Chapter 4
Chapter Four
E stelle’s eyes wouldn’t stay in the place they were supposed to be. Instead, they kept straying to watch Crew as he sat with Layla and Harper. The laughter and absolute joy coming from their spot in the shop was contagious, and Estelle felt like she could breathe for the first time in months.
Something about Crew’s boyish grin and carefree good looks made her feel instantly lighter, and it was taking all of her concentration to stay on task rather than go over and soak in their happiness. Her life had been too dark for too long, and now she could barely restrain from trying to take from those around her.
Clearing her throat, she went back to the next customer, but gave a small laugh when their assistant burst through the door.
“I’m here!” Emma shouted, running across the room and skidding behind the counter. “Sorry,” she panted. “Had an emergency at home.”
Estelle frowned. “Do you need to go back? You can have the day off if you need.”
Emma shook her head. “Nah…nothing like that. My little brother just spilled an entire bottle of orange juice right as I was headed th rough the door, and my mom needed me to stay and help clean up.” Emma shrugged. “Good thing he’s cute, huh? Because the little dude is a major disaster.”
Estelle laughed as intended before stepping back. “Emma here will be happy to help you,” she told the next person in line. Stepping away, she began to untie her apron so she could go work in the back, but her name was called before she could finish.
Harper waved wildly. “Come sit with us for a minute, Stelle.”
Estelle hesitated, her eyes flickering to Crew, who was smirking a little too confidently. Why did that look so good on a guy? If a girl walked around like that, everyone would think she was a jerk, but a little smirk on a handsome face drew the women in like bees to honey.
“Please?” Layla signed.
Estelle’s shoulders immediately dropped some of their tension. “Of course,” she said, walking over. “I love spending time with my little Layla.” Raising a challenging eyebrow at Crew, Estelle took a seat and let Layla come bounce on her lap.
His smirk growing, Crew leaned back, looking enticingly casual in the black and white striped chair. “I see how it is,” he teased. “Layla…you like the pretty lady more than you like your uncle.”
Estelle was grateful Crew was speaking out loud as well as signing. She could barely keep up with everyone’s hands, even though she tried to respond in a way that Layla could understand. She ignored his taunt about being pretty and gave Layla a squeeze. “She knows where her loyalties should lie.”
“Yeah,” Harper snorted. “With the one who controls the sugar.”
Estelle laughed and let Layla’s squirming body go so the little girl could go back to eating her cake.
“So, Estelle,” Crew ventured, leaning toward her. “Tell me what you’ve been doing since we last danced.”
She made a face. “Last danced? You make it sound like we’re dancing now. ”
“Is that allowed in here?” Crew looked around. “I think we’re missing the disco light.”
Estelle rolled her eyes. “It’s French themed, not seventies.”
“Oh yeah?” Crew pointed to the picture corner where a rainbow, animal print two-seater sat in a prominent place of honor. The eyesore had been a contest winner from years ago when Aspen and Austin were in a social media fight that captured the attention of the entire country. The flood of tourists wanting to take pictures with the couch had died off months ago, but Estelle didn’t have the heart to move the sofa. She knew it brought fond memories for both Aspen and Austin.
Estelle gave him a stern look. “That was added later and had nothing to do with the theming.”
Harper laughed. “I can’t believe you’ve kept it. Do people still come to see it?”
Estelle shrugged and shook her head. “Not like they used to.”
Nodding, Harper nibbled on a cookie, her other hand resting on her stomach.
Estelle frowned at the position. Something about it was slightly suspicious, but…
“I think Aspen needs to start making ginger cookies.”
Estelle’s eyes shot up to meet Harper’s. “Harp,” Estelle breathed. “Really?”
Harper smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Mama’s gonna have a baby!” Layla shouted, her voice probably louder than she intended, but it definitely had the desired effect.
Biting back another fierce pang of jealousy, Estelle stood and leaned over to hug her friend. “I’m so happy for you,” she said thickly. “You and Mason are already amazing parents. This little one's gonna give you a chance to be even more awesome.”
“Haha!” Harper said, wiping at her eyes. “Ugh. Stupid hormones.” She took a moment to compose herself. “We’re already freaking out a little about having to run after two little demons. ”
“Two adults, two kids,” Crew said easily. “It’ll be a breeze.”
“Says the man who doesn’t have to chase any kids,” Harper droned sarcastically.
Crew gasped. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been chasing Layla since I got here.”
Harper laughed and shook her head. “I know. Thank you. I’ve appreciated it since this morning sickness is still killing me.”
“Oh no,” Estelle sympathized. “What do you need? Should I bring Maeve and we’ll help clean the house? Grocery shopping?”
Harper gave Estelle a look. “As if you have time for any of those things.” She waggled her finger. “Estelle Harrison, you need to quit worrying about everyone else and take care of yourself once in a while.”
Right. If I did that everything would fall apart.
Estelle smiled, though she knew it was tighter than it should be. “I’ll try to remember that,” she murmured. Her eyes darted sideways to catch Crew watching her as if to figure her out.
Estelle blinked and looked away. There was nothing to figure out, at least nothing she was going to share. Her life was in shambles, and she was completely alone. That was it. It wasn’t complicated, and it wasn’t going to fix itself any time soon.
“Or maybe you just need someone who watches out for you instead.” Crew’s words were soft, but Estelle’s head whipped to look at him. He raised innocent eyebrows at her. “Sounds like you have a lot of news to share, lovely lady.”
Estelle forced a laugh and tucked a loose chunk of hair behind her ear. “I think you’re talking to the wrong person, Crew. I don’t really have much to tell.” She waved toward the shop. “My sisters and I run this place. Aspen does the baking, Maeve does the accounting. I live with my parents still, and my brother came home a few months ago, adding another body to the household.” She ignored Harper’s frown and the warning look in her friend’s eyes as she shrugged. “Not much to tell at all. But if I recall correctly, you were a dentist? ”
Crew nodded, settling deeper into his chair. “Pediatric dentist.”
“That must be an exciting line of work,” Estelle said, working to turn the conversation away from the dumpster fire she was living in. “Ever get bitten?”
Crew held up a hand with two fingers tucked down. “I’ll never forget the day…” he teased.
Estelle laughed. “Wow. Hopefully, you didn’t lose either of those to Layla.” Estelle winked at the frosting smeared child.
Layla made a face as Harper cleaned her up, but before anyone could say anything else, Estelle’s phone buzzed.
She fished it out of her back pocket.
Dad can’t breathe. We need you to drive us to the hospital.
Estelle felt all the blood drain from her head, and she swayed a moment before she managed to grasp the coffee table.
“Whoa,” Crew said, lunging forward to catch her elbow. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
Estelle blinked until her vision straightened, and she pulled carefully out of his hold, which felt too good to be real. “Uh…I gotta go. Sorry.” Without another word, she ran into the back of the shop to grab her keys.
This is why you shouldn’t flirt or encourage men, she scolded herself, shame filling her gut as she thought of her swift departure from their conversation. Crew had been so sweet and kind, and Estelle had left him behind.
It’s how it has to be. The words were like poison in her mind, but there was nothing for it. Estelle’s life wasn’t her own, and she needed to quit pretending it was, even if only for fifteen minutes.
Crew felt frozen as a statue as he watched Estelle run away. He slowly turned to Harper. “Was it something I said? ”
Harper sighed, finished wiping down Layla and began gathering their things. “No. At least, I doubt it,” she amended. Harper hesitated. “Let’s get home, and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
Crew was silent as they closed up the boxes, and Harper grabbed her purse before they walked outside. The heat from the afternoon sun warmed his skin, and Crew could almost pretend he was back in California. The sidewalk was busy, and they had to dodge several groups before managing to arrive at the car.
“Up you go, little one.” Crew grunted as he lifted Layla into her seat and got her buckled. “Geez, I swear they put kids in car seats until they’re twenty now,” he muttered.
Harper laughed from the passenger seat. “It seems like it, doesn’t it? I always want to say something like, ‘I didn’t use a carseat and I’m fine,’ but then I realize I sound like my mom and I swallow the words.”
Crew chuckled as he walked around to the driver’s seat. He’d rented a small SUV while in town, and it had proven perfect for taking Layla around to the beach, the park, or anywhere else they wanted to go. He was going to have her so spoiled by the time he left that Mason would hate him forever.
The thought made Crew grin.
“So…” Harper said on a sigh as he pulled out of his parking spot. “You really want to hear about Estelle?”
Crew’s humor faded immediately. “Yeah. I do.” He could feel Harper’s eyes boring into the side of his face.
“You like her.”
It wasn’t a question, but Crew felt compelled to respond anyway. “I do.”
“I had no idea you two had hit it off at the wedding,” she murmured, resting her hand on her stomach.
Crew shrugged. “We met one time, and I don’t live in town. Somehow I doubt either one of us really thought anything could come of it. ”
“There are these amazing inventions,” Harper began. “They’re called cell phones.”
“Hardy, har, har,” Crew shot back. “She was a beautiful woman at a wedding,” he said again. “If the opportunity had been there, I would have enjoyed getting to know her more, but our time together wasn’t enough for me to feel like I could pursue anything and long distance is a pain in the backside, so it was probably better I didn’t.”
“Hmmm…”
Crew gave her a warning look. “You were going to tell me what was going on?”
Harper squished her lips to the side. “I’m not sure how much I should tell, but I suppose things that are general knowledge are fine.”
Crew held his breath, his heart pounding erratically against his sternum.
“Estelle is the oldest of the Harrison girls,” Harper began. “Aspen and Maeve are both married, and as you saw, Aspen is expecting her first baby.”
“Exciting times,” Crew muttered with a nod.
Harper nodded. “It should be. But her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s several years ago, and his deterioration has been…rapid.”
Crew’s heart fell to his stomach. “Is that why she still lives at home?” he croaked.
Harper shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s an unmarried woman who designs wedding cakes for a living. While I know the cafe does just fine, I doubt Estelle will move out until she gets married.”
He nodded. “Is that all? I’m assuming what you’re really saying is that her dad’s dying?”
Harper nodded, her face drawn and filled with grief. “Yeah. We’ve all watched him get worse and worse, and it’s breaking everyone, but especially Estelle.”
“You meant it when you said she takes care of everyone else, didn’t you?”
“I did.” Harper sighed and straightened her shoulders a little. “There’s not a ton of people in our age group in Seagull Cove, and the Harrison sisters have been the heart of our friend group for ages.” A small smile tugged on her lips. “While Aspen was the bold and entertaining one, I think most of us would agree that Estelle was the mother hen.”
So she takes care of everyone but herself.
Impossibly, Crew’s opinion of Estelle rose even higher. He’d watched her help several customers before they arrived at the counter. She was stunning, but the dark bags under her eyes had spoken of hard work and sleepless nights. It was easy to see she’d been dead on her feet, but nothing had rattled her kind, gracious behavior toward every person wanting to purchase a slice of cake or a cookie.
From the mother with the baby to the little old lady behind Crew, Estelle took care of everyone, and he could see how much the town people loved her for it. Layla being a prime example. Being hard of hearing made Layla more wary of others, but Layla loved Estelle. It wasn’t hard to see why. And now, to find out she was taking care of her dying dad? The woman had to be a saint beneath all that silky hair and smooth brown skin.
“There’s more.”
Crew frowned. “Seriously? That sounded like a lot already.”
Harper nodded, another sigh slipping through the car. “It is. But her brother coming home…well…” Harper scrunched her nose and glanced over her shoulder, but Layla had fallen asleep.
“She’ll be a ball of energy tonight,” Crew teased. “I think I need to go to bed early.”
“Thanks, Mr. I-Chase-My-Niece-All-The-Time,” Harper drawled.
Crew grinned too wide.
Harper whacked his arm. “Anyway, Estelle’s brother Antony didn’t just come home for fun. He’d been hurt, badly, during his service.”
Crew’s smile fell. When Harper didn’t explain more, he pressed, “How badly? ”
Harper didn’t answer right away, and Crew found himself wanting to reach over and grab her arm.
“Harper. How bad?”
“He lost his leg and has a bunch of burn scars,” she whispered mournfully. Harper’s head fell back against the seat. “On top of that, he’s got some major depression and mental trouble going on. He barely speaks to anyone, he refuses to go to therapy, and he can’t do anything by himself.”
Crew found himself grinding his teeth, a habit he was constantly scolding kids about, but right now he didn’t care. “That’s way too much for one person to take on.”
“It is,” Harper agreed.
“Why aren’t her sisters helping?” he demanded. “Is her mother still here? Can’t she do anything?”
Harper groaned and rubbed her forehead. “I knew I shouldn’t have started this conversation with you.”
“Why not?” he shouted, then forced himself to calm down. It wasn’t like he had any control of Estelle, but seeing her again had rekindled the spark he’d felt at the wedding, and after being so restless and bored, he wanted to fan that flame until it engulfed him.
She was gorgeous, kind, and apparently an angel in disguise. What guy wouldn’t want to see where something like this could go? And the best part was, he knew she’d been attracted to him as well. She’d flirted at the wedding, and until that text had come through causing her to leave, Estelle hadn’t done anything to stop his attention toward her.
His words about her needing someone to take care of her came rushing back, and a rightness settled into Crew’s chest, a warm, fuzzy feeling that he couldn’t quite name but knew he didn’t want to push it away.
Well…he still had a little over three weeks in town. That was plenty of time to not only see if this thing between him and Estelle was worth pursuing, but it also gave him plenty of time to help ease her burden. He knew he couldn’t just show up on her doorstep and of fer to help. Estelle wasn’t going to be the type to welcome that kind of charity, but he would find a way.
He wanted, no…he needed , to see this through. Nothing had felt so important in a really, really long time, and he was going to figure out how to be what she needed.