Secrets Whispered from the Sea - Emma St. Clair Page 0,53

him, though Dad’s judgment was hardly an accolade.

I probably needed to see the plans. Jackson had recommended I meet with Alec, after all. It wasn’t personal. It was about getting the house in order, so I could sell and move on with my life.

Alec: In case you forgot, I put up with your oh-so-pleasant ex for hours.

Alec: And was groped by your stepmother.

Alec: You’re welcome.

Alec: 5:30.

How could he be so maddening even over text messages? I wouldn’t have thought it possible. And why was I still smiling?

Me: I’ll be there. With bells on.

Alec: Hopefully more than just the bells. We’re a family-friendly establishment.

I would meet Alec. And I would make sure the twins were sugared up, caffeined up, and fully aware I didn’t expect them to behave with any shred of decorum. It would be a blast.

I slid the phone into my purse and looked up at the thrift store. It had a charming sign and a bin full of driftwood out front. Clearly, they sold more than used junk. Maybe I should go inside, since I was here. Not to buy, but just to browse.

As I pushed through the front doors, it was with far more excitement than I should have. I told myself that it was just about the shopping. Not about seeing Alec later. It was almost believable.

19

My brilliant plan turned out not to be so brilliant. The man who had inferred that my nieces might be monsters now sat flanked by Sophie and Camille in A Bitter Cup. Within minutes, he had managed to transfix them both. I was beginning to think the man possessed some kind of voodoo magic.

“I like the choice of the antique butcher block counters,” Camille said. “Paired with the white cabinets and beadboard, it’s light and bright but classic.”

I shot Alec a look. “So, beadboard is fine, but shiplap isn’t?”

“Shiplap?” Camille wrinkled her nose at me, looking properly horrified.

Alec only shook his head, glancing at me over his reading glasses. His reading glasses. Which should have reminded me of the age difference between us, but instead I found them attractive. Why? I had no idea.

But Alec’s stormy eyes on the other side of those black frames? I hadn’t felt a flurry of nerves in my stomach like this since maybe high school. I had to look away.

“Go back a few slides,” Sophie said. “I want to see the construction for the crow’s nest again. It was interesting what you did with the roofline.”

Who were these tiny people who knew all this lingo and carried on adult conversations? I felt like the odd man out here. All because I happened to like shiplap.

“What’s wrong with shiplap, anyway?” I asked.

“It’s overdone,” Camille said.

Alec nodded, gracing her with a smile. “That’s right. When it’s original to a building, it’s great. But now, everyone’s mad for shiplap, so what we’re seeing is a rash of people nailing boards to walls and calling it shiplap.”

“Wait. What’s this for?” Sophie asked, pointing on the screen.

“Those are some additional piers underneath the house. Some of these old cottages were built without enough support. These will make the overall structure more secure and keep it from collapsing.”

Collapsing? I must have missed that part when he was talking about the building being uninhabitable.

“The house might collapse? But Auntie Clem is staying there!” Camille said.

Alec shot me a look, and I held up my hands. “I’m not staying there. I’m just there a lot. Doing work.”

“The house should be fine,” Alec said. “It simply needs be brought up to code. But right now, no one should be staying there. Right, Clementine?”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m not staying there.” I took a sip of my latte and tried to look relaxed.

I don’t think Alec bought my lie for a minute. But the girls quickly moved on, asking him question after question. I only hoped that Alec moved on too. I didn’t need to get kicked out of Nana’s house on top of everything else.

“These two are geniuses,” Alec said to me, earning matching grins from the girls. He leaned over the table and mock whispered, “You sure they’re from the same gene pool?”

“Classy. Very classy. I’m getting a refill.”

I stood from the table, heading back to the counter as Alec continued showing the twins his mock-up for Nana’s cottage. I heard Sophie ask, “What’s a gene pool?” I was still laughing when I got up to the counter.

Casey smiled at me. “Need another latte?”

“An Americano this time,” I said. “I’m pulling out the