When Morning Comes Around (Summer Lake Silver #13)

Chapter Two

Dominic had just climbed out of the shower and was finishing drying himself when he heard his phone ring. He wrapped the towel around his waist and hurried to the kitchen to grab it.

“Hey, Damon. What’s up?”

“Hey. Is Jake there?”

“No. I’m not expecting him back until tomorrow. I thought you knew that?”

“Yeah, I guess I was just hoping that he might have come back early.”

“Why? What’s going on? Is there anything I can help with?”

Damon blew out a sigh. “No. Thanks, but it’s fine. I can go.”

“Go? Where?”

“You know Nina – Manny’s lady? She just called me to see if Jake’s open for business yet. One of her friends called her, she broke down on her way to Hidden Valley. I was hoping that she might turn out to be Jake’s first customer. But since he’s not here, and Taylor’s said they won’t be able to get to her until nine o’clock tonight, I’ll head up there and pick her up.”

“Aren’t you and Jo supposed to be having dinner with the guys tonight?”

“Yeah, but I’m not gonna leave this woman stranded by the side of the road. It shouldn’t take me too long; from what Nina said, she’s almost to the top of the hill, and she’s headed to her dad’s place in Hidden Valley.”

“I can go.”

“Thanks, but…”

“No, seriously. You and Jo have plans with your friends. All I was going to do tonight was collect takeout for dinner from the resort and sit here watching a movie. I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

Dominic chuckled. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. I talked to Jo the other day, and I know she’s looking forward to seeing the girls. Honestly, I don’t mind.”

“Okay, then. How do you want to handle it? Should I call Nina back, or do you want to?”

“I can take it from here – you’ve done your part. You’ll have to give me her number, though.”

After they ended the call, Dominic finished getting dressed before dialing Nina’s number.

“Hi, Dominic, what can I do for you?” she answered.

He chuckled. “It’s what I can do for you. I just spoke to Damon, and he told me about your friend. Jake’s out of town so he won’t be able to help, but since you guys are all meeting up for dinner tonight, I offered my services to go and get her. I doubt I’ll be much use in getting her vehicle running, but I can give her a ride to wherever she’s headed.”

“Oh! No, that’s okay. There’s no need for you to do that. I can go. Manny’s been out of town this week and he won’t be home for a while yet.”

“I just had this conversation with Damon. I honestly don’t mind, and you guys all have dinner plans. For one thing, we both know that Manny wouldn’t be happy about you going by yourself. And why miss out on your evening?”

“I guess, if you’re sure?”

“I am. What’s her name? And what’s her vehicle?”

“Her name’s Sadie, and she’s driving a minivan. I don’t know what make or what color, but I can call her and find out.”

He smiled. “I don’t think you need to do that. I doubt there’s more than one minivan stranded on the hill.”

Nina laughed. “No, I suppose you’re right.”

Damon had already picked up his keys and wallet. “I’m heading out the door, if you want to let her know that I’ll be there in under half an hour.”

“Thanks, Dominic. You’re a sweetheart.”

He grinned. “My pleasure.”

Twenty minutes later, he was flying up the east shore – he may be going a little over the speed limit, but dusk had fallen, and he didn’t like the idea of this Sadie sitting by the side of the road by herself in the dark.

He slowed his SUV to follow the bend as the road turned away from the lake and started to climb. The locals called this stretch of road the hill, but the name didn’t do it justice. His SUV dropped down a gear as it began to climb. His headlights came on as the sky grew darker.

He peered through the windshield and spotted a vehicle sitting off the side of the road – that had to be her. He slowed as he approached and pulled onto the shoulder behind her. He could see her sitting in the driver’s seat and flashed his headlights. He frowned when instead of waving or acknowledging him in any way, she ducked down out of sight.

Shit! Even if Nina had told her that he was coming, she had no way of knowing who he was. For all she knew, he could be some random stranger about to do who knew what.

He reached for his phone and called Nina again.

“Hey, Dominic. Is everything all right?”

“It is, I reached her. But would you do me a favor and give her a call – let her know that the big dude in the Toyota behind her is here to help?”

“Of course! I should have thought of that. Give me a second. I’ll call her now.”

“Okay, tell her to wave when she knows she’s safe.”

“Will do.”

He waited a minute or two then, growing impatient, he climbed out of his SUV. He didn’t imagine that it would take Nina long to explain the situation.

~ ~ ~

Sadie watched nervously as the big red Toyota Sequoia pulled up behind her. This had to be Nina’s friend. She shuddered. It just had to be. What were the odds that a random serial killer would happen to be driving by at the same time that she was waiting for someone to rescue her? It didn’t seem likely, but with the way her luck had been going lately, she didn’t want to take any chances.

When whoever was driving the Toyota flashed his headlights, a wave of panic hit her, and she ducked down. She knew that it was a pointless move – the driver must have seen her already – but she couldn’t have stopped herself if she wanted to.

She fumbled with the door to make sure that it was locked and let out a squeal when her phone started to ring. She felt a little better when she saw Nina’s name on the display, even though her friend wouldn’t be able to help her if the driver of the Toyota were coming after her.

“Hello?” she answered in a shaky whisper.

“Well, crap; you’re scared, aren’t you? I’m so sorry. I should have explained it better. The man parked behind you is Dominic. He’s there to help you. He’s my friend. I’m so sorry if he scared you.”

Sadie slowly sat up, feeling a mixture of relief and embarrassment. “Please don’t apologize, Nina. It’s hardly your fault that I freaked myself out, is it?”

“It is, and I don’t blame you one bit. I’d be totally freaked out if I were in your position. But you have nothing to worry about, I promise you. Dominic’s a good guy. He said that he probably won’t be able to fix your minivan, but he’s happy to give you a ride to your dad’s place.”

Sadie checked the rearview mirror, but the driver was no longer behind the wheel of the Toyota. She turned cautiously to check the side mirror, and all her breath caught in her chest when she saw him. He was standing beside his vehicle watching her. He was huge! And then it hit her – he was one of the three big men from the grocery store earlier. And not just any one of them – he was the one. The one with the kind eyes. The one who’d smiled at her and made her feel… She swallowed.

“Thanks, Nina. You’re a lifesaver.”

Nina laughed. “I wouldn’t say that – I feel more like a dispatcher. But never mind that, all that matters is that you’re safe, you have a ride to your dad’s, and hopefully you’ll be able to get your minivan fixed. Dominic said to give him a wave to let him know that I’ve told you it’s him. I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay, and thanks again.”

“I’m just glad I was able to help but go on, Dominic’s probably wondering what’s taking so long.”

“Oh, you’re right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

She ended the call and slowly opened the driver’s door.

“Are you okay? Did Nina explain?” he called.

She climbed out and turned to face him. “She did, thanks. And I’m fine, as long as you don’t count a case of acute embarrassment.”

He’d started toward her but stopped dead when he met her gaze. It seemed that the tables had turned. Just a few minutes ago, she’d been scared of him. Now, he looked as though he was scared of her. Although no, that couldn’t be right. Why would he…?

“You’re…” His dark eyebrows drew together as he stared at her. “It’s you.”

She nodded slowly. “If you mean, oh crap, is that the crazy woman from the grocery store earlier ? Then yes, I’m afraid so – it’s me.”

He gave her a puzzled smile as he approached. “Crazy woman? Why would you say that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seemed…” She shrugged again. “I think I behaved strangely. There was a moment there when I almost felt as though I knew you – even though I know we’ve never met before.”

He reached her, and she had to tip her head back to look up into his eyes, he was that tall.

He leaned his head to the side and smiled down at her. “Yeah, there was… Something. But I wouldn’t have described you as crazy. Anyway…” He took a step backward. “We’ve met now, but I haven’t introduced myself.” He held out his hand. “I’m Dominic.”

“Sadie.” As she shook hands with him, she immediately felt safe. It was ridiculous – just a few minutes ago, she’d been terrified of him. Now, he felt like a safe place – even though she’d spent most of her life feeling like she didn’t have one of those.

She stared into his eyes – his big, brown, reassuring eyes. The wrinkles around them looked to her like laughter lines, and it was hard not to compare them to what she’d come to think of over the years as the small, mean lines around Dale’s eyes.

And comparing this stranger – no matter how big or handsome he might be – to her husband, even if he was soon to become her ex-husband, was not what she needed to be doing.

He looked down at their hands, as if realizing that they were still holding on. For one crazy second, she wondered if he didn’t want to let go either. But he withdrew his hand quickly and gave her a pained smile.

“What was going on before you broke down?”

She stared at him, wondering how he knew. There’d been so much going on for so long, but she wouldn’t say that she’d broken down. She’d lost her shit when she’d walked into Dale’s office and… And that wasn’t what Dominic was talking about. She gave an embarrassed laugh. He was talking about the damn minivan.

“It’s my own fault, and I know it. It did well to get this far, but it started overheating yesterday. I’ve been stopping more and more frequently to let it cool down. That’s why I was in the grocery store. I thought I’d make this last leg okay, but I’d forgotten – I should’ve known that I’d never make it up the hill.”

“Is it the radiator?”

She shrugged. “It may be – I have no idea. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I really don’t have a clue.”

He smiled. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just not your area of expertise.”

“Thanks. That makes me feel better.”

“Do you want to pop the hood for me, and I’ll take a look?”

She did as he asked and couldn’t help admiring him as he propped the hood open – his large, muscular arms making it look like nothing. When he bent to look inside, she couldn’t resist walking around behind him so that she could see into the engine bay, too. She had no clue what she was looking for in there, but she couldn’t resist a glance at his ass on her way by. All her breath caught in her chest when she realized what she’d done. She’d never been the kind of woman to ogle a man’s body – until now.

When he turned to her with what looked like a knowing smile on his face, she felt the heat in her cheeks. He’d caught her looking – he must have!

“Want to know the truth?”

She nodded slowly, not sure that she did.

He chuckled. “I don’t really have a clue, either. I’d guess that there’s no water left in your radiator, but I don’t have any water with me and I wouldn’t know how to fix the leak anyway. So, what do you say, do you want me to give you a ride to your dad’s place – and we’ll get Jake out here to tow it for you tomorrow?”

“Yes!” She was aware that her answer was a little more enthusiastic than the question warranted – she was just relieved that he wasn’t calling her out for checking out his booty. “I mean, that would be wonderful, if you don’t mind.”

“I’m happy to help. Do you have much with you?”

She gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t understand.”

“You probably shouldn’t leave anything in it since it’s going to be here by the side of the road overnight. Do you just have your purse?”

Her heart sank. “I… err … no.” She blew out a sigh. There was no point in trying to hide it. He was right; she needed to take her belongings with her. And considering that what she had packed in the car were basically the remnants of her life, she was probably going to have to explain at least a little about her situation.

~ ~ ~

Dominic was shocked when she slid open the side door of the minivan to see a bunch of trash bags and packing boxes filling the rear of the vehicle. Sadie herself struck him as being well put together. He couldn’t match the messy interior of the minivan with the woman standing before him.

He didn’t feel like it was his place to judge, so he waited.

She blew out a big sigh. “I know, I know – it’s a mess. All I can say in my defense is that I left in somewhat of a hurry. It’s funny, although funny isn’t the right word, but you know what I mean. It’s… strange that after more than thirty years, when it comes down to it, you realize that you’ve accumulated very little that means anything to you.”

Dominic nodded. He and Polly had been together for almost thirty years before she died. For the first couple of months after the funeral he hadn’t wanted to part with a damn thing. Then, after a while, he’d needed to get rid of everything. Belongings didn’t mean anything when he didn’t get to share them with her anymore.

He came back to the moment when Sadie climbed inside and grabbed a couple of trash bags. “Is it all right if I put these in the back of your SUV?”

“Of course; here, let me help.”

It didn’t take long to transfer her belongings to his Sequoia. When the minivan was empty, she locked it up.

“Are you ready to go?”

She gave him a sad smile. “I am, and thanks again.”

It was completely dark by the time they were back on the road. Sadie was quiet for a long time, and Dominic couldn’t resist glancing over to check on her every now and then.

He dimmed his headlights when a vehicle approached in the opposite direction. Its lights briefly illuminated the cab, and his heart sank when he checked on her and saw tears shining on her cheeks.

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked quietly. He had no idea what her story was, but he knew from his own experience that having to share wasn’t always the best medicine, no matter how good people’s intentions might be.

She took a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at her face. “I’m sorry. I was hoping that you wouldn’t notice.”

“We can pretend that I didn’t if you prefer.”

She let out a short laugh. “That works – I know how to do that.”

He frowned, feeling as though he’d messed up, although he didn’t know how.

She sniffed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound so bitter. Don’t look so worried. All I meant is that for the last several years of my marriage, I was acutely aware that life ran more smoothly when I let him pretend – when we both pretended – that he didn’t notice how I felt about things.”

“Right.” Dominic didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s my own damn fault. I should have left him years ago, but I’ve never been a quitter. I pride myself on being able to fix things, to find solutions, you know?”

He nodded; he knew how that went. He’d describe himself the same way. In his case, he hadn’t been able to fix things for Polly. There’d been no solution to be found. Cancer was like that – just because you refused to quit didn’t mean that you came out the winner.

“I tried to fix things for the longest time. I should have admitted defeat. Instead, I started pretending, too. I pretended that I was okay with how things were going, even though I wasn’t.” She sighed again. “I think, now that the shock’s starting to wear off, I can admit that something had to give. I just… He’d been a little more attentive lately – I should have suspected something. I should have known when he encouraged me to go to that conference. I’d wanted to go for years, and he bitched about the expense every time, so I didn’t. This time, he encouraged me.”

He glanced over at her. She was staring, unseeing, through the windshield into the night. He kept quiet, knowing that she wasn’t really talking to him, she just needed to put words to what had happened to her. He understood that.

“If I hadn’t decided to stop by the office on my way to the airport, I’d be none the wiser even now. We work together – worked. We have – had – I guess now he has a plumbing and HVAC company. I run the office – used to run the office. I wonder how long it’ll take me to get used to saying it in the past tense. Anyway, I was supposed to go straight to the airport to fly to the conference. I got it into my head to stop by the office on my way – I wanted to thank him for finally understanding how much it meant to me.

“I guess he thought he was safe. When I got there, I walked into his office, to find him screwing a sales rep on his desk.” She shook her head. “So, anyway, yeah. Sorry to dump my crap all over you like this.”

He reached across and touched her arm. “Don’t apologize. I can’t imagine how you must have felt. I’m glad to be a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on – even though I wish you didn’t need them.”

“Thanks.”

She stayed quiet for a long time after that. It was only as they approached Hidden Valley that Dominic had to ask, “Want to give me directions to your dad’s place?”

“Sorry, yeah. Go all the way to the end of Main Street and it’s just up there on the right.”

“Okay.” He’d been to Hidden Valley a few times, and as far as he knew the only thing at the end of Main Street was the nursery and garden center; there must be some houses beyond that.

“Does your dad know why you’re here? What happened?”

“No. I’m not here because of what happened with Dale. My dad had a fall. He does too much by himself. I shouldn’t have left him alone all this time.”

As they approached the end of Main Street, she turned to him. “Listen, Dominic. I’m really sorry that I dumped my sad story on you like that.”

He shot her a smile. “Like I said, I’m glad to be a listening ear for you.” He frowned through the windshield. “Am I going the right way?”

“You are. This is it. The garden center.”

“Harvey’s your dad?”

She swung her head to look at him. “He is. Do you know him?”

“Only a little bit. I’ve been over here a few times, and he’s helped me figure out what to do with the back yard.”

She gave him a genuine smile. “Well, as if I needed any more confirmation, I now know for sure that you’re a good man.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“My dad wouldn’t help you if you weren’t.” Her bottom lip quivered as she looked up at the house. “He hates Dale. I know he’ll be glad to hear my news, but I don’t want that to be the first thing we talk about. He’ll worry about me. I’d rather get him back on his feet in every sense.”

Dominic glanced over his shoulder at the packed back seat. “Do you want me to hang onto your stuff?”

“Would you? The last thing I want to do is alarm him by showing up with the last few things I own in the world.”

“It’s not a problem. I can load them back into your minivan when Jake picks it up tomorrow. Or … whatever you like.”

They both turned when the light on the front porch came on. “That’d be great, thanks. It’s going to be bad enough explaining to him that I broke down on the hill.” She looked over at the back seat. “I’ll just grab my overnight bag, that’s all I need.”

Dominic nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?” Even as he spoke the words, he didn’t know why he was asking.

She gave him a puzzled look and then nodded. “Please, it sounds like he already knows you and likes you. Although… Don’t you need to get home?”

“I’m fine.”

He understood what she meant when she glanced at his left hand – at his ring. He reached for it automatically and twisted it around on his finger.

“She’s not waiting for me at home if that’s what you’re thinking – she died nine years ago.”

Sadie’s hand flew up to cover her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

He shrugged. “You couldn’t know.”

“No. But still… I’m sorry.”

He was relieved when the front door opened, and Harvey hobbled out onto the porch.

“We’d better go explain things to him.”

Sadie was already climbing out, and as Dominic watched her run to her dad, he had to wonder why he’d offered to stick around. He didn’t regret it – he was glad he had, but he sure as hell didn’t understand it.