Bungalow by the Bay Page 14

  His grandmother got up from her seat on the couch. “I’m going to leave you two alone. I think you have a lot to talk about.”

  AJ walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. He steeled himself for whatever scolding his father would dish out. One thing he’d decided, though. He was leaving Belle Island today. No more grounding. He didn’t give a whit about the trust fund. Let the man take the whole thing from him. He’d already set up three interviews for jobs. He’d be fine. He’d make it on his own without anyone’s threats or demands.

  “AJ—I was talking to Delbert last night and he said you prefer to be called AJ—might take me a bit to get used to it. Anyway, son, I need to say some things to you.”

  “Save it, Father. I’m just not interested anymore. Take the trust. Do what you want.”

  “No, please. Listen to me.”

  He couldn’t miss the urgency in his father’s voice, so he leaned against the counter with one hip and waited for him to continue.

  “Your grandmother said you’d been seeing that Courtney woman, but then you stopped. What happened?”

  “Things went wrong.” He wasn’t going to get into the details with the man.

  “But you like her, don’t you? I have my faults—many of them—but I’m pretty good at reading people. You care about her, don’t you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t work out.”

  “Ashton—AJ, please listen to me, and if you want to leave after this, I won’t stand in your way.” His father came and leaned against the counter across from him.

  AJ wanted to just turn and walk away, ignore that his father wanted to talk, show his father that he didn’t dance to his tune anymore. But then it all came down to one thing. The man still was his father.

  His father set his coffee cup on the counter. “Don’t wall off like I did. I’ve always been hard on you. Judgmental. I’m sorry. I think I did it to push you away. Then…” His father’s eyes clouded with pain. “Then, you’d have no chance to leave me like… your mother did. It makes no rational sense. But nothing about your mother dying and a world without her made any sense to me. I threw myself into my work and wanted perfection from everyone. I needed control over everything.”

  AJ set his own coffee down and stared at this man standing before him, a stranger, certainly not his father. His father would never be this… honest with him.

  “If your mother could see what a mess I’ve made with my relationship with you… she’d never forgive me. Will you give me another chance? Please? I am proud of you. I am. I’ve been such a fool. I just… I’m so sorry. I know I can’t ever make up for what I’ve put you through, but I’m deeply, deeply sorry for all the mistakes I’ve made.”

  He wanted to look around to see if there was a hidden camera, if this was some kind of trick, if his real father would reappear.

  “I… I don’t know what to say.” He gripped the counter behind him with both hands, holding on for balance, sure the world was spinning backward now.

  “You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to forgive me… how I’ve treated you isn’t really forgivable. I had a long talk with Ron last night. He’s always been a straight shooter. He made me see… well, what a fool I’ve been.”

  AJ didn’t think he trusted this new version of Jacob Hamilton.

  “And I know I fired you from the company. Without listening to you, of course. I’ve come to realize you quit trying to defend yourself from my often wrong snap decisions I make of your actions. I know why you made the decision you did. The one that made me fire you. You were covering for Sam Diamond, weren’t you? He screwed up the numbers on the acquisition, and you took the blame so I wouldn’t fire him.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Sam came to me and told me what happened. His wife was ill, and he needed the health insurance. They would have lost it if he got fired.”

  AJ nodded.

  “And I’m embarrassed to think I was the kind of boss who would fire a person for one mistake, but I’m sure I would have.”

  “So, did you fire him after he told you the truth?” AJ narrowed his eyes.

  “No, I figured the stress in his life caused his lapse in his normal attention to detail. He’s still with me. Promoted him, actually. And his wife, Carlene, is much better now.”

  “You know his wife’s name?” AJ was sure his mouth was hanging open in surprise. His father rarely learned the names of his employees, much less their wives.

  “I know.” His father grinned.

  Grinned.

  He was absolutely positive he’d never seen his father grin. Ever.

  “Now, I hope you’ll accept my apology and you’ll give me a second chance. And while we’re talking. Do not shut yourself off from people. Don’t wall yourself off from a good thing because I was such a colossal screwup raising you. I think you need to give that Courtney woman another chance. Second chances, I’ve come to believe in them.” There was that grin again.

  He took a deep breath, made a leap of faith, and held out his hand. “Yes, okay. Let’s start over.”

  His father crossed the distance, grabbed his hand, then wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so sorry, son.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll be okay.” And for the first time since the day his mother died, he truly believed he and his father would be okay. They’d find a way to build back a relationship. AJ wanted nothing more than that in his life.

  No, wait. That was a lie.

  Chapter 25

  AJ hurried over to Courtney’s bungalow, hoping she’d talk to him. Hoping… hoping she’d believe second chances were just as important as his father did.

  She opened the door to his knock and glanced back into the room. “Bobby, I’m going to step outside. You can play your video game for fifteen minutes before we head to Grams’ and Pops’.”

  He heard Bobby’s voice through the open doorway. “Yes!”

  He smiled. He could picture Bobby’s excited pumping of his arm as he raced to the gaming machine to turn it on.

  Courtney stepped outside. “I don’t want Bobby to see you. It’s been hard on him. I should never have—”

  “No, I should never have. I shouldn’t have just run off like that. Dropped both of you from my life. I just felt so guilty I hadn’t protected you. That my mistakes had caused you pain.” He drew in a deep breath. “But, if you give me a second chance, I won’t run off again. I swear. I’ve missed you. Both you and Bobby. I was scared to mess up again. Afraid my mistakes would harm you again. I don’t know anything about… well, taking care of people. I’ve only ever taken care of myself.”

  “It wasn’t your mistake. I told you this was all Kurt’s fault, not yours.”

  His heart pounded in his chest, soaring with hope. “So, you’ll give me a second chance?”

  She looked at him for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn’t read her eyes, couldn’t read her expression.

  And then he could.

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t. Bobby was crushed when you just walked out of our lives. I can’t take that chance with him again. Can’t let him get hurt. I don’t even want him to see you or know you’ve been here. Please, just go. It’s what’s best for Bobby, and what’s best for him will always be my first choice. Please, just leave us alone.” She turned and slipped inside.

  The pain of her refusal crushed him, made it impossible to breathe, to think. He’d come to care about her and Bobby so deeply in the last few weeks. He’d never believed it when people said they knew, truly knew, within days of meeting someone, that they were the right person.

  But now he believed it.

  But he’d messed it up. Lost his chance.

  He stumbled across the courtyard, down the road to the beach, and out to the water’s edge, walking aimlessly along the beach, not paying any attention to where he was going. Knowing this was his fault, not Courtney’s. He couldn’t blame her for protecting Bobby. Her putting Bobby first was just one of the things he
loved about her.

  Loved.

  He stopped, and a wave splashed up on him, but he paid no attention to it.

  He loved her.

  He. Loved. Courtney.

  Which only made the pain that much more unbearable. Then he knew what he needed to do. He raced down the beach to the lighthouse.

  When he got there, he bent over, trying to catch his breath. As his breath steadied, he looked up at it. Regal. Standing as a protector of the island.

  Without stopping to think about how practical it was, he reached down and picked up a good-sized shell. He opened his palm and stared down at it. The shell was chipped into the shape of a perfect heart.

  He closed his eyes, made a wish, and tossed the shell out into the sea. He looked at the lighthouse one more time, hoping against all hope the legend was true.

  Courtney and Tally trailed behind Eddie and Bobby as they all walked along the beach that afternoon. Simple moments like this, they were the moments Courtney lived for. It was enough. She didn’t need AJ or any man.

  But her heart squeezed in her chest every time she realized she’d told him to go. She’d never see him again. She looked up at the lighthouse looming over them. The one that promised to answer your deepest desires. She paused as Tally continued on.

  Taking a deep breath, she reached down to pick up a shell and clasp it tightly in her hand. Only what did she even want? What would she wish for? She had so much in her life already.

  But… she missed AJ. His dazzling smile, his laugh, his kiss… and the way he was with Bobby.

  But she’d made the right decision. She had. “Convince me I’ve made the right choice.” She tossed the shell into the sea.

  She looked up when she heard Bobby give out one of his whoops.

  “Mr. Hamilton.” Bobby went racing down the beach and leapt into AJ’s arms. “There you are. I missed you.”

  She glared at the lighthouse. This was not the way to convince her. She hurried to catch up with Bobby, trying to figure out how to repair the damage of Bobby seeing AJ again. They were in for long days of him asking where Mr. Hamilton was after AJ left the island.

  “Momma, look who I found. He didn’t leave. He’s right here.”

  AJ let Bobby slide to the ground. “I… didn’t know you’d be here. I wanted one last walk to the lighthouse.”

  “Did you make a wish? They come true here, you know.” Bobby danced around all of them.

  “Do they?”

  “Of course.” Bobby nodded wisely. “Whatcha wish for?”

  AJ looked directly at Courtney. “I wished for… something I can’t have. Something—someone—I… love.”

  Her eyes flew open wide.

  “I wished I hadn’t made a foolish mistake. I wished for a second chance.”

  “That’s a lot of wishes.”

  AJ nodded. “Well, they are really all kind of the same wish.”

  Tally stood with a hint of a smile on her face. “Come on, Bobby. Let’s go up past the lighthouse. We’ll come back and get your mom.”

  Bobby stared at her and cocked his head to one side. “She does look funny. I guess she’s tired. Sometimes she gets like that.” He skipped off down the beach.

  “We’ll be back in a bit.” Tally squeezed her shoulder, leaned close, and whispered, “The best thing we can ever do is listen to our heart. It never steers us wrong.”

  Tally and Eddie hurried off down the beach after Bobby.

  She turned to look at AJ.

  He gave her one of his dazzling smiles. “I hear there’s a legend that if you make a wish at Lighthouse Point, and throw a shell into the ocean, your wish will come true.”

  “I just made a wish that the lighthouse would tell me I made the right decision sending you away.”

  He reached out and took one of her hands. “Maybe it’s telling you that you made the wrong decision. Maybe it’s trying to… make things right.”

  “I’m scared to make the wrong decision. Scared to make a mistake that will hurt Bobby.”

  “I know how you feel. I’m scared too.” He reached out and touched her face. “But we can face our fears together.”

  “When you said you wished for someone you… love…”

  “I was talking about you.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, into the very center of her being. “I love you.” His eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was speaking the truth. She could see the love in the depths of his eyes.

  And she knew, without a doubt, that she loved this man standing before her, baring his soul, risking rejection, taking a chance.

  “I love you too.” She smiled up at him, giving him her heart in return, sure in her decision.

  He leaned down and kissed her. The waves rushed up around them, encircling their legs, entwining them together as one. He pulled her close to him and held her against his chest. His voice was a gentle whisper in her ear. “Those were the words I wanted to hear. So, you’ll give me a second chance?”

  “I’ll give us a second chance. We’ve both made mistakes.”

  “We’ll do better this time.” He released his hold on her, tilted her face up, and kissed her.

  “Momma.” Bobby came running up to them. “Mr. Hamilton kissed you.”

  She smiled down at her son. “Yes, he did.”

  “Huh.” He screwed up his face and looked from one of them to the other. “Well, that’s cool. Does that mean he’s staying and he’ll play starfish invaders with me?”

  “That’s what it means, and so much more.” AJ reached out and swooped Bobby up in his arms. The three of them laughed and grinned, spinning in circles, while the waves danced at their feet. They stopped their crazy swirling as Tally and Eddie came up to them with grand smiles spread across their faces.

  Eddie leaned over and kissed Tally. “Life just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?”

  Chapter 26

  Tally stood beside Courtney, marveling at her granddaughter in the simple but oh-so-right-for-her wedding dress. “You look lovely, dear.”

  “You think so?” Courtney clasped the gold pocket watch hanging from a chain around her neck, setting off the neckline perfectly.

  “I think so.”

  “Bobby is so excited to be AJ’s best man.” Courtney’s eyes shone brightly, and Tally was so happy at this very moment, she felt her very heart might burst.

  She never thought she’d have a family, and then she’d found Eddie and Courtney and Bobby. Now Courtney was adding AJ to their family. Tally already thought of him as a son.

  She turned at the sound of a knock on the door. Julie and Susan came in.

  “Oh, Courtney. You’re just beautiful. Let me see the dress, turn around.” Susan crossed the room.

  “Thank you. It feels a bit unreal.” Courtney turned slowly, showing off the vintage wedding dress as asked.

  “It was so nice of you to give Courtney the dress you wore to your own wedding, Julie.” Tally smiled at her friend.

  “Well, it has a rich history of giving people happy lives, so I wanted to share. Besides, that dress really suits Courtney, doesn’t it?”

  “I love it.” Courtney turned and looked in the full-length mirror again. “It’s just perfect.”

  “I put the letter from the original bride back in the hidden pocket again. I figured the note was part of its charm.”

  Courtney reached into the pocket, slipped out the note, and read it out loud.

  I don’t know who will end up with this wedding dress of mine. I was married to the love of my life in December 1950. We were married for sixty-two years before he passed away. I’m moving to a nursing home now and must part with my beloved dress. I hope it finds just the right person and I pray that whoever ends up with this dress finds as much happiness as I did.

  I wish you a beautiful wedding and years of love.

  * * *

  With much love and blessings for your life together,

  * * *

&nb
sp; Barbara

  Tears threatened to fill Courtney’s eyes. “This dress means so much to me. Such history. Thank you for sharing it.”

  “It really, really suits you.” Julie crossed over and placed her arm around Courtney’s shoulder. “I hope it brings you as much happiness as it did this Barbara so many years ago and it did me.”

  Courtney took a deep breath. “I better not start crying already.”

  Susan laughed. “If you start crying, then Tally will.”

  Courtney laughed, too. “And, Julie, thank you so much for making that gorgeous wedding cake.”

  “I was happy to.”

  “This is just… the best day ever.” Courtney twirled around in the dress again.

  They all laughed.

  Tally looked at her two best friends and her granddaughter and couldn’t imagine a life without them. Or Eddie and Bobby.

  Susan looked over at her and smiled. “You doing okay there, Tally?”

  “I am perfect.” She squeezed Susan’s hand then turned to Courtney. “Are you ready to do this?”

  “I am so ready.”

  “We’ll go tell them to start the music.” Julie linked her arm in Susan’s, and they headed out the door.

  Tally leaned over and kissed Courtney’s cheek. “You’re going to have a wonderful life. I can feel it. Filled with so much joy.”

  “Oh, Grams, I feel it, too. AJ makes me so happy. And he’s so wonderful with Bobby. I’m so lucky.”

  Tally thought they’d all had a very lucky year and much happiness had found them. She was grateful every day for the blessing they’d all found.

  Her new family. Eddie, Courtney, Bobby, and now AJ.

  She opened the door and music spilled into the room. Eddie stood just outside with a broad smile on his face. He held out his arm to Courtney. “You ready?”

  Courtney took his arm, her face aglow with excitement and joy. “I’m ready. I never thought I’d have a grandfather to walk me down the aisle.”

  “I can’t think of walking you toward a finer young man.” Eddie leaned down and kissed Courtney’s cheek.