Page 8 of A Place to Call Home
“Just finishing. Looking forward to summer vacation.”
She smiled and nodded. “As a kid I couldn’t wait for school to be out. Days at the beach. Going to Disney.”
“Jack’s more of a Legoland kid.” This was going better than he’d expected. But, then, talking about his son was always easy.
“I took my niece and nephew there a couple of weeks ago. Small price to pay for the title of Best Aunt in the World. Now don’t tell anyone” —she leaned in close and lowered her voice— “but it wasn’t as much torture as I kept telling them it was.”
“Next time, take them to the beach to watch the seagulls harassing the tourists.”
She nearly spit out her iced coffee. “You do that?”
“It’s pretty hilarious, actually. Plus, after a while, Jack gets tired of it and builds a sandcastle or plays in the waves. I bring snacks and a cooler with drinks, and I get to spend the day at the beach.”
She nodded her approval. “Win-win.”
“What about you? Are you a beachcomber? Surfer? One of those people who goes to Disneyland every day?”
“I believe those are calledcast members.” She was quick with a comeback. He liked that. “Though I did sell a house in Anaheim earlier this year, and—”
“Wait, wait. You promised not to bring up real estate.”
She shook her head, smiling with amusement. “Youpromised not to bring it up.”
“No. I promised to be boring and awkward. And” —he tugged both sides of his collar in a self-congratulatory way— “I’m expertly holding up my side of the agreement.”
“Personally, I think you’re failing miserably. I haven’t been bored yet, and, other than having to wait for you to get here, nothing about this hanging-out-and-getting-coffee evening has been awkward.”
He looked away to hide a surge of triumph. The Awkward Avenger was doing pretty good for himself.
“It’s getting hot in here,” Ada said. “Want to sit outside?”
“Good idea.” The coffee shop was busy, and itwaspretty warm. “What do you do for fun, then, if not the daily Disney thing?”
“I’m in a book club, which is, I realize, not very exciting.”
He motioned for her to go out the door first. “What do you like to read?”
“Guess.” She twitched an eyebrow in challenge, turning to look directly at him.
He narrowed his eyes, pretending to study her closely. “Monkey fiction?”
“Fiction about monkeys?”
“No. Fictionwritten bymonkeys.” As he took another sip of his coffee, he twitched his eyebrow just as she had a moment ago. “I hear it’s the next big thing.”
“You nailed it.” She sat at the only empty outside table. “I spend every third Tuesday at the Monkey Fiction Book Club.”
Time passed quickly while they chatted. They covered siblings, hobbies, which ice-cream flavor was actually the best.
Thanks to Bianca, Craig had been on a lot of first dates over the past few years. This non-date date was the least disastrous of any of them. Ada was easy to talk to. She was funny and upbeat. For the first time since the divorce, he was honestly considering seeing someone a second time. He wasn’t sure he’d actually follow through with it, but he wasthinkingabout it.
Chapter Four
Ada stood at the top of the beach access stairs, her beach bag over her shoulder, chair under her arm, and her phone, unfortunately, pressed to her ear. “I promise, Vincent, I will tell you if I hear about a miraculous beachfront for under a million. But I don’t think one exists.”
“I’ve got to find something,” Vincent said. “The McEllens don’t believe it’s as impossible as I’ve told them. They’re turning on me. I’m bringing George along for protection.”
George was five foot six and about as terrifying as a newborn kitten, so Ada didn’t think Vincent actually thought he was in any danger.
