8

In Marina’s dream, her phone rang, and it was Jack, laughing at her naiveté. She pulled a pillow over her head to shut out the nightmare.

All night she’d tossed in her lonely bed, angry yet still worried about what happened to him. Stupidly, perhaps. Most of all, she was upset with herself for letting yet another man get to her. First, Grady in San Francisco, and now, Jack.

How could she have been so blinded by his charm, his intelligence…and Leo and Scout? That needy trio was like catnip to middle-aged women, and that’s what she was, no matter how good her hair looked or how many new dresses she wore.

Could Jack be just another Grady—the man she’d been engaged to who’d publicly dumped her for a younger model? That had destroyed her career, too. She had her conniving younger colleague to thank for that on-air bombshell, but it was Marina’s fault that she’d gotten involved with such a creep.

Just then, her phone buzzed—this time, it was for real—jolting her from her distressing dream. She flopped over, peering at the small screen on the nightstand.

A photo flashed on the screen.

Jack. That was no dream she’d had.

She grappled for her phone, but it slid onto the floor, bouncing off the braided rug and onto the hardwood floor, where it continued its annoyingly chirpy ring. As she scrambled for it, her leg became entangled in the sheet. Reaching for the phone, she tumbled out of bed and landed with a thud on her hip.

In the bedroom next to Marina’s, Kai banged on the wall. “Answer it, will you?”

Cursing under her breath, Marina grabbed the unrelenting device. “What?”

“Did I wake you?”

“What do you think, Einstein?”

Before she could ask what had happened to him last night—not that she cared to hear about it now—he launched into a litany of excuses.

“It’s been a bit wild lately.”

“Oh, really?” After tapping the speaker button, Marina kicked her way out of the tangled sheet that had slid off with her and leaned against the old iron bed in her thin cotton nightgown. This was going to take some time, and she hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet.

“I had Leo, you know.” Jack went on about how he’d been occupied with his son all weekend.

“Just like a lot of others. Welcome to parenthood.”

Jack paused, probably reaching for another excuse from his suitcase of defenses.

“And I’ve been so busy with Ginger’s illustrations. When I sit down, hours just fly by.”

“Uh-huh.” That was number two. Were there more? She winced and rubbed her hip, which was throbbing with pain.

“Then, I had a friend who really needed to talk.”

Number three. Now we’re getting somewhere, Marina thought. “Was this friend in imminent physical danger?”

“You don’t understand.”

“I’m trying, but it sounds like you simply forgot.”

“I swear it wasn’t like that.”

“Jack,” she said, drawing out his name like a warning. “Either you did, or you didn’t.” Now she was sounding like the no-nonsense Ginger she’d grown up with.

“Something came up. An old friend threw me off my game.”

“I suppose this friend is more important than the plans we’d made?”

Another pause. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Maybe you should start with this: Is your friend a man or a woman?”

“Why would that matter?”

“Surely you don’t mean that.” Marina glanced at the time. She was wide awake now with a big day ahead. And she was wasting her time here. “I don’t want to argue. We need to decide what we’re going to do next. If not, I have more important things to do.”

“Can we plan a do-over tonight?”

Marina pushed her hair from her face. She was livid that he would confess that some old friend had usurped his time and act like it was no big deal. And try to make a date for tonight when he should remember they were having a beach barbecue for Kai and Axe.

She was not going to explain that to him. He could search for that in his tiny memory bank all by himself. She was tired of being taken for granted.

“Jack, I can’t.”

She tapped off the phone. Is this how it would end?

Drawing her hands over her face, she tried to put last night into perspective. What if it hadn’t been such an important night? The night he was going to propose to her?

And then with a start, she thought, what if she’d conjectured that scenario, and it had been all in her mind? She couldn’t blame it on Kai, either. Her sister saw what she saw. Maybe it was just dinner to him.

Not a proposal.

Maybe she’d latched onto a fantasy in her overactive monkey brain.

But he’d still stood her up.

And maybe he’d honestly forgotten. Was that worth destroying their relationship over?

Groaning, Marina pushed herself from the floor. She scooped up the sheet and threw it onto the bed in a clump. She couldn’t think about this anymore.

She stuffed her arms into a robe, wondering if Jack would remember what they had planned this evening.

Though her heart was crushed, her logical side told her to give him one more chance for tonight. In a very tiny voice, that is.

That way, if Jack disappointed her again, she would know that he wasn’t ready for a commitment, no matter what buttery smooth words he might try on her.

This approach made sense to her.

Marina turned off the ringer on her phone and tossed it onto the bed. It was time to get on with her life. She set her jaw, determined to shift her focus to her family and business.

She had plenty to occupy her time. Kai’s friends and party plans. Her new food truck. The Seashell opening.

Living some romantic fantasy about a hot single dad, an adorable little boy, and a gangly overgrown puppy would not serve her.

In the room next to hers, she heard Kai groaning and getting up. She’d been at rehearsal until late last night, and when she’d heard Marina crying, she’d come in to check on her. Marina had told her everything, and Kai just hugged her.

When Kai married, Marina would miss her, even though they both complained about the noise the other made, just as they had when they were kids.

Marina banged on the wall. “Time to get up, Miss Lazy Bones.”

“Go away!”

“Aren’t you going to the airport?”

Marina heard another groan and footsteps on the hardwood floors. Kai was up.

Marina grinned and glanced around her bedroom. Living in her old room at her grandmother’s home was not where she thought she’d be in her mid-forties, though she’d been grateful for the soft landing when her world blew up. Still, the room was comfortable. Seashells she’d collected from childhood were stowed in large glass pickle jars that sat on a bookcase. An assortment of flip-flops filled a basket by the door.

Her faded summer dresses from years gone by hung in an antique burl wood armoire, and the border of coded symbols Ginger had hand-painted was still firmly attached where the wall met the ceiling. Marina looked up.

To the untrained eye, the decorative border contained what looked like fanciful shapes colorfully rendered in ocean blue, aquamarine, and seafoam green. But it was a cipher, and it had been Ginger’s secret message to Marina that she’d had to decode. Love always triumphs. True love is eternal. She turned to another portion of the cipher. As deep as the seas, as wide as the sky, forever through time, my love for you. Each one of the sisters had their own message.

Brooke had also had a bedroom upstairs, though she had married and moved away long ago. Heather was living there now. Except for a brief period last year when Brooke put her raucous boys and husband on notice by temporarily quitting her job as mother and wife, she hadn’t returned to the Coral Cottage as Marina and Kai had. She loved growing vegetables and fruit and could work hours in her organic garden. That was Brooke’s private world and métier. With her Birkenstocks and overalls, she was the grounded earth mother of the three sisters.

Lifting her face to the morning breeze wafting through her open window, Marina thought about how much she loved this room that had been her refuge since childhood. But it was time to move on. Jack or no Jack.

The new food truck would turn on the spigot to a new stream of income for her. That would help cover a place of her own if she wanted, along with Heather’s remaining college tuition.

Marina picked out a blue-striped sundress and headed toward the shower. Ginger’s room was farther down the hallway with a stunning view of the ocean. Regardless of where Bertrand’s job had taken them, the couple had kept this beach house and always returned to it.

As Marina splashed cold water onto her puffy face and red eyes, she thought about Kai’s friends, who would be arriving soon on an overnight flight from New York. Kai planned to take them to the beach as they were eager to begin their trip with a day in the sun.

After dressing, she made her way to the kitchen. Through the window, she saw Ginger outside picking vegetables in her garden. Marina stepped out to join her.

Ginger looked up expectantly, but when she saw Marina’s face, she caught herself. Instead, she held up a loaded stem. “Aren’t these heirloom tomatoes stunning this year?”

They were deep red and plump. “The best, I think. Your Anaheim chiles look good, too.”

“Help yourself to anything that’s ripe,” Ginger said lightly. “I’ve already picked lemons for today.”

Marina knew her grandmother was waiting to hear how her date with Jack had gone, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Instead, Marina focused on plucking the mild, curved green peppers that she used for chile rellenos. She placed them in Ginger’s basket.

In an exercise in avoidance, Marina shifted her thoughts on the day ahead. It was likely that Kai’s friends would be hungry when they arrived.

“Those look good.”

“That’s what I thought,” Marina answered, sidestepping Ginger’s mild conversational attempt. Marina strolled to a farther plant and focused on recalling the ingredients for her recipe.

But Marina’s troubles weren’t Ginger’s fault. She plucked a few ripe chiles and made her way back to Ginger. “I’ll use these for chile rellenos for lunch.”

“And how will you make them?”

Marina recognized Ginger’s diplomatic skill at diffusing tension. Still, she took her up on it, grateful for some normalcy before she had to launch into the explanation of Jack.

“I’ll char the chiles and remove the blackened skin, then lightly stuff them with a blend of white Mexican cheeses. Next, I’ll dust them with a hint of flour and fresh oregano and dredge them in beaten egg whites. A quick sauté will set the egg mixture, and I’ll finish them in the oven to melt the cheese.”

A slow smile rose across Ginger’s face. “Served with fresh salsa, that dish will satisfy people without weighing them down. A good choice for the beach.”

After carefully flicking a ladybug to another plant, Marina snipped some small-leafed stalks of oregano. Finally, she added an assortment of lettuce to the basket. She looped it over her arm.

As they walked back to the cottage, Marina broke their silence. “I guess you’d like to hear how my dinner with Jack went.”

“Only if you want to talk about it.”

“He didn’t make it.” She gave her grandmother a brief explanation.

Ginger raised her brow, a pensive expression on her face. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I thought that last night…” Her voice trailed off.

Marina knew what she meant. “So did I. But if we’re not meant to be, I won’t force it. I have a life to live.”

Ginger placed a hand on her arm. “Or he genuinely forgot.”

“That would mean he wasn’t planning what I thought he was. I was projecting, and while I was disappointed, I understand that I brought that on myself. Maybe it was just dinner.”

Ginger nodded sagely. “We must all learn from past mistakes if we are to grow. As much as I like Jack, I support you. You’re applying the lessons you learned from Grady. Bravo.”

“Then why does it hurt so much?”

Ginger touched her shoulder. “Those are growing pains, my dear. How did you get home last night?”

“A new doctor in town gave me a lift. He’s the one taking over Dr. Dede’s practice.”

A smile touched Ginger’s face. “Oh, yes. Jay, I believe. Is he as good-looking as they say?”

“I didn’t notice.” Marina gave her a conspiratorial grin. “Much,” she added.

“Well, then. I’m glad your fabulous new dress and hairstyle weren’t wasted. Maybe they were a good investment after all. At the very least, a little competition never hurts.”

Her grandmother could always find the positive nuggets. Although her heart still ached, Marina tucked her arm through Ginger’s and conjured a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”


Later, after making the chile rellenos for Kai and her friends who’d tumbled into the house with a load of luggage and laughter—and for her son Ethan, who was doing some touch-up painting for Ginger today—Marina turned to her preparations for the week.

She wanted to be ahead because this was also the week that Kai and Axe were debuting the new show, Belles on the Beach. She’d promised to make picnic box dinners for those who’d placed their orders, and there were quite a few. The Seashell was a hit.

She’d prepared the dry mixture for tomorrow’s muffins, which she liked to bake at sunrise, so they were fresh for the farmers market. The chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and tartes were ready as well.

In the morning, she would drop off everything at the booth her sister Brooke now managed. Brooke would arrive early to arrange her organic produce, which Marina purchased from her for the cafe.

Ginger often helped with the prep work for the farmers market, but today was different. With the cottage full of visitors, Marina wanted her grandmother to enjoy their guests. When she’d left them after lunch, Ginger was regaling them with stories about her world travels with Bertrand in the diplomatic service and her friendship with Julia Child. Ginger loved to share and embellish her stories.

That must be where Kai got her love of story-telling and performing.

Satisfied that she’d completed her tasks and was ready for the week ahead, Marina unclipped her hair and shook it out in the ocean breeze that blew through the open window. After shedding her stained chef jacket, she changed back into her sundress and swapped her sturdy closed-toed shoes for a pair of flat sandals she’d worn earlier.

Quickly, she surveyed the compact new kitchen she’d built in the old guest cottage in the back of her grandmother’s beach house, making notes for supplies she needed this week.

Before closing the kitchen, she glanced around the space that opened onto a sunny, umbrella-dotted patio that led to the beach to make sure everything was in order. Tomorrow would be busy, but tonight she intended to relax and have fun for Kai’s sake.

With or without Jack.

She hadn’t reminded him about tonight—he was a grown man, for heaven’s sake. Even though she tried to put him out of her mind, she was still upset over the lame excuses he’d given for forgetting their date last night.

Marina pressed her fingers to her pulsing temple and sighed.

The truth was that she cared deeply about Jack. While the logical side of her brain was trying to lead, her heart had another agenda. She’d let down her guard and fallen in love. The passion she’d almost forgotten about had rekindled the glow in her heart.

As these thoughts ricocheted through her mind, another thought occurred to her. What if it was true that Jack was simply embarrassed about having forgotten? Becoming an insta-dad to a half-grown child had certainly been a surprise to him, and he wasn’t terribly organized to begin with. She had overlooked a lot because of that.

Still, where should she draw the line?

Just then, she heard footsteps coming toward her.

“Hey, Mom. Sure smells good in here.”

Marina glanced up and smiled. Ethan looked so much like his father that she couldn’t help thinking how proud Stan would have been of him.

“That sounds like a hint. Are you still hungry?” She knew the answer to that.

Ethan grinned and shook his head. “I wouldn’t say no to one for the road. Smells like cookies.”

“You have a good nose. Leaving so soon?”

“I finished the painting that Ginger wanted and cleaned up, so I’m going to drive back to San Diego.”

“I thought you might stay for supper. I know how you like to barbecue on the beach, and I’m looking for volunteer chefs.”

Ethan laughed. “Not with all of Aunt Kai’s friends planning the bridal shower. They’re cool, but it’s a chick party, if you know what I mean. Besides, I have an early tee time. It’s not often I can play the Torrey Pines course, and I need all the practice I can get for the tournament.”

“That’s okay. I’m impressed with your dedication.”

At least she tried. Her son was working toward a career as a professional golfer. Although he hadn’t done well in his first year of college due to his problems with dyslexia, he was a naturally gifted golfer.

Marina opened a brown paper bag. “How about some goodies to go? I have muffins and bread, and a tarte you can heat for supper tonight.”

Ethan’s eyes brightened. “Spinach and mushroom?”

“I know your favorites.” She tucked in a spinach, bacon, and mushroom tarte she’d sealed in a take-out container into the bag, along with a loaf of cranberry-orange bread and a handful of oatmeal-raisin cookies.

“Wow, thanks. You’re the best, Mom.” He slung an arm around her, gave her a hug, and picked up the food. “Did Heather tell you about her possible new internship for the fall?”

“No. Where is it?”

Ethan grinned. “I’d better let her fill you in. She’s pretty excited.”

As she watched Ethan get into his car and leave, she recalled how busy she’d been with him and his twin sister, Heather. When they’d both left San Francisco to attend Duke University across the country, her life in the city shifted. That was before she’d lost her job and new fiancé on the same day. She’d arrived in Summer Beach at her grandmother’s cottage feeling dejected and disheartened at her dismal prospects.

Yet, that had been the beginning of a brand-new life. One that Marina was proud of now.

Heather would be the next to leave. She’d transferred to the less expensive University of California in San Diego when Marina lost her job, insisting that she preferred it anyway. While her daughter often waited tables at the cafe in between classes, it wouldn’t be long before she graduated from college.

Marina wondered where Heather would find work. It probably wouldn’t be in Summer Beach. Marina would have to look for another server to replace her. Soon, both of her children would be pursuing their dreams out in the big world without her.

She had been looking forward to having Jack and Leo in her life. For all the laughs they’d shared and their intellectual connection, his lack of commitment bothered her. Even if they made up.

She lifted her chin. Then again, she had dreams of her own, including a bright coral-colored food truck just waiting for new adventures.