Page 55 of The Magic of Sea Glass
Brody shot Lauren a fond look and set it on a small table next to the hammock.
“Well, it’s so nice to see you three already chatting away.” Mary’s voice sailed toward them, her cane clicking against the new boards of the decking. “Did you want a drink, Lauren? We have piña coladas, a couple of different daiquiris, and lemonade.”
“A lemonade would be wonderful, but I’ll get it. Anyone else want one?”
The others declined. Mary, however, gave her a bright nod. Lauren went over to the table full of drinks, taking one of the glasses in each hand, the film crew following. Dave motioned for them to pan out on the beach just as a seagull flew over the sand. The crew began to descend the steps and Lauren used it as her opportunity to escape them, hurrying back over to the group.
When she returned, the woman was leaning forward on her cane and peering down the walk. “I wonder where Joe is.”
Lauren offered her the other lemonade.
Mary took it, thoughts clear on her face. “He’s usually early when I ask him to come over.”
“You could call him,” Stephanie suggested.
“Maybe I should.” Mary set the untouched lemonade on the wide railing of the deck and paced over to the door, letting herself inside.
“Hey, tell him I’ll come get him if he needs me to,” Brody called after her.
Mary gave him a thumbs up and then disappeared into the inn.
“He’s been having a hard time getting around lately,” Brody said. “I worry about him.”
Lauren couldn’t help but be affected by Brody’s caring nature. “That’s sweet of you.”
“Joe was best friends with my grandfather. He’s been great to our family. When my dad left last year, he stepped in to help my mom with anything she needed, even though I could handle it. He’s been like a father to me.”
“He always treated me like a daughter too,” Stephanie said happily over her shoulder, as Mitchell beckoned her to the edge of the deck to show her a pair of dolphins out on the horizon. “That’s why I’m having him give me away at the wedding.”
The crew rushed over to get the shot, staying on the beach, to Lauren’s relief.
“Hey there.” Melinda came over to them from a group of people in the corner. “How’s the birthday boy treatin’ ya?”
“Good,” Lauren replied. “We were just chatting about how Joe is like a father to Brody.”
Melinda gave an affirmative nod. “He’s a wonderful man.”
Lauren took a sip of her lemonade, the crisp sweetness of it like summer in a glass. “He was best friends with Brody’s grandfather?”
“Yes. My father-in-law told me that Joe was the first person he met when he moved to the Outer Banks. It was an interesting relationship, but they seemed to understand each other.”
“Interesting?”
She and Brody shared a knowing look. “My father-in-law was raised… differently from Joe.”
“My grandfather was from a very wealthy family,” Brody added, something lingering behind his eyes—disapproval?
She thought back to Melinda’s story about how his father had worked all the time and she wondered now if Brody associated wealth with that overpowering drive to work.
He pulled two chairs over and offered them to Lauren and his mother before taking a seat across from them. “Joe was a local dock-worker, cleaning fish for the big fishing companies.”
“They were definitely an unlikely pair,” Melinda said, sitting down. “Brody’s grandfather didn’t seem to connect with anyone in his life, but he had a very strong bond with Joe. No one can understand it.”
Lauren sipped her lemonade and lowered herself into the chair. “So how did they meet?”
Melinda looked questioningly at Brody. “I think they met the very day Phillip arrived here from Alabama, didn’t they?”
“That’s what Dad told me.” Brody looked out over the water.
