Page 61 of The House on Firefly Beach
An icy thorn of anger poked Sydney’s insides. Nate wanted them to sell, didn’t he? It seemed pretty darn obvious now.
Attempting to ease Jacqueline’s nerves, Uncle Hank replied, “They probably just heard that I’d been asking around for real estate agents and thought I was interested.”
“And are you?” Jacqueline asked. “Are youreallyinterested in abandoning the dream that Aunt Clara built for us all?”
Sydney feared that her mother’s emotion would upset Uncle Hank, but she knew Mama wasn’t snapping at him. She was just making sure that he understood what he was considering. Starlight Cottage was a part of their history, an extension of Aunt Clara, and the only legacy left by her in Firefly Beach.
“Nate offered to sell us a piece of his property,” Uncle Hank said, clearly considering this as the words left his mouth. “We’ll talk about it later.” He shifted his focus back to the stage.
A tingling sensation crawled over Sydney’s skin. She didnotwant to be any closer to Nate than she had to be, and once Uncle Hank and her family found out about Nate’s involvement in the—
Sydney’s thoughts were interrupted by a buzzing wave of noise from the crowd.
Joyce put the microphone to her lips. “I’m delighted that we could get our intentions across with this meeting. With the two of you agreeing to sell tonight,” she said, her gaze on the owners of the final two cottages on Sydney’s street, “we will be able to move forward. Our board will be preparing a step-by-step guide of the process that will be online to keep you informed as we go.”
“What just happened?” Sydney said to Uncle Hank.
Uncle Hank had also missed the conversation while they’d been whispering back and forth, but unlike Sydney, his level-headedness had kept him from panicking, and he’d been able to jump right back into the conversation. “Looks like it’s a go,” he said. He tipped his head back, searching the ceiling, as if he were trying to find Aunt Clara up there.
They all needed her help right now.
The crowd was restless and Tom McCoy, the owner of the old fruit stand and one of the final two cottages to sell, got up on the stage and took the microphone in an obvious attempt to calm any fears. “I was approached by a board member a few days ago,” he said into the microphone, his eyes suddenly finding Sydney. Why was he looking at her? “He gave me a price I can’t refuse, and also let me know that it would be in my best interest to sell. I’ve known him since he was a boy and while I’m nervous about the change, I have to trust him.”
Sydney had to close her gaping mouth. The only person on the board that Tom knew like that was Nate. Fire coursed through her veins and her hand shot up into the air.
A look of surprise washed over Tom’s face. “Yes?” he asked.
Sydney stood up, ignoring her mother’s confused glances. She called out over the two rows of chairs separating them: “And what stake does this board member have in the project?” Her eyes narrowed.
Tom shrugged, helpless, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head in surrender.
“Howis this in your best interest, Tom?” she nearly pleaded.
He just shook his head, mute.
Sydney felt like she was moving down a dark tunnel, the room closing in on her. She hadn’t gotten this feeling since seeing Nate’s truck driving away from her that day. Once again, Nate had managed to take all her joy with him. She’d tried her best not to let him hurt her again but he just had. He’d torn her heart out. Her anger withering to sadness, she sank back down into her chair in silence.
After Robby had had his bath, Sydney tucked him into bed and kissed his forehead.
“When is Nate coming back?” he asked her.
Sydney took in a deep breath of air to keep her shoulders from tensing. “Ben will be home in two days,” she suggested instead, praying that he would refocus his attention on the man who would never hurt him.
Robby broke into a smile. “I miss him. And Beau misses him too.”
Sydney nodded. “We all miss him. I miss Aunt Hallie a lot.”
Robby’s tired eyes grew round as a thought entered his mind. “Isn’t Ben friends with Nate? Maybe when Ben gets back, the three of us could go fishing!”
“Maybe,” she said, trying to soothe him to sleep. She couldn’t tell him outright that she never planned to let him near Nate again. He had no regard for anyone’s feelings.
“You look sad, Mama,” he said. “You can go fishing with us if you want to.”
She ran her fingers through the strands of hair on his forehead, brushing them back affectionately. Robby would be devastated if he knew that Nate was no longer going to be in his life, and the idea of yet another man leaving him would make things worse.
“Ben has another friend named Logan. Maybe he could go fishing with you all,” she heard herself say. She had no idea why she uttered Logan’s name, except for perhaps her hope that Robby could like someone who couldn’t hurt him. The more she considered this, the stronger the idea became. Ben would eventually be wrapped up in the family he would start with Hallie, and Nate would be out of the picture.
Logan was kind and funny. Maybe he could be a role model for Robby.
