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“I knew you liked him before you did. I reckon you were the last one to realize it. Many parents say they want to see their kids happy. You understand that now. But as your father, I want to see you secure. And I don’t just mean with money. I mean in a relationship, family, a home, and with the way you spend your time.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I give him a side hug.
The guy came late to the hug game, but as a single father of three girls, there was no avoiding it. Whatever rough edges he had, we shaved them down, just enough so that he’s no longer bitter about our mother leaving. He’s quick to tell us that he got the better deal. I suppose I did too when it comes to Luke.
He squints at the sky. “I wish I’d paid more attention to how Eddie was doing after we lost Martina. For me, when your mother took off, I was like a cat in a bag. Didn’t readily occur to me how busted up he’d be. But in a way, I’m glad he was, because it brought us all back together.”
“A blessing in disguise.”
“So many blessings, darling.” Dad winks at me.
“It’s hard to believe Harper and Heather’s husbands are game to move onto the island. They work in the online world and can be remote. Plus, I think the Plundering Pelican brings out the kid in everyone.”
Dad takes another box from the bed of the Ford. “Which has always amused me because real pirates aren’t exactly kid-friendly.”
Ryan’s story about Chip’s will drifts into my mind.
“What I want to know is how are y’all going to fit into this house. It was already loaded back in the day with your aunt and uncle, Brando, and the four of us. Add nine more and that’s not just a full house, it’s packed to the gills.”
We both laugh.
Then I remember Ryan offering me a place at the rental. “Dad, don’t finish unloading just yet. Unless you need the truck this afternoon.”
“I’m ashore for the rest of the week, then I head back to ‘Bama.”
“I’ll miss you. Luke will too.”
“I’ll be back before you know it. In the meantime, y’all have your hands full, and I’m hoping that when I get back, it’ll be to the sound of wedding bells.”
I give my daddy another big hug then find Luke with his auntie and cousin. After lunch, we head to town where I told Ryan I’d meet him.
He stands squarely in front of the Sip & Scoop building, hands hammocked behind his head, and his back facing us. My, what a fine specimen of human strength. He’s fit and lean and a feast for the eyes. It’s no wonder he has somany female fans.
“Da! Da!” Luke calls.
Ryan turns around and his eyes light up. As if he’s done this a hundred times, he unbuckles the belt on the stroller and lifts Luke into his arms. “There’s my favorite little man in the world.”
Compared to our relatively quiet life in Alabama, except when Dad was ashore, this kid is going to overdose on love.
After a happy reunion for my big and little boys, Ryan’s focus returns to the Sip & Scoop.
I follow his gaze to what was once a standard wooden storefront with a striped awning and the option to order from a window or go inside. It was a staple throughout my childhood and I imagined it would always be here. In fact, I’d hoped it would be part of Luke’s core memories of Coco Key. Now, the wooden structure is splintered and rotten, the paint stripped, and the big glass window cracked and covered with plywood. The metal poles from the ripped awning groan in the wind. The missing letters from the sign readip & oop.
“Hurricane Howie did a number on it.”
“It looks terrible. Kind of like us when we showed up on this island,” he says.
I slug Ryan in the arm. “Speak for yourself, Hot Shot. I was wearing wedding attire.”
“Yeah. You looked really good. Any particular reason you avoided me that night?”
“Because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t.”
He rocks into me with his hip. “Didn’t turn out that bad. But I meant emotionally. We were like this building, tearing each other down.”
That’s surprisingly insightful. “I suppose you’re right. But now we’re building each other back up and we can do the same to the ip & oop.”
Ryan laughs and his eyes light with renewed hope that it’s possible, even if he can’t see it. Even if he doesn’t know the first thing about running an ice cream parlor. Me neither.
