Just for the Summer

by Jenna Rutland

  He shoved the rest of his hot dog into his mouth. The crowd at the table laughed as he raced off with the dog. Dani’s eyes burned, and though she knew to blame Sam’s adorable nature, she decided the sun was too bright and pulled out her sunglasses.

  Jack joined the group, depositing two heaping plates on the table next to Rachel and giving her a friendly elbow to scoot over. She gave him some serious side-eye. “Did you save some food for anybody else?”

  He ignored her barb, and turned his attention to Dani. “How’s the cottage? You okay there?”

  “Yes, thanks. It’s wonderful. I appreciate you renting me the place.” Which hadn’t been an easy feat. Jack had initially told her they were full for the summer. When she’d persisted, he’d admitted severe storm damage had reduced a cottage to only one useable bedroom. Good thing she only needed one bedroom.

  “The work’s just beginning. Hopefully, you’ll still be able to get your book done.”

  “Book?” Rachel and Matt asked simultaneously. If Dani wasn’t mistaken, they both sounded a bit startled to find they’d been left out of the loop. Mentioning her book to Jack had helped coax him into renting her the place.

  “I’m writing a cookbook. My fourth.” Dani took a swig of her soda. “I only have a few months to finish the recipes.”

  “What’s the topic?” Matt asked.

  “Healthy eating. The book I’m working on now is low-calorie meals in minutes.”

  Matt gave her greasy—and empty—plate a prolonged look and grinned.

  “How’d you get into writing cookbooks?” Rachel asked. “Do you have a blog or something?”

  “Yeah, actually. I’ve always loved to cook, so when I went to nursing school, I minored in nutrition. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, food didn’t always settle well with her. Together, we created meals that she could enjoy, and I blogged the results. After so many recipes, I found a publisher.”

  Rachel gestured with the muffin she’d just removed from its wrapper. “You including these?”

  “Yep.”

  “I hate to cook,” Rachel said. With a glimmer in her eye, she added, “Guess I’ll have to accidentally stop over at dinnertime.”

  Warmth radiated throughout Dani’s body at the thought of company. “You’re welcome anytime. It’d be nice to have a dinner companion.”

  Matt leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Maybe sometime you could cook for me.”

  Dani flashed him what she hoped was a cocky smile. “Not sure I could keep up with your appetite, Sheriff.”

  “What’s the title?” Rachel crumbled her napkin, tossed it on her plate.

  “Still need to find the perfect name. I’m open for suggestions.”

  “How about Hot Stuff,” Matt offered. “Could be the name of the book or the cook.”

  She angled her head to give him an eye roll, but inside, she was thrilled. He thought she was hot.

  Rachel threw an empty beer can at his head, while Jack untangled his legs from the picnic table. “Hope you like the single life, pal, because with lines that bad you can forget about finding a wife.”

  Wife. The thought should excite Dani. After all, a new wife meant a new mom for Sam. But the curl in her chest wasn’t happiness. She pushed her plate away.

  Jack pitched his plate. He turned toward Dani. “After the cookout, I’m having a bunch of people out to my place for a party. These two morons,” he said, hitching his thumb toward Rachel and Matt, “are going to be there. I’ve got music and beer. If you’re not busy, why don’t you stop by?”

  Her stomach dropped, and she wrangled her way from the picnic table. When she stood, her legs were weak like she’d just done a hundred squats. Perspiration beaded on her neck at the unwanted memory of a party. Of people knocking into each other…strangers…loud music. She placed a hand on her stomach to squelch the nausea. Plastering on a smile and backing away, she said, “Thanks, but I can’t tonight.” And then she walked as fast as her shaky legs could carry her to the cottage.

  A few evenings later, Dani hit the print key on her laptop, then slouched back against the chair. Larry—she smiled every time she remembered Sam’s choice of dog name—rested his head on her lap. The sunlight had dwindled, leaving a soft, dusky glow about the kitchen. She took a chug of her bottled water while her printer spurted out the recipes she’d concocted.

  It was the first time she’d had a chance to compile all her recipes. Despite her best intentions, she hadn’t spent as much time as she normally would at the computer. When she wasn’t in the kitchen, she was on the beach. Just last night, she’d sat with Rachel, Jack, and Matt around the fire pit. They’d kept her entertained with stories of their shenanigans growing up in Lake Bliss, and it had been wonderful. Getting involved with the town and its people was fun, too. All she had to do was concentrate on not letting Matt in particular get too close.

  The months of caring for her mother meant spare time had vanished, and its departure put an end to her social life. She’d missed having friends. She’d missed flirting, too. Matt seemed to enjoy her sarcasm and sass. Keep things light. Happy. The I’d-rather-laugh-than-cry theory.

  When Matt had asked if he could work at her cottage today, they’d agreed on a late start time, since he’d be spending the earlier part of the day at work. Now with the onset of sunset, he still worked upstairs. She’d only caught a few glimpses of him—once when he arrived and another time when he retrieved tools from his truck—but it was nice to have someone else in the cottage. All afternoon she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter that the other person was a certain handsome sheriff.

  “Time to cook,” she told Larry. She kissed the top of his head. “You smell a whole lot better since your bath.” Obviously not interested in her newest recipes, he plopped down on a blanket she’d placed in the corner of the room.

  She lit candles about the kitchen, toyed with the radio until smooth jazz replaced the near silence. As she gathered ingredients, Matt’s footsteps sounded on the stairs. She pulled a bottle of wine out of the fridge, turned in his direction. He wore faded blue jeans, a paint-speckled T-shirt, and carried the faint smell of sawdust. The temperature in the room cranked up a few degrees. Her mouth spoke without first consulting her brain. “I’m about to make dinner. I know it’s late. Would you like to stay?”

  …

  Matt thought he’d stepped into a seduction scene. Except on the night he’d come by to apologize, he’d seen her in the same environment with candles and music. This was a woman who surrounded herself with the things she found pleasurable. Including people?

  “Sure. Thanks.” It was ridiculous how much he wanted to stay. Hadn’t he decided it best to keep his distance? Yet he jumped at the first chance he got for a little one-on-one action. No, he corrected his warped brain, not the man-woman kind of action.

  “It’s a new recipe. Could turn out terrible.”

  “I’ll take my chances.” He glanced at his hands. “Give me a minute to wash up. Then I’ll be happy to help.”

  “You can use the bathroom through there.” She motioned behind him to a semidarkened hallway.

  With a flip of a switch, he entered the bathroom. Various bottles and jars—some tall and thin, others short and squat—sat on the countertop. He glanced at the mysterious collection of Dani’s beauty regimen and admitted to himself how much he missed having a woman in his life. Long ago when he and his ex-wife were newlyweds, he’d sit on the edge of the bathtub and study her as she picked up various containers, dabbing here and rubbing there. While he didn’t understand the ritual, he always admired the results.

  When he stepped back into the kitchen, Dani had one knee on the counter, the opposite foot braced on the seat of a chair she’d pulled tight against the bottom cupboard. As she reached for the highest shelf, the chair leg scratched across the linoleum in a slow slide. In a few long strides, he caught her around the waist just as the chair skidded away and she lost her balance.

  “I’ve
got you,” he murmured against her ear. Her body released a small shiver. She had one hand on the wineglass and her other hand gripped his forearm. He moved her away from the counter to lower her to the ground. He kept the journey slow. Deliberately.

  Her descent caused her shirt to shift until it rode up to expose a thin line of flesh. His lucky hand encountered a patch of silky skin, and her tight rear end skimmed down his body. It’d be a miracle if he avoided embarrassment. He knew he should loosen his hold. And he would.

  In a minute.

  First, he rewarded himself a selfish moment to breathe in her scented shampoo, her skin. She smelled fresh and clean, like she’d just stepped from the shower. He skated his hand along her belly as he made slow progress to release her, and his body tightened with need. If he hadn’t been so close, he’d have missed the little sound she made—a cross between a sigh and a moan.

  Somewhere in his lust-filled brain, he registered the squeak of a screen door hinge. The distinctive slap of a wood door hitting its stop sent Larry into a barking frenzy. Still entwined with Dani, Matt swiveled them toward the doorway.

  Rachel and the boys skidded to a halt. “Oh, hey,” Rachel said. “Sorry to interrupt your, uh, whatever it was you were doing.” The smirk on her face suggested she knew exactly what they’d been up to.

  Dani pulled out of Matt’s arms then scooted the chair back to the table.

  “Just about to make dinner.”

  Rachel sighed, a wistful glow on her face. “I remember what it was like to make dinner. The boy’s father and I would get so hungry that we couldn’t even wait to…” She cast a glance at the kids. “To, uh, set the table.”

  Matt chuckled. “Someday, Rach, you’ll get your appetite back, I’m sure.”

  “Who said it was gone? DIY is fine for installing a ceiling fan, but other things are definitely better with a partner.”

  The boys jiggled around, unable to stand still. “Dad, you remembered about the drive-in, right?” Sam asked.

  Matt’s brain conjured up a mental Post-it Note. He’d promised to take all the boys to the drive-in the first night they showed the newest ninja zombie flick. “That’s tonight?”

  “Yeah. You said it’d start when it gets dark. We gotta go, Dad. Now.”

  Guess he’d be DIYing tonight, too.

  Chapter Five

  Early the next evening, Dani and Rachel strolled toward the cottages after an energizing walk along the beach. Warm air drifted from the lake as the early evening sun reflected off the water, and silverware clattering against plates harmonized to create a dinnertime melody from the nearby cottages. The only sound at Dani’s table would be supplied by the radio. The loneliness hit her like a fist to the gut.

  Larry belted out a few excited barks and charged toward the cottage.

  Rachel grinned. “Looks like you’ve got company.”

  Sam and Matt tossed around a ball, apparently killing time until she returned. Something deep inside her swelled at the unexpected treat of being greeted at home. Just as fast, she reminded herself not to get used to it.

  Rachel turned her attention to the nearby playground where an argument had broken out between her boys.

  “Sorry. I gotta run before they kill each other. Let’s go into town for lunch one of these days,” Rachel yelled as she dashed off.

  Dani stood for a moment to watch father and son. Matt threw the ball with some fancy maneuver so that it sailed past Sam and landed in the dirt. Larry barked then took off for the ball. Sam ran to intercept, Matt joined him, and in seconds, the three of them were wrestling on the ground for the ball. Larry clamped it in his mouth then planted himself firmly on Matt’s chest. Sam plunked down on Matt’s legs and laughed.

  Dani’s smile froze on her face. The intimacy of the scene was hard to watch. They were a family.

  And she was an outsider.

  Tears gathered in her eyes. She scrunched her eyes shut for a moment and took a couple of quick breaths to gain some control. Wasn’t this her hope? That her son be loved and cared for by a loving couple? Only there was no longer a couple. Matt was a single parent. She was dying to know what had happened, but she had no idea how to ask about something that personal. Maybe she could get Rachel to dish.

  For the first time in her life, Dani questioned her decision to give her child up for adoption. She’d been convinced that her time in Lake Bliss was purely to search out her son. Make sure he was happy, healthy, and lived with a good family.

  But maybe it was more of a means to acknowledge her mistake. To understand that Sam could have been just as happy living with her. Would that be Dani’s penance for searching out her son? To recognize the fact that she’d made the wrong decision for both of them?

  Matt tugged Sam to his feet and gave him a fatherly pat. The little boy focused on Matt when he spoke. Dani was too far away to hear the words, yet the expression on her son’s face conveyed his feelings. Sam worshipped his father. She allowed herself one moment to imagine Sam aiming that look of love at her and the joy the simple gesture would bring.

  But her future didn’t include him—a fact she needed to keep foremost in her mind. If she revealed her identity to Matt, it would lead to questions and maybe legal issues. Questions Dani didn’t want to answer, and answers Matt wouldn’t want to know. So why did she continue to torture herself with impossible dreams? Sam would never know her as his mother. They could be friends for the summer until she left town to create a tolerable existence for herself. Alone. In time, another woman would enter Sam’s life to once again fill the role of mother. And Dani would become a distant memory.

  “Hey, Dani.” Sam waved a greeting. He threw the ball across the lawn for Larry to chase and flashed a broad smile. “We came to visit.”

  She shoved her dismal thoughts aside as she caught up to him near her cottage. “Lucky me. It’s not every day I return from a walk to find two handsome guys on my doorstep.” The dog nudged the ball with his nose in Sam’s direction. Dani laughed. “I think Larry likes playing with you.”

  “Come on, boy.” Sam patted his leg to get the dog’s attention.

  “Don’t go far,” Matt called out as Sam headed across the lawn. “I don’t want to have to hunt you down when it’s time to go.” Sam’s response was a thumbs-up sign.

  Matt turned toward Dani. He grasped one of her curls and gave it a playful tug, setting off a tingle along the back of her neck. She blamed it on the breeze coming off the lake.

  “So you think I’m handsome, huh, Ms. Sullivan?” he asked just above a whisper.

  She delivered her version of a smart-aleck smile. “I was talking about Sam and the dog.”

  “Uh-huh.” He shifted his attention from her eyes down to her lips. He altered his stance until they were almost eye to eye.

  He smelled outdoorsy, and she ignored the impulse to nuzzle into his neck and experience him firsthand.

  His focus shifted down a few inches. “I like your mouth. I keep wondering how it’d taste.”

  Not a good idea.

  She glanced at his eyes and swore his pupils were dilated. “Yeah, well, you can admire my anatomy from a distance.” She stepped back. “So, what brings you by?”

  Matt waved a metal tape measure. “I need to take some measurements.” He gave her a slow once-over.

  “They’re not going to be 36-24-36.” She should have said nothing, but she couldn’t resist the desire to provoke him.

  Matt cleared his throat. “No, I don’t suppose they are.”

  He extended the tape measure a few inches, locked it in place, and traced the tip across her exposed collarbone. The light touch produced a shiver that rippled its way down her body.

  “Know what’s nice about this kind of device? It’s very flexible. I can measure around curves and corners.”

  “Very important,” she agreed.

  “A good carpenter has to worry about width and length and measure correctly so things fit together properly.”

  “A snug
union is always best.” What the heck was her problem? She’d no sooner stepped back from his flirtation when she dove back in for seconds. It was like making a commitment to lose those pesky ten pounds after an unproductive trip to the mall, then hitting the fast-food drive-through on the way home.

  His mouth curved with that stupid dimpled grin.

  “Are you like this with all women, Sheriff?”

  “Like what?”

  “In-your-face flirty. Maybe a bit over the top.”

  “Nope. I think you bring out the devil in me, Ms. S.” He dropped his voice a notch. “Are you like this with all men?”

  “Like what?”

  “Smart mouth. Bit of a tease.”

  She flashed him what she hoped was a cocky grin. “For as long as I can remember.” Although at one time she’d had to work hard to restore her naturally smart-mouthed attitude.

  Her wind chimes jingled as if signaling an end to round one. Time for a change of scenery. She stepped inside the screened-in porch with him on her heels. She found herself asking, “How was your evening?”

  The playful expression from a few minutes ago altered into one more serious. “Did you know that four young boys can scream like little girls? That they can eat enough popcorn to fill a swimming pool? And that after the screaming and eating they can fall asleep two minutes into the ride home?”

  Dani laughed. “Sounds like you had a fun time.”

  “Yep.” He took a few steps in her direction. “But I kept thinking about what I was missing here.”

  “Sautéed chicken breasts with a creamy walnut sauce served over angel hair pasta, spinach salad with strawberries and tarragon vinaigrette, and Bavarian apple tort.”

  He blew out an exaggerated breath. “Invite me again.”

  It was more a plea than a question. She wanted to invite him again. One more step toward the danger zone. Another invitation meant she’d renege on the promises she’d made to keep her distance.

  As if to instigate a response, he said, “What’s the matter, Ms. S., can’t handle my charming personality? Afraid I’ll want more from you than dinner?”