The Cliff House. RaeAnne Thayne

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СКАЧАТЬ work, too.” She knew many students rode longboards to school and stored them in their lockers. “You know, we have a really great skate park north of Dragonfly Park. That’s about three blocks from your condo.”

      She knew all about the skate park since she had been on the committee that persuaded the city council to build it. Several of her foster children had been into skateboarding, and the park provided a safe place to do it where they didn’t annoy business owners.

      “I hear from those who’ve used it that it’s pretty boss.”

      “That could be cool.” The girl sipped at the soda Leilani brought her. “What about surfing around here? Is it always too cold? I was just starting up back home and was hoping I could take more lessons here, but we went down to the beach the other day and it was freezing. I only waded in and I thought my toes were going to fall off from frostbite.”

      “You have to wear a full-body wet suit but there are plenty of folks around here who do. There’s a nice surf break up a little north of town at Hidden Beach. I’m not an expert, I’m afraid. Surfing’s not my thing but you can talk to the couple that runs the surf and bike rental shop down the street and they can give you all the info you need.”

      “I will. Thanks.”

      “So,” Ed said when the conversation lagged. “Tell me what you’ve been doing the past twenty years.”

       Missing you.

      She cleared her throat. “Teaching. Raising the girls.”

      “You have daughters?” Rowan asked. “How old are they?”

      “Nieces, actually. And they’re grown now. Daisy’s turned thirty this year and Bea is twenty-eight.”

      “Do they live around here?”

      “Yes. Daisy is an accountant and financial planner in town and Bea is an artist. As a matter of fact, she has some lovely pieces in the gallery next door.”

      “We’ll have to check it out,” Ed said.

      “It’s her daughter who is around your age,” she told Rowan. “Marisol is a very funny, creative, kind girl. I think you’ll like her.”

      “Maybe.”

      Stella didn’t miss the hint of wariness in the girl’s voice, as if she was afraid to get her hopes up. It made her even more determined to help her connect with Mari. “I’ll talk to her mother and see what we can arrange before school starts.”

      That might mean she had to spend more time with Ed, but for the girl’s sake, she was willing to make a sacrifice.

      “What other sorts of things besides longboarding and surfing did you like to do back in Pasadena?”

      Rowan fiddled with her silverware. “I don’t know. Just stuff. Ride my scooter. Watch movies. Listen to music.”

      She wondered if Rowan liked Cruz Romero’s music but decided not to blow her mind by telling her the pop icon was her niece’s father.

      “Sounds like the same stuff Mari likes. I’ll call her mom as soon as we finish lunch.”

      Leilani brought their food a moment later, and while they ate, they spoke of Rowan’s previous school and Ed’s practice, their dog, Boomer, and a trip the two of them were planning over Christmas break to Hawaii.

      She would be done with the first trimester by then, she thought, and into the second, with a nice baby bump.

      The meal was much more pleasant than she might have expected. She was aware of the currents simmering between them, all the unanswered questions about why she had walked away and their difficult last meeting so long ago. But Ed seemed willing to put that aside. Wouldn’t it be lovely if they could build a friendship, after all these years?

      He insisted on paying for lunch as recompense for all her advice about the community. By the time she finished eating, she was exhausted and wanted to find a nice corner of the restaurant to curl up in and take a nap. She had a feeling that getting through the school day while fighting this fatigue was going to be one of the hardest parts of the pregnancy.

      “Thank you,” she said after they rose to leave the restaurant.

      “This was a great place. I appreciate you directing us to it.”

      It would probably be tough to have a friendship with him when his smile still made her insides shiver.

      “You’re welcome. If you want, I can give you a list of some of my favorite restaurants in town. Or you can just explore. Trial and error is good for finding your own favorites.”

      “I would appreciate a starting point. Thanks.”

      She forced a smile as they walked out of the restaurant. Since both of their vehicles were still parked back at the women’s clinic, they started in that direction when the door to the art gallery next door opened and she spotted a familiar person coming out. Bea looked lovely in a flowery, flowing sundress and a floppy hat.

      “Hey, Aunt Stella!”

      Oh, dear. She didn’t want either of the girls to see her with Ed and get the wrong idea about them. It was too late to worry about that now. The damage was done.

      “Bea. Darling. We were just speaking about you.”

      “Were you?”

      “About Mari, actually. I suppose I should introduce you. Bea, this is Ed Clayton and his daughter, Rowan. They’ve just moved to Cape Sanctuary. Dr. Clayton is going into partnership with Jo Chen.”

      “Oh. Welcome, both of you.” Bea gave them a wide smile, making Stella grateful for her kind nature. Though she had been a bit of a wild, rebellious girl once upon a time, motherhood had settled Bea a great deal.

      “Thank you,” Ed replied. Was Stella the only one who found the way he smiled with his eyes enormously sexy?

      “I was telling Rowan here how amazing my great-niece, Mari, is and how I’m sure they would love each other if they met. They’re both a little too old for playdates at this age, so I was thinking we could set something else up. Maybe a swim party or something with some of Mari’s other friends, just so Rowan can meet some other girls her age before school starts in a few weeks.”

      “What a great idea! Mari would love that. I’ll talk to her and see what we can figure out.”

      “Thank you, dear.”

      Bea’s gaze was fixed on Ed, a slight frown furrowing her forehead. “Ed, you seem familiar somehow. I’m sorry. Have we met?”

      Stella froze. She could only think of one reason Bea might recognize Ed. The girl had once stumbled onto a picture of the two of them together, one Stella couldn’t bear to throw away.

      “Ed and I are old friends, tracing all the way back to our university days at UCLA,” she said quickly. “He’s moving up from Southern California.”

      She still had the picture. She kept it in a little carved box of papers and receipts and СКАЧАТЬ