Rilee spun to face her. “She was amazing. Closest thing I’ve had to a mom since I was ten.”
“You must miss her. A lot.”Ford must miss her, too.
“I do. We all do.” She licked at her cone, her gaze lost out on the bay. “She’s been gone more than four years, now. Ford deserves to be happy again. He’s just too stubborn to acknowledge it.”
Uh-oh. She hoped she hadn’t created a matchmaker. Ford was . . . well, he really was the whole package: kind, selfless, ambitious, attractive. Before this could go further, Cadence flipped the subject. “What was so disappointing about this date of yours?”
“I’ve liked him a long time, you know. Since, like, the sixth grade.”
They stopped at a lookout point and sat down on a bench. A cruise ship appeared in the distance, but Cadence couldn’t remember whether or not it docked in Sunset Ridge. Maybe the neighboring town. “He wasn’t what you expected?”
“No, he’s still the same guy.” She broke off another piece of waffle cone and tossed it to Riggs. It left him torn between hyper-focusing on her cone and searching for adventure and critters on the breeze. “I was excited that hefinallyasked me out. But I don’t think he’s interested in the long-distance thing. I don’t know why I even bothered.”
“He’s not going to Boston?”
“Nope.” She let out a sigh so heavy her shoulders lifted and dropped with exaggeration. “He’s not even leaving the state.”
Cadence wrapped an arm around Rilee and pulled her against her shoulder. “If he was worth it, he would try. But Rilee, you’re about to step out into this whole new world. There will be more boys than you know what to do with. The right one will do whatever it takes to make it work.”
“You think so?”
Cadence wasn’t sure where those words of wisdom came from. It wasn’t as though she had great relationship experience to speak from. But they felt exactly right, maybe for both of them. “Just make sure you’re picky. Don’t put up with any crap. You deserve only the best.”
“I kind of like having you around. You sure you have to leave?”
“I’ll tell you a secret.” Cadence offered a crooked smile. “I wish I didn’t.”
Chapter Ten
Ford
On the way to his truck, Ford spotted Cadence and his sister sitting on the bench along the beach walkway. The sight warmed his heart. He dropped the groceries into the back seat and headed down the block to meet them. It was only the thought of them both leaving him this summer that clenched inside.
“Nothing good can come ofthis,” he teased when Rilee spotted him. “What are you two over here conspiring?”
Riggs hopped to his feet and wagged his tail, but he refused to move from his post that offered the best view of the half-eaten ice cream cones.
“Just spoiling her lunch.” Cadence gave him a wink—something she’d never done and he wasn’t prepared for—and it caused him to look at her twice. Was sheflirtingwith him?No, Ford decided. She still planned to leave town at the end of the week. Though determined to change her mind, he wouldn’t risk his heart to her leaving. There’d been enough loss in his life. Something he’d been reminded of this morning when he swung by the cemetery to add flowers to more graves than he cared to think on.
“You ladies want a ride back? I’m making halibut enchiladas.”
Rilee was on her feet before the words were out of his mouth. “They’re amazing!” She grabbed Cadence’s arm, ushering her to her feet.
“You seem to know your way around a dinner plate,” Cadence said, eyeing him with suspicion. Again, looking at him as though he might be hiding a bag of secrets in his back pocket.
Thoughchefwas among his list of hats by no other choice than he had a sister to feed, he was only good at making Rilee’s favorite things. “Actually, outside of grilling and halibut enchiladas, I’m not much good at making anything else.”
“It’s true,” Rilee said over her shoulder, already halfway across the street with Riggs. “He burns grilled cheese.”
“We have running water again,” he called ahead to Rilee. “In case you were wondering.” He turned to Cadence. “The enchiladas are my way of saying thank you for putting us up.” Ford could probably keep up the charade through Sunday, but more than that, he didn’t want to push his luck. Besides, Jordan was back from his fishing trip.
They were halfway to the truck when they passed Geraldine Franks outside the post office. She waved at Ford and waited until they were within speaking distance. “So good to see you, Ford.” Geraldine had one of the older houses in town, which meant Ford had been over a lot to repair things.
“How’s that microwave?” he asked, recalling he last changed out a breaker because trying to pop a single bag of popcorn seemed to trip it. “Any troubles?”
“Not a one. And I’ve had popcorn three nights this week.” She gave him a wink. “Is this your girlfriend, Ford?”
He clapped Geraldine gently on the shoulder. “This is Cadence Whitmore. One of Patty’s nieces.”
