A Little Rain Must Fall (Summer Lake Silver Book 3)

by SJ McCoy

“Do you?”

  She gave him a guilty smile. “I was hoping to get the cheesecake. We had some yesterday afternoon, and it’s wonderful.”

  He smiled and caught the waiter’s eye. He wasn’t going to let himself off the hook; he was just using this diversion to gather his thoughts.

  Once she had her cheesecake, he took a deep breath and nodded.

  “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” She held her fork up to him and slid a bite of cheesecake into his mouth.

  She was making it too easy to let the matter go, but he knew that if he let it slide, it’d only be harder to tell her about it in the future.

  “You’re right, that is good,” he said. “But I do need to tell you about why I never remarried.”

  She shook her head.

  “I want to,” he insisted. “I want you to understand.”

  She set her fork down. “That sounds scary.”

  “I’m not proud of who I was.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Irene and I weren’t well suited, but we had Eddie and so we tried to make it work. Irene liked to play us off against each other. She used to tell Eddie that I didn’t have time for him—when all I was doing was working hard to support us. And then she met someone else. She saw him for almost a year before I found out.” Ted closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. It was still painful, even after all these years. “She managed to keep me in the dark, but Eddie knew the guy. And when she told me she wanted a divorce, she also told me that it was what Eddie wanted too—that he loved her new boyfriend and that the three of them were happy together.”

  Audrey shook her head sadly but didn’t interrupt him.

  “She also told Eddie that I didn’t want him. She made us both believe that it was for the best if I just left the picture. The only thing she wanted from me was money—and I paid it willingly. Because, you see …” He turned and stared out at the lake before looking back at her. “The stupidest thing I ever did was to believe her. I believed that Eddie didn’t want me in his life and that he was better off with his new stepdad. I want to tell you that I walked away purely for Eddie’s benefit, but I can’t. Part of it was because of my own hurt pride. My wife was rejecting me—that hurt but I could handle it. But my son as well?” He shook his head. “That hurt too much, and I walked away and never looked back.”

  Audrey squeezed his hand. “You must have looked back at some point. You and Eddie seem close now.”

  “Eddie looked me up after he turned thirty. For the first couple of years we had an uneasy truce. It wasn’t until he and April got together, and I was able to help them through some trouble that we got close.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry you lost all that time in each other’s lives.”

  “So am I. It’s my own fault, though. I believed her lies, and I put my son through hell because of my own pride.”

  She gave him a puzzled look.

  “She told me that Eddie loved the man she left me for. She told Eddie that I didn’t want him, that I’d just walked out on them. And that man made Eddie’s childhood a living hell.”

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks. I know it’s not something to talk about on a first date, but I still hate what I did. I’m ashamed of myself, and I’d rather you know that about me before …” He was doing it again, talking about a possible future already.

  She squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I’m glad I know. But I don’t think it’s some dark secret about you. It’s just a tough part of life that you went through. We all have those. Nobody’s life is all sunshine and roses. We all have to weather some storms.”

  He had to smile. She made it sound like he wasn’t quite the monster he still saw himself to be. “Thanks. What’s that line? Into every life a little rain must fall?”

  She smiled. “Longfellow; isn’t it?”

  “I think so.”

  “And there’s a line in there about not clinging to the mouldering past. You might want to remember that part.”

  Ted had to smile. He was trying to recall the whole poem. “It sounds like good advice to me.”

  “It is. The whole thing is about how life isn’t always great, but we can’t get stuck in the dark parts.”

  “That’s right.” He remembered now. “Behind the clouds the sun is still shining.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Thanks, Audrey.”

  “I didn’t do anything. Other than listen.”

  “That means more than you know.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Ted took hold of her hand as they were leaving. It made her smile. She might not have been on a first date in more than three decades, but she knew that this was how it was supposed to feel. The butterflies in her stomach still hadn’t settled. They took to flight again every time he looked at her.

  “Ted!”

  They both turned at the sound of his name being called. Two couples sat together at the far end of the terrace, and one of the men raised his hand in greeting.

  “Do you mind?” he asked.

  “Of course not.” If he didn’t mind introducing her to his friends, it was fine by her.

  The women smiled warmly at her when they reached the table. Audrey guessed that they were around her age—in their mid-fifties. One of the men looked very familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

  The other man spoke to Ted. “I didn’t know you were here this weekend. It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too.” Ted smiled around at them. “All of you.” He put his arm around Audrey and drew her forward. She hadn’t done it intentionally, but she’d been lingering a little behind him.

  “Audrey, I’d like you to meet some friends of mine. This is Seymour and Chris, and Clay and Marianne.”

  She smiled at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Everyone, this is Audrey.”

  It made her realize that he didn’t even know her last name, so he couldn’t give it even if he wanted.

  “Nice to meet you, Audrey.” The woman he’d introduced as Chris, smiled at her. “Are you guys just here for the weekend?”

  “The whole week,” said Audrey. “I’ve never been here before. It’s beautiful. Do you live here?”

  Chris laughed. “Sort of.” She turned to Seymour. “I say I still live here, but this guy sort of lives in LA and Montana, too. So, we spend a lot of time there.”

  Marianne smiled. “And we’re in the same boat. We live here, as much as we can, but Clay needs to be in Nashville a lot of the time, too.”

  Audrey glanced at Clay and then it hit her. Clay McAdam! He didn’t look familiar because he was someone who she’d run into at the grocery store. He was one of the biggest names in country music. He smiled as if he knew that she’d just figured it out.

  “I think it’s fair to say that we all think of this place as home, though,” he added and turned to Ted. “Has the Summer Lake bug bitten you, too? You don’t usually stay the whole week.”

  Ted smiled. “Marcus asked me to say. I love spending time with them.”

  “Grandkids,” said Chris. “They change your life, don’t they?”

  Audrey smiled at her but didn’t answer. She didn’t have any grandchildren yet.

  Ted’s arm tightened around her. “It’s good to see you all, but we should get going.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you,” Marianne told Audrey. “I hope we’ll see you again.”

  Out of all of them, Audrey got the idea that Marianne was the only one who’d figured out that she and Ted weren’t an established couple.

  “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

  “Will you guys still be here on Saturday night?” asked Chris.

  Audrey looked at Ted. “I think so,” he answered.

  “Great. You should come out to the Boathouse. Clay’s going to sing.”

  Ted raised an eyebrow at Audrey. She’d planned to leave on Saturday, but she didn’t have to. She smiled and he took that as a yes.

  “I guess we’ll
see you there then,” he told them.

  As they walked back out through the restaurant, Audrey hoped that this wasn’t the end of the evening. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to take him back to her room with her, but she didn’t want to say goodnight yet either.

  “Do you want to take another walk around the plaza?” he asked.

  “I’d love to.” Yet again, it seemed that he’d read her mind.

  “I hope it was okay to stop and say hello to them.”

  She smiled. “It was more than okay, thank you. At least, I know you’re not ashamed of me.”

  He laughed. “That’s crazy talk! I was thrilled to get the chance to show you off. They’ve only ever seen me by myself. I hope you don’t mind that I let them think we’re here together.”

  “I kind of like it. It could have been awkward explaining that we only met each other last night. Are they good friends of yours?”

  “I suppose they are, now. Chris and Marianne are sisters.”

  “I thought they might be. They look alike.”

  “Yes. They both moved up here to be close to their kids. Clay … I’m not sure why he first came here, I don’t think he has family here, but he met Marianne and they got together—they’re getting married soon.”

  “Yes. Now I know who he is I remember seeing a story about that. Some of the women at the office were sad that he’s finally off the market.”

  Ted laughed. “Was he on the market before? Like a slab of meat?”

  She laughed with him. “No, more like a hunk.”

  He stopped walking and gave her a mock indignant look. “A hunk, huh? Should I be worried?”

  She shook her head. “I won’t deny that he’s a good-looking man. Seymour is, too, for that matter,” she couldn’t resist adding.

  His eyebrows slid higher.

  “But,” she reached up and touched his cheek, “Neither of them is the best-looking man around here.”

  His lips quirked up into a smile—and he proved her point. She hadn’t thought that a smile could be kind and sexy at the same time, until she’d met him. He blew out an exaggerated sigh. “Are you going to tell me that there’s some other guy you’ve got your eye on, too?”

  She nodded.

  “Go on then, who is he?”

  She tapped two fingers in the middle of his chest. “The best-looking guy around here, the one I have my eye on—in fact, the one I can’t take my eyes off—is you.”

  He grinned. “Little old me?”

  She laughed. “Yes, you. How many times do I have to say it?”

  He chuckled. “As many as you like. I’ll never get tired of hearing that.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “I hope you’ll never get tired of hearing me tell you how beautiful you are, either.” She got lost in his eyes as he lowered his head until her own eyes closed when he claimed her mouth in a kiss.

  She sagged against him and got lost in the way he made her feel. Everything else disappeared; the empty cobbled street around them, and every thought in her head floated away. Only his strong arms around her held her in reality.

  When he finally lifted his head, she slowly came back to her senses. He hoped that she’d never get tired of hearing him say she was beautiful? It was a nice idea but never was a long time. Much as she was enjoying getting caught up in what was going on between them, she hardly expected it to last.

  He cocked his head to one side, looking concerned. “Did I say too much?”

  “No. It was a nice thing to say.”

  “It’s a nice thing to hope for, don’t you think?”

  Her heart raced in her chest. He wasn’t backing down from it? “It is, but …”

  “Too soon or too crazy?”

  She smiled. “Too soon.” She reached up and planted a peck on his lips. “And maybe just a little crazy.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ted pulled his phone out of his back pocket when it rang. “Buenos días,” he answered.

  Diego laughed. “I almost didn’t call.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I thought perhaps you were not taking your walk on the beach this morning.”

  “I’m here.” Ted looked around. Much as he enjoyed his morning walk, he too had wondered whether he might skip it this morning.

  “And Audrey?”

  He smiled to himself. He knew Diego would want to know everything that had happened since he left. “Audrey’s not here.”

  “Tell me you saw her last night.”

  “I did.”

  “But you didn’t see her this morning? She didn’t stay with you?”

  “No.”

  “Ted!”

  He had to laugh. “What?”

  “I thought you were going to make the most of this week. She likes you. It’s obvious. Why didn’t you close the deal?”

  “It’s not a deal. I’m not looking to close her. I’m getting to know her.”

  “The fastest way to get to know a woman is in bed.”

  He had to laugh. “Perhaps in your world. Not in mine.”

  “So, what are you saying? That this is something more than just a fling?”

  “I’d like it to be.”

  Diego was quiet for a long moment.

  “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “No. No problem. She seems like a nice person. But have you thought this through?”

  “No. I haven’t. If you must know, I’m trying not to. Because if I think about it too much, I’ll overanalyze it and decide that it’s a mistake. I’m trying to do what you tell me to do so often. I’m trying to make the most of every day.”

  “If you were making the most of every day, you’d still be in bed with her. What you’re trying to do is fool yourself about how deep you’re in. You’ve only known her a couple of days.”

  “I know! And you’re the one who thinks I should have already slept with her!”

  Diego chuckled. “Okay. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. I was hoping that you were having some fun.”

  “I am. Just not the kind you were thinking of.”

  “Okay. Okay. You do as you wish, and I’ll be here, keeping my mouth shut.”

  “I haven’t missed the fact that you’re keeping your mouth shut about Izzy. What happened when you took her home?”

  “Just that. I took her home.”

  “Home home, or you left her at the airport?”

  “Home.”

  Ted laughed. “Now it’s your turn to sound guarded. Want to tell me what happened?”

  “Nothing happened. I gave her a ride home. She gave me a drink and then I went back to the airport and continued on my way … like a good boy.”

  “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

  “You can believe it or not, but it’s true.”

  “And why didn’t you close the deal as you so eloquently put it?”

  “There is no deal to close. I told you. She’s quite a woman, but she’s not looking for a man. She prefers little boys.”

  “Are you still stinging over her saying she liked Eddie?”

  “No. I’m stinging over the fact that she’s dating her boy toy personal trainer!”

  “Ah. Sorry.”

  Diego blew out a sigh. “Don’t be. I was stupid. I already told you that she and I would not be a good match, but I let my enthusiasm get the better of me and stuck my neck out.”

  “And got your face slapped?”

  “Not exactly. Just my ego a little dented.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not important. What is important is catching you up on the plan for the day. Will you be available for the team call at noon?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay. I’ll email you my notes by eleven. When do you plan to see Audrey again?”

  “Not until tonight.”

  “You’re taking her for dinner?”

  “No. Meeting her for a drink afterward. I’m here because Marcus wanted me to stay, remember? I’m ha
ving dinner with them.”

  “So, you’re having Audrey as a nightcap?”

  “No. I’m having a nightcap with her.”

  “Don’t you want to? Does she not want to?”

  Ted closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the way she’d kissed him back when he left her at her door last night. She’d been waiting, willing, for him to come inside, but he’d held back. She hadn’t been on a first date in thirty-three years—he didn’t want to make her the kind of girl who slept with a guy on the first date.

  Diego laughed. “So, do it! You only have a week. Do you want to come home and regret the chances you missed?”

  “No.” He really didn’t. “Let’s move on, huh? Tell me how things are looking this morning?”

  “Okay.”

  By the time he hung up fifteen minutes later, the sun had risen above the mountains, and the day was starting to warm up. Ted took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. He needed to get going. He was meeting Eddie at the bakery for a late breakfast before the midday conference call.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Good morning!”

  Audrey turned as she was crossing the lobby and smiled at Roxy, who was sitting at the reception desk.

  “Good morning, Roxy.”

  “I hope I didn’t overstep last night. I was just so pleased to see Mr. Rawlins going out on a date. I’ve never known him to do that. And I was thrilled when I realized you were the one he was going with. I hope you had a good time? Damn. Sorry. Forget I even asked!”

  Audrey laughed. “It’s all right. I don’t mind. And yes, we had a lovely time, thank you.”

  “That’s awesome. Are you going to see him again?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sorry! I can’t help it.”

  Audrey had to laugh. “It’s all right. You remind me of my daughter, Ally. She’s the same way.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re Ally’s mom, aren’t you.”

  “Yes, do you know her?”

  “Only through Eddie.” Roxy smiled. “When you come to Summer Lake, you discover what a small world it really is. Eddie’s one of the gang of people we all hang out with—and of course, he plays in the band at the resort. Ally and Eddie know each other from when she used to sing. And now, you know Eddie’s dad. Who knows, maybe you’ll both end up moving here and living happily ever after like everyone else!”