What was he going to do about this attraction to her?
Absolutely nothing.
What could come of it? She deserved better than a long-distance relationship, and that was all he could offer her right now. He was leaving town as soon as his father was back on his legs. Eli had had an email just that morning from his commanding officer, asking when he would be back and whether he was ready to take off again to return to his job overseas.
For one crazy moment, Eli had been tempted to tell Dr. Flores that he was done, he wasn’t going to re-up but would continue serving the National Guard, available when his country needed him.
He knew the woman would be disappointed but wouldn’t think less of him. Many—in fact, most—army doctors didn’t stay in as long as he had, at least not on active duty. His initial commitment had only been two years, but the work had been so fulfilling he hadn’t been able to walk away then.
Could he walk away now? That was the million-dollar question. Before Justine and Miri died, he had been thinking about going into private practice while retaining his military benefits by serving in the Guard. That was the course most in the Army Medical Corps eventually took.
Since that horrible day in that dusty market town, he had felt driven to do more, try harder, dedicate himself more fully.
He owed both of them. Didn’t he? He hadn’t been able to save Justine, but he could help those she had cared about.
That left little place in his world for someone like Melissa, who had finally found her own place to belong here in Cannon Beach.
While he might accept that intellectually, it hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her all day, remembering their kiss and feeling comforted all over again when he remembered the sweet way she had wrapped her arms around him in her kitchen, offering solace and concern.
He had it bad for Melissa Fielding. That was the plain truth. He was all tangled up over her and didn’t know how to unravel the silken cords around his heart.
The doorbell startled him out of his thoughts, and it took him a minute to figure out how to work the control of the chair enough to put the footrest down so he could get out.
When he opened the door, he was greeted first by a familiar woof, and then by a grin and wave from a young curly-haired girl.
“Hi, the other Dr. Sanderson.”
He was as charmed by Skye as he was by her mother, even though her bright smile reminded him so painfully of Miri. “Hi there, the other Ms. Fielding.”
She grinned. “Mom said we had to take Max back to you today, even though I really, really, really wanted to keep him.”
He glanced at Skye’s mother and felt that peculiar tug in his gut that had also become familiar since he’d come back to town, the one he felt only around Melissa. He wanted to tell the girl she could keep the dog for another night, but he had a feeling Melissa would not appreciate his offer.
“Thank you. Both of you.”
“Thanks for loaning him,” Melissa said. “He was wonderful company, weren’t you, Max?”
The dog yipped as if agreeing with her.
“Here’s his stuff.” Skye handed over the bowls and blanket he had taken to Brambleberry House the night before.
“Thanks.” He took them and set them inside his father’s house, then gestured to the colorful fabric kite in Melissa’s hand. “I guess I can tell where you guys are going after this.”
“Yep,” Skye answered. “I’ve been begging and begging to fly our kite and today Mom said yes. We’re going down to the beach by your house because the wind is always just right.”
“Looks like a great kite.”
It was shaped like a jellyfish, purple with rainbow-colored tentacles. “You should see how high it goes. Sometimes it goes up and up until I can barely even see it.”
“Sounds amazing.”
He and his mom used to fly kites on the beach often after school. It had been one of their favorite pastimes. After the cancer made her too weak, she used to sit at the window here and watch him down on the beach below their house. Some nights he would fly a kite past dusk, hesitant to come in when he knew she enjoyed the sight of it flying and dipping so much.
“You can come with us,” Skye suggested. “We always have a hard time getting it up in the air. I can never run fast enough to have the wind take it. Maybe you could help us.”
He darted a look at Melissa but couldn’t tell by her veiled expression what she thought about her daughter’s spontaneous invitation.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve flown a kite. I’m not sure I remember how.”
“We can show you,” Skye said.
“I’m sure Dr. Sanderson has other things to do right now,” Melissa said.
“Like what?” Skye asked.
“Skye. It’s rude to expect him to drop everything and come with us.”
He ought to let the girl down gently and tell her he had other plans. But suddenly he wanted to fly a kite more than he had wanted to do anything else in a long time...except, perhaps, to kiss her mother.
“Thank you for inviting me,” he said instead. “I would very much enjoy helping you fly this beautiful kite.”
It definitely wasn’t a good idea to spend more time with Melissa or with her daughter, not when he was having a hard time resisting both of them, but he told himself he could handle it. He only had to keep things in perspective, remind himself he was leaving in a few weeks.
He couldn’t tell how Melissa felt about the prospect of him coming along, but her daughter made her delight clear. She beamed at him, the gap in her front teeth more pronounced. “Yay! Can Max come with us?”
“Sure. I don’t see why not.”
“I’ll hold his leash, if you want.”
“Thanks,” he said, trying to keep the dryness out of his tone. “That’s very nice of you.”
He picked up his sunglasses from the hall table where he’d left them and walked outside into a lovely Oregon afternoon. The rain of the evening before was nowhere in evidence, though he knew the forecast called for possible heavy waves and wind later in the week.
“Let me take that,” he said to Melissa, reaching for the colorful kite she carried.
“It’s a kite. It’s not exactly heavy.”
“If it were heavy, it wouldn’t fly,” Skye pointed out with irrefutable logic.
“It’s big and bulky, though. I don’t mind.”
She held it out for him. “Here you go. Knock yourself out.”
He reached for it and though he didn’t plan to and, in fact, actively tried to avoid it, his hands brushed hers.
Heat seemed to race along his nerve endings and his stomach muscles clenched.
So much for keeping control around her. If he could have that kind of reaction from a little accidental slide of skin on skin, he was in big trouble.
As they took the closest beach access, a narrow trail between two houses, Skye hurried ahead of them with Max, leaving Eli to walk alone with Melissa.
“You really didn’t have to come with us,” she said after a moment. “Skye is right, we’re not the greatest at getting the kite up in the air, but trying is half the fun.”
Her cheeks were pink, but he couldn’t tell if that was from embarrassment or from the breeze.
“I meant what I said. I’m looking forward to it. What better way to spend a windy April afternoon?”
When they reached the beach, she gave him a sidelong look.
“All morning, I’ve been thinking about how awkward it would be to face you again,” she admitted, confirming his suspicion about the source of that rosy glow. “I’m kind of glad we got that out of the way now, instead of tomorrow morning in the office when you’re seeing a patient.”
Her words were a blunt reminder that she worked for his father. He had a strong suspicion that wasn’t accidental, as if
she needed both of them to remember their respective roles.
“You have nothing to feel awkward or embarrassed about,” he assured her.
She snorted. “Sure. I only drank too much, which I never do, fell asleep in your car and then practically dragged you into my house and insisted on feeding you.” She glanced at her daughter and then back at him. “And it’s my fault we kissed again, when we both made it clear the first time that it shouldn’t happen again.”
Was she sorry it had happened? He couldn’t tell from her response. He wasn’t sure he regretted it. He should, he knew, but her kiss had been as warm and nurturing as the rest of her.
He wanted to kiss her again. Right now, right here. Instead, he gripped the kite more tightly and continued walking beside her while the April breeze that smelled of sand and sea danced around them. “It was a strange night. We’re going to chalk it all up to that, right?”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but her daughter interrupted before she could.
“What about here?” Skye asked. “Is this a good place to fly a kite?”
He managed to drag his gaze away from Melissa’s mouth to focus on their surroundings, the beach a short distance from his father’s house. “This looks like an excellent spot. No trees, no wires, no skyscrapers.”
“I agree. It’s a great place,” Melissa said. She set her backpack on the sand and reached inside, pulling out a rolled sand mat. After spreading it out, she plopped down, then calmly pulled a book out of the backpack.
“I do believe this is a great spot for me to sit back and relax with a book while you guys run around and get all sweaty trying to get that big kite up in the air. I’ll watch our stuff.”
Eli snorted. “You’re going to read a book while I help your daughter fly her kite. Why do I get the feeling I’ve just been played?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Nobody is playing anybody. If you remember correctly, I had no idea you would be here. We were only supposed to be dropping Max off at your place before coming down to fly the kite. I didn’t plan things this way, but since you’re here, I would be crazy to waste a chance to sit on the sand and enjoy this warm afternoon.”
He laughed, completely delighted with her. Every time he was with her, he fell harder.
She stared at him, her features still and watchful, with an expression he couldn’t read behind her sunglasses.
I wish you would do that more often. I like it so much.
He remembered her slightly tipsy words the night before in his dad’s SUV after he had laughed then, and his insides felt achy with need. That encounter seemed a hundred miles away right now on this sunny beach with the waves washing against the sand and the seagulls crying out overhead.
After a moment, he turned to Skye. “Your mom wants to read her book and I can’t argue it’s a good plan. I guess it’s up to us to fly this kite, then.”
“We can do it,” Skye said again. She jutted her chin into the air, looking like a mini pugilist version of her mother. “I know we can.”
“You got it. Let’s do this.”
* * *
The afternoon turned into one of the most enjoyable he had spent in a long time.
He tried to steel his heart against Skye, using as a shield an image of a little dark-eyed orphan with a shy smile, but he quickly realized it was pointless.
He couldn’t resist her any more than he’d been able to resist her mother.
Skye was completely adorable. She chattered endlessly about everything under the sun. She told him about the haystacks, how they had been formed by wind and water eons ago. She waved energetically at the people on recumbent bicycles who rode past them with some frequency on the hard-packed sand close to the water, telling him about the time she and her mother had rented them once when they first moved back to town and it had been really fun. She talked about her father and his new wife and the baby on the way and how it was a boy and she couldn’t wait to hold him.
She was smart and funny and as openhearted as her mother.
Max ran around in excitement as they worked to get the kite up. Once it was soaring and dipping above them on the currents, the dog seemed to lose interest and plopped down beside Melissa, who reached absently to pet him while turning the page of her book with her other hand.
Whenever he looked over at her, his chest seemed to ache all over again. The sunlight gleamed in her hair and she looked fresh and sweet and beautiful.
It was a perfect moment here, beside the water he loved. A girl laughing with glee, her mother soft and relaxed on the sand, the wind catching the colorful kite and tugging it ever higher.
The restlessness inside him seemed to settle for now, and he wanted the moment to go on and on.
He and Skye flew the kite for over an hour, taking turns holding it and letting it dip and dance on the currents.
He thought Melissa might have fallen asleep, but he couldn’t tell for sure with her sunglasses.
Sometime later, she finally rose with her elegant grace and came over to where he and Skye were holding the kite. “You guys have done a great job.”
“It’s higher than we’ve ever got it!” Skye exclaimed. “Eli is the best at flying a kite. He said he used to do it with his mom when he was a kid and flying a kite always makes him think of her.”
Melissa sent him a swift look, and Eli pointedly busied himself with the kite.
“We should probably go, kiddo. We still have to fix dinner and get you to bed.”
“Oh. Do we have to?”
“I’m afraid so. You had a big weekend with your dad. You don’t want to be too tired for school tomorrow, right? It’s your big field trip.”
“Oh, yeah!” To Eli, she said, “We’re going to the lighthouse in Astoria and my teacher said we could maybe even fly paper airplanes off the top of it. We’re going to write our names on them and see whose goes the farthest. I bet it will be mine.”
He remembered flying paper airplanes off that lighthouse when he was in elementary school and still remembered the triumph of his particular design beating everyone else in his class. “Sounds like fun. You’ll have to let me know if you’re the winner.”
“I will.”
Together, they started the process of winding the string from the kite back onto the reel. The kite fought them on the currents until he was able to pull it back down to earth.
“What do you say to Eli?” her mother prompted once they had the colorful kite back on the sand.
“Thanks a ton for helping me, Eli.”
Skye beamed at him. Before he realized what she intended, she threw her arms around his waist and gave him a tight hug.
Emotions came out of nowhere and clogged his throat, much to his embarrassment, his mind on another girl who would never have the chance to fly kites on a beautiful April afternoon.
“It was my pleasure. Truly.”
“I hope we can do it again sometime.”
He didn’t know how to answer. He would be gone again soon. Even if his father wasn’t yet up to full strength, Eli would have to go and let a substitute doctor take his place. “Maybe.”
“And you said I could play pool at your dad’s house. Can we do that tonight?”
“No,” Melissa said firmly. “Maybe another time.”
He regretted that he likely wouldn’t have the chance to follow through on his offer to let her come over and practice before he left town. Maybe his father could take on billiards lessons while he was recovering from his knee surgery. He would suggest it to Wendell the next day when he went to his father’s rehabilitation center.
“I’ll walk you back,” he said after Melissa had gathered up her things.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Somebody needs to haul this guy back for you.”
She didn’t argue, but he could tell she didn’t need or w
ant his help.
He couldn’t tell her he would find any excuse to spend more time with her, already dreading the moment he would have to say goodbye.
* * *
As she walked along beside him, with Skye again racing ahead of them holding tight to Max’s leash, Melissa came to the grave realization that she didn’t need to worry any more that she might do something stupid like fall in love with Eli.
She already had.
Watching him fly a kite with Skye, seeing his patience and his kindness and the sheer fun he seemed to have with her daughter, had made that truth abundantly clear.
How could any woman hope to resist him? He was sexy and sweet and wonderful.
What a complete disaster. He was going to leave again. What was she supposed to do then?
When they reached Brambleberry House, he opened the sea gate for her. She was relieved when she spotted Fiona, who immediately rushed across the lawn to greet Max, tail wagging.
“Looks like your neighbor is back.”
She waved to Rosa, who was sitting on the swing looking out at the water.
Rosa waved back, and Melissa didn’t need to see her expression to guess she was wearing a speculative look seeing her with Eli again.
Rosa could speculate all she wanted. They were only together temporarily. He would be leaving soon and she would be alone again.
“Thanks for letting me fly the kite with you,” he said to Skye. “I had a great time.”
“Thanks again for helping me. Me and my mom never would’ve been able to get it up that high.”
“I don’t know. You seem like a pro.”
“Thanks.” She beamed at him. “Now that you showed me what to do, I bet the next time I can get it as high as you did this time.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.”
“You can come watch and tell me if I’m doing it right,” she declared.
“Maybe.”
He wouldn’t be here. He would be off saving the world, leaving them here to figure out how to fly kites and play billiards without him. Melissa frowned but didn’t want to ruin her daughter’s happiness by pointing out that depressing truth.
A Soldier's Return ; The Daddy Makeover Page 13