing each other?”
“Early days,” he said. “But it was complicated. Really, really complicated. She has a…thing.” Was he going to share that, too? It wasn’t his to share. “A reason—a really dumb one, if you ask me—and thinks we shouldn’t, you know, take it any further.”
His sister looked like she wanted to crawl on her hands and knees over the island and squeeze the story out of him.
“What…kind of thing?”
He studied her for a moment, remembering the ectopic pregnancy and the fact that they had no explanation for it. She knew—and maybe Connor knew—that it could happen again. Meredith had no guarantee of having a baby, but she hadn’t made it some big fat wall that prevented her from loving someone.
“Look, it’s personal and I can’t give details, but she can’t have kids. And she thinks…that’s a dealbreaker.”
“Why?” Connor asked. “You have a child and she loves Atlas.”
“I know, but she thinks I’ll want more.” He shook his head.
“And when I tried to convince her that it didn’t matter, that I really cared about her, and we had something real…she said that’s what her last guy told her and then he bolted and broke her heart.
So, she said she wanted to go back to New Orleans and… I don’t know. Give me up.”
“Oh.” Meredith put her fingers over her lips. “She’s crazy about you.”
Jonah gave a dry laugh. “Strange way of showing it.”
He looked at Connor, who just lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know, dude. But this girl?” He put a hand on Meredith’s shoulder. “Is the smartest person I ever met. I’d listen to her.”
Jonah curled his lip. “No wonder you like him, Miss Perfect.”
“I do like him.” Meredith leaned into him, joyous in a way Jonah hadn’t seen for a long time. It looked great on her. “He’s obviously very wise, too, and discerning. Also cute. And…” She looked at Connor. “He’s the best secretary I ever had.”
“Shut it, boss.” He leaned in and gave her a light kiss.
“Do you mind?” Jonah demanded. “My heart’s broken here.”
“Only because, once again, you’re an idiot,” Meredith said blithely. “Blind, clueless, and dumb.”
“Thank you, sweet sister. Care to enlighten me?”
She put the green beans down and leaned closer to him. “She loves you.”
Jonah’s mouth dropped just like Atlas, who wanted food.
“I mean it!” Meredith insisted. “She sacrificed a great guy, a true love, and an adorable child for your happiness.”
Jonah considered that, but…why would she? “That doesn’t make sense. Why not just take the package and be happy?”
“Because she loves you,” Meredith said again. “She wants you to be happy. She wants you to have a full life. She wants you to win the lottery of love. And she’s willing to walk away so you have a chance for that. Sorry, but that’s love.”
A chill danced up Jonah’s spine. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” she said with that annoying confidence she had when they were both studying math at the kitchen table and she was doing calculus rings around him.
“What should I do?”
Connor airplaned another bite into Atlas’s mouth. “Go get your girl,” he said quietly.
“Go get…”
“Oh, yes!” Meredith practically cooed. “You need a good ‘run to the gate at the airport’ scene. You know, when they’re going two different ways on those moving things, admitting they were wrong—”
“And he has to jump over security and throw himself on the mercy of some nasty flight attendant and win the day?” Connor added. “That’s the best.”
“And everyone cheers!” Meredith looked at Connor with unabashed adoration. “Doesn’t it just make you want to watch a rom-com right this minute?”
“Would you two hold up for a second?” Jonah stood. “How do I know when she’s going to the airport?”
They looked at each other and started laughing.
“I told you,” she whispered. “He’s not smart but he can cook.”
“Meredith!” Jonah hit the counter loud enough to startle Atlas. “I’m sorry, bud, but I’m dying here.”
Connor held up a hand in apology. “You’re right, man. We’re kidding. Go get your girl.”
“Now?”
“Don’t wait,” Meredith said. “Go drive to her house—”
“She’s not there.” He straightened as the idea hit, the place, the moment, the very possibility. “But I know where she is.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Meredith asked. “And don’t forget a good speech. You got to bring the audience to their feet and the girl to her knees.”
“A speech?” He stared at Atlas. “I don’t need a speech. I need my wingman. Come on, Atlas. We’re going to Sunset Shores.”
“What’s that?” Meredith asked.
“An old age home with a built-in audience, a dance floor, and music where she teaches cute old people to waltz.” He unsnapped Atlas’s belt. “Put that in your rom-com pipe and smoke it.”
“Hold up, bro,” Connor said, hand on Atlas. “Let him finish eating. Go take a shower. You smell like fish. It’ll ruin everything.”
He looked from one to the other, suddenly seeing them—maybe the whole world—in a bright, hopeful light.
“You two belong together, you know that?”
They looked at each other and smiled, making Jonah think that just like everything else in life, Meredith had this all figured out.
Jonah turned onto the palm-lined drive of Sunset Shores and parked in the visitor lot, rolled up the windows, and took a deep breath. He’d been here once before, not that long ago, when Pepper had brought Atlas here so he could do the Driftwood kitchen test.
He’d asked her to be his nanny that day.
He’d ask her to be his girlfriend today.
And, someday, maybe he’d get on one knee in this place. Who knew? Maybe Sunset Shores was magic.