“Griff told me.” Autumn smiled. “I have a friend in New York who hand paints crystal. She couriered these over to me.”
Deenie’s eyes watered. “I love them,” she whispered. “Thank you. Now what can I get you to drink?” She slid her arm through Autumn’s, pulling her away from Griff. “We have cocktails and wine coolers, and if Wallace can figure out how to use his fingers we’ll have some more champagne as well.”
“These things are complicated,” Wallace said, shaking his head. “You need an advanced degree to open them. What’s wrong with screw tops?”
“You want me to do it?” Griff asked.
“Would you?” Wallace glanced over to where Deenie and Autumn had walked. They were standing by the drinks table, deep in conversation. Autumn said something and Deenie laughed out loud, her eyes warm as she touched the top of Autumn’s bare arm.
“Sure.” He took the bottle from Wallace and unscrewed the cage, then held the cork as he twisted the bottle. It came out with a muted pop, and he passed the bottle back to Wallace who gave him a wink.
“Okay if I tell Deenie I did this?”
“It’ll be our secret.”
“Excellent.” Wallace nodded. “By the way, your girlfriend’s very pretty. And Deenie likes her, I can tell.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Griff told him, glancing over at Autumn again.
“So you’re just dating?”
“Nope.”
Wallace’s eyes widened. “Is it a booty call? Isn’t that what they call it?”
Griff tried not to laugh. “We’re just friends. That’s all.”
“That’s a shame.” Wallace shrugged. “Well, I best take this over. I don’t suppose you can open a couple more, could you? There’s a box in the kitchen. Leave the open ones on the island.”
“No problem.” He’d do anything for Deenie and Wallace.
After opening the bottles, Griff looked around for Autumn. She was still in deep conversation with Deenie, the two of them smiling and talking fast. So he headed for the crowd of his friends on the far side of the yard.
Lucas was the first to see him, shouting out a greeting as he grabbed a beer from a nearby cooler. “Where have you been?”
“I had to make sure everything was okay with the cruise,” Griff told him. “It’s the second time this week Mike’s done me a favor. Then I went to pick up Autumn.”
“Lucas told me you were bringing her,” Ember said, catching Griff’s gaze. “That was really sweet of you.”
He shrugged. “She’s new in town. It’s polite.”
“Sure.” Was she biting down a smile?
Arthur suddenly noticed him, and clapped his hands together. Then he leaned out of Ember’s hold, his arms reaching for Griff. “I think he wants you,” Ember told him. “As usual.”
“What can I say?” Griff shrugged. “I’m a baby charmer.” He scooped Arthur from Ember’s hold and lifted him up, blowing a raspberry on his downy cheek. “Hey buddy, what’s going on?”
“Ba ba blue.”
“Is that right?” Griff asked him, grinning at Arthur’s serious expression. “I agree. Forty years is something to celebrate. Though I hope you play the field first before you settle down.”
Ember slapped his arm. “Stop it.” She grinned playfully. “You’re supposed to be his godfather, not his wingman.”
“We all know he’s gonna be a heartbreaker,” Griff pointed out, laughing as Arthur nodded before he let out a huge burp. “That’s it, buddy. Start practicing now.”
Arthur reached out for Griff’s face with his pudgy hands, cupping his broad jaw with tiny fingers. “Giss,” he said, then blew a raspberry himself, covering Griff with baby spit.
“Ha!” Ember said, grabbing a cloth and passing it to Griff. “He got you back.”
“Careful, bud,” Griff told Arthur as he wiped his lips before wiping his own face. “Any more of that and I won’t be singing ‘Baby Shark’ anymore.” He looked over Arthur’s head toward where Deenie and Autumn were still in deep conversation. She looked so at ease, as though she’d lived here all her life rather than for a few short weeks.
She looked beautiful, too, in a short blue dress and matching shoes that made her legs look a mile long. She leaned forward to whisper something in Deenie’s ear and then they both laughed, Autumn’s head tipping backward as Deenie patted her arm.
Friends. That’s all they were. He could live with that.
“Na no,” Arthur said, then he raspberried again.
“Yeah, bud. My thoughts exactly.”
“Are you missing New York?” Deenie asked, as she poured Autumn a glass of champagne.
“Not really,” Autumn admitted, taking the glass and lifting it to her lips. “My sister says it hasn’t stopped raining for days. And if I was there right now, I’d be cooped up in an office with a view of other offices. I think I prefer the sun and beach.”
Deenie smiled. “Do you think you’ll go back?”
“I guess so. That’s where my family is.” The thought of it made her feel claustrophobic. It hadn’t taken long for her to get used to wearing shorts or sundresses every day. Her skin had already taken on a darker hue, in spite of the sunscreen she lathered herself with constantly. Even the air here felt different. Fresher.
“Well, for as long as you’re here, you’re always welcome at our house. I’m so glad you came.”
“So am I.” Autumn smiled into her eyes. “Thank you for being so welcoming.”
“It’s what we do in Angel Sands. Once you move here, you’re part of the community. And even if you do go back to New York, you’ll still own the pier. That means something here.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m glad Griff brought you.”
“He’s a good guy.” Autumn took another sip of champagne.
“He really is.” Deenie nodded. “He’s like another son for me. All of Lucas’s friends are, of course. But Griff’s the one who had a horrible childhood. It broke my heart to always see him so alone.”
Autumn blinked. “He had a hard childhood?” She glanced at Griff from the corner of her eyes. The man-mountain was holding little Arthur, his expression soft as he stared down at the baby’s laughing face. Autumn swallowed hard, feeling her stomach twist at how gentle he looked. He was so at ease holding a baby. As though he was born to do it.
“He didn’t have the best upbringing,” Deenie said softly, her lips curling into a sad smile. “But that’s history now.” She looked at him holding Arthur. “He’ll make a good father, though he’d never admit to that. Sometimes having bad experiences make us more determined to do things differently in our own lives. Griff’s parents were always too busy with each other to pay him much attention.”
Autumn thought of her own parents. She could hardly remember her mom, but she knew from photos that she’d loved her and Lydia very much. Then, when her mom died, her dad stepped into the hole she’d left behind.