“Want to sit?” Rusty asked as they neared a set of benches. He and Laura had walked around the empty park on the high hill several times, stopping near the edge each time they passed it. It overlooked the lake he’d jogged by that morning. The people looked like ants, and after the way he and Laura had been treated, an immature part of him imagined stepping on them. And liked it.
“Sure. Front row seats to the sunset.”
“Is it really that late?” He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Sure enough, it was.
They sat, and he was close enough to put his arm around her. He hesitated, not wanting to ruin the good thing they had going. What if she got offended? Not only that, but he hadn’t been involved with anyone romantically since Lani. Guilt kicked him in the stomach. Or was it the wine from earlier?
Surely, Lani would have understood. It had been years since her death. She wouldn’t have wanted him living a solitary, lonely life for his remaining decades. Lani would have wanted him to move on—it had been his choice to keep everyone at a distance.
“It’s beautiful,” Laura said.
Rusty brought his attention to the sky. Pink and orange hues were beginning to crowd out the blue. “It really is.” And he was with a gorgeous woman with whom he’d just spent the last couple hours exchanging memories of Mandy. They’d laughed, shed a couple tears, and she had given him her stunning smile a few times.
He didn’t give himself another moment to talk himself out of putting his arm around her. If she didn’t want him to, he would simply apologize. He stretched his arm, awkward like a middle school boy who’d never kissed a girl before.
Laura scooted closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. Rusty’s pulse pounded in his ears, but he managed to relax. It was good to be away from everything and everyone else. And the human contact… it felt good. When was the last time someone had been in his arm?
The sky changed colors before their eyes.
“This is nice,” Laura said.
Did she mean the sight or being with Rusty? He cleared his throat. “It really is.”
“I love the colors. I’ve tried getting a picture of the night sky so many times, but it never comes out as magnificent as the real thing.”
He played with a bit of hair resting on her shoulder. “I think that’s the way nature intended. We weren’t meant to quite capture it with photos. It’s not just how it looks, but the entire experience.”
“Hmm. I think you might be right.”
Before long, darkness took over most of the sky and stars shone brightly overhead.
Laura shivered. He squeezed her bare shoulder. “We should have brought something to keep you warm.”
She nestled closer to him. “I did.”
Rusty’s cheeks warmed. He really did feel like a gawky kid—he was so out of practice. Plus, part of him felt like he was being untrue to Lani.
He’d always blamed himself for the accident. If only he’d been there, he might have been able to prevent it.
And deep down, if he was honest with himself, he knew he wasn’t really to blame. It was just easier to torture himself emotionally if he took it on.
He thought back to the first time he kissed Lani. He’d been so confident, surprising her and sweeping her off her feet—literally. He’d scooped her up and kissed her. Rusty had known he would marry her, and the way she looked at him, he had been certain she felt the same way.
What would she think of him and Laura? Lani had been one of those people who always found the good in others. And with him alone now, she would want him happy. Right?
“Mandy would have liked this,” Laura said, bringing him back to the present.
“She would have. When we would go camping as a family, she’d always drag me out to a clearing to watch the stars come out. We would make up stories about each star representing something.”
“Like people’s dreams?” Laura asked.
“How’d you know?”
“That’s what she told me.”
A lump formed in Rusty’s throat. He could easily spend years wallowing in regret over Mandy, too. It was a pattern he knew well. He could beat himself up like a pro.
They sat in silence for a while, and Rusty focused on the scenery, trying to push the accusatory thoughts from his mind. Even if he had done things differently, there was no guarantee that anything would have turned out any better for his sister or his wife and kids.
“I’m glad Mandy had you for a friend,” he said.
Laura looked at him. “Thanks. I wish I would have pushed harder for our friendship after she backed away, though. Maybe I could have done something, you know?”
He nodded. “Trust me, I do.”
They stared into each other’s eyes. The nearly-full moon reflected in her pupils. She leaned a little closer to him, holding onto his gaze with more intensity.
Rusty’s heart thundered, nearly bursting out of his chest. She inched closer.
He backed up. “You’re shivering.” She wasn’t. “We should get going.” They really should.
“I’m happy here.”
So was he, and that was a big problem. Wine circulated through his system. They were both vulnerable because of Mandy’s passing. If ever there was a time for mistakes, this was it. He couldn’t risk ruining the friendship they’d begun. He needed to think with his head. Not his heart, not his pain, not anything else.
Rusty tried to get up, but Laura leaned against him, making it impossible. He took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to stay a little longer. The view was pleasant, and the company even more so. It was nice to relax after such a stressful day… and that was the last thing he wanted to think about was why the whole town thought he was a pervert.
Actually, the last thing he wanted to think about was Laura finding out why. Whatever the story was, it was obviously something disturbing. He couldn’t get some of the glares from his mind.
“Are you okay?” Laura asked.
“No, I’m not. We’re so focused on Mandy’s death. The jerk neighbors. I want to remember the good times, you know?”
Laura rested her palm on top of Rusty’s hand. “Me, too. She was so funny. I’ll never forget the time she was convinced it was St. Patrick’s Day. She and the kids came out of the house wearing green from head to toe. She wouldn’t admit to being wrong, so she said it was a dry run, and proudly went to work that day wearing all green.”
Rusty chuckled. “That sounds like her. Never liked to admit to being wrong. That’s how I ended up with several board games dumped on my lap over the years.”
Laura laughed. “I can just see her doing that. You know, whenever I was having a bad day, I could always count on her to cheer me up. She had a stockpile of jokes and funny stories.”
“She sure did.” Rusty yawned. “I should get you back home. We both need our sleep. Those lab results might be ready tomorrow. Maybe Lisa changed her mind and decided to help you out, after all.”
Laura didn’t appear convinced. “Maybe. I have some work to get done, too.”
He rose and held out his hand. She slid her hand on his and he helped her up. Neither released their hold. Rusty wrapped his fingers around her slender, soft hand. As they walked back to the car, she stepped closer to him, their bare arms touching.
Rusty wasn’t sure what to make of his growing feelings. One thing he knew—he didn't want to take advantage of her. They both had raw emotions, and with the world against them thanks to Travis Calloway, it only made sense for them to move toward each other.
The only fair and right thing to do was to wait until everything had calmed down. Then they would know whether or not they had something they both wanted to pursue.
He remotely unlocked the car and opened Laura’s door. The smell of Dim Sum escaped. Both coughed and stepped back.
Laura stepped away. “We should have refrigerated that.”
Rusty opened all four doors to air out the car. “I forgot it was in there. We’d better throw it out after sitting in the hot car.”
She went to the trunk. “There’s a garbage can over there.”
They unloaded the food into the trash.
“Now do you want me to help pay for the meal?” she teased.
He shook his head. “I can take you out for lunch tomorrow to make up for not being able to warm that up.”
“You mean I can take you out.”
“I’m a gentleman. I can’t let you pay.”
“And I’m strong twenty-first century woman. I insist on paying my share.” She gave him a playful shove.
Rusty chuckled. “We’ll see.”
He helped her into the car and then unrolled all the windows once it was on.
“Sorry about the car.” Laura coughed.
“It’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not mine, remember?”
“I hope you can get the stench out before you return it. I’d hate for them to charge you.”
“I’m not worried about it.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for their neighborhood. They talked about the sunset off and on until he pulled up to the sidewalk in between the two houses.
Laura unbuckled and turned to him. “I had a really great time.”
“Me, too. It was good to get my mind off everything for a while.”
“The company wasn’t so bad, either.” Laura took his hand and squeezed.
Rusty found himself squeezing back. “No, it definitely wasn’t.” He stared into her eyes for a few moments before clearing his throat. “I should get inside. See how everyone’s faring in there. Chris wasn’t in a good mood when I left.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I feel bad for those kids.”
Laura frowned. “Yeah, me, too. Tell them I said hi and that they can stop by anytime. That goes for you, as well.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He got out and opened the door for her.
“Do you want me to get some air fresheners or something? I’m sure I have something to neutralize the odor.”
“Nah. I can just leave the windows open.”
Her eyes widened. “This is a safe neighborhood, but not that safe. You’d be asking for someone to break in.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised. “Guess I don’t think much about that living where I do. Nobody disturbs anything, ever.”
“You live in the middle of the woods?”
“Something like that. Let me walk you to the door.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “So chivalrous.”
He arched a brow. “Do you find that odd?”
“Actually, I do. But I like it.” She looped her arm through his and they walked up the driveway. After she unlocked the door, she turned to him and leaned close.
Rusty’s heart leaped into his throat. He was about to back away when she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks for restoring my faith in humanity.”
His mouth gaped.
“No, really, you have. Between the way people act around here and some other things in my life… I really had given up on people. But now I have hope.”
He rested his palm on her arm. “I’m really sorry anyone has mistreated you. You don’t deserve it.”
She held his gaze. “Tell me you’re for real.”
Rusty’s pulse pounded in his ears. “I am.”
Laura gave him a kiss on the other cheek and went inside. “Goodnight, Rusty.” The door closed.
“Goodnight,” he whispered. He stared at the door for a moment, regaining his bearings. She seemed as vulnerable as he felt.
He turned around and meandered back to the car. It still reeked of overheated food. He might have to take Laura up on her offer for air fresheners the next day. In the meantime, he needed to get his briefcase out of the trunk before it and all the paperwork ended up smelling like old Dim Sum.
He got it out and locked the car. Inside, Kaylie and Brady were watching a movie.
“Hi, Uncle Rusty.” Brady threw some popcorn into the air and caught about half of it in his mouth.
“Nice.” Kaylie threw a handful at him. She turned to Rusty. “Hi. Dad’s already asleep. He said we could stay up.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“Sure.” She scooted over to give him some room.
He set the briefcase next to the couch and sat between the kids.
“Popcorn?” Brady held his bowl in front of Rusty.
Rusty had seen some kernels fall from his nephew’s mouth into the bowl. He hesitated, but didn’t want to offend the kid. “Thanks.” He grabbed a handful and stuck them in his mouth. “What’s this movie?”
Kaylie paused it, and they both explained the plot, speaking over each other.
Rusty laughed. “I think I get it.”
She started the movie again and they all watched together, laughing and teasing each other. If he didn’t know better, he would have never guessed they were all dealing with such high levels of grief. He was glad he had flown out. It was something they’d all needed—Laura included.
The movie ended. Rusty stood and stretched.
“Wanna watch another?” Brady widened his eyes, begging.
“Oh, leave him alone,” Kaylie said. “Don’t give him your puppy eyes.”
Brady stuck his tongue out at her. “We’re having fun.”
“Indeed we are,” Rusty agreed. “But I didn’t get much sleep last night—or much of a nap. I’d better hit the hay before I end up falling asleep on the couch and drooling all over one of you.”
“Ew.” Kaylie wrinkled her nose.
Brady giggled.
“’Night, kids. Make sure you get some sleep.”
“We will.” Kaylie smiled.
“Speak for yourself.” Brady shoved her.
It was good to see them acting like typical siblings. Not overtired, mourning kids who needed a break.
He picked up the briefcase and went to the bedroom. Although the briefcase was locked, he still didn’t feel good about having it in the house. Not after the diary went missing. He set it on the bed and then pulled the dresser in front of the door. No one would be able to sneak in now.
Rusty pulled back the covers and fell asleep as his head hit the pillow.
Sounds of glass shattering woke him.