Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (19 page)

Lacy frowned back at her. “It doesn’t matter. I just know.” She patted her chest over her heart. “I feel it.”

Amanda sucked in some air and said a quick, silent prayer for help in getting through to her sister how important it was to go with more than the first two weeks’ worth of feelings. Love took time. Love wasn’t just a fluttering heart.

“We need to have a talk, Lacy.”

“No, you just want to lecture me about something you don’t understand. You hate when I’m happy.” Lacy frowned and pouted.

Nothing could be further from the truth. “I want you to be happy, Lacy, but I also want you to understand what love really is.”

“How can you tell me anything about love when you don’t understand it yourself?” Lacy glared at her for a few seconds before continuing. “Even you said that when Eric left, it was for the best because you only
thought
you were in love.”

“That’s all the more reason you need to be careful about your feelings. When you first meet someone you’re attracted to, it’s easy to think that those fluttery feelings are love, when they’re actually just a result of infatuation.”

Lacy closed her eyes then opened them as she shook her head. “I know the difference between love and infatuation.”

“I don’t want you to make the same mistakes Mother made,” Amanda said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She thought she was in love with our fathers.”

Lacy shrugged. “Well, maybe she was.”

“No, I don’t think so. Love involves more than that little quiver in the stomach. You need to see all sides of a man before you can truly love him. How much do you really know about Brad?”

“I know plenty. He’s good-looking, sweet, and fun. Timmy’s mother was killed in a car crash a couple of years ago, so he’s had to take care of the brat all by himself.”

“That’s another thing,” Amanda said. “Timmy lost his mother at a very critical time of his life. He’s not as much of a brat as you think.”

“Maybe not, but he’s always doing something bad.”

Amanda reached out and touched her sister’s hand. “Have you ever thought that all he needs is a little more attention?”

Lacy pushed Amanda’s hand away. “How much attention does a kid need? Someone’s always having to fuss at him.”

“That’s not the right kind of attention. Haven’t you noticed that he’s well-behaved around me?”

“You always did have it easy with kids,” Lacy said with a shrug. “Maybe he’s scared to misbehave with you.”

Amanda laughed. “I don’t think so. I just talk to him and let him know I care enough to listen to what he has to say. You should have seen him with Jerry’s dad.”

Lacy bobbed her head. “Jerry’s dad isn’t exactly Mr. Good-Behavior. In case you haven’t noticed, that old man is grouchy!”

“He was actually pretty jovial with Timmy. They seem to do fine with each other,” Amanda said as something dawned on her. “Maybe they both need attention, and they relate in a way no one else understands.”

Now Lacy rolled her eyes. “Don’t go getting all psychoanalytical on me.”

Amanda chuckled. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Let me enjoy my relationship with Brad, okay?” Lacy said as she averted her gaze. “Don’t try to bring me down just because you can’t find a man.”

“Just do one thing for yourself, Lacy.” Amanda paused until Lacy looked her in the eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Talk to him about faith issues. I know you haven’t gone to church in a while, but I believe…well, I want to believe your faith is still in there somewhere.” Amanda patted her chest over her heart. “Discuss this with Brad. See how he feels. Do you even know if he’s a Christian?”

“How should I know? That would be a rude question to ask,” Lacy replied.

“Not if you’re professing your love for each other.” Amanda shook her head. “The most important thing in any relationship is a common faith. It’ll hold you together when everything else fails—even when that flutter fades.”

When Jerry and his dad got back to the condo, his mom had just gotten up from a nap. She smiled when his dad started whistling.

“I haven’t heard him do that in a while,” she said. “Timmy’s really good for him.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Jerry agreed. “I think they had a good time today. Maybe Dad just needs a guy to hang out with.”

“Someone his age, maybe. I’m not so sure it’s healthy for a man in his seventies to hang out with a little five-year-old boy.”

Jerry thought about it for a minute and then turned to his mom. “If you think about it, though, Dad is at the age when he should be enjoying his grandchildren. Since Steven and Jennifer don’t bring their families around much, he probably misses that.”

His mom’s chin quivered and she pursed her lips at the mention of her other two children who rarely made the effort to visit. She tried to force a smile, but she couldn’t hold it.

Jerry reached out and pulled her to him. “I’m sorry, Mom. I know how difficult it’s been for you and Dad.”

She sniffed. “I don’t understand it, Jerry. We tried to be good parents to all three of you. Where did we go wrong?”

Jerry held her at arm’s length then touched her face and tilted her chin so he could look her in the eyes. He knew she didn’t want him to see the tears, but he wanted her to know he meant every word he said.

“Listen to me.” He waited for her to look him in the eyes before continuing. “You’ve been a fantastic mother, and Dad’s always been there for us. Neither of you did anything wrong.”

“I don’t think they even bother going to church. We raised them to be Christians.”

“Yes, I know, and I wish I could tell you what’s going on with them.” Jerry wanted to do something to fix things, but he was helpless. “All I know is that you and Dad did everything you could do. The rest is up to the Lord.”

She sucked in a ragged breath then slowly let it out. Jerry watched his mother as her chest rose and fell. He made a mental note to contact both Jennifer and Steven when they got back home to tell them what was going on. They needed to know how their lack of attentiveness was affecting their mother. They also needed to understand that the parents who cared for them and loved them through everything—good and bad—were not in the best of health.

Suddenly his mom let out a little chuckle. “And now I wonder if we’re doing right by you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m afraid we’re keeping you from finding a nice girl and settling down.”

“If I find a girl half as good as you, Mom, trust me, I won’t let her get away.”

“Amanda’s an awfully sweet girl,” she said. “You might want to give her a chance.”

“We’re on vacation, Mom.” He hated having to repeat this over and over, but she needed to understand that he wasn’t about to start a relationship he couldn’t follow through with. “I don’t want to get too involved with someone I’m not going to see again. That wouldn’t be fair to her or to me.”

Her chin stopped quivering, and she leveled him with a look he knew too well—a look that let him know she could see right through him.

“I’m afraid, son, that it’s too late for that. You’re already involved with Amanda. I’ve seen how the two of you look at each other.”

Jerry took a step away from his mom and shoved his hands into his pockets. “We’re friends, that’s all. We both like the outdoors, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

“And you both love the Lord, and you have the same values,” she added. “That’s a very good start of a strong relationship.”

His mother obviously didn’t understand how he wasn’t about to do what his sister and brother had done. His parents needed him more than ever right now, and he wasn’t about to abandon them.

“You look peaked,” she said as she lifted her hand and touched his cheek. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Tell you what. After dinner, you can hang out here while your father and I go for a little ride on that bicycle you rented us. I’m thinking it might be good for us to get out of your hair for a while.” She paused and smiled. “Give you some alone time.”

He didn’t argue with her. He wanted his parents to do things together as much as possible for as long as they could. And, being honest with himself, he really could use some time alone.

It was nice having two cheerful parents acting civil toward each other through the meal. Not only had his dad enjoyed the day, but his mother was rested from her nap.

“That Timmy kid is so cute,” his dad said. “Rosemary, did I tell you what he said when I gave him the treasure chest?”

She nodded. “Yes. Several times.”

“He wants to see me again soon. Maybe we can keep looking for treasure, or I can teach him how to build a really cool sand castle.”

“Dad, I’m sure he knows how to build a sand castle.”

“Nope. He told me his daddy was too busy to take him to the beach.” He shook his head and put down his fork. “It’s a crying shame for a little boy to live so close to the beach and not know how to build a sand castle.”

Jerry hopped up from the table as soon as everyone finished eating. “I’ll clear the table. Y’all go on and have some fun.”

“C’mon, Harold,” his mom said. “You heard him. Let’s go have us some fun!”

His dad did a little dance shuffle with a step back then a double step forward, a silly little grin quirking the corners of his lips. When he lifted his eyebrows and lowered them quickly, Jerry laughed.

“Don’t wait up for us,” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

The next morning, Amanda cleared the way for one more clinic that would be the last of the season. These lessons had been the highlight of her summer season in past years, but this year, everything was different— very topsy-turvy. Even though Jerry had been a customer for a couple of years, she hadn’t given him much thought after he left her shop in the past. Sure, she thought he was attractive, but she rarely saw him other than when he rented the tandem bicycle and then returned it before he left the island. This year, however, was a completely different story. All she could think about most of the time was Jerry.

She had all the chairs in place and the snacks on the table in the back when Matthew walked in, grinning. “If my clinic doesn’t get their attention, the food will. You know the way to any boy’s heart.”

“I want to make sure they have all positive associations with my store,” she replied. “Before the clinics, summer was sort of dead around here. But ever since we started these clinics, summer is my best season.”

He shrugged as he lined up on the counter some of the equipment he would demonstrate. “That would probably happen anyway. Summer’s when all the skateboarders are out in droves. They just didn’t know you were here before.”

“You’ve been a big—”

Something caught her eye, and she forgot what she was about to say. Straddling the bicycle-built-for-two were Jerry’s parents, as they peered into her window. She knew the glare on the south side of the building prevented them from making out specific faces inside. All they’d be able to see were moving shadows.

“Isn’t that your friend’s parents?” Matthew asked.

“Yes.” Amanda came around from behind the counter and headed for the door. “I wonder if everything’s okay.”

“While you’re out there, tell the man to put his helmet on.”

She smiled at Matthew. “Aye-aye, sir.”

The second she opened the door, both Rosemary and Harold snapped their heads in the other direction, as if they didn’t want her to know they were looking at her. She had to force herself not to laugh, they were so cute.

“Hey, Rosemary, Harold! Is there something I can do for you?”

Rosemary glanced over her shoulder with a half smile. “No, sweetheart. Harold and I were just taking a spin around town. It’s such a beautiful day.”

“It’s a wonderful day.” Amanda took a few steps closer and lifted the helmet off the back of the bicycle. “Harold, I’d really like for you to wear this. We’ve had some pretty bad spills on bicycles around here, and I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

He made a noise, but he took the helmet from her and plopped it on his head. “Happy?” he asked.

“I will be as soon as we get the chin strap fastened.”

Harold stood still but scrunched his face as Amanda snapped the chin strap in place. A couple of middle school boys walked by and lifted their hands in a shy wave. Amanda motioned for them to go on inside.