Page 44 of The Summer We Kept Secrets (The Destin Diaries #4)
T hey were coming.
Sally and Gary Danes—without their daughter Rori, Jonah was relieved to know—were en route to the Summer House to see the baby Carly had left behind.
As he waited and paced, drank a third cup of coffee and cracked every knuckle on both hands, Jonah checked the driveway repeatedly. He peeked out the window on the landing, saw nothing, then circled back through the living room feeling as though he would spontaneously combust from the stress.
Out on the deck, he could hear Dad and Kate talking softly, making cooing sounds to Atlas, who Jonah had left in his baby bouncer.
When he’d walked out, his father seemed calm, but wound a little more tightly than usual.
He and Kate had held hands on the sofa, which he hoped meant that their differences in how to approach this day had faded and they would be facing Carly’s parents with a unified front.
Back inside, Jonah swiped his hands over the khaki shorts he’d chosen for today while exhaustion stung his eyes. He hadn’t slept and, for once, he couldn’t blame his son. Just raw, unfettered nerves.
His stomach was in knots, his head hurt, and he couldn’t decide if the sweat on his lower back was from the Florida heat or the sheer terror of facing Gary and Sally Danes.
They had to be furious that he blew out of California with their grandchild.
And how could they not blame him for letting Carly run out for diapers—and into a truck? What kind of father was he?
Well, that was the question that was about to be answered as they marched their way east to cross-examine the man raising their grandson.
He popped a grape into his mouth and nearly choked when the door to the garage opened and Grandma Maggie walked in.
“Where’s the welcoming committee?” she demanded, her shoulders set square for battle, her silver hair looking particularly sharp in her two-inch-long crop that accentuated her cheekbones and sky-blue eyes.
For a moment, he just stared at her, slightly disoriented. Was it because she’d been MIA for ten days or did she look…different? Younger, even. Brighter.
Had she gone to a spa or something? Jonah couldn’t remember where she and Jo Ellen had said they were off to for the past week or so.
“I didn’t know you’d be back in time,” Jonah said.
“Of course. I was just down the road in Santa Rosa Beach.”
“Really?”
She launched one of her uber-judgy brows north. “Would I lie?” she challenged.
“I don’t know,” he said, not really wanting to get into a verbal fencing match with this woman. He lost under the best of circumstances, and these were not ideal.
She walked toward the coffee pot, which was always hot and full in the Summer House.
“I wouldn’t miss a chance to meet Atlas’s maternal grandparents.” She took a mug from the rack and slid him a look. “And make sure they know exactly what the ‘great’ in great-grandmother really means.”
“Relentless, judgmental, and unwavering?” he countered.
“Don’t forget possessive, bossy, and…” She added a totally out of character smile. “Fearless.”
He wanted to laugh, but she was in an unusual mood and that made him even more nervous.
“Grandma,” he said. “I’m begging you to not be…you.”
She gave a soft hoot. “You know, if I didn’t love life so much at this moment, I’d punish you for that comment, Jonah.”
“You know what I mean.”
She sighed. “Sadly, I do. I’ll be on my best behavior, which probably isn’t as good as others, but I won’t ruin the party. Where is everyone? Jo Ellen said she was going on the boat with Tessa.”
“Aunt Vivien went, too.” He purposely didn’t mention Meredith, who was upstairs in her room, secretly pregnant and certain a trip on Tessa’s boat would have her blowing breakfast. “We wanted to keep this first meeting as small as possible, just my dad, Kate, me, and, of course, Atlas.”
“And your grandmother.” She splashed cream in her coffee just as Kate came in, holding Atlas in the bouncer, and Eli was right behind with an empty baby bottle.
“Mom?” He blinked at Maggie. “When did you get back?”
“Frank dropped us off last night and Jo and I just tiptoed into our apartment. No need to wake anyone.”
Eli narrowed his eyes. “What time?”
“Oh, I don’t know but we were sound asleep by ten, like good little grandmas.”
“You didn’t hear that rumbling engine around one?” he asked, taking the bottle to the sink. “I could have sworn it was like someone was on a hog out there.”
“A hog ?” she asked.
“It’s a nickname for a Harley, Grandma,” Jonah told her. “You wouldn’t know.”
“I certainly would not,” she tsked, taking a sip. “I didn’t hear a thing.”
“I’m surprised,” Eli said. “It was loud enough that I almost got up to see what it was, but I was too tired.” He gave her a light kiss and smiled at her. “We’ve missed you, Mom. How was your time with the Cavallaris?”
“Peaceful and uneventful.” She practically cooed the words. “Exactly what we needed. And now what we need is some ammunition against these people.”
Jonah choked. “It’s not a battle, and I’m serious about reining it in. No criticisms, no digs, no demands, no judging.”
“In other words, no Maggie.” She tempered that with another rare smile. “Consider me declawed, Jonah.”
“Thank you,” he said on a sigh. “Just remember these are people in mourning. They are not the enemy. They’re not here to steal Atlas.”
“Now, that we don’t know,” Maggie muttered. “Do you want me to leave? I can hide in my apartment like a crazy Dickens character in the attic.”
Dad stepped in, putting a gentle hand on his mother’s shoulder. “We’d love for you to be here, Mom,” he said. “You’re our matriarch. We want Carly’s parents to know we are a multigenerational and strong family, ready to keep Atlas safe, thriving, and surrounded by love.”
Kate cleared her throat, gently placing the bouncer on the island in a safe place. “You certainly can help us assess whether this visit is just a visit—or the start of a custody claim. Do listen to their subtext. You’re so good at that, Maggie.”
She sliced Kate with a classic Maggie glare. “I don’t know what subtext is. Why don’t you just ask them?”
“Because we don’t want to fight!” Jonah said, hearing his voice rise and snap. As all three of them turned and looked, he held up a hand. “Sorry. I’m just stressed out of my mind.”
None of them said a word, which just made the air thicker than his broken béchamel sauce.
Before the tension could crack wide open, two car doors slammed and punctuated the moment.
Dad took Kate’s hand and stepped away, closing his eyes for a second, making Jonah think he’d just sent up one of his power prayers.
“We’ll go meet them,” he said. “And you stay here with Atlas and Maggie.” He huffed out a breath. “This is going to go well. I promise.”
The two of them walked out and around to the entryway, hand in hand in a show of solidarity that touched Jonah down to his last strand of DNA.
Surprising him, Grandma Maggie put a hand on his back and eased him closer. “Don’t be afraid, Jonah. Everyone wants what’s best for baby Atlas.”
He gave her a quick smile, grateful for her support, then turned to get the baby out of his bouncer. He wanted to be holding his most prized possession when they came in…to take it away.
Jonah heard voices in the entryway, small talk about trips and weather, happy the introductions had been made in the driveway. He was so nervous, he might have forgotten someone’s name.
He waited with Atlas in his arms as they came around the corner, his fingers fidgeting over his son’s tiny bare feet sticking out of a baby-blue onesie.
“Oh!” Sally was first, looking a significant amount older than the day he’d met her. A poised and attractive professional in her fifties, Sally Danes had shadows under her eyes and had definitely lost weight. Grief had taken a toll, but her face lit up at the sight of Atlas. “There’s my grandson.”
“Here he is,” Jonah said, feeling awkward because he couldn’t hug her, not that she’d want a hug from him. “Hello, Mrs. Danes.”
She spared him a look, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but just took a breath. “Jonah.” She reached for Atlas. “May I?”
“Of course.” He eased the baby into her arms and made sure she had a good hold before looking beyond her to Gary, a man Carly frequently described as a lovable nerd. The older man’s steel-gray gaze was cold and direct, with no indication of the slightest smile.
“Welcome, Mr. Danes,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”
His lids closed as if he was disgusted, but his shoulders relaxed slightly as he spoke. “We appreciate the invitation, but wish we didn’t have to fly across the country to see our grandson.”
“I understand,” Jonah said. “But you’re here now and we want you to be comfortable.”
“We will be in the hotel.”
“You’re not staying here?” Dad asked, surprised and clearly disappointed.
“We thought it best not to.”
Kate smiled and tried to guide everyone to the living room. “You may change your mind when you look around,” she said smoothly. “Eli is the architect for this home and before it stood so gloriously, it was a vacation house for my family and the Lawsons. Be prepared for some Destin mag…”
Her voice faded out as Sally sniffed noisily. They all turned to find her hunched over Atlas, who was kicking happily and reaching his hand up toward her face.
“He looks so much like Carly at this age,” she whimpered, tears falling. “He’s a carbon copy of my baby.”
“Now, Sal, we made a deal.” Gary walked to her, guiding her toward the sofa to sit down with comforting words. “No tears, dear. It can’t change anything.”
“Tears are fine and certainly expected.” Maggie followed them into the room, pulling their attention. “I’m Magnolia Lawson, Atlas’s great-grandmother, and if you didn’t cry, I’d think something was wrong.”
Surprising them all, Sally almost smiled as she looked up at Maggie. “He has a great-grandmother? Our parents are all gone, so that’s nice.”