Tally led them to a table at the edge of the deck with an unobstructed view of the gulf.“Enjoy your meal. I’ll pop back later when I can and we’ll chat.”
Heather looked over the menu. Not much had changed. She already knew she wanted grouper and hushpuppies. Her favorite here.
They ordered their meals and sat watching a few people sitting out on the beach, waiting for sunset. She wished she’d brought her iPad to do a quick sketch of the scene. But that would probably be rude.
Jesse laughed a knowing laugh.“You’re wishing you could sketch this, aren’t you?”
She looked up, knowing she’d been caught.“I was thinking that.”
“I could ask Tally for some paper and a pen.”
“No, but I do think I’ll snap a quick photo if you don’t mind.”She took out her phone and took a few photos of people on the beach and then, before she could think of what she was doing, she snapped a photo of Jesse.
He winked at her with a devilish grin.“Hope you got my good side.”
Self-conscious, she slipped the phone back in her purse. She was saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of their drinks. Tally carried her favorite local beer, too, and they’d both ordered it.
She leaned back in her chair, trying to relax. It used to just be so easy to be with Jesse, and she longed for it to be that way again.
Jesse watched as Heather put the bottle of beer up to her lips and took a sip of the icy beverage. No airs with this woman. She liked a good cold beer out of the bottle. A simple meal at a casual place like Jimmy’s or Magic Cafe. He’d always liked that about her. She enjoyed the simple, ordinary things in life more than the fancy things that so many people thought were important.
He set down his beer and stretched out his legs, surprised at how relaxing the evening had been so far. He hadn’t been certain how it would work out…but so far, so good.“So, have the Parker women been busy planning Donna’s wedding?”
“We have. I can’t believe how much we’ve gotten organized already. Between the wedding and the Harbor Festival, we’ve got quite a few really busy weeks.”
“I suspect with Evelyn in charge of things, you won’t have a thing to worry about. She’s great at that sort of stuff.”
“She is. My mother has a talent for making it look simple, too. Even though I know it’s not. But she already had Donna pick out flowers, and she’s ordered the invitations, too. They’ll go out this week.”
It briefly crossed his mind if he’d be on the short list for a wedding invite…or if maybe, just maybe Heather would ask him to be her date. He smiled as she continued.
“She’s coordinating with The Cabot on seating and where they’ll serve the buffet. Donna wants a simple buffet dinner, nothing fancy. And we’re going with kind of vintage-y decorations. I think it will be beautiful.”
He loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the wedding. And how proud she was of her mother. There had been so many years when Heather and her mother had barely spoken. Now, look at them. They’d worked together on opening the cafe, and now they were working on Donna’s wedding.
He debated asking the next question on his mind, not wanting to alter the relaxed look on her face.“So…and I’m not sure I should ask…”
“Go ahead.”She cocked her head to the side and sent him a questioning look.
“Have you seen your father recently?”
Her eyes clouded, and there was a slight twitch at the edge of her jaw, the one she got when she was holding back her temper.“Not recently. I hear he’s been throwing all sorts of parties at the house with his new young whatever she is. I also heard he has to hire someone to plan the events because his newwhateverevidently doesn’t plan as well as mother did for him.”A pleased look flashed across her face at that small detail.
“So, here’s the thing. His new youngwhatevercalled and asked to book The Destiny for a party your dad wants to have.”
“Really?”Her eyes widened, then narrowed.“And what did you say?”
“I said I had to check the schedule and get back with her.”He watched her carefully, knowing her face would give him the truth even if her words didn’t.
She sighed.“You should accept his booking. He has tons of money to throw around. You might as well get some of it.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. And the people he invites might lead to more business for you, too, once they see what a great job you’ve done with the boat.”
He wasfairlycertain she was telling him the truth and not just what he wanted to hear.“You know I’ll turn it down if it bothers you.”
“No, we have to learn to live here in Moonbeam with him. And Lacey. Yes, I know she has a name.”Her eyes flickered with ire, but then her mouth slipped into a small smile.“She probably wants to book The Destiny because you do all the work, the food, the entertainment. She just has to show up on Father’s arm.”
