An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(68)

“Hey! Is this the Nat in the Hat?”

There was a pause followed by a giggle. “Oh my God! Is this Pissy Chrissy?”

Chris tossed his head back and laughed. “You do know that no one has ever been allowed to call me that but you.”

“A right that was well earned, lo, those many years ago.” Natalie laughed. “How are you, Chris?”

“I’m great. Sitting here in Dusty’s having a beer with Gracie and Ted Affonseca. Remember him?”

“Of course I do. Hiya, Ted!”

“Hiya, Natalie. Don’t you wish you were here?” Ted leaned over Grace’s shoulder to make sure he was heard.

“I do. You guys sound like you’re having a great time. But how did you get my sister to agree to a trip to the local tavern?”

Grace frowned and rolled her eyes.

“Must be the old Dean charm,” Chris said.

“I’ve been reading a lot about that Dean charm lately. You really do get around, don’t you?” Natalie teased.

“I don’t know what you’ve been reading, so I’ll just say a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” Chris replied good-naturedly.

“Which in your case is apparently to retreat to the nearest cliché. Got it,” Natalie continued to tease Chris. “Though one would think that someone who could write songs like ‘Into the Summer’ and ‘I Will Remember’ could come up with something better than ‘a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.’”

“Hey, you caught me off guard, what can I say?” He paused, then said, “So you liked those songs?”

“Two of my favorites. Not just favorites of my favorite DEAN songs, but of my all-time favorites by anyone, any group, anywhere.”

“Tell you what. We’re playing in Philly next month. We don’t usually do those two anymore, but if you come to the concert, I promise they will be on the set list. What do you say? I’ll make all the arrangements. Transportation, tickets, backstage passes.” His eyes flickered to Grace, as if remembering she was there and he was on her phone. “You and Grace.” He looked directly at Grace and raised an eyebrow. “You still live near Philly, right?”

Grace hesitated. Did she still live there? Rather than answer the question, she said, “I’m in. Nat?”

“How could I turn down an offer like that? Damn right, I’m in. Thanks, Chris. I’m already looking forward to it.”

His voice softened just a little. “So am I. It’ll be great to see you again, Natalie. And now, I’m giving your sister her phone and buying her another beer. See what you’re missing?”

“Are you coming up this weekend?” Grace asked after taking the phone off speaker.

“I wish I could, but it’s the end of the semester. Professor Flynn has papers to read and grades to send out. Can I call you tonight?”

“Sure. I’m not planning on staying out too late with these two.”

“Oh, you should. How long’s it been since you just went out for a good time?”

“It’s been a while. But I think the guys are ready for some guy talk, so I’ll be heading back to Mom’s.”

“How’s she doing? Does she seem to be adjusting to the move?”

Grace laughed. “She’s already lined up painters and planned new garden beds. She’s fine. Better than fine. She seems happier than she’s been since before Dad died.”

“That’s good. I was afraid maybe she’d get up there and realize the Bryn Mawr house really was gone for good and . . .”

“Yeah, I wondered, but she really seems at peace with the decision.”

“Great. Look, I’ll talk to you tonight. I have to run to pick up Daisy at day care.”

Grace ended the call and put her phone on the bar.

“I meant to ask her if she was going to be coming up this weekend,” Chris said. “Do you know if she has plans?”

She shook her head. “Yes. She plans on working because it’s the end of the semester. Papers and tests to grade. You know that she teaches in a community college, right?”

“I do. Mom keeps me up to date. Sorry to miss her this trip. Guess I’ll have to wait till we can hook up in Philly.”

Grace studied Chris’s expression. He really did look sorry to be missing Natalie. Too bad for me, she thought, but lucky Nat. The rock-god thing aside, he’d sure grown up nice, as her grandmother Lloyd would have said.





Chapter Fourteen


NATALIE

“Done.” Natalie posted the last of the grades and breathed a sigh of relief.

The semester was over, and almost all her students did well, or at least reasonably well. There were a few standouts and a few who never did catch on, but that was to be expected in any class. Before shutting down her laptop, she reread the emails from the two recipients of the Arthur J. Flynn Merit Scholarships and smiled. Her father would have been so proud to see his dream become a reality.

The house was quiet as she checked the doors and windows and turned off the downstairs lights. She’d opted not to teach over the summer as she had in the past because she wanted to spend some time with her mother and sister in Wyndham Beach. She was in constant contact with them, usually FaceTiming with Daisy before bath and book time. It sounded like such a lazy, peaceful life they had, and she wanted to join them. Grace would be back in two days for the concert Chris had promised them, and the Flynn sisters were excited by the prospect. Grace had seen Chris in person about a month ago, but Natalie had to be content with FaceTime, and when it was Chris Dean she’d been FaceTiming with, it was pretty damned cool.