Page 27 of Beach Vibes

“Seeing the boyfriend today?” Teddy asked.

“He’s on call this weekend, so no.”

“He’s not Mommy’s boyfriend,” Linnie informed her uncle. “He’s a friend who’s a man and they have dinner sometimes. It’s not serious.” She frowned. “I don’t know whatseriousmeans.”

“It means they’re keeping things casual,” Magnolia told her. “When they get serious, we’ll meet him. It’s the mature way to handle dating when one of the parties has children.”

Jana stared at her niece, then looked at Teddy, who seemed equally stunned by Magnolia’s words.

Magnolia offered them a smug smile. “I hear things.”

“Obviously,” Teddy muttered. “May I ask where these things are heard?”

“At school, mostly. A lot of my friends have divorced parents. It’s a thing.” She picked up a strawberry and took a bite. “I don’t understand dating at all. Why would you want to go out with just one person when you could go out with a group of friends? That’s a lot more fun.”

“You’re twelve,” Jana said, more to remind herself than tell anyone else. “Dating won’t be on your radar for a while.”

“I’m thinking maybe at twenty-five,” Teddy said.

Magnolia rolled her eyes. “Dad, you can’t stunt my growth like that. It’s not right.”

“I think a little stunting would be fine.”

Dex wandered into the dining room. He looked tired enough that Jana couldn’t help grinning.

“Rough night?” she asked, keeping her tone innocent.

“It’s not what you think.”

“Uh-huh. You don’t know what I’m thinking.” She looked at Teddy. “Do we know her name?”

Her brother shook his head. “He swears he’s done with short-term relationships, but I have my doubts.”

Dex ignored them both, took a chair and held out his arms. All four kids swarmed over him, each wanting his attention and plenty of hugs.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” he asked.

“I want to go back to the beach with Beth,” Linnie announced.

Dex looked at Jana. “Who’s Beth?”

“My friend from the food bank. I’ve talked about her. Linnie and I met her at the beach last Saturday, where we watched a surfing competition for a couple of hours. It was fun.”

“I liked her very much,” Linnie added. “And her friend Kai.”

“A surfer who works for her. Beth owns Surf Sandwiches. We do a Thursday afternoon shift together at the food bank. When it’s done, Beth and I hang out. She brings me the most amazing sandwiches.”

“I know the place,” Teddy said. “I haven’t been there in years.”

“You should go. Based on what she brings me, the food is delicious.”

Dex pulled Linnie onto his lap. “All right. So today. What are we doing?”

“I need a couple of hours to study,” Jana said. “Then I’m free.”

“We’ll do puzzles, then go play outside,” Magnolia announced. “By the time we want to come in, you should be done studying.”

Dex touched Magnolia’s nose. “Do I get a say?”

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