That One Summer: A Collection of Steamy Contemporary Romance

Chapter 11

Four hours later, Gagetook one more deep inhale of his cigarette before throwing it on the concrete sidewalk behind Milltown’s hospital. He stamped it out beneath the heel of his boot, wishing he could light another one.

The not-funny thing was, he rarely smoked. As an Army Ranger, his fitness level had to be top-notch all the time. But since he’d come home—no, since the last call he’d had with Caleb—the cravings had come back with a vengeance.

“Please tell me you’re not smoking.” Lily appeared with two bottles of water and handed him one.

“Not smoking.” He leaned against the wall and opened his bottle. “Is there any news?”

“Not yet. Ben is still in surgery, and Jacob is still waiting for an update.” She took up a stance next to him, with her shoulder touching his, and drank her water. “Do you know what happened?”

He finished his bottle in three gulps, not realizing how thirsty he was. “All I know is that there was a traffic stop on the mountain road going around Mosby’s Gap. Ben stopped a motorcycle, and there was a shootout. Ben got hit, the motorcyclist drove away. What we know is what was found on Ben’s dashcam.”

“Was the motorcyclist a member of the Devil’s Renegades?”

“From the video, the gunman wasn’t wearing a patch. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a member of the Devil’s Renegades or a rival MC.”

She released a deep sigh and rested her head against the wall. “I hope they find the gunman.”

“Every LEO in the state is looking for him.” Gage crushed his water bottle with one hand and studied her. In her fashionable leopard-print dress with a full skirt and belted waist, she looked like she should be walking the banks of the Seine or accepting some kind of baking award.

He pulled out his lighter and played with it. A nervous habit he couldn’t seem to break. “I also spoke with Satya. I told her we searched the house and didn’t find anything.”

“I’m sure she was disappointed.” Lily finished her bottle, took his, and tossed both of them in the nearby trashcan. “Has anyone called your brother Danny, yet? To tell him about Ben’s condition?”

“I don’t know.” Gage closed his eyes and drew in the sweet, rotting stench of garbage and cigarette smoke that permeated the back area of the hospital. “I think Jacob called him.”

“Do you think Danny will come? He’s Ben’s father, after all.”

“I hope so.” But Gage doubted it. He opened his eyes and focused on the beautiful woman next to him again. She’d pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, and although her dress was wrinkled, it made her seem more approachable. Like he could pull up her skirt, wrap her legs around his waist, and take her against the wall.

Except what kind of man would think about something like that at a moment like this? A man like his father Caleb? Or his brothers who’d been even worse fathers than Caleb? Certainly not the man he’d always strived to be. The man he ran away to become.

He reached out to touch her hair when his phone buzzed with a text from Jacob. She moved closer to read it, and he breathed in the lavender scent that made him hard and left him wanting more.

“What does it say?” she asked.

“Ben is out of surgery.” Gage’s hand trembled with relief and he handed her the phone. “He’s going to be okay.”

* * *

Hours later, Lily andGage stumbled into Harry’s Café to meet Nana Ruthie and Mr. Elmer.

“Oh, Lily.” Nana Ruthie ran over and hugged Lily, and she hugged back. “I’m so glad Ben survived.”

“So are we.” She allowed Gage to lead her to a table in the corner where Mr. Elmer sat with a black binder and a stack of legal pads. It was only six o’clock at night, but it felt much later. “I’m so grateful.”

Once Nana Ruthie and Gage sat, Harry appeared with cups of hot coffee and a plate piled high with sandwiches and brownies. Since she’d barely eaten anything all day, she devoured her turkey club sandwich even though it was dry and gritty.

“Tell us everything,” Nana Ruthie said as she ate a brownie.

Gage told them what had happened. Ben had been involved in a shootout. He’d had surgery on two bullet wounds. One had grazed his thigh and another hit his shoulder. He’d come out of surgery, gone to recovery, woken up, and announced he was hungry.

Nana Ruthie and Mr. Elmer laughed, probably due to relief.

Gage finished his coffee and dug into another sandwich. “Tell me. How are the plans for the Fourth of July picnic going?”

“Surprisingly well now that I’ve enlisted a large number of willing volunteers.” Mr. Elmer droned on about all the details, including an apparent national shortage of hot dogs, the cost of tents, the risk of water balloons, etc. “We have so little time, Harry and Lotto have decided to use both their kitchens to grill hamburgers and hot dogs to make things easier. We can carry them to the meadow in heated containers, and we’ve already bought premade sides like coleslaw and potato salad.”

Nana Ruthie snagged another brownie. “Eve, of course, is worried about the money.”

Lily took a brownie as well. “Because she’s one of the few responsible adults in town.”

They all laughed and settled in to finish their cold dinner.

When she couldn’t eat anymore of the terrible sandwich, she stared at her white cast that was now dirty and showing signs of wear and tear. “I wish I could make the desserts for tomorrow. I have a wonderful recipe for French meringue with a cream cheese filling and layers of fresh blueberries and homemade cherry jam. I make it every year on Bastille Day.”

“That sounds amazing.” Nana Ruthie patted Lily’s arm. “But I don’t want you worrying about anything. I’ve coordinated with Clara. The picnic won’t be perfect, but it will be fun.”

While they ate, Gage used his phone to respond to texts and emails. He managed calls about Ben’s condition, questions about the picnic, general complaints from townsfolk about everything, and he was probably even talking to Mark and Satya, although Lily couldn’t confirm that.

“Are you excited?” Nana Ruthie asked.

Lily shook her head to refocus on the present. “About what?”

“Your engagement.” Nana Ruthie took Lily’s left hand and held it up so the diamond sparkled in the light.

Lily wasn’t sure Nana Ruthie was searching for more information about the engagement, but she wasn’t about to betray Gage by admitting it was fake.

“Wow.” Mr. Elmer turned her hand so he could study the diamond. “Gage, where did you get this ring?”

Gage looked up from his phone, but she could tell from the way his gaze darted around the room that he was distracted. “Caleb gave it to me. And once I saw the old-fashioned setting, I knew Lily would love it.”

She swallowed and her vision blurred. Maybe it was just the exhaustion, and the fact she’d missed a pain pill and her hand ached, but every time he mentioned their fake engagement her heart felt like it was being squeezed.

The engagement was a false flag to find drug dealers. Yet, sometimes when he spoke about it, he acted as if it were real. And for some reason, that sent her off an emotional cliff of what-could-have-beens and what-might becomes. She sniffled and pulled her hand away. She’d rather he act neutral about the whole thing. It would make it easier when she returned to Paris.

“I’ve seen that ring before.” Mr. Elmer shoved a brownie in his mouth. “I think it belonged to Daisy.”

Gage dropped his phone and stared at Mr. Elmer. “That ring belonged to my mother?”

“Yes.” Mr. Elmer waved Harry over. “Do you think Lily’s ring once belonged to Daisy.”

Harry, who was cleaning the espresso machine, wiped his hands on his apron and came over. She held her hand up for him to inspect.

“I think you’re right, Elmer.” Harry gently raised her wrist so he could get a closer look. “That Art Deco design also reminds me of the stained-glass window in the music room at Mosby House. Caleb had it made in Paris, just for her.”

“The ring is similar to the window,” Nana Ruthie said. “I remember Daisy mentioning that Caleb had designed the music room just for her. Even though the house was built in the Victorian style, he’d given the music room an Art Deco feel.”

“I don’t remember that.” Gage finished his coffee and met Lily’s gaze. Tonight his eyes seemed softer, almost regretful. “But I spent very little time in that house.”

What he didn’t have to say was that after his mother abandoned the family, when he was a toddler, Caleb moved his five boys to the forty-thousand acre ranch outside the town’s limits.

“Well,” Mr. Elmer spoke with authority tinged with finality. “Tomorrow is the picnic. So I’m going to bed to get an early start.”

“Me too.” Nana Ruthie opened her purse until Harry made her close it.

“Dinner is the least I can do tonight.” Harry glanced at Lily with an apologetic look. “I’ve been tired lately and haven’t been cooking much. I’ve had to rely on premade sandwiches and frozen pastries, but I’m not happy with my suppliers.”

“Maybe it’s time to retire, Harry.” Mr. Elmer gripped Harry’s shoulder. “You might enjoy it on our side of the fence.”

“Moldering at the VFW hall?” Harry shook his head and laughed. “Perhaps one day, Elmer. But, for now, I’m doing the best I can.”

Nana Ruthie kissed Lily on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, Lils.”

Once Nana Ruthie and Mr. Elmer left, and Harry went into the kitchen, Gage stood and held his hand out for her.

“Let’s go.”

She stood and took his hand. “Where to?”

“I think we need a break.” He leaned in closer to whisper. “I have a surprise.”

He led her out the café’s door and saw one motorcycle instead of a line of bikes outside The Ren. Then she remembered—The Ren was closed.

Gage pulled a helmet out of the bike’s saddlebag and tossed it to her. “You remember how, don’t you?”

Her lower stomach felt tight and heavy. “Remember what?”

He came over, put the helmet on her head, and pulled the strap tight. His whisper was filled with erotic promises and wild nights. “How to ride.”

* * *

Lily held on to Gage’swaist as they raced down a long hill, turned right, and the bike’s tires rattled across the town’s bridge. White water rapids raged beneath them, and she raised her head to feel the spray on her cheeks.

She’d done her best to tuck her skirt, but now it blew out around her. She was experienced enough to know where to keep her sandaled feet so she wouldn’t get burned by the tailpipe. She was also grateful her cast wasn’t too bulky. Although she gripped his waist with one good arm, she was able to use her cast as leverage against his stomach to keep her balance.

Because it was July, the sun hadn’t fully set. The light was golden, edged with pink, and filled with shifting shadows.

When she was a teenager, she’d spent three years riding behind him on his bike before he left. Her arms around his waist, his heavy thighs tucked between hers, their breath patterns merging as they passed the wild landscape of their mountainous home town. These were memories she’d carried with her to Paris, and memories that had haunted her dreams. Memories that even the long days of working in hot kitchens and kneading dough couldn’t erase.

Gage veered right and up, away from Milltown, toward Carter’s Mountain. In the dusky light, the valley opened up in front of them. A vista filled with thousands of acres of green trees, red and gray rock formations, and a riotous river hundreds of yards below.

Wind abraded her cheeks, but she didn’t close her eyes. She didn’t want to miss a single moment of this time. It was as if her past and present had run into each other on a busy street, recognized each other, and forgiven each other for all the lost opportunities and wasted moments.

As they raced down the next pass, she closed her eyes, released his waist, and raised her hands in the air. Her skirt trailed behind, and she didn’t care who saw her bare thighs. She was safe. She was free. And she loved.