Page 17 of Love At The Shore
Lucas felt himself smiling. They were actually being civil to one another. They might even be flirting.
No way. Not possible.His smile faded on his lips.Was it?
“Did you put chocolate chips in them?” Ally said.
Right…the pancakes. Breakfast sounded nice. Jenna was probably the type of mom who used pretty cloth napkins and warmed up the syrup. Lucas’s stomach rumbled, and he hoped no one heard it.
Jenna swept a lock of hair behind her ear. She was getting closer and closer to beach hair every day. “I might have.”
The promise of a chocolate-laden breakfast was all it took to tear the kids away from the fence. Finally.
“Yes!” Ally bolted for the stairs.
Nick wasn’t far behind.
“I’ll meet you up there,” Jenna said as they whizzed past her.
Then it was just the two of them, and Lucas suddenly found himself short of breath.
Relaxation suits her.
Not that he had any business making such an observation when she’d constructed a literal barrier to keep him away.
Still, she lingered at the foot of the stairs for a minute as if she wanted to say something. He couldn’t imagine what it might be.
She took a deep breath. “Well, have a nice day.”
Lucas nodded. “I always do.”
How could he not have a great day when he lived in the most beautiful spot on earth and wasn’t bogged down by a house full of potted plants?
He laughed quietly to himself until he realized he was watching Jenna climb back up the stairs. He didn’t envy her position as a single parent, but she made it look almost effortless. And he had to admire her work ethic and dedication to her writing. Plus there was a hint of amber in her brown eyes that reminded him of summer sunsets and skies ablaze with golden light. He loved those eyes, even when they were regarding him with cool indifference.
When he averted his gaze, he found Tank regarding him with keen interest. The dog cocked his head and let out a soft woof.
Lucas’s gaze narrowed. “What are you thinking, boy?”
Was Tank contemplating how long he could avoid Ally’s enthusiastic brand of dog training? Was he wondering what Jenna had wanted to tell him before she’d retreated back upstairs? Or was he simply thinking about pancakes?
Probably the latter, but Lucas liked to think it might be all of the above.
“Me, too.”
Chapter Four
Nick’s request for help withhis swim lessons had nothing to do with Lucas’s decision to stop by the summer camp for lunch a few days later. Zero. He had every right to be there, and it wasn’t as if he’d never dropped by before.
After all, he owned the place.
Contrary to whatever Jenna Turner believed, Lucas wasn’t a worthless beach bum. Sure, he liked to surf. And admittedly, his daily schedule wasn’t always set in stone. But that didn’t necessarily mean he didn’t work for a living. He just typically took a more hands-off approach where the summer camp was concerned. Kayla was the best employee he’d ever had. Every summer for the past three years, she’d had the camp running like clockwork.
Still. He decided it wouldn’t hurt to pop in and check on things.
The wooden planks of the deck creaked beneath his feet as he made his way from the shore to the summer camp entrance. As usual, the railing was lined with campers’ colorful beach towels, left out to dry in the sun. The bright rows of flags strung overhead flapped in the cool ocean breeze.
As fate would have it, he got there just as Nick was nearing the end of a lap in the pool. At least Lucas told himself it was fate, because he still wasn’t quite ready to accept that he was seriously thinking about helping the kid.
He hung back by the bleachers and watched as Nick made a slow crawl to the end of his lane. All the other kids were already out of the water and peeling off their goggles by the time Nick grabbed onto the concrete edge of the pool, panting for breath.
