Chapter Four

 

Fresh and paint-free, I knocked on Eric’s door. Checking my reflection on the screen door, I gave my hair another smoothing and inhaled sharply.

“Come in, it’s unlocked.”

With trepidation, I stepped inside, balancing the apple pie I’d picked up on a whim. Eric’s floorplan was smaller than mine, but we both had our kitchens at the back of the house, looking out towards the setting sun and the Pacific Ocean. The colour on his walls was a bright blue, but it worked well with the washed-out table and chairs.

“Please, make yourself at home.”

“Thanks. For you.” I handed him the box.

“Ooh, Sylvia’s Bakery. This is really nice.” The grin on his face was hard to look away from.

I took the water bottle he offered, our fingertips touching just enough to feel the electricity as I let my gaze linger over his fine form. Even though I wasn’t ready for anything in that department, it never hurt to check out anyone. He really had grown and filled out. Who knew the gangly little boy would turn into such a handsome guy? And a sweet one at that?

“I’d give you a beer, but…” His eyes fell to my tummy.

“This works.” I wandered through his living room, staring at all the pictures hanging on the walls and those set on neatly stacked bookshelves. “How’s your family doing?”

There was a tri-fold frame with a younger version of Eric on one side, his older brother on the other, and a sweet pic of his parents in the middle. Based on the ages of the boys, and that teenage awkwardness, I pegged the pictures to be at least fifteen years old.

God, we had it good, and we didn’t even know it. Life was so much easier back then.

“Mom’s good. Living the high life in Arizona with my step-dad.”

I searched his face when I heard the hurt in his voice and walked back over to the kitchen. “Awe. I had no idea they split.”

Mind you, I really hadn’t been keeping up with what was going on around these parts.

“They didn’t.” His face fell. “Dad died six years ago.”

I rested my weary butt on one of the stools around his bar-height table. “Geez, that sucks. I’m sorry for your loss. Were you close?”

A weathered expression filled his face and dulled the shine in his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Aww, I’m really sorry. That’s rough.”

“Yep, so I know what you’re going through. It’s not easy.” He passed me an empty plate. “Sorry, it’s nothing fancy, just pulled pork sandwiches and salad. And I only threw in the salad because I figured you needed your nutrients.”

It was cute, and a small smile leaked out unsuspecting from my lips. “That’s very nice. And this looks delicious.”

Following Eric’s movements, I opened a huge hamburger bun and piled on the sweet-smelling pork onto one half. Closing it up, I scooped out some runny coleslaw onto my plate.

“You good if we eat out on the deck?”

“Sounds delightful.” Where my deck was completely open aired, Eric’s had been screened, so it allowed all the fresh air minus the little flying pests that always seemed to come out when there was food around. I sat in one of the Adirondack chairs and took a bite of my sandwich. It was heavenly. “This is really good.”

“I’ll take it as a high compliment.”

There was an under current of a tone, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

“So, since I dropped all my drama on your lap, why don’t you tell me your story.” I took another bite.

“I have no story.”

I found that hard to believe. Everyone had a story. Everyone had a past. I swallowed down my bite before speaking. “I don’t buy it.”

“Why not?” He faced me and took a long pull from his bottle.

I shrugged. “Because I can’t believe that you… Well…” Whatever was going to follow that, likely was going to come across as rude, so I closed my mouth. “What made you come back and live here permanently? You were a city dweller in summers past.”

“Got tired of the hustle and bustle, and a life that was always go-go-go.”

I was a city girl, born and raised, who only came to the beach in the summer. Go-go-go was just how life was. “The city, especially in the winter, has so much to offer. There’s always the theatre and museums and an endless array of activities to keep a person busy.”

“Why does one have to be busy constantly to be fulfilled?”

“Because they do.” It’s just what adults did - worked all the time, made a decent living, enjoyed life when they could.

“You mean to tell me you can’t just sit here for hours staring out into that?” He pointed out to the endless horizon.

Yes, the view was spectacular and soothing, but no, I couldn’t spend hours just staring. I’d need something to do – read a book at the bare minimum, but I was more likely to paint or work and glance at it occasionally. As it was, I hadn’t truly rested since I arrived. There was just always something that required my attention. I hadn’t even had a swim in the Pacific Ocean.

“Nope. Not possible. For me, anyway.”

“That’s why I’m not a guy who’s big on that kind of life. There was nothing beyond here that begged me to leave this all behind. After a day’s work, I can sit here and just enjoy the beauty of nature.”

The Darth Vader theme marched right into the conversation. Damn you, Parker. As always, your timing stinks.

I dug out my phone and flipped the switch to silent. He could call all night if he wanted, I wasn’t answering. See how he liked it. Jerk.

“That same caller.” If there was a tsk on the tip of his tongue, it was gone in a flash.

I sighed and took a sip of my water. “It’s my ex.”

Eric faced me, his gaze landing on the phone. “The baby daddy?”

A slow bob followed.

“Does he know you’re here?”

“The only person who knows the actual location is Beth, my best friend. My other besties know I’m at my summer home, but they don’t know where that is.”

“And this ex?” Was worry woven into his words?

“He doesn’t know the location either. It was never brought up.”

It was best if Parker didn’t know that part of my life, so it never came up in conversation. In the brief time we dated, we never visited my summer home, and the words Cheshire Bay never left my lips. There weren’t even memories of it hanging in the apartment. As far as Parker knew, my life began at twenty when I finally went to college.

“He knows about the baby, right?”

“Oh yeah. Cleared out his drawer the next day and left.”

Eric laughed, a sweet, gentle sound that matched the roll of the ocean waves. “His drawer?”

“For when he spent the night. Still had his place, just mine was nicer. Not quite a shrine to the Marvel and DC Comics and Lord of the Rings art deco.”

“You were dating a nerd?” His laugh grew in strength.

“Why is that funny?”

He wiped the smile off with a cupping of his hand. “Well, when you were here last, you were, well…”

I hung my head in shame. “Yeah. I was into the bad boys, I know.”

“The badder, the better.” The words slipped out so easily.

I flipped my gaze back to the ocean, a river of hurt coursing through my veins. “That was a long time ago.”

“I know.”

My resolve faltered, but my tone was clipped. “People change.”

“I know that too.”

His plate rocked on the tiny table when he set it down, but I didn’t turn his way. I wanted to get up and storm away but figured that was more in line with the way I was. As a grown adult, I liked to face my problems head on and deal with things. Except for the vibrating phone under my palm. Damn Parker. I needed to prepare for that battle.

Eric cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologise for.”

He shuffled in his chair and his foot scuffed over the floor. “I do. I invited you over for dinner and now I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’m a terrible host.”

“If you can accept that my past is in my past and I can’t do anything about it, we’ll be just fine.” I needed one friend here while I holed up and hid, tail tucked between my legs, as Beth would say.

“I guess I was jealous, and that jealousy reared up.”

“Jealous?” I twisted to face him and arched an eyebrow. “What were you jealous of?”

“Your life. Your outlook. My parents were so strict, I didn’t attend many beach parties. And you, you were the life of every party. I wanted a girl like you, but girls like you don’t date nerds.”

Which had been entirely true. Sad but true.

“I’m sorry I treated you unfairly.” I scrapped a fingernail under the wrapping on my water bottle.

“You were never mean or anything. At least not to me or London.”

A smidgen, a very small sprinkle of it, settled over me.

Eric patted my arm. “Don’t worry about it. Like you said, people change and we’re adults now.”

“Yes, we are. Complete with adult responsibilities and all the stuff our parents warned us about.” That made him giggle, and I was happy to hear it. It meant the evening wasn’t a total bust. “Tell me about your job. Being a pilot must be so interesting.”

The grandest smile stretched from ear to ear. “There was a fundraiser going on a few years back, and they had a win a flight around the island. I entered and won. I was so excited, I talked non-stop, and the pilot suggested I look into lessons, and one thing led to another. So… I worked my butt off on the docks to save up money for flight school. Besides, it’s a better way to travel.” A peaceful glow filled his face. “Up in the sky, that’s my happy place.”

“That’s awesome. It really is. Good for you doing what you love.”

“What about you?”

“I’m still working on figuring that part out.” I had loved my job as a Regional Manager of a national fast food company, but not so much Parker, as deep down, I knew he wasn’t the one. I was better off without him, even if I had extra responsibilities because of it.

“Let me know if I can help.”

He sat there in silence for a few heartbeats while my phone continued its incessant vibrations. Didn’t Parker have anything better to do? Leave a message for crying out loud.

“I’m going to grab another beer. Want anything else to drink?”

“I’m good.” I rose, picked up our plates, and helped clean the kitchen. “Thanks for dinner. I really appreciated it.”

It was nice to have someone else decide what to eat, and I didn’t have to try and figure out what to create that didn’t come out of a cooler while I waited for a new fridge to arrive. Sandwiches were starting to bore me as I couldn’t make them as well as the deli around the corner from my apartment did. Damn, they were tasty, and I could eat a mean BLT right about now.

“Anytime. It’s nice to have someone to eat with.”

“I agree.” I caught a shy smile forming on his lips, but it disappeared before I could capture it to memory.

Eric walked me to the door and tipped his head toward the pile of wood stacked by the entrance. “What’s with the plywood sheets?”

“I need to refloor the upstairs deck.”

“I never pegged you for a handyman, or handywoman.”

I placed my hand on my hip and pouted the cutest way I knew how. “It can’t be that hard. Pull up the old boards, nail in the new ones. Stain. Lay out a carpet and voila.”

He laughed. “Okay, Bob Villa. That sounds about right.” There was something charming about the way he said it. “Call me if you need an extra set of hands.”

“I’ll hold you to it, even if just to laugh as I make an ass out of myself.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

And a plan with Eric and his easy going way was something I could get behind.