All the Sullivans were there for the opening—all except Edward. Luke had called to tell him about it, but had had to leave a message as Edward had not picked up. Juliette had been helping all morning to prepare, Mitchell arriving with Lillian for the ribbon cutting.
The opening had gone off without a hitch. An area restaurant had offered to partner with her, providing dishes that she could serve at the bed and breakfast, and the local paper was going to run a full-page story on The Beachcomber. Luke had promised interviews to generate a buzz in the media, the press also taking photos of Callie and Olivia as well as the house itself. The reporters wrote notes in their notepads, their companies’ photographers busy behind their lenses taking photos. Callie gave one reporter the address of the new website for The Beachcomber. She’d never thought they’d be able to open when they had, especially given the storm, but they’d done it. She couldn’t have asked for a better day.
When Luke had given his last interview, he met Callie on the porch. She’d followed her mother outside. The crowds were dwindling now, and they were settling down, the champagne and good spirits showing on their faces.
“So you are the famous Luke Sullivan,” her mother said, finally able to talk to him, as Juliette filled her glass again with what was left of the champagne. It had been so busy that they’d barely had a chance to talk, only meeting briefly.
Luke nodded graciously.
“My daughter speaks very highly of you.”
He grinned at Callie. “Does she?” He poured two more glasses of champagne at the small table they’d set up for guests. It was now littered with empty glasses. He handed one to Callie, affection in his eyes. Poppy, who’d been running around the grounds most of the day, plopped down at his feet. As they all settled in, Callie wished the day could stretch on forever. She took in the curve of Luke’s jaw as he smiled at her, the lack of tension in his shoulders, the interest in his eyes.
“Yes. And that’s saying a lot because she’s never told me much about anyone she’s dated.”
Callie pulled her attention back to the conversation.
“Well, I charmed her with caramel macchiatos and crab cake dinners.”
Callie laughed.
People had filtered in and out all day, but Callie was glad that the Sullivans had stayed after the rest of the public had gone and had settled on the porch with them. With the last of the crowd still lingering around the band below, the Sullivans, Olivia, Gladys, Wyatt, Callie, and her mother had all remained there, talking. Luke made a silly face at her as if he were exhausted, and she felt that familiar adoration swim around inside her. She knew he hadn’t wanted to talk to the press but he’d done it for her, to help get her name out there. He pulled an empty rocking chair next to her.
“Today was good!” he said, looking out over the ocean. The sun was beating down but it wasn’t terribly humid, so the sea breeze cooled them easily. Someone down on the beach was playing with his child, lifting the little girl up onto his shoulders. The band continued to play—they’d paid them until five—and there was a sort of magic in the air. Callie peered over the railing at the new walkway and a smile inched its way across her face: The wood was sparkling in the sun. With excitement, she looked over at Gladys.
“Stardust,” she said with a wink.
As they all sat around, the hum of chatter in the air between them, Poppy hopped up and turned toward the door, her ears perked. There was a hush, and Callie felt the serenity of the moment slide away. Slowly, she turned around. Edward was standing in the doorway.
“Hello,” he said, walking in, his stare fixed on Luke but his words clearly meant for everyone. He pulled his focus off Luke to offer a polite smile to Callie and the others.
Lillian stared at him, an apprehensive look on her face.
Luke stood up. He walked over to one of the tables and pulled a bottle of beer from a melting bucket of ice, popping the top and handing it to Edward as if it were a peace offering.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, feeling in his words. “This is Callie.” Luke took her hand and guided her up. “You haven’t met; let me introduce you.”
Edward smiled warmly at her and then his attention settled back on Luke, the seriousness returning.
“I’ve never introduced you to any of the girls I’ve dated before,” Luke pointed out. “And that was because they didn’t mean anything to me.”
Callie wondered where he was going with this when he and Edward certainly had other things to discuss.
Luke continued, “I didn’t realize that the other girls didn’t mean anything until I met Callie. She showed me who I was, and I learned about the things that I care about. I care about her and I care about my art.” He took a step, planting his feet right in front of Edward. “And I care about what you think of me. I always have. I’ve spent my whole life trying to make you proud of me. I can’t change who I am, but I can promise you that I care, because I love you—even when you and I disagree on how to be aggressive in business or what to spend our time doing. If you want to give the company to Aiden, then do it. I won’t run it like you did. I’m not you. But I can give you my word that if you pass it on to me, it will continue to thrive.” Callie saw the sincerity in his eyes that she loved so much. “You and I will never be alike, but you taught me how to be honest and focused and strong. And I will forever be thankful for that.”
Edward’s eyebrows rose and he looked down at his beer in contemplation. He was so intimidating that Callie found her own hands shaking. She clasped them behind her back and took in a steadying breath as she noticed how calm and cool Luke was. But that was just the way he was wired.
“What are you going to do, Luke, when this news about our family gets out? It could ruin our reputation.” His voice wasn’t harsh; it was concerned.
“Or make us more relatable.”
“You’ve got your head in the clouds,” he said, taking a drink from his bottle. Luke touched his arm, stopping him.
“Let them talk, Dad. They’re doing it already. Aiden and I have an idea for the business. He’s great with real estate—we’ve both always known it. But together, he and I can build up the other pieces of the business. If the press sees us working as a team, what can they say about the rest of it? It’s water under the bridge at this point.”
Edward took another drink without saying anything. Then he finally said, “They’re not always kind, Luke. Shall we invite bad press?”
“Nope. We spin it to sell our products. If people feel like they know us, they will want what we’ve got to sell.”
Callie couldn’t believe her ears. Luke was actually confirming exactly what she’d banked on when buying The Beachcomber. And she knew he was right.
Edward walked over to the edge of the porch and put his hands on the railing, looking out, his back to everyone. The band played below.
Then, as if something clicked, he turned around. “I apologize, Callie,” he said, offering a smile. “Where are my manners? I’ve completely ignored you and I’m so sorry about that. Forgive me.”