Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Marshall
I ate a quick lunch with Saylor before Hayden came outside and asked if she'd show her how to use the graphic-design program. Hayden brought her laptop with her, and they quickly set up on the table.
In the kitchen, I took care of the dirty dishes, pleased that Hayden was interested in something besides her phone and her room.
Hopefully, this summer was going to be better than I thought. Maybe double-booking this cottage with the girl I used to love was going to be smooth sailing.
When I decided to leave my career in the military, I had visions of long days at the beach, minigolfing, and dinners at the local restaurants with Hayden.
There'd be plenty of family events interspersed in there too.
But so far, my family had given us space, and Hayden wasn't interested in quality time with her father.
I carefully rinsed each plate and set them in the dishwasher, keeping an eye on Hayden and Saylor through the window. Their heads were bowed over Saylor's laptop, but I couldn't see what was on the screen.
Saylor was talking animatedly with her hands, and Hayden was nodding. Maybe I should take Saylor up on her suggestion about introducing Hayden to other teenagers on the island.
I sent a text to the family message chain, hoping someone would have a suggestion. It was Hudson who responded first and suggested I talk to Saylor's grandmother, Blaire. Apparently, she knew everyone in the area and could give us some direction.
Grateful for the advice, I typed out a thanks and sat on the couch to read my book.
Between Saylor's advice and my research, I was feeling more confident about tackling this teenager thing.
I'd always wanted a sibling for Hayden, but my relationship with Billie wasn't a long-term thing.
Neither of us wanted more, and now her mother had met someone new and had twin five-year-old boys.
I'd read that one parent starting another family could be difficult for a child, but Hayden hadn't given any indication of that. Instead, she usually spoke of her brothers with affection in her voice.
I must have nodded off because when the sliding door opened, I startled awake. I swung my legs around so that my feet were flat on the floor and scrubbed a hand over my face.
I heard someone come into the room. When I lifted my head, Saylor stood in front of me. "My grandmother has requested our presence this evening. She wants us to take her out to dinner so we can discuss our"—she used quotes with her hands—"living arrangements."
I frowned. "Why would we need to do that?"
"She wants to talk to the man who's living with me." Saylor's eyes danced with amusement.
"We're not living together, at least not like that."
"I know that, and you know that, but my grandmother loves creating drama. If you want your rental to be confirmed, we have to meet with her, and she wants us to take her out to dinner."
It sounded like no wouldn't be a good answer, and I wanted this house. "Fine."
"We have to pick her up at the senior center and take her to her favorite restaurant."
"I can do that."
"She wants Hayden to be there too."
"Are you serious?" Does her grandmother know anything about teenage girls? It was impossible to get them to do anything, and I wasn't sure I could ensure she'd be on good behavior.
"I explained the situation to Hayden, and she wants to meet her. I'm going to get ready." Saylor disappeared upstairs, and I knocked softly on Hayden's closed door.
Hayden spending time with Saylor outside this afternoon was a marked improvement over hiding out in her room.
A few seconds later, the door swung open. Hayden stood in front of me, her earbuds in her ears, and her phone in her hands. This was a familiar look for her.
I waited for her to remove an earbud. "Saylor talked to you about dinner?"
"Uh-huh."
"We'll leave in a few minutes. Be on your best behavior. Apparently, we need Blaire to approve our rental."
Hayden rolled her eyes. "I know."
Before I could respond to that, the door was closed in my face. The few signs of life I'd seen from Hayden lately could be directly attributed to Saylor's influence. I needed this house, and as much as I hated to admit it, I needed Saylor's help with my daughter.
I headed upstairs to put on an unwrinkled button-down shirt and waited for Saylor to get out of the bathroom so I could wash up. When I was done, I headed downstairs to find Hayden sitting on the couch, waiting with Saylor. Both wore sundresses.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked, trying not to be impressed that Hayden had dressed nicely for dinner without me prodding her.
Saylor stood. "We need to swing by the senior center to pick up my grandmother."
I grabbed the keys from the table by the front door.
We piled into the truck, Hayden sliding into the back seat and her face bowed over her phone. She was probably listening to music.
"Thanks for being a good sport about this. My grandmother can be pushy," Saylor said as we backed out of the driveway.
"We want the house."
"Are you sure you're okay with me staying in the cottage?" Saylor asked, her brow furrowed.
"Hayden likes you." It was something I'd come to terms with over the last twenty-four hours. As much as I wanted to think I could do this father thing on my own, Saylor was giving me a huge assist.
"I don't know about that—" Saylor said, sneaking a look at Hayden in the back seat.
"Trust me. She does. I haven't seen her interested in anything since I came home. She's upset that I moved her here to begin with."
Saylor gave me a dubious look. "She didn't want to come to an island for the summer?"
"I took her away from her friends, and from what I understand, there's no greater sin for a teen girl."
Saylor laughed. "I guess you're right. I remember how important my friends were to me at that age. Everything felt huge then."
"We have to convince your grandmother that this arrangement will work for both of us."
Saylor shook her head. "I'm going to apologize for my grandmother in advance. I'm fairly sure she wants to determine whether you'd be a good match for me."
I looked over at her. "What?"
Saylor gazed out the side window. "She likes to meddle in my business, and she's worried about me."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"She probably has some romantic notion in her head that you could be the one for me." Saylor used her fingers in quotes again and then continued. "But don't worry. I'm not looking for anything to happen. I'm here for the summer, and then I'm going back to my life in Jacksonville."
"Doesn’t your grandmother know we were together that summer?"
"She knew we spent time together, but we never discussed how I felt." Saylor gazed out the window, and I wondered what that meant.
It wasn't like I'd talked to my family about her either.
"Is there anything else I should know about Blaire before we meet with her?" I wasn't looking forward to being questioned by her grandmother.
"She knows everything that goes on in town, so don't tell her anything you don't want to get around the island."
"I'm fairly sure that nothing we do is interesting."
"Trust me, booking the cottage for the same time period is the best gossip she's had in ages. I'm sure she's created all sorts of romantic scenarios in her head."
"If you just got out of a relationship, why would she be pushing you into another one?" I asked, hoping she'd give me some information about her ex.
"She assumes Flynn wasn't right for me, and I just need to find the man who is. She's a romantic at heart, and she wouldn't hesitate to meddle if she suspected something was going on between us."
I wasn't sure what to make of this situation.
"Just be careful with Blaire. She'll use anything she can find against us."
"You make it sound so ominous," I said as I pulled up to the curb at the senior center.
Saylor shot me a smile. "I'm sure it will be fine."
I got out to help Saylor assist her grandmother into the front passenger seat of the truck.
Blaire smiled when she saw me, holding her hand out for me to shake. "It's nice to see you."
"Saylor’s told me a lot about you."
"All good things, I'm sure," Blaire said as she made her way to my truck. "My, my, this is a huge vehicle."
"We should have brought Saylor's car—" I began.
Blaire waved her hand. "This is fine."
I helped her into the truck and then waited for Saylor to get in the backseat with Hayden. "Where to?"
"Trader's, of course," Blaire said from the front seat, and no one contradicted her.
I wondered if she directed her friends the same way. Everyone rushed to do her bidding. I needed her to approve this rental agreement so I could enjoy the summer with my daughter.
When we got to the restaurant, Saylor assisted Blaire to the front door, and I had a chance to ask Hayden to remove her earbuds. "I know you're not happy about being here. But we're not going to find a better rental. We're on the beach with a pool?—"
"Yeah, yeah," Hayden said petulantly, but she removed her earbuds and tucked them into the blue cross-body bag.
I let out a breath, pleased she was being cooperative. I just hoped she wasn't rude at dinner. The hostess seated us at a table, and we perused the menus.
After we ordered, Blaire clasped her hands together. "Tell me what you’ve been up to. You were supposed to take over the family business.”
To my left, I felt Hayden's gaze on my face. "That's right."
"But you went off to the military instead."
My jaw stiffened. "I wasn't ready to come home and take the helm of the company just yet."
Blaire's expression was shrewd. "But you are now?"
"That's what I want to do, but I need to clear things with my family first. A lot of people were upset when I left."
"And what about you? Did you want to spend your summer at the beach?" Blaire asked Hayden.
"No," Hayden said simply, and I gave her a look imploring her to say something that would convince Blaire we needed the house.