Mariah Stewart - Coming Home

They were still three people back in the queue but the line was moving. Steffie had apparently called in recruits.

“You know, I get more steamed every time I think about that woman, Candice,” Vanessa told him, her hands in the pockets of her jeans, a deep frown on her pretty face. “I was going to give her a twenty percent discount on that dress. And then she destroyed it. Doesn’t that just stink?”

“It does.” He fought to control a smile. She was so seriously put out over that one factor. But the longer Grady thought about it, the more it began to bother him, too, albeit for totally different reasons.

“What can I get for…” Steffie raised her head, then smiled. “Oh, hey, guys. Ness, I was going to call you as soon as I had a break. I heard about what happened. Look, anything I can do… I mean anything, you got it.”

“Thanks, Stef. I appreciate that.”

“We need to talk about this. I need to hear everything.”

“You will. I’ll be at the shop tomorrow morning to start cleaning up.”

“I’ll be there to help if you need me. I’ll see if Tina can open for me. She was looking for extra hours.” Steffie’s eyes followed several new customers into the store. “Do you believe this? You’d think I invented ice cream, the way people are streaming into this store. Honestly, Ness, it’s been like this since I opened at noon.” She grinned and added, “And I should mention that Mocha Berry Vanessa has been a big seller.”

“We’ll have two of those,” Grady told her.

Steffie scooped the ice cream into bowls and stuck a plastic spoon in the top of each before handing them over.

“What time are you planning on going to Bling tomorrow?” she asked.

“I’d like to keep my regular hours, so I guess I’ll be in town for coffee by eight,” Vanessa told her.

“I’ll see you then.” She waved Grady away when he took his wallet from his back pocket. “I can help the next person in line…”

“Wow, she’s really doing quite the business,” Grady noted as they stepped out into the sunlight.

“It’s a nice warm day, and people like to get out and walk in the sunshine after a long cold winter. Besides, Steffie’s good at what she does, and she was at the right place at the right time. Unlike me, however, she always knew exactly what she wanted to do.”

“She always wanted an ice-cream shop?”

“She always wanted to make her own ice cream. Make up her own flavors, sell from her own little place. At one time, this little building was a crabber’s shack. She told me that her dad and her uncle and her grandfather were all watermen. This was where they picked the crabs, her grandmother and her mother and her aunt. Crabbing fell off a few years ago, the grandfather died, the uncle moved away, her dad retired from commercial crabbing, took out some loans, and went back to college.”

“What does he do now?”

“He’s an environmentalist. He’s working on writing the new conservation regulations for the Chesapeake Watershed.”

“There’s a switch of hats.”

“Not so much. Stef said he saw firsthand what pollution was doing to the Bay, and wanted to work to correct it.” Vanessa licked ice cream from the spoon. “Anyway, she wanted a place to do her thing, so her dad let her have their old shack. She worked on it for six months, fixing it up. She said it had leaks, it had bats, the windows needed to be replaced, and the floor needed repair.”

“She did all that work herself?”

Vanessa nodded. “Mostly by herself, though her brother did help her out when he could. He’s the vet here, owns a small animal and waterfowl clinic down on the river.”

“Small animal and waterfowl,” Grady mused. “Now there’s an interesting combination.”

“Stef said that when he went away to school, he wanted to come back to St. Dennis to practice someday, so I guess he knew what they needed most around here.”

They’d reached the wooden walkway, as far as one could go before stepping into the Bay. The water had rainbow swirls from fuel that leaked from the motor of one of the boats tied up just a stone’s throw farther down toward the pier. They stood and watched the boats ease in or out of their slips, the motors muffling as they maneuvered slowly around the pier. Once out in the channel they could open up their motors and the boats could soar and scream like wild things, but here, on their best behavior, they whispered.

“Well, now, I thought that was the two of you back there in Steffie’s place.”

Vanessa turned in time to see Hal take Maggie’s arm.

“Look here, Maggie. Vanessa and Grady are out enjoying the day, too.”

“I was,” Vanessa muttered.

“We’re just on our way to take the boat out for a spin. Maggie says she’s never been out on the water. Imagine that, Ness.” He looked her directly in the eye. “Imagine living your whole life, and never getting to feel the spray in your face, the wind in your hair…”

Vanessa’s smile was fixed and frozen.

“I was just telling Maggie about taking you out this week, Grady,” Hal went on as if everything was just peachy, as if Vanessa wasn’t staring daggers at Maggie, and Maggie wasn’t trying to ignore her daughter, choosing instead to focus on Grady.

“I enjoyed both trips,” Grady told them. Addressing Maggie, he said, “I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Hal really knows his way around the Bay.”

“After sixty-some years around here, I’d better know my way around. Say,” he said as if it just occurred to him. “I thought you were leaving this afternoon.”

“I had a change of plans,” Grady replied.

“I see. Well, then, why don’t you join us for a spin around the Bay? It’s been a while since you and I were out together, Ness.”

“Some other time, Hal, but thank you,” Vanessa replied.

“All right, then. See you later.” He took Maggie’s arm and started to turn toward the dock. “You know what would make me very happy? If you two would meet us for dinner later at Walt’s.”

Grady watched the conflict cross Vanessa’s face. She loved Hal and wouldn’t hurt him for the world, but she still clearly had issues with Maggie.

Finally, she said, “Grady, did your brother ever get back to you about having dinner tonight?”

“No,” he replied. “I haven’t heard from him.”

“Oh, Andy you’re talking about?” Hal adjusted the dark glasses on his face. “I ran into him earlier at the Inn. He said he’d be heading over to Cannonball Island. He and his wife and a couple of your cousins left around three. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to have dinner while they’re there.”

“In that case, I guess I’m free.” Grady turned to Vanessa. “Are you free?”

Still watching Hal’s face, Vanessa nodded. “What time is good for you, Hal?”

“I suspect we won’t be out as long as an hour.” Hal looked across the Bay and seemed to study the sky. “No point in it, since the sun is going to be setting soon enough.”

“Let’s say an hour then.” Vanessa nodded.

“Good. I’ll be looking forward to it. Now, to get that boat out of her slip without nudging into that fool Carter Harwell. Will you look at the way he’s parking that Whaler of his?” Hal set off down the walk, his eyes on his precious boat, one hand on Maggie’s arm, the other raised to his face as he yelled across the pier, “Hey, Harwell! Watch where you’re going…”

Grady looked down at Vanessa, who was looking up at him.

“Way to stand firm,” he said.

“I can’t say no to him. If he wants me to do this, I’ll do it. If he wants me to make nice to my mother, I’ll make nice.”

“I think he’s hoping you’re doing this for the right reasons, not because you want to please him.”