After a few laps across Short Sands beach near seven, I stop into the Perk. I’m greeted by a familiar face.
“Good morning, welcome to the Perk. What can I get for you?”
“Hi, Scarlett. Nice to see you again. How are you?” Scarlett is Savannah’s younger sister. She and her sister are carbon copies of one another with long, dark hair and light eyes. If I recall correctly, she’s a student here in Maine now and lives in the same condo complex as Billie’s unit.
The look on her face indicates she recognizes me but not from where.
“I’m sorry—”
“Hi, Caroline.” Kelsey enters the front of the coffee shop, rounds the counter, and pulls me into a hug.
“Hi, Kelsey. How are William and Benjamin?” Kelsey is a friend of ours and owns the Perk. She met William a few years ago after coming here to recuperate from an assault by her ex-boyfriend. They got married a few years ago, and their son is almost one.
“They’re great. Will I see you on Friday night?”
“Yes, Billie invited me.”
“Great, see you then.” Kelsey hugs me again and returns to her office.
I turn back to Scarlett. “We met at Sam’s. I’m Caroline, Auggie’s girlfriend.”
Scarlett nods. “Yes, of course. I apologize for not recognizing you right away. You weren’t his girlfriend then, though right? Or did I miss it?”
Thankfully, there isn’t anyone else in line behind me.
“No, you’re correct. How is your new auntie status?”
Scarlett smiles. “Emerson is amazing. It does make me want to wait a bit to have a baby though. Caring for her is a lot of work. What can I get for you?”
“I agree. I’ll take a blueberry muffin and a mocha latte.”
“What brings you here, Caroline?” Scarlett asks.
“It’s a long story, but the main reason is Margaux assaulted me, and Auggie felt it would be safer for me to be here with his family instead of in the city.”
“I have never met her in person. I suppose there’s no reason for me to ever meet her. Can’t say I want too either. She must be awful if all of her children have cut her off completely.” Scarlett hands me my latte and warmed muffin.
“Thanks, Scarlett. Maybe I’ll see you when I visit Emerson or here before I leave.”
“You’re welcome. Have a nice day.”
With my yummy goodness in hand, I turn and take the shortest route back to the condo. I drop a pillow on the deck and sit on it, observing the ocean across the street from Billie’s balcony while enjoying my breakfast. The crowd is decent size as tourists flood the street below and the beach. I was surprised the Perk wasn’t packed. Then I realized it’s still early for vacationers to be awake.
My phone rings with a video call as I finish the last satisfying sip of my latte.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Oh my heart. I hope I never get used to him calling me that or any other term of endearment he likes. “Morning. How are thing’s going there?”
“Not too bad. Although the smoke alarm went off last night. I went back when Collette called me. You?”
“I went for a long walk and stopped by the Perk. Scarlett and Kelsey were both there this morning. Later I’m going to hang out with the twins and send Cash and Noelle out alone for a little bit.”
“That’s nice of you.”
I laugh. “More like selfish. I want to keep all the twin snuggles to myself.”
A sweet smile crosses his face, one I haven’t seen in the last few weeks. “Fair enough.”
“What about you?”
“After shift I’m going to drive to the city. It’ll be later when I call you.”
“Okay. At the risk of making you angry, are you sure about this?”
“The only thing I’m sure of is I need to tell my mother face-to-face her behavior toward you is absolutely unacceptable. I’m sure I need to look her in the eye and tell her not only that, but I don’t want her near either of us ever again.”
My heart aches for him. Not only is he willing to cut her off, but the main reason is me, and it makes me love him all the more. “Thank you for taking her on for me.”
“There is nothing I won’t do for you, cuore mio. I love you, always have.”
“I love you, always will.”
“Have fun with Josie and Julianna. Let me know if you need anything when I call later. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”
“Drive safely.” I sigh and end the video. I take a shower and give Noelle a call, letting her know I’m on my way. About fifteen minutes later, I pull into their tree-lined driveway.
Noelle and Titan, their German shepherd, greet me on the porch. “Hey there!” She pulls me in for a tight hug.
“Hey. Look at you. You look great!”
“Thanks. It certainly isn’t easy keeping up with those two. I don’t know if it would be better if they wanted to eat at the same time instead of one after the other.”
I follow her inside, slip off my shoes, and watch Titan sniff out Cash. He’s lying on the floor between two identical chairs with gorgeous babies cooing away.
“Hi, Cash.”
“Hey, Caro. How are you holding up?”
“I would rather be with Auggie, but otherwise fine. What about you?”
A huge grin materializes on his face. “These two are only a close second to finding Noelle.”
With his words, Noelle drops a soft kiss on his lips. When she pulls away, words pass between them. They may not have been lifelong friends like Auggie and me, but the bond is nearly the same.
“Honestly though, how are you and Auggie?”
“We need to deal with Margaux and Phyllis, and we’ll be fine.”
He shakes his head. “I may not be your best friend, but I’ve known you as long as Auggie. What else?”
“Like he discussed with you and Sam, he’s meeting with Margaux tomorrow to cut her off. I’m not a fan of him doing it alone, but he refused to let me accompany him.”
“I wouldn’t let Noelle anywhere near Margaux after the gala. I don’t blame him. He loves you.”
“I know, and I love him. We’re a team, but for this he’s shutting me out.”
“He’s not though. Don’t you see, he’s protecting you while giving you what you asked for.”
Confused, I ask, “What did I ask for?”
“No personal security.”
I drop my head forward. Cash is absolutely right. I just didn’t see it that way.
“I give. When did they eat last?”
“Right before you got here, why?” Noelle’s tone sounds concerned.
“Why don’t the two of you go for a walk, get a coffee, or something? I’ll watch the girls for you.”
Noelle’s eyes snap to Cash’s and more words pass between them.
“Are you sure?” Cash asks.
“Of course. Just point me to their bottles and diapering stuff.” Noelle shows me where the bottles are organized and which ones to use first and how much each twin is eating. I follow Cash to the office, which is now more of a playroom for the girls, complete with a diapering area and two portable cribs.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. Go,” I assure them as they walk upstairs together, still figuring out what to do with themselves. Ten minutes later, they walk downstairs together.
“We’ll be back later. Please call if you need anything. When we get back, we should talk about you and your job,” Noelle states.
“Sure. Also, Cash I have a few questions for you too.”
His interest piqued, he asks, “About?”
“Publishing.”
“Sweet. We’ll be back soon. Thank you for watching them.”
“No problem. Go enjoy some alone time together.” I shoo them out their front door.
They scamper down the steps and then the driveway.
I turn to my nieces. “All right, girls, be nice to auntie. It’s been a while since I watched two infants at once.”
They reply in gurgles and coos. So far so good. I take a photo and send it off to Auggie.
Auggie: I’m so jealous. Kiss them for me. Love you, always have.
Me: I will. Love you, always will.
Then I hang with the girls until Cash and Noelle return about three hours later.
“How did it go?” Noelle asks.
“Fine. They both ate. I wrote the amount on the chart. I changed them both. I put Julianna’s pajamas on top of the washer. They fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Thank you for watching them. Sleeping doesn’t count as alone time.”
I laugh. “You’re welcome. Anytime, just say the word.”
“Thanks. So let’s talk about you and Auggie,” Noelle suggests.
I can feel my face heat at the thought of him. “It can wait until Friday, but even then, my answers will be cryptic because Billie has strong rules about what she can handle, as I’m sure you already know.”
Noelle smirks. “She does. We may have to hide in a corner with Savannah for a little bit and get all the details.”
“Deal. What did you mean work for you?”
“I have a few openings right now. Two at the center and one for the consulting aspect. I was thinking the consultant position would be best for you, not only because you have personal experience assisting me with Cooper, but it’s done remotely since my clients are all over the United States now.”
“Congrats! That’s amazing.”
“Thanks. The position doesn’t start until late summer, but it’s yours if you want it.”
“It sounds perfect. When do you need a decision?”
“No rush. I’m giving myself a coworker.”
“Sweet. Cash, these next questions are for you.”
He tears his eyes away from his daughters. “What can I help with?”
“I don’t know if you can. The only person who knows this about me is Auggie. I’ve always wanted to publish a children’s book focusing on high frequency words.”
“Good for you. What do you need from me?” Cash asks.
“You may not know any of the people I need, but I thought if anyone knows someone, it would be you. I’m going to need an illustrator and then figure out how to actually get the book published.”
Noelle is practically jumping up and down. “I know an illustrator. Well, Nicholas does. I’ll get the information for you.”
I might actually fulfill this dream too. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll reach out to Mallory from my old firm. I believe she has indie publishing contacts. Pardon the indelicate part of this, but do you need funding as well?”
“No worries, Cash. Not offended. No, I don’t think I need capital. I’ve invested my trust distributions since I was eighteen.” I’ll probably move in with Auggie, so I can sell my townhouse as well, but I keep it to myself. Although I’m confident it’s what we want, I haven’t talked to Auggie yet.
“All right. I’ll reach out to Mallory later today.”
“That was easier than I thought,” I voice my inner thoughts. “Sorry, the comment was meant to be in my head.”
Both Cash and Noelle chuckle. “No problem. Every now and then things work out. When stubborn men are involved, like my brother, things take longer than they should,” Cash adds.
“I don’t know if the timing was right anytime before now, to be honest.”
“Maybe not, but I’m glad he wised up.”
“Me too. Thank you for allowing me to steal your girls for a little while.”
“No, thank you. We needed to get out of this house alone. Plus, I’ll see you on Friday, and I want some details.”
I’m sure my skin is bright red, but I don’t respond.
“I’ll call or email you after I talk to Mallory,” Cash assures me while walking me to the door. I descend the stairs, open the driver door, and wave. Before I pull away, I place my dinner order at the inn.
After eating I wash up and curl up in the bedroom with the French doors open listening to the soothing sounds of the waves. I miss Auggie.