“According to Seamus, Jace could see the boys are doing well with him and Caro, and it was enough for him to just be able to see them occasionally. They’ve worked out a truce of sorts, I guess.”
“Do the boys know who he is?”
Charlie shook his head. “They decided to wait until they’re a bit older to get into that since they only lost their mom so recently and have settled into a new routine with Seamus and Caro. They’ve introduced Jace as a friend of Seamus’s.”
“I suppose that’s for the best, but I can’t help feeling a little sorry for Jace. That must be so difficult.”
“He lost the chance to raise his kids when he went to prison. Did he tell Cindy that part?”
“He did, and that he’s a recovering drug addict, too.”
“Well, props to him for telling her the truth.”
“That’s what I said, too, knowing a bit about taking on a man with a checkered past.”
Charlie gave her a gentle tap on the bottom that made her laugh. “The difference between him and me is he did the crime, and I didn’t.”
“True, but he was battling addiction, and that makes people do things they’d never do ordinarily.”
“Prison might’ve done him a favor, forcing him to get clean. He might never have done that otherwise.”
“Cindy likes him a lot. She said they’ve become friends over many weeks of nights at the Beachcomber.”
“She’s a smart young woman. If she has a good feeling about him, she’s probably not wrong.”
“She said something about you earlier.”
“What’s that?”
“She feels like she has a father for the first time in her life.”
“Oh, well… That’s very sweet of her to say.”
“They all feel that way about you. I hope you know that.”
“The bar was set pretty low,” he said with his trademark gruff chuckle.
“True, but you’ve more than risen to the occasion with each of them. They adore you. Almost as much as I do.”
“I adore them right back. They’re all great people. I’m hoping to get the chance to know Josh a little better at some point.”
“I’m working on getting him here when he has some time off.”
“That’d be nice. I heard something that might interest John.”
“What’s that?” John asked as he came into the kitchen, wearing shorts and a tank top.
“The Wayfarer is hiring a director of security. I mentioned you to Big Mac McCarthy, and he said you ought to swing by the marina to chat about it if you’re interested.”
“That’s amazing, Johnny,” Sarah said. “What do you think?”
“Is it year-round?”
“It is, but you’re on your own in the off-season. You can hire help in the summer.”
“Huh. Well… That does sound interesting. Thanks for thinking of me, Charlie.”
“Of course. No problem.”