Chapter Thirty-Two
Tug stood at the kitchen counter, making sandwiches for Paul, Amanda, and her crew. He loved feeding people, and these most of all. He hummed as he slathered peanut butter and jelly on bread for the kids and set them alongside the others—chicken salad topped with tomato, red onion, and romaine on kaiser rolls.
He stacked the sandwiches in the center of a platter, then sliced apples and added them, along with some clusters of red seedless grapes, for color around the edges.
That hukilau song was catchy. It had been on repeat in his head for a couple of weeks now, along with the wiggling hips that went with it. He danced over to the refrigerator to put the rest of the grapes back, throwing his arms out in the little net-casting motion on his way.
“Well, well,” Amanda said from the doorway. “Is that the hukilau you’re singing?”
“Not singing. Just humming.”
“And casting your net.”
“You make that sound naughty.”
“I call ’em like I see ’em. Paul warned me not to play matchmaker, but I guess you don’t need my help.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it?” Amanda hopped up on a stool at the butcher block. “Rosemary is very pretty.”
“She is. I noticed.” He grinned, refusing to look at Amanda. “Are you here to help or just give me a hard time?”
“I’m not giving you a hard time. I’m encouraging this!”
“Where is she?”
“She drove into town for something. She might stop by later. You’re enjoying your time with her, aren’t you?”
“She’s nice, but she’s also leaving town soon.” He sounded disappointed.
“Don’t be so sure,” Amanda said. “It’s not my place to say, but I think she’s seriously entertaining the idea of moving here.”
“And maybe not.”
“She’s welcome to stay longer at my place or as frequently as she likes,” Amanda said. “And after Paul and I get married, Paul’s place will be available. She’s got somewhere to hang her hat if she wants to.”
Tug hadn’t considered Paul putting his place up for sale. It would be perfect for Rosemary, but how could he mention it without getting her hopes up that he might mean something serious? He’d never been married. I might be too firmly established in my ways to ever promise anyone anything like that, but it sure would be nice for her to be around.
Amanda was waiting for him to respond, but he could wait her out.
“Do you need any help carrying that stuff out?” she finally said.
“No. I’ve got it.” He picked up the platter. “Amanda, maybe you should mention Paul’s place to Rosemary or take her over to see it. Maybe she’ll put two and two together on her own. It would be perfect for her.”
“I like the way you think, Tug.” Amanda snapped her fingers. “I can do that. And maybe you could at least tell her you like having her around.” She hopped down, giving him a playful grin over her shoulder as she turned to leave. “Just sayin’.”
Probably should. I sort of implied it already.
Lunch was quick. It always was when the kids were anxious to get down to the water to play.
“Tug and I are going to head down and help Fisher. Need any help getting anything down to the beach before we leave?” Paul asked.
“No. I’ll let the kids haul their own stuff. I’m just going to carry one of those lightweight beach chairs down if that’s okay, Tug.”
“Sure. You know where everything is.”
She went on tiptoe to kiss Paul on the neck. “Y’all have fun. We’ll be here when you get back. Want me to start something for dinner?”
“No,” Tug said. “I’ve already got hot dogs ready to roast over the firepit later. And s’mores.” He stopped and turned back to the refrigerator. “Almost forgot to bring the sandwich I made for Fisher. He loves my chicken salad.”
“We all do,” Amanda said. “But, Tug, what is it with you sugaring up my kids? S’mores? Really? Now that I know you’re capable of babysitting, I might make you pull duty when they get amped up over here by you.”
“Uh-oh.” Tug tucked his head and bolted for the door.
“You better run,” Paul said. “She’ll do it.”
Tug stopped and turned around. “Maybe just marshmallows tonight.”
“Good compromise.” Paul and Tug high-fived.
“Better.” Amanda gave him the okay sign.
Tug chuckled. “They were kind of hyper the other night,” he admitted as they walked out. “I guess the sugar could’ve been a factor.”
“Oh, it’s a real thing,” Paul said. “I never knew that until I’d been around them for a while.”
“Good to know.” Tug climbed into Paul’s truck, and they drove up to The Tackle Box. Fisher was already here. He’d been dedicated to keeping the bar open for his regular hours, even with slim inventory and no wall.
Tug went to pull the handle, but Paul stopped him. “Hey, I told Fisher that these temporary walls we’re going to help him put up were some leftover inventory from my northern Virginia location.”
“Why would you have temporary walls?”
“Just let him believe it, okay?” Paul looked sheepish. “You know he won’t accept help, and he’s a hard worker. I heard the insurance isn’t covering the damage.”
“None of it?”
“No, but it doesn’t matter. I want to do this. I told him he could teach Hailey and Jesse to surf in exchange.”
“That’s still very generous,” Tug said. “Not that I’m surprised. No worries. My lips are sealed.”
He and Paul walked over and took a shortcut to the bar through where the wall used to be. “Hey, Fisher.”
“Hey, guys. What can I get you?” Fisher grabbed two glasses and flipped them in the air.
“My usual,” Tug said.
“I’m good for now,” Paul said. “We just finished lunch.”
Fisher’s mouth dropped open.
Tug lifted a hand. “Don’t fret, boy. I brought you a sandwich too.” He tossed the tinfoil-wrapped sandwich, and Fisher caught it with one hand.
“Sweet. Thanks, man. I’m going to tuck this in the beer cooler until we’re done.” Fisher hung up his apron and jogged out to catch up with them at Paul’s truck.
It took all three of them to pull the huge boxes from the truck bed and lay them out.
The system was impressive. If he’d decided to reopen the diner, he might have opted for something similar on the gazebo for a more contemporary year-round solution. The hooking mechanism of the frames, which were made of lightweight aluminum, was well thought out. It was strong.
Paul jumped and did a pull-up from one of the frames. “Sturdy as it can be.” He hopped down.
Fisher lifted one of the vinyl panels. “Paul, this is super high quality. I didn’t expect it to be this nice. It looks brand new.”
“I made them pack it up just like they found it when we were done. It’s rated for high winds. I think the paper is in there. It should hold up even in a storm, but I’d clear everything out next hurricane and just open it up.”
“Good idea. I was thinking of creating a storage area so I can actually lock everything down when storms are coming through.”
“You could do that, or I bet you could get a utility trailer pretty cheap. You could park that in Paws or haul it inland super easy. Used ones they practically give away.”
“I’ll start keeping an eye out,” Fisher said.
“Yeah, if I see any, I’ll let you know. I’m forever running into them for sale. I just don’t need any more.” Paul started attaching the components to the rails so they could hang the vinyl.
The three of them worked quickly, but it still took the better part of three and a half hours to get the wall up. But when it was done, The Tackle Box had never looked better.
Fisher stood back. “This is incredible. Plus, I got a lot more space. I can put a couple of bistro tables there, or a dartboard. I owe you, man.”
“It looks good,” Tug said.
“It does, and it’s a perfect fit. That sure worked out.” Paul was playing it off like a pro. Had he not said anything to Tug, he might’ve believed it was old inventory too.
Fisher stepped over and shook Paul’s hand. “I think I’m going to owe you more than surf lessons, but I’m good for it.”
“Nope. We made a deal. A deal is a deal. I’m happy with it.”
“Well, I appreciate this and helping me put it up.”
“It would be hard to wrangle alone. It was like Twister with all three of us,” Tug added.
Fisher couldn’t look away from the new wall. “Looks like a whole new place. Sort of fancy even.”
“This is really generous,” Fisher said. “I’d like to do something to return the favor.”
“You can pony up some engagement celebration drinks,” Tug said. “Paul finally braved up and popped the question.”
“What?” Fisher seemed excited to be in on the secret. “I hadn’t heard.”
“I asked Amanda to marry me.”
“You did!” He smacked his hands together. “She’s a great lady. Congratulations.” Then he turned to Tug. “Speaking of ladies, what happened with that cute little redhead that came in trying to match you drink for drink without even knowing you only drink cherry limeade?”
Tug laughed.
“What is that?” Paul asked.
“Yeah, just before you dropped in that day, Rosemary showed up, and when Fisher asked what she wanted to drink, she said, ‘I’ll have what he’s having.’ She thought I was here drowning my sorrows and was going to rescue me.”
“Hysterical.”
“Should have seen her face when she took the first sip,” Fisher said. “It was the teensiest taste, and this look of surprise came over her. It was funny.”
“It was,” Tug agreed.
“What about Rosemary, Tug?” Paul leaned on the counter. “You two get along pretty well.” He turned to Fisher. “You know they fed the community from my parking lot.”
“Everyone is talking about it. I heard they’re a pretty good team. And she is the pretty part.” Fisher grinned.
“Okay, you two young buckaroos,” Tug said. “Lay off the old man. I don’t need to be poked fun at.”
“No one is poking fun,” Paul said. “I think you and Rosemary make a nice couple.”
“It was pretty clear she’s interested in you,” Fisher put in.
“They’ve been spending a lot of time together.” Paul was eager to grease the wheels. “They worked on his bucket list together.”
“You didn’t already have a bucket list?” Fisher said. “Man. I thought everyone had one.”
“Apparently I was the only one without one, but I’ve got one now.”
“Well, when you’re ready to do some traveling,” Paul said, “I’ve got a girl working out of the northern Virginia location that handles all the travel for Paws Town. She can hook you up with the best deal around. If it didn’t make your bucket list, one of my favorite places to visit is right up in the North Carolina mountains. That’s driving distance.”
“No, dude,” Fisher interrupted. “You have to go out west. It’s like the opposite of everything on this coast. The reds and browns. The mountains and huge rock structures will blow your mind.”
Tug felt flustered by the conversation. “The stuff on my list was fairly simple—well, except seeing the northern lights—and I doubt I’ll actually ever get to see them in my lifetime.”
“Sure you can,” Paul said. “Iceland, Alaska, Canada, even up in the northern United States. The trick is timing it just right to catch them.”
“I’d love to see that too,” Fisher said. “That would be amazing. Traveling to the national parks really gave me an appreciation for our beautiful country. Also confirmed I love the beach the most, which is why I came back. It was nice to visit those places but nicer to be home.”
“I’ve got The Wife to think about, and I don’t know…. At my age it just seems kind of crazy. I’ve never traveled before, so it’s not like I’m missing it.”
“Believe me. You are missing out,” Fisher said.
“You need to experience the beauty of America,” Paul chimed in. “Fisher is right. It’ll open your eyes and lift your patriotism. Makes me proud to be an American when I see the beauty we’re surrounded by.”
“I’m just a simple man. I’m not made of money either. I don’t even have a job, come to think of it.” Tug had a tidy savings, and if he did sell the oceanfront property, he’d be set to do whatever he liked. Probably more than he could even dream of, but it still felt out of reach.
Fisher stepped forward and planted his feet. “You could rent your house out while you’re traveling. I do that when I leave for a while. You’d be surprised how quickly houses on the beach get rented out. Even one like my little bungalow. Plus, I can help you manage it. I clean some rentals for a few of the big families down at our end of the beach. Been doing it for, like, five years now. You could get good money from your place. And I’d give you a deal on cleaning and readying it while you’re away.”
Tug never knew Fisher had anything else going on. “You do that in your spare time?”
“Yeah. My mom used to clean houses. I learned from the best. Doesn’t take long to clean those up, and they pay pretty darn good for it. I’d do yours for next to nothing, though. Or you could get one of those RVs. A lot of older people do that.”
Older? That struck him. It was different to refer to yourself as old. “Don’t know if I really see myself hauling a house around. Not my thing.”
“Yeah, and then you have to have somewhere to park it,” Fisher said. “Probably a bigger pain to do that.”
“Parking those monsters is probably a challenge,” Paul agreed. “I’d love to take Amanda and the kids on an RV trip across the country. I’ll need a big camper, though. Bunk beds for the kids. Bump-outs. I keep thinking maybe that would be a cool family honeymoon.” He paused. “Is that cheesy?”
Tug shook his head. “Not cheesy at all, but how about making it a second honeymoon? I can look after those kids for a while. Your wife deserves a real romantic honeymoon with her husband. She’s a mother every day. Make it special, then scoop up the whole family and do the second one. I think Amanda would love it, and I know the kids would.”
“Would it be presumptuous to plan it without including her?” Paul thought out loud. “You know, to surprise her? Are there rules about that?”
“You’re asking me? I’ve never been married,” Tug said.
“Me either. Don’t look at me for marriage advice,” Fisher said. “I’m more likely to walk in Tug’s footsteps and be a bachelor forever.”
“Ask Rosemary,” Tug said. “I bet she has great marriage advice. Or ask Google, or Siri, or Alexa. Lord, how many robots are telling us what’s right and wrong these days?”
“And are they right?” Fisher said, looking doubtful. “That’s the million dollar question. I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t have a face.”
“You don’t talk to Alexa?” Paul looked stunned.
“Nope.” Fisher was adamant. “That stuff seems a little too much like sci-fi to me. First, they tell you how to cook an egg. Fine. But then you ask for advice, and where are they getting that information? The internet is full of crazy stuff that is not true. And people believe it just because the robot says so.” He shook his head. “Not this guy. Nope.”
“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Tug said. “I gave in and put my lights on Alexa. I don’t know what the big deal is. If you ask me, it’s not that big of a step up from the Clapper light thing, and that was around in the eighties. This generation thinks they invented everything, but that two-clap light system was giving us automated lighting a long time ago.”
Paul groaned. “Oh, Tug. Don’t be telling people you had that cheesy clapper.”
“I’m surprised you even know what it is,” Tug said.
“I’m not that young. They were still popular in the nineties. My dad had one in his garage.”
“I can see you don’t really want to talk about the redhead,” Fisher said.
“Her name is Rosemary.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” Fisher said. “For what it’s worth, she seemed really nice. If I were about forty years older, we might be fighting over her. I think she’s the kind of lady a man dreams about having as a partner in life.”
Oh, I’ve been thinking about it. Pretty much all I’ve been thinking about. And then darn if that hukilau song didn’t start rolling through his head, and he could picture that little redhead hula dancer swiveling her hips.