Page 72 of Sea La Vie
Together, we walk hand in hand to the parking lot, leaving Grandpa to catch up with his one great summer love.
32
Lainey
“I’ll get it,” I say and rush from my dad’s kitchen to the heavy oak front door. I swing it open and blink in shock.
“Surprise,” Tate says at the same time a woman I would recognize anywhere says, “Happy Birthday!” She smiles and immediately dives in for a hug.
“Cara!” I exclaim, pulling back from our hug to study her face. “How have you not changed a bit since you were six years old?”
“Botox, baby.” Cara flips the hair off her shoulder and winks.
“Come in, come in,” I say. “Gosh, it’s so good to see you!”
“I hope it’s okay I crashed your family’s breakfast. When Tate told me he was buying the cottage, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the fun we used to have as kids. He told me he had it all fixed up, and I had to see it for myself.”
“I’m so glad you came,” I say. “Did you just get in?”
Cara nods. “My plane landed in Raleigh this morning at six.”
“Heaven forbid she catches a later flight,” Tate mutters.
Cara rolls her eyes. “He was always grouchy when he didn’t get enough sleep. Some things never change.”
I motion for Cara and Tate to follow me to the dining room and snag a step ladder from the closet on the way. Tate nods at the step ladder and gives me a questioning look. “What’s with that?”
“Full house,” I explain. “We’re out of chairs.”
Cara makes small talk with the family for a few moments before we all gather around the table. Dad is beaming at the head of the table, light practically radiating from his rare, albeit proud, smile. I’m momentarily taken aback when I notice the spot next to him is empty. “Where’s Huck?”
“He ran to the diner for more pancake mix. He’ll be back any minute,” Dad says. I survey the table set in front of us, plastic dixie cups full of orange juice, mismatched silverware, and paper plates piled high with steaming, buttery pancakes, sausage, and crispy bacon, and I wonder how in the world we could possibly need more, when the squeak of the front door announces Huck’s arrival. He takes a seat beside dad and does a double take when he sees Cara.
“Cara,” he says. “Hey.” He gives an awkward little wave and coughs into his balled up fist. If I’m not mistaken, the blush creeping up his neck is something new, almost as rare as Dad’s smile. Huck is always calm, cool, and collected—never stressed—and always level headed.
Cara gives a wave and a warm smile back. Seeing Huck glance out the corner of his eye toward Cara every few seconds would be shocking if it weren’t for Cara’s icy blue eyes and medium length blonde hair pulled up into an effortlessly chic claw clip. She’s truly stunning, even in a pair of leggings and an oversized T-shirt, and it looks like Huck has noticed, too.
Dad clears his throat, his smile still radiant behind all that bushy facial hair. “I wanted to let you all know, Dr. Maverick gave me the green light to ‘resume life as normal.’” He puts air quotes around the last words. “My heart is as good as new.” Everyone smiles, and congratulations are tossed aroundthe room like a balloon losing air until finally, it’s quiet again. “I also wanted to let you all know that thanks to Lainey here, I’m finally able to retire.” His eyes cut toward me when he says, “Thank you, Lainey. I’d still give anything to turn back time and not allow you to go out there for that fishing tournament, but the check came this morning. Turns out you won after all.”
“What,” I mutter. “There must be a mis—”
Dad waves his hand and cuts me off. “It’s enough to cover the debts we owed and more.”
“But I didn’t—” my voice trails off in the busy hive of chatter around the dining room.
“Way to go, Lain!” Huck says. I even catch Henry and Eden share a quick smile. What is happening?
I glance up at Tate and he shrugs. “I didn’t win,” I whisper to Tate. “There’s no way. We didn’t make it back in time. And even if we had, Paul’s catch was way bigger than—” The words catch in my throat before I can finish. Did Paul do this? Dad breaks my train of thought by sliding a stack of pancakes in front of me, and I dig in, my mind elsewhere.
We finish breakfast, and I’m still in a haze when I’ve cleared the last plate. Everyone’s gone except Dad. Huck went off to the diner, Eden went to Mugs and Memos, and Tate is showing Cara around the town—even though not much has changed since she was here last. It’s just me and Dad.
“I’m proud of you, kid,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, what you did put me through hell. I thought I would never have to go through that again. But you are so brave and smart, and so much like your mother.” He gathers me into his big arms, and my face rests in his chest. I breathe the earthy pine scent he’s scrubbed himself with for as long as I can remember to wash away any trace of fish that may linger. When he releases me, he looks into my face. “You look just like her.”
“You think?” I ask, my voice wobbly.
“I know,” he says. “You’re headstrong and determined, too. Just like her. So much so that I think we need to have a little chat.” He pulls out a chair then motions for me to sit. When he does the same, he sighs. “Your mother was never happy fishing with me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Yes, she was,” I counter. “She loved spending her days with you out on the water.”
