Chapter 36
Dave checked the chicken for the third time. It was still cooking. He closed the oven door and glanced at the clock above the stove. Beth wasn’t due until six-thirty, so that gave him another ten minutes to get everything ready.
He’d cooked dinner for plenty of people over the years. Carol. Mark. Friends. He knew his way around a kitchen well enough to put together a decent meal, even though he rarely bothered cooking anything elaborate for himself.
Apparently, none of that mattered when Beth was coming over. He’d bought the best ingredients he could find, taken twice as long to prepare everything, and had been hovering over the oven in case anything burned.
He stirred the creamy mushroom sauce simmering on the stove. The chicken needed a few more minutes, and he needed to stop behaving as though he’d never invited a woman to dinner before.
The doorbell rang.
Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he headed for the front door. Beth stood on the veranda holding a plastic container in one hand and a folder beneath her arm. Her dark green sweater brought out the warmth in her eyes, and the smile she gave him made him forget, briefly, that he had food cooking.
“Hi, Dave. Something smells wonderful.”
He stepped aside and closed the door behind her. “I’m baking chicken in a creamy mushroom and garlic sauce, with roasted potatoes and green beans.”
While Beth took off her jacket, she handed him the container. “That sounds yummy. I brought these.”
Through the clear lid, Dave could see at least two dozen cookies. “Chocolate chip?”
Beth nodded. “With walnuts.”
He lifted the lid and breathed in the familiar smell. Ever since Beth had brought some cookies to the arts center, he’d developed a serious addiction to them.
“As much as I’d like one now,” Dave told Beth, “I’d better leave them until after dinner.”
Beth smiled and followed him through the house. “Do you need a hand?”
“I’m almost done.”
Beth stopped when she saw the dining table.
Dave had bought flowers from the local florist and found matching placemats and napkins at the back of a cupboard.
“This is lovely,” she said softly.
The uncertainty he’d felt about making too much of the evening disappeared. “I thought we might as well make an occasion of it.”
“I’m glad you did.”
Dave walked into the kitchen and stirred the sauce. Behind him, he heard Beth open the folder she was holding.
“I brought something for you,” she said as she joined him. “This is the final program for the opening of the arts center.”
Beth had been working on the program for weeks and had been worried she wouldn’t have it finished on time. “Is it approved?” he asked her.
“By everyone.” Satisfaction filled her voice. “Natalie, the fire marshal, the health department, and every other person who has made me change something over the last three weeks.”
Dave took the copy she handed to him. Seeing everything laid out in neat lines made the opening suddenly seem real. Not long ago, the building had been full of dust, damaged walls, and a seemingly endless list of problems.
Beth tapped the middle of the page. “At noon, we cut the cake and have the official photograph.”
Something in her voice made him look at her. “No.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I haven’t asked you anything yet.”
“You don’t have to.”
A smile tugged at her mouth. “You’re going to be in the photograph.”
Dave put down the schedule. “I built some walls and fixed things.”
“You did considerably more than that.” Beth stepped closer. “When something went wrong, you found a way to fix it. You worked nights and weekends when you didn’t have to.” Her hand settled lightly on his forearm. “I want you there,” she said quietly.
Four words. That was all it took.
He sighed. “All right.”
Her face brightened. “Really?”
“But only one photograph.”
Beth squeezed his arm. “Thank you.”
The warmth of her hand stayed with Dave after she stepped away. He opened the oven before he gave in to the urge to pull her into his arms.
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?” Beth asked.
Dave looked around the kitchen. “You could put the plates and cutlery on the table?”
While Dave made sure the chicken was cooked, Beth found the cutlery and glasses. It should have felt strange having her moving around his kitchen, but it didn’t.
For years, his home had been exactly what he needed. Comfortable, familiar, and quiet. Tonight it felt better, as though each wall had been waiting for Beth to arrive.
He carried their meals to the table, and they sat down to enjoy dinner together. Beth cut into the chicken and took a bite while he waited for her reaction.
She chewed slowly. “I’m reconsidering everything I thought I knew about you.”
Dave laughed. “It’s chicken.”
“Very good chicken.”
“I’ll take that.”
They ate for a while, talking about Kayla, Mark, and the arts center, before Beth reached for her water.
“How was Ryan today?” she asked.
Dave groaned, making Beth laugh.
“What did he do?” she asked.
“He wanted to know what my intentions were toward you.”
Beth put her glass down too hard and the water almost sloshed over the rim. “He didn’t.”
“He did.”
She briefly closed her eyes. “He promised he wouldn’t make things awkward.”
Dave smiled. “On that count he failed.”
“I’ll speak to him.”
Dave shook his head. “Don’t. He cares about you.”
Beth looked unconvinced. “Was that all he said?”
Dave hesitated. He hadn’t intended to tell her the rest tonight, but avoiding it suddenly seemed pointless. “He wanted to know if I was serious about you.”
Beth’s fingers went still around her glass. “What did you say?”
Dave held her gaze. “I said yes.”
For a moment, she didn’t speak, and he wondered if he’d said too much. Then a small smile appeared on her face. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Beth smiled. “I like that answer.”
Relief loosened something inside him. Dave reached across the table and held Beth’s hand.
“I told Ryan I like you,” she admitted.
Dave rubbed his thumb across the back of her fingers. “You did?”
“A lot.”
The simple admission warmed his heart. “That’s useful information.”
Beth grinned. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’ll try not to.” Reluctantly, Dave let go of Beth’s hand.
They finished dinner talking about the weeks ahead.
Kayla’s wedding was getting closer, and Beth still had the table favors to finish.
Dave was sending a team to help decorate the arts center, and to check the exterior railings before the opening day.
When their plates were empty, Beth straightened her cutlery. “I can’t believe we’ve nearly finished remodeling the arts center. It’ll feel strange not seeing Hank and his crew there each day.”
Dave was glad the arts center was almost finished, but he’d miss going there for totally selfish reasons. “I’ll miss seeing so much of you.”
Beth held his hand. “Me, too.”
Dave tightened his fingers around hers. “Then we’ll have to find other reasons to see each other.”
Beth’s smile slowly returned. “I think we can manage that.”
“So do I.”
After clearing the table, Dave rinsed the dishes, then stacked them inside the dishwasher.
“I’ll get the tablecloth,” Beth said over her shoulder as she walked back into the dining room.
While she was gone, Dave helped himself to a cookie. The center was still slightly soft, with crunchy pieces of walnut and more chocolate than any sensible recipe required.
When Beth returned, she leaned against the counter. “What do you think?”
Dave didn’t know where to start. They were delicious. “You could open a bakery and sell nothing but these. They’re the best cookies I’ve ever tasted.”
Beth smiled and pushed the container closer. “Have as many as you like. I can make caramel ones next time.”
Dave stopped chewing. “Next time?”
Beth picked up a cookie. “Assuming you invite me back.”
He looked at her standing comfortably in his kitchen, as though she belonged there. The thought caught him off guard because it didn’t frighten him nearly as much as it once might have.
“I was planning on inviting you back.”
Beth smiled. “Good.” She took a bite of her cookie and a tiny crumb caught near the corner of her mouth.
As Dave reached out and brushed it away, his fingertips lingered against her cheek.
Beth went still.
So did he.
Everything they’d said over dinner seemed to gather in the quiet space between them. Dave didn’t want to make any excuses for seeing Beth again. He wanted her in his life permanently, to be part of what made Sapphire Bay special to him.
Beth rested her hand against his chest. There was a tenderness in her expression that made his heart beat faster. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you all evening,” he said quietly.
Her eyes warmed. “You could have.”
Dave slipped an arm around her waist and drew her gently toward him. There was no hesitation this time. Beth leaned into him, her hand sliding to his shoulder as he held her a little closer. The kiss was warm and unhurried, carrying all the things neither of them seemed ready to put into words.
When he lifted his head, Beth stayed in his arms.
“I have a confession to make,” she said softly. “I’ve already told Natalie you’ll be in the photo for the opening of the arts center.”
He kissed her cheek. “What would you have done if I’d said no?”
Beth smiled. “I would have kissed you until you changed your mind.”
Dave liked that idea.
For once, he wasn’t thinking about the next deadline at Finley Point or the list waiting on his desk tomorrow.
He was thinking about Beth, about how he felt when he was with her, and not agreeing with her so quickly in the future.