The Hero (Thunder Point #3)(85)

He had to park across the street and down the block. He walked to their house, up the walk and knocked on the door. Gina answered, smiling. “Hi, Eric. You’re right on time.”

“You said four o’clock. Listen, I hope you know I just want to be considerate of your feelings. Yours and Mac’s.”

“I know. That was thoughtful. And I want you to know, we discussed it at great length and you will have an honest response.”

“Thanks, Gina. I understand, I really do. I know I asked a lot. Ashley doesn’t really understand what it’s like to have ghosts and hard memories.”

“Oh, Eric,” she said with a laugh. “Ashley understands that better than just about anyone.”

“Right, I guess that’s right,” he said, remembering the rough spring she’d had, terrible breakup with a serious boyfriend, some cruel texting going on meant only to cause her hurt. “And I sure wouldn’t want to cause her any more...”

“We’re in the backyard, Eric. Follow me.”

She turned and walked through the house. He passed by the kitchen and saw a couple of women who seemed to be preparing food in there. Then out the sliding doors onto the deck and there, in the backyard, mingling around a couple of barbecues and sitting at picnic tables were many teenagers and children and older couples.

“I’m interrupting something,” he said.

Gina laughed. “No, Eric. You’re definitely not.”

Mac broke away from the grill, passing his spatula to a man beside him. He approached with his hand outstretched. “Welcome,” he said. “Glad you could make it.”

“What’s going on?” Eric asked, immediately uncomfortable.

Gina put a hand on his arm. “The answer was easy,” Gina said. “If you find a good business in this town and this is a place you’d like to settle, we’d be happy to welcome you to town. So we thought we’d introduce you to some of our friends.”

It was a good thing he wasn’t a crying fool, he thought. Not only was this one of the last things he ever expected, it was one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for him. “I don’t know what to say....”

“Well, say hello. I’ll make some introductions. Then you can tell me how you’d like your burger, not that I’m very great at getting it right,” Mac said. “Most of these folks have been here forever, but there are a few newcomers. They can give you some tips on settling in.”

“If you decide this is the right place for you,” Gina said. “We just thought we’d find a way to let you know—it would make us happy to have a new business and responsible citizen come to town. This seemed like a good way to demonstrate that.”

Good way to let him know? he thought. If these people had any lingering hope that he’d give up this opportunity, they were going to be disappointed.

He wanted to be a part of a community that behaved with compulsive kindness.

* * *

There were only two more football games left in the season and the Thunder Point team was going to regionals. It was an outstanding team; Spencer was very proud of them. But on this overcast late October Sunday afternoon he stood on the beach with Cooper and Devon. They were looking not at the bay but up at the hillside. Cooper’s house was framed already—no doubt because Cooper was relentless and wanted that house done enough to move into before his new baby was born.

Cooper pointed at the hillside, designating lots as he had divided them. “I’ll show you the plot map, but understandably we have the lot next to the bar. There are twelve more single family sites available. I’m leaving a large piece of land between the last home site and the edge of town—I won’t sell it. It’s a nice buffer zone. Now how big a hurry are you in?”

Spencer dropped an arm around Devon’s shoulders. She now wore a shiny diamond engagement ring, and it really hadn’t taken that much convincing. “We’re not as desperate as you and Sarah are, obviously. We have plenty of space for now. My house in San Antonio closed and there’s no lease on the house I’m in, as you no doubt know. Devon has four more months on her lease, but we can always work with that. Another month or two, she’ll be ready to move in with me.”

“But when’s the wedding?” Cooper asked.

“We’re still talking about that,” Devon said. “There’s no hurry. I’m still giving interviews to the FBI and I really want us to have some time to adjust. And maybe get married when we both feel we’ve recovered from some of the challenges of the past few years.”

He squeezed her tighter. “I’m ready right now,” Spencer said. “And I’m ready to build her a house by the sea. Right here. It appears we’re going to have some excellent neighbors.”