Chapter Seventeen
“I’m only doing jazz and tap this fall,” Ashley said, as she and Harper lovingly held Jeremiah’s hands in a death grip. “I’m tired of ballet, but Harper still wants to do it.”
It was a crowded Saturday night as they walked down the boardwalk. Kids whizzed past on bikes and families moved in groups.
“I like ballet,” Harper said, wrinkling her nose, causing her glasses to shift. “Ballet takes discipline and patience like our teacher, Ms. Nina said. And you know you don’t have any patience, Ash.”
Ashley sucked her teeth. “That’s not true!”
Jeremiah smiled at his nieces. It seemed like just yesterday, he’d visited Robin and Percy in the hospital after the twins had been born.
He’d held Harper, and Amara had held Ashley.
Celeste had fluttered around the hospital room, making sure that Robin had everything that she needed, while Percy had sat by Robin’s side with a dazed look on his face—happy, but still in disbelief that he was a father of twins at twenty-three years old.
But that had been his and Robin’s plan after they’d graduated from college.
Get married and start a family as soon as possible.
Pop had been there at the hospital too, tearing up as he’d held his great-granddaughters.
Jeremiah had teased, Aww, don’t cry, old man, and Pop had laughed as he’d wiped his eyes.
Later as they were leaving the hospital, he’d hugged Jeremiah.
Family, he’d said. That’s what life is all about. What really matters.
The sound of Noelle’s laughter lifted Jeremiah out of his bittersweet memory.
She was walking ahead of him between Amara and Robin.
She was wearing a light purple sundress that showed off the tan line from her bikini.
Amara said something that made Noelle laugh again, and she threw her head back as her shoulders shook.
Robin nudged Noelle in her side, giggling too.
Noelle seemed so much more carefree tonight than she’d seemed when he’d first met her at the bookstore weeks ago.
She’d looked beautiful, obviously, but her stress had been etched into her features.
He liked to think that, in addition to the money, being here at Heart Beach this summer might provide Noelle some much-needed relaxation.
There had been a childlike wonder in her eyes when they’d gone parasailing earlier.
He wanted her to feel that same joy for the next few weeks.
Her happiness was important to him, and he knew what that meant.
He knew that having a crush on Noelle could end only in disaster for him.
She was focused on going back to college, and he was moving.
She was here with him and his family because he was paying her.
His budding feelings were only complicating things.
But it was just too hard not to like her.
“Where’s Dad?” Harper asked, tugging on Jeremiah’s arm again. “And Grandma?”
Jeremiah glanced around, searching for his mom and brother.
He realized that even though they’d all arrived on the boardwalk together, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Percy or Celeste.
Most of the day, they’d been huddled inside Celeste’s office.
From what Jeremiah had gleaned, they were experiencing more issues with the new warehouse in Pennsylvania.
The gift and curse of company growth was that the margin of error grew as well.
He spotted Celeste and Percy in the crowd, walking slowly, heads bent toward each other as they spoke, sporting serious expressions.
So far this weekend, he and Percy had remained civil toward each other. Granted, that was probably because Percy had been busy working most of today. But their current peace emboldened Jeremiah to approach Percy and Celeste.
“Hey, can you catch up with your mom?” he asked the twins. “I want to talk to your dad and grandma really quick.”
Ashley and Harper skipped ahead to Robin, and Jeremiah waited for Celeste and Percy to catch up to him. They were so deep in conversation, they didn’t notice Jeremiah until he was standing right in front of their faces.
“Hey, everything cool?” he asked. “Y’all look kind of serious.”
He’d said this jokingly, but Celeste and Percy exchanged strained expressions.
“Seriously, though,” he said, earnest. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“There’s just some miscommunication with the new warehouse management,” Celeste said, smiling tiredly. She craned her neck, trying to spot the rest of the family. “Nothing to worry about, really. Where’s everyone else?”
Jeremiah glanced at Percy, whose features were drawn.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Jeremiah asked.
Percy frowned. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. I can just be here to listen and offer ideas if you need them.”
“You have some experience with Good Boy, but Good Boy isn’t on the same level as Smith’s Sweets yet.
I don’t think there’s much you can do to help.
” Percy crossed his arms over his chest. “But I appreciate the offer, especially since you willingly gave up your chance to be a helpful Smith’s Sweets employee. ”
Jeremiah bristled and immediately regretted saying anything to his brother.
It didn’t surprise him that Percy didn’t think he knew enough to be helpful, but hearing him say it still stung.
Jeremiah had been naive to think the peace between him and Percy could last forever.
It reminded him why he wouldn’t tell his family about his last conversation with Pop.
Percy would only judge him about it forever.
“Why do you have to be like that?” he asked.
Percy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Like what?”
“Percy, Miah,” Celeste interrupted, giving them stern looks. “Can we please have a peaceful evening?”
For Celeste’s sake, Jeremiah decided to drop it. He didn’t say anything else to his brother as they caught up with the rest of their family, who were waiting in front of the water ice stand.
“Everything okay?” Amara asked, glancing between her brothers, reading their tense body language.
“Everything’s fine,” Jeremiah said. Percy gave her a reassuring smile. Until recently, the three of them had gotten along well. This new hostility between Jeremiah and Percy made Amara anxious. The brothers didn’t agree on much lately, but they remained protective of their little sister.
Noelle stood next to Jeremiah and wordlessly linked her fingers through his. It might have been for show, but the way she looked at him with her brows pulled together in concern felt real. Feeling their interlocked hands helped ground him.
“What should we do now?” Celeste asked. “Should we see a movie?”
Harper and Ashley jumped up and down, grasping their water ice cups. Everyone began discussing movie options.
“I’m sorry, but Noelle and I are gonna have to miss out on movie night unfortunately,” Jeremiah said. “We have date-night plans.”
Noelle blinked. This was obviously news to her because they hadn’t discussed any date-night plans, but she covered her surprise with an easy smile and nodded.
Celeste glanced at Jeremiah and Noelle’s clasped hands, and her face softened. “Okay, we’ll see you back at the house.”
Jeremiah and Noelle waved goodbye to his family and continued on down the boardwalk.
“Where are we going?” Noelle whispered.
“First, to get you a funnel cake like I promised,” he said. “Then I called in a favor from a family friend because you have to find a dress for the gala. Her boutique is in walking distance.”
Noelle quirked an eyebrow. “It’s not Mercy Webster, is it?”
Jeremiah laughed. “No.”
They stopped at Marty’s for funnel cake.
Martin Sr. had opened the shop decades ago, and now his sons ran the business for him.
His grandson Brandon, an incoming high school senior, was busy flirting with a girl his age when Jeremiah and Noelle approached the register.
The girl blew Brandon a kiss as she walked away.
Brandon grinned, showing off his braces.
“Yo, Jeremiah,” he said, beckoning him and Noelle forward. “I haven’t seen Amara yet this summer. Tell her I love her, okay? I may be young, but she should still give me a chance.”
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “Maybe when you’re twenty years older.”
“Man, that’s way too long.” Brandon looked at Noelle and smoothed a hand over his braids. “How you doing, miss?”
Noelle burst out laughing.
“You think you’re Romeo or something?” Jeremiah said, chuckling as he put his arm around Noelle’s shoulders. “She’s spoken for. And also too old for you.”
Brandon sucked his teeth. “Whatever. What can I get you, ma’am?”
“Damn, I went to ma’am that fast, huh?” Noelle said, and Brandon shrugged, obviously disappointed that she wouldn’t take his interest in her seriously.
Noelle ordered a classic funnel cake, insisting that Jeremiah share it with her.
They watched Brandon pour the batter into the deep fryer in a circular motion.
Once the batter was cooked, Brandon drained the funnel cake and placed it on a paper plate.
Then he dusted it with powdered sugar. Noelle was licking her lips as Brandon brought the funnel cake to them.
She had hearts in her eyes as she took the plate.
They let the funnel cake cool off as they walked down the boardwalk ramp to the street.
Once the funnel cake was cool enough to eat, Noelle tore off a chunk then passed the plate to Jeremiah.
Funnel cakes were delicious but messy. He and Noelle were getting powdered sugar all over their fingers as they ate, but Noelle didn’t seem to care.
She closed her eyes like she was savoring each bite.
An expression of pure pleasure. She’d looked the same way when he’d kissed her neck last week.
No, don’t think about that.
“This is so good,” she said.
He smiled at her. “You’ve got a little…” He gestured to the powdered sugar on her cheek.
“Oh, I do?”