“Hey, you gave me this beautiful card. It’s the least I can do.”
Ryder launched into excited pleas. “Can we, Mom? Please, please, please?”
“Mr. Becker and I will talk about it.” Things were changing far too quickly. Though they hadn’t completely discussed it yet, Hendrix clearly planned to let them stay in the campgrounds or he wouldn’t have invited her and Ryder to enjoy his hot tub. At least, she hoped that was the case. “He’s waiting for your promise, honey.”
“I promise,” Ryder said. “Mom doesn’t let me near any water without her.”
“She’s a good mom.” He slid open French doors. “Come on, let’s eat.”
Ryder was the first one in. Curiously, he looked around. “Your kitchen is way bigger than ours.”
Hendrix waited for her to enter, then he joined them. “This is officially the dining room, or at least that’s what the listing said when I bought the place.” He set Ryder’s card upright on a buffet table next to a decorative bowl.
With his attention fixed on a giant fish hanging on the wall, Ryder didn’t notice.
“It’s not real,” Hendrix said in his ear, then lifted it off a hook so Ryder could see it.
Eyes widening even more, he lurched back before screwing up his courage and getting close again. “It’s a toy?”
“More like a plastic replica of a lingcod, which I know only because I researched the fish online.”
“I can’t get online.” He crossed his arms in a recognizably stubborn pose. “Mom says I’m not old enough.”
With a slight pause, Hendrix said, “She’s a teacher, right? So she’d know.”
“I’d like to ‘search it, too.” Ryder shot her a calculating look. “Maybe she’d let me with you.”
Nonplussed, Hendrix straightened. “Well, anyway, the fish is fake. It was here when I bought the place. Everything was, except some stuff in the living room, and my bed.” He turned to Joey. “The other two bedrooms are still the same, but I couldn’t see sleeping on a bed that hundreds of others had used.”
Honestly, she’d barely been paying attention as she took in the neutral colors, the various “cabin rental” type wall decor, but also the touches that were pure Hendrix. Like the large coffee mug set on a dishtowel beside the sink, sunglasses and keys on a table, and rubber boots on a mat by the back door.
It encouraged her that he would so casually chat now, when previously, even before she missed the December exodus, he’d been reserved.
“It’s all nice, and I love the privacy you have. Plus, you have the closest spot to the beach.”
“Privacy isn’t easy in an RV park. There’s a small porch out front, but if I sit there, renters see me and stop to chat. That’s why I got in the habit of using the back door.”
“Have you considered a gate for the privacy fence, so your backyard will stay private?”
“Not a bad idea.” Leaving the fish with Ryder, who was still studying it, he said, “Grab a seat. I’ll get the pizza. I put it in the oven on warm. What do you want to drink?”
“What do you have?” Joey asked. She probably should have brought a drink for Ryder, but she hadn’t known she’d be leaving her house.
With a frown, he looked in his refrigerator and said, “Beer, water, iced tea, or soda.” He glanced at Ryder. “Sorry, I didn’t think –”
“Soda!” Ryder cheered.
After giving it brief thought, Joey shrugged. “Just for tonight, and only a small glass.” She took the fish from him and hung it back on the wall. “You and I need to wash our hands before we eat.”
“There’s a hall bath to the right of the front door.”
“Thanks. We’ll find it.” It was a bonus to get to see the rest of his place. She could tell the couch, chair and huge television were the newer editions he’d mentioned. The coffee table and end tables matched the rest of the furnishings, so they likely came with the house. From the hallway, she could see into his bedroom through the open door. A king-size bed with two nightstands took up one wall beneath a window. On another wall was built-in cabinets, and opposite that were a closet and dresser. The bed was hastily made with a gray comforter, no throw pillows.
She smiled as she steered Ryder into the bathroom.
Again, he looked around, probably making comparisons. “It’s a big bathtub, huh?”
It was standard size, so she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to mention her in-law’s home, since Ryder hadn’t seen it in a while. “It’s nice.” When was the last time she’d been able to soak in a tub? The cabin she rented had only a dinky little shower and she often bumped her elbows to the wall when she washed her hair.
