The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(65)

“Well, it can be. Or, if you’re more comfortable in the bait shop, there’s a very small apartment upstairs—big enough for you and your dad.”

“Bait shop?” he asked.

“It used to be a bait shop with a bar in it and now it’s a bar without any bait. Let’s take a look at the RV first.” Inside, Cooper’s heart sank a little bit. He didn’t have anything good enough for a son and he felt unprepared and a little like an underachiever.

They grabbed the luggage and headed over to the RV. Cooper opened the door of the toy hauler and let Austin step in first, followed by Spencer.

Austin stood in the middle of the living room and turned full circle, looking around, taking it in. Cooper was prepared for him to say something about it being a trailer, which it was. Then he turned to Cooper with bright eyes and said, “This is awesome!”

* * *

The weekend went better than Cooper had dared hope. The weather cooperated and they spent a lot of time on the water. Despite sunscreen, Austin got himself a little color. The toy hauler was full of sand from all his running in and out and so was the bar. Cooper’s upstairs apartment was like an indoor beach. They were going to have to revisit foot wiping. Austin not only loved the Jet Ski, but also bonded with Hamlet, who spent a lot of time at the bar over the weekend. Austin got to drive the Rhino across the beach with Landon as co-pilot. At night, they had a fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows.

“I don’t know if I can compete with this,” Spencer said.

“I didn’t think I could compete with ten years of history so let’s go ahead and write up a noncompete clause,” Cooper said, only half-serious.

Cooper hadn’t even considered the importance of having fun himself—he felt a huge responsibility to give fun. But, in the end, the weekend was satisfying. Spencer took off on his own a couple of times, exploring the general area, leaving Cooper and Austin on their own.

Once the weekend was done and he was back on his own, Cooper settled in to do the thing he’d been working up to. Knowing his parents were early risers, he phoned them early Tuesday morning—it was barely 7:00 a.m. in Albuquerque.

“Hey, Dad,” Cooper said. “You and Mom both up? Had your coffee?”

“Up and caffeinated. How are you, son?”

“Excellent. Listen, can you get Mom on the phone or put me on speaker? I have something to explain to you.”

“Okay, you’re on speaker.” Then his father said to his mother, “He has something to explain.”

“Cooper, are you all right? You’re not sick are you?” his mother asked.

“No, I’m fine. Perfect. Listen, this surprised the hell out of me so I know it’s going to really shock you. Um. Remember Bridget...?”

* * *

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in May Frank Downy walked a few blocks to Ashley’s house. He had a backpack and a soft cooler. When Ashley came to the door he asked, “Are you busy?”

“Not really. I was helping my grandma make cookies. Want one?”

“Yeah. And how about putting a few in a baggie and come with me.”

“Where?”

“Just to the beach and the south promontory,” he said. He lifted the cooler. “I came prepared for a little adventure.”

She eyed him suspiciously, but she couldn’t help her smile. She had no idea little Frank would grow into his looks and become a hottie. “What are you up to, Frank? Shouldn’t you be going to the prom?”

“I’m not going to the prom, Ash. Why would I? You’ll need tennis shoes—we’re going to take a little hike. You’ll like it, I promise.”

“You’re just trying to take my mind off the prom. You don’t have to,” she said. “Landon even offered to have two dates, but I’m still happy with my decision. I don’t want to go this year. Next year, maybe. Not this year.”

“Well, I’d love to take credit for doing something so chivalrous, but it’s a total coincidence. I was down on the docks this morning talking to a couple of the crabbers—the gray whales are running heavy. One of them said yesterday they saw several breach. They’re feeding on crustaceans close to shore on their way back to the Bering Sea from Baja. One of the guys said he thought more than the usual number is hanging around our coastline and not migrating this year. I thought we’d go out to Ben’s point.”

“Oh, that’s private....”

“I asked Cooper if he’d mind. We won’t disturb anything. Dusk is a good time.” He turned around. “I have everything we need. Blanket, binoculars, flashlight for getting back, Duraflame for the beach afterward. There’s a path out to the point. Not a good one, but a path. Come on—the flora is in bloom out there. Let’s go.”

“Flowers.” She laughed.

“Flowers, plant life, flora—whatever. And the birds are all in love, I can tell you that much.”

“What about the whales? Are they in love?”

“They took care of that in Baja,” he said with a grin. “I’m going. Want to come?”

“Yes,” she said, smiling.

“Put on some long pants and grab a sweatshirt,” he said. “There are lots of berry bushes out there. They’ll scratch up your legs. And you know, when the sun goes down—”