Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (15 page)

“Can you put Tiffany back on the phone?” she asked.

Tiffany. He’d almost forgotten the teenager’s name again. Amanda did that to him—muddled his mind so much he would have forgotten his own name if people didn’t keep saying it. He committed her name to memory. “Sure thing. See ya at seven.” Then he handed the phone back to the girl who hadn’t taken her eyes off him the whole time he’d talked to Amanda. “Thanks, Tiffany.”

She grinned. “No problem.”

On his way back to the condo, he stopped off at a market and picked up some flowers for his mother. Maybe that would ease some of the tension. It seemed like nothing either of his parents did could make the other one happy.

His parents were watching TV when he walked in. “Mom, I brought you something.”

She smiled as she slowly rose from the chair. He’d noticed how much more difficult it was getting for her to do that, so he made a mental note to look into special-needs furniture. He’d seen a TV commercial featuring a chair with a motorized lift, and he wondered if she’d be open to it.

“Those are beautiful,” she said as she took the flowers and carried them to the kitchen, shuffling a little more than usual. “I made salads for dinner. Yours is in the refrigerator, so you can eat it whenever you’re ready.”

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before opening the fridge and pulling out the large salad on top. “Thanks, this is perfect. After I eat, I’m going for a walk and meeting Amanda on the beach.”

His mom’s hand stilled on the vase as she slowly turned to face him, a look of concern in her eyes. “Are you getting serious about this girl?”

“No, of course not. We just enjoy hanging out.”

She relaxed and chuckled as she resumed arranging flowers. “Back when I was your age, if a girl and a boy
hung out
this much, they were as good as engaged.”

“Is that what happened with you and Dad?”

“Your father couldn’t stay away.” She turned to him and rolled her eyes in a comical manner. “He was smitten the moment he first laid eyes on me.”

Jerry actually knew that to be true. His dad had said he knew Rosemary would be his when they met.

He pulled his salad from the refrigerator and set it on the table. “Dad seems rather depressed lately.”

“Yes, and I don’t quite know what to do about it. He’s getting increasingly difficult to manage.” She put the vase of flowers on the kitchen table in front of Jerry’s salad and spun around to face him. “It has nothing to do with control, either, Jerry. I think you’ve gotten a small taste of what I’ve been dealing with, but you haven’t experienced him wandering off and getting lost yet. We’re getting close to needing a different level of care, I’m afraid.”

Jerry’s gut clenched. The very thought of his parents becoming so dependent on others was more painful than he’d ever imagined. His beautiful mother, who’d been active all her life with gardening and running around tending to everyone who needed help, could barely get out of a chair. And the father who’d protected the family was becoming more confused and depressed. He felt helpless.

“Just remember, Jerry, it’s all part of what happens in life. We brought you into this world and helped you become a confident, productive adult. Then we had several years of freedom before our age caught up with us.”

He hesitated before pulling out the chair so he could eat. “I know, Mom, but it’s hard watching this happen—especially with Dad.”

“Yes, sweetheart, but we’ve accepted it. I know how miserable we must appear. Really, though, it’s not that bad.”

Jerry swallowed hard. “I want you to promise to tell me if there’s anything I can do.”

“There is,” she said with a smile, “and you’re doing it. Thank you for being here for us.” Then she let out a snicker. “Oh, and one other thing.”

“What’s that?” Jerry would do anything for the people who’d been so good to him.

“If you feel something for Amanda, don’t let her get away.” She pulled a bowl of homemade salad dressing out of the refrigerator, set it in front of him on the counter, then pointed. “This is fresh. I made it an hour ago.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you hear what I said?”

Yes, he’d heard it, but he’d hoped he wouldn’t have to respond. No way was his mom letting him off that easily.

“Jerry?” She leaned against the counter, folded her arms, and glared at him. “I’m serious about Amanda. Girls like her are rare. If you like her, you need to take action.”

He ladled some of his mother’s dressing on the salad and carried it to the table. “That would be difficult since we live in Atlanta and she’s clearly tied to Treasure Island.”

“But you said it yourself—you can do your work anywhere.”

“I know, but you and Dad are in Atlanta, and I’d never leave y’all.”

She grinned. “There’s nothing that says we have to stay in Atlanta.”

Jerry sat down before turning to his mother. “That’s where your friends are, so I think that’s a moot point. We’re on vacation now, and we’re leaving in a couple of weeks. I just want to have some fun while I’m here.”

“Okay, son, but don’t ignore something that’s obviously meant to be.” She poured herself a glass of iced tea and joined him at the table.

Perfect time to change the subject. “So what are you and Dad planning for the evening?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know about your father, but one of the ladies on the second floor said that a group is heading down to the beach to see what they can do about helping the loggerhead turtles, and I was thinking about joining them. There’s some concern that these turtles might be getting close to extinction if we don’t do something about it.”

Jerry was puzzled. “We?”

She looked away. “Well, somebody.”

“Are you taking Dad?”

“If he’ll go and keep his opinions to himself.”

Jerry laughed. “That’s not likely.”

“Maybe I’ll tell him we’re hunting for treasure.”

“That might work,” Jerry agreed. “Or I can invite him to join Amanda and me.”

She tilted her head forward and gave him one of her familiar “you’ve-got-to-be-kidding” looks. “You really know how to turn a girl’s head, don’t you, son?” She made a clicking sound with her tongue. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you.”

Could anything be more romantic?
Amanda remembered sitting on the beach with Eric, talking about their future together as the sun melted into the Gulf.

Now that she thought about it, the deep, abiding love hadn’t been there. The beach setting had been much more romantic than the relationship. Eric was handsome enough, and he had goals in life. The fact that he went to church regularly was important, as well. But besides that, what had been the bond between them? It obviously wasn’t strong enough to hold them together. Then her thoughts drifted to the present.

Why would Jerry want to watch the sunset with her? She didn’t want to risk giving him the wrong idea. And she certainly didn’t want to risk her heart with someone after what had happened with Eric.

She gave herself a mental shakedown. That was Eric, and it was a long time ago—and she needed to quit dwelling on the past. Besides, watching the sunset hadn’t even been Jerry’s idea. She was the one who mentioned it.

“Earth to Amanda.”

The sound of her mother’s voice startled Amanda. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were back.”

“Obviously.” Her mother smiled. “So what’s on your mind?”

Amanda tried to put Jerry out of her mind. “Not much. So tell me about your trip.”

That was all it took to get her mother’s mind off her and onto the cruise. She went on and on about the size of the ship, the number of activities from dawn to dusk, and the abundance of food.

“I must have gained at least ten pounds,” she added, patting her tummy.

Amanda smiled and shook her head. “Well, I certainly can’t tell. I think you look fabulous.”

Her mother grinned back. Amanda knew just the right thing to say to make her mother happy.

“So how’s Lacy doing? Poor girl was having a problem with some little troublemaker. Sometimes you can just tell when you have a juvenile delinquent in the making. After all the things Lacy’s said about this little boy…what’s his name? Tommy...or Timmy? I bet he’s one of those kids who’ll wind up in jail before he even graduates from high school.” She shuddered.

“Um, Mom, I don’t think he’s all that bad.”

“How would you know?” As Amanda’s mom tilted her head, a strand of straight gray hair slid across her face. She pushed it behind her ear. “Have you met him?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I have.” Suddenly Amanda wished she hadn’t admitted so much. She couldn’t lie to her mother, but it wasn’t her place to discuss her sister’s relationship, and she wanted Lacy to tell their mother about Brad. She had to quickly think of a diversion. “I’m meeting someone at the beach in a little while.”

Her mother tilted her head to the other side and started to smile.
Oops! Wrong diversion.
Before she jumped to conclusions, Amanda knew she had to nip this in the bud.

“It’s someone who rented a bicycle for his parents. They’re on vacation, and I think he just needs a little time away.”

“So you met a guy, huh?” The woman’s grin widened. “Any hope for a long-term relationship?”

“No, of course not.” That came out too quickly. “What I mean is, they’re on vacation, and they’re going back in a couple of weeks.”

“Okay, if you say so. I met your father when he was here on vacation. I know how those things go.”

Amanda decided not to remind her mother that her father was no longer around—that they didn’t bother with marriage and he’d left as soon as he knew her mother was pregnant. “I guess I better get back. Maybe you can stop by the shop sometime tomorrow.”

“I just might do that.”

On her way home, Amanda stopped off at the shop to make sure everything was okay. Tiffany told her she could close up so Amanda could have a little time to herself before meeting Jerry at the beach. Not that she needed to do anything special to get ready.

She was relieved that Lacy wasn’t home. After circumventing questions from her mother, she didn’t want the pressure of avoiding them from her sister, as well. She stepped into the bathroom and took a quick glance at herself in the mirror. No makeup, hair pulled back with a plastic band, and a faded blue T-shirt. Lacy would have something to say about that. Maybe she should make some effort…

An hour later, Amanda left her house wearing lipstick, mascara, and a light dusting of blush. And she felt a little silly thinking that it really mattered. But she did feel pretty.

With the heat and humidity of the Florida summer, it never really mattered what she started out with on her face—most of it would melt. Heat waves shimmered from the blacktop road in front of her house, so she stayed on the sidewalk, carefully dodging toys left outside by neighborhood children.

A few minutes later, she approached the Treasure Island beach access. She didn’t see Jerry near the sign, so she wandered toward the footbridge to check out the beach. Beyond the massive stretch of sand, the sun glistened on the whitecaps, creating a diamond effect.

“Hey there. I thought I’d have to wait for you.”

The sound of Jerry’s voice behind her quickened her pulse. She took a deep breath, slowly blew it out, and turned to face him. With the sun behind her, she got a clear picture of his expression—one of pure joy. She swallowed hard at the thought that he might be as happy to see her as she was him.

They walked across the bridge together and stopped to remove their shoes when they got to the beach. The faint sound of someone strumming his guitar and singing a Jimmy Buffett song wafted through the air, lifted by the gentle Gulf breeze. A group of high school boys tossed a football nearby.

Amanda had just turned to say something to Jerry when suddenly he was airborne. A split second later, he caught the football in one hand and grabbed her by the waist with the other.

“Whoa, there, boys,” he hollered out to the guys. “Watch where you’re throwing that thing.”

“Sorry, sir,” the closest boy said. “You okay?”

Jerry tossed the ball to the kid. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just be careful, okay?” The boy looked Jerry in the eyes with respect and nodded. “It won’t happen again.”

“Good,” Jerry said. They watched the boys take off down the beach. “I’m impressed,” Amanda said as she caught her breath. “I could have been hurt.”

He rubbed his shoulder. “Yeah, I know.”

“It happened so fast. How did you do that?”

“I was the wide receiver on a high school football team with a wild-armed quarterback.”

“You played football?” She would never have guessed.

“Yeah, all four years.”

She chuckled. “I’m glad to know that high school football is good for something.”

“I grew up thinking I’d play college ball and then get drafted into the NFL.” He adjusted his shoulder and rubbed it again. “That obviously didn’t happen.”

“Are you okay?” She instinctively reached out and massaged his shoulder. As he slowly turned to face her, she knew what was about to happen. Her palms instantly became damp, and her stomach did a flippy thing.