Searching for Sea Glass: BEST-SELLING AUTHOR (Sea Glass Secrets Book 1) by Teal Wingate Page A
Authors: Teal Wingate
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little sister, Willie, not after she’d polluted herself by falling in love with a man whose ethnicity didn’t fit into the Dallas social scene. Thankfully, her poor friend had never known. Willie hadn’t made it out of the recovery room after her surgery.
Sunny didn’t care about the man, really she didn’t. Just because she had started reading that online Texas tabloid, didn’t mean anything. And now that she thought of it, her choice of names for her newly refurbished restaurant, Sea Glass Café, had nothing to do with him either. It was a good name. One that was attracting a whole lot of traffic from the tourists who had begun flocking to the family-friendly beaches of Sea Glass Point.
And yeah, it kind of bothered her that McIntyre had been able to have her hometown’s name changed. But she couldn’t argue with the way the old Murphy’s Point had morphed into a nice, quaint, laid back coastal village. There were vintage street lamps downtown now. Colorful baskets of flowers hung from them. There was a Victorian bandstand and white park benches in the center of the town’s square. New sidewalks rimmed the business district. Boutiques and quirky vendors had taken up residence in the empty storefronts. There was a Saturday Farmer’s Market with homegrown vegetables, fresh seafood, organic dairy products, and local honey. All of it courtesy of McIntyre Industries. That, now familiar logo, was on everything.
“Wait Billy-Boy.” She bent down and patiently pulled the daisy out of his mouth. “Don’t eat the flowers. I know you’re hungry, sweetie. As soon as we get to Sea Glass I’ll ask Harry to make you a hamburger, Ok?”
“Ha-burger?” He cocked his head. He smiled at her and melted her heart. It happened every time. There was so much love, so much trust in that big grin.
“Yep, You’re going to have the biggest hamburger in the world.”
“Let’s go,” he squealed. He took off as fast as his chunky little legs would carry him.
He would have been halfway across the cemetery, if she hadn’t snagged his arm. She walked him back to the humble grave marker.
“First tell Mama you love her,” she instructed.
This was part of their weekly ritual. It was one of the ways Sunny made sure he knew Willie. Billy was still just a toddler. But he already felt comfortable coming to the cemetery. He knew the woman in the photo on his dresser was his mother. He knew she had loved him. He knew he could always come here to visit her. For now, it was enough.
Sunny felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe she should try calling Willie’s brother one more time. He and his family could do so much more for Billy than she was able to do. The boy could go to the best schools. He could have the crème de la crème of all that life had to offer. At least the parts money could buy.
But she could give him love. And she could give him family too. Not family with blood ties. But friendship kin. She had plenty of those folks to share with Billy.
She watched as he squatted down. His little starfish hand began patting the granite of Willie’s grave stone. Her throat choked.
“Love Mama, love, love Mama,” he assured the flat white square with his childish lisp. When he was done, he looked up expectantly at Sunny. “Now ha-burger?”
The woman swallowed hard. She smiled. She nodded down at the little boy who was the center of her world. “Now hamburger.”
Together they walked to the nearby bus stop. In a few minutes, the free shuttle that ran from town out to the beach stopped for them. The hydraulic door slid open. A wave of cold air spilled out. Sunny was glad of it. It might only be the start of summer, but it was already scorching. Maybe this year she’d be able to get a window air conditioner for the house. At least in Billy’s room.
“Hey Sunny,” greeted the bus driver. She was a black lady with short, gray natural hair. The name tag on her uniform shirt read, Maxine.
“Hey Max,” Sunny smiled at her as she
Sunny didn’t care about the man, really she didn’t. Just because she had started reading that online Texas tabloid, didn’t mean anything. And now that she thought of it, her choice of names for her newly refurbished restaurant, Sea Glass Café, had nothing to do with him either. It was a good name. One that was attracting a whole lot of traffic from the tourists who had begun flocking to the family-friendly beaches of Sea Glass Point.
And yeah, it kind of bothered her that McIntyre had been able to have her hometown’s name changed. But she couldn’t argue with the way the old Murphy’s Point had morphed into a nice, quaint, laid back coastal village. There were vintage street lamps downtown now. Colorful baskets of flowers hung from them. There was a Victorian bandstand and white park benches in the center of the town’s square. New sidewalks rimmed the business district. Boutiques and quirky vendors had taken up residence in the empty storefronts. There was a Saturday Farmer’s Market with homegrown vegetables, fresh seafood, organic dairy products, and local honey. All of it courtesy of McIntyre Industries. That, now familiar logo, was on everything.
“Wait Billy-Boy.” She bent down and patiently pulled the daisy out of his mouth. “Don’t eat the flowers. I know you’re hungry, sweetie. As soon as we get to Sea Glass I’ll ask Harry to make you a hamburger, Ok?”
“Ha-burger?” He cocked his head. He smiled at her and melted her heart. It happened every time. There was so much love, so much trust in that big grin.
“Yep, You’re going to have the biggest hamburger in the world.”
“Let’s go,” he squealed. He took off as fast as his chunky little legs would carry him.
He would have been halfway across the cemetery, if she hadn’t snagged his arm. She walked him back to the humble grave marker.
“First tell Mama you love her,” she instructed.
This was part of their weekly ritual. It was one of the ways Sunny made sure he knew Willie. Billy was still just a toddler. But he already felt comfortable coming to the cemetery. He knew the woman in the photo on his dresser was his mother. He knew she had loved him. He knew he could always come here to visit her. For now, it was enough.
Sunny felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe she should try calling Willie’s brother one more time. He and his family could do so much more for Billy than she was able to do. The boy could go to the best schools. He could have the crème de la crème of all that life had to offer. At least the parts money could buy.
But she could give him love. And she could give him family too. Not family with blood ties. But friendship kin. She had plenty of those folks to share with Billy.
She watched as he squatted down. His little starfish hand began patting the granite of Willie’s grave stone. Her throat choked.
“Love Mama, love, love Mama,” he assured the flat white square with his childish lisp. When he was done, he looked up expectantly at Sunny. “Now ha-burger?”
The woman swallowed hard. She smiled. She nodded down at the little boy who was the center of her world. “Now hamburger.”
Together they walked to the nearby bus stop. In a few minutes, the free shuttle that ran from town out to the beach stopped for them. The hydraulic door slid open. A wave of cold air spilled out. Sunny was glad of it. It might only be the start of summer, but it was already scorching. Maybe this year she’d be able to get a window air conditioner for the house. At least in Billy’s room.
“Hey Sunny,” greeted the bus driver. She was a black lady with short, gray natural hair. The name tag on her uniform shirt read, Maxine.
“Hey Max,” Sunny smiled at her as she
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