Holly's Heart Collection Two (60 page)

“Yeah,” I said, watching the sea gulls swoop and sway in the distance. “I wonder what Stan sees in him as a friend.”

“Beats me,” Andie said, investigating the room. There was an oil painting of the tall red-topped lighthouse at St. George’s Reef on the wall opposite the window. “Wow,” she whispered. “This picture looks expensive.”

“It’s an original.”

She moved close to the painting. “How can you tell?”

“See the artist’s brushstrokes?”

“Yeah, I see what you mean.” Then she stepped back, surveying the whole room. “Man, your dad must be rich.”

I nodded, content to sit in the comfortable chair. “I suppose so.”

She looked at me with surprise in her eyes. “You mean you don’t know for sure?”

“It doesn’t matter, really. Besides, I don’t want to get into this right now.” The whole thing with Daddy coming out here when Mom didn’t want to move, back before their divorce, sometimes still hurt. Like now.

Thank goodness Andie understood. She took my lead and dropped the subject. “Well, I’m ready to hit the beach. You coming?

“Give me five.” I pulled myself out of the chair and hurried through the sitting room to my own room. Inside the room, which was decorated in creams and greens, I closed the door. Andie and I would probably end up discussing my feelings about Daddy’s remarriage sometime while we were here. But…maybe not. I just wished it hadn’t come up right off the bat like this.

Locating my swimsuit, I put it on, taking my time. I could almost feel the vibrations coming from Andie’s room, she was so hyper.

I sighed. Hopefully she’d slow down a bit. Maybe a good swim in the ocean was what she needed.

With towels and a beach ball in hand, we dashed to the sandy path. It sloped down a bit, leveled off, then dipped a little, leading us to the beach.

It was a fine, hot day, complete with a balmy ocean breeze. Eagerly we marked our territory with giant towels given to us by Saundra. They were thick ones that felt new. My stepmom wanted only the best for us.

We used our sandals to anchor our towels; then, with total abandon, we raced to the ocean. The waves called to me, and I swam out past the breakers. Andie followed.

“I’m never going home!” she shouted as we floated free and easy under the California sun.

“I know. This place is total heaven.”

She grinned at me, riding a low swell. “Do you think there’s an ocean in heaven?”

“Well,” I said, thinking, “there’s the sea of forgetfulness where God dumps our sins. How’s that?”

“But I want waves.” She giggled blissfully.

We let the tide pull us closer to the beach, where giant waves picked us up like tiny corks bobbing in the water. What a fabulous way to spend the afternoon.

After a while, we decided to get some sun. Andie was already tan, thanks to her natural skin color, but even though it was summery back home, I was whiter than white. Since the sun was still fairly high, I knew I’d better get some sunscreen. “I’ll be right back,” I said. “Need anything?”

“Some music would be nice,” she said, turning over on her stomach.

“I’ll see if Daddy has a radio we can borrow.” I hurried up the worn path to the house and climbed the steps to the deck. I wiped the sand off my feet before I entered through the sliding glass doors.

Inside, Saundra was stirring something on the stove. I wondered if Daddy had gone back to work. Probably. I crept into the open, distinctly modern kitchen. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could I borrow some sunscreen?”

“Certainly, dear. I have some in my bathroom just above the sink. You’re welcome to it.” Saundra pointed me in the direction of her and Daddy’s bedroom.

The room had dazzling décor, with an elegant king-sized bed positioned so that it made the most of the sweeping ocean views. The nature-inspired hues of the room’s palate reminded me again of my stepmother’s exquisite—and expensive—tastes. The room made me almost forget what I was looking for.

Sunscreen. Yes, that’s why I was in this magical place. I moved quickly to the large bathroom, trying to ignore its uncommon beauty. Opening the medicine cabinet, I located the sunblock easily. As I reached for it, my hand bumped a container of pills. The plastic bottle clattered into the sink below.

I picked it up.
Robert Meredith
was printed on it. What was
this
?

Quickly, I slipped the pills back into the cabinet and left the room. Back in the kitchen, Saundra was still stirring noodles. I stood there, wondering if I should inquire about Daddy’s pills.

Tyler came up behind me in the hallway. “How’s the water?” he asked, glancing toward the ocean.

“Oh, Andie’s having a fabulous time,” I said. “It’s her first visit to the ocean, you know.”

“Really? Way cool.”

Saundra looked up just then. Her reddish hair was drawn back in a fancy hair clip at her neck. “Is there anything else I can get you for your swim?”

“Well, Andie just wondered if you have a portable radio, that’s all.”

Tyler seemed eager to help. “You can borrow mine.” He disappeared down the hall to his room.

Saundra’s silver earrings danced as she stirred the pasta. “I hope you and Andie like spaghetti and meatballs.”

“Sounds delicious, thanks.” I wondered about the lack of excitement in her voice. “Everything all right?” I ventured.

She smiled, her lips bright with red lipstick, one of her trademarks. But she avoided my question. “How soon do you think you girls will be ready for supper?”

“Whenever you want to eat will be fine,” I replied. But I had something else on my mind. I inched farther into the kitchen, wondering how to approach Saundra with my concern. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He had to finish up some work at the office. He’ll be back later, dear.” She reached up and turned on the fan above the stove. It seemed to signify the end of our conversation.

Tyler returned with his box radio. “Here you go.” He gave me his radio, which had a dock for an MP3 player. “Thought you might wanna listen to some of my music, too.”

“Whatcha got?”

“Oh, a little country…a little R and B.”

“Thanks,” I said and headed back outdoors. Saundra’s son, now ten, never ceased to amaze me. He was perceptive, thoughtful, and much more grown-up than most kids his age.

I wondered if Daddy had taken Tyler to church with him yet. Tyler had shown some interest in God, openly discussing things like prayer and the creation of the world when I’d visited last. When Saundra wasn’t around, of course. Daddy had said once that she didn’t believe in a personal God. I assumed Tyler didn’t, either.

I tucked the sunscreen under my arm, leaving my hands free to carry the radio. Like everything else in Daddy’s house, this, too, was probably expensive.

Partway down the sandy slope leading to the beach, I noticed a guy in purple-and-blue surfer pants talking to Andie. He was tall, Hispanic, and bare-chested…and he was sitting on
my
beach towel.

Andie’s eyes danced with excitement when she saw me. “You’re back!” She seemed elated.

What was she so happy about? I glanced down at Tyler’s radio. Maybe it was the possibility of music on the beach. Then I saw a familiar glint in the guy’s eyes as he grinned at Andie. Oh, so
that’s
what it was….

Andie waved me over. “Holly, you’re just in time to meet Rico Hernandez.”

“Hey,” I said, wishing she wouldn’t do this. Introductions to perfect strangers were always awkward for me. Besides, I wanted to get on with our afternoon. Andie’s and mine.

She turned and smiled up at him like she’d known him all her life. “Rico, this is my friend Holly Meredith.”

“Hey.” He glanced up at me, still perched on my beach towel.

I got a better look. And cringed. This guy—this
stranger
—was at least eighteen!

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Chapter 9

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say or think.

I tried to figure out how long I’d been gone. Ten minutes, max. By the looks of things, Andie had gone and flipped over a complete stranger in the time it took me to go for sunblock.

“Time for music.” I set the radio down on the sand because there was no room on my towel. Rico only had eyes for Andie, so it still hadn’t hit him that he was trespassing on my spot.

“Thanks,” Andie said, as though I’d hauled it out here for their exclusive use.

Rico found the tuner and scanned the airwaves. His wet hair glistened in the sun. “What’s your style?” He was facing Andie.

“You pick,” she said, grinning at me. I gave her my cutthroat gesture, which meant cool-it-with-this-guy-and-let’s-get-on-with-our-plans, but it didn’t seem to register.

I was about to leave to get another towel when Rico suddenly snapped to it and remembered his manners. Leaping up, he sputtered, “Here, have a seat.”

“Thanks.” But I didn’t feel comfortable shooting the breeze with a guy neither of us knew. Why wasn’t Andie being more cautious?

It wasn’t like Rico looked suspicious or anything. And I couldn’t imagine him turning out to be a serial killer, but what was he doing hanging out with fourteen-year-olds?

Rico turned to Andie, then me. “You wanna see something cool?”

“Sure,” Andie exclaimed.

“Like what?” I said.

“Up there,” he pointed, “at the high tide, there are lots of shells packed in the sand. Wanna see?”

“That’s okay,” I said, “you go ahead.” And surprise, surprise, Andie got up and off they went, leaving me to deal with what sounded like a rumba blaring over Tyler’s radio.

“Don’t be long,” I called to Andie, lying on my stomach facing the water. “Supper’s almost ready.”

I sounded just like Mom. Which reminded me of my promise to Andie’s mother. I’d told her I would watch out for Andie while we were here. And watch her I did. Pretending to sunbathe, I spied on my best friend—watched her walk barefooted in the foamy surf. The wind made a point of tossing her curls against her face now and then. I heard her laughter, too. Rico was much taller than she, but her height didn’t seem to matter. I watched him kneel in the sand, showing Andie how to skip stones into the receding tide. It was a scene for a painting. And my friend looked happier than I’d seen her in ages.

I remembered her tears after the Ryan Davis incident. And Stan doing zilch about it had made things even worse.

Pushing my pointer finger into the sand, I dug a tiny hole, feeling a little lonely…and wondering about Rico Hernandez.

At supper, Andie was quiet, subdued. I wondered what she was thinking. But, really, I knew. Rico was already part of her thought processes. I could see it in her eyes. Recalling the way he’d looked at her all afternoon, though, made me even more nervous.

Daddy’s chair remained vacant until the tail end of supper. Finally he arrived, rushing into the kitchen just as Saundra was dishing up dessert—warm apple pie with ice cream on the side.

“Hello, dear,” he said with a quick kiss. He looked at Andie and me. “Well, how was your first day in sunny California, girls?”

I wished he hadn’t asked. Surely Andie wouldn’t launch off on meeting Rico. I decided not to give her the opportunity. “Well, we’re completely unpacked and settled.” I sent Andie an eyeful. She caught it this time and kept her mouth shut. “I took Andie out for a long swim.”

“So you got a taste of our ocean,” he remarked.

“You could say that,” I said.

Tyler talked about his summer school class for a while before Daddy began to talk about his work. Saundra listened attentively, but she couldn’t hide the concern in her eyes. What did she know about Daddy that I didn’t?

Andie and I sat politely long after our dessert was finished. It was Tyler who brought up the question of going to Universal Studios.

Daddy leaned back in his chair. “Well, we can go any day you’d like. What do you think, hon?”

Saundra tapped her long manicured nails on the tabletop. They matched the red on her lips. “I think it would probably work best on Friday.”

“Friday’s out,” he said. “I have to be at the office all day.”

One glance at Saundra’s face told me she was disappointed. “Weren’t you going to take some time off this week?” I could almost imagine the last part of her sentence. The part she’d left out:
while your daughter’s here?

He looked uncomfortable. “I’ll have to make up for the time on Saturday.” He didn’t look at me. “Friday it is, then.”

Tyler clapped his hands. “Yes!” he shouted. That little problem settled, Andie and I began clearing the table. Saundra actually let us help, which was highly unusual. In fact, I was convinced by the unspoken words at the table just now that maybe Daddy and Saundra needed some time alone. So I volunteered to finish up the kitchen. “We’ll put everything away for you,” I said.

Saundra smiled and put her arm around Daddy. “Thanks, Holly, you’re a dear.”

“Yes, Holly, you’re such a dear,” Andie said impishly when they’d gone. Tyler snickered, but I didn’t say anything.

I waited till he’d cleared the table and left the room before I spoke. “I think we have to talk,” I began. “And I think you know what about.”

She tossed her head from side to side comically. “If it’s about alphabetizing the canned goods, forget it.”