An Unlikely Family

“I’m going to be a teacher.”

“Really? You’ll have to apply at Heron Point Elementary when you get your degree,” Evie said. “I have a sixth sense about people, and I can tell you’d make a great teacher.”

“Thanks, but I’m kind of an English freak. I’m going for my secondary certificate.”

The waiter brought a tray of scones and filled each woman’s cup with tea. Evie took a sip, savoring the hint of orange flavor. “This morning when I was dolphin-watching, I never thought I’d be enjoying real English tea three hours later,” she said.

Claire gave her a coy smile. “Like I said, there’s a lot about Heron Point that will surprise you. Have you met anyone besides us, and Hester Poole, of course?”

Figuring that Claire knew about her encounter with one of her police officers the night before, Evie spooned a generous helping of jelly onto her scone and thought about her answer. The words describing Billy Muldoone caught in her throat, however, when she glanced up and saw the man himself standing at the entrance, all neat, pressed, decidedly official and every bit as handsome as he’d looked the day before. She swallowed, nodded toward the doorway and said, “As a matter of fact…”

All three women followed her gaze. “You’ve met Billy?” Helen said.

“I did. He caught me red-footed, prowling around the school last night before dark. The back door was unlocked, so I just walked in for a quick look-around.” She smiled. “He didn’t seem to like it much.”

Helen laughed. “That’s our Billy. And I bet he didn’t believe a word of your story, either.”

“Something like that. For a minute I thought he was going to—” she lowered her voice in her best imitation of Billy’s growl “—take me downtown for questioning.”

“I know what that’s like,” Helen said. “I’ve had my share of run-ins with Heron Point’s finest.” She licked jelly off her finger and whispered, “Don’t look now, but he spotted us and he’s headed this way.”

Evie quickly buried her face in her teacup, afraid the flush in her cheeks would be evident to everyone at the table. Good grief, she shouldn’t be having a physical reaction like this. She hardly knew the man, and he was married.

Billy ambled over. Out of the corner of her eye, Evie watched him take off his cap and stick it under his arm. “Afternoon, ladies.”

“Hi, Billy,” Claire said, her tone bright. “I understand you’ve met our new school principal.”

“Sure have.”

Evie felt his full attention on her, and her heartbeat kicked up a notch. She returned her teacup to its saucer and risked looking up at him.

“So you survived your first night in town, I see,” he said.

Relieved when her voice was calm and even, she said, “I did. No problems.”

“Good. You’ve got a fine group of tour guides here. They’ll tell you how it really is.”

“Oh, yeah, she can count on us,” Helen said. “We’ll tell Evie what she needs to know.”

The waiter returned to the table with a brown bag in his hand. “Hey, Billy, your take-out is ready.”

“Okay, thanks.” He stared at Evie a moment longer. “Nice seeing you again.”

“Same here.”

He left the dining room, and Evie watched out the front window as he crossed the street toward the Heron Point City Hall. When she looked back at her companions, they were all smiling. “What?”

“He likes you,” Helen said.

Evie’s mouth dropped open before she said, “No, I don’t think so.” She was about to explain that she knew Billy had a family, but Helen interrupted.

“Of course he does. He didn’t come over here to check out the kind of tea we were having. His interest was all on you.”

Pet flipped her long platinum braid over her shoulder. “Be fair, Helen. Maybe Billy was just being friendly. His days as a womanizer are pretty much behind him now. And he’s a good person. He’s just been unlucky in love.”

“That’s right,” Claire agreed. “And he’s hardworking. He’s eating his lunch in the squad car. That shows dedication.”

Helen snickered. “More likely he’s avoiding that control freak of a mother who lives with him. I wouldn’t go home to lunch with her, either.”

Evie leaned back, trying to catch a glimpse of the cruiser through the window. “He lives with his mother?”

“Yes, he does,” Claire said. “And his daughter.”

So this was Billy’s family? His mother and daughter?

“By the way, Evie,” Helen said, “you’ll get to know Billy’s daughter, Gemma. She’ll be in the fourth grade this year.”

“Oh, really? I look forward to meeting her.”

Helen sent a devious glance to her friends.

“Okay, Helen,” Evie said, “is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Do not influence this woman one way or the other,” Claire said. “It wouldn’t be right.”

The baby woke and started to fuss. Helen picked him up. “I guess you’ll draw your own conclusions soon enough,” she said. “Just remember that name—Gemma Scarlett Muldoone.” Settling the baby against her shoulder, she added, “And you might want to put Billy’s cell phone number on your speed dial.”

CHAPTER THREE

SATURDAY NIGHT YAWNED ahead of Evie like the flat Florida landscape she’d driven through two days before. She’d spent the day at the school organizing her work space and adding personal touches. The small office was beginning to feel like home.

She wished she could say the same for Hester Poole’s frilly little haven. But Evie didn’t think she could stand sipping another iced tea from a flowery pink tumbler or bathing with another of the rose-shaped, quarter-size soaps Hester provided with a ruffled shower cap. And surfing the eight channels the outdoor antenna picked up wasn’t any more appealing.

If she were in Detroit, Evie would be spending Saturday night with one of her few remaining friends who still lived in the city, or going on a don’t-get-your-hopes-up date, or hitting one of the local cineplexes. A movie wasn’t an option in Heron Point. There wasn’t a single theater in town.

She supposed she could wander down Hester’s brick-paved walkway to the Gulf and watch the tide roll in, but she was starving. She decided to go into town to the Green Door Café for supper. Maybe she’d run into Pet Sweeney.

What Evie hadn’t counted on was the volume of traffic in town on a Saturday night. After two slow passes down Island Avenue, she finally spotted a car pulling out of a space. She did what she always criticized other drivers for doing—she sat in the street with her blinker on to nab the spot before anyone else could. And she did her best to ignore the drivers in the line behind her.

When she got out of her car, she noticed she was close to Wear It Again, the clothing store owned by her new friend, Claire. Evie walked up to the display window and looked inside. Claire had said she ran a vintage shop. All the selections Evie could see through the glass were elegant and unusual, and according to the tags within sight, some once belonged to Hollywood celebrities.

The store was crowded, but Evie ventured in anyway. She wouldn’t stay long, just say hi to Claire. A young woman signaled to her when she came inside. “Be right with you,” she said.

“Hi, I’m Sue Ellen,” she said a few minutes later, unnecessarily. She wore a name tag on the lapel of her shabby chic jacket. “Can I help you?”

“I stopped by to see Claire,” Evie explained.

“Oh, she’s not here. She’s hardly ever here on a Saturday night.” She nodded toward another girl who had pinned her name tag to a wide band around her hair. “We handle things on weekend nights.”