Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (25 page)

“Thanks, Mom.” He inhaled deeply and slowly blew it out. One thing Jerry always knew was that his parents were on his side—no matter what. Even when they thought he was blowing a major opportunity for love.

After they got his dad settled back at the condo, his mother handed him a shopping list. “Make sure you get everything I wrote down.”

“I thought we were going out for dinner.” He glanced at the list and looked back up at her. “You have something on here from almost every department in the grocery store.”

“I promised her hors d’oeuvres, and I don’t know what she likes.”

Jerry knew better than to argue. His mother had always been a people-pleaser, from as far back as he could remember. When he had played high school football, she was the mom who brought snacks onto the field after the games. The guys had dubbed her “Team Mom,” and she’d loved it.

“Okay, I’ll get everything on the list.” He made sure his dad was situated in the recliner before he left. Then he instructed his mother to call him if she needed anything else. Once he was alone, he had time to reflect.

His parents had nearly convinced him that he and Amanda were meant to be together. But seeing her sitting next to Matthew reminded him that there were quite a few things about her he didn’t know.

She’d told him she and Matthew were just friends, but they seemed awfully cozy. They had an unspoken language between them that husbands and wives often had after years of marriage. He certainly couldn’t compete with that. Besides, why should he? She lived here. He and his parents were on vacation, and they’d be going back to Atlanta soon.

He parked in the Publix parking lot, ran in, and picked up everything on the list. After he paid, he headed straight to the condo. When he arrived, his mother was grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s up with you, Mom?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing.” She headed for the door. “I think I’ll go for a walk on the beach and get some fresh air. See you in a little while.”

“Don’t be gone long. Amanda will be here soon.”

Amanda got to the Simpsons’ condo a half hour early, so she decided to walk on the beach until she was supposed to arrive. She’d no sooner gotten to the edge of the water when Rosemary joined her.

“Hey, Amanda. Why don’t you come on up?”

“I don’t want to intrude. I’m way too early.”

Rosemary waved her hand. “Don’t worry about that. Jerry just got back from the grocery store, and he’s putting things away. Harold fell asleep in his chair, so you and I can have a nice chat.”

Amanda wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, but how could she argue with the woman now? “If you don’t mind…”

“Of course I don’t mind. Come on. I’ll fix you something to drink. Do you like sweet tea or lemonade?”

“Tea is fine.” Amanda walked beside Rosemary until they got to the condo elevator. She was glad Jerry’s mom had gotten over whatever had upset her earlier. Rosemary’s cold shoulder at church had been disconcerting.

“Have you ever lived anywhere besides Treasure Island?” Rosemary asked.

“Only when I went to college, but that was just for a semester, I’m afraid.”

“That doesn’t count.” Rosemary paused, turned back toward the water, then spun around to face her. “Just remember that sometimes moving to a new place is good for a person. It enables them to start over.”

Amanda was speechless. She wasn’t sure where Rosemary was going with that comment, and she didn’t think she wanted to pursue the angle.

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Rosemary turned to her and smiled. “So how long have you been going to Treasure Island Community Church?”

“About twenty years.” Amanda braced herself for more interrogation.

“Is that where you met that young man you were sitting with this morning?”

Rosemary hadn’t wasted a single second. “No, I’ve known Matthew since high school. We’ve been good friends for a long time.”

“How good of friends are you?” She stopped, angled her head, and waited, giving Amanda a look that made her feel like if she didn’t answer correctly, there might be repercussions.

“He tells me about his girlfriends and asks for advice. When my former fiancé left me at the altar several years ago, Matthew was there to console me.”

Rosemary nodded her understanding. “I see. So how did he console you?”

“He was there when I needed to talk.” Amanda felt very uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to be rude, so she tried to give brief answers and hoped that Rosemary would change the subject.

But she didn’t. The woman was like a shark.

“I’m sure he wanted to date you.” Rosemary forced a smile. “You’re such a sweet, pretty girl, I have no doubt he wanted more than friendship.”

“Actually, that’s not the case. Matthew likes a different type of girl—more the surfer type—and he’s not ready to settle down. He’s a professional skateboarder, and he plans to stay with that until he’s too old to do it. That kind of lifestyle is very difficult on a relationship.”

“So you’ve thought about it.” Rosemary changed her position and looked at her from beneath hooded eyebrows.

“Not really.” Amanda needed to end this conversation, since Rosemary obviously wasn’t going to. “I’m just not attracted to him in that way. Matthew is only a friend, and that’s how it’s going to stay.” She paused and gave Rosemary a firm stare, letting her know she was serious. Then she smiled. “I haven’t been to Captain Kosmakos in a long time, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Suddenly Rosemary stopped, so Amanda followed suit and turned to the older woman, whose expression had turned to one that was disquieting. Amanda had a strange feeling in her gut.

“Tell me something, Amanda,” Rosemary said softly but with resolve. “Do you always change the subject when you don’t like what’s being discussed?”

Amanda let her head fall forward as she expelled a burst of air. Leave it to Rosemary to cut to the chase. “I don’t know….”

“I don’t mean to upset you, dear, but my son is emotionally involved, and I don’t want him getting hurt.”

When Amanda looked back up at Rosemary, she simply shook her head. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt—Jerry or me.”

“I understand that.” Rosemary reached for Amanda’s hand and grasped it firmly between both of hers. “Harold and I were kind of hoping…well, we were thinking that something might develop between the two of you.”

Amanda didn’t say a word. What could she say? Even though she suspected as much, she was flummoxed by Rosemary’s ready admission.

“Okay, I think it’s time to lighten up,” Rosemary finally said after a couple of minutes of silence between them. “Jerry should be done with the groceries by now, and hopefully he woke his father. Perhaps you can help me get the appetizers ready.”

“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me,” Amanda said. “But I’ll be glad to help you with anything you need.”

“I want to say one more thing, and then I’ll quit being so annoying.”

Amanda waited for a few seconds, and when Rosemary didn’t continue, she turned toward her. “What do you want to say?”

“You remind me of myself when I was younger. I did everything for everyone, and I rarely looked after myself. When our first two children were born, I wore myself out. Steven came first, and then three years later, we had Jennifer. As soon as she started kindergarten, I went back to work part-time, and that was the first time in my adult life I had my own life.”

“When did Jerry enter the picture?” Amanda asked.

Rosemary smiled and shook her head. “About two years after we’d decided it was too late to have more children.”

“I bet you’re happy he came along.”

“Oh, absolutely.” Rosemary guided her toward the high-rise condo then took the lead to the elevator. “Jerry was the light in our lives during his entire childhood. After the other two were grown and gone, Jerry stuck around and made sure we weren’t lonely.”

Amanda detected a note of consternation in Rosemary’s voice. “Where are Steven and Jennifer now?”

Rosemary punched the elevator button then turned to face Amanda while they waited. “Steven’s company transfers him every couple of years. He’s in Alabama now. Jennifer and her husband moved to North Carolina shortly after their daughter, Isabelle, was born.”

“I bet you miss them.”

“You bet right.” The elevator door opened, and Rosemary got on and moved over for Amanda. “Jerry makes sure they call us every week, but he thinks we don’t know he’s behind the calls.”

It sounded as though Jerry was quite a bit like Rosemary and Amanda—only in a much more masculine way. He didn’t mind being a protector while at the same time taking care of everyone’s feelings. Unfortunately, that elevated him to a new level in Amanda’s mind and made her care about him that much more.

The elevator came to a stop and dinged, and the door opened. Rosemary stepped out and headed toward the condo. “We don’t need to tell anyone about our little discussion, okay?”

“Sure,” Amanda agreed. “It’s just between you and me.”

“I knew you’d understand.” When they got to the door, Rosemary reached for the knob and opened it. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Jerry greeted them as soon as they walked inside. “I already put a few things out on the dining room table, but I wasn’t sure what you wanted with some of it.”

Rosemary shooed them out of the kitchen. “I’ll finish with the hors d’oeuvres. Why don’t y’all go out on the balcony and chat? It’s such a nice evening.”

Amanda looked at Jerry, who appeared to be uncomfortable. “We don’t—” she began before Jerry interrupted.

“Come on, Amanda.” He gestured toward the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. “We need to talk.”

As soon as they stepped onto the balcony, Jerry slid the door closed behind them. She walked over to the railing and inhaled deeply.

“So what did you and Mom talk about?”

Amanda glanced over his shoulder and tried to act nonchalant. “Just regular stuff.”

He chuckled. “I know my mom. She has an agenda, but I also know she probably swore you to secrecy. Please forgive her for being so aggressive.”

There was no point in acting coy, with Jerry being so intuitive and direct. “Your mother means well, I’m sure.”

“Yes, she does. But that’s still not a good reason for putting you on the spot.” She turned around and saw that he’d folded his arms, physically closing her off. His coolness was disarming.

“She asked me about Matthew.”

Jerry looked like someone had punched him in the face. His jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered.

“Matthew and I have been very good friends for years. That’s all. We’ve been there for each other when things have gotten rough.”

“Isn’t that the foundation of a strong relationship?”

She nodded. “Of course, but neither of us wants more than friendship with each other. I really don’t like when people assume more than that.”

Jerry frowned as he joined her at the railing and looked out over the Gulf. When he finally turned toward her, he offered a slight smile. “Trust me, I understand.”

“My mother hasn’t been the model parent….” Amanda paused and turned to see Jerry’s reaction. He looked at her, waiting. “Not like your parents, anyway. She relied on me to help with Lacy. It wasn’t easy—especially when I was in my last couple of years of high school and later, when Lacy started acting out in middle school. Matthew was a skateboarder and surfer, and I was more into school sports, like track and volleyball. We started out talking about sports, and then the conversations turned to more personal things. He had problems at home, so he started hanging out at my house to get away. Even back then people assumed he and I were an item, but the chemistry wasn’t there.”

“Did you even try?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Not really. Neither of us wanted to ruin a good thing. I think he might have had a crush on Lacy a few years ago, after she graduated from college, but her whining eventually got on his nerves. He’s the one who helped me with her and my mother.”

Jerry had one fist planted on a hip and the other hand on the rail. He turned to her and smiled—this time with warmth. “I’m glad you had someone to help you.”

“You’re fortunate to have such great parents,” she added.

“Yes, I know. That’s why I never want to let them down. Since we seem to be in the confession mode, I might as well let you know that I’ve been disappointed in my sister and brother. They don’t come around as much as they should.”

Movement inside the condo caught her eye. They both turned in time to see Rosemary gesturing for them to join her and Harold.

By the time they left the condo for the restaurant, Amanda was no longer hungry. Rosemary had added spicy meatballs and stuffed celery to the platters of vegetables, chips, and nuts Jerry had already put out. All she ordered at Captain Kosmakos was a Greek salad. She wasn’t even able to finish that, so she asked for a to-go box to take the rest home.

When they got to the condo parking lot, Amanda said good night and went to her car. The evening had been nice but packed with emotion, and she needed to be alone.

The next morning, she’d barely opened the store when Tiffany arrived. “Need me today?”