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The warm breeze drifted over my shoulders. The sailboats at a distance made their way across the horizon as Julian sat down behind me and pulled me between his thighs. I watched Ben as he played in the sand with his hands.
The simplicity of being a child; to watch him enjoy such a small thing had me almost in tears. I loved this little kid so much.
“Hey, Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we go fishing this weekend? Or maybe sailboating? Have you ever gone?”
He grinned. “I’m definitely down for fishing, and, if you want, and your mom’s okay with it, we can do a lesson together with Wyatt from the Sailboating rental place.”
I didn’t even have to wait for him to ask me. I wanted these two to spend as much time together as possible. “That sounds like fun, right, sweetheart?”
We sat and watched the world move on around us for just a little longer before we stood up and continued on our trek. The hotel seemed busier than normal today.
It looked like Cali had been planning some sort of event, no doubt for the hundreds of tourists currently trying to take over Silverbell. Tables were set up, and lights twinkled all around, giving it an almost sunset-like glow. It looked almost magical.
The furniture was a typical white beachy decor. Fully bloomed flowers highlighted each area, and thick lawns surrounded the driveway up to The Clifton. Kane and Cali looked up and waved at us, halting their conversation mid sentence. “Hi, Cali!” Ben yelled, and she smiled.
“Hey, Ben!” She hollered back. It was obvious that she was in the middle of something when she didn’t come over to chat, so I steered Ben in the other direction. We didn’t need to bother her or Kane.
My gaze took in his unusually casual outfit. Kane Heatherington was a silver fox, and I could definitely see his appeal with his chiseled face and deep brown eyes. When he caught me looking, he threw us a quick wave before turning back to the person he and Cali had been chatting with when we came in.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Brody Spencer, is that you, man? What the hell are you doing here in Silverbell?” Julian’s voice pulled my eyes from Kane and brought them to this new guy.
The man he recognized stood only a few feet away from us. He was on the taller side, with silky brown hair, and had an in shape physique. His tight tee shirt hugged his biceps and allowed the tattoos on his arms to just peek out slightly. A tease without letting us see the whole thing. Brody offered up a smile as we walked toward him.
Rosie was standing beside him, her red hair gleaming in the lights above her. Rosie’s family owned The Irish Giant, and she sometimes bartended when they needed help.
He chuckled. “Julian McCormick, long time no see. You in town visiting? Last I heard, you’d retired from the track.”
“It’s true. My pop passed away a short time ago, and, so, I came home to take over the auto shop off Main Street.”
“Oh, I know the place.” He snapped his fingers. “Luke’s auto shop, right?”
Their stance was comfortable as if they knew each other, and I wondered if they were friends from the racing circuit. I assumed race car drivers probably knew one another. “That’d be the one. So, you just here visiting?”
“Nah, man. I moved here for this sweet little thing.” He grabbed Rosie around the waist, and she rolled her eyes. “And I wanted to see my niece and nephew. You know Maggie Williams? She owns Sweet Little Things Patisserie on Main Street.”
“Yeah, man. Silverbell and I go way back. This little town is where I grew up.”
“Shit.” He said before he paused and looked at Ben, then . His gaze was apologetic, not realizing initially there was a kid in his presence. “I mean, shoot… Hey, we should grab a drink sometime at The Irish Giant and catch up. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you on the track.”
“Absolutely. Where are you staying?”
He waves his hands around. “You’re looking at it. Until this one lets me move in.” Rosie shook her head, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. I could tell they really liked each other. I’d heard through the grapevine, and when I say grapevine I mean Sally, our resident town gossip, that Brody Spencer, famous Formula 1 racer was staying in town.
“Hey, Dad,” Ben said, tugging on Julian’s arm. “Is he a race car driver like you?”
“Yeah, little man. He races cars, too.”
Brody’s eyes grew wide. “You have a kid, man? How did I not know that?”
“To be honest, I didn’t know either until recently.” I knew he didn’t say it to hurt me, but it still cut a little. “But… I’m glad. He’s a great kid.” Ben grinned up at Julian.
Brody kneeled down before Ben. “Hey, dude. I’m Brody, friend of your dad. Nice to meet you.” He held out a hand, and Ben tentatively shook it. He was still a little shy around people he didn’t know.
Picking up on his discomfort, Brody took it with a grain of salt, standing up and backing away. Ben’s shoulders grew a little less tense as soon as he did it. “All right, well we’ve gotta get going. I’m holding you to that drink.”
