Page 53 of The Deal Maker

“I don’t know, it looks like you need some baking soda and vinegar with your structure right now,” I say, remembering a science experiment we did back in elementary school. The best way to create a volcano.

With a squint, Duke glances down at his mound of sand. “Yeah, it does look like it’s ready to spew lava and ash. Maybe I can invent a new kind of castle.”

We get to work on our creations, chatting here and there as we focus on the building process.

“You never said why you don’t leave this place,” I say, my question popping up in my mind again.

“It’s a long story. Mostly my family needs me. There aren’t a lot of things they can fall back on if the store doesn’t do well, and every time I’ve tried to leave, something catastrophic happens.”

That sounds ominous. “Catastrophic how?” I venture.

“Someone broke an arm, or a pipe burst in the shop. It was both amazing and hard to be away for school. Those days I always felt guilty that I’d left my parents and brothers back here to slog away while I was there.”

There’s a vulnerability to Duke that I hadn’t noticed before. The guy is genuine and kind, despite selling timeshares. Maybe I shouldn’t just automatically judge a person by his profession, like Hope suggested.

I stand to look for a few shells to adorn my main walkway and put them all into place. “I think I’m finished,” I say, pointing to the castle. I was able to make a couple of sections of it, although one of the towers is starting to collapse. “Let me return the bucket and I’ll see if they’re willing to judge our castles.”

The little boy of the family practically ran over and looked like he was about to stomp down the castles before the dad caught up and pulled him into his arms. “Sorry about that,” the guy says.

“Which one do you like, Reggie?” the mom asks the little boy.

“That one,” he says, pointing to Duke’s. There’s an inner spark of anger I have to tamp down. Duke did a decent job of sculpting things with just his hands.

“I pick the one with the cobblestone path,” the woman says, pointing to mine.

Duke and I glance over at the man trying to hold his squirming toddler and he says, “I like them both. They’re definitely unique, which I think is a great thing.”

“You’re the tie breaker,” Duke says.

“I honestly can’t choose. You can end in a tie.” The man smiles at the two of us before letting his boy down. Before we can even react, the boy stomps down my castle, leaving only a small section still intact.

“Sorry about that,” the man says, wrangling his kid again.

“We need a picture of our sandcastle,” Duke says, grinning at me. “Would you mind taking one for us?” The woman took the phone from his outstretched hand and we knelt down next to Duke’s volcano.

We’re awfully close for this, and I find my breath hitching and my nerves zapping with all sorts of energy. Why can’t I just forget about the guy and move on? Probably because we’re together too much. That’s what this is. We need to finish this scavenger hunt soon or else I don’t know how much I’ll be able to protect my heart.

“There you go,” the woman says, handing the phone back.

We say thank you and the family walks toward the boardwalk.

I sit down on the sand, staring out into the ocean. It’s such a beautiful scene before me and I’m surprised I haven’t taken the time to fully enjoy this landscape before now. Probably because I was throwing myself into work, knowing that I had to have a drive to get myself out of bed in the morning, especially when I was struggling with the loss of my past relationship.

“Do I win by default?” Duke asks, nudging me with his shoulder.

“Sadly, I think you do. We never put anything in the rules about the chance of a castle collapse.”

Duke chuckles. “Look at you abiding by a non-rule. Congratulations.”

I shove him in the shoulder and he ends up on the sand.

“Congratulations to you that your castle didn’t get crushed by a two-year-old.”

He lets out a deep laugh, causing me to admire his silhouette. “Someone is a little touchy about losing her sandcastle to a toddler.”

I sigh. “A picture would’ve been nice. It was the best I’d ever created.”

“Then make it better the next time.”

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