Chapter Six
As Dominic drove down Main Street in Summer Lake, Sadie stared out the window. The town hadn’t changed much in the years that she’d been gone. She’d always loved this place. She’d driven through herself yesterday, but riding as a passenger in Dominic’s SUV afforded her the luxury of being able to pay attention to what had changed.
She was surprised by how busy everywhere was. Main Street was bustling with pedestrians. She guessed that many of them were tourists – and that was a change. At least, in the winter. The resort had always attracted tourists, but she only remembered seeing them in numbers like this during the summer months.
Dominic glanced over at her, making her realize that she hadn’t spoken a word since they’d congratulated each other on putting up a convincing performance about why they had to leave the garage – leaving Savannah and Jake alone.
She turned to him with a smile. “Sorry I’ve been quiet, I’ve been taking it all in. It’s nice to be a passenger for a change.”
He smiled. “I know what you mean, I’ve noticed that when I ride over to the garage with Jake. You get to notice so much more when you’re not the one driving. What are you noticing? You grew up here, didn’t you? Is it very different now?”
“No, I’m surprised by how little has changed. And from what I can tell, the changes are for the better. There are more tourists than I expected but the town still feels the same – it hasn’t been overrun, or commercialized.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when Damon told me about this place – I didn’t imagine that I’d want to live in a little tourist town. That’s not how it feels, though.”
“It doesn’t, it still feels like the same old Summer Lake to me – and I’m so glad it does.” She turned to look out the window again when he turned off Main Street. “Where do you live?”
“You’ll see in a minute, we’re almost there. Did you grow up here in town, or were you always over in Hidden Valley?”
She laughed. “We’ve always lived in Hidden Valley, but I kind of grew up here, too. I went to school in town, and my best friends lived here. I spent as much time here as I did at home.”
“Are your friends still here?”
“They are. You know one of them – Nina. And since you know her, I’d bet that you know Terry, too – Teresa.”
“I do. In fact, you know the first time we met – in the grocery store? One of the two guys I was with – the biggest one – that’s Cal, he and Terry are together.”
She laughed. “Really?”
He gave her a puzzled look. “Yeah, why?”
“Sorry, it’s not funny – not really. It’s just… Oh what the hell, I might as well tell you. When I first walked in and saw the three of you standing there like that, I thought there must be some kind of big man convention in town.” She cringed, wishing that she could learn to keep her mouth shut.
She was relieved when he laughed. “Ah, right. I can see what you mean. I’m not exactly small, and Cal and Dalton are both bigger than I am. For a second, I thought that maybe the sight of the three of us had scared you.”
She pressed her lips together. She hadn’t been afraid of them, but she wasn’t going to tell him how she had felt.
“No. You didn’t scare me.”
Her tummy flipped over when he shot her a quick glance and said, “Good, I’d hate that. You don’t ever have to be afraid of me, Sadie.”
She nodded, not sure what she could say in response.
He cleared his throat as he turned onto a residential street and said, “Here we are.”
She looked around as he pulled into the driveway of a neat little rancher. She didn’t know where she’d expected him to live, but this wasn’t it. Not that she had anything against the neighborhood; Nina lived on the next street over. And the house itself was adorable – it just didn’t seem to suit Dominic.
He turned to her with a smile. “Do you want a coffee or something? It didn’t occur to me, but we didn’t really need to come here – this was just our cover story. I have all your things in the back.” He jerked his thumb toward the back seat.
She chuckled. “Yeah, sorry. It didn’t occur to me either. I’d love to have a cup of coffee with you if you have time, but if you want rid of me, I can walk into town from here.”
He frowned. “No, come in and have a cup of coffee with me.”
She followed him to the front door, and he held it open for her to go in ahead of him.
“It’s a nice place,” she told him.
He shrugged. “It’s nice enough. It’s not mine. It’s Damon’s place. I’m sharing it with Jake, while we both find our feet. I moved to town just when Damon met Jo and moved in with her. It made sense for me to stay here rather than let it stand empty. Then, Jake decided not to re-up and to move here. I think sharing like this is good for both of us – for now.”
He led her to the kitchen. “Do you want to take a seat while I make us that coffee?”
“Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “I feel like I’ve spent too much time sitting on my ass this week.”
He frowned. “Yeah, that long ass drive.” He shook his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
He met her gaze. “You wouldn’t, but I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”
She blew out a sigh. “It’s not so much that I don’t want to talk about it – and certainly not that I don’t want to talk about it with you – it’s more that I’m trying to avoid thinking about it.”
He nodded and turned away. “I know how that goes.”
She was mad at herself. The poor man had lost a wife whom he obviously adored – he had every right to feel sad. She blew out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”
He turned back around with a puzzled look on his face. “What for?”
“I don’t want to say it out loud – that feels like I’m intruding – but you know what I mean. You lost something precious. Me? What I lost wasn’t worth having. It’s just that I was finally forced to face that. I should have made the move myself a long time ago, but I was too much of a coward I guess.”
“I don’t think you’re a coward.”
“I don’t suppose it matters anymore.” She gave him a bright smile which became more genuine as she spoke. “It doesn’t matter what I was; what matters is who and how I decide to be now.”
He smiled. “That’s true. If you want to look at it that way, you have a whole new adventure – a whole new life – opening up ahead of you.”
He was right, and she was trying to look at it that way. She chose to nod instead of saying anything – she didn’t trust herself not to mention the fact that the same was true for him.
~ ~ ~
Dominic’s mind raced as they stood in the kitchen, drinking their coffee. Obviously, he hadn’t thought this through. He and Sadie had both seized the opportunity to leave Jake and Savannah by themselves. He scowled. That was the only reason he’d brought Sadie back here with him – to give Jake some time with Savannah. He glanced over at her. It wasn’t so that he could get some time with Sadie – was it?
She looked a little uncomfortable; she’d probably noticed the way he was scowling to himself. “This is great coffee, thanks. I can get going as soon as I’m done.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t scowling at you .”
She let out a short laugh. “Phew, that’s a relief. From the look on your face, I thought I’d pissed you off somehow.”
He chuckled. “Nope. Not in the least. I think my thoughts show on my face sometimes.”
“And what were you thinking that made you look like that?”
He wasn’t about to tell her that he was questioning his motivation for inviting her over. He shrugged. “I bet you had other plans for your morning.”
“Honestly? I didn’t. Savannah offered me a ride, so I had to make the most of it.” She took a big gulp of her coffee. But I bet you have other plans, and here I am holding you up.”
He chuckled. “I don’t. So, you’re just hanging around until Savannah can take you back again?”
“I am.”
“Is there anywhere you need to go? Anything you need to do? If there is, I’m happy to play chauffeur.” The words were out before he’d thought them through. He should have simply offered to give her a ride somewhere – but that wasn’t really what he wanted. He didn’t understand it, but the thought of playing chauffeur – of driving her around, to as many places as she wanted to go – held much more appeal for him.
She met his gaze and held it. His heart started to pound. If she questioned why he’d offered, he wouldn’t know what to say. He couldn’t explain it to himself, there was no way he’d be able to put it into words.
Some of the tension left his shoulders when she asked, “Are you at a loose end?”
He smiled, relieved. That was probably it – she was right. He shrugged. “I guess I am.”
A flash of something – something that looked like disappointment – crossed her face.
“It’s not just that, though. I…” His mind raced. What could he say? He didn’t want her to think that he’d only offered because he didn’t want to spend the morning sitting at home. “I enjoy hanging out with you.” He swallowed. That was the truth, but he wasn’t sure he should’ve said it.
Some of the tightness in his chest unfurled when she smiled and said, “Awesome! I enjoy hanging out with you, too. We can rescue each other from an otherwise empty morning, thanks.”
He nodded happily. “We can. So, where to?”
She laughed. “I have no freaking idea. I planned to walk up and down Main Street just to see what’s going on. I figured I’d stop into The Boathouse, see how much the place has changed.” She shrugged. “How about you – any suggestions?”
He grinned. “Like I said, I’m the chauffeur – I’ll go wherever you say.”
“How would you feel about a walk on the beach?”
He closed his eyes briefly and regretted it when she added, “Okay, so, scratch that…”
He laughed. “No, I think you misread the look on my face. I was relieved. I’d walk up and down Main Street with you, if you wanted to, but I’d feel much more at home on the beach.”
“Oh, right! Good to know – me too. It always used to be my first stop when I got back to town. I love it down there.”
“Are you ready, then?”
“I am, let’s go.”
As they drove back through town, Dominic couldn’t help second-guessing himself. He didn’t understand why he was going out of his way to spend more time with her. Usually, he took every opportunity he could get to spend time with his brother, Damon. And yet this morning, he’d turned Damon down…
As if she’d been reading his mind, Sadie asked, “Do you see much of your brother?”
“I do. I hang out with him and his lady, Jo, a couple of times a week usually. I think you’ll like her.” He stopped abruptly, realizing that his words might sound as though he intended to introduce the two women. “I mean… she’s friends with Nina and Terry, so I’m sure you’ll get to know her.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Right, I’m sure I will.”
They fell silent after that, not speaking again until he parked in the little lot above the public beach.
He cut the engine and turned to her. “Are you going to be warm enough? It’s windy out there.”
“I will be if I can get my big coat out of the back.”
He smiled. “Of course, I forgot about that. I was going to offer you my spare jacket from the back seat.”
“Oh.” She glanced over her shoulder. “That would be great, if you don’t mind. It’ll save me rummaging through my trash bags, feeling like a homeless person.”
He chuckled. “I don’t mind, but it’s your call. Mine might be a bit big on you.”
They got out, and he took two jackets from the back seat. He had a habit of taking them off while he was driving, throwing them back there, and then forgetting to take them inside with him. He held them up for Sadie’s inspection. “Take your pick.”
She took the red buffalo plaid fleece jacket with a smile, leaving him his favorite black one.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
He chuckled. “It’s the one I was hoping you’d choose – I like this one better.”
She smiled back at him. “Phew! I feel like I finally got something right.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “I don’t feel like you’ve gotten anything wrong.”
He held her gaze, but she just shrugged and put the jacket on. He put his own on and couldn’t help chuckling when he looked at her. She was struggling to fasten the zipper.
“Want a hand? There’s a knack to it.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Then yes, please. It’s obvious that I don’t have the knack.”
He stepped closer and took hold of the zipper. It took him a few moments to line it up, then he tugged the tab right up to her chin. When he looked down at her upturned face, all his breath caught in his chest. Her eyes were a beautiful, light brown color that he’d tried to avoid noticing until now. Her full, plump lips seemed to quiver as she gave him a hesitant smile. She was beautiful. And that thought made him step back quickly.
She didn’t seem to notice his reaction. Instead, she held up her arms and laughed as she waved the empty ends of the sleeves around – they were far too long for her, of course.
He made a face. “Sorry, do you want to dig through the bags for your own coat?”
She shook her head vigorously. “I do not, thank you. This is perfect! My hands won’t get cold.”
As he looked her over, he was tempted to say that her ass wouldn’t, either. The jacket came halfway down her thighs. He refrained from mentioning that, though. Instead, he checked the back seat again and was happy to find two beanies. He offered one to her. “Want to keep your head warm, too?”
“Thanks, but I’ll only wear it if you promise not to laugh.”
He laughed even as he asked, “Why would I laugh?”
She pointed at him. “See? You’re doing it already, and I haven’t even put it on yet.”
He shrugged and put his own hat on. “I don’t think anyone looks particularly fetching wearing one of these things, but that’s not the point of them, is it?”
He felt as though he’d said the wrong thing when her smile faded. “No, you’re right. I was just being silly.” She put the hat on and looked up at him. “Shall we go?”
Her short, dark hair stuck out from underneath the hat, looking almost like a fur fringe. He winked at her. “I’m not laughing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and punched his arm. “See! Now you know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, sorry. It looks kind of cute, though.”
She smiled through pursed lips. “Cute? Well, that’s a new one. I’ll take it. It beats what I’ve been called in the past.”
His smile faded. He wanted to ask what she’d been called in the past – and by whom. At the same time, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t like the answers. So instead, he offered her his arm. “Come on, let’s get this beach walk in.”
When she slipped her arm through his, his throat went dry. What the hell was he doing? This was how he and Polly used to walk. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He didn’t understand his reaction, but he didn’t need to. It didn’t matter.
Sadie grinned up at him when they reached the water’s edge. “Did you know that there’s all kinds of quartz on the beaches around here? I used to come hunting for them when I was a kid. I used to have a little collection of rocks. I even had some beautiful rose quartz.”
He tilted his head to the side as he smiled down at her. “You’re a rock hound?”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. In fact, I…” Her words trailed off as she stared out at the water. “You know what? I haven’t gone rock hunting in years – not since I first met Dale. He thought it was an utter waste of time.”
Something inside of Dominic reared up when he heard that. He hated when people put down others’ interests. No one had the right to judge – what might seem trivial to one person held major significance to another; he knew that.
He gave her arm a squeeze. “Well, I reckon today’s the day we change that.” He looked down at the pebbles they were walking on. “I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I bet we can find something good.”
Her eyes were wide as they looked up into his. “It’s okay. You don’t need to…”
He held her gaze and nodded. “Yeah, I do. You have the chance to do something you haven’t done in far too long – I’m happy to be a part of it.”
As they walked slowly along the water’s edge, eyes down on the pebbles beneath their feet, his words kept replaying in his head. From what she’d told him, it seemed that there were many things that Sadie hadn’t done in far too long. It was hard to deny that something inside him wanted to be there with her as she rediscovered them. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and focused on searching for quartz instead.