Page 4 of Lost Love Cove
Cody didn’t need to be asked twice. “Hello,” he said, walking up to the wall with Muttley. “I’m Cody. That’s my Grampy.”
“I’m Maggie,” she said, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Cody answered, then gestured proudly. “This is Muttley, my best friend.”
“Wow, he’s big,” Maggie said, awestruck.
Before Cody could answer, a flurry of barking announced Luna, the Dalmatian Lori had left in Carrie and Maggie’s care. She bounded up to the fence, tail wagging furiously, setting Muttley off again.
“I see the two of them are friends,” Maggie laughed.
“Easy, boy,” Cody said, tugging at Muttley’s collar with a grin. “Yeah, they’ve met before. Lori sometimes let me take Luna to the beach.”
“My gran and I are going there later to have a picnic,” Maggie said shyly. “Do you and Muttley want to come?”
“Yeah, we’d like that,” Cody said instantly.
“Whoa, slow down there, kid,” Matt stepped in. “You’ll need to ask your mother first, and Maggie should check with her grandmother.”
“My gran won’t mind,” Maggie said confidently.
“Still, best to ask,” Matt told her gently.
“Okay, I will,” Maggie agreed, looking at Cody. “Why don’t you ask your mom, and we’ll meet back here?”
“Cool,” Cody said.
Matt watched the children and their dogs disappear, marveling at how easy it was for the young to make plans.
He had just sunk a screw flush when the door behind him banged open again. Alisha strode out, Cody and Muttley close behind. Across the fence, Maggie returned in a blur of purple shorts, and behind her came Carrie — Lori’s friend, Maggie’s grandmother. She wore a flowing summer dress, her hair pinned up in a loose bun, tendrils brushing her neck.
The four of them converged at the fence like a small, unplanned summit.
“Hi, I’m Alisha, Cody’s mom,” Alisha said warmly.
“I’m Cody, and this is Muttley,” Cody jumped in.
Carrie smiled, and the sternness Matt remembered from the night before softened into something breathtaking. “Hello, Cody and Muttley. I’m Carrie. It’s nice to meet you both.” Her gaze flicked to Matt, her shoulders tightening.
“The man with the hammer and noisy saw is my father, Matt,” Alisha said lightly.
“Hi,” Matt offered with a slight wave.
“Hello,” Carrie replied primly, turning her attention back to Alisha and Cody.
Matt hardly heard the rest. He busied himself with his tools, but his mind kept circling back to Carrie’s smile, sharper in his memory than he wanted to admit.
When Carrie and Maggie finally drifted back toward Lori’s porch, Matt caught himself watching, her dress shifting with the breeze, her stride brisk but graceful. He tried to return to his work, but the board in his hands felt heavier, and for the first time that morning, the rhythm didn’t come easily.
3
CARRIE
Carrie spread the blanket across the sand, smoothing the corners with her palms while the morning breeze tugged at the fabric. The ocean glittered in the early light, a pale ribbon of gold unfurling along the horizon. She set the picnic basket down and opened the lid, arranging fruit, muffins, and a thermos of coffee and juice in the center. The cove was quiet except for the rhythmic hush of waves and the shrieks of seagulls sweeping low.
Maggie’s laughter rang out behind her, bright and sharp as a bell. Carrie looked up to see her granddaughter racing across the damp sand, her braid bouncing against her shoulders as Luna bounded alongside her. Cody trailed close behind, Muttley lumbering at his heels, both boy and dog determined not to be outdone. The two children darted and wove, their bare feet flinging sprays of sand, the dogs chasing and leaping with a wild joy that made the entire scene feel lighter than anything Carrie had carried with her to Florida.
“Breakfast,” Carrie called, her voice carrying just enough authority to make Maggie skid to a stop.
