Page 5 of Hibiscus Heights (Crown Island #4)

A fter spending the day arranging the meeting room artwork, following up with her suppliers, and reviewing her to-do list, Deb finally pulled into her driveway.

Duke raced to the gate and greeted her with excited yips. When she cracked the gate, he wriggled out and circled her, his tail whipping back and forth against her legs.

“Hey, buddy. I owe you some beach time, don’t I?”

She scratched behind his ears, feeling guilty for missing their usual morning routine. Preparing for Ryan’s meeting had taken priority, but Duke didn’t understand the importance ofprofessional obligations.

She’d make it up to him right now. She had just enough time for a run and a shower before meeting her family for dinner.

Duke followed her into the house, his toenails clicking on the hardwood floors.

Deb kicked off her high heels and padded into the cool tiled kitchen, where she’d maintained the vintage beach house charm.

She’d exposed overhead beams, installed a deep farmhouse sink, and added colorful, hand-painted tiles from a local artisan on the backsplash.

A vase of tall purple gladioli from her garden brightened the room.

Her clients often requested sleek white, monochromatic interiors, but she loved living life in full color.

This was Crown Island, after all. The artist community was a pop of vivid color in an ever-changing sea of blue.

“Bet you’d like a treat, huh?”

At the word treat , Duke promptly dropped into a seated position, his tail slapping the floor. He fairly vibrated with expectation, and Deb chuckled. She tossed the doggie treat into the air, and he leapt for it.

Ten minutes later, dressed in running shorts and a tank top with Duke tugging at his leash, Deb headed for the beach. The late afternoon sun warmed her shoulders. With Duke trotting beside her, she quickly found her rhythm on the packed sand near the water’s edge.

She loved the simple pleasure of running on the beach. A heated volleyball game was going on in one direction, so she turned toward the Majestic.

Approaching the hotel’s wide strip of beach, she spotted two familiar figures tossing a bright orange frisbee. Mason and Teddy looked up.

“Hey, boys,” she called out.

Just then, Duke broke free and charged across the sand, leaping like an Olympian to snatch the frisbee in mid-air.

“What a show-off.” She laughed and raced after him.

Duke trotted to Mason, dropped the frisbee at his feet, and looked up expectantly.

Mason rubbed his neck. “Can we play with him?”

“Sure, I’ll take off his leash,” Deb replied. “Meet Duke. He’s friendly.”

Her dog was good about staying close and out of trouble.

Mason tossed the frisbee to Teddy. “Throw it to him.”

The younger boy did, and Duke plunged into the advancing waves to retrieve it. Dripping water, he charged back victorious with it in his mouth for another throw.

Deb laughed, but she wasn’t concerned. She’d run Duke through her outdoor shower when they returned. He loved that.

Mason turned to her. “I have something for you.”

With a serious expression, the boy shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled bill. “This is for lunch. Thanks a lot. Aunt Jen said they could have made us wash dishes all day.”

“Keep your money,” Deb said, trying not to laugh at his seriousness.

Mason shook his head firmly. “But Dad will?—”

“It was my treat, a gift.”

“Aunt Jen said we shouldn’t take money from people we don’t know.”

“I’m Deb Whitaker.” She put out her hand, holding it there until he shook it. “Now you know me. And you know where I work.” She closed his other hand around the bill.

The frisbee landed at Mason’s feet, sending a spray of sand up. Mason snatched it, and Duke skidded to a stop, wagging his tail.

Teddy trotted behind the dog. “Did you give her the money?”

“She won’t take it.”

“But Aunt Jen said Dad won’t like this.” Teddy looked crestfallen over the dilemma. His lower lip wavered.

“Teddy slipped and told her when she asked what we had for lunch.” Mason’s voice sounded heavy.

Deb studied the boy’s expression. “If you really want to repay me, how about buying me an ice cream? But only if you have some, too.”

Guarded smiles spread across the boys’ faces, and Deb snapped the leash back on Duke’s collar. “Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorites. Or maybe honey lavender.”

Teddy did a little dance of joy. “I want chocolate.”

“What’s your favorite?” she asked Mason.

The older boy gave her a shy grin. “I like strawberry and orange sherbet. I had blueberry once. Have you ever tried that?”

“No, but I’d like to. We should hurry before the ice cream shop at the hotel closes. It’s been there since I was a little girl.”

They jogged back to the Majestic, and Deb waved at a few friends and servers as they made their way toward the entrance to the shopping corridor. The vintage ice cream parlor was at the end and opened onto the beach.

During the renovation, Ryan insisted Crown Scoops maintain its original charm, and Deb was happy to oblige.

The shop was as people remembered it again, with black-and-white checkered floors and a white marble counter lined with red vinyl stools.

The sweet scent of waffle cones and vanilla whisked Deb back to childhood when she and April would bike here after school.

They’d saved their allowances for double scoops.

She’d also come here with someone else. Those memories carried a different weight, bittersweet and locked away. However, this small island held so many memories that she’d trained herself to reframe the bad ones by intentionally replacing them with better memories.

Like now.

She attached Duke’s leash to a railing, and he flopped down to wait.

As they walked in, the lanky young girl behind the counter smiled and said hello to Deb.

“Hi, Wren. I’ve brought two VIPs with me today.”

“I can see that. Single or double scoops for you?”

With a glance at the boys, Deb chuckled. “Do you even have to ask?”

Teddy pressed his nose to the glass case, having trouble deciding between the chocolate choices. “Can I really get whatever I want?”

Deb ruffled his sun-bleached hair. “Sure. How about one of each?”

His eyes flashing with excitement, Teddy pointed through the glass case. “I’ll have the Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Rocky Road on a waffle cone.”

“Those are great together.” Wren leaned over to scoop the ice cream. After handing the cone to Teddy, she turned to Mason. “Have you decided?”

“You should go first,” he said to Deb. “You’re our guest.”

Deb smiled at his manners. Mason was a nice kid, and someone had taught him well. Besides his father, that is. Probably his aunt or his mother.

She wondered why the boys didn’t live with their mother, but that wasn’t any of her business.

She wouldn’t judge another woman on what must have been a painful situation for her.

Their father sounded like one of those who grabbed the children out of spite and then fobbed them off on nannies and relatives.

She’d seen that before, too.

She could sure pick them. Her picker had been broken for a long time, but that no longer mattered.

Have fun and leave at the first hint of trouble . That was her motto now.

Mason smiled up at her, stealing her heart. “The mint chocolate chip looks good.”

Deb nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll have that. What flavors are calling you?”

“A lot of them. I want to try some new ones.” Mason spoke with the confidence of someone making major decisions. “Banana on the top and cherry on the bottom.”

The boy pulled out the crumpled bill and placed it on the counter. Looking up at Wren, he asked, “Will that cover it?”

Deb mouthed to Wren, Put the rest on my tab.

“That’s perfect,” Wren said to Mason. “And here’s an iced puppy cup for Duke. He’s a VIP around here. Or rather, a very important dog.”

They strolled out with their ice cream, made their way toward the beach, and sat on a low wall near the bike concession.

Deb opened the iced puppy cup for Duke, who steadied the paper cup between his paws and began to lick the cool treat.

“He loves that,” Mason said, watching Duke.

“That’s his special summer treat,” Deb said. “Do you have any pets?”

“Dad promised, but…” Mason shrugged.

She sighed. Poor kids. Was there anything good about their father?

Deb pointed to a spot where small waves broke on the beach. “I learned to surf right out there. I still ride my bike around town, too.”

“Could you teach us to surf?” Teddy asked, grinning with chocolate smears on his chin.

“I’d like that,” Deb replied, surprised by how much she meant it. “But I know some real pros who are great teachers. How long will you be here?”

“Aunt Jen wants to stay longer,” Teddy replied. “Maybe two weeks.”

“We can probably fit that in if she approves. I have a friend who teaches surfing here at the hotel, but you would need your aunt’s permission. And you must know how to swim. Or you could rent bikes right over there.”

Mason’s eyes brightened. “We know how to swim.”

“And we got new bikes for Christmas,” Teddy added.

As they enjoyed their ice cream, Teddy chattered about shells he’d found on the beach while Mason observed everything around them. Then, without warning, the little boy’s voice dropped.

“I wish Mom were here....” His voice trailed off as if he was suddenly aware of what he’d said.

Deb’s chest tightened, but she let the moment pass without questions. Some wounds were too deep to probe.

No wonder these boys seemed to carry such weight on their narrow shoulders. All they wanted was to see their mother. Their father must be keeping them from her.

“Thanks for the ice cream,” Deb said, shifting the conversation. “I need to give Duke his supper, so we should probably leave soon. I hope you’ll be hungry for dinner after all that ice cream.”

Mason fished a room key from his pocket and grinned. “Aunt Jen’s new husband likes to eat later than we usually do, so we’ll be hungry. But we should go back to the room.”