by Claire Adams
“I’ll be right there,” I said.
“Take your time,” Noah called from the hallway. “Gina is cooking today.”
I expected a huge mess by the time I got down there, but I saw no reason to rush.
Noah really did take to being retired. And he wasn’t one to sit around and watch television. I suspected his willingness to help with chores around the house and sharing responsibility with Gina was him making up for lost time. In the brief period we were officially together, he had transformed into a better version of himself. And Gina was one lucky girl to have two people—three including Mom—to love her as much as we did.
It was something I always regretted not having. When I was younger, Mom never tried to be the maternal figure I needed. But with that experience, I was better equipped to be able to give someone—Gina—what she needed. I was never going to replace Wendy, but I could strive to be the best role model I could for the growing girl.
I rolled out of bed and walked over to the windows, peering across the ocean.
Living at Mom’s, we didn’t have this unobstructed view of the sea, so it was still a novelty for me since moving in with Noah.
Today was going to be a good day.
When I went down into the kitchen, I’d been right about the mess. There was flour and egg all over the counter surface. Gina wore the apron we’d made together, but the colored hand prints on the front were nearly covered with white. Gina and Noah were by the stove, and she grinned from ear to ear. Her face was paler than normal, caked with spots of flour across it.
Noah held the spatula and helped Gina flip one of the pancakes.
There was a stack several pancakes next to them. One of the requests from Noah when we ordered new appliances was a griddle. Gina loved breakfast foods, and it was only natural for us to purchase the tool for the house. It was much bigger than I pictured from the website. It took up most of the counter, but it looked like Noah was able to make six pancakes at a time on it. Which sped up the time from making the batter to eating.
“I’ll set the table,” I said.
“We’re almost done,” Noah said. “Coffee is over there.”
I stacked three brand new plates with forks and knives on top and headed over to the breakfast nook. As I set the table, a warmth spread through my body.
Gina’s laughter from the kitchen and Noah’s encouraging voice painted a picture of a family that I always wanted to be a part of. Now that I was in it, I never wanted to let it go. When I was done, I stood there for a minute and closed my eyes, holding onto that moment. Noah and I had no intentions of taking this relationship further for the time being. We had found our niche, and I wasn’t going to rush anything. We saw how that turned out last time. I didn’t regret taking him to Australia the first time, but pushing him right after about Gina wasn’t one of my best moments.
Though, if I hadn’t, would we still be hiding our relationship from her in Minnesota? I wasn’t sure.
Noah and Gina came into the room. Noah carried the pancakes while Gina balanced the syrup and butter in her hands.
“Let me help you,” I said, taking the crystal butter dish from her. It was a gift from Mom, and I wanted it to last longer than a week in our house.
Noah put down the plate and lifted Gina into her booster seat. “Bon appetit!”
“This looks great,” I said.
“Wait until you taste them,” Noah said, sitting down at the end of the table. “I added a secret ingredient.”
“Powdered sugar,” Gina said to me.
Noah opened his mouth in mock-shock. “It’s not a secret if you tell her.”
Gina giggled, and Noah shook his head while smiling.
“In any case, I can’t wait to try them,” I said, placing a pancake on Gina’s plate. I cut it up into several large pieces, and she doused them with syrup before digging in. “Don’t each too much though. You don’t want a full belly for surfing.”
Gina put down her fork and wrung her hands together in her lap.
“I didn’t say you can’t have any.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Noah asked.
“What if I fall down?” Gina said.
I reached over and touched her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. I tucked her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin with my finger. “You probably will fall down. That’s part of learning. But your dad and I will be right there to help you onto your feet. Don’t think you need to be perfect on the first day. It took me a while to learn.”
“It did?” Gina asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, it did.”
Gina sighed and picked up her fork, her appetite returning.
I went back to my plate and felt Noah’s eyes on me. I lifted my gaze and met his. He had a small smile on his lips, but his eyes sparkled.
A ripple of heat moved through me. I matched the contentment in his expression. I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten so lucky in life, but I didn’t question it.
After we had eaten, we changed into wetsuits and headed down to the beach.
I knew we lived on the shore, but after living in a home that was five minutes from the sand for most of my life, it was a strange sensation to walk down the steps attached to the terrace and be right there.
Mom found two surfboards in her garage. These wouldn’t disintegrate like the boogie board, but a few days ago, I had a local surf shop clean them up. Thanks to Noah and his unlimited bank account, I was able to afford the highest quality maintenance on them. Leaning against the concrete wall, the boards looked brand new.
The waves were already rolling in and that time of morning would be perfect for practicing techniques of the board prior to actually hitting some bigger waves.
I showed the two of them how to hold and maneuver the board on the sand. It was step one to getting comfortable with the board. While I didn’t intend on letting Gina go out on the water alone, as she was way too young for that, she needed to understand how to balance her weight and the like.
Once I was comfortable with them and their understanding, we headed for the water.
The moment we stepped into the surf, Gina clung to my leg, hard enough that it stopped me in my tracks.
I looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go,” Gina said.
Noah came over and held my board while I dropped down to Gina’s level. I moved the stray strands of hair off her face. “You can do this.”
Gina’s eyes welled up with tears. “What if I get hurt?”
“I don’ think you will,” I said. “The waves aren’t that big on this beach, and if you fall, you will land in the water.”
She blinked a few times in a row.
I smiled at her. “That’s part of learning. That’s why you wear the life vest. And I’m going to be right there with you the whole time.”
“You promise?” Gina asked.
I pulled her against me in a tight embrace. “I promise.”
Gina checked her life vest one more time before we waded out into the water.
Noah squeezed my hand before giving the board back to me.
Once we reached a safe distance, I positioned Gina on board, laying her down in front of me. She held onto the strap, her knuckles showing under her pale skin.
I glanced over a Noah. “Let’s wade here for a minute to get used to the water.”
Noah nodded. We were at a safe distance from each other so we wouldn’t bump, but I had the urge to bring him closer to me. Little did both of them know that I was nervous too. I wasn’t an expert by any means, but I wanted Gina to stay safe. Surfing was a way of life down here, and I didn’t want to ruin the experience for her by having a bad wipe-out the first run.
After a few minutes of wading and several encouraging words to the both of them, I spotted the perfect swell.
“All right, here we go,” I said.
Gina flattened herself against the board, and
so did Noah.
“Start paddling,” I said to Noah.
I cupped my hands and paddled through the water as the swell reached us. Our speed picked up, and I jumped up onto my knees. The board moved swiftly through the water below us.
“Gina, sit up,” I said.
She got up onto her knees, and I grabbed her under her armpits to lift her up.
I felt her heart thrumming under my fingertips, matching my own racing one.
“Keep your feet grounded,” I encouraged.
I glanced at Noah who had already wiped out in the water.
“You can do it, Gina!” he called out to us.
“I’m doing it!” Gina said with a squeal of delight.
“You are,” I said. “Now, twist your body to the side. Yes, like that. Use your arms for balance.”
As the wave moved from under us toward the shore, our momentum slowed.
“I’m going to put you in the water now,” I said.
“Okay,” she said.
I lifted her and slowly dipped her into the water. I wanted to show her there was nothing to fear from falling, and how the life vest would keep her afloat. I held onto the board and hopped off too, making my way over to her. Her little feet treaded water like a pro.
She reached up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I did it.”
“You did,” I said, unable to help the broad grin on my face. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I was scared. It wasn’t bad.”
“See, the life vest helped,” I said.
“I love you,” she whispered into my ear.
I looked over at her, and she was smiling. Those words made my insides flutter. I stroked my hand through her hair. “I love you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Noah
The wind whipped through the sides of my helmet as we descended down the hill toward Chloe’s house. It was about a ten-minute drive to our house from Jess’s mom’s but a little too far to walk, especially with all the hills involved. Gina had the idea of getting bicycles for all of us to give us exercise while going back and forth. Since it was on the warmer side that Saturday morning, we opted to ride together.
Even though in Minnesota I had a home gym and tended to work out a lot, there was something different about being outdoors and exercising. I even took it a step further and made a daily ride every morning that I was able. Most of the time I returned from my ride and Gina and Jess were still sleeping. It was a great start to my morning.
When we arrived at Chloe’s house, she was out back on the patio starting up the grill.
We propped our bikes next to the house and greeted Chloe.
“What’s for lunch, Mom?” Jess asked.
“It’s a beautiful day, and I wanted to cook outside today. I got some shrimp from the farmer’s market and was going to cook it up on skewers.”
“Sounds great,” I said.
Gina wrinkled her nose at the thought of shrimp. She always tried foods that I gave her, but she hadn’t been fond of seafood as of yet unless it was fried and she wasn’t able to see what was under the crunchy breading.
“Don’t worry, love,” Chloe said to Gina, “I have chicken for you. It’s been marinating all morning.”
Gina hugged Chloe. “Thank you!”
I glanced over at Jess, who was watching the two of them. Gina wasn’t the type of kid to make strong bonds with people in a short amount of time. But since Jess came into our life, Gina latched onto her. And then she did the same thing with Chloe. It was as if these two were meant to be with us from the start. It only took some time to get there.
“Want to help me out?” Chloe asked Gina. “I’ll need you to have really steady hands.”
“I can do it!” Gina said. They both went inside.
Jess sat in one of the chairs at the table, and I plopped down next to her. “Your legs are looking real nice lately.”
“It’s all the biking.”
“I wish I had the energy to do that in the morning. But sadly, I’ll leave that all to you.” She leaned over and kissed me.
For a moment it was nice to be there with her. Even though Gina was in the next room, Jess and I hadn’t clocked any time alone together for any length of time other than after Gina went to bed.
“Jess,” I said.
“Hm?”
“We haven’t gone out at all together since Gina and I came down here.”
She chewed on her lip. “I guess not. Moving into the house has taken up a lot of time.”
“You two should go out,” Chloe said, returning to the patio. Gina was behind her, holding a glass container with the chicken. The marinade sloshed about in the container as she walked. “How about I take Gina for the night?”
“A sleepover!” Gina exclaimed.
“Are you sure, Mom?” Jess asked.
“Absolutely, you kids enjoy yourselves.”
Jess looked at me, excitement lighting up her face.
We stayed for a few hours after lunch. Chloe wanted some help with the landscaping so while they weeded around the bushes, I mowed the lawn. As much as the work wasn’t something I was excited to do, I hadn’t felt like I was a part of a family like this for a long time. Now I knew what my brother, Tim, had been on about for all those years. It wasn’t easy for me to travel when I was working since I owned the company and had a young child. But when Tim said he couldn’t visit, I never understood. This was what he was talking about. He always put his family first, while I’d always put my work first. It was better this way.
By the time we got home and showered from the day working outside, it was time to go to dinner.
“Where did you want to go?” Jess asked me as she was pinning her hair back.
Jess was a gorgeous woman, but I particularly loved it when she dressed up. It made me proud to be on her arm. Unlike Kimberly, the date that felt like a distant memory, I liked when people looked at us. Jess was adorably oblivious to the way men looked at her. And I enjoyed making them feel jealous that she’d never been theirs. Not as long as I could help it.
“How about somewhere local?” I suggested.
“There’s a nice Asian place in the town center,” she said.
“Perfect.”
I drove to town that night. Since the date night was last minute, I didn’t have time to rent a car. Besides, I was a local now, and I wanted to appear like one. Coming to a well-known place frequented by locals, it would look strange if I showed up in a town car.
And since I had time to work on my body with cycling and working out at home, I kept my drinking to a minimum. Now that I knew the truth about Chloe, I didn’t feel comfortable drinking in front of her; even though Jess had no problem with it, I felt odd. So, I didn’t. And after working on our house or Chloe’s house, I was exhausted by the end of the day, and I wanted to go to bed. Sometimes Jess and I would sit on the terrace having a glass of wine each, but we preferred to share the bed any day.
When we arrived downtown, we parked in a nearby lot. People milled around the sidewalks, walking to their Saturday night destination.
I held Jess’s hand tight in mine, keeping her close to me.
She leaned heavily against me. “I probably shouldn’t have gone with heels for tonight.”
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I hope they have tablecloths, though. These suckers are coming off right when I sit down.”
I chuckled against her ear then kissed it.
The restaurant looked like a hole in the wall. But after our last date in Australia, I knew not to judge the place by its exterior.
Inside, the lighting was dim, but the surfaces still managed to reflect what little light there was. Through the dining area, there were four hibachi tables.
The hostess smiled at us. “Dining room or hibachi?”
“Dining room, please,” Jess said.
“This way, please,” the hostess said, scurrying off toward our tabl
e.
Jess struggled to keep up.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any tablecloths, but we were set back enough that Jess could take her shoes off with anyone noticing.
Our server came over right away and took our drink orders.
“Have you eaten here before?” I asked.
“Not in a long time. But the food here is fantastic. It beats several of the places in Minnesota, in my mind.”
“How come you didn’t want hibachi?” I asked, recalling how quick Jess was to turn it down when the hostess asked.
“There’s not a lot of privacy,” she said. “And I don’t want to have a loud meal.”
“I agree,” I said.
“We get enough screaming and cheering from Gina,” Jess said with a laugh. “I mean, I love her to death, but I also enjoy quiet time.”
“Me too,” I said.
Jess scooted closer to me in the booth, and she pointed out several items that she remembered loving. Too bad for me, there now were a lot of choices since she liked almost everything on the menu.
After I had made the tough decision about what to eat, I sat back in the booth and lifted my glass of wine to toast Jess.
“To a successful move and a successful date night.”
“It’s barely started,” she said, clinking my glass.
“I have high hopes,” I said, grinning.
I leaned over and kissed her. She hummed against my lips.
When we broke apart, she said, “I’m so happy. I never thought I’d feel like this. Ever. Especially after breaking the cardinal rule of not sleeping with your boss.”
“Well, I was the one to initiate it,” I said.
“I didn’t stop you,” she said.
Brandon’s words from weeks ago filled my mind. If I wanted me and Jess to be something that lasted forever, I had to open myself up completely to her. And before I could stop myself I said, “I hadn’t felt like I did that night for anyone since Wendy.”
Jess nodded.
She never prodded me about Wendy, even when Gina mentioned her birth mother. There was so much Gina didn’t know about Wendy, but selfishly, I kept most of it to myself. I never wanted Gina to feel sorry for missing her mom, and at the same time, I wanted her to feel open to love someone like Jess. But opening up to Jess felt right.