When Love Arrives

by Johnnie Alexander

  Dani inwardly sighed, then pulled a few books from another box. Shelby and AJ’s romance was a fairy tale come true. Though from what Brett said, it hadn’t started out that way. Dani didn’t want to be jealous of Shelby, but she longed for a romantic story of her own.

  When Brett and AJ returned from a trip to the bungalow, they manned the grill while Dani put the finishing touches on a three-bean casserole in her new kitchen. Because the bungalow was already furnished, AJ had only taken his clothes and most of his personal belongings from the cottage. Everything else he’d left for Dani.

  Her own place.

  The thought of it elated her spirit, and she couldn’t help grinning.

  “You’re happy to be here?” Shelby asked. She stood on the opposite side of the kitchen counter and grated cheese for the salad.

  “There’s a warm feeling to this place. Like it’s happy.”

  “It’s been loved.”

  And it’s been a refuge. While helping her pack up her belongings at Baines Lodging, Brett had talked about his grandmother coming here to escape the hubbub of city life. When AJ got hired as a teacher at the local high school, it became his home. And his haven.

  What Brett left unsaid, but Dani somehow understood, was that both Gran and AJ needed a place to escape from Sully. The man had held tremendous influence over his wife and grandchildren. But nothing they did ever seemed to please him.

  Kind of like her stepdad.

  Elizabeth popped in the kitchen door. “Steaks are ready,” she said hurriedly, then raced back to the grill.

  They ate beneath the shade of a trio of silver birches and enjoyed the light evening breeze that stirred their branches. The little girls played tag with Lila and the adults chatted about everything and nothing.

  A warm feeling of contentment filled Dani’s spirit as she joined in the easy banter and laughter. This was the life she dreamed of. Hanging out with friends. No angry undercurrents or hidden land mines.

  Though that wasn’t quite true.

  But with Brett’s lazy smile, accented by those gorgeous dimples, directed her way, she ached to forget the searing pain that had caused their paths to cross and simply relish this moment.

  When Tabby crawled onto AJ’s lap, Shelby rose to clear their dishes.

  “Why don’t you take the girls home?” Brett said. “I’ll stay and help Dani.”

  “I don’t like leaving a mess,” Shelby protested.

  “That kitchen isn’t big enough for more than a couple of people.” He winked at Dani. “We can handle it, can’t we?”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, I’m impolite enough to let you,” AJ said. “Unless Dani wants me to stick around. I’m used to playing chaperone.”

  “This isn’t the prom,” Brett retorted.

  Shelby leaned over his chair and stage-whispered in his ear. “Just behave yourself after we’ve gone.”

  “What is this?” Brett said, mock injury in his voice. “Scout’s honor, I will.”

  AJ guffawed. “Well, that’s reassuring. You were never a Boy Scout.”

  Dani chuckled at the indignant expression on Brett’s face. She was admittedly flattered by Shelby and AJ’s teasing protectiveness, though they had to know Brett had no designs on her.

  Shortly after the Jeep pulled out of the drive, Brett dried the last glass and put it in the cupboard.

  “One downside to this kitchen,” he said. “No room for a dishwasher.”

  “I didn’t have one at my last place, either.”

  “Or any other amenities.” Brett exaggerated a shudder.

  “You’re disparaging my former home.”

  “This is your home now.”

  Dani glanced across the counter through the front room windows as she rinsed the sink. Twilight had slid into dusk in only a few minutes. Once again, contentment surged through her. As of today, the cottage was her refuge. Perhaps she could escape the past here.

  “Do you have plans for the Labor Day weekend?” Brett asked.

  “Shelby asked me to a picnic on Monday.”

  “Me too.”

  “Are you going?”

  “Are you?”

  “I promised to bake my world famous brownies.”

  “How about if I come early and help?”

  “You know how to bake brownies?”

  “I’m a bachelor. Who do you think cooks for me?”

  “Restaurants.”

  He pressed his hand against his heart. “You smite me, Dani. You really do.”

  She rolled her eyes and flicked water at him from her wet fingertips.

  “Hey!” He laughed, then twisted his towel, a teasing gleam in his eyes.

  “Don’t you dare hit me with that,” she said, giggling. He had her trapped in the tiny kitchen unless she went out the back door.

  “I think I have to.” He lightly flicked the towel so it missed her.

  “Don’t you dare.” She lifted her hands, palms outward to protect herself.

  “Or what?” His voice sounded like a growl.

  She giggled again. “Um, I won’t let you help with the brownies.”

  “Do I get to lick the spoon?”

  “If you put down the towel.”

  “You’ve got a deal.” He snapped the towel, then hung it over the oven door. “Happy?”

  “Very.” She dropped her hands and glanced around the kitchen. “I think we’re done here. Thanks for helping me clean up.”

  “Glad to help.” He led the way from the kitchen and paused by the pool table. “How about we play a game?”

  “I’m not very good.”

  “Glad to hear it. I’m a poor loser.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  With a grin, he handed her a cue stick, then racked the balls. “You have plans for tomorrow?”

  “Thought I’d do some research.”

  “Getting started on the new job, huh?”

  She lined up the cue stick and hit the white ball into the others. They scattered across the green felt.

  “I need to get caught up.”

  “What can you do on a Saturday?”

  “Internet searches. Visit the local library. Come up with a plan.” She hit the three ball into a side pocket, then eyed the table. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing special.” He moved out of her way as she lined up another shot. The five ball slid into a corner pocket. “I thought you weren’t very good at this.”

  “Just lucky.” She calculated her next shot. As she slid the cue stick between her fingers, Brett bumped her elbow. The ball went wide of its mark.

  “Oops.”

  “No fair.”

  “Told you I hate to lose.”

  “Still my turn.” She moved around the table and pointed the cue stick at him. “You stay away.”

  “Tell you what. Winner chooses what we do tomorrow.”

  “I’m working tomorrow.”

  He deliberately shook his head. “Not on a holiday weekend. And since I’m kind of your boss, you have to do what I say.”

  “Do I really?”

  “Yep. And I say your first day is after Labor Day.”

  “I have a better idea. I win, I work tomorrow. You win, we do it your way.”

  He pursed his lips and stared at the ceiling as if in serious thought. “Compromise?”

  “I’m listening.”

  “You win, you work half the day, play half the day. I win, play all day.”

  “As long as it’s still my turn.”

  “Your turn.”

  She hit one more ball before missing the pocket, then Brett hit a few. They took turns clearing the table until Brett called the eight ball in the side pocket and easily won.

  “I want a rematch,” Dani said.

  Before Brett could respond, an ornate wooden clock chimed the quarter hour. “You should have sent that with AJ,” he said.

  “I think it’s charming.”

  “It’ll drive you nuts.” He glanced at
the time, and a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I’ll take a rain check on another game if that’s okay. Now that you’re out here in the boonies, it’ll take me longer to get home.”

  Even longer if he stopped at the hospital. Because she knew as sure as if he’d told her that was what he was going to do. Stand outside and stare at the lights. Lift his eyes to heaven and what? Pray for a miracle?

  He didn’t seem like someone who spent much time praying. But an injured child could drive anyone to his knees.

  Dani placed her cue stick in the rack. “Next time I’ll beat you.”

  “You’ll try, you little pool shark. Who taught you to be a hustler?” He waved his hands. “Sorry. You don’t need to answer that.”

  “It’s okay.” The apologetic look in his eyes told her what he was thinking. She’d learned to shoot the same way she learned to dance. “Except it was a foster mom instead of a foster dad.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. She played in amateur tournaments. And she made the best meatloaf I’ve ever had.”

  “Sounds like a fun lady.”

  “I liked her.”

  “How long were you with her?”

  “For almost a year. Then my dad decided he wanted me home again. I thought this time, things might be different. But they never were.”

  She gave a slight smile to cover her discomfort, but it seemed enough for him to understand she didn’t want to end this amazing day wallowing in the past.

  “I almost forgot. I got you a little housewarming gift.” He opened a drawer in a nearby side table and pulled out a small box. “I put it there for safekeeping. Open it.”

  Inside the box, she found an antique key, a miniature trowel, and a delicate purple flower attached to a key ring.

  “Symbols from The Secret Garden.” The gesture touched a hidden place in her heart. “Thank you. I love it.”

  His features relaxed into a pleased smile. “I’m glad. Did AJ give you a house key?”

  “He left it on his desk.”

  “It’s your desk now. Okay if I get it?”

  “Sure.”

  He disappeared into the office area. When he returned, he held out his hand for the key ring. “Allow me.”

  Once the key was on the ring, he handed it back to her.

  “This means a lot to me, Brett.”

  “I hoped it would.”

  “Have you read The Secret Garden?”

  “Truth?”

  “Please.”

  “Finished it last night.”

  “What did you think?”

  “I think everyone should have a special place to call their own. I hope you’ve found yours here.”

  “I hope so too.”

  “You’re going to be all right out here. And if you need anything, AJ is just down the road. Do you have his number?”

  “Shelby gave it to me. Hers too.”

  “We should have dognapped Lila. She’d have been company for you.”

  “And break Elizabeth’s heart? I don’t think so.”

  They walked to the front door, and Brett paused with his hand on the knob. “About tomorrow, do you golf?”

  “Only on a putt-putt course.”

  “Miniature golfing it is. I’ll be here around ten.”

  “I’ll be ready.” She stuck her thumbs in the side belt loops of her jeans. This was so awkward. He should just go. But before or after he kissed her? At that moment, she couldn’t say which option she preferred.

  He seemed ill at ease too. She sensed his thoughts were now with Jonah, not with her.

  “You should go,” she said. “The lights are probably already on.”

  “You’re reading my mind.”

  “Sometimes you read mine.”

  He held her gaze, and her body tensed as electricity charged the space between them.

  “Good night, Dani.” He leaned forward then straightened. “Sleep well.”

  “Good night, Brett.”

  He opened the door and walked out into the night.

  Dani lifted her face to the hot water streaming from the shower head. The heat rose around her, cleansing her from the grossness of the pay-by-the-week rooms and the strain of the day. Here, in this tidy cottage, she felt fresh and invigorated.

  That morning, she’d awakened on the verge of panic, worrying about the bank interview. Knowing she needed the job as much as she abhorred the thought of it. Fearful she’d do something stupid and be turned away.

  Now here she was, eager to start on an exciting project that held significance. She’d be bringing history alive, sharing the past with the present. Best of all, she’d be her own boss. It was more than she had ever dared to dream.

  She toweled herself dry, then slipped into pjs and slippers. Padding into the long room, she made sure, once again, that the doors were locked and all the blinds were closed.

  A home of her own.

  The words had repeated themselves throughout the afternoon and evening, and she was as much in awe of them now as she had been the first time they entered her thoughts. A hidden retreat where she could hide from the world.

  Though not from the past with all its heartaches and misery.

  In the kitchen, she put on a kettle of water to boil for tea. Almost giddy with happiness, she imagined herself the star of her own movie. The down-on-her-luck unemployed homeless waif being handed the keys to luxury by a handsome . . . gallant . . . The giddiness faded.

  She wasn’t destined for the feel-good story with the perfect ending.

  Not if her happiness depended on Brett.

  Despite herself, she was falling under his spell. Because if he’d attempted to kiss her this evening, she would not have resisted.

  Only one thing could thwart her treasonous heart. She booted up her laptop and clicked on the research folder. One lousy news clip, watched for the millionth time, would reignite her anger.

  A few seconds later, the video appeared. Not the abbreviated version that soared around social media. The entire video. Of its many downloads, probably half were hers.

  She clicked the play button and endured the fluff preceding the part she hated.

  The impeccably dressed interviewer leaned slightly forward in her chair, her interest almost palpable even through the camera lens.

  “You’ve enjoyed great success,” she said. “A man who seemingly has it all. A charmed life, some might say. But you also know what it is to face tragedy.”

  Brett graced her with a disarming smile, but his eyes slightly hardened. “I’m not here to talk about the past.”

  “But the past is what makes us who we are in the present. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Brett’s smile broadened, but for the first time Dani noticed the stiffening of his jaw. He was determined to be polite, but he was no longer amused by the woman’s flattery or flirting.

  “Everyone has a past. Some are happier than others. But what I care about is the present and the future. What I can do today that will make a difference tomorrow.”

  “And yet the past got you where you are today.” Her voice rose in girlish delight. “It was your grandfather’s wealth that propelled you into the property investment business. You’ve said that yourself.”

  “True.”

  “What effect did your parents’ deaths have on your decision to take over Sully Sullivan’s empire?”

  “It’s hardly an empire. And it would be mine even if my parents hadn’t died. That’s what Sully wanted.”

  “You and your sister were raised by your grandparents, isn’t that right?” The woman’s cloying voice gave Dani the creeps. Why hadn’t she noticed the cold-heartedness before? The hard gleam behind the sympathetic gaze? “After your parents’ fatal crash, I mean.”

  Tell her off, Brett. You don’t have to listen to her anymore. She doesn’t really care. You know she doesn’t.

  “We were.”

  “Such a tragic accident,” the woman said, her voice low and simpering.r />
  Dani wanted to reach through the screen and slap her.

  “Accident?” Brett practically spat the word, and his eyebrow arched. “My parents died. My aunt and uncle died. And not because of a mechanical failure but because of a pilot who didn’t do her job.”

  Before she could hear the rest, the venom against Mom that had sent her into an emotional tailspin, Dani shut the lid. But that didn’t keep the barely controlled anger of Brett’s words from resonating through her brain like a relentless pinball caroming off one sharp edge and then the other.

  She could no longer blame Brett for what the accident, his grandfather, or the courts had done to her mom’s reputation. Not after seeing his pain instead of his arrogance in the interview.

  But her grief-stricken heart still ached, and the questions she’d thrown up to God remained unanswered. After all, she’d lost someone she loved in that crash too. Someday she’d have to tell Brett that.

  – 24 –

  Dani placed the backpack she’d been carrying onto the picnic table, then stretched the kinks from her back and arms. Sun pennies sparkled in Glade Creek, and the slight breeze smelled fresh and warm. Another gorgeous day in an already memorable holiday weekend. On Saturday she and Brett had played two rounds of miniature golf with so much mischievous cheating they gave up keeping score, browsed the local antique stores, and had dinner at a little Italian café in town. A mini Cary Grant marathon whiled away a lazy Sunday afternoon. And now here she was at Glade Creek, eager to enjoy a Labor Day picnic with Brett and his family. She breathed in the sun-scented air and sighed with contentment.

  “I can’t believe we’re the first ones here.” Brett removed a water bottle from his backpack and took a swig. “That was a longer hike than I expected.”

  “I’m just glad we found this place,” Dani said as she sat on top of the table. “That backpack was getting heavy.”

  “I told you I’d carry it.”

  “You were carrying your own.”

  “I could have carried both.” Brett flexed his biceps. “I big strong man.”

  “I not helpless woman.”

  “But you sure are a cute one.” His fingers brushed her arm, then he took her hand. He pointed toward a massive weeping willow near the bank. Its graceful fronds swept over the creek and into the water. “Let me show you the engagement tree while it’s just us.”