When Morning Comes Around (Summer Lake Silver #13)

Chapter Ten

The sky was dark and cloudy, even the lake seemed gray and dull as Sadie drove down the east shore toward Summer Lake on Wednesday morning. Sometimes days like this made her feel down but today, she didn’t think anything could dim her spirits.

For the first time in a long time, she felt as though she had something to look forward to. She didn’t know how things would go with Dominic, but in a way, it didn’t matter. For right now, she had hope, she was excited, and that was so far outside of her normal that it was enough in itself. Perhaps they’d have dinner on Friday and decide that there was no point in trying to take things any further. If that turned out to be the case, it’d be fine. She just hoped that developing a friendship with him wouldn’t be out of the question, even if a relationship was.

She glanced over at the new development at Four Mile Creek as often as she dared while still keeping her focus on the road. She was looking forward to exploring the shopping center – the Plaza, as they apparently called it. Nina had told her about it. She looked up at the lodge – where Dominic worked in the restaurant. She imagined that he’d be a good bartender. He was good with people.

She just wished that he wasn’t working for the next couple of nights. Still, she’d see him on Friday, that was soon enough. She smiled – it wasn’t really soon enough, but she could enjoy the anticipation. It was a nice feeling – looking forward to something. Her smile faded; if she were honest, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like. Her life in Denver had fallen into a predictable routine years ago.

That life was over now. Her marriage was over. She blew out a sigh. She was on her way to town to go to the gym. She didn’t know why her dad was being so picky about it – it would have been far easier to just call and see if there was someone who could work with him. But she was glad for the ride out. She’d decided that while she was in town, she should see what she could do about finding herself a lawyer. Savannah had told her that there was a women’s center adjacent to the bakery. From what she’d said, that sounded like the place to start – they helped with legal advice. And if it was right there next to the bakery, she might just treat herself to a cup of coffee and something sweet. If she did, she’d pick up something to bring back for her dad and Savannah, too.

She had to park a little way down the street from the gym and decided that she might as well take a walk up and down Main Street before she went in. There were so many new stores, and this was the first chance that she’d had to come over here and poke around.

She felt a little guilty leaving her dad by himself, but he’d insisted that he was fine. Tilly and Parker were keeping the garden center ticking along nicely. Savannah had worked the breakfast shift at the diner this morning, so she’d be home soon. As she walked along, peering into the storefronts, it hit Sadie that it was a little hypocritical of her to worry about her dad now that she was here, when she hadn’t so much as visited for the last couple of years.

She stopped in front of the realtor’s office and checked out the houses on display in the window. There were only a couple of rentals, and they were right here in town. If it were possible, she wanted to find something in Hidden Valley. She didn’t know how realistic a hope that was. Even if she couldn’t find something over there, the new development at Four Mile Creek would be better than here in town. In fact, it might be ideal. It was close enough to her dad that she could be there in under fifteen minutes, but it wasn’t on his doorstep.

She looked up, feeling guilty for some reason, when the door opened, and a woman came out. She greeted Sadie with a polite smile that quickly transformed into a big grin.

“Sadie Baker!”

“Terry! How the devil are you?”

Terry grinned. “I’m great. How are you? Nina and I were only saying last night that the three of us need to get together. She said you’ve been busy getting settled in. How’s your dad?”

“He’s okay. I imagine Nina told you that he fell down the stairs?”

“She did. Is he okay?”

“He’s a bit banged up, but it could’ve been a lot worse. I think it shook him up more than anything.”

“I’ll bet. Are you running the garden center, then? The last time Cal and I were over there your dad seemed to be running it himself.”

“He was working it full time until his fall, but his staff has really stepped up. Do you know Tilly and Parker?”

“I do. I knew that they worked there, but I didn’t know if he’d let them run it.”

Sadie laughed. “I think he’s happier with them in charge than he would be with me; the business I can manage, but I have a bit of a black thumb.”

“Well, as long as he’s got someone he can depend on to keep the place going.” Terry frowned. “Do you think he’ll go back to it once he’s recovered?”

“I honestly don’t know. I want to try to talk him into some kind of compromise. Now that he knows that Tilly and Parker are capable, I’d love to think that he might take a bit more of a back seat.”

Terry laughed. “Yeah, but he’s not the kind to do that, is he?”

“No, but I can hope.”

“It’s great to see you, and we really need to get together soon. I have to run, but what are you doing tonight?”

She laughed. “Making dinner for Dad and sitting watching his shows with him.”

“Ah, right. I didn’t think. What about lunch one day soon, then? Nina and I can come over to Hidden Valley if that makes life easier.”

“I’d love to. Have a chat with her and figure out when will work for the two of you. I should be fine whenever, if you want to come over there. Tilly and Parker are on hand if Dad needs them.”

Terry leaned in and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re home. And I’m deliberately not asking about Dale because that’s not going to be a two-minute conversation. Are you okay, though?”

“I am. Honestly, Terry, it’s a relief. I don’t know how that sounds but… But go on, you need to get going. Call me and let me know what you and Nina decide about lunch.”

Terry checked her watch. “I do need to go, but I know exactly what you mean about feeling relieved. I felt the same way after Steve.” She made a face. “He was a cheating bastard, too. Being cheated on did a number on me for a while, but it was a price worth paying to be rid of him.”

“I already reached that conclusion. I was shocked at first. I thought that was why I wasn’t more upset or hurt or … anything. I only figured it out the other morning. It sucked to discover what he was up to, but in a way, it was a blessing – it gave me the motivation to leave that I might never have found otherwise.”

“That,” said Terry. “That’s it. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been there would understand infidelity being described as a blessing but that’s exactly what it was.” She smiled. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll talk to Nina and give you a call. Glad to have you home, girl.”

She leaned in for another hug, and as Sadie hugged her back, she realized that her friends were another reason that she was happy to be back – and why she probably should have come home years ago.

Sadie was still smiling when she pushed open the door to the gym. She started toward the front desk but stopped dead when she spotted Dominic. He was talking to Max Douglas. In fact, he wasn’t just talking to him, it seemed like he was… instructing him.

Her heart started to pound harder. Max Douglas was the one who’d told her dad about a personal trainer who might be a good fit to work with him. Did that mean that Dominic…

“Sadie? Is that you?”

She turned. It wasn’t Dominic who spoke; he hadn’t even noticed her. It was Russ! Russ had been one of her friends as a kid. He’d been closer with Nina and Terry and with Tino, but she’d considered the four of them some of her good friends.

She hurried toward where he was sitting behind the front desk. “It’s me,” she told him with a smile. “And it’s you, too. Russ Lloyd, what are you doing here? The last I heard, you were still in the Marines, keeping the world safe.”

He chuckled. “I came home a few years ago. I opened this place. Now, I do my part to keep the world fit.”

Sadie looked around the gym. “Wow! I had no idea. That’s awesome.”

“And what about you? Terry mentioned that you were back in town. Are you here to stay?”

She made a face. “I love Terry, but we both know that she’s not exactly the soul of discretion. Are you being polite, or do you know exactly why I’m here?”

Russ gave her a rueful smile. “Terry may have mentioned about Dale. I’m sorry. She also mentioned that your dad had a fall. Is he okay?”

“He’s doing okay but he could be better. As a matter of fact, that’s why I’m here. The doctor wanted him to do some physical therapy. He refuses to go but he’s heard about a personal trainer here in the gym.” She couldn’t help it; she glanced back over her shoulder at Dominic. To her surprise, he gave her a polite smile as if she were a total stranger. Her heart sank.

She turned back to Russ when he said, “I’d be happy to work with him, if you want me to. I always liked your dad.”

She nodded slowly. Her dad had wanted to work with the same guy that Max worked with, but that was Dominic. Dominic who was doing a very good job of ignoring her or at least pretending that he didn’t even know her right now.

She made herself smile at Russ. “That’d be great, thanks. When can you fit him in?”

Russ scrolled through his phone. “Friday afternoon at four, does that work? If he wants to make it something regular, we can set up a different day and time. It’s just that Friday at four is all I have left this week.”

“That works for me – and I’m sure it’ll work for him; he doesn’t have anything else going on at the moment.”

“What about the garden center? Whenever I’ve been over there, it seems like he still runs the place by himself.”

“Tilly and Parker are in charge for now. I’m actually surprised how chill he’s being about that. I’m hoping that this fall might persuade him to take things a bit easier and let them carry more of the load going forward.”

Russ smiled. “Good luck with that. I’ll do my part to get him back on his feet. Who’s his doctor? I can check in with them before Friday.”

“Dr. Morgan, but not Doc.”

Russ laughed. “No, these days, Dr. Morgan means Doc and Lizzie’s son, Michael. That one took me by surprise when I came home, too. Then again, it shouldn’t have, should it?”

“I suppose not. We went and got older; there’s no reason to think that the people we used to think of as kids wouldn’t have done the same.”

She turned when the door opened behind her, and smiled at the woman who came in.

Turning back to Russ, she said, “I’ll see you on Friday, then.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” said Russ.

She nodded at the woman as she passed her, and the woman smiled back. She couldn’t resist taking one last look at Dominic; it felt strange to leave without even saying hello to him. At the same time, she didn’t want to intrude on Max’s session.

It seemed that she needn’t have worried about Max’s session – that was clearly over. Max was waving to the woman who had just come in, and he and Dominic were going over to join her. The expression on Dominic’s face took Sadie’s breath away. To say that he was pleased to see the woman didn’t come close to describing it. He was in love with her, totally and utterly in love with her, there was no mistaking it.

She started when she realized that Russ was giving her a puzzled look, while she was standing there unable to do anything other than stare. She turned hurriedly and left.

By the time she reached the bakery a little farther down Main Street, she felt as though she’d run a marathon. Her heart was pounding, and she felt shaky and sweaty. She couldn’t make sense of it. What was he playing at? He’d seemed so genuine. And yet…

“Hi. What can I get you?”

The girl behind the counter greeted her with a friendly smile, bringing her back to the moment. She ordered a coffee and a pastry and went to sit in one of the booths. She felt like a fool – probably because she was a fool. She didn’t know what Dominic’s game was, but she had no intention of playing it.

~ ~ ~

When Dominic got to work on Wednesday night, Taryn greeted him with a smile.

“How’s it going, big guy?”

“I’m doing great, thanks. How are you?”

“I’m good. It’s been business as usual around here. Want to tell me what’s really going on with you?”

He gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

She laughed. “You got yourself a lady friend.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked again.

She waved a hand at him. “You should know what it’s like around here by now – you can’t get away with a damn thing.”

“I’m not trying to get away with anything – I just don’t know what you mean.” Taryn’s question had made him feel guilty. It was crazy – he had nothing to feel guilty about. But he felt as if she somehow knew about his kiss with Sadie last night.

She gave him a puzzled look. “What are you getting so defensive about?”

“I’m not. I just don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“On Saturday, you were spotted walking on the beach with a woman.”

A wave of relief washed over him. “Oh, right.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “The way you said that makes me think that there’s more going on.”

He shrugged. “There’s nothing going on.” He was tempted to add, not yet, but that would only make her even more curious.

“Okay, so tell me what wasn’t going on at the beach on Saturday, and who it wasn’t going on with.”

He smiled through pursed lips. “Can I at least get to work on my prep? I’ll tell you while I do that.”

“Okay, but don’t think that I’m letting you off the hook. I want to know what’s going on with you. I’m confused.”

Dominic went and washed his hands then got set up to start slicing lemons and limes. Taryn stood with her arms folded, watching him the whole time.

He let out a reluctant chuckle. “Go on, what are you confused about?”

“You. When you first arrived here, I thought for sure that you were going to be one half of the next Summer Lake romance. But then, I learned about Polly. And I get it, I get the way you are.”

Dominic shot her a quick glance and raised his brows. “How am I?”

“You’re a bag of contradictions. Whenever we all go out, you flirt as if you’re looking to meet someone. But you’re not, are you?”

He continued slicing lemons, and didn’t answer.

“Exactly,” said Taryn. “What I don’t get is if you’re not interested in meeting someone new, but you try to convince people that you are to keep them off your back, why would it bother you that people saw you with this woman – whoever she is – on Saturday?”

He blew out a sigh. She was right. To anyone observing – although why anyone would want to, he didn’t know – his behavior must seem strange.

After a few moments, she stepped closer. “I know I’m a pain in the ass. I just… Yes, I’m nosy, and I stick my nose in where it’s not wanted. But… I guess all I’m saying is that I’m here, if you want to talk to someone.”

He shot her a quick smile. She really could be a pain in the ass, but she was a good person, and in the time that he’d worked here for her, she’d become a good friend. He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

“Okay.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You want to talk to me?”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure that I do, but I will.”

She held her hands up. “No. I’m not trying to force you into anything.”

“I know. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I think maybe it’ll do me good.”

“Seriously, if you don’t want to… Maybe you should speak to Damon.”

He smiled. “You can’t go backing out on me now. You offered, remember?”

Taryn grinned. “Okay, what do you need to talk about?”

“The woman; her name’s Sadie.”

“Right, she’s Nina and Terry’s friend, she’s back in town to visit her dad. She broke down on her way up the hill on Friday night, and you went to rescue her since Jake was out of town.”

Dominic had to laugh. “Glad to see that you’re up to speed.”

“All I know is the list of events. They’re less important. What I want to know is how you feel.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. That was what he wanted to know, too. In fact, no, that wasn’t true. He knew how he felt – what he didn’t know was what to do about it.

“You like her, but you think you shouldn’t?”

He nodded.

“You know me, I wade in where I shouldn’t. If I go too far, tell me to shut the hell up, okay?”

He nodded again.

“Polly’s been gone a long time, Dom.”

He swallowed.

Taryn came closer and rested her hand on his back. “Do you think she’d want you to spend the rest of your life alone?”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“After my Nico died, I didn’t want anyone else. I didn’t think I ever would. But life goes on – even though you don’t want it to – and if you’re going to stick around for it, you might as well actually live it.”

Dominic nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Taryn dabbed at her eyes and sniffed. Then, she patted his back as she said, “Slicing lemons is like peeling onions, right? They make your eyes water.”

He chuckled. “I can’t say that I’ve ever heard that one before, but I’ll go with it.”

She met his gaze. “I think that’s what you need to do – just go with it. See where it takes you. It might not go anywhere. Then again, it could be the beginning of a whole new chapter. I can’t speak for you, but I know for me, the years after Nico died were pretty dark.”

She stopped and looked up at the entrance to the restaurant, where Dalton had just appeared.

“You can’t ever tell him that I said this – Dalton and I got together after a fight in the moonlight, but being with him is like living a whole new day.”

Dominic smiled. “You guys are good together.”

“I know. I love that man with all my heart – even though after Nico, I never thought I’d love anyone else again.”

Dominic didn’t know what to say. Love? He didn’t know about that. He was still wrestling with the guilt that he felt over just feeling attracted to Sadie. Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything. Dalton had reached the bar, and he was giving them a puzzled look.

“What’s going on? The two of you look mighty serious. Staring into each other’s eyes the way you were, I could get worried.”

Taryn laughed. “Yeah, right! If you thought that I was about to run off with Dom, you’d be relieved, not worried.”

Dalton scowled at her. “Don’t bet on that, lady.” He turned to Dominic and smiled. “Don’t worry, I know you have more sense than that.”

“Excuse me?!” Taryn asked indignantly. “What do you mean? More sense than what?”

Dalton grinned. “I’m the only one crazy enough to fall in love with you.”

“Aww! I love you, too.”

Dominic chuckled to himself as he moved away to serve a couple of customers who’d come in. Taryn and Dalton were great together, but he didn’t envy their relationship. He frowned as a thought hit him. He didn’t envy the kind of relationship they shared, but maybe he did envy the love that they shared.

He didn’t know what to do with that thought, so he put it out of his mind as he got to work. He hadn’t intended to ever love another woman. And who was talking about love anyway? Talking about friendship with Sadie was a huge step for him. And all he could do was take things one step at a time.