For one thing, he’d managed to close some business and design a whole house working remotely from this beachfront haven. Yes, it took the help of his superstar daughter, who managed Acacia Architecture masterfully in his absence.
Meredith fully understood why he was staying down here, and it could be summed up in one word: Jonah. He and his son had connected after years of estrangement and Eli simply didn’t want to disappear now. This new bond was another miracle, one that he thanked the Lord for every day.
And that wasn’t the only great change on the horizon. Vivien was out this very moment on a date with a fine man. Eli loved the idea of his little sister falling for his best friend, which reminded him of those Hallmark movies Melissa used to watch constantly.
At the memory of his late wife, he sucked in a soft breath, realizing he hadn’t thought about her much today.
Not that he obsessed over her—he’d learned years ago to pack up his grief in order to survive and thrive. But that baggage was opened frequently enough, usually upon waking, a few times during his day, and late at night, before bed. When he prayed, he never failed to thank God for having given him Melissa in the first place, and stayed secure in the knowledge and the promise that he would see her again.
But today? The Melissa thoughts had been light. And the Kate thoughts…
He puffed out a breath. The Kate thoughts were darn near constant and made him want yet another miracle.
Jonah came outside, sauntering toward the sitting area with his ubiquitous dish towel over his shoulder, having just cleaned up after a delicious dinner. But his expression was serious as he plopped down in a chair, enough that Eli frowned.
“What’s up?” Eli asked.
He sighed. “I really miss Carly.”
Eli gave a tight smile, understanding the sentiment. Maybe he needed two miracles from God, one for him and one for his son.
Jonah didn’t talk much about the girlfriend he’d left in California. She’d told Jonah she hadn’t thought he was mature enough to be a father, and that prompted major changes in the young man. All good changes, but would it be enough for Carly to let him back into her life—and the life of the baby that would be born in a matter of weeks?
“Have you talked to her recently?” he asked.
“I try to contact her every day, but she’s not always available. Sometimes she doesn’t text back.”
Eli hadn’t really heard too much about this woman, but nothing he had gleaned from Jonah made him too excited about her. He didn’t really know the spirit of her ultimatum—if he passed, would she stay with him? Would she give him access to their child? Would she share the responsibilities?
Eli didn’t know any of this, but hoped Jonah did. And no matter what the answers to those questions were, Eli would support his son.
“If you want to keep that woman in your life, show her you care by calling her every single day and sharing your life,” Eli said. “Even if she doesn’t always call back.”
Jonah sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”
“What does she think about the Culinary Arts program?” Eli asked.
“She’s kind of like…she’ll believe it when she sees it.”
“Then she’ll believe it very soon. When you get accepted.”
Jonah’s eyes shuttered and he dropped his head back. “IfI get accepted.”
Just then, Vivien stepped out on the deck, looking fresh from the sea breeze, her expression glowing. Her dark gold hair was tousled and there was a lightness in her step that Eli hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Hey, boys. How’s life in the Summer House?” She slipped off her sandals and made her way to the sofa, plopping down. “I hear laughter on the beach.”
“Where there is Nolie, there is laughter,” Jonah joked.
“Where’s Pete?” Eli asked. “Everything go okay tonight?”
“He has to do an early call with his investigative team, so he headed back to his place. And, yes, we had a wonderful time.” Her cheeks flushed a little as she slid Eli a look. “I can’t believe you never told him about the mountain of a crush I had on him. Thank you.”
He flicked his hands. “I got your back, little sister. Unlessyoutold him.”
“He coerced it out of me,” she said, propping her feet on the coffee table. “I forgot he’s a professional interrogator. Oh, and we may have seen a crime in action. I think my new client, Fiona, might be getting scammed by her unqualified yet handsome handyman. I’m going to keep an eye on him, per Peter’s instructions.”
“We have an announcement!” Nolie came running up the spiral steps from the first floor, breathless as she rushed across the deck with Pittypat clutched in one arm. “Everybody in the living room!”
