Page 21 of Beach Cottage Kisses
He just had.
Helping Sage out with Leigh had been the right thing to do.
He was glad he’d done it.
And would be glad to be unencumbered with familial responsibility again,too. As soon as he had time to adjust to the changes.
They’d happened so rapidly, anyone would have had to take a moment to get used to the different landscape.
Case in point, the next afternoon as he left work. Fridays were always only half days in court, so it was the one day he generally left work early. The day he went down to Diego’s, the fish market their housekeeper had always taken them to as kids. He didn’t have to wait in line. Not only did the owners know him, but he had a standing order—a Friday-night spread for three of whatever the fresh catch of the day had been—which he’d cook up when he got home. If Sage and Leigh were home, they’d join him for dinner.
If not, he’d take theirs down to them to have for lunch the next day.
The four-year-old preferred Dungeness crab, of all things, which wasn’t all that common in commercial numbers in San Diego, but when the fishermen brought it in, everyone at Diego’s knew to put a good amount in his order.
That first Friday after Sage and Leigh flew off with Gray, there were three crabs in the order Scott had failed to change to feed one.
He was happy to have them. Had a few ways to cook and/or freeze the meat. But as he put the three full crabs into his big stew pot to boil, replaying the conversation he’d had with his friends at Diego’s as he told them that he no longer needed a standing order for three, seeing their sympathetic looks, he felt just a tad bit sorry for himself.
Not one to wallow in self-pity—most definitely not something one of Randolph Martin’s kids would do—he glanced at the rest of the spread Diego’s had sent along for dinner. Some was from the successful restaurant that was now attached to the market.Including the cup of mac and cheese for Leigh.
He thought of the other person he knew who liked the stuff. He’d seen her sharing it with Leigh more than once.
Picking up his phone, he texted: Forgot to cancel Friday night seafood. You have any interest? Every capitalization and punctuation correct. Because that was how Martins did it.
is there crab
And macaroni and cheese, too.
we’re on our way
We.Angel and her. Accepting an invitation to visit Morgan and him. Dogs who were inseparable friends bringing their owners along to eat.
Smiling, he got busy getting ready to put dinner on out on his porch. Starting with dog dishes hosting nibbles of fresh tuna.
Life changed, but there was good around other corners if you made the effort to find it.
* * *
Iris walked home with Angel Friday night with a smile on her face. A couple of neighbors were out, separately. One walking a dog. Another just walking. At different depths on the beach. Close enough to see, to nod. Far enough away to not require conversation.
Dale’s porch light was on.
She’d seen Harper’s on, too, on the far side of Scott’s place.
He didn’t seem to walk the beach in that direction much.But it made sense. Until recently, he’d always been heading down the other way to see Leigh and Sage. With Iris one further than them, and the Bartholomew family’s new place at that end.
Iris just happened to have been in the vicinity a lot. Especially after she and Sage had become friends the day Iris had moved in.
Scott. He’d served the crab with a sauce made from the mustard juices and even without the mac and cheese, she was stuffed.
He’d had containers of coleslaw, potato salad, broccoli salad and a cooked cauliflower medley, too. Along with Diego’s delicious homemade rolls.
She should have been rolling home.
Instead, her step was light. Scott had shown her the pictures of Leigh at the amusement park. She’d shown him photos her friend had texted from the ornate lobby at the hotel where they’d stayed. Gray had been standing with Leigh, his arm around her back, as she gazed out a window at the sea.
They’d talked about work. The judge had granted his motion to quash his defendant’s prior mental health case. She’d finished editing a week’s worth of photographs that day. And when the food was gone, she’d left.
