Page 94 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

He sighed as he pulled into the driveway of the beach house. “You know, if I implemented all of your suggestions, I’d never have time to work on my boards.”

“It may sound like that now, but you have seven months a year to work on inventory and custom orders for SUP Sunshine. We just have to figure out a way to get people to order within that time frame. But remember, our long-term goal is for you to be able to hire more people to free up your time.”

“I’ll think about it.”

She nodded, even as she realized she’d slipped back into forbidden territory. They weren’t supposed to be working together anymore. But she loved what she did, and she really wanted to help him. She’d just have to figure out a way to keep her distance. She leaned over the console to give Admiral a hug. “Thanks for driving me home, Luke,” she said, and got out of the truck.

“Lila,” he called to her as she walked across the lawn.

She stopped midstride and turned.

“It wasn’t one-sided, you know. I felt the same way about you.”

She pressed her lips together and nodded. Then she stood hugging herself, watching until his taillights faded from view.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The week had passed in a blur. In less than forty-eight hours, Lila would be married. She pressed a hand to her stomach, and her mother walked over and handed her a breadstick.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Eva patted her cheek and walked away, calling to David’s mother, who was trying to get Carmen to part with the Venus fountain at the front of the restaurant.

Eva thought Lila’s nausea was because of the baby—everyone did. Everyone except Lila. They’d been working late into the night to have the restaurant ready for the next day’s rehearsal dinner without disrupting business at La Dolce Vita. But that had nothing to do with her nervous stomach. Except that it sort of did because her dad was helping out, and Lila had to watch her parents’ painfully polite interactions while also catching each of them glancing longingly at the other when the other wasn’t looking.

Her father hadn’t told Lila what had happened on the Fourth of July. All he’d said was that he’d had a change of heart and thought it was better if he didn’t uproot his life at his age. But Lila knew better. She’d watched the video of her mother at Last Call again, only this time she’d watched it all the way to the end. She saw Ryan jump onstage and kiss her mother, heard the panic in her aunt’s voice when she called Eva’s name, and knew her father must’ve been standing out of the camera’s range.

She hadn’t meant for this to happen when she’d told her father Eva was at Last Call. Unlike when she’d called Sheena and asked her to call their dad and guilt him into coming home. Lila had honestly thought she was doing it to protect her parents from heartbreak, but that had happened anyway. In the end, maybe it didn’t matter. They seemed destined to hurt each other.

But that didn’t alleviate Lila’s guilt. She wanted to shake them both. She wanted to shake her grandmother too. It was so hard standing around watching four people she loved pretending that their hearts weren’t broken.

“You feeling okay, sweetheart?” her father asked as he came over to join her. She was polishing the family table to a glossy shine.

“I’m good, Dad.” She straightened. “The restaurant looks great, doesn’t it?” They’d pulled up the worn carpets to reveal honey wood flooring and peeled off the crimson wallpaper that Lila swore was coated in decades of dust and grime, then painted the walls sunshine yellow and the trim a glossy white. The restaurant looked updated and classy, but still retained its warm, old-world charm.

He nodded. “It does, and we’ll actually be done in time for the rehearsal dinner. How’s David feeling?”

And that was probably another reason her stomach was acting up. “He’s upset his father and brother won’t be coming to the rehearsal dinner, or, from what Jennifer told us just before you got here, the wedding.” Which explained why thirty people from Gavin’s side of the family had canceled the previous afternoon. “But as much as he’s hurt by it, I think he’s relieved. He’ll be able to relax and enjoy the rehearsal party and wedding without worrying he’ll have to mediate between his parents.”

Her father smiled, probably at the idea of David relaxing. It wasn’t as if Lila could say anything; she was just as bad.

“At least he knows his job is safe at Windemere, and he and his mother work well together.”

Jennifer had offered Gavin her family’s estate in Hyannis Port, the condo in Boston, and all Gavin’s toys, including the speedboat, in exchange for Windemere. Sage had been beside herself, but in the end, she’d had no choice but to accede to Jennifer’s wishes. Jennifer had also bought out the other shareholders, so she owned Windemere free and clear. Something they all planned to celebrate tonight.

“They work great together, and even better, I’ve got several ideas for joint promotions with La Dolce Vita, and Nonna is as excited about them as Mom, Zia, and Jennifer.”

At a spate of rapid-fire Italian, her father winced. “Your grandmother isn’t exactly thrilled with Jennifer right now.”

When Lila and her father reached the front of the restaurant, she had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Her grandmother was kneelinginthe fountain with her arms around Venus, yelling in Italian at Jennifer and Lila’s mother and aunt.

“What did she say?” Lila whispered to her father.

“She said, ‘You’ll have to take her out of my cold, dead arms.’”

“Of course she did. Is it any wonder Mom is dramatic?”

Her father smiled and glanced at her mother, the smile fading from his face. He was just so damn sad, and Lila hated it. Her father walked over and crouched by the statue, speaking softly in Italian to her grandmother. Carmen shrugged, then said, “Sì,” and let Lila’s father help her out of the fountain. Lila glanced at her mother. She had her fingers pressed to her lips, looking away as she blinked, and Lila thought she might cry too. This was worse than when her parents had fought over her.

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