“Dakota, hi. Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy but I had a thought.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, doing his best not to come over as needy or desperate. “Since we’re working on the gala together and I’ve already offered to be your second in charge tree decorator, do you think we should go to the gala night together?” He waited for her to answer.
“Um, sure if that’s what you want to do.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “Great. Yeah I do because we’re going to be the ones that keep the evening going. Keep everything on track and it wouldn’t be fair to another date if we kept dumping them to do the job, if you know what I mean.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
Thank goodness.
“I wanted to say thanks once again for my crystal bumble bee too. It was very sweet of you.”
“It was the least I could do. I noticed you have quite a collection of crystal and you reminded me of a busy bee. Besides, I enjoyed watching your face when you opened the gift.”
He heard a gasp of pain over the phone and sat up, panic rising in his chest. “Are you okay? What’s happened?”
She gave a tiny cry, groaned and he heard a clunk as she dropped the phone.
“Don’t move. I’ll be there in a minute.” Adam hung up and grabbed his car key, bolting out the door for his vehicle. It was hard to keep to the speed limit as he drove toward the cottage thinking the worst. Had she broken a glass object and was bleeding out while all he cared about was getting her to agree to go to the gala with him before anyone else could claim her as their date? How pathetic. He raced through town, toward her cottage, pulled up in front of the property, slammed the car into park and ran to her door. He pushed through it without knocking and came to a screeching halt at her workshop door, panicked and out of breath.
She stood looking at him, her hand out, her lips in a tight line. “Adam, stop.” She wiggled her fingers. “It’s a burn. Nothing more, so calm down.”
He dropped his head, waited for his heart to stop pounding.
*
“My fingers cop a few burns now and then because I can’t always feel the heat against them until it’s too late. I blame it on the accident, severed nerves in my fingers. While it hurts it’s not a big deal.” She stepped forward and put a hand on his arm, noticed the pale trembling lips. “Hey, this isn’t just about me, is it? Something is worrying you.” She put an arm on his back and pushed him out to the lounge room toward the couch.
“No. I’m fine, I panicked when I heard you cry out.” He took her hand. Ran his fingers around the welt coming up on her fingers. He guided her into the kitchen, turned on the cold tap and held her hand under the running water to cool down the burn. “Let me deal with this. Where’s your first aid kit?”
“Under the bathroom cabinet.” Most of the color had come back into his face.
“Don’t move.” He squeezed her arm and strode away. Dakota watched him leave, his purposeful strides giving her reason to believe what she already decided. He wasn’t immune to her at all. Moments later he was back. He turned off the tap and handed her a towel. “I’ll let you dry that so I don’t hurt you.”
Dakota took the towel, dabbed at her hand and then let him dress the burn. When he put the first aid kit back in the bathroom, he came out looking almost as stressed as he did when he arrived.
“Go sit in the lounge. You need a coffee as much as I do and I can manage by myself so don’t fuss.” She filled the coffee machine while keeping an eye on him. He’d leaned back and closed his eyes but his skin was still pasty.
Dakota made them each a mug and joined him in the lounge room. “Here. Get this into you and talk to me.” She sat down beside him and waited while he gathered himself.
“Thanks.” He sipped and put his cup down. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not usually such a panicy person. It’s just when I heard you cry out, I freaked out.”
“You’ve patched me up and I’m fine. Thank you.” Dakota took note of the sweat breaking out on his forehead. Adam had something more than her pressing on his mind and she knew what it was.
“Do you think this has anything to do with the panic you felt when you heard about your father?” Made sense to her and as much as Adam might think he’s dealing with it, she had other ideas. Nearly dying herself and having plenty of rehab gave one a different perspective on life and with the counseling she’d had in the aftermath, it wasn’t a stretch to think he was super imposing his thoughts about his own health crisis onto her. One little burn didn’t warrant this kind of all out panic even though she loved that he cared.
“I don’t think so. I mean, I was worried, sure but he’s okay now.”
Treading delicately, Dakota searched for the right words. “Do you worry about what you’re going through, about how you might have the same disease?”
He looked at her and she could see the idea taking shape in his head.
“I’m no psychologist, Adam, but you do seem to have an overactive reaction when it comes to someone getting hurt. Is it possible you’re more worried about your own mortality than you’re letting on?”
“I’d never let my own worries take over like that.”
She raised her eyebrow and waited.
“I wouldn’t.” He looked away and when Tiny jumped on his knee he didn’t reach out and touch her. She whined and climbed over to Dakota. Adam met her gaze. “Would I?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s hard to know what our subconscious does to us.”
“I…”
“Don’t let it worry you. I won’t say anything but if you want to talk, I’m here.”
He blinked, wiped his hand over his face, the haunted look in his eyes worried her. “I’m terrified. Absolutely freaking terrified they’ll find I’m a walking time bomb. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that if I am. And here I thought I was coping with it okay.”
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Adam. I wish I could say the right words, take away your pain but I can’t.” She kissed his cheek and held him close.
The tremble of his shoulders eased as she held him.
“I’m a coward.” A sigh shuddered up his throat. “I’ve known about this for weeks but I’ve been too scared to go and have the tests.” He gave a quick shrug of his shoulders. “Sometimes it feels better not knowing.”
“That’s not the way to live. You need to know so you can put strategies in place.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to make those kinds of decisions yet.”
“Well, when it gets too much for you, I’m here if you want to talk. Don’t feel you’re alone, Adam. We’re friends, remember?”
“Yeah, friends.” He said it in such a bitter way she almost laughed but what he was going through wasn’t a laughing matter. She’d felt the same anguish when she woke from her accident knowing it wasn’t her decision to keep her fingers. It was all down to the surgeon’s skill and luck. Adam would be feeling the same pain, the same indecision, the same insecure future.
Was he worried that, like her, he’d be off-limits to that special person? Roger’s betrayal had all come down to money and prestige. What did Adam fear the most?
“Tell me what you’d planned on doing when you retired?”
“I thought I told you.”
“Not sure I remember that conversation but tell me again. Refresh my memory.” Talking had helped her work through her problems. It might help him too and she was happy sitting here with her arm around him.
“I have two offers from networks sitting with my management team. Means I’ll be on air during the season discussing games instead of playing in them.”
“Does that make you feel as though you’d be missing out on anything?”
He dropped his head and stared at his feet. “Yes. No. Not too sure to be honest. Going into the sport we all know that it’s not going to last forever. That’s a given. But having to leave earlier than expected is going to take some getting us
ed to. That’s if they find out I have what Dad has.”
“So you hadn’t given it any thought to retiring yet even though you’ve had a couple of knee injuries?”
“Yeah, but I have to weigh up my options carefully.” Tiny nudged at his hand and this time he stroked her head. She leaned in against him, happy now she had his attention.
“I understand. It’s a little bit like me starting the Christmas decorations before my accident. They were something I wanted to explore, a sideline to the jewelry. It wasn’t ideal to take the place of what I was already doing but it gave me something to continue with. Meant I was in the same line of business and that accounts for something.”
Adam turned his head and looked at her. Some of the sadness seemed to fade from his eyes and a tiny spark of interest replaced it. He leaned in and kissed her lips. His warm breath rolled over her face as he spoke. “You, Ms. Dakota Moore, have a very interesting way of looking at life. I wish I had half as much positive energy running through my mind as you do.”
“You’re just scared and I understand that. Remember though, I’m here for you. No matter what the outcome, I’ll never push you away.”
She snuggled her chin on his shoulder, willing her love to find a way to put the smile back on his face.
Chapter Fifteen
The smell of hotdog grease mingled with the sweet sugary fairy floss making her realize how hungry she was. The roar of excited supporters as they watched the soccer clinic made her smile as she stood in line to get into the sports grounds. Dakota pulled her scarf tight around her neck and told herself a couple of hours off would be good for her body and her mental well-being. She’d had a late night yesterday and got up early to finish the icicles she’d promised Adam for his friend and teammate, Ryan. They had to be done by today, that was the deal and she wasn’t about to let him down.
“Hi Dakota.” Percy Ferris stood at the gate taking the money as people filed in. “Glad to see you’ve managed to get away from work for a couple of hours. Go grab yourself a hotdog and find a seat. I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching the boys.” He took her money and handed back change and her ticket. “They’ve asked for a few of the dads to join them later for a make-up game. Adam thinks the boys are up for it and I for one cannot wait to see how they perform.”
“Glad I came out then.” She took her change, and tucked her ticket in her jacket pocket. “Is Arabella here?”
He looked at her, rolled his eyes. “As if any female in this town that is capable of walking isn’t here to watch those boys in their soccer uniforms. You should hear some of the lewd comments coming from seemingly proper ladies. It’ll make you blush.”
She laughed. “Maybe I might be the loudest one here.”
“Now I find that hard to believe.” He turned to the next person behind her. “Hey Rach, shut up shop to come see the boys, eh?” He chuckled and tipped his chin in Dakota’s direction. “What did I tell you?”
“Be silly to miss them, Percy. Not often we get the caliber sportsmen like these wanting to come to Cherry Lake.”
Dakota turned around and waited. “Don’t tell me you’re a sports nut, Rach.”
“Are you kidding? I was in school with Adam and used to sit glued to the bleachers when he was playing. I’d give anything to go and see him play in Seattle but with the way the shop is, I can’t afford the time off.”
“Let’s get hotdogs and make the most of it then.” Together they grabbed hot food and climbed up the stands until they found two seats together.
“Oh my, look at those hunky men. I didn’t realize Adam had so many of his teammates coming in for this. Thought it was only one guy coming down.” Rach leaned forward in her seat, the smile on her face growing by the minute. They sat enthralled for the next hour while the youngsters learned from the best.
Rach nudged her. “Did Adam ask you to be his date at the gala?” She had a sparkle in her eyes.
Dakota looked at her, saw the secretive little smile on her lips. What was she up to? “Yes, he did. Why do you ask?”
“Because I made the suggestion that a school friend of ours would be a good match for you. Not that he is mind you. Reggie is a computer nerd in Polson and never leaves the house but Adam doesn’t know that.” She giggled behind her hand, let out a whoop as the player she had her eye on kicked a goal, showing a group of boys how to angle the kick just so. “That man is so damned cute. I wonder if Adam will introduce us?”
Dakota gasped. “Oh, you sneaky thing. If he figures out what you did, I don’t like your chances.”
Rach continued to watch the field, her attention split between the conversation and the man with Buzz on the back of his shirt. “But it worked, didn’t it?”
“Yes it did.” She glanced over at the man in question. He was running some of the boys through a track of poles now while the other players tried to get the ball from them. Cory made it to the end of the row without losing his ball and a cheer went up. The teen blushed when a couple of the guys patted him on the back.
“But?”
“I’m not that sure he’s ready for anything that remotely resembles a relationship. He has things to deal with first.”
Rach leaned back in her chair, her head closer to Dakota’s. “Are you prepared to wait until he sorts it out? Look, don’t think I’m being overly nosy, Dakota. I think a lot of Adam, always have. We go back too far for me to be that mean to him but he needs something and I think it might be you. A burden shared is a burden halved in my opinion.”
“Oh my goodness, look at the way that man can juggle the ball on his feet.”
“Stop trying to change the subject, Dakota. You forget I’ve seen the two of you together.”
Dakota sat and watched the men teaching the teens how to balance the ball on their foot, tap it to land up on their shoulder and toss it around just like she’d seen in the movies.
*
When the time came for the parents to get involved, Adam hated it but he had to turn some away. It seemed as though everyone wanted a chance to play the team of professionals and teens. He was trying to sort out a sensible way to organize them when he spied Dakota sitting with Rachel up in the stands. He lifted a hand and smiled.
“Okay everyone. Line up and we’ll do this the easiest way I know how.” He walked down the line giving each alternate person the bad news that they couldn’t play. They groaned good naturedly but returned to their seats to watch.
By the end of the day the smiles on the teens’ faces had made it all worthwhile. Adam had offered his teammates dinner and drinks at the Lake Hotel. He searched for Dakota. Even though she had work to do, he was hoping he could convince her to join them. He grabbed Cory as he ran past. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Cory grinned as he held tight to the signed shirt he’d been given by the team. “Anything.”
“I want you to find Dakota for me. Tell her we’re having drinks and dinner at the Lake Hotel and I want her to join us. I’d find her myself but I can’t see her anywhere and I promised to help sign posters with the guys.”
“Sure. I can do that.”
Adam patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, I appreciate it, Cory.”
Cory ran off and Adam took his seat at the table alongside Ryan Jones and grabbed a marker to start signing.
In between excited participants asking for photo opportunities and parents greeting him, Ryan managed a word to Adam. “Any chance I can take those special items home tomorrow? I haven’t told the wife but it would be nice to surprise her if I can. She wasn’t that thrilled at me leaving on the weekend when she’d already made plans for us.” He accepted another poster to sign and posed for a photo with a youngster.
“I certainly hope so. Dakota did say she’d do it. If they’re not ready, I’ll mail them to you before Christmas. Promise.” Adam accepted thanks from a star struck parent and turned to Ryan again.
“Thanks, man. Knew I could count on you.” He signed another poster, pushed it into the hands of a
fan. “The wife loves her work and to have something special like that will blow her mind.”
“I’ve asked Dakota to meet us for dinner tonight. Not sure she will because her workload is huge right now as you can imagine with her new line but we’ll see. I hope she’ll be there.”
Chapter Sixteen
Dakota stood chatting to Jake and Woodsie when Cory came running up to them, guilt nipping her heels because she was dawdling when she should be home working.
“Dakota, something to tell you.” He paused for a breath and thrust the jersey into his father’s arms. “Look at what I got.”
Jake took the jersey and held it up, read all the signatures on the back of it, let out an impressed whistle. “That is some souvenir, Son. You won’t want to wear that one too often. Why not get it framed and hang it in your room?”
“Good idea.” He sucked in a breath and pointed a dirt smeared finger at Dakota. “Adam wants to know if you’ll meet him at the Lake Hotel for dinner and drinks with the guys.”
He does? “Oh. I don’t really know. I should go home and do some more work. I only have about ten days left to finish my ornaments.” How early would she have to get up tomorrow to make up for it if she did? Not like she hadn’t done an all-nighter before and to spend an evening with Adam and his friends. She could imagine it was a date.
“Are you really making all of your own decorations for the tree, Dakota?” Woodsie frowned at her and scratched his head in wonder.
“Yes. I decided it was the best way to get an authentic looking tree. Nobody else will have what I have and I so want it to be different. It’s a chance to showcase my new line that I won’t get a chance to do any other time.” And her competitive streak had raised its ugly head.
Jake shuffled his feet. “You work too hard. Go out and meet the guys, let your hair down for a change.”
“Yes, go, Dakota. After all the hard work they put in today, they’re probably starving and it’s your sister’s hotel. You could take me if you like.” Cory grinned at her. “Joking but you should be there because if it wasn’t for you giving Adam a hard time, he might not have organized today.”
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