Page 31 of Second Dance
Goodness, my daughter was nosy.
“I hired a designer I’d used before. When we lived in San Francisco.”
A shadow passed over Grace’s face. Was she thinking about his life before now? The home he’d shared with his wife? Or was that just me?
I forced myself to set aside my unease as Grace pulled Alex into the living room. I studied his face as his gaze moved over the slipcovered sofas and woven baskets, lingering on the driftwood accents Lila had discovered at various thrift shops. I'd chosen the pale blues and creams to echo the sea. Not that we had an ocean view, but I'd been determined to give the cottage that breezy, coastal atmosphere.
“This is where we hang out,” Grace said. “Movie nights, homework, whatever. Isn’t it cozy?”
“It’s great,” Alex said.
“Probably small compared to your house,” I said. “But it’s ours, and we love it.”
Grace crossed to the bookshelf, plucking a silver frame from its spot. “This was me.” This was the photo I kept on display of Grace as a baby, cheeks impossibly round, eyes wide and curious. He studied it with a reverence that made my throat tighten.
“What a pretty baby you were,” Alex said.
“I know, right?” Grace swapped it for another frame—this one of the five kids, tangled together on a beach towel at about seven years old, sunburned noses and toothy grins. “That’s all of us,” Grace said proudly. “They’re like our family. Mom loves this photo.”
My eyes stung. She wanted him to know our history. Which made me both teary and wary at the same time. Delphine’s voice echoed through my mind. In my experience, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Alex studied the picture for a long moment, then looked back at Grace. “I recognize Tyler. I’d know that grin anywhere.”
“That’s right,” Grace said. “This was before any of us got braces. As you can see.”
“And who’s that next to you—Annie?” Alex asked.
Grace’s face lit up. “Yes. That was our mermaid stage. I made us pretend we were mermaids. Well, not the boys. They refused. But Mia and Annie went along with it. We even had mermaid names.”
I chuckled, remembering how cute they’d all been that summer. It went too fast.
Alex listened as if nothing in the world mattered more than her words. “What were your mermaid names? Do you remember?”
“I was Seabreeze. Annie was Coral Belle. And Mia was Shelly Shimmer. I’ve no idea why. I made the girls act out a mermaid story, even though the others were reluctant actresses. And Tyler made me really mad because he wouldn’t play King Neptune.”
Alex laughed, not the polite kind but the genuine, belly-deep kind. God, I’d missed his laugh.
“Sounds like you were a little bossy,” Alex said.
Grace giggled, clearly not offended in the least. “Maybe a little.”
He leaned closer, still looking at the photo. “And who’s the other boy? The small one?”
“That’s Robbie. He’s a genius. For real.” Grace scrunched up her nose. “Kind of like you. I bet he’ll invent something that helps people just like you did.”
“You know about that?” Alex asked, sounding amused.
Grace sobered, her expressive face mournful. “I’m sorry about your sister. That’s so sad.”
“You know about that too, huh?” Alex asked, catching my gaze.
“Annie and I read a lot of things about you on the internet,” Grace said. “Mom told me not to snoop, but Annie and I couldn’t help ourselves.”
I watched them together, my heart swelling. Leave it to my Grace to completely charm him.
“You’ll meet the rest of them soon,” Grace said to Alex. “We have dinner together every weekend. It’s the best. Maybe you can come too?”
“I’d like that,” Alex said.
