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“Indeed we do. Tomorrow night and every night after that for the foreseeable future. After I pick you up from school, we’ll load up on groceries and drive out to Marsh Point. If you help me unpack and get settled, I’ll cook steaks on the grill to celebrate.”
“Yay!” Caroline screams and takes off again chasing her sister in circles around the center hallway.
Needing a break from the pandemonium, I text Sherry next door and ask if Alicia is free to watch the girls while I go to the hardware store. Five minutes later, the eleven-year-old appears at the front door.
“And no dancing,” I tell Alicia in a warning tone. When she gives me a confused look, I say, “Never mind.”
At Coastal Hardware, I spend a few minutes looking at fishing rods before filling my cart with packing supplies. I’m approaching the checkout counter when a young man jumps in line ahead of me. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
The man peers at me from around the mountain of towels and home goods in his cart. “Sorry. I was here first.”
The he is really a she with super short hair and a trim figure with few curves. I roll my cart out of her way. “By all means, ladies first. Not that you look much like a lady,” I say under my breath.
Her eyes mist over, and she lowers her head, staring down at the floor.
“Gosh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m in a hurry to get back to my children.”
“Same,” she says, sniffling as she dabs at her eyes with a tissue.
Guilt tugs at my heartstrings. Did I touch on a sore nerve? Or is she just having a bad day?
When the woman reaches the checkout counter, the clerk looks at her with pity. “Oh, honey. Are you okay? Do you need me to call for help?”
The woman shoots a death glare in my direction. “I’m fine. Just overly sensitive.” She pays for her items with a check and wrestles her cart out of the store.
By the time I reach the small parking lot behind the store, the woman is finishing loading her items into her trunk. I approach slowly so as not to startle her. “I’m sorry about what I said in the store. I have a bad habit of putting my foot in my mouth.”
“No worries. I’m used to jerks making fun of my appearance.” She slams her trunk and turns to face me. Her big eyes are golden brown, the color of brandy, and she has a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her face is quite feminine despite her other boyish features.
“You have to admit, your short hair makes you look like a boy.”
A smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “You should probably quit while you’re ahead.”
I laugh. “Probably.”
As I hold her gaze, a connection passes between us. I sense a deep sadness in this woman that makes me want to know more about her, and I’m disappointed when she gets in her car and drives away.
I think about her on the way home, and she’s still on my mind as I cook steaks on the grill the following evening at Marsh Point. I’m so lost in thought, I don’t hear Ashton approach until she’s standing beside me.
“You’re a million miles away. What’re you thinking about?” she asks, handing me a bottle of beer.
I set down my fork and take the beer from her. “A lot of things. Including your generosity in letting us stay here.”
“The house belongs to our family, Will. You’re welcome to live here as long as you like. Are you all settled?”
“Pretty much,” I say, popping the cap off the beer bottle. “The girls pitched in. They’ve unpacked their suitcases, but I doubt their rooms are very organized.”
Ashton glances past me at Caroline and Sophie, swinging hula hoops around their hips nearby in the yard. “Does my heart good to see them so excited about Marsh Point.” She inhales a deep breath. “If you’re like me, you’ll find living on the water therapeutic.”
“I never found peace here while Mama was alive. But I admit my nerves are already less frazzled.”
“I wish I could help out more with the girls, but I’m crazy busy at work right now.”
“I understand. We’ll figure something out. Since it doesn’t appear any spots will open in the after-school program, they may have to hang out with me at work in the afternoons.”
“They would probably like that. You could get them mini hard hats.” Ashton lowers herself to a lounge chair. “Maybe I can take them a couple of afternoons a week. I could pick the girls up from school, feed them lunch, and send them to their rooms for quiet time while I work.”
“That would be great if you’re willing to give it a shot. They’re usually pretty beat after school.”
