Page 24 of Whispers at Seaside
She carried her plate from the table, forcing those tempting thoughts away to focus on her son. “Sure, but we have to hurry. I want to stop by and see Serena for a few minutes before we leave.” Mira bent to smell the pretty gloxinias.
“Yay!” Hagen carried his plate to the sink, then ran down the hall to his bedroom.
Mira’s phone vibrated. Her pulse quickened at the sight of Matt’s picture on the screen. She’d made the selfie he’d taken of the two of them at the cemetery his profile picture. She quickly read the text.Good morning, sunshine. I’d call, but I don’t want to throw off your schedule with Hagen. Can I see you guys this week and take you out on a real date this weekend?She smiled at his inclusion of Hagen and warmed at the thought of going out with him this weekend.
She sent off a quick reply.Hi. Thank you for being mindful of our morning madness. Of course you can see us, and I’ll check on getting a sitter for this weekend.
Hagen came out of his bedroom carrying his backpack. “I got it, Mom. Ready.”
Doing a quick sweep of her little boy’s freshly combed hair and clothing, she asked, “Did you brush your teeth?”
“Uh-huh.” He smiled, revealing his teeth.
“Good boy.” She grabbed her purse and keys as her phone vibrated again. She read the text quickly—If you can’t find a sitter, I don’t mind taking Hagen with us.Smiling, she shoved her phone in her pocket and followed Hagen out the door. She’d respond to the text after talking to Serena.
“Mom! There’s a package!”
As she locked the door, Hagen said, “It has my name on it.” He opened the bag and pulled out a package of batteries, dropping the bag to the porch.
Mira picked it up and found a note inside. “‘Hagen,’” she read aloud, smiling at Matt’s careful print and the thoughtful note. “‘I thought you might need a few extra batteries for the robot. Remember to be careful when you open the battery compartment. The latch can be tricky. Have fun at camp. Matt.’”
“Guy stuff, Mom. Matt says part of being a man is always being prepared.”
Hagen shoved the batteries in his backpack and climbed into the car while Mira tried to fit her ever-expanding heart back inside her chest.
She drove over to the Bayside Resort office thinking about yesterday. She’d heard Matt doling out life lessons in small enough doses for Hagen to listen to each and every one, but that didn’t mean her son would retain them. She was glad to see that the excitement of the robot hadn’t superseded the lessons. And even more touched that Matt cared enough about Hagen’s happiness to have dropped off the batteries. She imagined most guys who had just started dating a woman would have focused on her—and most fathers wouldn’t have thought that far ahead.
Dean was working in the gardens in front of the office when they arrived. He raised a hand above his eyes, shielding his tanned face from the sun’s bright rays. His hair was cropped so short, that together with his broad, muscular frame, it made him look like a marine.
“Hey, little buddy,” he said to Hagen as he darted by.
“Hi, Dean!” Hagen ran up the steps toward the office door. “I made a robot and Mom has a boyfriend.”
Mira stopped cold as he disappeared into the building.
“You look like that’s news toyou.” Dean rose to his feet, wiping his hands on a rag he’d had stuffed in his back pocket.
“Newto me maybe but not news. I’m wondering how he put the pieces of the puzzle together. We never even kissed around him, but he did have his arm around me yesterday.”
“Kids are perceptive. I remember when my mom introduced me to her new ‘friends.’ I knew every single time they were making their way into her bedroom. I was twelve. I’m sure Hagen’s not putting those pieces together yet, but he’s a smart kid.”
“You can say that again.” Mira mentally planned out the talk they’d have on the way to camp.
“So…Matt Lacroux? I wondered when you guys would turn your occasional dates into something more.”
“Occasional dates?”
Dean squinted against the bright sun. “I don’t know what you call them, but I think taking Hagen out counts as a date. Every time the guy’s in town he makes a point of seeing you. That’s a good thing. And I heard he brought you gloxinias, which shows he’s a man who knows what he’s doing.”
Thinking of last night, she agreed. Matt definitelyknew what he was doing. “How did you hear about the flowers? He just brought them yesterday.”
“Lizzie, up at P-Town Petals. I picked up a few things this morning and she mentioned it. You know how tight she is with Matt’s sister.”
She’d forgotten that Sky’s best friend owned a flower shop. “I guess Hagen figuring it out is a blessing in disguise. I’d rather he heard about it from me than anyone else. Is Serena inside?”
“Yeah, she, Drake, and Rick were going head-to-head when I got here.”
“Someone’s got to keep them in line.” She drew in a deep breath, hoping she missed the three of them going at it.
