Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Maude sat on the arm of the couch while Ollie clipped Milo’s leash on, the early evening light slanting in through the windows. If they timed this walk right, they’d see some of the sunset.
“Ready?” Ollie asked.
Milo answered for her, tail going fast enough to make them laugh.
Maude ruffled the fur on his back. “He seems to think so, don’t you, boy?”
They stepped outside together, Ollie locking up while Milo strained toward the path that led down to the beach, clearly eager to get to the water. The air was warm and a soft breeze carried the scent of coconut sunscreen their way.
They’d just reached the edge of the path through the dunes when Maude’s phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out as they walked, already curious. She saw a new message in the Queen Bees text group.
Essie had sent a photo.
“Hang on.” Maude slowed and used her body to block the sun so she could see the screen better.
The photo was of a medium-sized brown dog with a white chest and one white paw, sitting on Essie’s back porch. The beautiful dog’s ears were tipped forward, eyes calm and curious.
Essie’s message read, Meet Maple. She’s home. Just adopted her today with Blaise’s help!
Maude’s mouth curved into a grin. “Oh, boy,” she said softly.
Ollie glanced over. “What?”
“Essie adopted a dog,” Maude said. “Look at her. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
She showed him the photo, then typed a quick response. She’s perfect. Congratulations! Then she turned the phone toward him again. “What a beauty, huh?”
Ollie stopped walking for a second to get a better look. “That’s a good-looking dog,” he said. “She already looks content. And calm.”
“She does,” Maude said. “I’m so happy for Essie.”
Milo leaned in, too, nose bumping Maude’s phone as if he could smell the picture. He let out a hopeful huff.
“No,” Ollie told him. “You can’t have her.” He glanced at Maude. “Although, maybe a play date would be all right?”
“I’ll talk to Essie but she might not want to share Maple just yet.” Maude laughed and slipped the phone back into her pocket. “I’m really happy for her,” she said. “There’s no way that house will feel empty now.
“Frank still in Italy?”
“Yep. Not sure when he’s getting back yet, either.”
They started walking again, Milo settling into an easy pace just ahead of them. The beach stretched out in an endless length of pale sand and rolling water. Maude felt an incredible sense of rightness. This was where she was supposed to be. Here on this beach. With Ollie and Milo.
The sun had begun its slow slide toward the horizon.
Maude glanced back at the path behind them, maybe just a little to make sure neither Gigi nor Darcy were nearby, then looked forward again.
Being in the moment felt like a gift. This time with Ollie and Milo, and the simple act of walking and talking and letting the day wind down around them, she understood that it was something special.
They walked on, the surf keeping steady time beside them. Milo trotted a few steps further ahead, stopping now and then to sniff some random bit of seaweed or interesting shell before catching back up when they passed him, satisfied with his findings.
Ollie was quieter than usual, Maude noticed. Like he was lost in thought. She let the silence be, more than comfortable enough to wait him out. It was nice that they could be quiet around each other.
To her, that felt like they’d achieved a new level of togetherness.
He cleared his throat. “You know,” he said, eyes forward, his tone soft. Like his words were meant just for her. “I really like what we’re doing. Sharing meals. Walking. Closing out the day together. Just…being able to do things like this with you feels….”
Maude got the sense he had more to say, so she just nodded but didn’t interrupt.
“It feels good,” he went on. “Better than I expected, honestly. Maybe even better than I remembered. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed you until you were back in my life like this. Spending time with you again is…it feels like a second chance. A really important one.”
“Yeah, for me, too,” she said, mostly so he’d know she was in complete agreement.
“Good.” He nodded, a little smile playing on his lips. “I’m glad.”
Milo paused, forcing them both to stop. He resumed once Ollie gave the leash a gentle tug.
“I’ve been thinking about how strange it is,” Ollie said. “Life, I mean. How it takes you in all these directions, and then somehow circles you back around to someone you knew when you were practically kids.”
Maude smiled faintly. “It is strange. We were so different then. And yet, we’re also not that different now.”
“I was a boy back then,” he said. “I thought I knew what life was all about. I didn’t. Not really.” He hesitated, then added, “What I feel now…it’s different. Deeper. Not as hormonal, for sure. But it’s stronger. It makes more sense.”
That made her slow a little.
“I care about you in a way I couldn’t have then,” he said, turning to look at her. “I see you more clearly now. Not just for who you are but for how you’ve made your life your own. I know myself better, too. And I don’t take this time for granted.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest, permeating her entire being. Nothing about it overwhelmed her, either. She shared his feelings. She also appreciated that he was willing to share them with her.
She’d dated enough to know that Ollie’s ability to convey his emotions was a rare quality in a man. One she respected and admired.
“I feel that, too,” she said. “Being with you feels…easy. In the best possible way. Like I don’t have to explain myself. Like I can just be me because you know me. I don’t have to pretend to be anything I’m not. Couldn’t get away with it anyway.”
He laughed, relief softening his expression. “That’s exactly it. Same for me. You know me better than anyone else. You always have.”
Maude slipped her hand into Ollie’s, their fingers fitting together naturally, and they kept walking as the sky deepened toward evening. Milo shook himself and bounded ahead, oblivious and joyful.
They turned back toward Ollie’s place, the sun dipping lower now, the light warmer and softer as it slid toward evening. Milo seemed to sense the change in direction and picked up his pace, clearly pleased with himself for having successfully completed a beach walk.
Ollie glanced over at Maude. “So,” he said. “About dinner...”
Maude gave him a look. “We already postponed once because of Robbie getting hurt. You’re not changing your mind about cooking for me, are you?”
“Nope.” He held up his free hand. “But before you get too excited, I should warn you—my cooking skills are nothing special.”
“That’s all right,” she said easily. “I’m not hard to please.”
“I do a decent stir-fry,” he continued. “Which is what I planned on making. Shrimp, vegetables, rice. Nothing fancy. No secret ingredients or anything like that. Although, my knife skills are decent.”
She laughed. “They should be. You’re a surgeon.”
“Just trying to manage expectations,” he said. “I don’t want you thinking you’re getting some kind of gourmet experience.”
“As long as it’s edible, I’m happy.”
“It’s edible,” he assured her. “I’ve been feeding myself for a while now without incident.”
“Good enough for me.”
They reached his place and Milo tugged toward the house, tail wagging, already anticipating food or at least the possibility of food. Ollie unlocked the door and stepped aside to let Maude in.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said. He wiped Milo’s feet off with an old towel, then went into the kitchen and washed his hands. “I’ll get started, and if you want to help, you can. But if you just feel like supervising or getting us drinks, I won’t object.”
Maude glanced around. For a tiny home, his kitchen was pretty high-end. He had the upgraded cabinets and quartz countertops. Not that surprising. “I make an excellent sous-chef if you need one, but I’m fine being in a supervisory position. And since you offered to cook…”
“Right.” Ollie laughed, clearly amused. “In that case, you’re on drinks. Water for me, please.”
“On it.” She found glasses and started filling them with ice and water from the fridge door. Milo had already laid down in the living room, the walk having done its job. She looked around. “Where’s Robbie going to put shelves?”
“Around the windows in the living room. He’s going to build in a window seat with storage underneath it, too. It’s going to be just what I need.” Ollie got out a wok, cutting board, and a very professional-looking knife.
“That sounds great.” Not to mention it would be income for Robbie. She moved past Ollie to put his water close to where he was working, then took a seat at the breakfast bar to watch.
He pulled ingredients from the fridge. A red pepper, a carrot, and a bundle of spring onions. He got rice and a small can of something from the pantry. He held up the can. “You good with water chestnuts?”
She nodded. “Yep. And you said this wasn’t going to be fancy.”
He grinned. “Okay, a little fancy.” He got the rice cooking first, then moved on to washing the veggies. His hands were under the faucet when his doorbell rang. He frowned. “No clue who that is. Probably a package.”
Maude hopped up from her seat. “I’ll get it.”
“Thanks.”
She opened the door, expecting to see a box. Instead, a young man stood there, backpack over one shoulder.
He gave her an odd look, then glanced past her.
“Can I help you?”
He looked at her again. “Yeah. I need to talk to my dad.”