An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(114)
“Yeah, how ’bout that?” Liddy gestured in Emma’s direction. “That man hasn’t taken his eyes off her since we walked over.”
“Nice. She’s been alone for a long time, and between you and me, Harry wasn’t the greatest husband.”
Liddy nodded in agreement. “There were rumors about him and Darlene Fitch, who worked at the bank . . . I don’t believe Emma ever heard them, but still. And the way he treated Chris—no wonder the kid was always sneaking off to the garage to play his guitar.”
“I’d say it worked out pretty well for Chris, though,” Maggie pointed out.
“Emma misses him. She’s alone too much. It would be nice for her to have a distraction,” Liddy said. “Even if it’s only now and then. I heard he”—she nodded toward Owen—“has a town house in London and a place on Florida’s Jupiter Island. Someone in that family invested all that shipping and lumber money really well.”
An announcement came over the PA system that the first ride of the season was about to begin, so the children who were interested needed to line up at the place designated by a huge flock of balloons tied to a stake in the ground. One by one, the children stepped up to the platform and selected their rides. Maggie took her phone from her pocket and snapped pictures of the elegantly draped horses. Natalie stood in line with Daisy, who danced excitedly.
“I want the black horse, Mommy.” Daisy pointed.
Emma turned at the sound of Daisy’s voice. She said something to Owen, who nodded.
“Daisy, would you like to ride that black horse?” Emma held her hand out.
“Yes! Yes, please!”
“Come along and we’ll ride the carousel together.” Emma helped Daisy onto the platform, then lifted her onto the horse. Daisy’s beaming face said more than words could have.
“Nat, take a picture to send to Chris,” Maggie urged.
“Already did.” Natalie held up her phone. “He’s going to love seeing his mom having a good time.”
The carousel filled, the music began, and Owen started the ride. Slowly the carousel turned, the horses on the posts bobbing up and down as the music played. Maggie opened the brochure and read a few lines.
“The horses that move up and down are called jumpers,” she told Natalie. “Daisy’s horse is a prancer, the front legs in the air and the back legs on the ground.”
Daisy’s ride came to an end, and she ran excitedly to her mother to relate the wonderfulness of her experience on the black horse as the next round of riders chose their horses and the music began to play again.
Liddy stepped away to greet a tall dark-haired man accompanied by three children. She ruffled the hair of the oldest child, a boy of about eight, then knelt to speak to the two girls, twins of maybe five or six. Maggie noticed Grace watching, her attention not on the children but on the man. The expression on Grace’s face was unreadable, though Maggie thought she detected a hint of disappointment.
“Who is that with Liddy?” Maggie asked Emma, who’d followed Natalie.
“Oh, that’s Linc Shelby. Remember Emmett Shelby, three classes ahead of us? Linc’s his son. Listen, Maggie, would it be all right if Owen joined us at your house for the cookout?” Emma asked quietly.
“Of course. I’m sure everyone will love to talk to him about his amazing carousel.” Smiling, Maggie leaned closer to Emma. “So. Owen.”
“Stop.” Emma laughed self-consciously, her cheeks pink. “He lives all over the place, travels all over the world. I was surprised he actually came this weekend. If it weren’t for my nagging reminders, I doubt he’d even have remembered. Though he does seem interested in the carousel now that he’s here.”
“I think he’s interested in more than the carousel.”
“One could hope.”
“Two could hope. I’m pulling for you,” Maggie said. “He seems like a very nice man.”
“He is. And he’s interesting, and he . . .” Emma laughed. “Never mind. Whatever I say, you’re going to pick up and run with it.”
“Damn right.”
“He’s just here for the weekend, and then he’s off to someplace I never even heard of.” Emma paused. “Just like my son. Here today, gone today.”
It was on the tip of Maggie’s tongue to ask if Chris had said anything to Emma about Natalie, and it took all her willpower not to. She hadn’t been blind to the number of pictures Natalie had taken and how many times she appeared to be texting. She suspected all the texts and the photos were being sent to Chris, who might be onstage performing to a gigantic crowd even as Natalie was trying to get his attention. She’d previously thought Chris and Natalie would be good together, but she wasn’t so sure once the reality of who he was when he wasn’t in Wyndham Beach became clear. The last thing she wanted was for Nat to be involved with someone who would leave her like Jonathan had. Like Zach had left Grace.
Too heavy to think about when the entire day lay before her.
After Lulu and Alexis each had their turn on the carousel, Maggie herded the group together and they headed back to Cottage Street. Emma would join them later with Owen, and Liddy would be over after she ran home for her contributions to the feast.
And it really did turn out to be a feast. Joe worked the grill, so the hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecued chicken Maggie’d prepared the night before were expertly tended to. There were folding tables to be set up in the backyard after being wiped down to remove any spiders and cobwebs, the new chairs to be set up, and dishes of cold food to be carried out and placed on a long table that served as a buffet. There were a cooler filled with soft drinks and bottled water and a tub of beer on ice. Grace assisted Joe on the grill, and from what Maggie overheard they were engaged in a lively discussion about rap and whether or not it constituted poetry.