Bob and Marilyn exchanged glances. “We were lucky to find one,” Bob finally said.
“Then that’s a good thing?” Cam asked.
“The buyer we found is going to tear down the Shack and level the house,” Marilyn said. “They’re going to build some modern monstrosity for the view.”
“Level this house?” Hadley asked, looking around at the quaint stone exterior, the window boxes brimming with flowers, and the petunias growing in riots, spilling all over the walkway.
“I don’t mind them leveling the Shack,” Marilyn said, “but the house…it’s over a hundred years old.”
“It’s a piece of history,” Cam agreed. It made him sad to think of such a beautiful old property getting torn down on a whim.
Bob couldn’t suppress a heavy sigh. “We’re not very happy about it, but we’re ready to retire and it’s a good offer.”
“I’m so sorry,” Hadley said.
“We’re excited about the next phase of our life.” Bob placed an arm around his wife. “We want to have some sunshine in the winter. And play with our grandkids. So don’t feel too badly for us.”
Marilyn smiled at her husband and turned to Cam. “Anthony, we can’t thank you enough for calling us. It was a pleasure to make up a picnic lunch for you.”
“I don’t know what Seashell Harbor will be without your crab burgers,” Cam said as they headed to the car. “Would you mind if we parked in the Crab Shack lot for a while? I thought we might follow the old trail down to the beach.”
He tried to gauge Hadley’s reaction. Having a special Crab Shack lunch was one thing, but mentioning that quiet, out-of-the way trek was another.
“Sure,” Bob said as they climbed back into the car. “But you might find it’s a little different than it used to be.”
A minute later, they were back at the Crab Shack. “Want to have a look?” Cam asked, pulling his keys out from the ignition.
She nodded. “Sure thing, Anthony.”
“Hey. No making fun of my name.”
“I’m not making fun,” she said quietly. “I just think it’s funny that some folks around here still call you that.”
“You used to call me that,” he said. “Well, Tony anyway.” He wished she would again.
She gave a quick nod and made a sudden point of exclaiming about all the wildflowers along the road.
Cam opened the trunk and slung a bag containing a beach umbrella over his shoulder. The elevated slice of coastline the Shack sat on had a million-dollar view.
“You brought us an umbrella?” Hadley said.
He decided not to remind her how easily she sunburned. “Mind grabbing the towels?”
She held up her bag. “I brought you one too,” she said.
“Because I always used to forget mine.”
As they gathered up their lunch and headed in the direction of the beach, Cam halted and turned to her. “I wanted to bring you here like old times. This place meant a lot to me. And…I’m sticking to what your grandmother said about not discussing business today, if that’s okay with you.”
“Okay, deal.”
“And…and I want you to remember what it was like to be eighteen and sneaking away for a picnic, on a day too beautiful to spend with anyone but who you want to share it with the most.”
“Okay,” she said, clearly uncomfortable.
“I want to share it with you.” He held his breath, half afraid she’d cut and run.
But instead she smiled. “I want to share it with you too.”
Okay. Now they were getting somewhere.
“Cam, look what they did to the beach paths.” Hadley pointed to a marked trailhead that pointed with an arrow to the beach. Another arrow sign read MARINA TRAIL 2.1 MILES.
“Well, what do you know,” Cam said, looking at the well-manicured path. “They turned them into walking trails.”
A trailhead. Marked trails. Cleared, not wild.
“It was more fun when it was wild and dangerous,” Cam said. “And led to private places.” He shot her a pointed look.
Hadley rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched a little. “The police chief is probably relieved. So many teenagers sneaking off and getting into trouble.”
“Which brings me to part two.” He took her hand. “Come on.”
“I changed my mind,” she said, resisting his pull. She probably saw the glint in his eye that he was having trouble disguising. “Maybe we should go to the beach near Gran’s place,” Hadley offered, “where there are a lot more people.”
“I don’t want a crowd,” he said without thinking.
She stopped suddenly. Looking a little flustered, she said, “I know where you’re taking us. And…I think maybe more people is a good idea.”
He set down the basket and took her other hand. “Come back there with me.” The passion in his voice shocked him a little. But he wasn’t sorry for it.
Her eyes widened. “So you are taking us there.”
“There has a name,” he said. “Pritchard’s Cove.” Except they’d never called it that. As teenagers they’d had a different name for it.
She shook her head. “Passion Cove was a long time ago.”
“Not that long ago, Had.” He tipped his head toward the bulging picnic basket. “No worries. It’s just lunch.”
Every bone in his body told him it wasn’t.
She still resisted. “Dessert’s included,” he said. “Chocolate,” he added, attempting some lightness. But the gravity of wanting to be honest weighed on him. “Look, Hadley. I wanted us to have lunch together somewhere special. Somewhere that not only reminds us of you and me but…a place that is you and me, you know? At our best. I’m not going to lie. I want us to stop being enemies.”
He was tired of fighting about the building. And he was tired of fighting himself.
You’re beautiful, and please don’t love that ass Cooper anymore, ran through his mind. But that kind of talk would have to wait.
“I don’t want to be enemies either,” she said.
“Besides, we have to work together on this benefit. We have to be friendly. And…the burgers are getting cold.”
She laughed. “Okay, fine, you win,” she said, tossing up her arms. “Let’s go have lunch at the biggest make-out place on this side of the harbor.” She picked up her bundles. “But there’d better be chocolate.”
* * *
Hadley was getting lost. She knew exactly where her feet were taking her as she followed Cam through the dunes and the cleared marsh grass, but it was her heart she was worried about.
Take away that silly building and you got…Cam and Hadley, just as they once were. And that was…terrifying. And electrifying. And the fact that he’d taken pains to bring her back to their place from so long ago…well. Her heart felt full and heavy with possibility. And for once she was going to listen to him and just go with it.
They walked in the sand, through the dunes and the beach grass until they came to a part where the path narrowed. Cam had insisted on carrying Hadley’s beach bag on top of everything else, even though at times he seemed to favor his bad knee.