Page 99 of Beach Vibes

Dex offered a faint smile. “No.”

“Not your type?”

“Something like that.”

They walked into the kitchen to find Teddy expertly cutting up the tray of brownies that Beth and the kids had made that afternoon. Magnolia had already collected dishes while Atlas got the ice cream out of the freezer.

The next few minutes were a cacophony of “she got more” and “I want whipped cream” until everyone settled down with their dessert.

Beth enjoyed sitting at the large kitchen table and being a part of the evening. Her growing up had never been like this. When her mom had been alive, more often than not it had just been her and Rick, with their mom off on some adventure that didn’t include them. After she’d died, Beth and Rick had been in different foster care homes. There had been plenty of children around, but Beth had never felt as if she belonged. No, that wasn’t right, she mentally amended. She’d never felt safe.

This was different. Not only was she an adult and able to take care of herself, but Teddy and his kids and Jana and Linnie and Dex were a family. It would always be safe here.

“You haven’t seen my room,” Orchid said, pointing at her.

“Mine, either.” Linnie pushed her empty bowl onto the table and stood. “Come see!” She paused, then grinned and added, “Please.”

“Rooms it is.” Teddy came to his feet. “Youngest to oldest.”

He moved close and added in a low voice, “Any interest in seeing mine?”

She knew he was teasing—they’d already agreed she wouldn’t be spending the night. But his words made her insides quiver in anticipation. She was ready for a little one-on-one time with the man. The things he did to her still left her gasping and boneless and wondering how she’d been doing it so very wrong for all those years.

They all trooped down the hall to Linnie’s room. It was big and bright, done in shades of lavender. Circular shelves in the corner provided storage for her stuffed animal collection.

“Dex made these for me,” Linnie said, running to the shelves and tossing several toys onto the floor so Beth could see. “They fit right into the corner and everything.”

Beth smiled at him. “Impressive.”

“I have skills.”

Teddy surprised her by stepping between them and putting his arm around her. “Yeah, yeah, no talking to the handsome actor.”

She knew he was teasing and hoped that was all it was. There weren’t words to describe how little interest she had in Dex.

After looking at the desk where Linnie planned to do her future homework, they all went to the other end of the house.

“We made some modifications after we lost Valonia,” Teddy said. “It’s not really a traditional floor plan anymore.”

“We all got a say,” Magnolia added. “We stayed with Dex while the work was done, and then we moved back home.”

Beth wasn’t sure what to expect. They walked past Teddy’s bedroom, and she was careful not to look in. Instead she focused on the arched doorway that led to a big, open flex space.There were three desks and a couple of sofas. Bookshelves were overflowing with books and board games. The carpeting was plush—the kind that invited sprawling and play.

Orchid grabbed her hand. “Start with my room!”

They went into the door on the left. The big bedroom had high ceilings and a large window with a window seat. The walls were yellow, the bedding a bright green. Through the far door was a sink, and beyond that was the shared tub-shower combo with a toilet. They kept going to another sink, then a room exactly like Orchid’s, but this one was done in blues. Beth guessed from the sports-themed bedspread and the football mural that this was Atlas’s room. From there they walked through another shared bathroom and into Magnolia’s room done in all shades of pink.

Beth returned to the flex space and realized each room was connected with the others and the family room they all shared. There was privacy, yet no one had to be alone.

“It’s a brilliant design,” she said.

“It works for us,” Teddy told her. “Planning it, figuring out what we wanted, helped get us through. We had to add on a little and mess up the roof line, but it was worth it.”

She looked at the kids, then at Teddy. As she’d thought before, they were a unit. They’d found their way through a dark time, and now they were healed. There were still the scars—those would always be there—but the kids were whole and thriving.

“We have pictures,” Orchid said, pulling her to one of the sofas. “Of all of us. Come see!”

Teddy stopped her from running over to the bookcase. “Beth doesn’t need to see the photo albums right now.”

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