The Abalone Shell Read online

  “They still do that here?”

  “If anything, the solstices and equinoxes are probably bigger events now than they used to be. The word has spread, and we get a lot of people from out of town. Especially for the summer solstice. Are you all right with Mom and Erin joining us?”

  “I guess that means I don’t have a choice about going.”

  He ducked his head sheepishly. “I was hoping you’d want to.”

  “Maybe I was hoping to have you all to myself.” Suddenly, she grinned. “I’d love that, and of course I want them to join us! They’re your family, and they’re a part of you.”

  Hope’s heart raced when he took her face in his hands, and as he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, anticipation mounted. When he finally brought his lips to hers, she sighed with relief, eliciting a chuckle from him.

  “Oh, come on, Owen!” Erin called. “You can’t tell me not to push it and then kiss her like that right in front of us!”

  This time, his reaction was decidedly amused. He laughed and turned his head to his sister with his arm draped around Hope’s shoulders. “I can and I will.”

  For good measure, he kissed her again, and Hope thought the mischief in his sea-green eyes might be the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.

  Eight

  Owen tossed another cedar log on the fire and watched the sparks explode and dance into the sky. The fragrant smoke curled around him, a welcome and relaxing scent that brought memories of dozens of other solstice fires. As the sun sank closer to the horizon, more bonfires sprang up across the beach and music drifted to him on the breeze, accompanied by the ceaseless rhythm of the ocean. The tide was high but turning, and Owen anticipated racing across the damp sand with his party over the coming hours. Nearby, his sister and mother helped Andra’s beau, Red, prep their dinner—steaks, shrimp, potatoes, and corn to be cooked over the fire and accompanied by a fresh green salad.

  Hope and Daphne hadn’t arrived yet, and he glanced over his shoulder toward the northern parking area. They’d planned to come together, but when he’d walked over to her house, she’d been on the phone and told him with a grin that she’d meet him down at the beach in a bit, so he’d walked down. He returned his gaze to the fire and poked at it with a long stick, trying his best to ignore the disappointment creeping up on him. Had she changed her mind and decided not to come?

  A dog barked behind him, and he glanced toward it. A grin split his face.

  Striding toward him were Hope, Daphne, a boy the same age as the girl, and a man leading an excited black Lab. Owen recognized the man immediately; even with dark hair and those dark Spanish eyes so different from Hope’s light brown and vibrant blue, the familial resemblance between the cousins was unmistakable. The St. Cloud genes showed through in their frames and in the bone structure of their faces. Owen rose from the driftwood log he’d pulled over as a makeshift bench and started toward them.

  “Look what the dog dragged home,” Hope said, beaming. “Gideon, you remember Owen, right?”

  “Sure do,” her cousin replied, extending his hand to Owen. “Good to see you again, man.”

  “Likewise.” Owen squatted and opened his arms to the little boy. “You have grown so much I barely recognize you, Liam! How are you, little man?”

  “I’m good!” Liam replied, throwing his arms around Owen’s neck. He pointed to the young black Lab quivering beside her master as he held a stick up to keep her attention. “This is Shadow, our new dog.”

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “Have you met my cousin, Daphne?”

  “I have. And I gotta say, I’m pretty fond of her.”

  “Yeah. She’s pretty cool for a girl.”

  Daphne stuck her tongue out at her cousin.

  “Not only for a girl. She’s just pretty cool period.” Laughing, Owen pushed his body straight and gestured to their fire. “We’re all set up and ready to celebrate. Mom and Red and Erin are getting dinner ready to cook, so pull yourselves over some driftwood and kick back.”

  As Gideon and his son and Daphne picked their way across the soft sand and threw the stick for the Lab to fetch, Owen slipped one arm around Hope’s waist and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. She turned her head at the last second, surprising him, and a small groan escaped him when their lips met.

  “Been wanting to do that again all day,” she murmured.

  “Mmm. Me, too.”

  She tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “You don’t mind that Gideon’s here, do you? I thought he’d cancelled this trip, but he changed his mind at the last minute.”

  “Why would I mind? I like your cousin.”

  “It’s not too hard seeing Liam? He and your boy used to play together….”

  He took her by the chin and kissed her again. “It’s all right, Hope, but thank you for being so considerate of me. Honestly, seeing Liam again brings a piece of Sean back.”

  He liked the way she curled herself around him, offering support even though he didn’t need it. With his arm still around her shoulders and hers around his waist, they made their way to the fire together as if they couldn’t stand to be separated even long enough to walk the short distance.

  By the time they reached everyone else, his family had brought the dinner fixings over and were waiting for him to get the fire ready for cooking. He quickly made the introductions.

  “Hope, that handsome devil with his arm around my mother is Everett Castle, owner of the Grand Dunes RV Resort. You can call him Red. And Mom, you’ve met Gideon, but I don’t think Erin has. Gideon is Hope’s cousin, and Erin is my sister.”

  Pleasantries were exchanged, and after, his sister wasted no time putting him to work.

  “Waiting on you, master chef,” she remarked.

  Owen poked and nudged the logs into place, dragged over the four large rocks he’d selected before he’d started the fire and arranged them how he wanted them, and then set the metal grate on top of them. He regarded his sister with brows lifted and his hand held out expectantly. She started handing him the items to be cooked, beginning with the foil-wrapped potatoes and corn.

  “You have a place to stay?” Owen asked Gideon.

  “Yeah. I reserved a hotel room weeks ago—right after Hope decided to come out to the cottage for the summer. I figured I’d let her have the place to herself.”

  “Let me have it?” Hope asked, nibbling at her salad. “As I recall, I said I was taking the cottage for the summer and anyone who wanted to visit was welcome to sleep on the couch. That invitation is still open, by the way, but Daphne and I are keeping the bedrooms. You and Christian and Mom and Dad and Uncle Matt and Aunt Maria have spent a lot more time out here than I have, so it’s my turn.”

  Gideon lifted his hands in a show of peace. “Did I not say I reserved the hotel room for Liam and me so you could have the place to yourself?”

  “And do you not realize I’m teasing you?” Hope quipped.

  “I guess not. Been a while since you’ve been in a teasing mood. It’s good to have you back, cuz.”

  Conversation turned to the festivities currently underway across the beach as the tide inched its way out, and shortly thereafter, Daphne and Liam begged the adults to go play. Erin suggested building a driftwood fort, and that was met with unanimous approval from all members involved.

  “You coming, Gideon?” Hope asked.

  “Nah. I think I’ll stay here and help Owen with dinner. Indulge in a little male bonding, if that’s all right with you ladies and Red. But take the dog with you, would ya? I’m tired of watching the drool dripping from her jowls.”

  “Really?” Owen inquired. “You’d rather work than play?”

  “You know I like watching you cook,” Gideon said with a pronounced lisp, wiggling his brows. “You big sexy bastard.”

  Owen laughed. Not to be outdone, he replied, “Oh, honey, keep talking dirty to me like that.”

  “Lord almighty,” Hope said with laughter thick in her voice. �
�You two are as bad as Gideon and Christian together. Come on girls and boys. Let’s leave the cooks to it.”

  Still chuckling, Owen watched her saunter a few yards down the line of driftwood to where Erin had found a perfect spot for their fort. For a long time while he tended the fire and dinner, he and Gideon were content to quietly watch the women and kids play and build.

  Suddenly, his companion elbowed him and grinned. “You and my cousin, huh?”

  “Seems so.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  Owen lifted a brow and studied Hope’s cousin, trying to decide if the man was being sarcastic, and if so, why. Did he not approve? Or did he think Hope was difficult to deal with? Owen snorted. It definitely wasn’t the latter. He’d met few people in his life who were as easy to be with.

  “Seriously,” Gideon clarified. “After fifteen years of putting up with Dan, she deserves a good man.”

  Owen let out a soft huff of laughter that was as much relief as amusement. “Thanks for that. I mean it. We just met a couple weeks ago, so I have no idea how far this will go, but… I never thought I’d get this far again. And that says a lot to me about the potential between us.”

  Gideon nodded. Then he laughed. “Just remember. If you hurt her, Christian and I are honor bound to avenge her.”

  “Thanks for the warning, but hopefully it won’t come to that. Hopefully….”

  He snapped his mouth closed, shocked by the force of the thought.

  Hopefully it’ll last.

  It came out of nowhere and left him reeling. Not because he wasn’t ready for the kind of relationship that didn’t end—he was, and his time with Hope had driven that home—but because he suddenly realized that, logistically, it might not work. She was here for the summer only. Her home, her life was in Montana. What was he going to do when she returned to it? Because, as he let his gaze wander down the beach to take in the multitude of bonfires and the hundreds of people gathered around them, he couldn’t imagine leaving Sea Glass Cove. This was his home, where all his happiest memories had been made.

  “Whoa. Why so serious all of a sudden?” Gideon asked, leaning away.

  Owen smoothed his expression. “Thinking about things I shouldn’t be worrying about tonight.”

  “Well, knock it off. And why don’t you go have some fun with my cousin? I can finish cooking.”

  “To be honest, sometimes it’s as much fun to watch her.”

  “Stop it, big boy. You’re making me jealous!” Gideon teased, again with the lisp. This time he stroked a fingertip down Owen’s arm. “You’re just so romantic!”

  “Maybe I spoke too soon. Hope!” Owen called. Laughter made his voice waver. “Come save me from your cousin!”

  “Sorry, dude. Habit. This is how Christian and I cut loose when we’re together, and sometimes I forget people outside my family might not appreciate it.”

  “Was I not playing along earlier? Don’t worry about it, Gideon. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’m just not used to it.” Chuckling, he flipped the steaks and the shrimp. “You forget that I’m surrounded by women all the time, and they don’t goof around the same way.”

  “In my experience, being surrounded by women is never a bad thing. Unless Hannah is one of them.”

  “That explains why she isn’t here. You’re over for good, then?”

  Gideon nodded.

  “Mind if I ask what happened?”

  “Same thing that finally pushed Hope to leave Dan. I got tired of doing it all.”

  “That the reason for the Will Turner vibe you’ve got going on these days?” Owen gestured to the crisp anchor goatee and shoulder-length hair pulled back in a neat, low ponytail that made him look a lot like Orlando Bloom’s character in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

  Gideon let out a snort of laughter. “It was Liam’s idea—he’s obsessed with those movies—but yeah, she hates it.”

  “She really pissed you off this time.” Owen prodded the coals and added another log to the fire. “So… you have custody of Liam?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it. We’re co-parenting right now, but it’s not working. She just isn’t reliable.”

  “If there’s any way I can help, please call.” Owen glanced at Gideon, noted the man’s downcast expression, and it was a sharp contrast to the mischievous gleam that had lit up his dark eyes only moments ago. “It’s been a few years, but I haven’t forgotten which of you was the reliable parent.”

  “Thanks, man. I mean it. I may need all the help I can get.” Then, the smile was back. “And I’ll pretend it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re dating my cousin and possibly trying to buy my support.”

  “That didn’t even cross my mind. It’s the right thing to do.”

  “Good lord, man, you really are the product of an estrogen ocean. No wonder you’ve had such good luck with women.”

  “If you say it’s because I am one, I will fillet you like a flounder and throw you on the grill right next to the shrimp.”

  “Ouch. That’s brutal. And slightly cannibalistic.” Gideon held his hands up, chuckling. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”

  Their conversation shifted to other topics, and when the food was cooked, Owen called everyone over to eat. He wasn’t tooting his own horn, but the meal was delicious—why did food cooked over a fire always taste better?—and the company was amazing. A relaxed, celebratory air had settled over the length of the beach, and it was infectious. After everyone had finished eating, Gideon fetched his guitar from Hope’s SUV, and his playing further deepened everyone’s carefree enjoyment.

  As the sun sank below the waves and colored the sky with vibrant, fiery hues, Owen realized he hadn’t enjoyed a beach party this much since that last one he’d shared with Sam and Sean. Things like this were always so much better shared with loved ones, and while his mother’s and sister’s company, and Red’s and his sons’, had made the last three years of solstices and equinoxes enjoyable enough, there had been a hole in him… a hole Hope and her beautiful daughter filled.

  They sat on the log beside him but not close enough for his liking, so he pulled them closer.

  “Thank you for coming out with me for this,” he murmured close to Hope’s ear.

  “I can’t imagine enjoying this with anyone else,” she replied just as softly, tilting her face up expectantly.

  He obeyed, kissing her gently and briefly, aware of their audience. How could it be that they’d known each other such a short time? And how could it be so different and yet the same as when he and Sam had first gotten together? So new and yet so comfortably familiar?

  As sunset faded into twilight and twilight passed into full night and the tide retreated until finally reaching its lowest point of the evening, Owen and Hope and their party alternately lazed around, chatted with passersby, threw sticks for Gideon’s black Lab until the poor thing collapsed in the sand, and built sandcastles by firelight. Finally, as they ticked closer to midnight, the two kids burned up the last of their energy, and even though he wasn’t in any hurry to call it a night, Owen suggested he and Hope and Gideon get Daphne and Liam home and to bed.

  “But I’m not tired!” Daphne whined through a yawn.

  “Me, either,” Liam echoed. A moment later, he too yawned.

  “Uh-huh. Why don’t I believe either of you?” Hope asked.

  Because neither his mother and Red nor Erin were ready to turn in yet and because he was too tired himself to walk home, he hitched a ride with Hope and Gideon, squished in the back seat with the kids. Within minutes of being strapped into their booster seats, both children were out cold. Shadow, the black Lab, rode on Gideon’s lap; there wasn’t enough room for her in the very back with her master’s guitar and the plastic buckets and shovels.

  “You don’t have to sit in the back with the kids,” Gideon remarked. “You’ve got longer legs than I do, so why don’t you sit up front?”

  “I’ll survive the five-minute drive to t
he cottage,” Owen replied. “And besides, I think I’m probably more comfortable back here than you are up there with a seventy-pound Lab on your lap.”

  “All right. Don’t say I didn’t offer.”

  Chuckling, Owen fastened his seat belt. He didn’t say it, but watching the youngsters sleeping soothed an ever-present ache, and on the short ride up from the beach while Hope and her cousin laughed about their fun evening, Owen admitted that marriage and fatherhood had given him a sense of purpose he’d lost that day along with Sam and Sean. He had his shop, and the crafting of his sea glass, shell, and driftwood creations gave his mind and hands something to do but couldn’t make his heart forget that there was no one to go home to at the end of the day and no one to take care of but himself.

  “What the hell is he doing here?”

  Hope’s sharp question shattered the spell, and Owen peered between the front seats. Parked beside Gideon’s Toyota Sequoia in the short driveway of the St. Clouds’ cottage was a Dodge pickup with Colorado plates, though Owen didn’t need that clue to guess who the truck belonged to; the sudden shift in Hope’s demeanor made it plenty clear.

  The truck belonged to her ex-husband.

  Nine

  Hope glared at Dan’s pickup. It was just like him to show up like this, entirely unexpected to cast a shadow over what had been an incredible night.

  “I thought you said he wasn’t coming out until the end of the month,” Gideon said, scowling through the windshield at the vehicle.

  “That’s what he said.” Hope’s jaw tightened. “And I’ll bet he didn’t call ahead to make sure he could get a hotel room.”

  “I wonder if he did that on purpose.”

  “He’s not staying in the cottage with us. He can sleep in his truck if he wasn’t smart enough to make reservations.”

  When Owen reached from the back seat and gripped her shoulder in a show of support, she flinched, and it took half a moment to respond and give his hand a grateful squeeze. Still, the warmth in his touch seeped into her skin, and she was able to take a deep breath and stem the rising tide of anxiety.