Picking up a handful of pebbles, she simply tossed them into the water, smiling as they plunked like raindrops.
“Now, that’s more like it,” Shelley said, laughing as she did it again.
A short while later, she was surprised to turn and find she wasn’t alone on the beach anymore. Didi crouched beside Chandler Rockwell’s wheelchair, and he was leaning over the side, watching his nurse clear the sand around the wheel. He was grumbling something Shelley couldn’t hear.
“Is everything okay?”
Didi shaded her eyes from the sun and squinted up at her. “Shelley, hi. Nice to see you again. I seem to have hit a rock beneath the sand.” Didi clapped her hands together and shook off the sand. “There, that should do it.”
Shelley smiled at Chandler. “Hello, Mr. Rockwell. How are you today?”
He squinted against the sun. “You’re that Walters girl. You’ve been spending time with my grandson Quinn, haven’t you?”
Shelley wondered if he knew her parents or had heard about her from Quinn’s family. She decided to err on the side of caution.
“Yes, I am, and yes, I have. But please don’t judge me by my family.”
His long fingers curled around the arms of the wheelchair. Shelley imagined his large bony hands had once been as strong and agile as Quinn’s. He set a steady dark gaze on Shelley. She shifted her footing under his scrutiny.
“Then how should I judge you?”
His words were slightly cutting, and Shelley got the impression that they were supposed to sound like that. Shelley felt sorry for Didi, having to stand by while he made such sharp comments. But the look in Didi’s eyes wasn’t one of cowering to the old man’s harshness. It was one of obvious support aimed at Shelley.
Shelley met his steely gaze again. “By my actions. And by how much I care for your amazing grandson.”
Shelley held her breath for a beat, unsure of what to expect. But in the space of a breath, the muscles in Chandler’s jaw softened and his grip on the wheelchair eased slightly. He harrumphed and motioned for Didi to wheel him away...but for a split second, Shelley swore she saw appreciation in his eyes.
“I hope to see you again soon, Shelley,” Didi said with a smile, before heading back up the beach with Chandler.
Maybe the old man didn’t have a heart of stone after all.
Maybe, like the gristmill, and even Quinn, all Chandler Rockwell needed was the right kind of affection to reveal a kinder side of him. Or maybe he really was a curmudgeonly old bastard. But even in the brief interaction she’d had with Griffin, she believed in her heart that the fruit couldn’t fall far from the tree. Somewhere beneath Chandler’s gruff exterior had to be a nicer man.
In any case, Chandler’s body might be failing, but his mind was clearly still very sharp. And it didn’t evade her that Quinn’s careful consideration before speaking mirrored Chandler’s, much more so than Griffin’s easy nature, which she’d witnessed at Sierra’s restaurant.
The longer she thought about it, the more Quinn seemed like a mix of the two men. She’d seen Quinn’s carefree side, and she’d definitely noticed that he was his own worst critic, always worrying that he’d hurt her.
Once she was back inside her cottage, she picked up the champagne bottle with the candle he’d made for her and set it beside the flowers he’d left on her doorstep. They’d started to wilt, but she knew she’d keep them until the petals fell off.
You’re the perfect mix of sexy, fun boyfriend and powerful businessman, Quinn Rockwell. I hope one day you can see that, too.
There were myriad details she needed to take care of to get her life in order. Starting with a call to Taryn to let her know she’d changed her flight.
“Hey there, girlfriend.”
Shelley smiled at the sound of Taryn’s voice. “I wanted to let you know that I delayed my flight for two weeks. I’m still waiting to hear if the property I want to buy for the café is going to come through, but I should know within a week, and I’ve rented a cute cottage that overlooks the bay. I can’t wait for you to come visit.”
“You can count on it, and soon, since I’m already halfway done with the island dress I promised you. Did you talk to your monster…I mean mother about it?”
“Yes, and she was perfectly rotten.”
“Aw, Shell. I’m sorry, but you didn’t really expect anything different, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” But the little girl in her apparently had still held out hope for a miracle. “I’m not going to let her ruin my excitement, though. I know I’m doing the right thing. Oh, and thanks for telling your mom, who then told mine. What were you thinking?”
“Yikes. I forgot that slipped when we were talking. I’m really sorry, Shell. I should have been more careful.”