he pulled out a bottle. “You?”
“I’ll take a soda,” she said.
“Diet Coke?” he asked, reaching back in.
“Great.”
When he passed the can to her, his hand brushed against hers, though she wasn’t sure he even noticed.
He motioned to the chairs. “Would you like to sit?”
She hesitated before taking a seat next to him. When he’d set them up, he’d left enough distance between them so that they wouldn’t accidentally touch. Alex twisted the cap from his beer and took a pull. “There’s nothing better than a cold beer on a hot day at the beach.”
She smiled, slightly disconcerted at being alone with him. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“You don’t like beer?”
Her mind flashed to her father and the empty cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon that usually littered the floor next to the recliner where he sat. “Not too much,” she admitted.
“Just wine, huh?”
It took her a moment to remember that he’d given her a bottle. “I had some wine last night, as a matter of fact. With my neighbor.”
“Yeah? Good for you.”
She searched for a safe topic. “You said you were from Spokane?”
He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “Born and raised. I lived in the same house until I went to college.” He cast a sidelong glance at her. “University of Washington, by the way. Go, Huskies.”
She smiled. “Do your parents still live there?”
“Yes.”
“That must make it hard for them to visit the grandkids.”
“I suppose.”
Something in his tone caught her attention. “You suppose?”
“They’re not the kind of grandparents who would come by, even if they were closer. They’ve seen the kids only twice, once when Kristen was born and the second time at the funeral.” He shook his head. “Don’t ask me to explain it,” he went on, “but my parents have no interest in them, aside from sending them cards on their birthdays and gifts at Christmas. They’d rather travel or do whatever it is they do.”
“Huh?”
“What can I do? And besides, I can’t say they were all that different with me, even though I was their youngest child. The first time they visited me in college was graduation day, and even though I swam well enough to get a full scholarship, they saw me race only twice. Even if I lived across the street from them, I doubt they’d want to see the kids. That’s one of the reasons I stayed here. I might as well, right?”
“What about the other set of grandparents?”
He scratched at the label on his bottle of beer. “That’s trickier. They had two other daughters who moved to Florida, and after they sold me the store, they moved down there. They come up once or twice a year to visit for a few days, but it’s still hard for them. And they won’t stay at the house, either, because I think it reminds them of Carly. Too many memories.”
“In other words, you’re pretty much on your own.”
“It’s just the opposite,” he said, nodding toward the kids. “I have them, remember?”
“It has to be hard sometimes, though. Running the store, raising your kids.”
“It’s not so bad. As long as I’m up by six in the morning and don’t go to bed until midnight, it’s easy to keep up.”
She laughed easily. “Do you think the coals are getting close?”
“Let me check,” he said. After setting the bottle in the sand, he stood up from his chair and walked over to the grill. The briquettes were white and heat rose in shimmering waves. “Your timing is impeccable,” he said. He threw the steaks and the hamburger patty on the grill while Katie went to the cooler and started bringing the endless array of items to the table: Tupperware containers of potato salad, coleslaw, pickles, a green bean salad, sliced fruit, two bags of chips, slices of cheese, and assorted condiments.
She shook her head as she started arranging everything, thinking that Alex somehow forgot that his kids were still little. There was more food
“I’ll take a soda,” she said.
“Diet Coke?” he asked, reaching back in.
“Great.”
When he passed the can to her, his hand brushed against hers, though she wasn’t sure he even noticed.
He motioned to the chairs. “Would you like to sit?”
She hesitated before taking a seat next to him. When he’d set them up, he’d left enough distance between them so that they wouldn’t accidentally touch. Alex twisted the cap from his beer and took a pull. “There’s nothing better than a cold beer on a hot day at the beach.”
She smiled, slightly disconcerted at being alone with him. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“You don’t like beer?”
Her mind flashed to her father and the empty cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon that usually littered the floor next to the recliner where he sat. “Not too much,” she admitted.
“Just wine, huh?”
It took her a moment to remember that he’d given her a bottle. “I had some wine last night, as a matter of fact. With my neighbor.”
“Yeah? Good for you.”
She searched for a safe topic. “You said you were from Spokane?”
He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “Born and raised. I lived in the same house until I went to college.” He cast a sidelong glance at her. “University of Washington, by the way. Go, Huskies.”
She smiled. “Do your parents still live there?”
“Yes.”
“That must make it hard for them to visit the grandkids.”
“I suppose.”
Something in his tone caught her attention. “You suppose?”
“They’re not the kind of grandparents who would come by, even if they were closer. They’ve seen the kids only twice, once when Kristen was born and the second time at the funeral.” He shook his head. “Don’t ask me to explain it,” he went on, “but my parents have no interest in them, aside from sending them cards on their birthdays and gifts at Christmas. They’d rather travel or do whatever it is they do.”
“Huh?”
“What can I do? And besides, I can’t say they were all that different with me, even though I was their youngest child. The first time they visited me in college was graduation day, and even though I swam well enough to get a full scholarship, they saw me race only twice. Even if I lived across the street from them, I doubt they’d want to see the kids. That’s one of the reasons I stayed here. I might as well, right?”
“What about the other set of grandparents?”
He scratched at the label on his bottle of beer. “That’s trickier. They had two other daughters who moved to Florida, and after they sold me the store, they moved down there. They come up once or twice a year to visit for a few days, but it’s still hard for them. And they won’t stay at the house, either, because I think it reminds them of Carly. Too many memories.”
“In other words, you’re pretty much on your own.”
“It’s just the opposite,” he said, nodding toward the kids. “I have them, remember?”
“It has to be hard sometimes, though. Running the store, raising your kids.”
“It’s not so bad. As long as I’m up by six in the morning and don’t go to bed until midnight, it’s easy to keep up.”
She laughed easily. “Do you think the coals are getting close?”
“Let me check,” he said. After setting the bottle in the sand, he stood up from his chair and walked over to the grill. The briquettes were white and heat rose in shimmering waves. “Your timing is impeccable,” he said. He threw the steaks and the hamburger patty on the grill while Katie went to the cooler and started bringing the endless array of items to the table: Tupperware containers of potato salad, coleslaw, pickles, a green bean salad, sliced fruit, two bags of chips, slices of cheese, and assorted condiments.
She shook her head as she started arranging everything, thinking that Alex somehow forgot that his kids were still little. There was more food
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