Summer of Second Chances - Andrea Hurst Page 0,123
left, Theo walked back to the deck, where Wally lay asleep under one of the chairs. He petted the old boy. “I guess I better call Cam before it gets too late,” he said.
Theo opened his computer and sent a message to Cam that he was ready to talk. Within minutes his Skype call was ringing through.
“What’s going on, Dad?” Cam asked. “We usually talk in the morning.”
Theo gathered his thoughts. “I wanted to share a few things with you.”
Cam’s face dropped. “Are you sick? Anything wrong?”
“Actually, quite the opposite,” Theo said.
Now Cam really looked perplexed. His wife, Judy, leaned into view of the screen to say hello. “Hi, Theo,” she said. “Cam’s working at home today, so you have both of us.”
She was a good woman, and Theo thought Cam was darn lucky to have her. “Good, good,” he said. “I know you two have been worrying about me being alone here and all, and I appreciate your concern.”
“We’ve gone over this, Dad,” Cam said.
Theo continued despite his son’s tone. “Please, just listen. You know how much I loved your mother, and she’ll always be in my heart. I didn’t want to tell you about Alice until I was sure.”
“Who’s Alice?” his son asked.
His wife tapped him on the shoulder and smiled. “Did you meet someone?” she asked.
“Actually, yes. Alice, a widow here at the lake, a former nurse. A wonderful, kind woman. I knew her husband before he passed.”
Cam looked stunned. “But you’re seventy-five. You have to be realistic.”
Judy shook her head. “There is no age limit on love,” she said. “I am so happy for you both. Perhaps we can visit later in the year and meet her.”
“You’ll love her,” Theo said. “And I’d love to see you both.”
Cam just kept shaking his head like he was trying to digest the new information and it wouldn’t compute. Then something seemed to click. He slowly nodded and his face softened. He looked directly at Theo. “Good for you, Dad. Good for you.”
They said their goodbyes, promising to visit soon. Wally stood before him giving his let’s-go-for-a-walk bark. Things were looking pretty good now all around. He thought about how summer was passing swiftly, soon fall would descend, and the stark, cold winter to follow. But this year, he wouldn't be alone.
Chapter 42
It had been a crazy, busy Labor Day weekend. Shelby knew Logan had to work extra-long shifts Saturday and Sunday. Monday was still busy, but people were starting to go home. She’d avoided the crowds and stayed away from the lake all weekend. Logan and his father were leaving very early the next morning. He had texted her early this morning he was finishing up his packing, and with most of the tourists gone by 5:00 p.m., it would be a perfect time for him and Shelby to meet later today.
At five o'clock she went to meet him so they could take a walk together. He said they would find somewhere quiet to swim, so she’d worn a bathing suit under her shorts. It was hard for Shelby to imagine that today was the last time they would be together for a while.
When she reached the sand, she saw Logan and Madison standing face to face by the lifeguard station. For a moment her breath caught as she stood watching. After they finished speaking, Logan walked down to the water’s edge. Madison turned to go and, noticing Shelby, walked over in her direction. And then, to Shelby’s surprise, Madison smiled at her. “See you,” she said with an amiable wave before walking away.
Shelby let out a breath she did not realize she’d been holding.
Unaware of what had just transpired behind him, Logan had waded into the water. Shelby admired his tanned silhouette, his hair glowing in the afternoon sun. She wanted to imprint this memory into her brain, before time moved on. Then she walked down to join him.
“Logan,” she said.
Hearing his name, he turned toward her, his smile welcoming. He stepped out of the blue-green water. “Let's get out of here,” he said. “We're going to take the back trail." Logan retrieved two towels and a small backpack from the lifeguard station. “Madison just stopped by.”
Shelby was glad he’d brought it up. “I saw.”
“She came to say goodbye, and say she was sorry if she gave me a hard time this summer. And then she thanked me,” Logan said.