All three females in the room looked at him with varying expressions. His mother looked startled but pleased, Jess immediately took on a guarded expression and Sophie simply looked away, as if she couldn’t bear the sight of him.
“It was a long time ago.” His mother shrugged. “I only picked it up in college because all my friends were smoking. I quit shortly after I married your father.”
What else didn’t he know about his mother?
“Sorry to interrupt the fashion show. Looks like fun.”
“Oh, it has been. We’ve found so many old treasures, haven’t we, girls? Things I had forgotten I still had. It’s been quite a day.”
“I’m glad you were feeling better enough to join us, after all,” Jess said.
Eleanor quickly changed the subject, making him wonder if she had been under the weather.
“We made good progress today. Two rooms down, anyway.”
“That’s great.”
“At this rate, it won’t take us long at all to work our way through the house.”
“May I keep this dress, Gram?” Sophie asked.
“It’s yours if you want it. You can keep anything else you find, too.”
“Keep in mind that our house isn’t as big as this one,” Nate pointed out.
“I know that.”
How did she manage to convey so much disgust with just a few words? She seemed to have perfected that tone over the past month.
He sighed inwardly and forced a smile. “I happened to be driving past The Mandarin on my way home and decided Chinese takeout sounded good. Anybody interested?”
“Ooh. Me!” Eleanor said.
“Did you get orange chicken?” Sophie asked.
“Yes. I know that’s your favorite. And kung pao and teriyaki chicken as well as beef with broccoli. Plus rice and their delicious chow mein.”
“That sounds so good,” Eleanor said. “How did you know I was in the mood for Chinese?”
“Lucky guess.” He gave Jess a smile, hoping she could take this as the olive branch he intended after his rudeness the day before. “I picked up enough to feed everybody here and about a dozen more people. You’re welcome to some, if you like Chinese.”
She looked surprised at the invitation and he realized guiltily that he still hadn’t officially apologized for his boorish behavior.
“You have to join us,” Sophie said. “I want to hear more about the hoarder house you cleaned out.”
“Yes, my dear. Please join us.” Eleanor added her voice to Sophie’s entreaty.
“I don’t want to intrude on your family dinner.”
“You’re not intruding at all,” Nate assured her. “Anyway, you have to eat. Nothing wrong with a free meal, is there?”
“I suppose not,” she finally said.
“I just need to change out of this dress,” Sophie said. “I don’t want to spill food on it. I might wear it to school tomorrow. We’re supposed to dress up from our favorite decade and this would be perfect. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask you before if you had anything I could wear, Gram.”
“Glad you found it before we give everything to Goodwill.”
“Or send it to the consignment shop,” Jess added.
“It’s a lovely evening,” Eleanor said. “Why don’t we take the food out to the terrace so we can hear the ocean?”
“Good idea. I’ll grab some plates and utensils.”
“I’ll do that while you and Jess carry out all this food. Sophie, join us as soon as you change out of that dress.”
“Okay.”
“Wow. You did buy a lot,” Jess said, looking at several bags, each holding containers of food.
“I can never decide what sounds best. Anyway, it makes good leftovers for a day or two.”
“True.” She looked at Eleanor. “Can I carry out some glasses and beverages for people?”
“Oh, good idea. There’s a pitcher of fruit-infused water in the refrigerator. That’s what I’ll have and I know Sophie likes it. What about you, son?”
“I’m not picky.”
By the time they carried everything out to the patio, which was a lovely spot in the May evening air, surrounded by vibrant spring flowers overflowing their pots, Sophie had changed her clothes and joined them.
He usually loved eating al fresco with his family. This was a place that generally left him with a great sense of peace, especially after a long day of wrestling with subcontractors and struggling with suppliers.
It was hard to feel peace with Jess Clayton around, especially given the awkwardness of their last meeting.
He wanted to apologize now to clear the air between them but couldn’t figure out a way to do that while his mother and daughter were there.
To his vast relief, Sophie managed to put away her new surliness toward him for the evening, too busy being fascinated by their guest. Gone was the moody, intense thirteen-year-old girl he walked on eggshells around these days. Instead, she was bright and animated.
He had forgotten how funny and vivacious his daughter could be. He found himself just watching her and marveling that she was his child, this amazing human who had somehow survived being raised by a clumsy single father and her grandparents, losing her mother before she could even remember and her beloved grandfather six months ago after a long illness.
Nate was damn lucky to be her father and didn’t take enough chances to tell her that.
“That was delicious,” his mother said, pushing her plate away with satisfaction. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“It really is a lovely evening,” Jess said, looking out at the ocean. “If this were my terrace, I think I would eat out here every night.”
“We should, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. We are often chilly, so close to the coast, and we get plenty of rain,” Eleanor said. “But you’re right. I’m afraid we take the view for granted sometimes. Sometimes entire days go by when I only have to pinch myself once or twice a day that I really live here.”
Jess laughed, a low, enticing sound that slid across his skin like a warm breath.
“I love it here,” Sophie said. “I know Sunshine Cove isn’t really our own private beach and other people can use it if they want to. But hardly anyone ever does so it kind of feels like ours.”