Finn's Fantasy (Maine Men #1) - K.C. Wells Page 0,15
college in the fall, and had been living in student housing. But when Joel and Carrie had told them about the divorce, and Joel moved out, Nate had made the decision to move back home. It wasn’t much of a commute to get to classes, and he clearly preferred it this way. Joel had the impression Nate felt he had to be there for his mom, now she was on her own.
He’s a good kid.
“Okay, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll text you when we leave home, so you have an idea when to expect us.” She chuckled. “You’ll know how the trip went if I get there and I’m shaking.”
“You’ll be fine,” Joel said confidently. “Nate’s a good driver.”
“He should be. He practiced enough with you, outside of his lessons, and you were always a careful driver.”
Joel laughed. “Though maybe not as fast as he would have liked sometimes.” He had vivid memories of driving along the highway with little Nate behind him in the back seat, yelling, “Go faster, Daddy!”
“If our plans change, I’ll let you know.”
Joel thanked her and then disconnected. Bramble obviously took the sudden silence to mean one thing. He got up off his bed and trotted over to where Joel was working. Bramble sat beside Joel’s chair, his tail thumping on the floor.
Joel gave up any idea of work. “Okay, fine, I get it.”
Bramble had decided it was time for a walk.
Ten minutes later, Bramble decided they were going to take the route past the fire station, and Joel wasn’t about to argue. There was less of a chill in the air, but Joel was still grateful for the thick scarf around his neck. His mind wasn’t on the route, but on Nate. Joel was sure Carrie was right, in that Nate and Laura would come around eventually, but he hated the barrier that had grown between him and the kids since they’d announced they were getting divorced. He supposed all kids went through this, and although he knew there had been no fights or disagreements between him and Carrie, his own sense of guilt told him it was right that Nate blamed Joel for the divorce.
He turned left onto Kings Highway, and instead of birds chirping away in the trees, there was the sound of hammer on wood, accompanied by laughter and chatter. The sign next to the sidewalk proclaimed the imminent arrival of a hotel, and if the artist’s rendition was accurate, it would fit among the houses that lined the road, facing the ocean.
Joel glanced up at the building. The bare bones of the place were there, a myriad of posts and beams rising from the basement floor. As yet there were no walls, and Joel pitied the men working all day in the fresh ocean air. Then he smiled to himself when he caught sight of one guy who was wearing shorts.
There’s always one…
Bramble tugged him toward the beach, and Joel had to pull tight on the leash before they crossed the road. Kings Highway wasn’t busy as a rule, although he was sure it would be a different story when summer came. Once they had taken one of the many small paths through the rocks and were on the sand, Joel let out Bramble’s leash as far as it would go, and the dog went to sniff along the shoreline. Joel walked at a steady pace toward the northern end of the beach, smiling when he found a piece of driftwood. He picked it up, and that was all it took to bring Bramble pelting back to him. They spent half an hour there, Joel throwing the chunky stick and Bramble chasing it, bringing it back to drop it at Joel’s feet. Thirty minutes was about as much as Joel could stand of the bracing air.
“Time to go back.”
He swore Bramble’s tail drooped with dismay. Joel shortened the leash, and headed for one of the paths that led to the road. He gave the hotel another glance, and discovered he was the object of scrutiny. One of the workmen stood watching him. On impulse, Joel raised his hand and waved. He was close enough to see the guy’s smile. When the man waved back, loud voices broke out from the site.
Maybe they’re yelling at him because he stopped working.
Joel didn’t want to be the cause of the guy getting into trouble. He walked toward Belvidere Avenue, Bramble pulling ahead as usual.