Page 78 of The Magic of Sea Glass
“Three?” she asked, hopeful that he’d thought of his father.
“Yep.” He downed one, set the glass on the bar and then picked up the second, taking a small sip. “Ready?” He offered Lauren the third.
“He doesn’t look like that awful of a person,” she said, second-guessing her request and beginning to worry if she’d made the right decision by coaxing him into talking to the man.
“He’s not. We just don’t see eye to eye.”
Lauren stopped Brody in the center of the wedding crowd. He faced her, his brows pulling together.
“If I can offer you one piece of advice, it would be that none of us know how long we have on this earth, and I’m learning that no matter what, we should make the very most of the time we’re given. Even if that man never understands you, he’s your dad.Try.”
He shook his head as he looked adoringly into her eyes. “The things I’ll do for you.”
Happiness fizzed inside her like the glass of champagne she was holding. “You’d do things for me?”
“It seems I build whole decks and make little boxes for sea glass these days,” he replied lightheartedly as he laced his fingers through hers and moved through a group of wedding guests. “And now you’ve got me spending time with the one person I really don’t care to see, instead of taking you back out on that dance floor. So, yeah, I’d say I do.” He winked at her.
When they got to Brody’s father, the man stood up. He held out his hand to Lauren. “Chuck Harrison.”
“Lauren Sutton. It’s nice to meet you.” She let go of Brody and clasped her hand around Chuck’s.
He regarded Brody hesitantly. “It’s good to see you, son.”
Brody nodded a hello as if the mere act of it pained him.
“Please, have a seat,” Chuck offered, gesturing to the chairs around his table.
Brody complied, taking a large drink from his champagne flute. Lauren sat down next to him and reached for his hand under the table, ready for the squeeze.
“I’m surprised you came,” Brody said before taking another long drink.
“Joe convinced me.”
Brody looked out at the ocean, his solemn expression not matching the merriment around him. Joe was a table down, chuckling with a group of bridesmaids.
His father coughed, clearly to fill the awkward silence. “He told me that family is everything.”
Brody’s gaze slid back over to Chuck, but he wasn’t showing a single emotion.
“Yeah, I didn’t really buy it either,” Chuck said, reading his son’s reaction. “Until he told me a story I’ve never heard before. It made me realize how lucky I was to have had you and your mom in my life.”
A slight break of interest showed on Brody’s face, his expression softening.
Chuck stood up and waved Joe over. Joe carefully walked the few paces to their chairs while Chuck pulled another chair to their table for him so that the old man could sit down. “Do they know what you told me?”
Joe shook his head.
“Would you tell them?”
Joe leaned in and started at the beginning. “Well, as you know, I lost my wife, but what you don’t know is that she left me these two gorgeous little girls…”
TWENTY-ONE
LateFall, 1960
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
“I’ve found Anne a home here in the area,” the head of the adoption agency said. She’d introduced herself as Rhoda Perkins, and had a folder full of forms for Joseph to sign. “They’d prefer if you weren’t involved in the parenting, but you would be able to see her at least. They said you could visit any time you like. And they’ve agreed to keep the name Anne, as you’ve asked.”
