Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (2 page)

As soon as the door shut behind Lacy, Amanda shook her head. What did she expect from her twenty-five-year-old sister, who made her decision to teach kindergarten after watching a sappy movie featuring a classroom full of precocious children and a ripped bodybuilder pretending to be a teacher? There were times when the fourteen-year difference between the girls really showed.

“Are we there yet?”

“Oh, hush, Harold. You know good and well we’re more than an hour away. Why don’t you close your eyes and take a nap? When you wake up, we’ll be there.”

Jerry allowed himself a quick glance over at his mother in the passenger seat and snickered. “I remember you telling us kids that all the time.”

“Yeah, and some things never change.” She turned to face her husband of fifty years. “I brought a snack if you’re hungry.”

“Don’t want a snack, Rosemary. I’m just sick of riding in the car.”

Jerry listened to his parents bicker while he took the turn toward the bridge leading them to Treasure Island. The first time he’d visited the area was during one of their family vacations about twenty-five years ago. He’d fallen in love with it and vowed to return every chance he had.

The closer they got to the bridge, the more casual everything around them looked—from the touristy beach souvenir shops to the endless number of come-as-you-are seafood restaurants. The familiarity of the setting brought a peacefulness that washed over him and bathed him in the feeling that all was right in his world.

Without closing his eyes, Jerry thanked the Lord for this special time with his parents, who’d sacrificed so he, his sister, and his brother could have everything they needed and much of what they wanted. He had to fight back the niggling of frustration over how his siblings had turned their backs after they’d grown up, when the relationship had changed and their parents began to need someone to look after them. So be it if the Lord had chosen to give Jerry the full responsibility. He could handle it.

“Son, why are you gripping the steering wheel so tightly? Are you upset about something?”

The gentle concern in his mother’s soothing voice caused his chest to constrict. He intentionally released some of the pressure on the wheel. “No, I was just concentrating on the drive.” He paused then added, “I wish y’all wouldn’t argue so much.”

“You worry entirely too much about your father and me. We’ll be just fine.”

Jerry bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from reminding her of her recent Parkinson’s diagnosis and the fact that she was already having a hard time with his father, whose Alzheimer’s kept her constantly on her toes. He had had no choice but to step up and care for them like they’d always done for him.

“Better stop daydreaming, boy,” his dad bellowed from the backseat. “You just missed your turn. I don’t want to get there too late to go treasure hunting.”

His mother clicked her tongue. “How many times do I have to tell you that there’s no treasure?”

“Then why did they name the place Treasure Island?”

Jerry almost found comfort in the same old argument he’d heard for years. His father was convinced that somewhere on Treasure Island there was a hidden treasure. All he had to do was find it and he’d be happy for the rest of his life.

They’d only gone two streets past the turnoff, so it didn’t take Jerry long to correct his mistake. As he pulled off the main road and found his way back, weaving through the side streets, he took in the scenery that accosted his senses. He’d almost forgotten how close the sky seemed in Florida and how the swaying palm trees brushed all his cares away. The slight breeze with the lush, beachy flora brought him back to a much happier time—a time when he had nothing to worry about and he thought the future was his for the taking. Atlanta was a big city, so he never had to leave to find good jobs that eventually led to his own business. However, that was where his rainbow ended.

Jerry had imagined himself happily married with at least one child and an enviable career by this point in his life. Yet he was already forty-five, and he’d only gotten one of those right—the career. His import-export business was thriving, and he had the freedom most people would give anything for. As long as he had his laptop, he could be anywhere and still make a great income.

“What are you thinking about, son?” his mother asked.

He shrugged as he mentally brought himself to the present. “Just how happy I am to be here with you and Dad.”

“If you can find anyone to believe that, I’ve got some swampland for sale.”

He wasn’t in the mood for explanations, so he changed the subject. “After we get you and Dad settled in the condo, I’ll run over to the bike shop and pick up the tandem bicycle. Y’all had so much fun with that thing last year and the year before.”

She nodded as she gazed out the window. “Yes, I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as hearing you talk about that sweet young woman. What’s her name again?” She glanced at Jerry then shook her head. “I just remember how you and the shop owner got along so well.”

Jerry instantly tensed. His mother had been working on him to find someone, and he didn’t want to go there.

“You’re not getting any younger, sweetheart,” she said softly. “I know you’re worried about your father and me, but if you find a nice young lady who loves you as much as I love your father, that’ll make us very happy.”

Amanda had soft jazz playing on her stereo while she punched numbers into her spreadsheet. This time of year was quiet, and she enjoyed a chance to catch up from the busy tourist season. With the exception of visits from her sister, a few locals, and an occasional tourist, she pretty much had the place to herself all day—at least for the next couple of weeks.

When the bells on the door jingled, she glanced up, expecting to see someone she knew. And she did. A tall, slender-waisted, broad-shouldered, salt-and-pepper-haired man with an impish smile. What was Jerry doing here so early?

He hesitated by the door as he grinned. Lacy’s last comment about the lipstick gave her pause, and she had to force herself not to lick her lips.

“Hey.” She wondered if he noticed her squeaky voice.

“Hi there.” Jerry raised his eyebrows and hesitantly moved toward her. “I know I’m early, but I was hoping you’d have the bicycle ready.”

She came around from behind the counter and gestured toward the room with the rentals. “Yep. It’s ready to go.”

Amanda sensed an awkwardness, watching Jerry. Or was it coming from her? Funny how a few words from her sister could do something like this to her. Sure, she’d noticed how good-looking Jerry was, but this was the beach. Plenty of men looked good.

“I’d like to hang onto it for the whole month I’m here. I know I didn’t mention that when I called.” He glanced around the room as if looking for something then turned back to face her. “That’s okay, right? I mean, you don’t have a lot of people wanting to rent tandem bikes, do you?”

She smiled. “We do, but not now, so you should be fine. I have another one in the back room.”

He handed her his credit card, and she welcomed the chance to scurry behind the counter to put some distance between them. As she minimized her spreadsheet and pulled up the retail program, he took hold of the handlebars and moved the bicycle toward the door.

The transaction took all of a minute and a half, and then he was gone. She felt as though her breath had been knocked out of her as she watched him hoist the bike onto the rack on the back of his SUV. Good thing she was alone. It gave her a chance to process what had just happened—and to wonder again why this guy kept renting a bicycle built for two. She’d asked him once if it was for him and his wife, and he said no but didn’t offer anything else. She had more questions, but she didn’t want to pry. Oh well, it didn’t really matter. He was just another customer as far as she was concerned—a tourist at that. Besides, she didn’t have much success with men, so she was better off keeping to herself.

Ever since Eric had left her at the altar, she’d managed to maintain her vow to stay single. No way would she allow her life to be consumed with a fairy-tale romance when it would inevitably end in heartache. She now knew that even if they had gotten married, the road would have been rocky.

Some people were meant to be married. Part of a duo. Paired in a happily-ever-after sort of way. But not Amanda. She’d watched her mother’s revolving door with men coming and going at warp speed. None of them had lasted long enough for Amanda to call them “Dad.” Her mother was downright dramatic about it, too.

Lacy’s birth a couple of months after the last man left should have been a happy time for the Burns family, but it wasn’t. Diane Burns had wigged out. Treasure Island, Florida, was a small town, so word traveled quickly that the Burns girls needed help. The folks from the church down the street sent people over with food and money that kept the family fed and in the tiny weathered cottage. Amanda couldn’t wait to get out of there when she turned eighteen. After a semester in college that she couldn’t afford, she shared a tiny apartment a few blocks from the beach with a couple of other girls, worked hard, and saved the money she earned from tips as a waitress until she had enough to open a bicycle rental stand by a popular hotel. Business was so successful, she eventually managed to rent a shop in a great location.

When Amanda turned thirty and met Eric, he seemed like a great guy—and a way to lead a normal life. However, the closer the wedding got, the more antsy Eric became. Amanda assumed it was pre-wedding jitters; she was no quitter.

If the wedding had gone through, Amanda now realized that she would have had a very difficult time giving up control and letting Eric make decisions; she’d been acting as head of the house since she was tall enough to see the top of the stove. No doubt she and Eric would have been at each other’s throats constantly and their lives would be a miserable mess.

Yessirree, she was glad it hadn’t happened. The way things turned out, now at the age of thirty-nine, she was free to enjoy life as she saw fit. She didn’t want to cater to any man only to be dumped when he got sick of her. Like her mother.

A couple of customers came and went. Amanda wanted to finish organizing her spreadsheet before school let out. Lacy always liked to stop by on her way home and give her a play-by-play of her busy day with five-year-olds.

Even with her back turned to the front door, Amanda knew the second Lacy arrived. “Did Jerry come yet?”

“Um, yes, not too long after I opened.”

“Well?” Lacy helped herself to a mint then pulled herself up onto a barstool at the counter. “How’d it go?”

“He just rented the standard tandem.”

Lacy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “What did he say?”

“Just that he was here early and he hoped the bicycle was ready.”

“That’s all he said?” Lacy snickered. “You’re holdin’ back.”

Amanda tightened her jaw and shook her head. “That’s all I can remember. So tell me, how was Timmy today?”

Lacy growled and then went on a five-minute tirade about how the little boy wouldn’t do a thing he was supposed to. “I just don’t get it. All the other kids come back from time-out like little angels.”

“I wonder why Timmy doesn’t.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with that child. He misbehaves, I send him to time-out, and he’s supposed to learn his lesson. Sometimes I think he likes to be punished.”

“Exactly what did he do today that was so bad?” Amanda really didn’t want to discuss Timmy—or anything else at Lacy’s school, for that matter—but she was willing to do whatever it took to avoid talking about Jerry.

“For starters, he won’t listen when I’m talking.”

“I know I’m not a child expert, but isn’t that normal for five-year-olds?”

Lacy shrugged. “Maybe, but I can usually get their attention with Jocko or one of the VeggieTales songs.”

“So the monkey and vegetables didn’t do it for him, huh?”

Lacy shook her head and clicked her tongue. “All he cared about was what Taylor had in her lunch box.”

Amanda snickered. “Must’ve been yummy.”

“That’s beside the point. I simply can’t have him disrupting the whole class like that all the time. The other kids won’t be able to learn what they need to for first grade.”