LITMIR.BIZ

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She gave him a sideways glance. “Though your baby brother, Charlie, is widely considered the most handsome of the bunch. Not you.”

      He placed his hand over his chest. “Zing—straight through the heart.” He laughed. “I missed you, Darcy.”

      She could always be counted on to give him a healthy dose of humility. Whether he wanted her to or not.

      “Did you? I couldn’t tell.”

      Brody reached for his cup, and she jumped up—as did Jax—a second too late to prevent a milk mishap.

      Jax righted the overturned cup. “I’m sorry about what happened this afternoon. You’re right. I need to learn the business before I make changes.”

      She used her napkin to mop up the spill. “I should’ve given your ideas a chance. Maybe next week—things are slow until summer cranks up—we could revisit your idea. It’s your business. You’re the boss.”

      “Next week? Does that mean you’d be willing to teach me what you know?”

      “Providing we can come to acceptable terms.”

      Darcy took life on her terms. One of the things he’d most liked about her when they were children. Because truth be told, he was the same way. Frenemies or not, they’d always understood each other.

      At least until that last summer before he shipped out to Basic. Things had gotten confusing between them.

      He pushed back his shoulders. “Okay, hit me.”

      “Don’t tempt me.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “When will you learn not to say things you don’t mean?”

      He laughed. In the old days, she’d always managed to make him laugh. Most of all, at himself. “I meant hit me with your terms.”

      She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I’ll teach you what I know about the business, but after Labor Day I’m leaving the Shore to run Shirley’s operation in the Keys. You’ll have three months to get up to speed, but after that you’re on your own.”

      Just when he returned, she was leaving? The sunshine girl headed to the Sunshine State. But she’d offered him an olive branch. A truce in their long-running battle of hostility.

      “You were gone a long time.” She settled into her chair. “Why didn’t you ever come back?”

      “I was nineteen the first time I deployed, Darcy.” He took a deep breath. “Somewhere along the way, I got lost.”

      “Lost how?”

      His shoulders rose and fell. “Let’s just say I’ve been as far from Kiptohanock as you can find yourself and still be on the same planet.” He looked away. “These last few days since leaving Salt Lake City, I’ve asked myself if it was possible to fit into small town life again. But for Brody’s sake...”

      She placed her palms flat on either side of her plate. “It’s because of Brody that I know you’re going to make this work, Jax.”

      He frowned. “You’ve got more faith in me than I do in myself right now.”

      “You are the king of don’t quit, Jaxon Pruitt.” She smirked. “Obnoxiously so. You’ll rise to the occasion. You always do.”

      “Somewhere in there I think there was a compliment.” He ran his fingers through the short ends of his hair. “A very hidden compliment.”

      Darcy tilted her head. “And here’s something else I’ve learned about small towns like Kiptohanock.”

      He took a swig of sweet tea, as much as anything to give his hands something to do. “What’s that?”

      “Sometimes small towns are so out in the middle of nowhere that you have to get lost to find them.”

      He gnawed at his lower lip. “You’re saying even lost, I’m right where I should be?”

      “Small town life lesson.” She gave him a lopsided smile. “I won’t charge you for that one. But I’ll expect to receive my paycheck as usual at the end of the month.”

      “Duly noted.” He rested against the chair. “I never realized until I left how much I’d miss this place.”

      “For born heres—” she placed her hand over her heart “—it becomes a part of us.”

      “I took being within sight and sound of the water for granted. It’s who we are in the deep places. Over there I lost the best part of myself.” He fiddled with his silverware. “But if you don’t mind me asking—”

      “Like that’s ever stopped you before.”

      “Why are you leaving, Darcy?”

      “The longer I’ve stayed—maybe I’ve overstayed—the more lost I feel.” She averted her eyes. “Perhaps it’s time for me to see if there’s more out there.”

      “Does more have to be out there? Not here?”

      Her gaze returned to his. “I thought you’d understand, Jax. We’re both all-or-nothing people.”

      “You want to know the real reason I didn’t return until now?” His heart drummed in his chest. “I didn’t think there could ever be a place here for me again.”

      “But you’re home now, Jax.”

      “Am I?” He studied her. “Will you forgive me, Darcy?”

      His question was about so much more than what had happened this afternoon.

      She looked at him. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

      “Can we get back to being friends?” He thrust out his chin. “We were friends, Darcy. Once.”

      “Trust might be trickier than merely coming home.”

      Jax tightened his jaw. “A chance is all I’m asking.”

      His son pushed off from the table. “Pie?”

      Bolting to his feet, Jax grabbed for the sliding phone books.

      She caught his son underneath his arms. “Whoa, there, Brody Pruitt. What’s the rush?”

      His mouth and chin were covered in red sauce. “Me Bwody Pwoo-it, Dawcy.” He raised his sauce-encrusted hands.

      She kissed a clean spot on the top of his head. “Yes, you are. And what you are is a big mess.”

      Brody threw back his head and belly-laughed.

      “You know, Jaxon Pruitt, you have an irresistible son.”

      He polished his knuckles on his shirt. “Like father, like son.”

      “You wish.”

      Smiling, he cut Brody a sliver of pie while Darcy made a valiant attempt to restore a semblance of cleanliness to his son.

      After dessert, she took out a small plastic bottle from the shopping bag. “Bubbles, Brody. Let’s go out back.”

      She guided him down the deck stairs to the tree-studded, sloping lawn. The meandering tidal creek glistened like multicolored jewels in the rainbow hue of the fiery sunset.

      Darcy handed Jax a large bubble wand. “This one’s for you.”

      Brody quivered with excitement. She dabbed the tiny stick in the solution. And pursing her lips, she blew across the wand.

      A single bubble hung suspended before a soft breeze off the salt marsh lifted it into the air. They watched as the bubble rose higher and higher until it disappeared over the trees.

      “Oh, Dawcy...” For the first time since Adrienne’s death, Brody smiled.

      Darcy’s eyes welled and cut to Jax. His eyelids burned. She understood what this moment meant.

      “Thank

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