Page 55 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“No. He and Willie went to look at houses today in that fifty-five and over community, Dunes West.” He looked at the clock. “They’ve been gone a while now. I guess that means they’re having a good day.”

“Must be.” She took another small bite of the pie, which tasted even better after Danny’s words of praise. “How do you feel about him getting married and moving out?”

Danny sighed. “I’m happy for him. But I’m going to miss him, too. My dad’s been living with me for a while, and I like having him around. It’s not that he can’t take care of himself. He’s very self-sufficient. But he’s my dad. What can I say? It’s been a rare treat to have him to myself.”

Claire nodded. “That’s so nice.”

“Your mom is moving out, too, though. Isn’t she?”

“She is, eventually. She’s actually bought a house but it’s going to need some work, so it’ll be a few months before she’s settled there.”

“Won’t you miss her?”

“I will. I’m not sure I would have said that a month ago, but since Bryan’s death our relationship has changed for the better. Really, it’s changed since we’ve been here. We’ve talked more and she’s put herself out into the world more than ever. Because of that, she’s sort of come alive again. Gotten more active. It’s really something.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with her new boyfriend?”

Claire snorted softly. “Oh, definitely. By the way, I have some Bryan-related news.”

Danny’s brows rose. “How can that be when he’s no longer around?”

“You’d think that, but death really didn’t put an end to the surprises.” She took a deep breath. “We just found out he had a third wife. And she just had a baby. A little boy. Kat and Trina have a brother.”

Danny’s mouth came open and he just stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am. We met her the other night. She brought baby Nico here so he could meet his sisters.”

Danny frowned. “So this other woman knew Bryan had daughters but not wives to go along with them?”

Claire’s smile was tight and held no amusement. “She knew, but Bryan told her that we were his ex-wives. That he’d divorced both of us.”

“Wow.”

Claire nodded. “That was pretty much my reaction, too.”

“Are you okay? Do you need to hit something?”

She laughed. “No, I don’t need to hit anything. As far as being okay, I’m in a little bit of shock. At the same time, I basically mentally divorced myself from Bryan after I found out about Roxie, so I’m not all broken up about it. She, on the hand, doesn’t seem to be taking it so easily.”

Danny crossed his arms. “Where does this new woman fit in the timeline? When did he marry her?”

“Only a few years ago. She can’t be any older than thirty or thirty-one. Very pretty,” Claire added.

He nodded like that all made sense. “So, a younger woman and a recent marriage. Roxie is probably feeling a lot of what you did when you first found out about her. She’s not the other woman now. This new wife is. I imagine that’s a whole different level of betrayal.”

“Huh.” Claire hadn’t thought about it that way. “That’s quite the insight. Sounds fairly spot-on to me. I wonder if I should check in with her. See if she wants to talk. If anyone can relate, it’s me.”

“Sounds like this new wife has put you and Roxie on the same team.”

“You’re just full of observations, aren’t you?”

He laughed. “I think it’s that sour orange pie. It’s made me smarter.”

She chuckled. “Maybe it did but I don’t think we can use that as a selling point. I’m really glad you liked it. I’d better get back.” She touched the pie tin. “You keep this and share it with your dad. See what he thinks.”

“I will. And I more than like it. I love it. This is going to be a big deal. I have a feeling. Would you write up all that history you told me about it so I can use it as a cheat sheet when I talk to my media contacts?”

“Tomorrow morning soon enough?” She’d probably do it tonight. Tomorrow was going to be incredibly busy.

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