program, see if we can uptick the rentals. Maybe get into some sales by undercutting the local surf shop by a few bucks. We’ll see. Things are going to slow down over winter, and that’ll be a good time to concentrate on a new business plan.”
“I thought Aunt Addie said the woman owned it with her brother,” Livvie said.
“That was temporary. Her brother has another business in San Luis Obispo. Since I’m on board, he’s moved home.”
“Ah,” she said. “Well, I’m glad I stopped by to see it.”
“You’re not leaving already, are you?”
“I have to meet Jared. He has a little time off today and works tonight at the lodge.”
“I see,” he said. “You’re not getting serious, I hope.”
“No, Dad. Not serious,” she said. But yes, she was kind of serious about Jared. They seemed to have a lot in common, spent hours talking, got together whenever they could and had had some very wonderful times making out. Right now one of the best things about Jared was that he let her talk about her confusing and painful feelings toward her father.
“How old is your girlfriend?” she asked suddenly.
“Forty. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” she said with a shrug. “Gotta go. I hope your bruises are all right.”
He grabbed her upper arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Great seeing you, honey. You’ll have to come back and check out the improvements as they happen.”
“Sure,” she said.
For some reason she didn’t talk to Jared about the bruises, but it troubled her. Instead, she spent her time with him talking about his classes and his job, both of which kept him busy nearly all the time. It was a real challenge for them to find time together. While Olivia wouldn’t even consider working in the kayak shack, she was beginning to see the merits of finding part-time work in Half Moon Bay.
Jared was working on Saturday night. He walked Livvie home, kissed her good-night, promised her they’d have a real date soon and left her to go to work. When she entered the house, she found only her mother in the kitchen, chopping veggies.
“Where’s Amber and Addie?”
“Amber’s going to stay with her girlfriends in San Jose,” Justine said. “Addie is shopping and should be home before long. I’m making us dinner—shrimp lo mein. How does that sound?”
“Good,” she said, though at the moment she wasn’t feeling hungry. “I stopped by that kayak shack today. I saw the woman leaving, and I thought maybe I could see Dad without her. I don’t know why I wanted to.”
“Maybe in time you and your dad will work out the kinks in your relationship,” Justine said, chopping away. “I know he loves you. He must be all messed up.”
“That woman,” Olivia said. “I think she screwed him up.”
“Could be,” Justine said. “On the other hand, he’s an adult and is making his own choices.”
“But he never made these kind of choices before,” Livvie said. “Leaving his family? Moving in with another woman?”
Justine put down the knife. “Let’s be clear about something, Livvie. When I found out how involved he was, I knew it would be a long time before I could trust him again. Maybe never. The divorce was my idea. He agreed pretty quickly, but I was the one who—”
“Mom, he’s really bruised,” Livvie said. “He was hosing down kayaks with his shirt off, and I saw bruises all over him. On his chest, his side, even his arm. He put his shirt on real fast, but he’s banged up. He said he fell down some stairs on the beach.”
“Huh?”
“I asked him how that happened and he said he took a fall. He looks like he’s been beat up.”
Justine was speechless for a moment. “You know how active he is,” she said. “Remember when he took that fall off his mountain bike. That was ugly.”
“Yeah, but then he looked like he’d fallen off a bike—road rash and cuts and stuff. I don’t know, something about this is really screwed up. The