“I said I’d do it.”
“You’re welcome.”A click came through the receiver, then silence.
“No,you’rewelcome,” Maggie muttered as she dropped her phone into the beach bag.
She checked on Zoey, who was making limited progress on her sandcastle. Maggie shrugged out of the cover-up and made her way toward the shoreline. The beach wasn’t very crowded as it was a weekday and the sky was overcast.
She sank in the sand across from Zoey. “Need some help with your castle?”
“It’s not a castle, it’s a carousel. See? Here’s my favorite horse.”
“Oh yes, I see. Very nice. Did you know your daddy and I used to make sandcastles when we were teenagers? He was very good at it.”
“Were they big?”
“Not so much big as very detailed. He’d make the moat and fill it with water and even have a drawbridge.”
“Like Cinderella’s castle!”
“Exactly. I teased him that he should become an architect—that’s someone who designs buildings.”
“But he was a medic.”
“Yes, and a very good one.”
Zoey worked in silence for a minute. “Can you fill the bucket with sand, Mommy? It’s heavy.”
“Of course.” As Maggie went to work, the sun came out, hot and bright, making her glad for the cool, wet sand beneath her.
Zoey pressed her small hands into the sand, molding the carousel. Her delicate brows drew into a straight line as she focused. A few freckles had popped out on her nose, and her skin was bronzing up despite the sunscreen Maggie applied religiously.
Her thoughts returned to her conversation with her mother. Zoey was already four but would likely have only a few memories from these early years. If Maggie found a good man relatively soon, it would seem to Zoey as if she’d always had a father. She wouldn’t feel that prick of jealousy when a friend’s dad gave his daughter a piggyback ride or miss daddy-daughter dances at school. She wouldn’t wish for a father who’d hold her tight when she had a nightmare or sometimes pretend her daddy was just at work.
Maggie had gone into this summer with the goal of laying down the past and moving forward. She’d expressed to Erin and Josh her desire to begin dating. And while the random sighting of that young man—Will Jennings—had distracted her from those goals, there was no reason not to move forward now.
She didn’t relish her mother’s connection with Derrick Morgan. But he’d apparently weathered years of college, internships, and residencies. Surely he wouldn’t be a man easily pushed around by her mother. Maybe he’d even stand up to her. Wouldn’t that be fun?
“Well, there’s a wily smile if ever I saw one.”
“Uncle Josh! Come help me with my carousel.”
All smiles, he approached in his work uniform—khakis and a white polo sporting the Island Tours logo—carrying his tennis shoes in one hand.
“Hey,” Maggie said, then addressed her daughter. “You forgot the magic word.”
“Please, Uncle Josh?”
He squatted beside them. “Wish I could help you, Cupcake, but I only have a few minutes, and I need to talk to your mom.”
“Aww...”
“Tell you what. Maybe I can stop by tonight after my sunset tour.” He glanced at Maggie and mouthed,Pizza?
She nodded.
“I’ll bring pizza and you can show me pictures of your carousel. I’ll bet it’s gonna turn out great.”
“Can I get cheese?”
