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Charlie nods, taking it in. “Uncle Rex is nice?”
“Trust me, he’s going to be one of your favorite people. He knows everything there is to know about sports.”
His eyes light up. “Like karate?”
“Yup. Jiu-jitsu, baseball, swimming, hockey, running marathons… he does it all.”
“What’s a marathon?”
The front door creaks open and I raise my eyes to the doorway.
“It’s a really long race.”
Lucy pops her head in. “What’s a really long race?”
“A marathon,” I say with a smile.
“Aunt Lucy!!” Charlie yells. He bounces up like a tennis ball and flings himself at her. She has to rush a couple of feet to catch him before he hits the wall. She spends a lot of time at college in Atlanta and we see a lot of her, especially since Holly left. He clings to her like a barnacle, and I can tell that she’s one of Charlie’s favorite people.
“Hey, Bubba,” Lucy says, grinning. “How’s my most wonderful nephew?”
Charlie grins from ear to ear. “Good.”
She hugs him gently. I hear the staticky buzz of the intercom click on. Sarah’s voice comes through the intercom, presumably from the kitchen.
“Charlie, honey. I made you mac and cheese,” she purrs. “Come into the kitchen to eat.”
Charlie wiggles out of Lucy’s arms and runs off toward the kitchen. I start picking up the crayons that Charlie left scattered all over the floor.
“So?” Lucy prompts. “Are you going to yell at me?”
I favor her with a hard smile. “For what?”
“You know what.” She grins and comes over to help me put the coloring books in order. “I know I might have overstepped a little by suggesting Savannah work for you. But you haven’t been to her grandfather’s house. She has to get her own place.”
Suddenly, my brain is full of Savannah’s perfect curves, and long lashes swept over gorgeous hazel eyes. I stand up and stack the crayon boxes on top of the coloring books.
“I’m sure she does.” I jerk my head toward the patio. “Want to sit outside?”
“Sure.”
She follows me out through the sliding glass door, and I sit down on the white, cast-iron patio set. From here, I have a view of the beach that’s pretty damn glorious. This was always my favorite view of the beach as a kid.
My great grandparents were smart when they chose this location for their home.
Lucy pulls up a seat across from me, her eyes on the white-tufted waves. The quiet roar and smooth hiss of the ocean lull me the way only sounds of my childhood can.
“Sav is going to be a great help,” Lucy says. She pulls her hands into the long sleeves of her fleece and squints. “She’s literally the nicest person I know, too.”
I roll my eyes. “Nobody said that she wasn’t.”
I feel her eyes on me, studying me.
“You know what I think? I think you could use some kindness in your life, Cole. I hate to speak ill of her, because she’s not here to defend herself, but Holly was a selfish, snotty brat. She was vain and conceited before she gave birth to Charlie, and it’s only gotten worse since then.”
I’m stunned. I look at Lucy, easily the nicest of my siblings, with something like bafflement.
“What? How long have you felt that way?”
