Seaside Reunion Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked tasty—even if he’d downed a hearty breakfast at the Orchid Café less than an hour and a half ago.
    A movement to his right in the far corner of the store caught his eye, and he turned. A blond-haired boy, who appeared to be about ten or eleven, sat angled slightly toward him, elbow propped on the table, chin in hand, ankles wrapped around the legs of his chair. His expression was glum.
    “You’ll get it, Jarrod. I’ll work with you until you do.” Lindsey’s encouraging words were muted.
    Nate eased back for a better view. She was leaning across the small table toward the boy, posture intent.
    “How can I help you?”
    At the question, Nate swiveled away from the tableau in the opposite corner of the store toward the gray-haired man who was limping toward him. Nate didn’t have a clear memory of Lindsey’s father, but he could see the resemblance in the strong chin and shape of the mouth.
    “Mr. Callahan?”
    “None other.” The older gent moved behind the counter. “Let me guess. Nathaniel Garrison. Or Nate now, so Lindsey tells me.”
    “None other.”
    The man chuckled and extended his hand, showing none of the wariness his daughter had exhibited on Nate’s first visit. “Welcome back to Starfish Bay. And it’s Jack. Being addressed as mister by another adult makes me feel old.”
    Smiling, he returned Jack’s firm grip. “Thank you. It’s nice to be back.”
    “Hey, Lindsey, look who’s here!”
    At Jack’s announcement, Nate shifted toward the duo again. Lindsey turned and leaned sideways. The light spilling in from the large front window drew attention to faint, half-moon shadows beneath her eyes and a pair of vertical creases above her nose that hadn’t been there two days ago. He lifted his hand. Lindsey responded, then settled back into her chair, out of sight.
    Not the warmest greeting he’d ever received.
    “The sisters treating you okay at the Orchid?”
    He refocused on Jack. “Like a son.”
    Jack grinned and propped a hip on the stool behind the counter. “That I can believe. They like to take care of people. When I broke my hip, they were at the house twice a day, like clockwork, delivering meals until Lindsey finished up the school year and could close things down in Sacramento. Have they baked you their famous cinnamon rolls yet?”
    “No.” His mouth started to water.
    “They will if you stay long enough. That’ll be a sure sign you’ve been adopted. Now what can I do for you today?”
    “When I asked at the Orchid about internet connections, Genevieve pointed me here.” He lifted his laptop case. “And I wouldn’t mind trying a couple of those cookies. With some coffee.” He gestured toward the dome.
    “We do have Wi-Fi. Lindsey’s idea. Make yourself at home over in the coffee nook. Also her idea.” He gestured toward the far corner of the store as he eased back to his feet, grasping the edge of the counter for a moment to steady himself. “And the cookies are great. Ginger today. You’ll like them.”
    Nate rested an elbow on the high, antique counter. “So what’s going on back there?” He nodded to the coffee nook.
    “A tutoring session. Jarrod’s been having some problems at school, and Lindsey offered to try and help get him up to speed before the fall session starts next month. He comes three days a week.” Jack deposited the cookies in a white sack and did a one-eighty toward the large urn on the back counter. “She was a teacher, you know.”
    “Yes. She told me.”
    Jack looked over his shoulder. “Is that right? You two must have had quite the conversation when you showed up Monday.”
    “She told me later that night. I took a walk out to The Point and ran into her.”
    “Room for cream?” Jack paused, hand on the dispensing lever.
    “No. I take it black.”
    “I kind of figured that.” He filled it to the brim, snapped on a plastic lid and set it on the counter. “Funny. Lindsey never mentioned she’d met up with you