Ashley was so distracted typing ideas into her notepad, she failed to notice when someone walked up to the table until he cleared his throat.
“Hi,” the man murmured.
Ashley stilled, her heartbeat racing, before she finally had the nerve to look at the face of the man who was talking.
Her mouth gaped open, until finally, she felt like she could speak again.
“Brian?”
“Ash,” he answered in a husky voice. “I can’t believe you’re my contact. I was just thinking about you. In fact, I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”
Ashley could see Danielle Loughlin standing near the end of the aisle, peeking around the corner of the furthest booth, grinning.
He continued, “Geez, you look as hot as ever. More, as a matter of fact.”
She heaved a sigh. Her eyes felt like they were ready to pop out of her head. “I, uh…never expected to see you again.”
“Same, here,” he answered. “Have you heard anything from your mom about your dad? I have a feeling something is up.”
“Not a word,” she answered. “I suspect that my mom has been seeing my dad occasionally though.”
“Yes,” Brian muttered. “My dad was talking kind of cryptically the other day, so I think he and Mom have been in touch as well.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about it though.”
Brian sighed. “I know. Can I sit down?”
She blinked. “Of course. Sorry.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to concentrate on this proposal right now,” he admitted, laying a folder on the table.
She shut down her tablet, resting it on the table as well. “Me, neither.”
“How about we eat first?”
“Sounds good,” Ashley answered, picking up the menu.
Pretending to study it, she gave Brian a thorough inspection from the corner of her eye. He wore his hair a little shorter than he used to and looked bigger and broader and deeply tanned.
He looked good.
No, he looked great.
Looking up, he caught her eye, and holding her gaze, he put down the menu, heaving a sigh.
“The first thing I want to do is apologize for the way I acted that morning at the beach.”
Ashley hung her head. “I’ll admit it hurt. But I understood why. I would have felt the same way, I’m sure, if I hadn’t overheard most of my parents’ conversation the night before.”
“I was sorry pretty much right away, if that helps. I went over to your house later that night to apologize, but you were gone.”
Did it help? Yes, a little, Ashley thought.
“I’ve still never really known what’s actually going on and why our parents have had to stick to that story,” she admitted.
Brian nodded his agreement. “Same, here. All everyone keeps saying is we’re safer for not knowing the truth, but here we are ten years later, and obviously nothing has changed regarding the reason the story was spread in the first place.”
At that moment, Danielle appeared at the table. “I want you two to take the afternoon off. You have the rest of the week to work on that proposal, and I think it would be helpful if the two of you got to know each other again.”
Ashley looked at her suspiciously. “Was this a setup?”
“Damn right it was,” she answered and winked, before turning and leaving the two of them alone. Before leaving the restaurant, Danielle signaled one of the waitresses, sending her to their table.
They both ordered coffee and sat for the next few minutes saying nothing.
“This is silly,” Brian admitted.
Ashley scrunched her nose. “You’re right.”
“So, he murmured, clearing his throat. “How about I ask first? Are you seeing anyone?”
She hesitated, finally answering, “No.”
He grimaced. “You’re not married, are you?”
“Oh, no,” Ashley said.
And after a long silence she asked, “How about you?”
Giving her a wry grin, he shook his head no.
Just then, the waitress appeared with their coffee and proceeded to take their order.
Ordering her favorite broiled seafood platter, she saw Brian grin. “I knew you were going to order that.”
“I’ll have the same,” he murmured to the waitress, who smiled and took the menus.
“Thanks, Janice,” Ashley said.
Janice smiled, answering, “You’re welcome, Ms. Mitchum.”
“I really missed this place when we moved to Eau Claire,” Ashley admitted.
Brian slammed down his coffee and growled, “Eau Claire? You mean you were only ninety minutes away?”
“For about eight years,” she answered. “I moved back here about two years ago, but Mom stayed in Eau Claire. She’s been working for a realtor there.”
Brian looked conflicted. “I wish I would have known you were so close because I would have made another effort to say goodbye.”
“We were out of the house a few hours after I talked with you that morning. Jake said it was important not to mention to anyone where we were going.”
“Dad moved back to Chicago with Eric and Rick a few days after you and your mom left,” Brian said.
She pursed her lips. “And you?”
“I went into the Army,” he answered.
She heaved a sigh, carefully resting her coffee cup back in its saucer.
And then her eyes met his. “Was it what you expected?”
“I was more prepared than a lot of other guys enlisting. But nothing can prepare you for the way you feel after taking someone’s life,” he answered softly, closing his eyes. “Some of the horrors I’ve seen and dealt with were…indescribable.”
Reaching out, Ashley covered Brian’s hand with hers. “You’ve opted out?”
“I was injured,” he answered. “I suppose I probably would have hung in there longer otherwise, since I made it into the rangers, but everything was really beginning to get to me.”
Deep down, she was panicking. Where had he been injured? He looked whole and healthy.
Brian must have seen the concern in her eyes, because he flipped his palm, squeezing the hand she had laying over his. “My kneecap was shattered but I’ve had surgery and a replacement put in. It’s better.”
“How was it shattered?”
“Uh. During a mission,” he answered.
“You were shot?” Now Ashley began having a full-fledged panic attack and started inhaling deep gulps of air.
Standing, Brian sat beside her in the booth, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“This isn’t the calm, cool and collected Ashley I remember,” he whispered softly.
“Ten years of stress and constantly looking over your shoulder can do that to you,” she murmured. “What happened to the hothead I remember?”
“He had to grow up fast,” Brian confessed.
When they saw the waitress approaching with their food, Brian hesitated, but she let him return to his seat across from her in the booth.
After all, they couldn’t just take up where they’d left off. It had been ten years. She was sure he’d had other relationships, just as she had, and it was hard not to think about that, after finally realizing she’d been so in love with him ten years earlier.
He’d broken her heart.
She was resentful of having her life turned upside down, and not even knowing the reason why.
And she missed her dad. They used to be so close.
But looking at Brian as he gazed outside through the window toward the lakefront, Ashley was sure he missed his mother equally so. What Ashley remembered the most about her is that she’d been so nice, even when Ashley wasn’t exactly being agreeable while visiting Dad in his office.
Someone came by and poured them more coffee, and soon after that, the food arrived.
Brian still had a healthy appetite she noticed, and when she finished as much a
s she could, she slid the plate with the leftovers toward Brian, just like she had when they’d been friends.
He paused before putting his fork into his mouth, giving her a wide smile. “I forgot how good the food is here. I guess I’ve missed it too.”
For the first time since he’d arrived unexpectedly at the table, she smiled.
Chapter Thirteen
Brian had hoped he’d find Ashley again someday, but when he’d seen her sitting in the restaurant, he’d nearly turned and run. He hadn’t known what to say or do.
He was acting like they’d never been apart, and it was obvious from her tone of voice and stiffness in her posture that she wasn’t as forgiving as he was hoping she would be.
As soon as he’d seen her, he knew he’d never stopped loving her, and right now, his mind was working frantically, trying to come up with a way to win her back.
He didn’t know much about the new Ashley. She seemed more confident somehow, but something was different, and he needed to figure out what.
One thing was for sure, she’d grown more beautiful through the years. Her hair was still long and silky and fell past her waist. And those deep blue eyes of hers held him mesmerized whenever she stared into his.
She was working here at the inn now, but what had she been doing during the past ten years? She would have made a great teacher. He’d thought that after first hearing her plans for the future before she was supposed to leave for school. Ashley had always had an air of authority about her.
Even when she didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
She must have noticed him nearly laughing out loud, because she scowled at him after sipping more coffee.
“What?”
“I was remembering how bossy you used to be,” he murmured.
She snorted. “Look who’s talking.”
He continued, “You would have made a good teacher.”
She blinked, and there was definite uncertainty in her eyes again. The last ten years must have hurt her deeply.
“Thanks,” she answered.
He was hoping she would open up with him about herself, but she didn’t look like she’d be volunteering any information soon.
“What do you want to do this afternoon?”
Her eyes went wide. “Huh?”
He grinned, leaning back in the booth. “Danielle told us to take the afternoon off.”
“That doesn’t mean we need to spend it together, although I still wouldn’t mind going over the plans that I came up with for the fall. Danielle more or less mentioned we needed an event to bring people here in October and early November. Once Thanksgiving arrives, it gets pretty busy.”
“Come on. It’s a beautiful day,” Brian coaxed. “Of course, we should spend some time together getting to know each other again, since it looks like we’re going to be working together a lot.”
She bit her lip, and something about that old familiar habit of hers had him wanting to reach out and grab her and give her the kind of kiss he’d been dreaming about during the last ten years.
For a moment, he was sure she was thinking the same thing too. But then the deep dark intensity in her eyes clouded over, and she was back to business.
“We could take a ride on the inn’s pontoon? We’ve recently begun including a boat tour for guests, but at this time of year, we usually only offer it during weekends.”
Brian pursed his lips. “I think I’d like that. I was going to suggest going for a walk, but I’ve been driving a lot during the last few weeks and my leg’s been bugging me. I need to get back into a workout routine.”
Ashley said, “There’s a gym here in town, but I’m thinking you might be able to use the facilities at the wounded warrior home, since you’re a returning veteran. The equipment they have there is much more advanced, and as long as you make regular appointments, you won’t have to wait like you would at the gym in town.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll do that,” Brian answered, standing and reaching for the bill.
Ashley snatched it before he could. “This is a business lunch. No charge.”
“I can leave a tip, can’t I?” he muttered, pulling some cash from his wallet and laying it on the table.
“Of course,” she answered, wrinkling her nose before slipping her iPad into her purse and standing beside him.
If Brian had known that the boat ride on the pontoon would involve bringing along a few of the hotel guests along with a driver, he probably wouldn’t have agreed to it, he thought, forty-five minutes later when they were finally on their way.
He’d wanted to be alone with Ashley and discover more about what she’d been doing during the past ten years. Somewhere in the middle of their trip, he would have taken her into his arms, convincing her to give their relationship another chance.
. It was warm out here on the lake today, and Brian couldn’t help remembering the last time they’d been out here for a ride, when he’d been driving Ashley in the cruiser.
The day before their worlds had come crashing down around them.
Why did Ashley seem so different now than she’d been back then, he wondered, studying her as she spoke with an older couple who were sitting further back beneath the canopy? Her hair was the same, as was her shape, pretty perfect as far as he was concerned. She dressed a little more casually than she used to, but of course anything she wore looked great.
She wasn’t quite as put together as she’d been when she was young. Maybe that was it, he decided, noticing her nails were trimmed short and she barely wore any makeup or jewelry.
They hardly spoke during the trip, but as the driver wound the pontoon near the shore traveling first under the bridge to Pebble Lake and then returning to Crystal Rock Lake before taking a tour around Stone Lake, he could feel her eyes upon him several times throughout the afternoon.
Brian stared in amazement at his ancestor’s old house when they drove by. He wondered if someone was living there, because it was the difference between night and day, the appearance of the property now as opposed to how it had looked ten years earlier. The house had been newly sided in a pale smoky green, and deep rosy red shutters lined new windows which seemed to have been installed throughout the entire house.
The outbuildings still needed work, but it looked like some landscaping had been done as well, and there were patches of grass filling in, even in the shade where there had once been dirt and moss.
Brian turned from where he was sitting in a soft comfortable chair to try and ask Ashley about the house, but she was busy talking with the pontoon driver, obviously going over the route.
When the kid who was in charge of handing out refreshments to the guests stopped by and asked if he wanted a soft drink or more water, Brian took the opportunity to ask if he knew anything about the house.
The teenager looked at the house thoughtfully. “I don’t think anyone’s living there. I heard the owner has been fixing it up though.”
“So how come you’re not in school today?” Brian asked.
“I’m in the work study program,” he answered.
“Oh, yeah? They were just beginning to try that out when I was in school,” Brian murmured.
“I thought I recognized you,” the kid said. “You’re Brian O’Neill, aren’t you?”
Brian blinked. “How did you know that?”
“You’re in the school trophy case. You were the quarterback when we won the state championship.” The kid grimaced. “The last time we won, as a matter of fact.”
Brian laughed, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you…?”
“Cole Hamlin. And it’s nice to meet you too, Mr. O’Neill,” he answered, shaking Brian’s hand.
“Brian. Mr. O’Neill’s my dad.”
Cole laughed. “Just let me know if you need anything, Brian.”
“Will do, Cole,” he murmured, settling back in his seat.
Brian figured Ashley was avoiding him. It had been somewhat of a shock to see him again, he supposed, but
he wasn’t going anywhere.
She finally approached him at the end of the tour.
Brian grinned wryly. “When I said yes to coming out here for the tour, I thought that meant we’d be spending some time together.”
She looked sheepish. “I needed some alone time. It was just such a shock to see you again.”
He nodded his agreement. “I suppose I can’t talk you into having dinner?”
“Not yet. Besides, I’m moving from my apartment into a house this week.”
He tried to hold her gaze, but she wouldn’t cooperate. “I won’t ask where.”
She sighed. “I’m not saying no, that I won’t go out with you. But I just don’t have it in my heart to say yes so soon. Like I said, I need some time to think.”
“Alright,” Brian answered. “No pressure.”
Another half hour later, Ashley was strolling with him toward the parking lot. They’d decided to meet the following morning in her office to get to work on their proposal.
“Have a nice evening,” she murmured, heading toward the opposite side of the parking lot.
That was it? Oh, no, it wasn’t, he decided, determinedly following behind her.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.
“Truck,” she muttered.
He blinked, but after hesitating for a moment, he continued to follow, smiling widely. This, he had to see.
She drove a truck alright, and it was close to the same make and model of his.
But it was a heck of a lot larger.
Puzzled, Brian shook his head dumbly. “I suppose you won’t tell me why you’re driving a truck, let alone one that’s big enough to haul a house?”
Surprisingly, she gave him a mischievous grin, before stepping rather expertly into the driver’s seat. “I need it for my hobbies.”
“Hobbies? What kind of hobbies?” He started laughing as she rolled down the window. “You won’t even give me a hint?”
Ignoring the question, she revved up the motor, backing out of the parking space and then pulling forward.
Still grinning, she waved as she drove away, while Brian stood, scratching his head.
That Incredible Kiss Page 8