The January Cove Series: Books 6-8

by Rachel Hanna

  “So, no close calls? No marriage proposals?”

  He became quiet and took a long drink of his water before answering. “I was engaged. About three years ago.”

  “Oh,” she answered yet again. Conversation wasn’t always her strong suit. “What happened?”

  He sighed. “A lot of things, really. She thought she wanted this life, but it turned out she wanted something else. Someone else, to be clear.”

  “I’m sorry, Brett.”

  He looked up at her, his eyes catching the light of the candles. “I’m not. If that had worked out, I wouldn’t be sitting in the back of a pickup truck, eating dinner by candlelight with the most interesting and beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

  Was it possible for a heart to literally explode? This was something she wished that she had researched before their dinner because hers was doing some kind of somersault-laden gymnastics routine in her chest.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, trying not to look at him now because there was a distinct possibility she might crawl across the blanket and kiss him so hard that his jaw broke.

  “You have to get used to it, Paige.”

  “Used to what?” she said quietly after she finally looked up.

  “I’m going to compliment you. I can’t help it.”

  “Oh.” She had to come up with a new word, but her language skills were escaping her at the moment.

  He thought it was working. Not that he was trying to play her or something. Everything he was saying was true, coming directly from his heart. He was putting himself out there like he never had before, and it was risky.

  Still, she seemed to be enjoying herself. She was smiling a lot, laughing sometimes, asking questions. They had finished dinner at least an hour ago, and now they were lost in conversation about anything and everything.

  Everything about being with her was easy. It was like his best friend in life had suddenly appeared from nowhere, and he didn’t know how he’d ever survived without her.

  But desperation wasn’t cool on a guy. He couldn’t come off that way even if he felt like she held onto the air that he breathed, and if she got up and left his whole world might come crashing down around him.

  Right now she was talking about Daniel’s family and how they treated her. Every time she spoke about Madeline Richmond, he wanted to drive his truck to New York and break his rule of never hitting a woman. He’d never do it, but the urge was definitely there.

  “What about his other family?” Brett asked, trying to shake the violent feelings.

  “He had a sister - Tori - and she was almost as bad as his mother. Her husband, Hampton, he wasn’t as bad although when push came to shove, he’d stay on the Richmond side.”

  “Sounds like a wimp.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s an appropriate word.”

  “So, can I ask you something without you getting mad at me?”

  She laughed. “I can’t promise that, but go ahead anyway.”

  She was honest; he’d give her that. “If this was the way his family treated you, what was your long-term plan?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I see you as this strong and confident woman. I just can’t imagine that you’d have taken her crap for very long. How did you think your future was going to look?”

  She paused for a moment. “I guess I didn’t really think that far into it. My life has been about moments. I had to survive one moment to the next, always on high alert. Daniel took that guard down, but I never really thought past that. He made promises that we’d travel and help people, so I assumed we would get away from them, I suppose.”

  Brett wasn’t so sure about that. He never knew Daniel, but the idea of a rich man leaving his family behind forever didn’t seem plausible, especially when he was working a family business.

  But it didn’t matter now.

  “Come here,” he said, motioning for her to slide to the center of the truck bed. She cocked her head sideways for a moment, but then she slid inward toward him.

  He laid down, pulling two pillows behind him for both of their heads. She remained sitting up for a moment, but then slid down onto her back. There was barely air between them now, but he wasn’t touching her or making any moves. Yet.

  “Look,” he said softly, willing himself to turn his eyes from her beautiful face and look instead up into the dark sky.

  “Wow,” she said, staring up at a sky full of bright stars. There was something to be said for country life. With no street lights to dampen the beauty, they could see the twinkling on full display. “That’s amazing. I could never see this in the city.”

  “Did you see that? It was a shooting star,” he said, pointing upward.

  “I did! I’ve never seen one!” She was so excited, like a small child seeing everything for the first time.

  “Make a wish.”

  “What?”

  “You’re supposed to wish upon a shooting star.”

  She turned her head and looked at him. “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because right now I have everything I want.”

  It was now or never. So he chose now.

  He rolled to his left side and brushed his lips against hers. “Me too.”

  His lips were on hers, and she couldn’t move for a moment. She wanted nothing more than to attack his lips with her own, but her body was betraying her.

  “Paige? Are you okay?” he asked, his right thumb brushing across her cheek as he looked at her worriedly. “I’m sorry if I misread…”

  “No, you didn’t misread anything,” she said with a slight smile. “I just surprised myself.”

  He pushed up onto his side a bit more, continuing to rub his thumb across her cheek. “How?”

  “I thought I might freak out again, like I did at the creek that day, but I’m not freaking out.” She was full-on grinning now.

  “You’re not?” He matched her broad smile.

  “Are you going to kiss me again soon or do I need to shut you up myself?”

  “Feel free to shut me up…” he started to say, but her mouth was on his before he could get the words out.

  And in an instant, they were entwined in the blankets, wrapped around each other and making some very nice new memories together.

  When they got back to the house, it was all Paige could do to wipe the smile off of her face. In fact, she’d been grinning so hard on the ride back that her cheeks literally hurt. But it’d been so worth it.

  They had kissed until their lips were sore, and hers were about two sizes bigger than normal. And although they hadn’t gone much further than kissing - he was a gentleman, after all - it had been more than enough.

  She was a worldly woman, but not in that way. She had to love someone, know the relationship was going somewhere, before she gave up that part of herself. Otherwise, it was too scary.

  But he hadn’t asked. Hadn’t pushed. Had held her close in his arms, made her feel safe out there in the middle of the dark wilderness. Took away every ounce of grief that was still pumping through her blood from months - actually, years - of pain in her life.

  He just fit. They fit. It all felt so right, but still so scary. So tenuous, for some reason. Like the other shoe would eventually drop and she’d find out he was a serial killer or something.

  He’d nuzzled the back of her head with his lips, his warm breath a constant reminder of his closeness as they laid there staring at the sky.

  She’d seen what seemed like a hundred shooting stars, wishing on each one in her mind. Each wish a variation of the one before it - “Please let this be the one.” “Please let this work out.”

  As they walked into the house, Paige noticed Elda’s urn on the fireplace and stiffened. They were here for her, and yet she’d allowed herself to enjoy time with Brett. To feel something again. Maybe she was supposed to be feeling more grief and sadness, but somehow that didn’t seem like what Elda would want.

  “Now how about dessert?” Bre
tt asked when they walked inside. His arms were around her waist from behind as he kissed up one side of her neck, his words muffled but understandable.

  “What?” she asked, a little shocked at how forward he was being after remaining such a gentleman in the truck.

  He dropped his hands and walked around her. “The apple fritters? I thought you wanted some? Or is it too late?” He craned his neck and looked at the clock which read 10pm.

  Paige started laughing and put her right hand over her eyes. “Yes. Please. Fritters.”

  “Wait… Did you think I meant… dessert? As in you grab the whipped cream and I’ll lick…”

  “Stop! Don’t finish that sentence,” she said, giggling like an embarrassed middle schooler now. She sat down on the barstool and laid her forehead against the granite countertop.

  Brett came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. “Don’t worry, Paige. I was just referring to the fritters.”

  She finally sat up, her face still flush, and watched him as he heated up two fritters and put them on plates. He climbed up onto the breakfast bar without warning.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Come on up. Let’s be weird.”

  She climbed up onto the bar and sat cross legged across from him. “I think we’ve passed weird already. We had a night-time picnic in the bed of your truck, and now we’re eating fritters on top of the kitchen counter.”

  “And you slept in an airport bathroom stall, so I’m just trying to catch up with you.”

  “True,” she said with a laugh. It was funny that she found sharing her crazy stories with Brett made sense because she’d never told most of them to Daniel. The one time she’d tried - telling him one of her calmer tales - Daniel had looked at her in a way that made her clam up. She hated to think he was judging her, but it sure seemed that way.

  “You know, I love hearing your stories.” He took a bite of the fritter and wiped his hands on a kitchen towel.

  “Oh yeah? Why is that?” she asked, leaning over and kissing him gently between bites.

  “Because I want to know every part of you, Paige. And with every story, I get to meet another little sliver of who you really are. And I like every layer I get to uncover.”

  There was something slightly sensual in the way he said it, even though she was pretty sure he didn’t mean it to sound that way. She slid her plate and his out of the way and scooted forward, her legs placed around him. She felt his breath hitch for a moment before he put his hands on her butt and pulled her closer.

  She put her mouth close to his without fully touching his lips. “I want to know everything about you too, Brett.”

  “You do?” he whispered back.

  “I do. And I don’t want to wait.”

  “Wait. What?” he asked, leaning back a bit and smiling at her.

  “Life sometimes takes us places we don’t expect to go. I’ve learned you can’t count on tomorrow. You have to live for the moment. And in this moment, I want to be with you.”

  “Does that mean what I think it does?” he asked, clearly worried that he was misreading her intentions.

  She pulled on his t-shirt and flipped it off over his head. “Is that clear enough?”

  And more memories were made that night, but only after Paige made sure to cover Elda’s urn with the kitchen towel.

  Chapter 12

  Brett woke up warmer than normal, but it was the kind of warmth that came from the inside out. For a moment, as the first glints of sunlight streamed into the room, he wondered if he’d accidentally ingested some drug that had made him hallucinate the best night of his life… because life couldn’t possibly be this good.

  He risked opening his eyes enough to see that the woman of his dreams was, in fact, cuddled against him, the back of her head resting just below his chin. Without moving, he could feel her backside pushed against his front side which was causing a cascade of physiological responses to happen already.

  He could smell her hair - hints of strawberry mixed with vanilla and the scent of two bodies that had clung to each other for more hours than not in the last twelve hours or so. He could feel her breathing - relaxed, serene, peaceful.

  “Are you smelling me?” she murmured as she slowly turned to face him. The satisfied smile on her face was a welcome sight.

  “Maybe. Will you punish me if I say yes?” he said, playfully, kissing the tip of her nose.

  “I’ll consider it,” she responded as she wrapped her free leg over his body and slid her free arm around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest.

  God, this was the most perfect morning ever.

  “Can we just stay here forever?” she asked. It wasn’t a joke; she truly seemed to be asking.

  “You mean you don’t want to go back to a small, dark bookstore with no customers?” Paige laughed at that.

  “I love The Cove. It just needs some… updating. Revitalizing.”

  “Then let’s do that. Let’s make it just what you think it should be.”

  She pulled back a but and looked up at him. “Really? You’d trust me to do that?”

  He smiled. “Of course I would. I’d trust you with anything, Paige.”

  She snuggled back into his chest, and he could feel her smile against his skin. This was going to be a good day.

  Paige stood beside Brett at the creek. He was holding the urn with Elda’s ashes and standing still, saying nothing. They’d been standing this way for ten minutes now, and she knew he was having a hard time figuring out what to say or do.

  “You know, you don’t have to say anything, Brett. You said it all at her memorial. You don’t even have to spread her ashes yet. There’s no rush.”

  He sighed and looked down. “This feels so final.”

  “If you’re not ready, then let’s not do it today.”

  Their morning had been spent enjoying each other in bed, eating a leisurely breakfast and finally getting into the golf cart to come to the creek. She knew he was procrastinating, and that part of it was knowing their weekend was over and they needed to go back to January Cove. Or at least she did.

  “I miss her.”

  She slipped her arm around him and put her cheek on his chest. “I do too.”

  “Do you think she’d be happy about… us?” he asked.

  “I think so. At least I hope she is.”

  She heard him swallow hard as he opened the urn. She stepped back, giving him the space she thought he needed, but as soon as he had it open, he pulled her close again.

  “How good of a singer are you?” he asked.

  “Terrible. Why?”

  “I thought maybe some music would help it feel more official.”

  “I would only scare the wildlife, but let me use my phone.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, but it was still turned off from the night before. She flipped it on, cleared the text messages quickly without reading them and found Amazing Grace on iTunes.

  As soon as the song started, her eyes welled with tears as it always had when that song was played. And as he spread her ashes around the creek bed, Paige thought about the amazing grace that had brought her to Brett, and she silently thanked God for a second chance.

  After their private memorial for Elda, they headed back to January Cove. Paige was sad to see Clover Lake in the rearview mirror, but she was excited to be going home in a relationship with Brett.

  Or were they in a relationship?

  They hadn’t really talked about it, but it appeared they were dating. She just didn’t like to assume anything.

  “So,” Brett said as he pulled her close on her front porch. “Can I see you tonight?”

  “Are you asking me on a real date, Brett Larson?”

  He kissed her softly before he tipped his baseball cap. “Why, yes ma’am, I do believe I am.” God, she loved his Southern accent.

  She went up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Then I accept.”

  “Pick you up at six?” he asked as he backed to
ward his truck. She nodded and smiled before turning to unlock her front door.

  When Brett arrived at six, he was dressed in a nice pair of dark jeans, black lace up boots and a form-fitting gray t-shirt. She thought he looked good enough to eat, but she was too hungry to let that get the best of her. She needed some real food.

  They drove to a new local restaurant called Onyx that sat just off the beach. It was a trendy place, built in a contemporary style with lots of large windows and steep angled architectural accents.

  The place had one section with a bar that had loud music and a DJ, but they were eating in the fancier restaurant portion that overlooked the ocean. Amazingly, she could barely hear the music coming from the bar, and she marveled at the way they managed to keep the two separate.

  The restaurant was beautiful with dim lighting, white tablecloths and a shiny, black grand piano in the corner. No one was playing the piano tonight, but the low jazz music piping through the restaurant made her feel like she was back in Manhattan.

  “This place is amazing,” she said as Brett pulled out her chair.

  “Only the best for my Paige.”

  She loved how he said “MY Paige”.

  “You look stunning tonight, by the way. I toyed with the idea of pushing you right back inside your house and ordering a pizza so I could help you get out of that uncomfortable little dress.”

  She smiled. He had a way with words, but her stomach growled at just the mention of pizza. Or any food. She hadn’t been to the grocery store lately, and she only realized that fact when she got home from Clover Lake.

  “Thank you,” she said “But I’m starving.”

  Brett laughed. “Then let’s order.”

  They sat and chatted after ordering their food. Brett ordered lobster, and she ordered steak. The conversation was easy; the laughter was in large supply.

  “So, my beautiful Paige,” he said softly as he looked at her across the table, “I have something I want to ask you.”

  What? He couldn’t be about to ask that. They hadn’t known each other long enough.

  “Um… Okay…” she stammered, unsure of what to say or do.