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The two-and-a-half-hour ride toward the center of the state passed quickly. The SUV was roomy and comfortable, and Heff seemed to genuinely enjoy the playlist that she and Kevin had put together. Music seemed to be another “bridge” with Kevin, and they’d had a lot of fun scouring playlists and picking their favorites the day before. The end result was an eclectic mix of everything from classic rock, funk, and soul to, of course, disco.
Traffic grew heavier once they took the exit off the interstate, and Sandy began to second-guess the sanity of their plan. Lenny’s words kept rattling around in her brain. Perhaps she had been too quick to accept Heff’s invitation, basing the decision more on what she wanted instead of what was in Kevin’s best interest.
Sure, Kevin was comfortable around her and Heff, but how would he react once they entered the fairgrounds? Would he be okay while sandwiched between the two of them, or would he feel overwhelmed and have a meltdown?
She didn’t have a lot to go on. Other than a few jaunts around Sumneyville and the care centers they’d visited, she hadn’t really taken Kevin anywhere and certainly not to anything on a scale as grand as the annual state farm show.
Before long, they were in a large field, being directed to a parking spot by a series of volunteers in reflective vests and lighted batons. Her anxiety ratcheted up another notch when she saw the sheer number of cars already there.
“It’s going to be fine,” Heff said quietly, picking up on her disquiet. “And if it isn’t, we’ll deal. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. She blew out a breath and put on a smile. “You’re right. We’re going to have fun today. It’ll be fine.”
He grinned, and when he looked at her like that, she could almost believe that everything really would be.
For the most part, it was. Heff was wonderful. He was constantly scanning the crowds, veering them away from highly concentrated areas, finding quiet spots, and keeping Kevin focused. He even held Kevin’s hand sometimes. The image of Heff with his long hair and total bad-boy look, reassuring Kevin and holding his hand, made something deep in her chest expand and contract at the same time.
As it turned out, the hardest part wasn’t dealing with Kevin; it was dealing with everyone else. Some openly gawked. Some clucked their tongues in pity or sympathy and pulled their own kids a little closer. Many gave them a wide berth, which, honestly, was just fine with her.
“Relax,” Heff said at one point, reaching over to squeeze her hand when she was ready to say something to one woman who had been particularly rude when Kevin started dancing in front of one of the live band stands.
“It’s just ...”
“I know. Ignore them. They don’t matter.”
Then, Heff started dancing, too, and a lot of those snickers dried up because the man knew how to move. Watching him was mesmerizing. A few women even tried to join him, but Heff didn’t acknowledge them.
He’s right, she realized. Those people didn’t matter.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and she, Kevin, and Heff were having fun. They feasted on corn dogs and French fries saturated in malt vinegar, shared a funnel cake, and drank fresh-squeezed lemonade. Under her and Heff’s watchful eyes, Kevin fed goats and baby pigs and petted lambs. The highlight was when a cow licked his hand, and he laughed for a full five minutes. People were staring, but at that point, she no longer cared about them.
As the afternoon progressed, however, the crowds and excitement were beginning to take their toll.
“I don’t think we should stay for the fireworks,” she told Heff.
“Agreed.” He turned to Kevin. “What do you say, bud? Ready to go home?”
Kevin nodded wearily, but his smile was brilliant.
They were barely ten minutes into the drive home when Kevin’s soft snores sounded from the backseat. It had been a wonderful day but an exhausting one too.
“Thank you. Today was wonderful.”
“You’re welcome.” He grinned and opened his hand on the console between them.
Without overthinking it, she slipped her hand into his. Warm and strong, the calluses on his palm felt comforting against her smoother skin.
“I think Kevin had a good time too.”
“He did,” she agreed, “because of you.”
His mouth tilted up in that half-smile that did something to her insides. “Me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You were patient and kind. You were able to sense his anxiety and get him somewhere quiet before he had a meltdown. How did you know to do all that?”
His smile remained, but there was a sadness to it now. He was quiet for so long that she didn’t think he’d answer.
Then, he said, “My sister had Down syndrome.”
“Oh.” He’d said had and not has. “She’s passed?”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It was a long time ago.”
Long time ago or not, the pain of losing a loved one never fully went away. Her mom and Trace had been gone for a few years now, and sometimes, especially at night, the grief threatened to overwhelm her.
“What was her name?”
“Annabelle,” he said, his lips now holding the ghost of a smile. “She had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. Unfortunately, it also had a serious congenital defect that took her far too soon.”
So many things made more sense now. The way Heff was with Kevin. His kindness. His patience. He understood.
“Tell me about her.”
Heff’s hand, wrapped around hers, squeezed lightly. “She was amazing. She had this smile that lit up the whole room and a laugh that was pure magic. She loved everyone but especially her big brother.” He grinned, his eyes soft with the memory. “She used to follow me around all the time, wanted to do everything I did.”
“Like what?” Sandy asked, genuinely wanting to know more about the man slowly making his way into her heart.
“I loved the water, so she loved the water. There was a swimming hole not too far from our place, and we used to go down there every day in the summer.” He smiled. “I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced summer in the South, but it gets hot, and if you’re kid, there’s no better way to cool off.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was, mostly. Sometimes, other kids would make fun of her though. She was such a pure soul; she didn’t understand why they were mean to her. She’d get really upset, and I’d get really mad. After I took her home, I’d go back and make sure they knew it was in their best interests not to do that, but eventually, she didn’t want to go anymore.”
“People can be so cruel,” Sandy commented quietly.
“Yeah, they can. But that says more about them than us, I think.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Is that why you joined the Navy—because you like the water?” At his glance, she added, “Tori said you were a SEAL.”
He nodded in confirmation. “I was. And, yeah, I guess. It seemed like the best choice at the time.”
There was more of a story there, she was sure of it, but he didn’t expand on that. Maybe he would eventually. She hoped so because the more she learned, the more she wanted to know.
“Trace, my older brother, was in the Army. He used to call sailors Squids and SEALs Frogmen.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been called worse.”
She looked down at their joined hands. “Trace was a good man, but the Army changed him. When he came back, he didn’t know how to let it go.”
“Church said he knew him. Told me what happened, how he died.”
She was surprised that Church had mentioned Trace to him, but maybe she shouldn’t have been, given what he was doing with his family’s resort. The whole idea behind the Sanctuary project was to help men and women like Trace.
“I wish we had found a way to help each other. To see a way through.”
Heff’s thumb stroked hers; she wondered if he even realized he was doing it. “It’s not easy; believe me, I know. That’s why the Sanctuary is so important.”
“Tori was right,” she mused aloud after they had driven in a comfortable, companionable silence for a while.
“About what?”
“There is a heart of gold underneath all that sex appeal.”
He laughed. “Tori said that?”
Sandy grinned and nodded. “She did.”
“And you agree with her, huh?”
“After today, I’m inclined to, yes. But you’re an iceberg, so we’ll see.”
“An iceberg?”
“There’s a lot more beneath the surface than just the tip you see.”
“There’s a just the tip joke in there somewhere. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” She laughed, all too aware of sharing the enclosed space with him.
Even with Kevin sleeping soundly in the back, it felt intimate. There was a connection between them, and it was growing stronger with every minute she spent with him. She didn’t want it to end.
“But ...” She bit her lip, feeling unusually bold. “I think I want more than just the tip.”
Just that quickly, the atmosphere went from relaxed and comfortable to something much hotter. The air between them practically cracked and sizzled.
“And I want to give it to you,” he said, his voice husky. “But that’s not on the agenda.”
“Maybe we should rethink the agenda.”
He chuckled, the sound strained. “No. I want to do this right, Sandy. Build something. I like the way I feel when I’m around you.”
“I could make you feel a lot better.”
“Yes, I know you can,” he told her, his grin wicked. “I relive those hours in vivid detail quite often.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
He groaned and shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. “I did not need to hear that right now. Let’s change the subject, please.”
A wave of satisfaction washed over her, knowing that he was affected too.
“All right. Why is there so much animosity between you and the Sumneyville PD?”
“Yep, that’ll do it,” he said with a rueful smile. “Even better than the cold shower I was planning on taking tonight.”