Daylight gave way to dusk, lifting the heat of the day. The smells of grilled burgers and gunpowder lingered in the air. Maggie snuggled with Zoey in one of the beach chairs and dug her toes in thesand. Josh sat beside them holding a sparkler while Zoey and Mia looked on. Erin lay on a beach towel reading a novel, and down at the shoreline Patrick and Owen tossed a Frisbee.
While Mia favored her mother, Owen resembled his dad. They shared a lean build, an olive complexion, and thick dark hair, though Patrick’s hairline was already receding. He jokingly blamed his congregation.
Maggie’s stomach was full of good food, and her heart was lighter from the pleasant company and conversation. Her mother had called to guilt her about being absent for the holiday weekend, but Maggie wouldn’t focus on that.
“Wave it around, Uncle Josh,” Zoey said.
Josh moved the sparkler in a figure-eight pattern. “Your daddy loved fireworks. We had a great time playing with them on the beach.”
Maggie recalled them shooting bottle rockets at each other when they were teens. She gave Josh a stern look. “But fireworks are very dangerous, so we have to be careful.”
Erin set her book aside. “Anyone wanna take a walk before we lose the light?”
“Me, me!” Zoey scrambled off Maggie’s lap.
“Me too,” Mia chimed in.
“I think I’ll stay and keep Uncle Josh out of trouble,” Maggie said.
“You know how he gets with fireworks.” Erin followed the girls toward the shoreline. “You’ll have your work cut out for you.”
He held up his sizzling sparkler and called out to Erin, “I haven’t even caught anything on fire yet.”
“Is that where you’ve set the bar?”
The family never let Josh forget about setting their neighbor’s bushon fire when he was eleven. The bush blaze had then spread to the house’s overhang and the fire department got involved.
Josh’s sparkler fizzled out and he stuck the stick in the sand under his chair. “Did you see the pictures Mom posted today?”
“The one of your dad holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a keeper.”
“I can’t believe she convinced him to participate. He must be really relaxed.”
Maggie was so glad they hadn’t ruined his parents’ trip with false hope of Ethan’s survival. It would’ve devastated them.
“They’re headed to the Greek isles next. Mom’s been talking about Santorini and those blue rooftops for years. I’m not sure how it can live up to her expectations.”
“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful.” She scanned the beach. It was getting darker and more difficult to make out facial features. Down at the waterline Patrick jumped for the Frisbee and missed, then got hit by a wave, soaking him up to the hips. Owen cackled.
“How was business this week?” she asked.
“Crazy busy. Every tour was full.” He afforded her a humorless grin. “Conner quit.”
“Oh no. He’s your snack-bar guy, right?”
“He started seeing Addison a couple weeks ago and he was way more into her than she was into him. Saw it coming a mile away. Now he’s off to greener pastures.”
“Did he give you any notice?”
“Only a week. He got a job with a home-improvement company, making better money. Big D’s gonna cover till I can find someone to take his place.”
“I’m sorry. That’s probably the last thing you needed during highseason. I can pitch in some if you don’t mind my having a four-year-old around to help.”
“That’s sweet, but I think we can manage until I find someone. Also, you might eat up all my profits in cotton candy.”
“There’s a good chance.”
He gave her a sidelong glance. “You seem a little better today. I know it’s been a rough patch.”
