Perfect Summer: Mason Creek, book 7

by Lopez, Bethany

  When my eyes got stuck watching the swivel of her hips, I realized, no, I hadn’t, and yes, I was.

  It was frustrating to realize that none of the women I’d met or attempted to date over the years had made me feel a tenth of what simply watching Faith move on the dance floor did. With a big smile on her face and her hair swinging as she moved, she was simply the most stunning woman in the room.

  I guess I was one of those men who had only one great love in their life. While I unfortunately was obviously not hers, it looked like I was destined to love Faith for the rest of my days, and no other woman would come close to making me feel the way she did.

  When Tucker changed to another slow song, I downed my beer and muttered, “Fuck it,” before rising and crossing to where Faith was now standing, off to the side of the dance floor.

  She would either recoil from me in horror or be too aware of the town watching to say no.

  I was praying for the latter.

  Once I was behind her, I cleared my throat and asked, “Care to dance?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened at my request and Faith looked over her shoulder briefly before her lips parted and she slowly turned toward me.

  I could see the wheels spinning as she tried to decide what her answer should be.

  Not wanting her to put too much thought into it and freak herself out, I shrugged and said, “Come on, it’s just a dance.”

  I held out my hand expectantly, and when she looked down at it and then placed her hand in mine, I felt ridiculously victorious.

  I turned, grasping her hand softly, and led her back onto the floor as one of Garth’s greatest hits filled the room. Once we were in position, we began to move, and it was just like coming home again.

  We’d danced at countless school dances, town fairs, and family cookouts. It was like our muscle memory picked up right where our last dance left off and we glided easily around the floor.

  Faith was the first girl I’d ever danced with, and I’d always been convinced she’d be my last.

  I watched her try to look anywhere but at me. Still, even though she tried to remain aloof, I heard her breath catch and felt a little shiver beneath my hand as a result of our first physical contact.

  “We still got it,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, although I could feel the emotion clogging my throat.

  Holding her feels so right.

  She looked up with me with a slight quirk of her lip and said softly, “You always were a good partner.”

  I must have flinched at her words because I saw regret flash across her face, and I lost the heat of her as she took a step back and stopped.

  “This was a mistake,” Faith said, before turning and fleeing the dance floor.

  I put my hands in my pockets and dipped my chin to the ground as I struggled to shake off everything those few seconds with Faith had me feeling. I wasn’t sure if it was nostalgia, the crazy chemistry we’d always shared, or the fact that I hadn’t loved anyone since her, but I wasn’t sure I liked it.

  She was right, it had been a mistake, I thought, ignoring the eyes drilling into the back of my head as I found my way back to the table.

  “You all right, man?” Wilder asked as I sat and filled up my glass.

  “I don’t know, brother … I don’t know.”

  7

  Faith

  I can’t breathe.

  I hurried across the dance floor and to the back exit of Pony Up. When I reached the alley, I put my back against the wall and closed my eyes.

  In…

  Out…

  I repeated this in my head and focused on taking deep breaths and slowly letting them out, using counts of four. Once I was steady, I thought about reading a book to Hope at night and focused on the sweet expression on her face.

  After a few minutes of this, I felt the panic attack subside and opened my eyes.

  I felt tears prick the sides of my eyes and worked on holding them back as I gave myself a mental pep talk.

  It’s okay. It wasn’t a bad one and you were able to stop it. Dancing with Mitch had been unexpected and the regret and unanswered questions in his eyes pushed you over the edge, but you’re fine now.

  I hated feeling like I didn’t have control over my own body and emotions, and the fact that my need to be perfect in Mitch’s eyes was apparently still prevalent.

  When I felt more like myself and ready to face the crowd inside, I pushed off the wall, smoothed my clothes down, and took one more cleansing deep breath. Then, I opened the door and followed the strains of music back into the bar.

  When I glanced around and didn’t see anyone watching the exit for my return, I felt a flood of relief that no one had noticed my rush for air.

  I waved at Anna, one of my hairdressers, who was laughing with her friends, Justine, Laken, and Leni, shooting each of them a smile as I moved toward Liv, who was standing right down the bar from them.

  “Hey,” Liv said with a grin when I stepped beside her. “Did you have to go to the bathroom to cool down? You and Mitch were practically shooting off fireworks on the dance floor.”

  “Didn’t last long though,” Anna piped in, tilting her head as she asked, “Did something happen?”

  I shrugged and said, “It was just strange, you know? Like no time had passed since the last time we danced. It felt exactly the same.” I glanced over to where Mitch was sitting with his friends and drinking beer, his eyes downcast. “I guess I thought with all the time that’s passed and everything I’ve been through, that it would have felt more like dancing with an old friend.”

  “What did it feel like?” Liv asked, leaning in so nosy ears wouldn’t hear.

  “Perfect,” I admitted, then shook my head and let out a small laugh. “It’s stupid … I know with everything that’s between us there can never be a me and Mitch again, but, damn, being in his arms felt really good. Safe. Sexy.”

  “You deserve to feel safe, Faith, and no one in this town is a better man than Mitch,” Liv said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

  “Lord knows he’s easy on the eyes,” Anna agreed, and we all automatically looked over at him.

  He sure is handsome, I thought, before I realized what we were doing and said in a hushed whisper, “Stop staring. He’s going to see us.”

  “I think we need shots,” Liv said once we’d all turned back toward the bar.

  “Tequila,” Leni suggested.

  I thought about Mitch’s hands on me and felt a tingle run down my spine.

  “Tequila,” I seconded, then proceeded to try and drink Mitch from my mind.

  A few hours later I was stumbling out the door as I tried to pull up the Uber app on my phone.

  Ryder had taken Liv home, which I knew would piss her off once she woke up, and Anna had gotten a ride with her friends. They’d offered to drop me off, but I figured I’d rather be by myself in the backseat of an Uber than piled into a hatchback like sardines.

  “Need a ride?”

  His voice had the hair on the back of my neck standing at attention and a shiver running through me.

  It was a bedroom voice, all deep and rumbly. It was one of the first things I’d noticed about him and one I’d grown to love. And when he’d whispered in my ear while we were making love, it had always fueled my passion.

  I realized the direction my thoughts were going and shook them off as I turned to face him, my cheeks flaming as if he knew what I was thinking.

  “Yeah, just ordering a ride,” I said, lifting my phone up to show him as proof.

  “From who, Bob?” he asked, who was the only Uber driver I knew of in Mason Creek. “He’s probably asleep and it’ll take him at least ten minutes to get up and get down here. I can give you a ride.”

  My eyes flew up to his face, but he looked sincere and not like he was messing with me or anything.

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. We can’t seem to be around each other without one of us getting upset and running off,” I said.


  “You must have been drinking tequila,” Mitch said, his lips quirking up in an annoyingly adorable way.

  Tequila always did make my tongue loose.

  I snorted and waved my phone at him as I replied. “Admit it … after all of this time apart, we don’t quite know how to speak with each other honestly and just air stuff out. You resent me leaving and I completely understand that, but I’d like us to be able to move past it and be normal around each other. How can we do that?”

  “How about we start with one friend giving the other a ride home and saving her a few bucks?” he asked.

  I closed my eyes and thought about it for a few seconds before I realized closing my eyes made me dizzy and I quickly opened them back up.

  “Okay, but you gotta keep your hands on your side of the truck. I don’t think I can handle any more touching between us,” I said, giving a full-body shudder. “We’ve got too much chemistry.”

  “Chemistry?” he teased, that stupid grin back on his handsome face.

  “History. I said, history,” I lied.

  Mitch chuckled and said, “Good to know.”

  “Oh, just shut up and take me to your truck,” I said with a scowl.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I swear, if he would have had a cowboy hat on, he would have tipped it at me … so annoying!

  8

  Mitch

  As I drove past Serenity, I wondered how bad Faith’s hangover had been the morning after Pony Up.

  She’d been pretty hammered. So much so that she’d passed out in my passenger seat before we’d even made it out of the parking lot. I chuckled to myself when her soft snores filled the cab of my truck.

  Although I’d never been there, living in Mason Creek meant I’d known the second she’d bought the old Carson house, which was only minutes away from the pub. When we arrived, I got out and walked around to open her door and wake her up.

  When she was awake enough to make it up to her front door, I walked her there, saw she made it safely inside, and then turned to go home myself. I knew she wouldn’t appreciate me going inside, at least not in an inebriated state, so I left her be and prayed she had the foresight to take some ibuprofen and water before she passed out.

  I’d spent my morning meeting with two prospective clients and was on my way to grab some lunch before I started a new project that afternoon. It was an exterior paint job on a one-level house, so I wasn’t anticipating a late night. Still, it always helped for me to work on a full stomach. Didn’t want to get hangry on a job.

  Once I found a parking spot, I walked down Town Square until I reached Wrens Café, the local diner.

  I was a regular, as was half the town, and was trying to decide if I wanted a burger or club sandwich when I reached the door. As I walked through the dining room, I said hi and nodded at the locals, then looked at Ashley and said, “It’s a nice day so I’m going to sit outside.”

  She nodded in acknowledgment and replied, “I’ll be out in just a moment.”

  When I got out onto the patio, I looked around for an open seat and my stomach clenched when I saw Faith sitting by herself at one of the square bistro tables.

  Her hair was up in a high ponytail, leaving her long neck exposed, and I had a sudden memory of trailing my lips down the exposed flesh. A tug of desire replaced my nerves and I started toward her table.

  “Hey, fancy seeing you here,” I said in my friendliest tone. “We went from never seeing each other to running into each other everywhere.”

  Faith looked up from her BLT and gave me a small smile.

  “Hi … yeah. Funny how that happens.”

  “Do you mind if I join you?” I asked, gesturing toward the open seat across from her.

  “Not at all,” she replied, and since she sounded sincere, I sat.

  “Sorry, Mitch, what can I get for you?” Ashley asked as she rushed over to the table.

  “I’m thinking the club sandwich with fries today, Ash.”

  “You got it.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, before turning my attention back to Faith.

  “I should have gotten the fries,” she said wistfully, taking a forkful of her side salad.

  “You always did have the habit of not ordering fries and then stealing all of mine,” I said, easing back in my chair.

  “Not all,” she protested. “Maybe half.”

  I chuckled in response and asked, “Did you feel okay the other morning?”

  Faith groaned and shook her head. “I’m never drinking tequila again.”

  “Famous last words…”

  “Thanks for taking me home. It was really sweet of you.”

  “Anytime,” I said, a little surprised to realize I meant it. “It’s good to have you back, ya know. I know things didn’t necessarily end well between us, and I’d actually love to have a chat about all that some time, but after all of these years, it’s really good to see you around Mason Creek again. I missed you.”

  Faith’s eyes widened with surprise, and then she shocked me by saying, “I missed you, too. And you’re right, we do need to have a discussion. But I’d rather it not be in the middle of the lunch rush at Wrens.”

  “Agreed,” I replied, then thanked Ashley when she placed my food in front of me.

  I dug in happily, reveling in the crispy, flavorful bacon and saltiness of the fries. When I looked up and noticed Faith looking at my fries longingly, I said, “Help yourself.”

  Faith blinked and embarrassment crossed her features.

  “Oh, no, I’m fine,” she said, pushing her empty plate to the side. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  “If you say so,” I said, picking up the ketchup and squirting a big glob of it on the side of my plate.

  I watched her watching my hand as I picked up a fry, dipped it generously in the ketchup, and brought it to my lips. When her gaze followed, I winked at her and put the whole thing in my mouth.

  “That’s just mean.”

  Faith’s weakness growing up had always been fries and ketchup.

  Sometimes we’d grab a bag to go and walk around Town Square eating them as a delicious treat. Of course, Faith had always ended up taking the bag and finishing them off, but I was the one who had to order them.

  “Nice to know some things haven’t changed,” I said softly, pushing my plate a little closer to her.

  When she absently picked up a fry and doused it with ketchup, I couldn’t help but grin.

  “You haven’t changed a bit,” Faith said, her voice containing something I couldn’t quite name.

  “Sure, I have. We both have. Time and life change us all, at least a little bit.”

  She nodded absently and said it was time she got back to the salon, so we said our goodbyes and I finished my meal, my mind wandering back to her, and our past, and I found myself eagerly anticipating the next time we crossed paths.

  Hopefully we’ll get to have that conversation sooner rather than later.

  9

  Faith

  The more time I spent with Mitch, the more it felt like we’d never been apart.

  Of course, I knew in my head it wasn’t true … I had a four-foot reminder that I’d moved on with my life. But there was something to be said for the history we shared. That familiarity. It felt kind of the same as coming back to Mason Creek had … like coming home.

  Sure, part of the reason I’d left was the pressure I’d felt to be perfect for everyone, but now that I wasn’t hormonal from feeling Mitch’s hands on me, and I was sober, I knew Mitch wasn’t the one who’d needed me to be perfect.

  It had taken a lot of therapy, but I’d eventually accepted the insecurities as my own, and realized the people who loved me would do so regardless of my issues.

  I ignored the direction those thoughts were heading and stepped into business mode as I entered my salon.

  Only to find utter chaos.

  “Oh no she didn’t!”

  “Oh yes she damn well did!”

  “
You have got to be kidding me…”

  “The woman has no shame!”

  “What’s going on?” I asked as I walked into the center of the salon.

  Four sets of eyes found me, and everyone started talking at once. I held up my hand and said, “One at a time, please.”

  “Word on the street is Karlie is back in town and she’s making a pass at every available man in the county lines,” Cheryl said with a flip of her hair.

  “The girl is trouble and always has been, if you ask me,” Bethany Murphy agreed from her chair.

  And she would know. Her son, Wyatt, was Karlie’s ex.

  “You know, she’s the reason Beau and I split up,” Stacey added. She and Beau had an on again, off again kind of relationship. There were at least ten reasons they’d broken up over the years.

  “Maybe she’s just lonely,” I said, trying to give the woman the benefit of the doubt.

  I owned a salon, so of course gossip was at the heart of most interactions, but I tried to be the voice of reason and not let things get out of hand, or ugly.

  “You’re too nice, Faith,” Cheryl said, pointing her brush at me. “Just watch your back and keep your eye on that Mitch.”

  “Mitch?” I asked, looking at her quizzically.

  “Yeah. That man is a real snack, and you don‘t want him to get gobbled up by the likes of Karlie,” Stacey agreed.

  I let out a laugh of disbelief, which sounded fake even to my ears.

  “Mitch is free to see whoever he wants. Our relationship is firmly in the past.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Bess, the dispatcher from the sheriff’s station, said with a twinkle in her eye from Stacey’s station.

  I groaned and asked, “What have you heard?”

  “Only that sparks were flying on the dance floor at Pony Up the other night and just now you two were looking pretty cozy over lunch,” she replied.

  “Just now?” I scoffed. “How do you know what I was doing less than ten minutes ago, haven’t you been here since eleven?”