Page 50 of Island Protector

Bryce hopped up and down. “Yes, yes, yes!” He reached back and grabbed Molly’s hand. “Come on!”

She grabbed their gloves and stuffed them in her pockets, locking the door as Miles scooped up Bryce and carried him to the car. When Bryce was buckled in, Miles turned and kissed her on the cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

She felt the heat rise in her face. “To you too.”

“Joey said Valentine’s isn’t for kids,” Bryce announced when they were on the way out of the neighborhood.

“You exchanged valentine’s at school.” Molly and Sharon had supervised the project as he made cards for his classmates.

“It’s not the same,” Bryce said. “When I told him you and me and Miles had a Valentine plan, he said I was wrong cuz Valentine’s is for grown-ups.”

Her son sounded angry. It wasn’t the first time Bryce had complained about Joey, though the boys were generally on good terms.

Before she could redirect him, Miles asked, “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. I remembered what you said.”

Molly started to ask, but caught herself as Bryce continued.

“He can be wrong in his own head and I can be right in mine. I know you wouldn’t lie to me, even when you called it a surprise.”

“Think Joey’s jealous?” Miles asked.

“Huh-uh. He thinks Valentine’s is dumb and says it’s all about kissing. He doesn’t want to kiss anybody like his big sister wants to kiss her boyfriend.”

Molly knew Joey’s big sister was all of thirteen going on thirty. Based on the expression on Miles’s face, he had the same information.

“Are you gonna kiss Momma tonight on this picnic?”

She could see Miles and Bryce having an exchange in the rearview mirror. “Would that be a problem for you?” he asked.

Not wanting to be left out of this, she twisted around in her seat.

“I guess not,” Bryce replied. “It means you like her, right?”

Miles reached over and caught Molly’s hand. “That’s right.”

“And you like Miles, right Momma?”

“Yes.” Though she fought against a laugh, she turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his. Maybe there was hope for something real after all.

She couldn’t dwell on it as they reached Parker’s. Her curiosity equaled her son’s as Miles walked them down the boardwalk, away from the restaurant. She hoped he would turn toward the green space where they set up the cornhole games for folks waiting to be seated.

He didn’t. It was like walking into her worst nightmare when he turned toward the area where guests could arrive by boat through the marsh creeks. Her nerves reached a new high when she spotted a familiar vessel tethered to the dock.

“That’s the boat you’ve been working on.” She couldn’t keep the accusation out of her voice.

“It is. All cleaned up,” he confirmed. “She passed her first water test.”

“We’re going sailing? Is that the surprise?” Bryce’s head swiveled back and forth between them. “Come on, Mom!”

Molly locked down every urge to run away. She could not reveal her fear to Bryce. She didn’t want to spoil his love of the water, or ruin his excitement for the picnic. No matter how much it terrified her.

She looked at Miles, well aware that her sense of betrayal was obvious. Why had he chosen tonight to push her? Her fantasy that some grand romance might come of this disappeared in a blink.

“Kind of,” Miles said to Bryce. “Slow down and listen to me.”

To her shock, Bryce went utterly still, his attention fixed on Miles. “Sir?”

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