9. Eli
E li had been less than thrilled to discover Tessa Wylie doing what Tessa Wylie always did—using her sorcery to get what she wanted with little regard for rules, protocols, or, frequently, the feelings of those around her. However, the sting of her uninvited invasion was eased by the arrival of her sister.
He wasn’t sure why, but Kate’s warm smile and even warmer personality allowed him to come to terms with the two unexpected guests. Why fight it? The old gang was gathered again, and there was a cool nostalgia about the reunion that he didn’t hate at all.
In fact, after passing the roof inspection that afternoon, Eli’s mood was so good that he’d taken Vivien’s Highlander for a trip to Walmart. Since Kate wanted to cook, he decided to bring the table—picking up a long folding table, some chairs, and a few more household items they’d need to live comfortably for the short term.
At least they wouldn’t be “camping” or sitting on the floor.
Judging from the aroma in the air as he came down the stairs after showering and changing, they would be eating well at his folding table. Wow. What was Kate cooking?
He paused on the landing, taking in the sights, sounds, and scents that had already transformed this big empty box into the earliest stages of a home.
Tessa had produced a mini speaker that had her flitting about the table, setting it with paper plates and Solo cups, singing about the rains in Africa, taking him right back to the eighties.
Vivien had set up a small bar on the island, lining up bottles of tonic and a handle of gin and limes. So G&Ts would be the drink of this spontaneous vacation, he presumed.
Kate was at the stove, her back to them as she stirred something that smelled like spices and heaven, moving with the music, tossing comments over her shoulder to Vivien.
Here are the girls, he thought with a smile, still watching, since no one had noticed him yet.
He and Pete McCarthy had so many names for them. The Three Amigas, the Three Blind Mice, the Three Stooges—the names varied depending on their moods and ages. But mostly, Tessa, Kate, and Vivien were just “the girls,” and their presence all summer long simply made things more fun.
The song ended and, after a second’s pause, a few drumbeats and snares came from the speakers. Instantly, all three of them squealed so loud, Eli jumped back in shock.
As the drums got louder, so did the shrieks as Tessa shot around the island and grabbed Vivien, who abandoned her bar prep. Kate whipped around from the stove, the three of them suddenly dancing in a circle.
In perfect time to the music, they each threw a hand in the air and yelled, “Ow!” as they rocked side to side. The song kicked into high gear and so did they—belting out every lyric to “Walking on Sunshine” to each other as if they’d sung it together a million times.
And they probably had, since Tessa had proclaimed that song the “Summer House anthem” a lifetime ago.
Each one took a line, mimed with exuberant hand gestures and ridiculous faces—singing, laughing, dancing, and looking at each other with so much love he could feel it across the room.
He was transported, too, back to when he and Pete would roll their eyes while the girls sang and danced to this catchy tune all summer long, every single year.
In the early years, they were young middle-schoolers, acting obnoxious and stupid. In the in-between years, they were mostly amusing. But in the end, that last summer, when they’d been eighteen…he loved nothing more than watching them perform their favorite song.
Well, watching Tessa.
Back then, he’d try not to stare until she’d point her pink-tipped finger and belt out the words right to him.
I feel a love that’s really real…
Except, boy, she hadn’t.
That line—the whole song, really—captured everything about those summers. Fun, sun, girls, and…love. Of course, he knew better now. He knew what love was—and what it wasn’t—because he had basked in it with Melissa.
As a college kid, he’d had a debilitating ache for Tessa Wylie. But now, she was relegated to “merely amusing” status again. Yes, she was a woman who no doubt turned heads, but not his. Not anymore.
So why was he still ticked off at her for something it was painfully obvious she didn’t even remember? Something from all those years ago? Eli wasn’t the grudge holder his mother was, but his last encounter with Tessa back in 1995 occasionally haunted him even today.
As the song built to a noisy, frenetic crescendo, his gaze slipped to the right and landed on Kate.
Had she always had such elegant beauty that was overshadowed by the explosion of Barbie doll perfection that was her sister? Kate’s dark hair was up in a ponytail that swung behind her, and she’d left her glasses near the sink, giving him a chance to really see her fine features and how gracefully she’d aged.
In leggings and a loose white T-shirt, she was fit and strong, but not in a “fifty-year-old killing herself at the gym to look thirty” kind of way. She exuded health and intelligence and a far more appealing grace than her twin sister, who once owned Eli Lawson’s heart.
And with that thought, he let go of the bit of age-old resentment he felt for Tessa. What a waste of emotion, being mad about her careless abuse of his heart. She didn’t know better.
Feeling a little freer, he jogged down the last few steps and belted out the final lyrics with the girls.
“‘I’m walkin’ on sunshine, whoa-oh!’” he hollered, utterly out of tune.
They all shrieked again—sounding exactly like teenagers—and clapped, waving him over as they finished with a noisy, enthusiastic group hug.
“Hey, the eighties called and they want their song back,” he joked as the tune ended.
“Well, they can’t have it,” Tessa announced. “That’s the Summer House anthem—lead caps, please!—and it shall forever belong to the Wylies and the Lawsons.” She dropped her head back and let out a hoot as if adrenaline had rocked her whole being. “Wow, that was fun!”
“G&T, big brother?” Vivien asked.
“Yes, please, and Kate, what are you cooking that smells so insanely good?” he asked as he came around the island to inspect the sizzling pan.
She smiled at him from the stove, reaching to the right and then the left. Instinctively, he picked up her dark-rimmed glasses from near the sink and handed them to her.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling up with a spark in her eyes and flushed cheeks from the impromptu performance. “Shrimp scampi on angel hair pasta with a side of tomato and burrata—drizzled with oregano-infused olive oil.” She lifted a colander of raw shrimp, ready to pour it into a pan full of an aromatic butter sauce. “It’ll be ready soon, so enjoy your cocktail.”
“Where’d you learn to cook?” he asked, accepting the drink Vivien gave him with a nod of thanks.
“Self-taught,” she said. “I started just making the usual for my kids and soon realized cooking was exactly like chemistry, which I love. And before I knew it, my time at the stove was the most relaxing thing I did. I am what they call a stress-cooker.”
He laughed at that. “Not stressed now, I hope.”
“Not at all,” she assured him. “I just talked to my kids, who are staying with their father, and doing well. And I chatted with my mom, who’s happy because she has Marie Curie.”
His brows lifted.
“My kitty,” she told him.
“Ahh.” He lifted his Solo cup toward her. “Here’s to famous female scientists, like our chef.”
“I’m not famous,” she said, picking up her own drink and making the toast real. “I just hunker down in a lab in Cornell.”
“Cornell, just like your dad.”
“Yes,” she said, sighing at what must still be a raw memory. “We both followed in our father’s footsteps, more or less.”
“Less, in my case,” he said coolly. “Your father was a law professor, right?”
“He sure was. He taught legal ethics to forty graduating classes of Cornell Law School,” she said with unabashed pride.
What would it feel like to be that proud of your father, he wondered.
“Truly a great man,” he said. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“And yours,” she countered.
He managed a shrug. “Speaking of ethics…or not.”
“Oh, Eli.” She looked up, over the glasses that slid down her nose, a world of sympathy in her brown eyes. “It’s never easy to lose your dad, no matter your age or the circumstances.”
His chest softened a little at the tender comment, which did actually make him feel better.
“I have another Father,” he said quietly, then pointed upwards. “He never lets me down.”
Her eyes flickered in surprise. Of course, she’d have no way of knowing he’d found faith later in life. He didn’t wear a cross or scream it out to people, and none of the Lawsons were particularly religious.
“What are we chit-chatting about over here?” Tessa somehow managed to slide into the conversation, a drink in one hand, a saucy smile on her face.
“Our fathers,” Kate said.
“Ah, the elephant in the room.”
“Tess.” Kate shot her a look.
“It’s fine,” Eli said, inching back. “We all know the history.”
“Actually, we don’t,” Vivien said, joining them with her drink.
“About your father?” Kate asked. “We know?—”
“About our parents,” Eli said, knowing exactly what Vivien meant. “And the great falling out of 1995.”
For a moment, no one spoke as only looks were exchanged.
“Did they…fall out?” Kate asked with a confused expression. “Or get frozen out?”
“What do you mean?” Vivien asked.
Kate looked from one to the other. “I mean, it was always our impression that your mother just closed herself—and you guys—off to people who knew your family. Because…”
“Because of your father going to jail,” Tessa finished, sounding a little exasperated. “I mean, I’m sorry that happened, but it was thirty years ago, and I don’t see how it should keep us all apart. More than it already has, that is.”
Eli shook his head. “I just don’t think it’s that simple,” he said. “Maggie is notoriously private, that’s true. But we’ve always thought something specific happened.”
“Like what?” Kate asked.
“Like they had a huge fight,” Vivien said. “Eli’s right—our mother didn’t separate from all people in those years. She was protective of us, yes, and she is a controlling woman. But she didn’t stop talking to all the other people they knew. Just…the Wylies.”
“What did the Wylies do?” Tessa asked, indignant. “We didn’t even know he’d died.”
Eli let out soft grunt, troubled by the conversation.
“Something doesn’t add up,” he said. “They must have had a disagreement or some big issue. It might not have had anything to do with my father’s…situation. I mean…” He stole a look at Tessa, wondering if what he was about to say might jog her memory of that night. After all, the events coincided. “Your family did leave in a big hurry that last night.”
Tessa threw her hands up. “Who even knows, but can we just let it go?”
Nope, no memory of what had transpired between them. For that, Eli was relieved. So he raised his Solo cup for a toast, but really, in his heart, it was a prayer of gratitude.
“Out with the old and in with the new,” he said, grabbing the first cliché he could think of.
“Absolutely!” Tessa tapped her cup to his and the others joined in. “We’re walking on sunshine!”
Laughing, they all took a deep drink, then Kate turned to the stove and the mouth-watering sizzle of her shrimp.
The conversation shifted as they moved to the table and enjoyed every bite, easily spending the next hour learning about each other’s lives while the sun, and the past, set behind them.
After dinner and a quick group cleanup, Kate pulled on a hoodie and checked her watch.
“Are you headed out?” Eli asked.
“I like to walk after dinner.” She tapped her watch. “And this beach sure beats the streets of Ithaca. Who wants to join me in walking off the carbs?”
Tessa was lounging comfortably at the table, nursing the end of her wine. “I like my carbs to load in peace after dinner, thank you very much.”
“I’m going to do some online shopping for the house and look at design sites,” Vivien said, opening her laptop on their makeshift dining room table.
“I’d love to go,” Eli said, hoping she’d meant to include him in the invitation. “Plus it’s almost dark now. You shouldn’t go alone.”
“It’s not safe?” Kate asked, surprised.
“I’m sure it is, but there’s no boardwalk to the beach yet and I don’t want anyone twisting an ankle on my construction site.”
“Awesome. I’d love the company,” she said. “And we could bring a phone light to get through the sea oats.”
“For a few more weeks,” Eli said, grabbing his phone from the island. “Then the boardwalk will be built, and we can just cruise to the beach.”
“If you haven’t sold it by then,” she said, making a sad face as they walked toward the door.
Outside, he waited until they were down the steps to respond. “We can’t,” he told her. “There’s a legal clause that says the profit can’t be distributed until thirty years after my father’s passing. Which means it’s ours until November.”
“Oh, wow.” She slowed her step, zipping up the hoodie. “Really? I had no idea.”
“Well, to be fair, none of us even knew my mother owned this place.” At her “I’m not surprised” look, he laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s…private.”
They climbed the dune in silence as he lit the way with his phone, not that they really needed it with the full moon. At the top of the rise, they stopped to look up and down the deserted beach.
“I can’t believe how crowded this town is and how empty this beach is,” she observed. “How is that possible?”
“It’s essentially a private beach,” he said. “There’s no public access for half a mile or more in either direction. So, unless you’re willing to sneak through someone’s yard, the beach is ours. Come on, let’s walk.”
They took a few steps along the sand, then he paused, holding out his hand to stop her. “You hear that?”
“The waves?” she asked.
“The way our sneakers sound on the sand. It’s such a distinctive Destin noise—it takes me back. I’ve never heard it on any other beach.”
She moved her foot, making the squeaky sound. “Yes, I remember.”
“I don’t know why it’s just Destin,” he said. “But it evokes memories. Like magic.”
She laughed softly. “Not magic,” she said. “I hate to give you the far less romantic and mystical explanation, but that’s probably quartz particles, which are the same reason the sand here is so white. The sediment flows from the Appalachian Mountains, which have a ton of quartz.”
“Oh, that’s…not…”
“Magic,” she supplied, taking her gaze from the view to look at him. “Sorry. Ask a scientist a question, get a scientist’s answer.”
He laughed and nodded. “Fair enough. But how about the view?” He gestured toward the moonlit surf. “Now that’s magical.”
“Indeed it is,” she agreed. “You are literally sitting on a goldmine, Eli. At least, if you sell it.”
He looked down at her, appreciating how that same moon lit her in the most attractive way, with her bangs fluttering over her eyes in the breeze. She adjusted her glasses, looking suddenly self-conscious, and he turned back to the water view.
The waves were a little rougher than normal, breaking in layers that created rows of white froth over the dark water, all of it illuminated by a giant moon.
“There really isn’t an ‘if’ involved in selling it,” he said. “Unless…”
“Unless you change your mind?” she guessed.
“Unless something weird happens,” he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder to guide her toward the flat sand so they could walk alongside the surf.
“Something weird? What do you mean, Eli?”
“I mean…some things can be too good to be true, and I’m a cautious guy. The truth is, my mother found a legal loophole, but technically? She hid the fact that she owned this house when she put it in a trust, keeping it from the authorities. I know it was thirty years ago, but I guess I’m just traumatized by how they took everything we had when my dad was found guilty.”
She gave a soft grunt. “Oh, goodness. That had to be rough for your family. Your home? Your assets? Everything?”
“Everything but what my mother could scrounge and squirrel away. She and Crista moved into a tiny apartment. I was in my last year at the University of Georgia and Vivien was a freshman at Georgia State. We both had scholarships and got jobs, and my mother worked in a dentist’s office to make ends meet.”
“Oh, my. I admit, I have a hard time picturing Maggie Lawson as the receptionist in a dentist’s office.”
He laughed. “She’s tough as nails, Kate. God put her on a very difficult path, and she walked it as only Maggie could—like she owned that path and everyone else was just a bystander.”
“I always admired her so much,” she said. “So did my mother…until…”
“Until she didn’t,” Eli said.
“You’re bothered by their falling out,” she guessed. “I can tell it’s a sore subject.”
“I’m bothered by everything my father did,” he admitted. “And now, I worry that there’s another surprise that will come back to bite us.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Yes, we are free to keep and sell the house, but you never know what could happen. I have nightmares of some government official knocking on the door with a seizure warrant and a forfeiture order.”
“Eesh.” She thought about that for a moment, silent as they fell into step on the hard-packed sand, then asked, “When exactly did they buy the house that used to be here?”
“That last summer in 1995. My dad bought it—probably to hide or launder money. I don’t know and don’t want to know. But he paid cash for the little house and the land—essentially for a song back then. Not long after that, he was arrested and then Hurricane Opal hit and decimated most of this beach and much of the town. In the melee that ensued, Maggie managed to hide the house in a trust. I don’t know how.” He threw her a look. “Once again, I apologize for the shaky ethics of the Lawson family.”
“No apologies.” She smiled. “Anyway, I get the impression your ethics are rock solid, Eli.”
“Thanks. I try, but the sins of the father and all.”
She stopped mid-step and looked up at him as if a thought occurred to her. “What if the reason for our parents’ falling out was the house, or the purchase of it? Maybe my mother knew about the house and Maggie was worried she’d tell the authorities, so she cut ties.”
He nodded slowly, considering that. “Maybe, but was that enough for the big fight? I mean, do you remember that night?” He certainly did, and not because the Wylies were packing up and leaving in a hurry.
She took her glasses off and slipped them into her pocket, as if they distracted her while she thought.
“I don’t remember much,” she said. “I remember I’d gone sailing that day with Vivien and when we got back, my mom was packing to leave. Dad was looking for Tessa. Where were you?”
With Tessa.
“I was out,” he said instead, which wasn’t a lie but sure wasn’t the whole story. “And y’all were gone when I got back.” He’d been relieved at the time, not having to face Tessa, but looking back? It had been beyond weird, and he never got to say goodbye to any of them.
“Yeah, it was a lightning-speed exit,” she said. “I remember Mom had some excuse about my father having to get back to Cornell. I recall it was a long and quiet ride back to Ithaca, but you know, I don’t think any of us ever dreamed it would be the last time the Wylies and Lawsons would ever be together.” She elbowed him. “And guess what? It wasn’t.”
He sighed, still uneasy over the history and timing. “I’d love to know what happened, Kate. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, but we all know Maggie’s not talking. And when I told my mother I was coming to Destin and Tessa was already here?” She wrinkled her nose. “I have to say she acted odd, at least for Jo Ellen. Shut down, changed the subject, and reminded me not to ask about your father’s problems with the law.”
He searched her face, considering that. “I wonder why.”
“Because she knew it embarrassed Maggie, and assumed you would be uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, it’s not my favorite subject,” he admitted, looking to the right, realizing how far they’d gone. “We should head back, Kate.”
As they turned, Kate put a hand on his arm. “Eli, what if they’re not the only two people who know the whole story?” she asked.
He frowned. “Who else would know?”
“They had friends here,” she said. “You said someone managed the whole thing?”
“A lawyer, who’s dead. His son, who took over his accounts. He was the one who found the loophole that allows us to sell it.”
“Does he know what happened?”
Eli shook his head. “No clue, but he’s Maggie’s lawyer and I’m not sure I want to overstep that boundary. Not just to satisfy personal curiosity, anyway.”
“What about neighbors and people they knew?” Kate suggested. “I’m sure many of those folks are gone, but we can dig around.”
“We can,” he said, smiling at her. “I have low expectations, but thank you, Kate. For caring about it. And for coming down here. It’s really, really good to see you.”
They looked into each other’s eyes, the connection, the history, and the friendship feeling very real right then.
Turning away, she looked out into the water, then squinted and tapped her head.
He gestured to her jacket. “Pocket.”
Laughing, she slipped her hand in and produced her glasses. “How’d you know?”
“You’re easy to read.”
She made a face. “I hope not.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he let it go.