Free Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire

her?”
    The question silenced all of them. Jocelyn knew that Lacey did her best not to paint a negative picture of the absentee father, and it sure wasn’t her place, or any of their places, to hit Ashley with the truth. Her dad was a thrill-seeking, adrenaline-junkie, trust-funded, part-time cook. He wasn’t ever getting “back” with Lacey.
    But Jocelyn took a deep breath and went for a technique that worked with some of the more stubborn clients who hired her as a life coach. “Ashley, do you really think that’s possible?”
    “Of course I do. They don’t… hate each other. They’re not divorced; they never even got married.” Her voice rose, along with a little color on her cheeks. “Things happen like that, you know.”
    “In books and movies,” Tessa said. “Not so much in real life.”
    “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Jocelyn agreed, sensing that Ashley was harboring some serious delusions. “There’s a lot of water under that bridge.”
    “And then he burned that bridge,” Tessa added.
    “After he bungee jumped off it.” Zoe grinned at their surprised faces. “You know I’m right.”
    But every ray of light disappeared from Ashley’s face as teenage frustration pulled at her brows. “None of you know what you’re talking about.”
    “Actually,” Jocelyn replied, keeping her voice calm. “We do know what we’re talking about, Ashley. But you know what? That’s not what’s important. What matters is that your mom is happy, right?”
    “Well, some creepy guy with a tattoo isn’t going to make her happy.”
    “You told me you thought he was cute,” Zoe said.
    “And your mom thinks he might be the right architect for her project,” Tessa added. “You do know how important this dream is to her, Ashley, don’t you?”
    “She ought to be building a house,” Ashley muttered.
    “Excuse me?” Tessa leaned closer.
    “I said she ought to be building a place for us to live, not for people to come and have us wait on them.”
    Is that how she viewed her mother’s plans? “Honey, you’re not going to wait on them, and I’m sure you’ll have a place to live.”
    “Really? In a bedroom in some inn where strangers are walking around in their bathrobes?” Her voice hitched a little. “Isn’t it bad enough I’ve lived in a dump up in Barefoot Bay for all these years while my friends are, like, normal? And now…” She shook her head, fighting to control her emotions.
    “I hate to break the news to you,” Jocelyn said. “But some of those so-called normal people aren’t nearly as happy as you are. They don’t all have moms who dote on them.”
    “But they have dads.”
    “Oh, honey, sometimes no father is better than—” The words trapped in her throat and she felt all eyes boring through her. Jesus. Now what? “Than a father who—”
    Ashley’s phone rang with a rap tune. “I have a text.”
    Thank God.
    “It’s Mom.” She tapped the phone, letting her hair fall over her face to cover her expression.
    They all looked at each other, this time with well-deserved guilt. They’d ganged up on her. While Ashley read, the salads were served, giving the three women a chance to exchange a silent agreement to lay off and give Ashley space.
    “So, what did she say?” Zoe asked when the waiter left.
    “She said we can meet her at the beach later, in a few hours when she’s done with her meeting,” Ashley said.
    Jocelyn stabbed a cherry tomato. “Can’t. Sorry.”
    “She just wants us to bring a cooler and suits and stuff to Barefoot Bay,” Ashley said. “She thought you’d be okay with that, Aunt Jocelyn.”
    Was she? If she didn’t have to go too far south, she’d love a day at the beach. “I guess I could do that.”
    “We just have to go back to Lacey’s and get suits and stuff,” Tessa said.
    “Hey, I have a better idea.” The words were out before Jocelyn could stop herself, and even before she really did have a better idea. But she