The Parent Trap

Sarah laughed. “Creepy-crawlies make me squeamish, too, but even I’m okay with these critters. They’re harmless, trust me.”

Casey momentarily looped her arms around Sarah’s neck. “Thanks for the pizza, Mom. You, too—” She hesitated. “Um, Mr. Marshall, I guess.”

“How about we reserve the ‘Mr. Marshall’ thing for school?”

Casey grinned.

“And soccer practice,” he added. “Otherwise it’s Jon.”

“Sure.”

Kate pushed away from the table and followed Casey across the deck. “Thank you for having us over. This was nice.” She hadn’t had a lot to say while they ate, but Sarah could tell she was a sweet girl and she liked her quiet confidence.

“You’re welcome. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“She’s a great kid,” Sarah said to Jon after the girls went inside and closed the sliding door behind them. “Nice manners, too.”

“Thanks. She has her moments but mostly, yes, she’s a good kid.”

He seemed both reluctant to give her too much credit and pleased that someone else recognized his daughter’s positive traits.

“Would you like coffee?” she asked. She hoped he would say yes. In spite of his parenting skills, which were awkward at best, she had enjoyed their conversation over dinner. “If you can afford the time, that is.”

“Ah...sure. That’d be nice.”

“I’ll run in and make some.” She gathered up the pizza boxes and tucked them under one arm, then picked up the tray with all of their empty plates and glasses.

“Let me help with those.”

“Thanks, but I can manage.” She gestured toward the bay. “You’ve had a long day. Sit and enjoy the view. I’ll be right back.”

Inside the kitchen, she poured water into the coffeemaker and filled the basket with grounds. While it brewed she quickly loaded the dishwasher and set a pair of bright red coffee mugs and a mismatched creamer and sugar bowl on the tray. Almost as an afterthought, she added a small plate with some of the cookies.

Jon had hesitated when she’d offered coffee. Perhaps because he still had a lot to do at home. Or maybe he’d had enough of her company for one evening. No, she didn’t think that was it. She’d felt a little spark at the pizza place. She was sure he had, too, although she had to admit to being completely out practice when it came to these things. Paolo and Maria’s matchmaking aside, an attractive single man would draw attention in a small town like Serenity Bay. There weren’t many single women here, but she knew a few married ones who’d be wishing they were. A thought that didn’t sit well, she realized.

She filled the two mugs and carried the tray back outside. Jon stood with his back to her, leaning on the railing. The view always captivated her, and tonight was no exception. The tide was low and the bay itself was calm. Out on the strait, though, a light breeze had the surface dancing, and in the distance a cruise ship destined for Alaska glided by, lights twinkling in the dusk.

“Here we go.” She set the tray on the table and he walked back to join her. “Cream and sugar?” she asked after they were seated.

“Black is good, thanks.”

She scooped sugar into hers, added cream, stirred. He was watching quizzically when she looked up.

“I have a sweet tooth.”

“I can see that.”

She held out the plate. “Help yourself.”

“Ah. Cookies. Thanks for the ones you dropped off this afternoon. They were...great.” And he was a terrible liar.

“You didn’t look at all guilty when you said that.” His grin suggested he was onto her. “Casey thought we should bake something to welcome you to the neighborhood, but I am not a cookie-baking kind of mom. Actually, I’m not much of a cook of any kind.”

“It’s the thought that counts,” he said, and he sounded sincere. “I was glad you stopped by. So was Kate, although she might not have let on.”

Sarah set the tray on the table and handed one of the mugs to him. “Kate seems like she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“She does. But she’s going through a...I don’t know...a phase? At least I hope it’s a phase.” He drank some of his coffee. “This is good.”

“Thanks. Fourteen’s a tough age, especially for girls.” She set her mug on the table and wrapped her hands around it. “No longer a child but not quite old enough to have any independence.”

“True. Boys seem to take a while longer to get to that point.”

“So I recall. I think raising girls is easier, don’t you?”

“I don’t know about easy, but then I never expected to be raising a kid on my own, boy or girl.”

“How long has it been?”

He drank some coffee while he contemplated his answer.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s a personal question. You don’t have to answer it.”

“No problem. I was just doing the math. Georgette moved out a year ago but even before that she was busy with her career, pretty much working twenty-four/seven, so we—Kate and I—were on our own a lot of the time.”

Sarah gazed into her coffee cup, choosing her words carefully. “Juggling family and career is tough for a lot of women,” she said. “We want to be a success at both.”

“Georgette likes to live large. It’s not a lifestyle that lends itself to parenting...and I’m being honest, not critical. She adores Kate, and Kate is her biggest fan.”

“Your daughter’s lucky to have her in her life then,” she said. “Casey was only six when my...when her father died in a car accident.”

He looked genuinely surprised. “Oh, I’m sorry. That must’ve been rough.”

“It was at first.” She sipped some coffee and changed the subject. “What made you choose Serenity Bay as your new home?”

She didn’t particularly want to talk about herself, and she didn’t want to talk about her disaster of a marriage that ended even more disastrously. Keeping the conversation on current topics should be safe enough.

“I didn’t so much choose the town as it chose me. Deciding to leave the city was the first step. The town we moved to depended on where I could find a job.”

“Of course, that makes sense.”

“When I heard about the teaching position here, it sounded perfect. The school, the town, everything. Then I found this house, and here we are.”

“I hope you like it here. After my...Jim died, my parents tried to get me and Casey to move back to Ucluelet or least someplace on Vancouver Island where we’d be closer to them. They thought it would be easier for us to be near family, but Serenity Bay was the right place for us then and it still is. Great schools, friendly people. It’s a good place to raise kids.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” “My daughter was not happy about the move.”

Sarah smiled. “Teenagers don’t like change, that’s for sure. Casey said she’ll show her around and introduce her to some of the kids at school. Maybe that will help.”