Page 63 of Love At The Shore
Ally straightened. “Oh, this one is mine. What do you like best about our mom?”
Jenna went as pink as the flowers in the bouquet he’d brought her.
“Okay, no. You don’t have to answer that.” She glanced around, clearly in search of a diversion. “More salad?”
Um, no. One entire bowl of leafy green vegetables mixed with candy was plenty. Nevertheless, Jenna darted to the kitchen. Behind her, he spotted crayon drawings of Tank tacked to the refrigerator.
Lucas thought for a moment, considering the question. “What do I like best?”
Nick nodded. “First thing that comes to mind.”
“Youreallydon’t have to answer that,” Jenna said as she walked back to the table. She looked almost terrified.
Didn’t she realize he could name at least six things he liked about her, just off the top of his head? He even liked her nerdy little cardigans. He liked them even more than her mermaid swimsuit because they were so quintessentiallyJenna.
But he didn’t want to say anything that might be interpreted as glib. It was a meaningful question, and it deserved a meaningful answer.
He met Jenna’s gaze and answered as honestly as he could. “She’s full of surprises.”
Jenna stopped in her tracks, salad bowl in hand. She blinked a few times, and Lucas’s heart skidded to a stop when he realized her eyes were glossy with tears.
He gave her a tender smile while Nick grinned from ear to ear. Ally was so delighted by his response that she grabbed a pen from the kitchen counter and struck through the rest of her list. Lucas had passed their little test with flying colors.
He released a breath. “Can I have some more water?”
Jenna smiled. “Absolutely.”
Nick and Ally exchanged a glance and collapsed into giggles.
“What are you laughing at?” Lucas deadpanned. He speared a chocolate chip with his fork. “The salad’s great, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Ally said. Then she abandoned her notepad, and the meal proceeded without any more questions.
Lucas could breathe easy…at least for a little while.
After dinner, Jenna asked him if they could see the finished version of the video he’d prepared for the meeting with the potential summer camp investors the following day. He didn’t mind, of course. He’d spent hours getting it ready, and as he’d told Jenna over crab and shrimp at Sam’s, he could usually let things go once he’d done the best he could do.
But as he slid the disc into the DVD player, he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. And when he sat down and waited for the video to start, he found himself watching Jenna, Ally and Nick instead of the action onscreen.
He cared about their opinions, maybe even as much as he cared what the investors had to say.
What was happening? This was supposed to be a fun evening. A date. And suddenly, it was beginning to feel like something else.
It was beginning to feel like somethingmore.
He did his best to focus on the flickering images on the television screen—scenes of children running on the beach, jumping into a cool blue pool and splashing in the ocean—scenes that mirrored the time Nick and Ally had spent at Tybee all these weeks. But his gaze kept flitting back to Jenna and her kids snuggled together on the sofa, and warmth bloomed inside him, as colorful and alive as the new flowers sitting on Jenna’s kitchen counter.
The video ended, and he pushed the off button on the television remote. “So. What do we think?”
Nick and Ally bounced in place on the sofa and answered him in unison. “It was awesome!”
Lucas laughed and glanced at Jenna. “How much did you pay them to say that?”
But he was pretty certain he couldn’t buy that kind of enthusiasm. It felt priceless.
“You should be proud. It’s really good,” Jenna said.
The softness in her eyes made him wish he was sitting beside her and the kids on the couch instead of all by himself in the living room’s overstuffed chair. He wasn’t sure he belonged over there, though, nor did it look like there was enough room.
