Summer Shadows by Gayle Roper

Author:Gayle Roper [Roper, Gayle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-78166-6
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-02-09T05:00:00+00:00

Twenty-three

CELIA WATCHED THE man with the gray ponytail sticking out the back of his baseball cap. He wore a ratty T-shirt and baggy shorts with a fanny pack about his waist. He was walking slowly down the beach, swinging something back and forth in front of him. “What’s he doing?”

Abby smiled. “Oh, he’s looking for treasure in the sand. That’s a metal detector he’s swinging.”

The children spotted the man too.

“Look, Walker,” yelled Jordan. “Let’s go find out what he’s doing.” He took off at a dead run. “Come on, everybody,” he called back over his shoulder.

Jessica looked at Celia, pleading without words for permission to race after Jordan and Walker.

“Clooney’s okay,” Abby said. “I met him last week when he found a beautiful bracelet in the sand.”

Celia was uncertain. Strange men. Little girls.

“Put your imagination away,” Abby said with a smile. “Besides, we can see everything that goes on.”

“Hold you sister’s hand,” Celia called.

Jess nodded, and she and Karlee followed the boys as fast as Karlee could move.

“Maybe he’ll find them some money,” a deep voice said from behind them, sending that soothing honey feeling flowing along Celia’s nerve endings again.

Celia made a face. She still hadn’t combed her hair or put on makeup, and when she glanced down at herself, the oil spots on her shirt seemed to grow as she looked, covering her whole front.

Ah, well, Lord, I wouldn’t want to impress a beautiful man now, would I?

She looked over her shoulder at Rick. “With my luck, he’ll find them each a penny.”

“You never know,” Abby said. “He wears a diamond stud earring that I’d love to own. He said he found it with his detector.”

“Really?” Rick looked interested. “Maybe I should take up metal detection instead of my current job. Walking on the beach all day sounds pretty good about now.”

Celia heard the wistfulness in his voice. “Don’t you like your job?”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. There are just times when the people are more than I want to deal with.”

She nodded as Aunt Bernice flashed across her mind. And Eddie. And Mom. She knew all about people who were hard to deal with. “What do you do for a living?”

Rick was quiet for a minute, and she realized that he and she were walking slowly down the beach toward the metal detector and the kids without Abby.

She glanced back and saw Abby staring out to sea. Marsh was walking toward her. Celia smiled. Abby’d be all right with him to watch out for her. The sparks those two shot off in the presence of each other were like nothing she’d ever seen. Lethal. Lovely. Too bad neither of them seemed to realize what was happening.

She glanced up at the house. Mrs. MacDonald stood at the rail, watching her daughter. Celia had a flash of insight. The woman didn’t like Marsh. That was why she stayed. Or maybe it was a matter of liking Sean better.

Celia had no doubts which man Abby liked better.

“Public relations,” Rick said.

“What?” Celia looked at him blankly.

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