Chapter 16
Adam ran a hand over his closely cropped hair and straightened the collar on his dark green polo shirt. He checked the mirror and then his watch. He was meeting Beth in a half hour.
Skye pounced on a shadow on the bedroom floor and tumbled over. He scooped up the kitten and looked at her little face. “Are you having fun today?”
Skye purred. He chuckled and carried her into the living room. “You’re getting quite a belly on you.” He scratched the kitten under her chin and Skye reached up to gently tap his cheek with her paw. “Now you be a good girl and I’ll see you later.” He set her on the back of the chair as his cell phone rang.
“Hey,” Will said, “just wanted to let you know Stacey and I are going for a drive along the shore.”
Adam gave a snort with a half laugh. “And should I feel the need for an escape, I’ll pretend I’m surprised to see you.”
“Yup, and I’ll say that we’re sorry to interrupt but I need your help.”
Adam dropped his head, irritated with himself for being a pessimist. “You know what, don’t worry about anything. If it doesn’t go well, I can just suck it up and be nice until it’s time to go our separate ways.”
“Are you sure?” Will asked. “Because we’re still planning on going for a drive.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” He checked his watch. “I need to run. I’m going to stop and look at a job before I meet Beth.”
“All right. Stop down for dinner when you get back. I’ll burn some burgers on the grill and you can tell us all about it.”
Adam shifted and took the pressure off his leg. It was aching today. “Maybe. I’ve got a busy week coming up.”
Will said, “No worries. Come by, if you want.”
He hesitated and then said, “Sure. Sounds good.”
After disconnecting, he picked up his keys. He had just enough time to run by Mel’s before meeting Beth. He wanted to see if she had made up her mind about the new design. She had still been on the fence the other day when he had explained his idea.
When he got to her house, the garage door was open along with the back door. He crossed through the darkened garage and exited into the backyard, which was a riot of colorful flowers and sunny areas dotting the landscape. Melinda appeared to be completely engrossed in digging a deep hole. An open bag of mulch and peat moss were next to her.
She looked up as he approached. Her eyes were protected by dark, oversized sunglasses and her hair was secured in a knot on top of her head. A large streak of dirt covered one cheek. She held up a gloved hand and smiled. “Hey you.”
Without thinking he wiped the dirt from her cheek as if it was the most natural thing to do. “I was on my way to the beach and thought I’d drop by to see if you’d decided about the screen.” He looked around and saw the new plantings Mel was working on.
She pulled off the gloves as she jumped up. Taking a step back she swept her arm around the expanse of the yard. “I noticed you surveyed my progress with that eagle eye of yours.” She pulled out a paper from her back pocket and held it up. “Yes, I’m following your design.” Making a goofy face, she said, “So you know what direction we’re going in before I even tell you.”
He grinned. “I’ll be over first thing tomorrow and get to work.” He pointed to the exposed back corner. “I’ll use cedar and it will weather to a pale gray just as the beams will. You’ll get a small potting table and the privacy you need. Not to worry, it will blend in nicely.”
She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “If you have another job, I can wait.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re at the top of my priority list.”
She looked him over. “You’re looking handsome today.” Softly she continued, “Green is your color.”
He tugged at the collar on his shirt. “Thanks, I guess.” He pointed to a bag of soil. “I can stop back around later and give you a hand.”
“You’ve done enough and I have my handy-dandy cart.” She pulled a glove back on. “I should get back at it.” She smiled and said, “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He held up a hand and waved. “See you in the morning.”
He started up the truck feeling less than enthused about meeting Beth when what he really wanted to do was stay and dig in the dirt with Mel.
He drove slowly down Shore Line Drive and pulled into the small parking area. There was a vintage cherry red Mustang with a white ragtop parked near the bench. A woman was sitting inside. She got out and held up her hand in greeting. He parked and got out of the truck, took a deep breath and walked across the parking area.
“Hello, Adam.” She extended her hand. “I recognize you from your picture.”
He grasped hers and was surprised at the gesture. “Beth, it’s nice to meet you.”
She looked just like her picture. Her dark brown hair was short and stylishly arranged. She wasn’t as tall as Mel, but looked healthy and fit. He guessed it was from the active lifestyle she described in her bio. Why had he compared Beth to Mel?
Beth held up a thermos and two metal mugs. “As promised, I brought the coffee.”
“I’ll be right back.” He walked to his truck and reached into the open window. He pulled out a brown paper bag and held it up. “I picked up muffins.”
Beth gave him a friendly smile. “Shall we sit and get to know each other?”
She was certainly direct, which he thought was refreshing, and gestured toward the bench. “After you.”
“Isn’t it the perfect day?” she asked. “Puffy white clouds lazily floating through the deep blue sky.”
He nodded. “We’ve been pretty lucky this year. We’ve had the right mix of rain and sun. It’s made the gardens really grow.”
“Do you garden?”
“No, but my friends have a big vegetable garden and I’ve been fortunate to have them share the fruits of their labor with me.”
“I’m not so much a fan of planting and weeding. I don’t like all that work, but I love farm stands.” She opened the thermos, poured a mug and passed it to Adam. “Here you go.”
Accepting it, he said, “Thank you.” He set it aside, turned back the top edge of the paper bag and set it between them. “Help yourself.”
“I will, thank you.” She peeked inside. “What kind are they?”
“Cinnamon swirl. I wasn’t sure where you stood on fruit.” He smiled. So far, so good.
Her eyes grew big. “They’re huge.” She broke one in half and then in half again. Taking a bite, she said, “They’re still warm.”
Adam nodded and chuckled. “They are.” He took a sip of the piping hot coffee. “So, have you gone on many first dates?” He felt heat flush his face. “Does that sound rude?”
She laughed. It was light and carefree. “I’ve had a couple, but I haven’t had a lot in common with them. Which is why I thought I’d give Its Just Coffee a try.” Her eyes drifted to the ocean. “They’ve all been really nice. Just nothing has clicked, if you know what I mean.” She gave him a quizzical look. “What about you?”
“I’ve had one, but she wasn’t honest in her interview with Ms. Phillips. Therefore, it wasn’t a good match.”
“That stinks. If you’re going to spend good money on something like this, you really should do all you can to be completely honest. It’s your best chance of a strong match.”
He nodded in agreement. “I can assure you I was completely honest with her and”—with a wave from his head to toes — “what you see is what you get.”
Inwardly, he cringed. He had left out one very important detail.
“Good to know.” Beth took a sip of her coffee. “I’ll go first and fill you in on some details. I was in a long-term relationship. I wanted to have kids but he didn’t, so we decided to go our own ways. I’ve lived in the area my entire life and can’t imagine not being near the ocean. I have two siblings. My parents are alive and in good health, and I love horror movies, all things suspense and mystery related. Last but not least, my favorite holiday is Halloween.”
He teased, “You forgot your sign, favorite meal and color.”
She laughed. “Taurus, lasagna and green.” Her eyes danced. “Like your shirt.”
“Good to know.”
She gave him a broad smile. “And I’m unflinchingly honest.”
“That’s a trait I admire.”
“I would expect that. I remember you served in the Corps.”
Slowly he said, “Correct.”
“Tell me all about it.” She nibbled on a piece of muffin.
“Not much to tell. I served and then retired, relocated here to be with my friends and now I’m in business as a carpenter.” He drained his coffee cup and said, “I recently adopted a kitten, Skye.”
Beth wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a huge fan of cats. I prefer dogs.”
Inwardly he groaned again. “I found her in a box next to a garbage can. She was just about five weeks old and I wasn’t going to drop her at a shelter.”
“I understand totally. It shows you have a kind heart.”
He shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” Moving away from the subject of Skye, he asked, “So what do you do for work?”
“I’m a cardiac nurse.” She looked down when her cell phone buzzed. She gave it a cursory look and put it back in her pocket.
Adam took notice and decided to be direct. “I take it you think our first date is going well?”
A look of surprise flitted across her face. “What makes you say…” Her voice drifted off and patted her pocket. “Yeah, my back-up plan. If I answered, they’d know to drive by, see the ’stang and pull in and say I was needed at work or something.”
Adam gave a snort. “Well, I had set the same thing up with my friends, but I decided to fly without my wingman today.”
“Honesty.” She laughed again.
He shook his head and grinned. “I think I’m free to hang out for a while longer.”
“So,” she teased, “you still haven’t told me what your sign is, favorite meal and color.” She poked him in the arm. “Fair is fair.”
He relaxed. He was having a good time. “Aquarius, seafood and blue.”
Beth asked, “Do you like to fish?”
“I do, actually. Do you?”
“I have gear in my car if you want to go drop a line off the pier.” She tilted her head. “It might be fun.”
Adam weighed the pros and cons of going fishing without his gear. “How about we make that one of our future adventures? And if we catch something, I’ll cook it for us.”
“That sounds like we have another date.”
“It does.” Adam watched as her smile brightened.
“That sounds like fun.” Beth tightened the top on the thermos and flattened the now empty paper bag. “I’ll look forward to seeing you again.” She held out her hand. “It’s been a pleasure having coffee with you.”
Adam gave her a firm shake. “It’s been nice.” He walked her to her car and held the door for her. “We’ll talk soon.”