Page 64 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“He’s great, but Alex isn’t.” Trina explained what had happened.

Her grandmother put her hand to her mouth, then shook her head. “We need to keep that boy in our prayers. Miles, too. That’s an awful tough job they do.”

Trina nodded. “It is. Miles isn’t in the same kind of danger that Alex is, but it’s definitely something I think about.”

“Maybe I’ll ask Miguel if there’s a saint for firefighters. Those Catholics have a saint for everything.”

Trina laughed. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“You think you’ll end up marrying that boy?”

“Mimi, how do I know? We only just started dating.”

Her grandmother shrugged. “I always had a feeling about the men in my life. I knew right away if they were the one or not.”

“That’s because they were all the one.”

Her grandmother laughed. “Don’t get sassy.” She gestured at Trina with her glass. “We still need to meet him, too.”

“I know. I promise I’ll get him over here soon.”

“You’d better. I don’t like the idea of you going out with a boy I haven’t approved of yet. I’m sure I’ll like him, but all the same, I want to meet him.”

Trina nodded. “It’ll happen. And you’ll love him.”

That much was a foregone conclusion for Trina. Miles was easy to like. He was kind and polite and had a worthwhile job.

But her grandmother’s question about marriage got Trina thinking. Could she see herself married to Miles?

She leaned back on the couch and smiled. She could. Especially now that she knew he wanted kids just as much as she did.

The day had been extremely long, and the rest of the house had been in bed when Jules and Cash returned, but she was thrilled with how much they’d gotten done. They’d sounded really good, too, even with only a day’s practice. The next couple of days would just make them that much better.

She couldn’t wait to hear the song with a full band. Tomorrow was going to be fun even though Cash wouldn’t be there, since he’d be off helping Kat with the move.

Regardless of how this demo did, it was at least going to sound great. That made her happy. She’d been a little worried that rushing the demo would result in an inferior product, something she wouldn’t even want to put her name on, but that worry was gone.

Again, she had Jesse to thank. He’d stepped up when she’d needed him, and he showed no signs of stopping.

As she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Toby curled into a little circle near her feet, her mind drifted to what the future might hold.

Having him on tour with her would be great fun, but it would also be a test of their newly minted relationship.

If things soured between them during the tour, it could mean the end of them for good. She didn’t want that to happen for several reasons. She liked Jesse a lot, not just as someone who shared her love and appreciation for music, but as a friend, and even more so as a romantic companion.

Her two failed marriages had made her gun-shy about getting too involved too soon. Although it wasn’t entirely fair to say her marriage to Lars had failed. The two of them had failed mostly because of his addictions and womanizing, but the marriage had given her Cash and Fender, her sons.

That had absolutely been the greatest win of her life.

Having Cash here with her now was such an unexpected pleasure. It made this whole process richer and more enjoyable. Every day they were making new memories. She valued his input and his insight. She’d never had anyone his age working alongside her on an album before and it made her wonder if he might not be some sort of secret ingredient.

Jules’s mom, in her bed on the other side of the room, snored very lightly. Almost too lightly to really be snoring. In fact, if Jules closed her eyes and used her imagination, it nearly sounded like the distant waves.

She fell asleep to that sound and was woken some hours later by the low hum and bustle of the rest of the house’s occupants.

She knew the second her eyes opened what it was all about. Cash, Kat, and Claire were headed to Landry today. Her mom and Conrad, too. Jules jumped out of bed and pulled on her robe. Her mom was already up. Toby wasn’t in the bedroom, either. She wondered if someone had taken him out yet.

She opened the door and went into the living room. Kat and Claire were in the kitchen, both drinking from mugs, but there seemed to be some coffee left. She was glad about that. “Morning. Did anyone take Toby out?”

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