Page 67 of Love At The Shore
“Um.” Kayla glanced around. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
Washe? Jenna was beginning to wonder.
“Line up.” Kayla gave Nick’s knee a gentle nudge.
He dragged himself upright on the starting block, and Jenna couldn’t take it anymore.
She reached into her purse for her cell phone and dialed Lucas’s number. Maybe if he was on the way, she could convince Kayla to wait.
But the phone rang and rang. It rolled over to voicemail just as Kayla’s whistle pierced the air and the swimmers dove into the pool. Nick’s race started with a half-hearted splash, and Jenna had no choice but to face reality.
Lucas wasn’t on the way. He’d never make it by the end of Nick’s race.
He wasn’t even answering her call.
Lucas gazed out the window of an upscale restaurant located right on the beach, mere steps away from the surf. Frothy waves tumbled onto the shore, dotting the damp sand with shells while the two men sitting across the table from him decided the future of his summer camp.
He’d barely eaten a bite of his lunch. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted this deal until now. All his talk about letting things go had actually convinced him that he wasn’t personally invested in the summer camp.
But that wasn’t quite true. The camp wasn’t just a paycheck. It meant something to him, more now than ever before. Seeing how much the summer camp meant to Jenna’s kids, especially Nick, had given him a whole new perspective the past few weeks. It wasn’t just a way for Lucas to pay for a home at the beach so he could surf all the time. The camp was an important part of the community on Tybee, and if this deal went through, it could change other beach communities all over the state. Maybe even the country.
The two investors exchanged a glance and Lucas held his breath.
Finally, one of them smiled and put him out of his misery. “We’ll leave the promotional piece as is and just run with it from there.”
So this was happening?
There would obviously be contracts to sign and details to hammer out, but it sounded like they’d struck a tentative deal.
Lucas nodded. “Hey, I’m open to anything as long as the integrity of the camp stays the same.”
Bob, the investor Lucas had known since his Berkeley days, tossed his napkin on the table. “Well, I think we need to go out and celebrate, start talking expansion plans.”
Yes!
He’d done it.
Lucas grinned, but just as he was about to agree to an impromptu celebration, his phone lit up and began vibrating on the crisp white tablecloth.
Jenna’s name flashed on the tiny screen, right beneath the time display. It read 2:13. He’d been sitting at this table for more than two hours, and now Nick was probably only minutes away from his swim trial.
He had no idea the meeting had run so long, but it wasn’t as if he could have gotten up and walked out. And now there was no way he’d make it back to the camp in time for Nick’s race.
Still, his jaw tensed as the call rolled to voice mail.
“I’d love to,” Lucas said.I made the kid a promise.“But I can’t.”
Bob frowned. “Why? Do you have a wife and kids waiting for you?”
Lucas shook his head. “You know that’s not the case.”
Bob was familiar with Lucas’s trajectory since business school. He’d mentioned time and again how much he envied Lucas’s carefree life on Tybee.
No strings. That’s what Lucas was famous for, wasn’t it?
“Then what?” Bob shrugged. “You’ve worked hard.”
How could Lucas possibly explain his desire to leave? The deal still wasn’t official, and as far as Bob knew, the summer camp was the most important thing in Lucas’s life.
