A Brambleberry Summer Read online

  “Showing off my car wasn’t the only reason we dropped by. I know you have the weekend off. Joe and I were thinking of grilling steaks and then watching the fireworks on Sunday. We would love to have you. Rosa, you’re invited as well. And your friend Jen, if she would like to come.”

  Rosa wasn’t sure if she was ready to have another social outing with the irresistible Townsend men. On the other hand, how could she refuse an invitation from Carrie?

  At her hesitation, Carrie made a face. “I know it’s rude to just drop in with an invitation two days beforehand. I should have planned better. Please don’t worry if you already have plans. But if you can come, we will eat at about seven thirty.”

  “I do not have plans,” she said. In truth, she had been so busy at work, she had not given the holiday weekend much thought.

  She could handle a few hours in Wyatt’s company. She would simply spend the evening talking with Carrie and Bella.

  “Dinner would be nice. What should I bring?”

  “Yourself. That’s the main thing. But if you want to bring a salad or a fruit plate, that’s always good.”

  She nodded. “Yes. I can do that.”

  “Oh, lovely. We will see you Sunday, then. Now we’re off to take this beauty for a drive down the coast. With me behind the wheel, of course,” she assured them, which made Bella moan in mock disappointment.

  A moment later, she stood beside Wyatt and watched the little red SUV back out of the driveway.

  “Your sister. She is wonderful.”

  Rosa could not even put into words her deep gratitude toward Carrie.

  “She is pretty terrific. Our mom had breast cancer when I was in high school and Carrie basically stepped in to take care of all of us while Mom was having treatment. She was a young bride herself but that didn’t stop her.”

  “That is wonderful. My mother died of breast cancer when I was fourteen.”

  She wasn’t sure why she told him that. It was another part of her past she didn’t usually share.

  He gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. That’s a hard loss for a teenager.”

  She had been so frightened after her mother died. She had no one to share her pain except a few of her mother’s friends.

  They had been as poor as Rosa and her mother and couldn’t help her survive when they were barely subsisting. She had known she was on her own from the moment her mother had died.

  That cold truth had led her to making some terrible decisions, with consequences she could never have imagined.

  “Hey, Dad, can I show Rosa what I built out of Legos this week?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “We’ve taken up her whole evening. I’m sure she has things to do.”

  Rosa did have things to do, always. Most small-business owners never really stopped working, even if it was only the constantly turning wheels of their subconscious.

  But at the disappointed look on Logan’s face, she smiled at the boy. “I do have things to do tonight but I would love to see your creation first.”

  She could tell Wyatt wasn’t particularly pleased at her answer. Why not? Was he in a hurry to get rid of her? Too bad. He could survive a few more moments of her company, for his son’s sake.

  Wyatt unlocked the front door. As she stood in the entryway waiting for him to open his apartment, Rosa smelled the distinctive scent of flowers that had no logical reason to be there.

  Hank sniffed the air and so did Fiona. They both went to the bottom of the stairs, wagging their tails.

  Apparently, Abigail was active tonight. Rosa rolled her eyes at her own imagination. She did not believe in ghosts, benevolent or otherwise. If she did, she would never be able to sleep for all the ghosts haunting her.

  The dogs followed them as they went into the ground-floor apartment.

  “My room is back here,” Logan said. He grabbed Rosa’s hand and tugged her in the direction of his space.

  A Star Wars blanket covered the bed and toys were scattered around the room. It made her happy to see the signs a child lived there, and somehow she had the feeling it would have made Abigail happy, too.

  “It’s over here. This was the biggest set I’ve ever made. It had over two hundred pieces! I wasn’t sure I could do it but my dad helped me.”

  He showed her a complicated-looking brick masterpiece, which she recognized as a spacecraft from one of the Star Wars movies, though she couldn’t have said for sure which one.

  It warmed her heart to think about the boy and his father working together on the project.

  “How wonderful. It must have taken you a long time.”

  “Not really. It’s not that hard if you follow the picture directions. My friend Carlos got one, too, and he was able to put it together and Carlos can’t even read in English very much.”

  “Can’t he?”

  “He’s getting better.” Logan looked as if he didn’t want to disrespect his friend. “Anyway, he hasn’t been here very long, only a few months. He told me he speaks Spanish at home all the time. I want to learn Spanish so I can talk to him better but I don’t know very many words.”

  His eyes suddenly grew wide. “Hey. You speak Spanish and English. You could teach me.”

  “Me?” Rosa was so shocked at the suggestion that she didn’t quite know how to respond.

  “Rosa is very busy with her store,” Wyatt said from the doorway. “We don’t need to bother her. You and I can keep reading the books and practicing with the language app on my phone.”

  How could she be anything but charmed at the idea of Wyatt and his son trying to learn Spanish together so Logan could talk to his friend?

  “I would not mind practicing with you when I can,” she said quickly. “I should tell you that I have been speaking mostly English almost as long as I spoke only Spanish, so some of my vocabulary might be a little rusty.”

  “Oh, yay! Thanks, Rosa. Gracias.”

  “De nada. I am usually home after six most nights. You can come knock on my door and if I’m home, we can practice a little in the evening.”

  “Cool! Thanks!”

  To her shock, her gave her a quick, impulsive hug. Her arms went around him and she closed her eyes for a moment, grateful for this tender mercy.

  When she opened her eyes, she found Wyatt watching her with a strange look in his eyes.

  “Okay. Bath time. Tell Rosa good-night, then go find your pajamas and underwear. The clean ones are still in the dryer.”

  “How do I say ‘good night’ again?”

  “Buenas noches. Or sometimes just buenas.”

  He repeated the words, then hurried off to find his pajamas.

  “Thanks for your patience with us,” Wyatt said in a low voice after the boy had left.

  “I do not mind. He is a sweet boy. I enjoy his company.”

  And yours, she wanted to add. Even when I know I should not.

  “If you don’t really have time to practice Spanish with him, don’t worry about it. He’ll probably forget by tomorrow morning.”

  She frowned. “I will not forget. I promised to help him and I would not make a promise I did not intend to keep.”

  He looked down at her, that odd light in his eyes again. “An admirable quality in a person.”

  She was not admirable. At all. If he knew her better, he would know that.

  “I meant what I said. I will be happy to help him. Send him up any evening he is free or even outside when I am working in the yard. I do not know if I would be a good teacher, but I will do my best.”

  “I’m sure you will be great,” he said. “I just don’t want my son to bother you.”

  “He is never a bother. I will enjoy it.”

  “Thank you, then. He will probably learn faster from a native speaker than any app could teach him.”

  “I will do my best,�
� she said again. “Now if you will excuse me, I must go.”

  She really needed to leave soon, before she did something foolish like throw herself into his arms.

  “Good night,” she said, edging toward the door.

  “Buenas noches,” he replied, with a credible pronunciation. “I guess I’ll see you on Sunday at Carrie’s house.”

  Oh. Right. She had almost forgotten the invitation. “Yes. I guess so.”

  “We could always walk over together.”

  What would Carrie think if the two of them came together to her dinner party? Rosa suspected his sister was already getting the wrong idea about them after seeing them together tonight.

  Still, it made sense. It would be silly to drive when the house was so close. “All right. Come, Fiona,” she called.

  Her dog rose from the rug, where she was cuddled with Hank, and gave the little dog a sorrowful look, then followed Rosa up the stairs to her apartment.

  Something seemed to have shifted between her and Wyatt during this evening spent together, but she couldn’t have said exactly what.

  He was attracted to her.

  She wasn’t sure how she knew that but she did. Maybe that look in his eyes as he had watched his son hug her... Touched, surprised...hungry.

  She was imagining things. Wyatt Townsend was certainly not hungry for her.

  If he was, it was only because he didn’t know the truth. All the secrets of her past, which she had pushed into the deep corners of herself, where no one else could see.

  Chapter Six

  Summer evenings along the Oregon coast could be magical, especially when they were clear, with no sign of coastal fog.

  As they walked the short distance between Brambleberry House and his sister’s place on Sunday, the air smelled of the sea, mingled with pine and cedar and the flowers that seemed to grow in abundance this time of year, spilling out of flower baskets and brightening gardens.

  Independence Day turned out to be perfect. He and Logan had spent the morning fishing in their favorite spot along the nearby river. Even though the fishing was a bust and they didn’t catch anything big enough to keep, Logan still had a great time.

  Afterward, they had gone on a hike at one of their favorite trails in Ecola State Park and then had spent the afternoon playing in the sand.

  He wouldn’t be surprised if Logan fell asleep early.

  Of course, he wasn’t anywhere close to sleeping now. He was having too much fun quizzing Rosa about the Spanish word for everything they passed.

  “How do you say mailbox?” Logan asked, pointing to a row of them across the road.

  “Buzón.”

  “And house is casa, right?”

  “Yes. Very good. And we are walking. Estamos caminando.”

  “Yes. To my aunt Carrie’s casa.”

  She smiled down at him, looking bright and lovely in the golden evening light. To himself, Wyatt could admit that the main reason the evening seemed particularly beautiful had to do with the woman he was walking beside.

  “Excellent,” she said. “You and Carlos will be jabbering up a storm in Spanish before you know it.”

  “I think his English will always be better than my Spanish.”

  “But you are trying to learn for your friend. That is the important thing. It was very hard for me when I came to this country and could not always find the words I wanted. I am grateful I had very patient family and friends to help me.”

  He had to wonder again at her story. She had said her mother died when she was fourteen, which meant she had probably come here by herself. But what were the circumstances that had led to her being adopted by a family in Utah?

  None of his business, he reminded himself. She was his landlady, nothing more, though it was hard to remember that on an evening like this, especially when his son slipped his hand in hers, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Rosa looked down at Logan and their joined hands with an expression of astonishment, and then one of wonder, that touched Wyatt deeply.

  “How do you say whale?” Logan asked when they passed a house that had a little whale-shaped bench out front.

  “Ballena.”

  “What about tree?”

  “Arborio.”

  “How about library?”

  “Biblioteca.”

  Rosa never seemed to lose her patience with the constant barrage of questions. He could only guess how relieved she must have been when they reached Carrie and Joe’s house a short time later.

  “Now you tell me. What was door again?” she asked him as they approached the porch.

  “Puerta.”

  “No. Puerto. Puerta means port.”

  “It’s so confusing!”

  “English is far more confusing,” she said with a laugh. “Try figuring out the difference between there, they’re and their.”

  “I guess.”

  “You are doing great. We will keep practicing.”

  His son was already enamored with Rosa. They had practiced together the night before while Rosa was working in the small vegetable garden at the house. Wyatt had come out ahead in the arrangement, as she had sent Logan back to their apartment with a bowl of fresh green beans and another of raspberries, his favorite.

  He always felt a little weird just walking into his sister’s house, even though he had been living there only a few weeks earlier. He usually preferred to ring the doorbell, but this time he didn’t have to. Bella opened the door before they could and grinned at them. “I saw you all walking up. Hola.”

  “Hola.” Rosa’s features softened. “That’s a very cute shirt. Is it new?”

  Bella twirled around to show off her patriotic red, white and blue polka-dotted T-shirt. “Yeah. I picked it up this afternoon on clearance. It was super cheap.”

  “I like it very much,” Rosa said.

  “I’m going with some friends to watch the fireworks in Manzanita.”

  He thought he saw disappointment flash in Rosa’s dark eyes before she quickly concealed it. “Oh. That will be fun for you.”

  “I’m going to go play on the swings,” Logan announced, then headed out to the elaborate play area in the backyard.

  “I’ll take these into the kitchen,” Wyatt said, lifting the woven bag that contained the bowl of Rosa’s salad, the one he had insisted on taking from her when they met up outside Brambleberry House for the walk here.

  He found his sister in the kitchen slicing tomatoes. He kissed her cheek and she smiled. “You’re here. Oh, and Rosa’s here, too. You came together.”

  “Yes,” Rosa said. “It was such a beautiful evening for a walk. I made a fruit salad with strawberries from my garden.”

  “Oh, yum. How is your garden this year? I’ve had so much trouble with my flowers. I think I have some kind of bug.”

  “They are good,” Rosa replied. “Not as lovely as when Sonia was here to take care of them but I do my best with it.”

  “I miss Sonia,” Carrie said. “I guess we should call her Elizabeth now.”

  Rosa nodded. “I will always think of her as Sonia, I am afraid.”

  Wyatt knew the story of Rosa’s previous tenant. For several years, she had lived in Cannon Beach as Sonia Davis but a year earlier, she had admitted her real name was Elizabeth Hamilton. For many complicated reasons, she had been living under a different name during her time here, until her husband showed up out of the blue one day to take her back to their hometown. It had been the talk of Cannon Beach for weeks.

  Rosa had been good friends with her tenant and Carrie had told him how astonished she had been at the revelation that the woman she thought she knew had so many secrets.

  “How is Sonia Elizabeth?” Carrie asked, the name some of the woman’s friends had taken to calling her. “Do you ever talk to her?”

&n
bsp; “Oh, yes. We speak often,” Rosa said. “I texted her the other day to ask her a question about a plant I didn’t recognize and we did a video call so she could take a better look at it. She seemed happy. Her children are happy. She said she isn’t having seizures much anymore and she and her husband are even talking about taking in a foster child with the idea of adopting.”

  Carrie looked thrilled at the news. “Oh, that’s lovely. Do you know, I was thinking about Sonia the other day. I bumped into Melissa and Eli and Skye at the grocery store. Do you see them much?”

  Melissa Fielding Sanderson had been another tenant of Brambleberry House. She had married a doctor, Eli Sanderson, whom Wyatt had known when he used to visit his grandmother here during his childhood.

  “Oh, yes,” Rosa answered. “We still meet for lunch or dinner about once a month. She’s very busy with the new baby.”

  “Thomas is such a sweetheart,” Bella said. “I watched him last week when Melissa had a test.”

  Melissa, a registered nurse, was studying to be a nurse practitioner and juggled school with being a mother and working at the clinic with her husband and father-in-law. Somehow she made it all work.

  “What time is Jaycee’s mom picking you up?” Carrie asked her daughter.

  “Not until eight.”

  “Then you probably have time to eat with us. Why don’t you and Rosa start carrying things out to the patio? We thought it would be nice to eat outside and take advantage of the gorgeous weather. Bell, you can take the plates and silverware and Rosa can take these salads.”

  Rosa looked delighted, which Wyatt thought was odd. Maybe she was just happy to have a task.

  “Yes. That is a wonderful idea. I am happy to help.”

  She picked up the fruit salad she had brought and the green salad Carrie had just finished preparing, then carried them through the back door to the patio. Bella joined her, arms laden with plates and the little basket full of silverware Carrie used for outdoor entertaining. As they opened the door, Wyatt caught the delicious scent of sizzling steak.

  “What can I do?”

  “I think that is it for now.” Carrie paused, then gave him a meaningful look. “Rosa is lovely, isn’t she?”