Chapter 4
4
Love Beach Brews was doing a steady business serving lunch to visitors and locals, so Willa Leigh was lucky to get a table for her impromptu girls’ lunch. Even better, it was a booth in a corner of the brewery, affording privacy so she could spill everything.
Sipping her Arnold Palmer, one knee jiggling nervously under the table, she scanned the bar. Lots of familiar faces, but the majority of customers were tourists. Some long-time residents complained about the growing number of visitors, but tourism was the town’s primary industry. Without the honeymooners and families who vacationed there, a good number of shopkeepers and service providers would be out of business. For a young mother raising her daughter in Love Beach, a good economy was vital to maintaining a vibrant community.
“Wow, am I the first one here?” Odette took a seat opposite Willa Leigh, scooting over to make room for the other two women joining them.
“Ginger texted that she’s on her way, and all I got from Jezzy was a heart emoji.”
“How is she doing?” Odette craned her neck, searching for the server.
“Okay, I guess.”
Their high school friend had recently returned to Love Beach after living in London for several years. She refused to discuss what had brought her home, simply explaining she needed a change. She was spending the summer in Love Beach to plan her next move.
Willa Leigh was thrilled to have her best friend back. They’d stayed close, but video calls were no substitute for girls’ nights out, day trips to Charleston, and long, lazy days on the beach.
“Ginger is here.” Odette nodded toward the front door where a curvy young woman with Jessica Rabbit hair—luxurious reddish-orange waves—waved in acknowledgement before wending her way through the crowded dining room to their corner.
“Hiya, girls.” She sat next to Odette.
Willa Leigh burst out laughing when she read Ginger’s t-shirt. “How many people have asked you how many days until Christmas?”
Ginger turned so Odette could read the red and green text on the front of her tank top.
“Some hot guy at the bar offered to show me his jingle balls.” Ginger grimaced, but her dark green eyes sparkled with mischief. “I politely declined.”
“You know, there are other holidays besides Christmas,” Odette said dryly.
“Yeah. Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve. Boxing Day. St. Nicholas Day. Hanukkah. Yule. Kwanzaa.”
“Don’t argue with her,” Willa Leigh advised. “Girl lives and breathes for December 25 th .”
“I’m broadening my outlook.” Their conversation paused while the server took drink orders, then Ginger picked up where she left off. “What do you think about a Christmas in July festival? I think it would bring a lot of business to town, but that would seriously detract from binge-watching the Hallmark Channel summer holiday movie marathon.”
“I like Christmas, but you’re giving me a serious case of Bah Humbug,” Odette said.
A few minutes later, Jezzy arrived just as the drinks were delivered. Elegant in that effortless way some women were born with, she wore jeans rolled up at the ankle and an oversized men’s pinstriped button-up, a red bralette flashing between the open placket. Her long, coiled strands were gathered up in a messy bun, and oversized dark glasses hid her eyes. She was Love Beach’s equivalent of a reclusive celebrity.
Willa Leigh was worried about her, but Jezebel Brant was a bold, brazen survivor. It wasn’t until she left for college that Willa Leigh learned her stepfather had been molesting her for years. If Willa Leigh knew more about psychology, she might understand the correlation between that abuse and Jezzy’s in-your-face sexuality, but what mattered most was her friend’s mental health and happiness. And right now, she was miserable.
“Ladies.” She lowered herself gracefully onto the bench next to Willa Leigh, requesting a gin and tonic before the server disappeared. She registered Odette’s diet soda, Ginger’s raspberry lemonade, and Willa Leigh’s mix of lemonade and iced tea. “I’m drinking alone?”
“Those two have to head back to work, and I can’t afford to get tipsy when there are reptiles involved.” Odette, in her denim overalls and yellow tank top, textured coils held back by a blue bandana, looked ready to go a few rounds with wildlife.
“Explain,” Ginger demanded.
“There’s a hoarder situation.” Odette sucked down a loud swallow of soda. “Guy has sixty-three blue-tongued skinks, three green anacondas, and two dozen spiny-tailed lizards. We need to warehouse them until someone from Iguanaland can get here to transport them back to Florida.”
“Never a dull moment,” Jezzy drawled.
Outsiders would think she was making fun of Odette, but we recognized her attitude for what it was: a mask hiding whatever was going on underneath.
“Speaking of dull moments.” Odette drilled Willa Leigh with a meaningful look.
“Yeah, why the emergency pow-wow?” Ginger asked.
“Let’s order first.” Grateful for the momentary reprieve, Willa Leigh closed her menu. The server set Jezzy’s drink in front of her and pulled out a notepad and pen.
As soon as the waitress was gone, three sets of eyes landed on her.
“I ran into Kobe Lewis yesterday.”
Jezzy lowered her sunglasses, peering over them, artfully plucked brows arched. “How do you ‘run into’ a guy who’s been gone for ten years?”
“Who’s Kobe Lewis?” Ginger was a transplant from Seattle. She’d only been in Love Beach a few years.
“He came into the animal shelter with a cat he rescued from that dump he used to live in,” Odette said.
“Who’s Kobe Lewis?” Ginger asked a bit louder.
“He was there when Lulu and I stopped by to pick up our new foster dog.” She was surprised at how easy it was to share this bombshell with her friends.
“He saw Lu?” Jezzy sat up, all pretense dropped.
“He talked to her.” There. It was out . Willa Leigh instantly felt lighter.
“Oh, my god. That Kobe Lewis,” Ginger wheezed.
“Did he—” Jezzy started, but Willa Leigh interrupted.
“I don’t think so. But he’s coming over for dinner tonight. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out the truth.” She shrugged. “He needs to know.”
“What about Lu?” Jezzy curled her hand around her glass so tightly the condensation dribbled over her fingers.
“She’s been asking all kinds of questions,” she admitted. “I have to tell her the truth someday.”
“It’s been ten years, Willy.”
“I didn’t know where he was.” Giving her closest, bestest friend an assessing look, Willa Leigh didn’t understand Jezzy’s objection to Kobe. “You know I tried to find him. But Mom and Dad convinced me it was better this way. Forcing him to accept a child he didn’t want would only complicate things. Well, it’s still complicated because now he’s back and Lulu has a chance to meet him.”
“What happens when he bails? That benefits Lu how?” Jezzy demanded.
Hmmm. Willa Leigh wondered if Jezzy’s problem with Kobe stemmed from her own daddy issues. Her own birth father had abandoned her and her mother when she was an infant, and the man who became her stepfather was later convicted of felony molestation. She didn’t have a good track record with father figures.
“I say give him a chance.” Odette wasn’t intimidated by Jezzy’s vocal discouragement. “Any man who likes animals is good in my book.”
“What about you?” Ginger asked carefully. “The implications for Lulu and Kobe are pretty straightforward. Kobe has to make a decision, and you go from there. Either Lulu will be open to initiating a relationship or she’ll tell him to take a hike. You’re both adults so I assume if he does become a part of her life, the negotiations will be fair and respectful. But how do you feel about seeing Kobe again?” Ginger knew the basics—that Lulu was conceived as the result of unprotected sex when Willa Leigh was eighteen and the bio dad wasn’t in the picture.
“Excellent question.” Jezzy’s self-protective facade was back in place. “Why would you want to pick up with a guy who screwed you and then disappeared? He used you, Willy.”
“It was consensual, Jezebel.” Her temper flared, mostly because her friend had voiced Willa Leigh’s deepest fear. That night with Kobe had been pure magic. The words he whispered in her ear, the way he stroked her body, the moment his penetration went from pain to pleasure, both of them clinging to the other as if they’d spin into nothingness if they let go.
She’d thought of that night so many times, each moment a precious jewel that glowed in her palms when she took them out of the treasure chest where she stored them away.
Had time and wishful thinking distorted a quickie backseat bang into something it wasn’t?
Her heart told her no. The single time she’d been with a man had been something special.
But ten long years had passed since then. They were different people now, shaped by the experiences and challenges life had thrown at them. She wasn’t an idealistic virgin. She was a mother, and her daughter’s needs came first.
“You said he’s coming over for dinner?” Ginger deflected Jezzy’s antagonism, refocusing the conversation.
“We’re fostering a pregnant pittie who is due to deliver a huge litter any day.” Willa Leigh glared at Odette who just smiled. “Kobe said he owns a ranch in Montana and has experience with this sort of thing.”
“How do you know he’s not trying to get in your bed again?” Jezzy snapped her fingers. “Wham, bam, thank you, Willy Osborn. He’ll be halfway back to Montana before you know he’s gone. For fuck’s sake, at least use protection this time.”
“Let it go, Jez.” She elbowed her friend accidentally on purpose. “This isn’t about me. It’s not even about Kobe. It’s about Lulu.”
“Agreed,” chimed in Odette and Ginger.
The server approached with their food, dealing the plates like a Vegas card shark. A veggie burger for Odette, pulled pork for Ginger, a Cobb salad for Jezzy who ordered a second cocktail, and shrimp cocktail for Willa Leigh.
Decision made, she realized she was famished.
“I think the universe is giving you a second chance with Kobe,” Ginger mused. “I mean, at some point, you have to give Lulu the answers she’s asking for. With Kobe back in Love Beach, you can tell them both. This way, they have a chance to communicate face-to-face. Can you imagine handling something this significant on the phone or will a video call? Zoom is great for business confabs, but a dad and daughter deserve to meet in person.”
“What she said,” Odette mumbled around a bite of her burger. She chewed and swallowed. “Admit it, Willa Leigh. You’ve been pining for a second chance with Kobe for years. You wouldn’t even let Brian Steward escort you to last year’s Community Awards ceremony. Poor guy is still getting over his wife’s death and it’s been three years.”
Bernadette Steward was a pint-size sweetheart Brian had meet on a singles’ cruise. They weren’t even married a year when she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Six months later she was gone.
“Nope. This has to be a hundred percent focused on Lulu.” Willa Leigh was uncompromising on that point. “That’s the relationship that matters right now.”
“You lost your first chance to make something with Kobe.” Odette curled her lip when she realized her unintentional flub. “Y’all made something—a beautiful daughter—but if your feelings are real…”
“You’re making a mistake.” Jezzy hadn’t touched her salad but her glass was empty.
“If so, it won’t be the first time.” Jezzy’s negativity didn’t sway Willa Leigh’s conviction that revealing the truth, first to Kobe and then her daughter, was the right thing to do. Like Granny said, if Kobe wanted nothing to do with Lulu, they’d deal with it together.
Despite Jezzy’s disinterest in the food and disapproval of Willa Leigh’s decision, she pulled out a black American Express card and slipped it to the server before the rest of them could object.
“Gotta go, girls.” Odette nudged Ginger out of the booth. “Scaly, slithery creatures await.”
They passed around hugs, then dispersed outside the bar. Midday heat beat down on Willa Leigh as she dialed Kobe’s number. They’d traded contact information yesterday after agreeing on dinner.
“Willa Leigh? Everything alright?”
His voice in her ear, even over the phone, transported her back to prom night when he’d collapsed on top of her, sweaty bodies stuck together, his weight a protective shelter. Startled, she realized Odette was right: she was still in love with the bad boy of Love Beach.
Maybe that meant Jezzy was right, too. Inviting him into their lives meant someone—probably her—was going to get hurt.
Lulu , she reminded herself.
“Kobe,” she sucked in a breath, “can I come by your hotel room or meet you somewhere? We need to talk.”