Beach Blanket Bijou (Pajaro Bay) Read online

  "I just don't know how to trust you," she said, feeling helpless to explain the confusion inside her.

  "You just make the leap." He stood up. "You're the bravest person I know—you can do it." He clenched his fists and then turned away. He walked over to the windows that overlooked the glistening lights of Pajaro Bay.

  She watched him standing there, his back to her, his whole body showing the frustration he felt. How could she explain? It just wasn't that easy. How did other people decide who to open up to? She didn't understand how someone could just let go and fall in love. "I'm afraid to fall," she said softly.

  He turned to her, a tall figure so familiar yet so distant. "I'll catch you," he said.

  She just shook her head at him, and he turned back to look out the window.

  •••

  "Bijou's gone."

  Quinn turned around to face her. "What do you mean, gone?"

  Carmen spread her hands out to take in the whole room. "Gone. Ella se fue. Took off."

  He went over to her. "Did you see where she went?"

  "I wasn't paying attention. I was thinking."

  He waited for her to say more about that, but she just turned her chair and headed out of the room. "Let's find her."

  Soon they spotted her little figure tromping resolutely across the lawn toward the Eucalyptus grove.

  "She's heading to the lab," Quinn whispered.

  They followed, and sure enough she made a beeline for the lab door, where she stood and barked in her piercing little voice for a minute.

  Then the door opened and she went inside.

  "That's weird," Carmen muttered. "Dad's asleep."

  At the lab door they waited for a minute. The lights were on inside, and there was no sound of Bijou barking, so Quinn opened the door and they went in.

  Bijou was gorging herself on what appeared to be a whole box of dog biscuits tossed all over the floor. She busily marched from one biscuit to the next, devouring them one by one.

  Ben was furiously typing on the computer. The desk was cleared off, the dinosaurs and robot parts in a heap on the floor. Now only a small cardboard box sat on the edge of the desk, next to the aquarium.

  "How could you?" Carmen shouted. She wheeled over to Ben. "You jerk! We've been working so hard and you lied to me!"

  At her first words Ben had jumped up. Now he stared at her in shock.

  "What do you have to say for yourself?" She glared at him, furious.

  Then Ben reached for something that had been sitting out of sight behind the cardboard box.

  It was a gun.

  Both Carmen and Quinn just stared.

  "Are you crazy, Ben?" Quinn stammered. "A gun?"

  He didn't look crazy, though. He looked scared, and determined, and really angry. "Don't move. Either of you. I'm almost done."

  "Almost done with what?" Carmen said.

  Quinn took a step toward her, wanting to get between her and that gun, but Ben raised the gun toward him. "I said, don't move."

  Quinn put his hands up. "All right. I'm not doing anything. We're just here for the dog."

  "The dog? What's the dog got to do with this?"

  Carmen frowned. "Oh, no." Then she looked up at Ben. "You've been sabotaging the research."

  "Of course. What did you think?"

  Carmen laughed out loud. "I thought you were sneaking treats to the dog, you idiot. That's why I was yelling at you." Then she backed her chair up and reached down to pick up Bijou. "That's all I meant."

  Ben lowered the gun a fraction. "You didn't know?" Then he raised the gun again. "It doesn't matter. It's too late now."

  The computer beeped, and he glanced at it. "And now it's too late for you to do anything about it."

  "About what?" Quinn asked.

  "Still don't have it figured out, dog guru?" He gestured toward Carmen with the gun, and Quinn felt a lurch in his stomach. "They have everything. They think they rule the world. Well, they're not the only ones who deserve money."

  "Money?" Carmen snapped. "This is about money?"

  Ben used one hand to disconnect an external hard drive from the computer and drop it into the cardboard box. "Of course it's about money, Carmen. You have no idea what being poor is. You think you're so high above it all."

  "I don't think that," she said.

  "It doesn't matter," said Ben with finality. He took a step toward Carmen and pointed the gun at her head. "You," he said to Quinn. "Come here and take this box. We're leaving."

  As Quinn went to the desk to get the box, Ben suddenly looked down at Carmen.

  Bijou was standing up on Carmen's lap and licking at Ben's gun hand. "Get that mutt off me before I shoot it!"

  Carmen grabbed Bijou and held her down.

  Ben turned back to Quinn, who was quietly standing in front of the aquarium, holding the cardboard box.

  "Now we're going." He gestured with the gun.

  Quinn didn't move. "Look," he said reasonably, "just take the box and go. We won't stop you."

  Ben shook his head. "I've got to get out of the country before anyone notices what happened. That means you need to come along."

  Quinn thought of pointing out that he could just shoot them instead of dragging them along, but he figured that wouldn't be a good idea. "Okay," he said reasonably. "Where are we going?"

  "Come on."

  He led them at gunpoint through the yard to the Cordova dock. Halfway down the dock toward the yacht, he stopped them. "Don't move." He walked down a little ways farther, then they saw a dark-clad figure in the shadow of the yacht.

  "You idiot," the man said. "Why did you jump the gun?"

  "Edmund disappeared," Ben answered. "You told me that was the signal, so I'm here. But why didn't you tell me it was going to be tonight. I almost didn't get everything downloaded."

  The voice in the darkness was contemptuous. "I didn't warn you because we didn't kidnap Edmund. He disappeared. You should have called me before making your move."

  Then the man stepped toward them, and Carmen shouted, "You?!"

  Her ex-fiancé Jeff Yung stood there, a gun in his hand.

  "It was you behind all this?"

  "He's paying me a million dollars to give him the software, Carmen," Ben said. "Sorry." Then he turned back to Jeff. "But if the buyers don't have Edmund, what will we do?"

  Jeff looked at Carmen so coldly Quinn wondered how the man could have ever pretended to love her. "We still have a chip."

  "Take her," he told Ben, motioning with his gun toward Carmen.

  "Take the box and go," Quinn said. "You don't need us."

  "I don't need you," Jeff said coldly. "But she's got the only remaining chip."

  Carmen glared at him. "The chip? What about Edmund?"

  "Ben messed up. We don't have Edmund. I don't know where he is. Ben panicked and ran too soon. This should have been neat and tidy. But Ben blew it. Now we need you."

  Quinn stepped in front of her. "Not happening."

  Jeff looked like he'd gladly shoot him, but Quinn still held the cardboard box. "Yeah," Quinn said. "You need this box. Full of hard drives, isn't it? Backup of all the software to run the chip?"

  "We have everything we need. And we don't need you. Set down the box and step back."

  "Are you sure?" Quinn said.

  "What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

  "Look for yourself." He set down the box in front of him, then stood in front of Carmen, shielding her from Jeff's gun.

  "Check it," Jeff said to Ben.

  Ben put his gun in his jacket pocket and knelt next to the box. He opened it and looked inside, then began cursing.

  "What?" Jeff asked.

  Ben picked up the powerful aquarium magnet Quinn had dropped in the box while Bijou had been licking Ben's hand. "He's erased the drives with this!"

  "I still can get something for the chip in her head," Jeff said. "Get out of the way."

  Quinn took a step back, knocking into Carmen's wheelchair and sendin
g her backwards. Bijou squealed as she slipped off Carmen's lap onto the dock.

  Bijou ran happily up to Ben, begging for more treats. Ben and Jeff both looked at the little squealing dog for a moment, and Quinn gave Carmen's chair another shove.

  The wheels of Carmen's chair hit the edge of the dock and rolled off.

  Quinn dove after her, the sound of gunshots roaring in his ears.

  "This way!" Carmen shouted to Quinn. She had ducked under the pier, using her powerful backstroke to maneuver herself out of sight of the men above.

  Quinn swam over toward her.

  "Where's Bijou?" she asked when he got to her.

  Unable to speak, Quinn pointed up.

  Then she heard the sound of Bijou's high-pitched warning bark above them. The boom of running footsteps on the wood over their heads made them instinctively duck, but the sound faded away, to be followed by the roar of a boat's engine starting.

  Through it all, Bijou's barking never stopped.

  "They're gone," Quinn gasped out when the boat sounds were gone. "Bijou's safe—she's still barking."

  "But they got away," Carmen said. "All of dad's work, gone!"

  "Maybe not," Quinn said.

  •••

  Carmen sat up against one of the posts on the pier. The blanket the Coast Guard had wrapped her in was scratchy, but she felt a warm glow in her belly as she watched Quinn cuddling Bijou and comforting her with soft whispers. The dog licked his chin, and when he laughed, Carmen felt tears welling up in her eyes.

  "Clever guy," her dad said, looking over at Quinn. "Dropping that powerful aquarium magnet into the box of hard drives probably damaged at least some of the software. And they don't have the chip." He kissed her on the top of the head. "Even if Jeff and Ben make it all the way to their buyer in China without getting caught, they won't have all the technology. I have a feeling they won't be getting the kind of reception they were counting on."

  Carmen put her head down. "But Edmund.... He was such a nice guy."

  "He still is. Edmund's fine," he said. He sat down on the pier next to her and swung his legs over the side.

  "He's alive?" The tears she'd held back through the night spilled over, and she impatiently wiped them away with one hand. "How did he get away?"

  "They never had him." Her dad looked out at the water, chuckling to himself. She put out her hand to touch his shoulder, and he turned to look at her. "Their bad luck. Ben thought Edmund's disappearance was the signal to take the software and run. But Edmund and his girlfriend had just decided to elope," he said. "That's why they disappeared. When they got back from the wedding chapel in Vegas, they saw some shady-looking guys hanging around the house, so they called the police. Jeff's co-conspirators have been in jail for the past couple of hours." Then he laughed. "All Jeff's elaborate plans were messed up because Edmund and his girlfriend eloped, and Ben panicked."

  He stood up and brushed off his jeans, then looked over at Quinn. "And because Bijou's a brat, and you and Quinn went after her. He's a good man, Carmen."

  "He saved my life," she said simply.

  "He's always been there for you. Since you were kids."

  Quinn carried Bijou over to them. He laid the pup in Carmen's lap and then stood there, looking from her to her dad. "What's up?"

  "Edmund's okay," Carmen said. "He eloped."

  Quinn shook his head. "Wow. Didn't see that coming. You must be very happy, sir," he said, looking at her dad.

  "I'd be happier if you'd hurry up and marry my daughter. What are you waiting for, son?"

  "Dad!"

  He looked down at her. "I love you, Carmen, but you can be pretty oblivious sometimes." He walked away with a grin on his face.

  Quinn sat down next to her, in the place her dad had been. "What were you saying to him?"

  She shook her head. "Not a thing."

  Bijou stuck out a paw toward Quinn, and he reached for it. They went back and forth a bit, with Bijou pretending to attack his hand. "Good girl," he said when the dog held back and didn't bite, but just played gently with him. "You're learning."

  "Aren't we all?" Carmen said.

  Quinn looked her in the eye. He must have seen something of what she was thinking, because he said, "Hey, Lefty," in a whisper that held surprise.

  She looked into his eyes, and this time she saw what had been there all along. Quinn loved her. He always had. Just like he'd always said. Not out of pity. Not for her money. He just plain loved her, one soul to another, connecting across the chasm that separated human beings from each other. Could it really be that simple?

  "Hey," he said again, and she wondered how she hadn't noticed the adoration in his eyes before. He reached out and used his thumb to brush away a tear from her cheek. Then he leaned over and his lips touched hers.

  And then there were no more doubts. When it was the right man, it was that easy to fall in love.

  "Catch me," she said, and he did.

  •••

  Note: Cordova Computing is a fictional company, but there are real scientists and labs creating breakthroughs in spinal cord research like in the story. You can read about it at: http://barbaracoollee.com/?page_id=1366

  •••

  Read on for a sneak preview of Dashing Through the Surf, coming soon from the world of Pajaro Bay.

  •••

  Barb's Mailing List

  •••

  Barbara Cool Lee's Booklist

  The Pajaro Bay Series*:

  1. The Honeymoon Cottage

  2. Under the Boardwalk

  3. Home Improvement

  4. Shadow's Lady

  5. A Christmas Miracle in Pajaro Bay

  6. Welcome to Pajaro Bay Collection (contains 1, 2, 4, 5)

  7. My Funny Valentine

  8. Beach Blanket Bijou

  9. Call Me in the Morning

  10. Halloween Hullabaloo

  11. Baby, It's Cold Outside

  12. Pajaro Bay Minis Collection (contains 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

  13. Driving Ms. Daisy

  14. Blast from the Past

  15. The Bride of Jonas Collinwood

  16. The Widow & the Beast

  17. The Spy Who Loved Me Collection (contains 14, 15, 16)

  18. Dashing Through the Surf

  Other Books:

  Lark's Quest

  Cat's Blood

  (*Not all have been released yet—join the mailing list to be notified on release day!)

  •••

  10% of the earnings from each story are donated to charity. Learn more at Barb's Charities page.

  •••

  Sneak Preview of

  Dashing Through the Surf

  Ashby Drew took the flyer the teenager handed her and looked for a spot among the crowd on the beach. The long walk from the bus station down to the oceanfront had tired her more than she expected. She hadn't gotten much exercise in a 6x8 cell.

  The beach held a big crowd for such a tiny coastal town. If this year was anything like it used to be when she lived here, probably everyone in the village had shown up.

  A woman with curly red hair carrying a ginger-haired baby in a front carrier waved to her.

  Ashby looked around, but didn't see anyone else the woman could be waving to.

  "Yeah, you," the redhead said. "Have a seat."

  Ashby sat down on the folding chair next to her.

  "I've been new, too," the woman said.

  Ashby started to correct her, but then just said, "thanks."

  The woman nestled the baby closer, and he sighed in his sleep. He was comfy in his baby blue carrier, his little sailor hat shading his face from the brilliant sunshine. Ashby felt tears sting her eyes. Must be the brightness of the sun. Or something else. After all, it had been nine years, ten months and eighteen days since she’d last been this close to a baby.

  "He's dressed for the occasion," the woman said. "Perfect fall day on the California coast, isn't it?"

  Ashby nodded. She
had dreamed of this kind of day for so long. The women's prison in California's Central Valley was stale and dark, hot in summer and cold in winter. A day like this, with the sky a rich blue, the sun already warming the sand under their feet, and the breeze wafting the tang of ocean air gently toward them—it was a dream. A dream needing only one more wish to make it perfect.

  She uncrumpled the flyer in her hand and looked at it. Official Kick-Off to Pajaro Bay's Christmas Season: The Cowabunga Kid and Canine Surfing Event, Hosted by Santa, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to Whenever. Followed by beach picnic and pie-eating contest.

  Down the beach the driftwood campfires for the hot dog roasting were already going strong. The sharp smell of the smoke mingled with the sea air, and she was suddenly far away, with Xander O'Keeffe whispering to her by a long-ago campfire. The memory was so vivid she could feel his breath against her ear, and she had to focus hard on the flyer to bring herself back to the present.

  Then she noticed what was right in front of her. The flyer was in bright, happy colors, with a photo of a grinning little black-and-white dog balanced on the front of a pink surfboard, surrounded by frothy white surf.

  And on the back of the board stood a girl. A girl with a grin as big as the dog's. Even in the still picture Ashby could see the high energy in the kid, the excitement in her eyes as she perched effortlessly atop the longboard. The girl had long golden hair in twin braids over her shoulders, and a tan that spoke of too-many days at the beach without enough sunscreen. She wore a pink-flowered bikini like a second skin.

  Ashby caressed the caption under the picture with one finger: National Youth Champion Ria O'Keeffe will be special guest at this youth surfing event.

  National Youth Champion.

  Ashby rested her palm on the photograph. To be a national champion youth surfer was quite an achievement for a little girl who was only nine years, ten months and eighteen days old....