“Bella—” Tony began.
“No, let me finish. You guys know me. I’m a no-bullshit person. What you see is what you get with me, right?”
Jenna nodded.
“Pretty much, but you hide a lot, Bell, even if you don’t want to admit it,” Tony said.
“I hide?”
“Yeah. You tuck away parts of yourself. I can’t explain it, but I’ve known you long enough to recognize it. It’s not a bad thing. It’s like when I’m surfing. The people I meet around my competitions want to know me because of what I stand for, not who I am. So around those people, I don’t show my real self. You kind of do the same thing. Maybe it’s not the loud part of you that makes relationships difficult, but it’s keeping that other part of you walled off that, I don’t know, creates a gap. Guys feel that, you know. When you women think we don’t know you’re hiding something, we totally see it.”
She chewed on that thought for a minute. There was probably some truth to it, but she wanted to finish her thoughts, and she was too distracted to define those pieces of truth just then. She pushed the thought away to deal with later.
“Okay, maybe you’re right in some ways. And you’re also right, Tony, about me not fucking around for the sake of fucking around.”
“Wait. Hold up.” Jenna held her palm up toward Bella. “Timmy Brown? Taylor Marks? Do either of those ring a bell?”
“Okay, so maybe there were a few times. God, Jenna, what were we? Twenty-two? But it’s not a habit, and you know that. I might talk big, but I want love like everyone else does. I want the stupid white picket fence and the, Hi, honey; I’m home, and all the other bullshit that goes along with it.”
Tony shrugged. “Okay, but why can’t you have that and a career?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not some desperate woman who thinks she’s not worth being loved.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I’m so not that person.”
“We know that.” Tony reached out and touched her hand. “I was just worried that you gave up everything because of a guy.”
“Nope. He was just a nudge to get off my ass and do what I really want to do. I’m a realist. I can handle this, and it’s a good thing. I might actually get to live in my favorite place on earth and fill my creative soul with a challenge.” She inhaled deeply, feeling her smile fill her with happiness. “So my very long-winded answer about why he had the power to hurt me is that he didn’t. He lied about his wife and about his commitment to me, and yes, that stung, and maybe it even made me worry about guys knowing how to not lie. I am only human. But I didn’t make my decision to change my life and my dating habits because of Jay. I did it because of me. I happened to realize what I wanted at the same time that I broke up with him.” She shrugged again.
Tony sat back and crossed his arms. He slid a concerned look to Jenna.
Jenna shrugged. “The woman does know how to take control.”
He shifted his eyes back to Bella. “I can’t argue with that. You’re right. It’s actually a ballsy move.”
“Thank you.”
“What about not-your-date?” Tony asked. “What’s your plan with him? He brought his kid over. Chances are he’s not a scrump and dumper.”
“Not-my-date and I have a not-a-date tonight. Speaking of which, now that I’ve spilled my pathetic guts, I need to get some work done so I can be ready by six.”
CADEN STOPPED AT the hardware store on his way home from the station to pick up extra window and door locks for the house, and while he was there, he picked up locks for Bella’s cottage, too. There had been another break-in last night, and he was not taking any chances. He put his bags on the kitchen table and unbuttoned his shirt.
“Ev?” he called down the hall.
Evan didn’t answer.
“Evan?” He knocked on Evan’s bedroom door, and a minute later, Evan opened it. His hair was uncombed, his shirt was wrinkled, as if he’d pulled it from the hamper.
“Hey, Dad. Sorry. I didn’t hear you.” He went to his computer and studied the screen. “We’re going to Jamie’s at six, right?”
“Yeah. I need to shower and change, and you should, too.” He moved behind Evan and scanned the monitor. “What’s Python?”
“A program.”
“For?” He felt out of touch with Evan lately, and he didn’t like it. His interest in computers was just one aspect of the distance that had crept between them. He’d decided last night that he was going to do whatever he could to spend time with Bella and explore his feelings for her, and now he made another commitment. He was going to study up on technology so he could at least understand the basics of the things Evan was interested in.
“There was another break-in last night.”
“I know.” Evan’s eyes remained trained on the computer screen.
“How do you know?”
Evan pointed to the computer. “That stuff’s public information. Wellfleet has a daily crime report that they publish.”
“And you read it?” Caden thought he knew his son pretty damn well, but he never would have guessed that he’d have an interest in a crime report. He wondered what else Evan was reading that he didn’t know about. He had parental controls on the computer to keep him off of porn sites, but he of all people knew there were other dangers lurking out there.
“Dad, you’re a cop. Haven’t you drilled safety into my head since I was, like, two?” Evan shook his head. “You always say that it’s the people who don’t pay attention to their surroundings that get themselves into trouble.”
“That can get hurt, actually,” he corrected him.
“Whatever. You know what I mean. Besides, what’s the big deal? Someone broke into a few cars and a cottage. They took a laptop and a couple bucks they had lying around.” Evan shrugged.
“What’s the big deal? Seriously, Ev?”
Evan sighed. “You know what I mean. It’s not like they killed someone, or they robbed them of everything they owned.”
Caden lowered himself to Evan’s bed and rubbed his temples with his finger and thumb. “Ev, you know how wrong that attitude is, don’t you?”
Evan shrugged.
“How is it that you can remember what I said about knowing your surroundings but not about respecting other people’s property?” Caden watched his son turn and face him. He might be running on hormones, but his face still held the soft qualities of a boy, and it was that softness that eased Caden’s worry.
“I remember. It’s not like I’m the one doing it, Dad. I’m going to study computers tonight. Remember?”
Caden smiled. “Yeah. I remember.”
Evan turned back to his computer. “I like Bella.”
“Yeah. She’s nice.”
“And hot.”
Caden raised his brows. Hot? His son was looking at women as hot?
“Yeah, she is pretty hot,” he admitted.
“Are you going out with her tonight?”
Evan asked it so casually that it took Caden by surprise.
“Why don’t you date, Dad? Is it really because of work and me?”
“You? Buddy, I don’t date because dating takes time, and in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have much free time.”
“So make it.” Evan spun around in his chair again. “She’s obviously into you. She looked at you all night, and she did the whole hand-on-your-leg thing.”
“What do you know about the hand-on-the-leg thing?”
Evan laughed. “I’m almost fifteen, not in second grade. There are YouTube videos about picking up girls and taking hints.”
“There are?” And you’re watching them?
“Yeah. You should watch them. There’s this one guy, MasterDater—”
“MasterDater?”
“I know. It’s a stupid name, but he’s really smart. He goes over everything.” Evan waved his hand in the air. “How girls like eye contact, and they hate when you talk about yourself. And how if you aren’t interested in what they have to say, you shouldn’t even cons
ider dating them, because girls love to talk. He says you have to smell good, too, or girls won’t like you.”
“Really? There are videos on that stuff?” Caden made another mental note to look up this MasterDater dude.
“Heck yeah. There are videos on anything and everything on YouTube.”
“Wait. Does he go over sex stuff, too?” Caden had had the talk with Evan when Evan was twelve. He’d come home from school one day talking about a boy who made out with a girl in the bathroom, and that spurred weeks of detailed conversations about sex and love and the importance of respecting women. Caden had expected to feel funny talking to Evan about those things, but Evan was a very practical kid, and he didn’t blush or act embarrassed. He wanted to understand it all, and it made for easy, open lines of communication.
“Nothing that you haven’t already told me about. He talks more about not pushing girls into stuff than the actual activity, if you know what I mean.”
Activity? That’s a great word. He was impressed with Evan’s attitude and pleased to hear that he was researching the more respectful parts of dating than the sexual side. He also wasn’t naive, and he knew that Evan could be cushioning the truth.
“Anyway, are you going out with her tonight?” Evan asked.
He’d hoped he’d avoided the question altogether. “Yeah, but it’s not a date.”
“Why not?”
Caden pushed to his feet and headed for the door. “I need to shower, and you need to get cleaned up, too. Remember to put on a clean shirt.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But you can’t avoid the question. Why isn’t it a date?”
He couldn’t explain something he didn’t understand himself.
“It’s complicated,” he said before heading to his room.
Chapter Seven
BELLA HEARD CADEN’S truck roll onto the crushed-shell driveway in front of her cottage. Her stomach did a little flip.
“Oh my God. He’s early.” Bella turned away from Jenna and Amy and took a quick look in the mirror. She didn’t usually wear pink in public, and when she bought the pale-pink, strapless, crushed-cotton minidress on a whim one summer, she’d thought she’d wear it around the quad when she and the girls were hanging out. She had yet to wear it, even around the quad, but when they were searching for just the right outfit, this one spoke to her.
“Better that he comes early now than later,” Amy said with a devilish grin.
Jenna laughed. “Did our Ames really just say that?”
“There won’t be any coming later,” Bella said with a serious voice, though she wasn’t as confident as she sounded. He’d made her feel damn good—twice—and the idea of bringing him pleasure in return made her icy nerves turn white-hot.
“Yeah, right.” Jenna patted Bella’s butt.
Amy peered out of the bedroom window. “He’s gonna knock on the door,” she whispered. “Hi, Caden!” Amy waved out the window.
“Oh, hey, Amy.” Caden’s deep, sexy voice settled in Bella’s ears like a tease.
“Come on in.” Amy turned around with a wide smile. “Not-date time.” She pretended to clap her hands.
“You guys are sure I look okay?”
“Hold on.” Jenna disappeared into the bathroom and came out with Shalimar perfume. She spritzed it on Bella’s neck, then bent and shot it up her skirt.
“Really, Jen?”
“Hey, just in case.” Jenna dragged her out of the bedroom.
Caden met them in the living room, looking devastatingly handsome in a pair of jeans, a gray button-down shirt, and a pair of leather sandals. He held a brown bag in one hand and a bouquet of pink roses in the other.
He dragged his eyes down Bella’s body. “Wow. You get more beautiful every time I see you.”
“Thanks. I just threw this old thing on,” Jenna said, twisting from side to side.
Bella held his stare, ignoring Jenna’s joke. It was hard not to ignore everything else when his eyes said, I want to kiss you and her mind replied, Oh God, yes.
“You’re not looking so bad yourself.” Bella felt as though they were moving in slow motion as they each stepped forward.
“Hi,” he said softly. “These are for you.”
“They’re my favorite. Thank you.” He smelled like strength and a warm embrace. Bella lifted up on her toes, and he met her halfway for a sweet kiss. She felt the bouquet slip from her fingers and heard Amy padding into the kitchen. The running faucet told her Amy had snagged the bouquet and was putting it in a vase. When their lips parted, Bella remained on her toes. She felt his fingers touch hers, and only then did she come back down to earth.
“I also brought you something else.” He lifted the bag between them. “There was another break-in, and I noticed that you had pretty simple locks on your doors and windows.”
“You bought me locks?” Bella peered into the bag. She glanced at Jenna and Amy and knew they could hear her silent remark. He bought me locks! Locks were a whole different level than flowers. Locks showed that he cared about what happened to her. That thought conjured up all sorts of futures.
“I know it’s not a very romantic gesture, but this isn’t a date, so…”
“But you brought me flowers. That’s pretty dateish.” And I love it.
“Okay, maybe you got me there. But when I saw them, they screamed your name. I really had no choice but to bring them to you.”
Bella didn’t think before she reached up and stroked his clean-shaven cheek. His skin was baby soft. She ran her finger along the sharp line of his jaw, then went up on tiptoes again and kissed the dimple in his chin.
“That wasn’t a date kiss, either. Your dimple was screaming my name.”
He tightened his grip on her hand, and the room became ten degrees hotter.
“Okay, kids. On that juicy note, we’re outta here.” Jenna grabbed Amy’s hand. “Let’s go, sugar pop. I’ve got a bottle of Middle Sister with our name on it.”
Amy pointed to Caden. “Have her back before midnight or she’ll turn into a pumpkin.”
“I’ll have her back by ten. I have to pick up Evan from Jamie’s.” He set the bag of locks down on the coffee table.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ll tell Jamie that if you’re late to bring Evan to us. Don’t worry. We won’t corrupt him or anything. We’ll just make him watch chick flicks, maybe pull a few tears from the boy.” Amy waved as she headed out the door.
“You really do have the most incredible friends.” Caden placed his hands on Bella’s hips and drew her close again.
“I’m pretty lucky that way. Apparently, I also have the most incredible not-a-date.”
Their lips met again, this time in a deep, delicious, tongue-plunging, hip-rocking, moan-inducing kiss that stole Bella’s breath and turned her legs to mush.
When they drew apart, he pressed his cheek to hers. “What is it about you? I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
OhGodohGodohGod. I feel it, too. Bella’s heart was open despite how much she was trying to keep it under lock and key. She had no hope of escaping the emotions that swelled between them. A string of worry threaded its way into her mind. She slipped into self-protection mode and thwarted the truth.
“Maybe we’re both gluttons for punishment.”
He took her hand as they went outside to his truck. Bella left the door to her cottage unlocked and Caden turned back.
“Don’t you want to lock it?”
“We always leave them open. Everyone’s here, so it’s not like someone’s going to break in while we’re gone.”
Caden rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you realize how dangerous that is? What if everyone leaves, or if someone cases the area and realizes that the doors are left unlocked?”
Bella stepped closer and grabbed his collar, then pulled him down so they were eye to eye. “Your cop is showing.”
He kissed her nose. “So is your cuteness. Lock it. Please? For me?”
“Ugh. Fine.” She
stalked back and locked the door, secretly enjoying that he cared enough to push the issue. “Satisfied?”
He arched a brow. “Very. I know your belongings are safe and I got a great look at your ass.”
“You’re impossible,” she said with a laugh.
He opened the truck door and helped her in. “You know you love it.” His truck smelled masculine and safe, like him.
“So what do you have planned for our not-a-date?” she asked as he started the vehicle.
He drove out of the development with that panty-dropping smile Bella loved so much and reached across the seat. “Hold my hand and maybe I’ll tell you.”
This was dangerously enjoyable. He was dangerously enjoyable. Bella put her hand in his, relishing the feel of it.
“Never mind,” she said with a comfortable sigh. “Don’t tell me. I want to be surprised.”
It was a nice warm evening with a gentle breeze. They drove through Eastham and headed into Orleans with the windows open, holding hands and listening to music. With most men, Bella felt pressure to fill gaps in conversation, but with Caden the silence was comfortable, maybe even comforting. He already felt familiar, and holding hands drove that feeling deeper.
A few minutes later, he parked in front of the Orleans Book Stop. The Book Stop was located in a small white saltbox-style house that had been renovated into a bookstore. Caden held the door open for Bella and bowed dramatically, sweeping his arm before her.
“After you, madam. I hope you don’t mind bookstores.”
“Interesting choice for a first not-a-date, but a good one. I love bookstores, probably a little too much. You haven’t seen the stacks of books on the far side of my bed.”
He reached for her hand, and she followed him around a wide display of books.
“We only made it to the bedroom door, remember?” He squeezed her hand, and she flushed with the memory.
She moved in close and whispered, “Yes, I remember. You’re a naughty boy.” The heat in his eyes made her want to kiss him again.
“It’s you,” he said easily.
“Tsk. I’m the naughty one?” She glanced at the teenage girl behind the counter, who appeared to be too busy texting to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Seaside Dreams (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers, Book One) Page 8