The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

I stumbled against the leg of a chair trying to round the table to get to them. I flushed, wondering why I was acting like such an idiot over meeting his family. I laughed, a little embarrassed, and held my hand out to Cat.

She stared at it with eyes as blue as Cooper’s, and I felt her hesitation. Finally good manners forced her to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, although now I was thinking not so much as she gazed at me with polite coolness.

I turned my attention to the boy and my heart almost melted. Iris was right. Joey was Cooper’s spitting image. I cast a glance back at Cooper, my expression clearly giving away my thoughts because his eyes warmed. When I turned back to Joey I found him studying me.

“Are you Uncle Cooper’s girlfriend?”

“Um . . .” I didn’t know what to say because Cooper and I hadn’t labeled our relationship yet.

“Yes,” Cooper said from behind me.

Okay, then.

Yay!

I grinned. “Yes.”

Joey grinned back at me. “That’s nice. Not for Sadie Thomas, though. She likes my uncle Cooper a lot.”

“Joey.” Cat shot him a look of warning.

His eyes went round. “What? It’s the truth.” He looked at his uncle. “I asked her why she was kissing you and she said it was because she liked you a lot.”

I raised an eyebrow at Cooper and mouthed, Sadie Thomas?

“That was a while ago,” he assured me. “And Sadie will be fine, Joe.”

“Yeah . . . she seems to like a lot of people a lot.” He nodded sagely. “You’re not the only one I’ve seen her kissing.”

“I’ll bet,” Cat murmured, smirking.

Who the heck was Sadie Thomas?

“Okay.” Cooper moved toward his nephew. “Beach today, Joey?”

“Yup!” He started bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I have my drawing in my backpack.” He looked at me and went on to explain, “We’re building the biggest sand castle ever today! We’re going to break our own record.”

I almost melted at the hero worship in the kid’s eyes. He loved Cooper. Seeing that kind of adoration for him only increased my own, in fact. I seriously needed to start finding some imperfections in this man; otherwise, I was going to start to worry that I was merely infatuated rather than actually falling—

I cut that thought off abruptly.

Too soon, Jess; too scary!

“So what do you think?” Cooper slid an arm around my waist, drawing me close. “You up for the beach today?”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Okay, then.” Cat gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We’ll see you some other time.”

Ouch.

Cooper gave her a dirty look. “No. Jessica is coming with us if she wants to.”

I wasn’t sure that I wanted to join them. I’d never really liked hanging out with someone who didn’t want to hang out with me. I didn’t know many people who did like being in that situation.

As if he sensed my thoughts Cooper squeezed my waist. “I want you there. I want you to get to know Joey.”

“Yeah!” Joey cried enthusiastically. “Uncle Coop said you’re a doctor, which means you’re really smart, and engineering a large sand castle isn’t easy.”

Engineering a large sand castle . . . “I don’t think you need me,” I said, blown away by his vocabulary. “You are clearly wicked smart.”

Joey beamed. “I have an above-average brain, yes.”

I laughed and caught Cat’s eyes and she softened a little. “You must be really proud of him.”

“More than,” she said and then heaved a sigh. “Okay, if we’re all going, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Three weeks?” Cat said.

She was sitting beside me on a towel, staring down the beach to where Cooper and Joey were starting their sand castle.

“Excuse me?”

When she turned to look at me I couldn’t read her expression because she was wearing big black sunglasses. Thankfully she didn’t have me at a disadvantage because I was also able to hide my thoughts and reactions behind my sunglasses.

We’d taken Cooper’s truck to the beach, parking at his bar. The whole drive there and the whole time we set up our towels and picnic area, Cat didn’t say a word to me.

When Joey pulled Cooper away to get to work on the sand castle, Cat asked me to stay just as I was about to follow the boys.

So out of politeness I’d stayed.

Even when I didn’t want to.

Because I could feel a lecture coming on.

“You’ve known each other three weeks. Three weeks.”

I was right. Lecture.

“I’m aware.”

“Are you?” She cocked her head to the side. “Because from where I’m sitting you’re not exactly screaming ‘stable, responsible adult.’ You meet my brother on vacation and then you give up your whole life? After three weeks?”

Alright, so I got her point. From the outside looking in, I probably seemed crazy.

“It’s not just about your brother.” I tried to explain what I had discovered about myself since coming there. “I wasn’t happy where I was. This trip and the people I’ve become close to in Hartwell have made me realize what I was missing for so long. Friends, relationships . . . peace.”

“A woman doesn’t start over after three weeks unless she has nothing to lose. And a thirty-something woman who has nothing to lose concerns me. Because someone like you could easily pick up and leave again, and my brother has lost enough people in his life.” mbled against the leg of a chair trying to round the table to get to them. I flushed, wondering why I was acting like such an idiot over meeting his family. I laughed, a little embarrassed, and held my hand out to Cat.

She stared at it with eyes as blue as Cooper’s, and I felt her hesitation. Finally good manners forced her to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, although now I was thinking not so much as she gazed at me with polite coolness.

I turned my attention to the boy and my heart almost melted. Iris was right. Joey was Cooper’s spitting image. I cast a glance back at Cooper, my expression clearly giving away my thoughts because his eyes warmed. When I turned back to Joey I found him studying me.

“Are you Uncle Cooper’s girlfriend?”

“Um . . .” I didn’t know what to say because Cooper and I hadn’t labeled our relationship yet.

“Yes,” Cooper said from behind me.

Okay, then.

Yay!

I grinned. “Yes.”

Joey grinned back at me. “That’s nice. Not for Sadie Thomas, though. She likes my uncle Cooper a lot.”

“Joey.” Cat shot him a look of warning.

His eyes went round. “What? It’s the truth.” He looked at his uncle. “I asked her why she was kissing you and she said it was because she liked you a lot.”

I raised an eyebrow at Cooper and mouthed, Sadie Thomas?

“That was a while ago,” he assured me. “And Sadie will be fine, Joe.”

“Yeah . . . she seems to like a lot of people a lot.” He nodded sagely. “You’re not the only one I’ve seen her kissing.”

“I’ll bet,” Cat murmured, smirking.

Who the heck was Sadie Thomas?

“Okay.” Cooper moved toward his nephew. “Beach today, Joey?”

“Yup!” He started bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I have my drawing in my backpack.” He looked at me and went on to explain, “We’re building the biggest sand castle ever today! We’re going to break our own record.”

I almost melted at the hero worship in the kid’s eyes. He loved Cooper. Seeing that kind of adoration for him only increased my own, in fact. I seriously needed to start finding some imperfections in this man; otherwise, I was going to start to worry that I was merely infatuated rather than actually falling—

I cut that thought off abruptly.

Too soon, Jess; too scary!

“So what do you think?” Cooper slid an arm around my waist, drawing me close. “You up for the beach today?”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Okay, then.” Cat gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We’ll see you some other time.”

Ouch.

Cooper gave her a dirty look. “No. Jessica is coming with us if she wants to.”

I wasn’t sure that I wanted to join them. I’d never really liked hanging out with someone who didn’t want to hang out with me. I didn’t know many people who did like being in that situation.

As if he sensed my thoughts Cooper squeezed my waist. “I want you there. I want you to get to know Joey.”

“Yeah!” Joey cried enthusiastically. “Uncle Coop said you’re a doctor, which means you’re really smart, and engineering a large sand castle isn’t easy.”

Engineering a large sand castle . . . “I don’t think you need me,” I said, blown away by his vocabulary. “You are clearly wicked smart.”

Joey beamed. “I have an above-average brain, yes.”

I laughed and caught Cat’s eyes and she softened a little. “You must be really proud of him.”

“More than,” she said and then heaved a sigh. “Okay, if we’re all going, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Three weeks?” Cat said.

She was sitting beside me on a towel, staring down the beach to where Cooper and Joey were starting their sand castle.

“Excuse me?”

When she turned to look at me I couldn’t read her expression because she was wearing big black sunglasses. Thankfully she didn’t have me at a disadvantage because I was also able to hide my thoughts and reactions behind my sunglasses.

We’d taken Cooper’s truck to the beach, parking at his bar. The whole drive there and the whole time we set up our towels and picnic area, Cat didn’t say a word to me.

When Joey pulled Cooper away to get to work on the sand castle, Cat asked me to stay just as I was about to follow the boys.

So out of politeness I’d stayed.

Even when I didn’t want to.

Because I could feel a lecture coming on.

“You’ve known each other three weeks. Three weeks.”

I was right. Lecture.

“I’m aware.”

“Are you?” She cocked her head to the side. “Because from where I’m sitting you’re not exactly screaming ‘stable, responsible adult.’ You meet my brother on vacation and then you give up your whole life? After three weeks?”

Alright, so I got her point. From the outside looking in, I probably seemed crazy.

“It’s not just about your brother.” I tried to explain what I had discovered about myself since coming there. “I wasn’t happy where I was. This trip and the people I’ve become close to in Hartwell have made me realize what I was missing for so long. Friends, relationships . . . peace.”

“A woman doesn’t start over after three weeks unless she has nothing to lose. And a thirty-something woman who has nothing to lose concerns me. Because someone like you could easily pick up and leave again, and my brother has lost enough people in his life.”