Page 23 of Hibiscus Heights (Crown Island #4)

“ Y ou’re a brave young man,” Ella said to Teddy.

The boy sat with his leg extended at her kitchen table. Deb stood on one side of him and Grant on the other, each holding a hand. Mason fidgeted at the table, petting Duke as he watched the process.

Ella brought a bottle of sterile saline wound cleanser from her emergency bag. Peering through magnifiers perched on her nose, she cleansed Teddy’s wound with care.

Deb and Grant tried to distract him by talking about Duke and fun things to do on Crown Island.

Deb smiled as she watched Ella. April’s mother had tended to plenty of minor injuries when they were young.

Deb had spent her share of time right where Teddy sat now.

She still bore the scars of their escapades, but what fun they’d had tearing around the island.

They’d learned how to be independent and think for themselves, skills that served them well.

“Do you think that cut needs stitches?” Grant asked.

Ella worked methodically. “It’s long, but it’s a clean, shallow cut, and the bleeding has stopped. I have steri-strips. Those butterfly bandages will hold the skin together sufficiently to heal, so he shouldn’t need further treatment.”

“You got lucky,” Grant said to Teddy.

Ella held up a finger to Teddy. “However, you’ll need to keep that wound dry, my little man. No swimming until it heals. While salt water might be healing, the ocean can have bacteria that we don’t want in that cut.”

“Do you hear that, son?” Grant rubbed his hand across Teddy’s shoulder while Ella tended to him. Catching Deb’s eye, he mouthed, Thank you .

Deb’s heart tightened at that simple gesture. She looked up to see April watching from the doorway, taking in the scene. Her friend would surely have comments later.

“There, that’s it,” Ella said, removing her glasses.

Grant breathed out in relief. “Thank you for tending to him.”

Ella smiled and gestured to Deb and April. “I’ve done that countless times on these two and their friends. They were fearless, so they sometimes got into trouble.”

Teddy and Mason grinned and looked at Deb for verification.

Deb nodded at that. “It’s true. But we also figured out how to get out of trouble.”

Teddy grinned with pride. “You weren’t afraid of anything?”

“Maybe at first, but we pushed each other. Like tearing down the Queen’s Flight on our bikes without hands.”

April laughed. “We still do that.”

When Teddy looked interested, April quickly added, “It’s a little dangerous, but Deb knows other places she can take you.”

“What are you afraid of now?” Mason asked.

Deb was surprised at that. “Not much anymore.” Yet, that wasn’t quite true. As she looked into Grant’s eyes, the emotion she saw there was plenty scary.

Smiling, Grant added, “Deb was the most adventurous girl I’d ever met.”

Ella studied Grant as if trying to place him.

Mason cocked his head. “Dad, I thought you just met her.”

Grant coughed into his hand. “Didn’t I say?”

“Say what?” Teddy stared at him with a quizzical expression.

While Deb waited for Grant to recover, the two boys looked at their father with renewed interest.

Mason asked, “Is that true that you’ve met before?”

With Grant’s face turning red, Deb spoke up lest he choke on the truth. “Oh, my goodness, that was such a long time ago. I can hardly remember.”

That was general enough, she figured. Whatever their father wanted to tell them was fine with her, but that was up to him. She wasn’t going to change whatever narrative he had going.

“Does anyone here like chocolate chip cookies?” April asked. “We made some this afternoon, and we can’t eat all of these.” She turned to Grant before giving one to Teddy. “Is it okay if the boys have some?”

“Sure. They haven’t had homemade cookies in a while.”

“Not since Mom—” Mason cut himself off and threw a look at Teddy, who was already biting into his cookie. “Thank you,” he added, ducking his head.

Deb’s heart went out to the boys. Not that Grant couldn’t take care of them. Since she’d gotten over her initial misguided impression, she’d discovered that he was quite a good father. The boys adored him, and he doted on them.

April filled the silence. “I make them without nuts in case anyone has allergies.” She gave them each a cookie and put a few more in a bag for them to take to the hotel.

Ella tidied the area and washed her hands. “Now, you’ll need transportation back to the Majestic, won’t you?”

“I could carry him,” Grant began.

“Nonsense,” Ella said. “April can drive you back in the golf cart. And Deb, I presume you were out for a run.”

“Duke and I will head home.”

As Ella watched Teddy try to hop on one foot, she put a finger to her chin. “I think I have something that will help you.” She opened a storage closet nearby and withdrew a pair of small crutches.

Teddy’s eyes widened, and he grinned. “Cool.”

Ella handed them to the boy. “One of my granddaughters needed these a few summers ago, so you can use them until you can put pressure on that foot again. Only for a few days, I imagine.”

“I’ll adjust those for him.” Grant did and gave them to Teddy, who was thrilled to have something new to experiment with.

Teddy tucked them under his arms and swung his lean body over them. “Hey, this is fun.”

Grant chuckled. “Glad you feel that way about them.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned to Deb. “Can we drop you off at your house?”

Deb scratched Duke’s head. “Thanks, but that’s a small golf cart. I live close, and Duke looks like he wants to finish our run.”

“Then we should go. It’s been a full day, and they’re tired.” Grant’s face brightened. “Cuppa Jo’s tomorrow?”

He suggested a time, and Deb agreed. Why not , she thought. A fresh start to a nice friendship. That’s all this was. They were adults now.

April picked up the cookies and motioned to the boys. “Come on, you two. I’ll show you the golf cart.”

“Cool.” Mason offered his brother an arm for support. “I’ll spot you on the crutches.”

“I can do it by myself,” Teddy said, grinning.

While the boys followed April to the garage, Ella turned to Grant. “You seem very familiar. Did you visit Crown Island often?”

“My family came every summer.”

A slow smile spread on Ella’s face. “Why, of course. You and Deb?—”

“We were friends,” Deb said, downplaying their relationship. She and Grant used to visit April. They played music and danced in the backyard while Ella made sandwiches or treats for them.

“I remember visiting here,” Grant said, looking around. “You were our safe place when we wanted to hide from our parents.”

“Hey, my parents were terrific,” Deb said, jumping to their defense.

“I wasn’t talking about yours,” Grant said.

Ella inclined her head. “What about your parents?”

“Wait, let me clarify,” Grant looked slightly flustered. “My parents only wanted the best for us. But my sister and I didn’t always agree with their assessment.”

Deb arched an eyebrow at Ella, who caught her meaning. Most of the locals weren’t considered good enough for the summer people. She folded her arms, considering that.

However, that was a long time ago. Deb didn’t need to prove herself to anyone now.

Certainly not Grant.

“See you at Cuppa Jo’s tomorrow,” Grant said with a note of hopefulness in his voice.

“See you then.”

After Grant left and the garage door closed, Ella motioned for Deb to sit down. “Before you run home, do you want to tell me what’s going on between you two?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Deb replied, petting Duke.

Ella brushed her hands and sat across from Deb. “That’s the biggest bit of nothing I’ve ever seen. The way he looks at you, why, that man is still sweet on you. But you’re still hurt from way back when.”

Deb couldn’t keep reliving those feelings. She had to put this memory behind her. “We dated a little, but it didn’t mean much.”

Ella shook her head. “I remember it very clearly. He never showed up at the dance, and you spent the night here, utterly devastated. I even wept for you, dear girl. You were both in love.”

“Maybe so, but I got over him.”

Ella laced her hands and leaned forward. “He’s not wearing a ring.”

“His wife passed away a few years ago.”

Ella was like an aunt to her, and this is the conversation Deb’s mother would have with her if she knew Grant was back.

“So, what’s this about Cuppa Jo’s? Is it a date?”

“We’re meeting there to talk and call a truce. And that’s all there is to it. I have a good life. A great if slightly annoying family, the career and recognition I always wanted, a fabulous home decorated just for me, and the best dog in the world. What more do I need?”

“First, let’s make a distinction between need and want,” Ella said, tapping the table. “It’s okay to want it all in life.”

Deb felt her face flush. “I realize that.”

Ella rested her chin on her hand and peered at Deb as if looking into her soul. “Second chances don’t come around every day. At my age, finding love again was the farthest thing from my mind.”

“You had a wonderful life with Dr. August.”

“We did it all,” Ella said, nodding. “We built a hospital for the community, and though it seemed we would never have a family, April was delivered to us. And she gave us two beautiful granddaughters in Junie and Maileah, who are as different as they can be. No, I couldn’t have asked for more in life.

But I’m not foolish enough to turn down a second chance on principle. ”

Deb smiled at her. “Meaning Whitley, of course.”

“August and I had known him for years and always thought highly of him. My husband would approve now, I’m sure. Why shouldn’t I have another chance to care for someone who also cares for me?”

“It’s not the same,” Deb said. “Those boys need a mother.”

“Their mother is gone. They need people who’ll simply love them.”

She’d already lost her heart to them, but it was more complicated than that. Deb pushed her chair back and stood.

“I don’t know why we’re even talking about this. They’re leaving soon. Grant has his life in Tiburon. Maybe a girlfriend, for all I know.”

Ella folded her arms. “You don’t want to get hurt again.”

“No one hurts me anymore. And certainly not Grant.” Deb snapped her fingers toward her dog. “Come on, Duke. Let’s finish that run.”

After hugging Ella, Deb hurried out, sprinting as far as she could away from the thought that there might be a future with Grant.

There never was, and there never would be.