"Do you have an open mind, Candice?" he inquired, keeping his voice low so none of the passersby would overhear.
It was a mysterious question with some intriguing connotations, and she was almost afraid to answer. "I like to consider myself an open-minded person, but I guess it just depends on what you're referring to."
He laughed softly, and the deep rumble made the butterflies in her stomach do somersaults. "There's somewhere I would like to take you and Sarah this weekend, but you need to have an open mind about it because it's kind of different from the other places we've been to. I think you would both enjoy it, though."
She had to admit she was very curious. "Where is it?"
He waggled a finger at her. "That's a secret, and I don't want to spoil the surprise. You'll just have to trust me. Are you in?"
In the not-so-distant past, it would've taken her a lot longer to answer and only after she'd thoroughly weighed the pros and cons but not now. "Yes, I'm in. Is there a dress code for this secret place?"
David stood and made his way to the door. "I don't believe so. Just dress comfortably and wear your boots. That goes for Sarah too. Oh, and it takes a while to get there, so we'll need to leave early." He turned and smiled at her. "I should get to work before Aaron comes looking for me. Talk to you later?"
She nodded and smiled at him, and when he walked away, she relaxed in her chair and took another drink from her cup. Dress comfortably and wear boots. That could describe numerous places to visit in Lehi, but beyond the city limits, she had no idea where he could be planning to take them.
Every day was a new experience with David, and that was one of the many things she loved about him. His zest for life was contagious, and it was so good for her soul and Sarah's having something to look forward to. She couldn't wait to get home and tell her the exciting news.
"I like it when your face shines, Mommy."
Candice gave Sarah a puzzled look as she tucked her into bed that evening. "What do you mean, sweetie?"
Sarah touched one of her cheeks. "When you smile super big, your face shines like the sun. I like that."
The precious sentiment melted her heart, and when Candice lay down beside her, she put her arms around Sarah and hugged her close to her body. "Thank you, doodlebug. It makes me happy when your face shines, too, and I have something to tell you that I hope will make you very happy."
Sarah looked up at her, and her gaze widened with anticipation. "Tell me! Tell me!"
Candice laughed. "Mr. David asked me today if he could take us on another adventure this weekend, and I told him yes. I don't know where we're going, though. He said it's a surprise."
Sarah's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I love surprises!"
Candice turned over onto her left side and propped her body up on her elbow so she could look at her more closely. "Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable or unhappy, and if you don't want to go, I want you to be honest with me. Okay?"
Sarah looked befuddled. "I know that, Mommy, but I like Mr. David. He's a nice man, and he's fun to be around. I want to go."
Candice felt relieved as she kissed Sarah's forehead. "Good, because I like him, too, and I'm excited about this surprise."
The house phone rang and interrupted their conversation. Candice tucked the bedsheet under Sarah's chin and kissed her cheek. "Get some sleep. I love you."
She jumped off the bed and raced to her bedroom to answer the phone on her nightstand. "Hello?"
Candice sat down on the side of her bed. David usually called on her cell phone, so she guessed it wasn't him.
"Hey, honey. How are you?" her mother asked. "I haven't heard from you in a while, so I thought I'd call and see how you're doing."
Candice lay down on the bed and positioned the phone between her ear and the pillow. "Hey, Mom. I'm doing good. Just staying busy with work. How are you?"
She could tell by the tone of her voice that she had something on her mind, and she was almost certain it had something to do with David since he had been the main topic of conversation during their last phone call.
"Oh, doing okay, just staying busy with work too. Sam finished his semester at the university this week, so he's out for the summer now. He'll be helping me at the library the next couple of months to earn some extra money."
She smiled as she listened to her mom talk about her brother and work and everything else under the sun for the next several minutes, everything except the one subject she knew she actually called to discuss.
"How are things going with this new gentleman you were telling me about the last time we talked? What's his name? David?"
And there it was.
"Yes, it's David," she replied. "I decided to go out with him, and we had a good time. We enjoy each other's company."
There was a brief pause before her mother spoke again. "That's wonderful, honey. I'm so glad you changed your mind. What about Sarah? Have they met yet?"
Candice smiled. "David adores her, and she likes him too. He's taken us to dinner, to Antelope Island, to the aquarium in Draper, and we're going somewhere this weekend. He's very nice, Mom. I have a feeling you'll like him too."
Candice grabbed the bed comforter and pulled it up over her body. She stifled a yawn and tried to stay awake, but the soft bed and warm cover kept trying to lull her to sleep.
"Well, you sound very happy, so I'm sure I’ll like him. When do we get to meet him?"
The thought of introducing David to her mom and siblings was enough to jar her awake. Barry was the only man she'd introduced to her family, and even though her mom sounded confident, that didn't mean her brothers and sister would feel the same way. They were close to Barry and had grown accustomed to him, so bringing a new man into the fold was daunting, to say the least.
"I don't know," she replied. "Things have been going so well, perhaps too well. What if you met him and liked him and then something happened between us?"
Her mother laughed. "Oh, Candice, stop being such a Negative Nelly. I know it's been a long time since you've dated someone, but he sounds great, and I'm positive things will work out for the best."
Candice relaxed against the pillow and closed her eyes. "I hope so, Mom. I really do."
Chapter 19
David
When David turned into Candice's driveway bright and early Saturday morning, he expected to see them outside waiting on him again, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the front porch empty. He was hoping today would be the day she would decide to invite him into their home, and as he exited the truck and walked to the front door, he held his breath and tried not to get his hopes up.
Before he had the chance to knock, the door swung open and he was greeted by Sarah, who was dressed in jeans, a shirt, boots, and a green safari hat that was way too big for her head.
"Hey, Mr. David!" she said. "You can come in. Mommy's on the phone."
He was almost hesitant about entering the house without Candice's permission, but he also didn't want to be rude. "Thank you, ma'am. How are you this morning?"
As he stepped inside, he was instantly drawn to the framed pictures that lined the small foyer just inside the doorway.
"I'm doing great! Mommy said you wanted us to wear boots, so I put on my favorite pair. Are we going hiking again? I hope so. I like hiking. I found this hat my daddy used to wear when he took me to the park. Do you like it?"
She looked so happy as she turned around in a circle for him, but he felt a pang in his gut as soon as she mentioned who it belonged to. "I think it looks awesome."
That seemed to appease her because she smiled big and wide before sitting on the floor to tie her boots. She continued jabbering away, and David tried his best to pay attention, but he was lured back to the photos on the wall. There were several of Sarah and a few of Candice and another man he assumed was Barry. He stepped closer to examine them, and he could tell right away Sarah got her blue eyes and dimples from her father.
When Sarah finished tying her boots, she jumped up and ran into an adjoining room that resembled a den, and David decided to follow her. What he'd seen so far of the house was quite beautiful, and his gaze drifted to the ceiling where large wooden beams formed an arch and gave the room a rustic appeal.
Bookshelves lined one of the inner walls and were filled to the brim with various sizes of books, knickknacks, and at least a dozen more picture frames. As he moved closer to inspect them, he noticed most of them were of Barry and Candice. They looked happy and in love, and it finally dawned on him why Candice never invited him inside their home.
"Sarah! Why didn't you tell me Mr. David was here?"
He turned to find Candice standing in an open doorway. The shrill tone of her voice caught his attention, and by the way Sarah recoiled when she asked, it must have startled her too. He could tell by the bewildered look on Candice's face that she was surprised to find him in her house.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I know I'm not supposed to open the door without you, but I saw Mr. David's truck in the driveway, and you were on the phone, so I decided to let him in. Is that okay?"
Sarah's crestfallen expression gripped at his heart. "I apologize, Candice. I should've waited for you before I let myself in."
Her gaze darted between him and Sarah briefly before her demeanor changed. The shock on her face slowly ebbed away as she waved a hand in the air and attempted to smile. "No … no. It's fine. I'm sorry it took me so long. I was on the phone with Aaron. He misplaced a file I put on his desk, and he was in a tizzy."
She walked over to him, and he didn't miss the way her eyes shifted from him to the photos on her bookshelf, but she didn't acknowledge them.
"Can you tell us where we're going now? Please?" Sarah begged. She was able to wrap him around her finger easily, just like her mother could, and he had no other choice but to come clean.
"Okay," he replied. "We're going to spend the day at the Arches National Park near Moab. Have you two been there before?"
Sarah shook her head, but Candice nodded. "I went with my parents when I was about eight years old, but Sarah's never been. I vaguely remember it, though."
David smiled at them. "Good, then this will be like a brand-new experience for both of you. Now, we should probably go because it's a three-hour drive one way."
Sarah was so ecstatic, she started rushing around, grabbing things like a sequined purse and a baby doll that she stuffed inside of it, while Candice gathered a few snacks and drinks for the long drive. By the time they removed Sarah's booster seat from the car and got everyone situated inside David's truck, almost an hour had passed since he arrived. Between the toys Sarah brought to keep her occupied to the sunscreen, insect repellent, and other essentials Candice packed, you would think they were going away on vacation. He loved it, though, and it made him feel closer to them—like they were a family.
Sarah talked nonstop as soon as they headed north to Moab, but after an hour on the road, she eventually conked out and fell asleep. When she laid her head on the booster seat, Barry's safari hat fell off and landed on the floorboard. Candice reached in the back seat to pick it up and put it on her lap.
"Sarah told me Barry used to wear that when he took her to the park in Lehi," he whispered so he wouldn't wake her up.
Candice smiled as she traced her fingertips along the brim. "He did. When Sarah was younger, before they built the covered walkways, there was no shade at the park at all. Barry would sit in the blistering sun for two hours or more while Sarah played on the playground, and he got fed up one day and bought this hat. When he died, she claimed it as her own, and she keeps it on the nightstand beside her bed and never lets it out of her sight."
David didn't know what to say as Candice put the hat on the floorboard by her feet and gave him a weary smile.
"I suppose you're probably wondering why I still have so many of Barry's pictures on display in our home after all this time."
David reached over the console and held her hand. "No, I'm not, and that's not for me to judge anyway. He was your husband and Sarah's father, and you should do whatever makes the two of you happy or helps you grieve."
Candice lightly squeezed his hand. "Thank you, David. I think it's helped both of us move forward. We used to not be able to look at his photos without bursting into tears, but now we can look at them and smile and talk about the good times without getting so emotional."
David smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."
They rode in silence for a little while, and David was relieved when she didn't let go of his hand. The scenery on the drive was incredible, but it felt different to him now than the first day he drove into Utah two months ago. In the beginning, it was just another place to work, another state to check off his bucket list of travels. But he'd grown accustomed to the mountains and the rugged landscape, and it felt more like home than just a temporary place to hang his hat.
"Have you been to the Arches National Park before?" she asked.
David shook his head. "No, but I've researched it in the past. My nieces and nephews love going to state parks, and we used to spend hours looking at pictures of different ones online. I believe I took them to every park within a thirty-mile radius of our hometown in Texas. Arches was one we came across online, and I said if I was ever close enough, I would go. I can't wait to send them pictures of it."
His enthusiasm must have caught her attention because she turned sideways in her seat to look at him, and she had the loveliest smile on her face.
"I wish you could see the way your face lights up when you talk about them," she remarked. "I think that is so sweet. Have you ever thought about having kids of your own someday?"
He wished he could tell her exactly what he'd been thinking about lately. He longed to confess how he pictured her, Sarah, and him as a family and the possibility of him and Candice having a child of their own in the near future. But he couldn't do that, not yet, anyway.
"Most definitely," he replied. "I love kids."
She looked in the back seat at Sarah and grinned. "Well, I know one who adores you."
It was an encouraging sentiment that filled him with hope, and as they wound their way down the interstate toward Moab, he felt a renewed sense of peace that he was right where he was meant to be.
Chapter 20
Candice
Candice leaned back on her elbows and raised her chin to the sun. It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon, and their time at Arches National Park was slowly coming to an end. While she and David lay on a blanket near one of the towering rock arch formations in the park, Sarah played at their feet with her baby doll and a few other toys she'd managed to stuff inside her purse. It was the perfect setting, and the breeze that lifted her hair and tickled her skin helped keep the heat at bay.
"Do you remember any of this from your first trip here?" David asked.
She glanced at the scenic view around them and shook her head. "The only thing I recall is the heat. We went during the middle of August, a couple of weeks after school started, and it was hot and miserable. The car we had at the time didn't have any air conditioning either."
From the corner of her eye, she caught David wrinkling his nose. "I bet that was awful. I read somewhere that nighttime is the best time to visit because it's cooler and perfect for stargazing. Maybe we can come back sometime and do that. I'll even bring my fancy telescope."
Candice laughed. "I'd like that."
She glanced at Sarah, who was busy playing with her doll and toy cars in the grass and not paying any attention to them. She snickered while listening to Sarah's animated voice as she carried on a conversation between the baby and a driver inside one of the cars, and she marveled at her vivid imagination.
"She's had such a good time," Candice remarked. "She's already tried talking me into buying a camper so we can stay in the campground here this summer and she can do some more exploring."
David grinned as he turned over on his side to
face her. "Didn't you tell me you used to go camping?"
Candice nodded as she thought back to the few times Barry took her and Sarah camping when he wasn't working. "We used to go to a campground in Lehi when Barry was in-between hauls, but we didn't own a camper. We used a tent that he set up in the bed of his pickup truck because Sarah was terrified a bear would get us if we put it on the ground. She was convinced they couldn't climb into the back of his truck, and we never told her otherwise." She laughed at the memory. "It was very uncomfortable, but somehow, we made it work."
David was quiet for a moment. "Do you mind me asking about Barry's accident? I'll certainly understand if you don't want to talk about it."
Candice lay back down on the blanket and looked up at the sky. "I don't mind. He was hauling a load through Colorado, and it was the middle of January, so the roads were icy. According to the police report, he hit a patch of black ice and lost control of the truck. He ran off the road into a deep ravine, and he died on impact.”
The wind ruffled her hair, and when David moved some strands away from her face, the heat from his touch made her heart skip a beat.
"Braxton told me the two of you started dating in high school. I've never lost someone close to me, so I can't even begin to fathom what that must feel like. I'm sorry you and Sarah had to go through that, Candice. I wish I'd known you then so I could've been there for you."
She didn't realize they were so close to each other until she turned her head to look at him and their faces were mere inches apart. The sun glistened in his hair as he gazed down at her, and she momentarily lost her train of thought.
"Thank you. I appreciate that. We had our first date when we were sophomores in high school, and we got married a couple of weeks after graduation. It's been difficult, but Sarah and I are getting through it together, one day at a time."
Knee Deep in Love: A Sweet Traveling Romance Novel (All Roads Lead to Love Book 1) Page 11