Read Online The Sweetest Summer: A Bayberry Island Novel by Susan Donovan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan Donovan
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couldn’t quite name it.
“Something wrong, Clancy?”
The Mermaid Society . . . Rowan . . . the Safe Haven . . . that was it! The Safe Haven attic! Mona raised an eyebrow. “Care to share?”
The photo of the girl.
“Son?”
“It’s nothing. I was thinking that I should get anything of mine out of the attic before Rowan tosses it on the garbage barge. Didn’t you store some of my kid stuff up there?”
“Yes. Your school work, refrigerator art, and trophies for track events and the like.” She tipped her head with curiosity and grinned. “Since when have you been the sentimental type?”
“Ma,” he said, gently patting her back. “It’s more practical than sentimental. If Rowan and Ash are going to live at the Safe Haven, then it’s only right for me to get my junk out of their way and take it to my cottage. I do have my own home, you know.”
She didn’t seem satisfied with his answer. “All right. So nothing else is bothering you?”
Clancy shook his head. “It’s just festival week. You know how it is.”
His mother stopped and faced him. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
Uh-oh
.
“Someday you’ll find her, and she will be exactly right for you. Everything you’ve been through will have been worth it.”
“Hold up.” Clancy laughed at how quickly she’d forgotten her promise to stay out of other people’s business. “First off, I’m not looking for a woman, exactly right or completely wrong or anywhere in between. And I have no idea how your brain went in that direction, since we were talking about me getting my crap out of the attic.”
She shrugged.
“The woman of my dreams isn’t inside a mildewy cardboard box shoved under the rafters.”
Mona chuckled. “I’m simply telling you that I’m here and I love you. If you ever want to talk about anything and everything or nothing at all, you know where to find me.”
Clancy stopped walking. “You and the mermaidbrigade do not have permission to mess with my personal life. No magic spells or true loves or anything. You’re clear on this, right?”
“Of course! My gracious. I would never even dream of that, son.”
* * *
Evelyn jolted awake in a panic, her eyes searching her surroundings and her brain spinning, struggling for traction. It took a few seconds before she put it together. They were in the motel on Bayberry Island and Richard Wahlman was hunting them down. Christina was sound asleep against her, one bony little knee poking into Evelyn’s side. She breathed deeply and forced herself to relax, realizing that her niece’s usual nighttime flailing had woken her from a deep sleep.
But just then, she heard it, an odd beeping sound coming from the corner of the room. Her mind began to race through all the worst-case scenarios—was Richard here? Had he found them already? Was the SWAT team at the door, or FBI agents? Evelyn’s heart pounded as the beeping continued.
Then it dawned on her. She rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness. It was her phone, the disposable phone she’d purchased from the variety store in Augusta. And the only person in the world who had the number was Hal.
She’d completely forgotten to call him.
As carefully as possible, Evelyn pulled away from Christina. Her niece grumbled a bit then turned over on her side, but she remained asleep. Evelyn rose from the bed, tiptoed across the room, and grabbed the duffel from the floor. She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door, then went rummaging around in the bag for the phone. Finally! She found it tucked into a pair of Christina’s socks. As soon as she flipped open the no-frills device, she apologized.
“I’m so sorry, Hal!” she whispered.
“Christ on a cracker! I’ve been worried sick about you guys!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s nearly one a.m. I haven’t seen anything on Justice Department or state police sites, but I hadn’t heard from you, so I didn’t know what to think.”
Evelyn sat on
“Something wrong, Clancy?”
The Mermaid Society . . . Rowan . . . the Safe Haven . . . that was it! The Safe Haven attic! Mona raised an eyebrow. “Care to share?”
The photo of the girl.
“Son?”
“It’s nothing. I was thinking that I should get anything of mine out of the attic before Rowan tosses it on the garbage barge. Didn’t you store some of my kid stuff up there?”
“Yes. Your school work, refrigerator art, and trophies for track events and the like.” She tipped her head with curiosity and grinned. “Since when have you been the sentimental type?”
“Ma,” he said, gently patting her back. “It’s more practical than sentimental. If Rowan and Ash are going to live at the Safe Haven, then it’s only right for me to get my junk out of their way and take it to my cottage. I do have my own home, you know.”
She didn’t seem satisfied with his answer. “All right. So nothing else is bothering you?”
Clancy shook his head. “It’s just festival week. You know how it is.”
His mother stopped and faced him. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
Uh-oh
.
“Someday you’ll find her, and she will be exactly right for you. Everything you’ve been through will have been worth it.”
“Hold up.” Clancy laughed at how quickly she’d forgotten her promise to stay out of other people’s business. “First off, I’m not looking for a woman, exactly right or completely wrong or anywhere in between. And I have no idea how your brain went in that direction, since we were talking about me getting my crap out of the attic.”
She shrugged.
“The woman of my dreams isn’t inside a mildewy cardboard box shoved under the rafters.”
Mona chuckled. “I’m simply telling you that I’m here and I love you. If you ever want to talk about anything and everything or nothing at all, you know where to find me.”
Clancy stopped walking. “You and the mermaidbrigade do not have permission to mess with my personal life. No magic spells or true loves or anything. You’re clear on this, right?”
“Of course! My gracious. I would never even dream of that, son.”
* * *
Evelyn jolted awake in a panic, her eyes searching her surroundings and her brain spinning, struggling for traction. It took a few seconds before she put it together. They were in the motel on Bayberry Island and Richard Wahlman was hunting them down. Christina was sound asleep against her, one bony little knee poking into Evelyn’s side. She breathed deeply and forced herself to relax, realizing that her niece’s usual nighttime flailing had woken her from a deep sleep.
But just then, she heard it, an odd beeping sound coming from the corner of the room. Her mind began to race through all the worst-case scenarios—was Richard here? Had he found them already? Was the SWAT team at the door, or FBI agents? Evelyn’s heart pounded as the beeping continued.
Then it dawned on her. She rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness. It was her phone, the disposable phone she’d purchased from the variety store in Augusta. And the only person in the world who had the number was Hal.
She’d completely forgotten to call him.
As carefully as possible, Evelyn pulled away from Christina. Her niece grumbled a bit then turned over on her side, but she remained asleep. Evelyn rose from the bed, tiptoed across the room, and grabbed the duffel from the floor. She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door, then went rummaging around in the bag for the phone. Finally! She found it tucked into a pair of Christina’s socks. As soon as she flipped open the no-frills device, she apologized.
“I’m so sorry, Hal!” she whispered.
“Christ on a cracker! I’ve been worried sick about you guys!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s nearly one a.m. I haven’t seen anything on Justice Department or state police sites, but I hadn’t heard from you, so I didn’t know what to think.”
Evelyn sat on
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