Page 15 of A Beach House Beginning

A few weeks ago, Jenna would never have believed she would find herself having dinner with her intimidating new neighbor and his daughter.

Or that she would enjoy it so much.

The pizza was delicious, probably the best she’d ever had. And though Wes Calhoun seemed to be going out of his way to be friendly, she still sensed a wary reserve in him.

He seemed to measure each word as carefully as he probably did the flour in his father’s pizza dough recipe.

Did he ever completely let down his guard? She doubted it.

She was fine with that. She had to be, since she had her own protective barriers firmly in place.

“Thank you,” she finally said, after she had eaten every single bite of her personal-sized pizza. “That was truly delicious.”

“It was super good,” Addison agreed. “Mom, you should take lessons from Brie’s dad on how to make pizza.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Should I?”

“You make good pizza,” her daughter quickly said. “But Mr. Calhoun makesreallygood pizza.”

“He truly does.”

“I’m happy to teach you all I know. Which should take maybe five minutes. It’s all about not skimping on the quality of your ingredients and putting a little advance thought into it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you again for sharing your pizza night with us.”

“You’re welcome to come back again the next time we make it,” Wes said. “Every Friday night is pizza night. We might even have to do it more than once a week. Brielle is going to be with me full-time for the first few weeks after school gets out, and I don’t have that many other specialties. I expect we will have the chance to enjoy a lot of pizza.”

“My mom is going to Costa Rica,” Brie said. “I think she should take me, but she says she can’t because I don’t have a passport.”

“You’ll get another chance to go on a trip with your mom and stepdad,” Wes assured his daughter. “Meantime, you get to hang out with me and do all kinds of fun things.”

“We can definitely plan some times for you two to hang out while you’re staying at Brambleberry House with your dad. It will be great for Addie to have someone her age here.”

“My friend Logan used to live downstairs on the first floor, but he moved away with his dadforeverago.”

“I know Logan. He’s nice.”

“He is,” Addie agreed. Suddenly her eyes widened with excitement. “And guess what? As soon as school is out, we’re getting a dog! I’ve been begging and begging for one, and Mom finally said we can go to the shelter next week to find a rescue.”

“Lucky!” Brielle exclaimed. “I always wanted a dog. We just have a cat. What kind are you getting?”

Addie shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t picked it yet. Whichever one needs a home most, I guess.”

Jenna did her best to ignore the misgivings she still felt about taking on a pet. She knew full well how much responsibility it would be, adding a dog to their family. But now that she knew for certain they wouldn’t have to pack up and disappear again, as she had feared for so long that they would have to do when Aaron Barker was released from prison, she could no longer think of any more excuses.

Addie had been through so much in her short life. Losing her dad. Having to uproot her life and escape here to Cannon Beach. Living for more than two years with a jumpy, scared-of-her-own-shadow mother.

Agreeing to her daughter’s relentless pleas to add a dog into their lives felt like the least Jenna could do for her.

“You’re so lucky!” Brielle exclaimed. “Can I play with him or her?”

“Anytime you want,” Addie said. “You could even help me take him for a walk, if you want. Dogs need a lot of exercise. That’s what my mom says.”

“Your mom is right,” Wes said. “The happiest, healthiest dogs get exercise at least a few times a day.”

He sounded like an expert. She really hoped so, since she had no idea what she was doing. Maybe he could give her advice.

While the girls chattered more about what kind of dog was best, Jenna turned again to Wes.

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