Chapter 5
Jenna consulted the grocery list as she pushed the buggy through the produce section of Island Foods. Bananas? Her mom hated bananas. She stopped by the fruit stand and picked up a bunch.
Five bananas. Would Gordon be staying long enough to eat a whole bunch of bananas? The niggle of discomfort told her she already
knew the answer. But she pushed the thought from her head and wheeled on. She had to get Mom alone tonight and ask some questions.
Jenna worked quickly through the produce and meat sections, moving on to the interior of the store, where she picked up bread,
pasta, and cereal. She was looking for the oatmeal her mom preferred when she heard a familiar voice.
“Jenna Greene, is that you, honey?” Her former boss beamed as she headed Jenna’s way.
“Miss Molly! It’s so good to see you.” They exchanged a hug. The woman was Jenna’s height and she still had the same wiry
strength she’d always possessed. She wore the same black glasses, but her oval face had collected a few new wrinkles, and
her short hair was now fully gray.
“Are you back home now?”
Islanders always assumed that when she visited. It sometimes frustrated her because she’d been so determined to make something of herself. But it hit a little differently this time since her plans seemed to have gone up in smoke. “Just for the weekend, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, pooh. I’ve missed you. Why did you have to go away and educate yourself?”
Jenna chuckled. Miss Molly ran the island’s premier kayak touring company. Jenna had been a guide every summer since she turned
sixteen and until she left for Georgetown University. “Not all of us can build a business with nothing more than four kayaks
and sweat equity.”
“And look where it’s got me! I’m sixty-eight and trying to wrangle eighteen high schoolers and a packed summer schedule. They
think if they memorize the spiel that’s good enough. I’ll tell you, today’s youth just don’t have the passion for this island’s
history. If only I could’ve cloned you. Some days I think I should just sell the business and be done with it.”
“Like you’ll ever hang up those paddles.”
“It’s a lot of aggravation these days, that’s what it is.”
“Well, I know for a fact you can get those youngsters in line. You were always quite capable of inspiring me.”
“That’s because you’re smart and ambitious and had a care about this island. Well, enough about me. How’s life in Alexandria
and that boyfriend of yours?”
Jenna winced. “Oh, you haven’t heard. We’re not seeing each other anymore.”
“Good.” Miss Molly gave a sharp nod. “Never liked him.”
Jenna laughed. “You only met him one time.”
“And I didn’t like him. Seemed arrogant and like he didn’t know what he had in you. You’re better off without him.”
“Well, thank you, Miss Molly. I appreciate that.”
“And how’s that Tyson doing? I was so upset to hear about Britt up and leaving him last year. He’s such a nice young man.”
“Don’t you worry—he’s doing just fine without her. It’ll be good to spend some time with him.”
“You two always were thick as thieves.”
“He’s a good friend. And how is Mr. Paul doing? Still fishing every second he can?”
“Same as always. We did a little traveling to see the grandbabies during the winter, and that was wonderful. They’re growing
up too fast. How’s your mama? I saw her at bingo a few months ago and wondered why she never seems to age. Maybe you can find
out her secret and pass it on to me.”
“You’re as gorgeous as ever. And for what it’s worth, I think Mom’s just got good genes.”
“Lucky you then.”
“Here’s hoping. Did you know she just returned from a Caribbean cruise with Pam and Ellen? I’m restocking her pantry as we
speak.”
“Oh, I’ll bet that was a hoot.” She gave her glasses a push. “Well, I’d better scoot. Paul’s mint chip ice cream is melting.
You tell your mama hi for me.”
“Sure thing, Miss Molly. Tell Mr. Paul I said hello.”
After they parted ways, Jenna finished up the list and paid using her mom’s credit card. It was dark as she returned to the
house. It felt odd knowing a strange man would be staying overnight. To her knowledge a man hadn’t spent the night since her
dad passed away.
He must be rolling over in his grave right now.
He’d been gone fifteen years. When Jenna had turned twenty-four, the birthday hit her like a two-by-four.
She’d officially lived as many years without him as she had with him.
She’d been a daddy’s girl through and through, and losing him had been the kind of trauma no twelve-year-old should have to face.
Jenna shook away the sad thought as she approached the house. She had to figure out what was going on with this Gordon guy.
He was attractive for his age and seemed congenial enough. But anyone could put on a good face for one measly week. What kind
of man moved this quickly? And what was wrong with her mom that she trusted so easily? Hadn’t she learned to be more cautious?
Apparently not.
Jenna had no more stopped the car than Gordon was scurrying down the porch steps and insisting on carrying the groceries.
She was happy to accommodate as this might give her a few minutes alone with her mother.
Jenna found Mom in the laundry room, transferring a load from the washer to the dryer. “Oh good, you’re back. Thanks for running
to the grocery store, honey.”
“Happy to help.”
Gordon’s footsteps sounded as he entered the house, then grocery bags rattled as he set them down in the kitchen.
“I ran into Miss Molly at the store. She’s as sassy as ever.”
“She’s something else. She stays in such good shape. I bet you’ll be the same way.”
Jenna had always been the active and outdoorsy type. But she’d gotten away from that recently. Her office job kept her indoors
and Jason hadn’t really been very sporty. He’d been more interested in art and culture.
The sound of Gordon’s retreating footsteps reached her ears, followed by the slap of the screen door.
“So how did Gordon end up coming here instead of flying home?”
“Oh, you know how it is. We just weren’t ready to part ways, and it was easy enough for him to change his flight.”
Jenna bit her lip as she carefully considered her response. “And you feel you know him well enough to have him here at the
house?”
“Of course. You’d be surprised how well you can know someone after all the time we spent together. I feel like I’ve known
him all my life.” She shoved the last of the load into the dryer.
“It’s just . . . this isn’t really like you, Mom. You don’t bring home strange men. I’ve never known you to bring home a man
at all.”
“You needn’t be concerned. Gordon’s harmless. And he’s staying in the garage apartment, for heaven’s sake. It’s all perfectly
proper.”
Well, Jenna was glad of that at least. Her mom had renovated the apartment over the winter with hopes of renting it out. “I
thought it wasn’t finished just yet.”
“It only lacks a few pieces of furniture and all the extra touches. But he’s a man—give him a bed and a shower and he’s good
to go. After that tiny ship cabin, he’s living large.”
When the slap of the screen indicated Gordon’s return, Jenna lowered her voice. “Do you know how long he’ll be staying?”
Mom gave her a look intended to convey that Jenna was treading on thin ice. “We haven’t exactly set a deadline. We’re just
playing it by ear.”
“He doesn’t have a job to return to?”
“Jenna, enough. He’s retired. And I’m well beyond the age of being interrogated about my love life.” Mom shut the dryer door and started
the cycle. “Now, I’m going to help Gordon put away the groceries and get supper started. Did you already have something to
eat?”
“I had a burger on the way.”
“All right then.” Mom squeezed her arm and offered a warm smile. “It’s good to have you home, honey.”
“Good to be home, Mom.”
Except home now seemed to come with a strange man who had no immediate plans to leave and unspecified intentions toward her mother.
The familiar creak of the porch swing soothed Jenna’s nerves. It had been hanging out here as long as she could remember and
bore so many coats of white paint that the slats sported rounded edges.
She’d spent many summer evenings out here with Dad, listening to the night sounds, smelling the lilac bushes and scent of
the ocean. She’d gotten her love of the outdoors from him. Mom didn’t mind a walk in the woods or a day at the beach. But
she preferred the indoors to the heat of summer and all the mosquitoes and flies that came with it.
Across the street The Sand and Saddle B and B glowed. The white clapboard farmhouse boasted black shutters and a front porch
wide enough for an entire family. An American flag angled from a post, fluttering in the breeze. A porch light illuminated
the broad stairs leading to a welcoming entryway. How many times had she run up those steps and knocked on that door?
She’d always been welcomed into the Parkers’ happy, chaotic home. The couple and their three sons had moved in as she was
starting sixth grade. She formed a tentative friendship with the boys—especially Tyson. He was in her grade at school, but
they’d never known each other well. Like most elementary kids, Jenna hung with her girlfriends and Ty with his guy group.
Then, several months after the Parkers moved in across the street, her dad had died unexpectedly, and her whole world turned upside down.
The shock of loss was as cruel as it was confusing.
The pain of missing him was a deep-down ache no one could even touch, much less fix.
Though her mom tried. But she was grieving too, and that seemed like one more pain than Jenna could bear.
She navigated the days afterward in some kind of trance. Learned that most people didn’t know what to say or do, so they said
and did nothing.
Except the Parkers.
They wrapped their arms around Jenna and her mom, literally and metaphorically. They brought meals and shopped for groceries