Page 11 of Hibiscus Heights

“Aunt Jen said we shouldn’t take money from people we don’t know.”

“I’m Deb Whitaker.” She put out her hand, holding it there until he shook it. “Now you know me. And you know where I work.” She closed his other hand around the bill.

The frisbee landed at Mason’s feet, sending a spray of sand up. Mason snatched it, and Duke skidded to a stop, wagging his tail.

Teddy trotted behind the dog. “Did you give her the money?”

“She won’t take it.”

“But Aunt Jen said Dad won’t like this.” Teddy looked crestfallen over the dilemma. His lower lip wavered.

“Teddy slipped and told her when she asked what we had for lunch.” Mason’s voice sounded heavy.

Deb studied the boy’s expression. “If you really want to repay me, how about buying me an ice cream? But only if you have some, too.”

Guarded smiles spread across the boys’ faces, and Deb snapped the leash back on Duke’s collar. “Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorites. Or maybe honey lavender.”

Teddy did a little dance of joy. “I want chocolate.”

“What’s your favorite?” she asked Mason.

The older boy gave her a shy grin. “I like strawberry and orange sherbet. I had blueberry once. Have you ever tried that?”

“No, but I’d like to. We should hurry before the ice cream shop at the hotel closes. It’s been there since I was a little girl.”

They jogged back to the Majestic, and Deb waved at a few friends and servers as they made their way toward the entrance to the shopping corridor. The vintage ice cream parlor was at the end and opened onto the beach.

During the renovation, Ryan insisted Crown Scoops maintain its original charm, and Deb was happy to oblige.

The shop was as people remembered it again, with black-and-white checkered floors and a white marble counter lined with red vinyl stools. The sweet scent of waffle cones and vanilla whisked Deb back to childhood when she and April would bike here after school. They’d saved their allowances for double scoops.

She’d also come here with someone else. Those memories carried a different weight, bittersweet and locked away. However, this small island held so many memories that she’d trained herself to reframe the bad ones by intentionally replacing them with better memories.

Like now.

She attached Duke’s leash to a railing, and he flopped down to wait.

As they walked in, the lanky young girl behind the counter smiled and said hello to Deb.

“Hi, Wren. I’ve brought two VIPs with me today.”

“I can see that. Single or double scoops for you?”

With a glance at the boys, Deb chuckled. “Do you even have to ask?”

Teddy pressed his nose to the glass case, having trouble deciding between the chocolate choices. “Can I really get whatever I want?”

Deb ruffled his sun-bleached hair. “Sure. How about one of each?”

His eyes flashing with excitement, Teddy pointed through the glass case. “I’ll have the Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Rocky Road on a waffle cone.”

“Those are great together.” Wren leaned over to scoop the ice cream. After handing the cone to Teddy, she turned to Mason. “Have you decided?”

“You should go first,” he said to Deb. “You’re our guest.”

Deb smiled at his manners. Mason was a nice kid, and someone had taught him well. Besides his father, that is. Probably his aunt or his mother.

She wondered why the boys didn’t live with their mother, but that wasn’t any of her business. She wouldn’t judge another woman on what must have been a painful situation for her. Their father sounded like one of those who grabbed the children out of spite and then fobbed them off on nannies and relatives.

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