TRENT FOLLOWED—OR HOBBLED—out of the Coast Inn behind Izzy. A week had passed since he was released from the hospital and he could finally move without his cracked ribs yanking the breath from his body. November would soon become December, and along with the Christmas decorations that had begun to spring up all over town, so had his determination that eventually he and Izzy would find their way.
The only obstacle left to overcome was Izzy herself.
She turned to look at him in the dark parking lot, the chilly breeze causing her to tug her scarf over her jaw. “How are you feeling?”
Trent stared at her. She was his girl. His woman. His everything. The question was, would he ever be everything to her? “I’m all right.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Only all right? We’ve had a good day, haven’t we?”
He smiled and took a step closer, every part of him wanting to put his arms around her and pull her in close. He refrained or risked losing her completely. He had no real certainty she didn’t still feel the same way she did when he’d been lying in the hospital. “It’s been great. Never in a million years did I think I could convince you to stick by me all day.”
She smiled, her blue eyes glistening in the lights coming through the bar windows. “Well, a day of me taking photos is pretty hard to resist. First on Clover Point, then the beach, Marian’s and now here. The whole day has been great. Truly. Plus, the time I’ve been able to spend with my mum and dad straightening things out, of course. I’ve finally stopped beating myself up about the way I treated them. They love me and I love them. That’s all I need. No more looking back.”
He smiled. “You’re happy, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I am. They’re onboard about the gallery and they’re sticking around for the foreseeable. It feels good to have them share in my life again. Fingers crossed...” She sighed. “They’ll come to see the Cove for the fabulous place it is and stick around even longer than I dare to hope for.”
“I’m happy for you, Iz. Really.”
He cast his gaze over her face, committing her happy expression and dancing eyes to memory because after what he said next, Lord only knew when they’d get to talk this way again. “There’s something I want to say. Something I tried to say at the hospital but you cut me off.”
The light in her eyes dimmed and her smile faltered. “Trent, we’ve had a great day. Please don’t spoil—”
“I’m not spoiling it. I’m hoping what I say will finish it perfectly.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to stop from touching her and looked into the distance. “I love the Cove too, Iz.” He shifted his gaze to hers. “I want to live here forever. Build my home here...my family.”
She looked to her feet for a moment before lifting her eyes to his. “Me too.”
He smiled, tentative hope speeding his heart. “Then I want you to hear me out, okay?”
The skin at her throat shifted as she swallowed. She opened her mouth as if to speak before snapping it shut and nodding.
Trent took a deep breath and fought the urge to at least take her hand. “I love you, Iz. I think I always will. So because of that love, I’ve decided to give up the firefighting. I’ve had a good run and done all I can to atone for what happened to Aimee. I’m tired. I don’t want to do it anymore. I want to spend more time with family, friends...you.”
“Trent...”
“Please. Let me finish. I need to say this and then I’ll give you the space you’ve asked for.”
It was difficult to tell in the semidarkness, and with her wrapped up in a coat and scarf, but he was certain she’d stilled as her face paled. Almost as if space from him was the last thing she really wanted. His heart kicked with longing for her, but neither of them could go on this way. It was make-or-break time.
He exhaled a shaky breath. “The explosion shocked me in a million different ways. I came too close to dying to ignore the signs. So I plan to quit the brigade as a crew member but, if they still want me, I’ll stay on as a volunteer and train new candidates in between. It’s what I want.”
“But...” She gently took his hand. “Firefighting is your life. It’s who you are.”
“No. It’s who I became after Aimee died. Believe it or not, I wanted to be a swimmer, a lifeguard, up until then.”
She looked deep into his eyes, her gaze steady. “As long as you’re saving somebody, right?”
He clenched his jaw. You can’t save me, Trent. Her previous words to him echoed in his mind. “This isn’t about saving people. It’s about saving myself from a broken heart. I want to be with you, but until you truly believe it’s for no other reason than the fact that I love you, I’m not going to bother you anymore. Do you still love me, Iz?”
“What?”
“It’s a simple question. Yes or no?”
She eased her hand from his and crossed her arms, glancing toward the bar. “There’s nothing simple about that question.”
“Then take some time to think about it.”
“I don’t need any time.” She faced him. “I love you. I have for four long years, but that doesn’t mean I believe you’re giving up firefighting for yourself, rather than for me.”
“Fine. Then come find me when you do. I’ll be waiting...however long.”
“But—”
“No buts, Iz. This is the way it is.”
He dropped his gaze to her mouth for one painful second, before leaning forward and brushing a soft kiss to her cheek. Briefly closing his eyes, he nodded before turning and walking away, his heart heavy with the sorrow he saw in her eyes and the horrible certainty in his heart that the woman he loved was so far from healing that she would never, ever be his to care for.
* * *
IZZY LIFTED ONE of her more recent photographs from the box on the gallery floor and held it aloft. She squinted, trying to see the image through a critical eye, rather than her own, which told her it was one of her best shots ever. Trent smiled back at her from the photograph, his brilliant green eyes happy and finally free of the bruising and red veins caused by the explosion. She fought her smile, but it was fruitless. He was and, she feared, always would be the most handsome, kind and caring man she’d ever met.
His white teeth gleamed, his strong forearms veined and wide as they rested on the top of one of the stiles leading from Clover Point down the incline toward Cowden Beach. The grass blew behind him, sending the shimmers of silver at their tips skimming along the surface to meet with the ocean’s horizon in the distance.
He looked so wonderfully content.
Now Christmas was right around the corner and the sparkling lights and carols in every shop were layering sadness around Izzy’s heart like the bricks of an igloo.
She so wanted to be with him, but the fear of fully loving him still scraped at her heart. She couldn’t believe that he quit the fire brigade. In her heart of hearts she still feared he had done that for her, rather than himself.
Blinking back tears, Izzy carried the large framed picture of Trent toward one of the three white walls she intended to keep free to showcase her work.
She and Trent were in a state of separated limbo she’d instigated with her unerring inability to trust he wouldn’t eventually leave her in some way. It didn’t matter how many times she’d insisted he move on, forget her, he refused to do so while she was incapable of believing his gargantuan decision about his future. She wanted to. So much.
Izzy stared around the space that was now hers to do with what she wanted and smiled softly. Telling Richard Crawley she had decided to stay in Templeton was absolutely the right thing to do. Being in the Cove, the place she loved more than any other, and being able to manage an art gallery. A truly empty canvas to do with as she pleased.
Through her meetings with Jay this week, she’d discovered a flare for business she would never have explored if she had chosen the city over Templeton.
Moving across the gallery, she stared at three of her photographs she’d lined up against the wall, ready for hanging. All three shots were of the same panoramic view of Templeton’s promenade. However, the first was taken before Robbie died, the second after and the third she’d taken just before her and Trent’s final separation.
It would be impossible for anyone to look at the three pictures together and not see how the photographer’s work had begun, changed and twisted through a darker period and then evolved into something entirely new today.
There could be little argument that the third was the brightest of the three. The images were physical evidence that she was happier with Trent than she had ever been in her life. What sort of person did that make her when her beloved brother lay dead? She pressed her hand to her stomach and turned away from the photographs.
The front door opened and the under floor sensor announced the visitor’s arrival. Izzy turned.
Kerri Jackson came through the door pushing Maya in her wheelchair, the little girl’s gorgeous face lit with happiness and a Santa hat on her head. “Hi, Izzy.”
“Maya. How wonderful to see you.” Izzy grinned, her melancholy thoughts vanishing as her heart swelled with fondness for this amazing, brave and beautiful little girl. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to see you. All my numbers added up, which means I can get out of the hospital for a little while with Mummy.”
Izzy fought tears that held the possibility of a tsunami and snapped her gaze to Kerri. “Wow, that’s fabulous news. How are you?”
“All the better for tracking you down.” Kerri smiled. “All we need now is to find Trent and Maya will stop holding me captive.”
Izzy stilled, her forced smile aching her cheekbones. “Trent?”
“Uh-huh.” Maya sat forward in her chair and stretched her neck toward the back of the gallery. “Is he in the back somewhere? Mummy promised we could all go to the bakery by the beach. She wants tea and scones and I want tea and chocolate cake, but I’m not going unless you and Trent come too.”
“He’s...um...he’s...” Izzy’s cheeks burned and her stomach knotted with a horrible despair. “He’s not here right now. I suspect he’s working.”
“At the station?” Maya’s eyes widened with excitement. “Could we go see him?” She tipped her head toward Kerri. “Can we? Please?”
Kerri shifted her focus to Izzy, her brow furrowed. “Everything’s okay between you and Trent, isn’t it?”
“Sure.” Izzy’s cheeks burned hotter and she turned to walk behind her desk. Her saying Trent could be at work was a big fat lie. She had no idea where he’d be. Not anymore.
How was she supposed to face disappointing Maya by telling her about their separation? Clearly, the little girl viewed Izzy and Trent as the next William and Kate.
Izzy shuffled some papers on her desk. “I haven’t seen him today, that’s all.”
“Call him.”
Izzy looked up. “I really don’t think...”
Her words trailed off. Maya’s excited grin was so wide the tube across her face pushed upward to crinkle the skin around her eyes. She was so wonderful. Izzy’s heart melted a little more.
“Please, Izzy. Trent likes me. He’ll be happy I’ve come to see him.”
Izzy exhaled and slumped. How on earth could she resist such a claim when what Maya said was 100 percent true? She raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll call him right now. Why don’t you and your mummy play with some of those toys over there in the corner? That’s what I use when I photograph children to make them smile.”
“Are they sick?”
Izzy’s heart twisted. “Not always. No.”
“Then they should always smile.” Maya shrugged. “Come on, Mummy.”
Izzy stared after Maya and Kerri as they headed toward the toys. Her heart beat faster as Maya pointed at and then clutched one soft toy after another her mother passed to her.
Life was cruel. Short. Unpredictable. Yet there were people like Maya, Trent, Bianca—Robbie’s fiancée—and Trent’s parents who didn’t live in fear every day after losing so much. Instead, they pushed forward, faced their battles and strove to build better, bigger and happier lives.
Izzy swallowed as guilt and failure bore down on her. Was she really so weak that she’d never take another risk with her feelings for as long as she lived? Did she really want to be alone when there could be years of laughter and joy between the hard times?
She dragged her gaze from Maya and Kerri and pulled her phone from her jeans pocket. Her throat dried as adrenaline pumped through her. She dialed Trent’s number.
He picked up on the second ring. “Iz? Hi.”
Izzy closed her eyes. There was no mistaking the hope in his voice. “Hi. How are you?”
“All the better for hearing from you.”
“Are you busy?” She grimaced. There was so much more she needed to say to him, so much more she had to confess and apologize for. “Only I’ve just had some visitors wander into the gallery.”
“Visitors? I’m intrigued.”
She smiled at the teasing in his voice. “Why don’t you meet us at Marian’s in twenty minutes?”
“Sure, if you can be trusted that I’m actually going to like these people.”
“Oh, you’ll like them.”
“As much as I like you?”
Her stomach flip-flopped and she smiled. “Maybe.”
“Right. Well, I’ll see you soon, then.”
“If you arrive before us, I have an order for tea and scones for two, tea and chocolate cake for one and whatever you fancy.”
“Oh, you know what I fancy. See you soon, Iz.”
The line went dead and Izzy ended the call before pressing the phone to her chest. She slowly exhaled in an effort to slow her racing heart. All these weeks had passed...could he still want to be with her?
Maya and Kerri laughed as they guided the toy bears and dolls through the air like airplanes, Maya screaming engine noises as loud as she could. The adoration, hope and love that shone in Kerri’s gaze as she watched her daughter was undeniable, and the moment caught like a hook in Izzy’s chest.
Right there. That was her lesson. Love. Everyone, everywhere, deserved love. No matter how short, how long, how deep or fragile. Everyone needed to give and receive love.
She released her held breath and planted on a smile. “So, who’s ready for tea and chocolate cake?”
Maya stopped midroar and snapped her gaze to Izzy’s, her eyes bright. “Is Trent coming?”
Izzy smiled, falling a little deeper in love. “He is. We’ll meet him at Marian’s, okay?”
“Okay.” She held the toys toward Kerri. “Quick, Mummy. Trent’s coming.”
Laughing, Kerri took the toys and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her daughter’s head before carrying them back to their box. As she did, she looked at Izzy and mouthed a thank-you.
Izzy nodded and smiled as she tried to ignore the knot of nerves in her stomach. It was now or never for her and Trent. She just prayed she wasn’t too late.
* * *
FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER Izzy’s call, Trent stood in line at Marian’s counter. Every two seconds, he swung his gaze to the front window. He tapped his foot against the tiles. Izzy hadn’t sounded that happy in so long. The habitual worry she’d held in her voice had gone and she’d even teased him...something that seemed impossible when he’d last seen her.
Oh, they’d laughed and talked then, but flirtation and teasing had been out of bounds. Any trying on his part was shot down by the wariness in Izzy’s eyes.
“What can I get you, handsome?”
Marian’s voice cut through his contemplation and Trent turned. He smiled. “Well, I’ll have a mug of your finest ground coffee, if you don’t mind.”
“Coming right up.” She frowned, her gaze darting over his face. “How are you feeling?”
“A darn sight better than I did a few weeks ago.”
“Hmm, and what about the injuries I can’t see?”
Trent swallowed and slid his gaze from Marian’s toward the suddenly fascinating coffee machine behind her. “What do you mean?”
Silence.
He flicked his gaze back to hers. She stared at him, her brows raised and her eyes expectant. “Well?”
“Everything’s fine. A-okay. Just fantastic.”
Her usually sparkling brown eyes lost their shine as she narrowed them to slits. “Do you really want to go there? Or do you just want to be nice and cut to the chase? Where’s Izzy these days?”
Trent briefly closed his eyes before opening them again. Everyone in the entire town knew only too well how dangerous it was to hold back with Marian. Give it up or else wait for her to torture the information out of you with the skullduggery of a Bond villain. Her methods were quick, sharp and, nine times out of ten, something all of her victims needed in order to reach their goals.
As much as everyone knew this about her, it didn’t make it any less stressful when you were inside her radar.
“Fine.” He leaned forward and gripped the counter. “Izzy’s meeting me here any minute now.”
“And?” She held his gaze, her focus resembling a cat bearing down on a mouse. “What then?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to let her walk away again? What will this be? The third or fourth time?”
Ouch. He straightened. “Do you know something? It doesn’t matter how much you think you’re going to wear me down—”
The doorbell above the front door reverberated like the bell in a boxing match.
Marian snapped her gaze to the door, a huge smile brightening her face. Trent didn’t need to turn around to know Izzy had entered.
Yet he did turn.
He sent up a silent thank-you to God that her gaze was turned away, allowing him a few seconds to look at her as she held the door open for Kerri and Maya Jackson to enter.
Izzy was dressed casually in dark blue skinny jeans that clung to her ass like a second skin. Trent followed the length of her legs down to the brown knee-high, high-heeled boots on her feet...and promptly swallowed his growl of lust as it rose in his throat. The whole ensemble was topped off with an open snow-white jacket and V-neck sweater that lifted to reveal an inch of flat stomach as she leaned over Maya’s wheelchair to tickle the girl’s chin.
The woman was cruel to come into the bakery looking so much more edible than anything Marian could whip up in her kitchen.
“Trent!”
He snapped his gaze to Maya and grinned. “Hey, it’s my girlfriend. Why have you been holding out on me so long, huh?”
She giggled and Trent strolled toward them, pointedly winking at Izzy and hoping she understood the question was for her, not Maya. The answering blush at her cheeks and the way she moved so quickly to shut the door told him she’d received the message loud and clear.
Smiling, he nodded to Kerri Jackson before dropping to his haunches in front of Maya. “What are you doing out of the hospital? Did you escape? Hold everyone up at gunpoint? Tie up the nurses?”
Maya screamed with laughter and held out her arms. For a moment, Trent wasn’t sure what the gesture meant, but a second look into her eyes had him standing up and leaning into her embrace and carefully wrapping his arms around Maya’s too-thin body. Tears burned beneath his closed eyes as he cursed the world’s problems and challenges.
Only when Maya released him did he stand back. “So, this is our very first date, right? What do you want? I can buy you everything on the menu.”
She laughed and Trent took the wheelchair handles from Kerri and pushed Maya to the counter. For all his teasing with Maya, every nerve in his body was stretched with apprehension and hope. Izzy had called and asked him here, but was it purely for Maya, and despite the smile in Izzy’s voice over the telephone, had anything really changed?
He reapproached the counter. “Marian, may I introduce Maya Jackson? The only girl for whom the entire Templeton firefighting crew was willing to pose and preen for a calendar.”
“Well, hello there, lovely lady.” Marian beamed, her brown eyes shining brighter than ever, her smile wide. “How are you?”
“Good, thank you. Trent wants to be my boyfriend, but I think Izzy loves him best.”
Trent stilled...at least his body did. His heart danced the fandango.
Marian grinned and looked at Trent. “Smart cookie, isn’t she?”
“One of the smartest.” He cleared his throat. “How about a pot of tea and some scones for the ladies? And what would you like, Maya?”
“I want tea with the ladies too, but with cake, please. Chocolate cake.”
Marian laughed. “I like a girl who knows what she wants. Why don’t you join your mummy and Izzy over there in the corner and I’ll bring everything to you in just a minute?”
Trent met Marian’s knowing and laughing gaze before he turned and steered Maya toward the booth where Izzy and Kerri Jackson were quietly chatting.
The next hour passed with smiling laughter and Maya’s steady stream of chatter, the perfect buffer to the tension emanating between him and Izzy. Every now and then, Trent purposely held her gaze until she looked away, her cheeks red and her eyes heartbreakingly happy. Deep in his heart, Trent hoped she was there because she wanted to be with him, but he daren’t consider it until he heard confirmation from Izzy.
“Why don’t we leave Trent and Izzy to finish their tea?” Kerri Jackson rose from the table, her gaze soft on Maya’s. “We’ll see if we can get some hot chocolate from the hut on the beach.”
“Yay!” Maya slapped her hands on the arms of her chair. “Can I have cream?”
Trent smiled and slid his gaze to Izzy. Her gaze locked with his, and this time it was him who looked away. Her eyes were dark with desire and misted with a hint of promise.
Was this it? No more turning back or separation?
Maya and Kerri waved and left the bakery, calling out a goodbye to Marian as they reached the door. Trent watched them go, his heart pounding. Once the door closed behind them, he took a deep breath and faced Izzy.
“Hi.” Her eyes were full of a quiet determination, a sense of self-assurance he hadn’t seen for a long, long time.
He smiled. “Hi.”
“So, I guess we need to get some things straightened out.”
“I guess we do.”
She moved forward to place her forearms on the table between them. She laced her fingers, and when he looked at her hands, the knuckles were white. Inhaling, he took a chance and reached out to cover her fingers with his own.
He waited as relief she didn’t pull away pushed at his chest.
“Trent?”
“What?”
“I believe you.”
His heart turned over. There it was. The one thing he’d ask her to say to him when she was ready to believe his love was never going to change, that he’d given up firefighting for himself rather than her...that she was ready to be with him. Forever. No doubts. No turning away. For either of them.
Shifting closer, he smoothed his hands up and down her forearms, looking deep into her eyes. “I believe in you too.”
“I want to be with you. Always.”
“Ditto.”
Her smile faltered and a little of the light faded from her eyes. “But I only want you to give up firefighting if you’re sure it’s what you—”
“I already have.”
The light reappeared in her eyes. “You have?”
He smiled. “Yes. With or without you, the explosion was a sign. I’m out, Iz. I don’t want it anymore. I want you. I want a wedding. I want kids...” His stomach knotted. Was he saying too much? “What do you want?”
She grinned, tears glazing her eyes. “The same. Every single part of what you just said. I want it all.”
Trent smiled, reveling in the quiet, fantastically beautiful sound of her laughter. Still holding one of her hands, he stood and came around the table to slide into her side of the booth. She inched toward him as he sat. Using his free hand, he brushed some of her hair from her eyes and took in the full beauty of a face he would never tire of watching.
“Do you want to go to bed?”
She laughed. “My word, you are so romantic.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I know. That’s why you love me.”
Leaning in, he covered her mouth with his and she slid her hands onto his shoulders, pulling him closer. Their tongues tangled and he kissed her deeper, harder, letting every ounce of his love and admiration for her pour into her as he felt hers pour into him.
Neither of them moved away, stopped or even faltered in their kiss. Not even as the whole bakery burst into wolf whistles and applause.
* * * * *
Be sure to check out the other books in the TEMPLETON COVE STORIES miniseries by Rachel Brimble
FINDING JUSTICE
A MAN LIKE HIM
WHAT BELONGS TO HER
CHRISTMAS AT THE COVE
HER HOMETOWN REDEMPTION
All available now from
Harlequin Superromance.
And look for the next Templeton Cove story, coming in 2017!
Keep reading for an excerpt from MATINEES WITH MIRIAM by Vicki Essex.
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