Beside a Dreamswept Sea (42 page)

If she had any sense, she’d run herself. Evidently she totally lacked it, because what he offered appealed to her like being a princess appeals to a little girl. Their agreement, Bryce himself, was Cally’s brass ring. It held all she wanted—her hopes, her dreams, her wishes—everything except her being unconditionally loved. Still, it was more than she dared to hope to find, and there was no way she was turning her back on it. Or on Bryce Richards.

“Cally, do you have a pen in your purse?”

She reached down to the floor and grabbed her handbag. It was late afternoon, but the Blue Moon Cafe buzzed. Sheriff Cobb had come and gone, so had Beaulah Favish, Miss Hattie’s eccentric next-door neighbor, and Jimmy had come in for a quick cup of coffee. He was such a nice kid. Teaching Suzie how to use a shovel without cutting her foot, mowing Miss Hattie’s sizable lawn and keeping everything at the inn looking nice. Miss Hattie loved that boy as if he were her own. It was easy to understand why. He had a good heart—and, it appeared, a healthy crush on Nolene, Lucy’s teenage daughter.

Cally passed the pen to Bryce, then dropped her purse back onto the floor. “What are you writing?”

“A note to the villagers to come to the wedding.” He scrawled, and the pen made a scratching sound.

“On a paper napkin?”

“Why not?” He gave her that mischievous grin Jeremy had perfected. Like father, like son.

“No reason, I guess.” Lydia Johnson would have a snit fit at the tackiness of a paper-napkin wedding invitation, but no one much liked Lydia, anyway.

He finished writing, then got up.

“Where are you going?”

“To put this on the bulletin board.” He pointed to the wall behind the bar.

Right below a Budweiser beer clock hung a cork bulletin board, covered with colorful pushpins and notes of various sizes and types. Several appeared to be shopping lists.

The old jukebox on the far wall cranked out an Alan Jackson tune that vibrated the walls. Cally hummed along and watched Bryce make his way through the maze of tables with the aid of Collin’s cane, shamelessly admiring his backside.

“Fills out a decent pair of slacks, that man.”

Recognizing Lucy’s voice, and realizing she had been caught bun-gazing, Cally felt her face become hot. She fingered the napkin still spread across her knees.

“Maybe you’d best switch to iced tea, sugar.” Lucy cracked her gum. “Dang me if you don’t look about to flame.”

“Quit teasing me. I’ve seen how you look at Fred. Positively carnal.”

“Yeah, but don’t tell him.” Lucy grinned. “He might think the honeymoon’s over and quit working at it.”

“You’ve been married nearly twenty years. How long do you think he’s going to believe a honeymoon lasts?”

“Another twenty.” Lucy winked, then pulled out the end of the bar cloth tucked into her back pocket. “If I’m darn lucky.”

Cally laughed.

“I ain’t supposed to tell you this, but a couple of the villagers are planning some special touches for after the wedding. I figured you’d want to know you ain’t gonna get your man to yourself for a while, if you know what I mean.”

The heat crept down her neck. “Anything I need to be concerned about?”

“Naw, nothing serious. Just a little friendly torment.”

Bryce turned from the bulletin board, thunder in his expression. Now what in the world had him so angry?

He walked back over to her. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure.” Whatever it was, it was bad. She’d never seen him grind his teeth before and, if he held his jaw any tighter, he was apt to crack the bone. “Is something wrong?”

“We’ll talk about it on the way back to the inn.”

“Okay.” She whispered to Lucy. “Maybe you’d better get the villagers to tone down their plans. I have the feeling my beloved’s a little . . . upset.”

“Hostile, would be my guess. But I’ll do it.”

“Thanks. See you later.”

“Sure thing, sweetie.”

Bryce and Cally walked outside and, near the big, rusty anchor, Bryce stopped cold. “Do you know they’re taking bets on us getting married?”

“Doesn’t everyone know it?”

“I didn’t.” He went down the steps.

“Obviously.” Cally joined him on the sandy parking lot. The sounds of the ocean just over the cliffs grew louder. Amazing, she feared boats, feared water, but loved the sounds of the roaring surf. Maybe if she’d learned to swim . . .

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He shoved his hand into his slacks pocket. “I felt like a fool posting that notice on the board and seeing wagers listed with our names, times, and dates. Do you know that snobby Lydia Johnson bet we wouldn’t marry at all?”

“Imagine that.” Cally bit back a smile. “Is it any wonder no one likes her very much?”

“Not to me.”

“They say she has a nose for romance.”

“What’s romance got to do with it?”

“In our case, not a lot. But typically . . .”

The fire went out of him. “I’m sorry, honey. That sounded crass. I didn’t mean it like it came out.”

“No problem.” She hoped she sounded as if she meant it, and looped their arms. “Life in a small town is like this. They’re not wagering to be mean, they’re wagering because it’s entertaining and fun.”

“I know. I guess I’d be in there right along with them, if we weren’t the couple they were gambling on.”

She bumped her hip against his. “So who won?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who picked Thanksgiving afternoon at two?”

“Suzie,” Bryce grumbled.

“Our Suzie?”

“None other. Probably schemed up between her and Frankie.”

Cally laughed out loud. “Odds weigh heavily in that favor, Counselor.”

“She bet a dollar.”

“A whole week’s allowance?” Cally didn’t know whether to hug the kid or give her a lecture. She should be appalled, but she was thrilled. At least Suzie had no doubts about this wedding. Not with her wagering a whole week’s allowance.

“Seriously, honey.” He gave Cally a woeful look. “We’ve got to get a grip on these M and M’s. They’ll have us gray before we hit forty.”

“We’ll survive, darling.” She gave his arm a soothing stroke, forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t supposed to love him, that he’d never love her.

A thin film of sand dusted the asphalt road. Normally they’d walk on the dirt path beside it, but with his knee, Bryce needed the stability of a firm surface under his feet.

They passed the driveway leading to Batty Beaulah’s house, then walked on, up the sloped drive leading to Seascape Inn. Gravel crunched under their feet. As they rounded the side of the house, Cally slipped into melancholy. Bryce looked at her with love. Touched her with love. Talked to her with love in his voice. And she was doing something very dangerous for them. She was forgetting all too often that he didn’t, and never would, love her.

She had to stop that. Before it landed them in serious trouble.

On the front porch, outside the door, he stopped and straightened a little sign that read: Seascape: Established 1918. “Cally, what’s wrong?”

She forced a bright smile. “Nothing.”

He looked down at her. “You promised me honesty.”

“I know.” She had. But there was no way she could tell him that what she was feeling was regret. Regret that they couldn’t have the illusion. Couldn’t have it all.

Regret that they couldn’t love.

“Cally!” Jeremy bolted at her, nearly knocking her off her feet. “I broughted you a present.”

“Ooh, goodie. I love presents.” She squeezed her eyes shut and held out her hands.

Jeremy hesitated.

Cally cracked open one eye, peeked at him, and saw his frown. “Did you lose it?”

He shook his head. “You better look. I don’t want you getting mad at me.”

She looked and saw a lizard. “Oh, my.”

“Do you like him?”

“He’s beautiful.”
God, please don’t make me touch it. Please!
“The best lizard I ever saw.”

“His name is Luke. I thought about calling him Fred, but Suzie said Mrs. Baker might get mad ’cuz her husband’s name is Fred. I don’t know why she’d get mad about that.”

“I can’t imagine. Luke is a fine lizard, don’t you think?”

“Uh-huh.”

Bryce smiled. “Jeremy, I think you’d better let Luke play in the garden.”

“Good idea.” Cally nodded to lend weight to her opinion. “Remember how unhappy the frog was at being cooped up in the kitchen. I’d hate to think Luke wasn’t happy. He’s such a special lizard.”

“Yeah.” Jeremy looked at the wiggling critter. “Okay.”

“Wonderful.” She pecked a kiss to Jeremy’s dirt-streaked face. “Thank you. He’s the best lizard I’ve ever seen.”

“Welcome.” Jeremy beamed, then ran full-out to put Luke in the garden.

Cally sighed her relief. “I owe you one, Counselor.”

“I’ll collect.” He pulled her into his arms. “That was really nice of you. You didn’t even shriek.”

“I wanted to.”

“But you didn’t.” Bryce kissed her cheekbone. “Would you have held it?”

“If I’d had to. But, boy, am I glad I didn’t have to.”

Bryce laughed, then kissed her, and she thought that for one of his kisses and ten seconds of them dreaming and living the illusion, she’d hold a dozen lizards.

“I don’t wanna go to sleep, Daddy.”
Suzie wadded the corner of the little quilt in her hand. “I told you, Tony won’t be there. He says he can’t.”

Bryce slid Cally a worried look, then glanced back to Suzie. Light from the bedside lamp pooled on her bed. “Honey, when we go home, Tony won’t be able to be there, either. Are you going to stay up all night forever, then? Never sleep?”

Cally sat down beside Suzie. Her weight on the mattress had Suzie rolling to her side. “Did Tony say why he couldn’t come?”

“No. Just that he couldn’t.” Anger filled her trembling voice. “He promised. I thought he was like Daddy, but he’s not. He’s like Meriam.”

Cally stroked Suzie’s wrinkled brow. “I don’t understand.”

“She broke her promises, too.”

Something Tony said came back to Cally. “You know, sometimes it looks like people are breaking their promises but they’re really not. Sometimes we just think they are. If Tony promised, then something very important must have happened for him to change his mind.”

Bryce fingered his beard. “Tony takes care of a lot of people. Maybe he had to help someone tonight who’s in more trouble than you are, Suzie. Maybe he knew Cally and I would be here with you, and maybe someone else was going to have to be alone.”

Suzie was thinking it over; Cally could see that in her eyes. She looked at Bryce, silently mouthed, “Let’s tell her.”

He nodded.

“Suzie,” Cally said, her voice thick. “Maybe whoever is keeping Tony away doesn’t have a dad, and maybe they aren’t getting a new mom.”

Suzie gasped, blinked, then blinked again. “Am I getting a new mom?”

Cally nodded. “If you want one.”

“You know I do. Really? You’re not just telling me that? Grown-ups do that sometimes, but I don’t like it. I even told Tony.”

Bryce put a hand on Cally’s shoulder. “We’re not just telling you that. Cally’s going to be your new mom.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bryce answered. “We were waiting until it was closer to time, sweetheart, so you wouldn’t have so long to wait.”

“But I was worried.” She gave Cally a solemn little look. “Sometimes it takes you guys a long time to figure things out.”

Cally chuckled, low and soft. “Yes, I guess it does.”

“Daddy, Tony was right.” Suzie’s eyes sparkled. “He said.”

“I remember.”

“We both do.” Cally tucked the covers under Suzie’s chin, then bent to drop a kiss on her brow. “See? Tony kept his promise after all. And sometimes things happen we can’t control, Suzie. If Tony can’t be here, you can be sure he’s got a good reason.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “And you and Daddy are here.”

“Right.” Bryce kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll still be by myself in the dream, though.”

The fear in her voice rocked Cally to the core. “I know, sweetheart. And if we could change that for you, we would. But we can’t.” Cally stood up. “What we can do is to be here for you when you wake up. And that we will do. That’s a promise.”

“Okay.” Suzie snuggled down and curled up her knees.

Bryce lowered his hand to the small of Cally’s back and urged her to the door. Just as Cally stepped into the hallway, Suzie called out. “Cally?”

She looked back. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Do you keep your promises?”

Cally’s heart felt squeezed. She’d made vows to Gregory and broken them. She’d promised not to love Bryce, and she loved him with all her heart. She couldn’t look into Suzie’s trusting face and lie to her; she just couldn’t do it. “I try never to make a promise I can’t keep, Suzie. Sometimes, I can’t help it. But if I can help it, I keep my promises.”