by Ginny Baird
“No?” He stared at her incredulous. “Why?”
“Because of the yard, Derrick. It’s perfect for kids.”
“They don’t have any kids.”
She rolled her eyes. “You haven’t been listening. They keep talking about them.”
He crossed his arms stubbornly. “Well, I say go for the view.”
“And I say go for the white picket fence.”
The couple picked house Number One and they both groaned out loud. “Nooo!”
Meredith gaped at him. “That dingy little place? Why?”
“Closer to the beach?”
“Yeah, but the other had ocean views!”
Derrick shook his head. “Sometimes there’s no figuring people.”
“No figuring,” she agreed. “I thought for sure they’d go with the fence.”
“Being a matchmaker and all,” he teased. “You’re the family living expert.”
“Ha! And you’re the one who’s all about aesthetics in making those beautiful boats of yours.”
“Which is why that view would have been awesome.” He assumed a smug pose and she laughed.
“I’m not budging from my white picket fence.”
“Good woman,” he said. “Hold your ground.” Then he looked in her eyes and her skin tingled. All this talk about holding and white picket fences made her want to dream.
But no. Her and Derrick?
He switched off the TV and turned to her. “So. You…?”
He seemed to lose his thread. Was he thinking what she was? If they’d made a different choice last summer, then maybe things would be different between them now.
“Tired? Yeah.” Meredith swallowed hard. “Uh-huh. You?”
His voice grew rough. “We should probably turn in. I mean.” He checked his phone. “It’s late.”
He gazed into her eyes and Meredith found herself wanting to look away. But she couldn’t. His blue eyes were deeply soothing, like lulling ocean waves. And something in her soul ached to dive in and be lost in them. Despite their obvious differences, he helped her feel balanced in a way. Calmed her rocky seas.
“This has been really fun,” she said, the words barely more than a whisper. “Thanks for telling me not to work tonight.”
His mouth tipped up in a little smile. “Sounds like you work almost all the time.”
“It’s true, but once I get that syndication deal—”
“Won’t you be working twice as hard then?”
“I don’t know. Hope not.” But she would, and she knew it. He likely did, too, judging by the sadness in his eyes.
“For your sake, I hope not, too.”
Her heart hammered because he was so close. Maybe too close.
And when he looked up, met her gaze and held it, she panicked.
“I…should get ready for bed.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, me too.”
“But first. I should probably check in with Beth.” He shot her a stern look and she held up her hands. “Sorry. You’re right. I’m taking tonight off.”
He nodded. “Beth will be there in the morning.”
It delighted her that he was looking after her. Then she reminded herself that was just because they’d become friends and nothing more. Derrick was reserving his “more” for Olivia. She and Derrick had missed their moment at Brent’s wedding and that time was gone. Or maybe it had never really existed to begin with. Not if Derrick still had what-if thoughts about Olivia.
She gathered her things and went to change and brush her teeth. “Well,” she said, pausing in the kitchen. “Night, Derrick.”
He stood near the sink, getting the coffee ready to go for the morning. “Goodnight, Mer. Sleep well.” He winked and her pulse fluttered. “And no worries about those bedbugs tonight.”
“Ha, yeah. Thanks.”
When she returned from the bathroom, she saw that he’d pulled out the sofa bed and gotten it all ready for her. Her heart sighed. Derrick really was a very thoughtful guy. Potentially Olivia’s very thoughtful guy, she reminded herself pointedly, and not hers. And yet, tonight, for just a little while, she’d been able to imagine a different reality.
She glanced at his closed bedroom door and then crawled under the covers, a heavy blanket of exhaustion draping over her. She would definitely sleep well tonight. She groggily shut her eyes and images from the past few days drifted past, like sailboats carried along by a warm summer breeze. Memories of her moments spent with Derrick, many of them unexpected and sweet. When she dreamed tonight—whether she wanted to or not—she knew she’d be dreaming of him.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hold. The. Phone. And bring in the smelling salts! Is that her?”
“Titi Clarita! Nobody’s uses—” Meredith peered out the guest cottage window to see what her aunt was goggling at and she felt faint herself. There she was: Olivia. Gliding almost seemingly on air across the lawn in a long, flowing sundress that reached down to her narrow ankles. The sheer dress had short, ruffled sleeves made of some gauzy fabric, and it sheathed an inner slip dress with spaghetti straps. She was tall and lithe, with auburn-colored hair cascading down her back beneath a straw sun hat with a pink ribbon around its brim.
In other words, she was a vision of loveliness in a sun-kissed palette of pastels.
Meredith’s stomach sank.
She did not look—at all—like a park ranger, or a whole lot like that DMV pic, either.
Olivia reached for Grandmother Margaret with outstretched arms. Grandpa Chad stepped up for his hug next, and their happy chatter tumbled down the hill.
This is worse than I thought! Meredith sucked in a breath. No. Better. Better for Derrick. Olivia was a dream come true.
“You didn’t say she was gorgeous,” Clarita said, standing beside her.
Meredith swallowed hard. “That’s because I didn’t know.”
“Can you imagine their babies?” Clarita gasped. “Model material, all.”
But Meredith didn’t care to imagine those babies. She thought of Derrick’s cradle, and the love he’d put into it. Someday, he might build one to keep. For a child of his own. Meredith’s stomach soured and she clutched it.
Clarita scanned her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“My stomach’s just a little off. Probably nerves.”
“But you’ve made plenty of matches before! Unless”—Clarita folded her arms in front of her—“you’re having second thoughts about this whole deal.”
“No, I’m not.” Meredith squared her shoulders, which she couldn’t help but think made her feel like a linebacker in comparison to waif-like Olivia. The woman was completely devoid of hips. “It’s just opening day jitters.”
“I would have thought you’d have had those when you showed up at Derrick’s?”
“That was different. I’d planned out what I was going to say.”
“Don’t you have a plan now?”
“Yeah, but it’s not all down to me. So much depends on Derrick and…her.” She opened the refrigerator door, locating a bottle of sparkling water. She poured herself a glass, hoping it would soothe her queasy stomach. “Want some?”
“No, thank you. I hear we’re having cocktails at the main house.”
Meredith peeked out the window again to see Sofia and William had joined the group. Sofia passed baby Julia to Olivia and Olivia held her naturally, not in the stiff, uncomfortable manner Meredith might have expected from someone so…coiffed. “I wonder where Derrick is?”
“I was just about to ask you,” Clarita said.
“Oh wait,” Meredith said, standing up on her tiptoes for a better view. “Here he comes!”
…
Derrick felt like someone had shoved a big ball of cotton into his mouth and his throat went sandpaper dry. It was really her—Olivi
a—in all her stunning beauty. She passed Julia back to Sofia and grinned, fine lines forming at the corners of her pretty green eyes. Her features had matured in a manner that suited her. Her skin took on a light golden hue, a testament to time spent working outdoors.
“There you are.” Her smile glistened. “Your grandpa said you were hiding in the house.”
“Olivia, hey!” He cleared his throat because that came out scratchy. “Long time—”
“No see!” she replied, wrapping her slender arms around him. She tugged him into an embrace, her grasp strong and steady. She was not the willowy flower she’d once been. This Olivia worked out and had the lean strength to prove it.
Derrick caught the others’ eyes on them, although they were clearly pretending not to look.
“Refreshments back in the house,” Grandmother Margaret declared, heading that way.
“Yes, we’ll see you there,” Grandpa Chad said.
Sofia held Julia and she and William followed along. “So glad that you’re here,” Sofia whispered to Olivia when she passed by her.
Derrick pulled out of her embrace, but she clung to the tops of his arms.
“Derrick Albright,” she said. “I can hardly believe it’s you. It’s been years.”
“Ten, to be exact.”
“That would be ten this August,” she corrected. She playfully rolled her eyes. “Not that I’m counting.”
“Me, neither.” Derrick noted that the others had gone inside. But where was Meredith? She’d left to retrieve her aunt from the guesthouse fifteen minutes ago. He cast a quick glance toward the rose garden and the path that lay beyond it. When he didn’t see her, he forced his gaze back on Olivia.
She watched him in a peculiar way, like she was trying to guess what he was thinking.
He stared at her, at a loss for words. Then Meredith’s advice came back to him. “Well, this is awkward.” He forced a laugh.
Olivia squeezed his biceps harder. “Not as much as it should be, though, right?” She finally let him go with two solid pats on his arms. “You’re looking good, Derrick,” she said, tilting her chin. “Time’s been good to you.”
He swallowed hard. “Same.”
“Hi there! You must be Olivia!” Meredith emerged from beside a blooming bed of dark red roses with her Titi Clarita beside her.
Olivia beheld her curiously.
She held out her hand and Olivia shook it. “Meredith Galanes. Nice to meet you. This is my aunt, Clarita Rincón.”
Clarita shook hands with Olivia, too, who said, “Great to meet you both.”
“Meredith is an old friend of mine,” Derrick explained.
“Not that old,” Meredith inserted. “Just a year!”
“That’s right. I…she…we…” Derrick verbally stumbled. “Met at my brother’s wedding last June.”
“That would have been Brent’s?” Olivia questioned.
Meredith nodded. “That’s right. I was the maid of honor.”
“The best friend of the bride.” Clarita frowned. “Sort of.”
Olivia shot Clarita a puzzled look and Derrick stepped in. “Anyway, that’s how we met and then Meredith came up this summer to—”
“Enroll in the boat school!” Meredith ad-libbed.
Clarita and Derrick gaped at her.
He scratched his head. “That’s right. Of course. The only thing was, Meredith didn’t realize it would be closed these two weeks.”
“Your pre-summer break?” Olivia surmised.
Derrick nodded. “Yeah.”
“And so.” Meredith heaved a breath. “He asked me to stay.”
“Not stay, stay,” Derrick said.
“On the pull-out,” Meredith added. “We’re honestly just friends.”
Olivia appeared as if she was about to get whiplash staring back and forth between the two of them. “I…see.” She surveyed Clarita. “So did you come up for the boat school, too?”
“No. Only the captains.” Meredith elbowed her, then she said, “And! To keep my niece company. Such a shame she got her enrollment date mixed up.” Her frown became a grin. “But then, look at this happy outcome! The two of us got asked to the party.”
“Oh ah, yes,” Olivia said. “I was so happy to get invited, too.”
“Meredith is a matchmaker,” Clarita proudly informed Olivia.
Olivia perked up. “Is that right? What fun! Do you have a business or a blog or—”
“A television show,” Derrick supplied. “In Boston.”
“Sweet!” Olivia smiled. “Match up any celebrity couples?”
“Er, not yet,” Meredith answered. Derrick guessed that could happen in the future, once she hit it big.
“Maybe we should go in the house?” Clarita said. “I hear they’re serving cocktails.”
A stiff drink sounded like a good idea to Derrick right about now. Meredith enrolled in boat school? Seriously? Luckily, Olivia didn’t seem to think too much about that. All her attention was on him. She glanced at him and her green eyes sparkled.
“Still drinking Old Fashioneds?” Olivia nudged him as they walked along and the back of his neck warmed. She was probably being friendly, not flirty. But then her eyes danced, and he wasn’t sure.
“I take my Bourbon straight-up now,” he told her. “On the rocks.”
“That sounds like a grown-up drink.”
“It is.” Derrick paused to hold open the back door from the wraparound porch that led into the den. Olivia entered ahead of him with Clarita, then Meredith following.
“Seems to be going good,” Meredith said in hushed tones. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
And he would, too. If Derrick could only figure out what that was. He felt like he was just muddling along, fumbling his way through this. Although Olivia did seem pleased to see him. He was sure he’d be just as pleased once the awkwardness wore off. She still seemed like the same Olivia. Only better, or at least he hoped.
Grandpa Chad called Clarita and Meredith into the library, wanting to show them something. Clarita had asked about reading Maritime ghost stories and he’d assembled a collection of tomes from his shelves.
“I found one for you, too,” Derrick heard his grandpa say, clearly speaking to Meredith. “Match Made in Heaven. It’s a volume about historical romances that were all professionally arranged. I thought you might enjoy it.”
Their chatter faded as Olivia caught his attention. “Is she always like that?”
“Who?”
“Your friend, Meredith? So…on edge?”
“Well, no.” He sank his hands into his pockets. “Maybe just a little nervous about meeting you somehow.”
“Me?” Olivia tipped up her chin with the look of utmost innocence. At one time he’d been entranced by the color of her eyes. He’d even written poetry about them—embarrassingly horrible poetry back in college—though he’d never let Mer know that after going to great lengths to assure her he wasn’t a romantic guy. Which he wasn’t. Anymore. Olivia still had pretty eyes, though. He wasn’t sure if they were entrancing, but he’d probably believe that again given time.
“She, um, knows we have a past,” he explained.
“It was a marriage, Derrick.”
“Yeah, that.” His shoulders sagged. “Mer worried it—”
“Mer?” she asked, stopping him.
He laughed. “Yeah. It’s just what I call her.”
“How charming.”
“Not…not really. It’s all on friendly terms.”
“So you and she have said.” Olivia viewed him oddly. “It’s okay if you and Meredith are involved. I mean, it would be natural and wouldn’t surprise me.”
“We aren’t.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“Are you involved? With someone?”
Co
lor dusted her cheeks. “What?”
“I mean, I’d like to talk—later,” he said awkwardly, because this was awkward. No doubt about it. One hundred percent. “I mean if you would?”
“Oh. Um, sure,” she said, looking kind of uncertain about it.
“Who’d like white wine?” Grandmother Margaret asked, stepping from the kitchen. She held two chilled goblets in her hands. “We have other choices in the kitchen. Derrick,” she said, “help yourself to something from the bar.”
The woman didn’t miss a thing. A stiff drink was exactly what he needed. “Thanks, Grandmother.” He nodded and headed across the room, while Olivia accepted one of the wineglasses.
“This is such a pretty place,” Olivia said, glancing around. “And the view is just as gorgeous as I remember.”
Derrick turned a fraction of a second sooner than she suspected, catching Olivia’s eyes on him. She pivoted toward the window, pointing to a sailboat on the waves. “So lovely! It never ceases to amaze me.”
Grandmother Margaret shot a look at Derrick and then at her. “Yes.” She took a sip of wine, joining Olivia near the window. “It’s delightful having you back in the house.”
“I was really touched when Sofia called.”
“She’s missed your friendship quite badly,” Margaret whispered just as William entered the den.
“Sofia’s laying Julia down upstairs,” he said. “She’s just finished with her bath.”
“Did you leave the bedroom window open so we can keep an ear out from the porch?” Margaret asked him.
“Yeah, but I also have this.” He patted the walkie-talkie type contraption strapped to his belt that Derrick recognized as a baby monitor.
He studied Derrick’s drink and the wineglasses in the women’s hands. “I think I’ll pour myself a glass of red and grab some sparkling water for Sofia.”
Margaret turned to Olivia. “How about we head on outside and you can tell everyone what you’ve been up to?” She glanced around the room. “Derrick, can you help Meredith and Clarita to some drinks and let them know where we are? There are more glasses in the kitchen.”
…
Grandpa Chad stacked another book on the load in Clarita’s arms. They sagged under the weight.