Caught in the Current (Pacific Shores Book 2) (22 page)

Darlene’s face scrunched, and she dabbed at the tears flowing freely. “He was a good man. Could always see the good in people. Please forgive me.”

“I—yes, of course.” Marie pulled the woman into a hug of her own, closing her eyes in thankfulness. She didn’t care exactly why she was apologizing; it just felt good to hear it.

Reece was still busy talking with others, so Marie took Alyssa’s hand and stepped off to one side to wait to offer him another round of condolences.

She was determined to wait to tell him about her change of heart also. He didn’t need any more emotional turmoil tossed at him right now. A gap presented itself, and she and Alyssa stepped in to fill it.

Reece’s gaze softened as it landed on them. “Hi,” he said softly.

Marie released Alyssa’s hand and stepped forward to pull him into an embrace. “It was a beautiful service. It was wonderful to see all the highlights of your dad’s life.”

Alyssa tugged on Reece’s hand and Marie stepped back, wishing she could take all his pain and yet realizing the pain was a sign of a man loved well.

Reece squatted down and peered into Alyssa’s face. “Hey there, Superwoman.”

Alyssa threw her arms around his neck. “I’ve missded you.”

Reece blinked hard. “I’ve missed you too.”

Marie hadn’t been taking Alyssa to his place since his father had passed. Alyssa had done tolerably well keeping herself entertained at Mom’s Gym, during the times Marie had to teach classes, and, thanks to her drawing tablet, kept mostly out of Marie’s hair during the times she’d been behind the desk out front. But that couldn’t last forever. Still Marie couldn’t bring herself to ask him to resume watching Alyssa yet. Come to think of it, she didn’t even know what his plans were now that his father was gone. Would he return to Deschutes Rejuvenation? She swallowed away her dread at that thought.

Alyssa stepped back and cupped both of Reece’s cheeks in her little hands. “I makded you something.”

“You did?” Reece’s brows went up. “What is it?”

Marie’s heart melted like warm caramel. The man was so good with her daughter. Had she blown their last chance with him? She swallowed.

Alyssa flipped back the cover of her drawing pad and turned over a couple of pages before she paused on an image she’d drawn.

Marie’s breath caught.

It was an image that had been in the slide show. One of Reece, his dad, and his mom at one of his Little League games years ago. Marie was once again taken aback by how the picture could at once look so good and yet still be plainly evident that it came from the pencil of a child.

Reece’s eyes had remained dry all day from what Marie had seen, but they misted now.

Alyssa carefully tore the page from her book and handed it to him.

Reece turned it around and simply stared at it.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry. Don’t you like it?”

Reece chuckled. “I like it very much, Alyssa.”

“Well, why are you crying, then?”

Another chuckle escaped him, this one warm and low. “That’s a good question.”

“Alyssa…” Marie rested a hand of admonishment on her daughter’s head at the same moment that Reece reached to ruffle her hair.

Their fingers tangled. Slowly his attention honed in on her face, his expression seeping into seriousness. Marie wanted to blurt out her feelings right then. But it wasn’t the time. She would wait. She squeezed his hand and stepped back. “Come on, Alyssa. We need to go.”

Reece looked like he wanted to protest, but at that moment another family approached and he was forced to stand to accept their condolences.

With a heavy heart for all he was going through, and knowing she’d been a part of it all, Marie forced herself to walk away.

Chapter 17

The days after the funeral moved slowly. She’d thought she might see him at church on Sunday or even the Wednesday night Bible study, but he didn’t come to either. She was thankful Taysia was such an understanding boss, but it wasn’t going to work to keep bringing Alyssa with her to the gym no matter how good she was at entertaining herself. Still, Marie couldn’t bring herself to call the grieving family to see if they could continue watching her daughter, either.

The Saturday two weeks after the funeral, Dakota had planned a beach party. Alyssa was a little bit stir crazy going straight from work to the apartment and back, so Marie had agreed to attend even though it meant getting up and going somewhere when all she really wanted to do was lie around the house all day doing nothing.

She pulled her Corolla into one of the spots in the parking lot near the beach they were meeting at and helped Alyssa from her seat. “Ready to build a sand castle?”

“Yes!” Alyssa performed her signature native dance.

Marie chuckled. “Okay, let’s get your stuff out of the trunk.”

Despite the ever-present Pacific breeze, the sun had managed to warm the day to perfection. Lugging her and Alyssa’s beach paraphernalia, Marie spotted Dakota and a group of several people from the church just down the beach a ways and headed their way. She plunked her beach chair down and wrestled it open with one hand and then rested the remainder of their items on it to keep at least some of the sand at bay.

Dan was leaning over the fire pit getting a blaze going.

Marie pressed her lips together, realizing it was nice to see him, since she hadn’t seen him since he walked out of her apartment that night, but also realizing how little she’d paid attention to the fact that she hadn’t seen him. Whereas, every day without Reece in their lives felt hollow and empty. “Hi, Dan.” She offered him a friendly smile.

“Marie.” His smile wasn’t so congenial, and she hoped the pain she could see in his gaze wouldn’t last too long.

“Mama, can I go play?” Alyssa hopped up and down, her pink plastic shovel in one hand and the matching bucket in the other.

Marie tweaked her little ponytail. “Sure. I’ll be right here. Remember the rules.”

Feet beating a hasty dash toward the water, Alyssa called, “I will! Hi, Mr. Jackson!” And then she was past him and darting toward the waterline.

Marie watched her until she fell down on her knees at the upper sweep of the waves’ reach, digging like a madwoman. She smiled. Alyssa loved to dig a hole and watch it slowly fill up with water. Keeping half an eye on her daughter, she turned to Dakota. “Can I help you with anything?”

Dakota waved a hand. “No, no. We’re all here to relax. Just sit down and enjoy yourself. We might do volleyball later.”

Doing nothing sounded heavenly. Marie dragged her chair out to where she’d be closer to Alyssa in case she needed her and then sank into it and pulled her book from her bag. But she didn’t open it yet. Instead, she tipped her face to the sun, enjoying the crisp smell of the salty air, the call of the gulls cavorting on the air currents above her, and the constant rush of the waves that never stopped beating at the shore. Alyssa chattered happily to herself something about princesses and sand castles. The sun spread warmth that the soft breeze kept to optimum.

She sighed. All this goodness, and the only thing she could think about was what she was missing. Who she was missing.

She glanced up the beach. The Serenity Shores property line started just a mile or so north of here. Then all she’d have to do would be to walk up the path to the house. Had she given him enough time? Two weeks wasn’t very long to grieve your father. But maybe she could help him through some of it. At least be there with him through it. That is, if he took her back.

Without giving it another thought, she stood and stretched out a hand to her daughter. “Alyssa, do you want to go for a walk?”

“Sure!” The tyke leapt up, flinging sand in an arc as she spun around in excitement.

Marie laughed. “Okay, come on. Bring your bucket, and we’ll collect some shells while we walk.”

“Yay!”

The sand slipped and crunched beneath their feet, and Alyssa darted this way and that, running ahead to snap up a shell, running back to show it to her before dropping it triumphantly into her bucket.

Every step that took her closer to Reece prickled her skin with awareness of what she was about to do; ramped up her pulse with the fear that she was too late; dried out her mouth till she feared she’d be unable to say anything to him at all.

And then she looked up and saw the figure sauntering toward her from the direction of Serenity Shores, and all her symptoms ramped up tenfold.

Tawny loped toward them, tail wagging.

“Tawny!” Alyssa dashed ahead to meet the dog.

But Marie couldn’t pull her attention from Reece.

Barefoot and wearing swim trunks and a muscle-hugging T-shirt, he looked better than any guy had a right to.

“Mr. Reece!” Alyssa abandoned Tawny, bucket, and shovel and ran full tilt toward him, arms and legs stretching as far as her little body could make them.

They were far enough away when Reece snatched her up and swung her around that the waves kept Marie from being able to hear what Reece said to Alyssa, but close enough that she felt the impact of his gaze all the way to her toes when it reconnected with hers.

Never breaking eye contact, he bent and set Alyssa down, then started slowly toward her again.

Move! She was supposed to be the one going to him. She didn’t want him to ever doubt her feelings for him again. Her feet felt like they were fitted in cement, but she forced herself to take first one step and then another, and even if they did meet a bit on her side of middle, he didn’t seem to notice or care.

He searched her face with such a look of hunger she lost all the moisture in her mouth again and only managed to squeak, “Hi.”

He tilted his head. “Hi.”

She missed his hat. But she could tell he’d been wearing it not long before, because the indent of the rim was still visible. “How are you? And your mom?” She reached out trembling fingers to touch his arm and felt the muscles tick once, as though her touch had surprised him.

“We’re making it. Going to be fine. Just”—he swallowed—“missing him.”

Marie nodded. Then nipped nervously at the inside of her lip. Maybe this wasn’t the right time to tell him… She glanced back down the beach toward the fire pit and the group of people who were tiny specks in the distance. “Were you coming to join us?”

He nodded. “I was. Dakota invited me.”

Dakota.

He studied her intently. “Were you coming to see me?”

Her hands trembled, but there was nothing for it but to press on, now. She certainly didn’t want to continue on not knowing what the future held. Good or bad, in a few moments she’d have his answer. “I was.”

His brows rose, and a spark glinted in his eyes in a way that made her heart leap with hope.

She spared her attention for a quick check of Alyssa. She had Tawny by her side and was digging another hole, well out of the reach of the waves. Satisfied she was safe for the moment, Marie took a step nearer to Reece. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute?”

He leaned close to her ear to whisper. “You can have more than a minute.” When he pulled back, humor sparkled in his expression.

She smiled, appreciating his attempt to put her at ease. A driftwood log rested on the beach in an area that would allow her to keep an eye on Alyssa as well as focus on their conversation. She motioned to it. “Sit with me?”

He held his hand out in a gesture for her to lead the way.

As soon as they were seated side by side, she plunged in before she lost her nerve. “Your dad said something to me the Thursday before he passed away.”

Reece fidgeted, but held his silence and only waited for her to continue, his gaze fixed along the horizon.

“He reminded me not to think of God’s grace as too cheap to cover my sins.” Marie picked at a splinter in a knob on the log. “You were right, Reece. And I know I might be too late, but I think we can maybe make this work. If you are still—”

He was suddenly before her, gripping her shoulders. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She swallowed. “I’m saying if you’ll have me, I’d like to see where this thing between us goes.”

He gave such a loud whoop, she flinched, and then laughed aloud as he swung her around. When he stopped the dizzying twirl and settled her on her feet, she collapsed against him, hands resting on his shoulders.

“If I’ll have you?!” He tucked her into the crook of one arm, tipping up her chin with the fingers of his free hand. “I’ve been missing Dad. But I’ve been missing you almost as much these past few weeks.”

She wet her lips. “I’ve missed you too. I was coming to tell you…to talk to you, that Saturday.”

“I wish you had. Then we could have walked through these last couple of weeks together.”

She closed her eyes and relished the caress of his fingers along her jaw. “I just wasn’t sure, Reece. I didn’t know whether you had played that song for me to ease me into living without you forever, or if you really meant you’d be waiting.”

His breath fanned her cheek as he leaned closer. “Know this, Marie Sinclair…for you, I’ll always be waiting. Waiting for the next moment I get to spend with you. Waiting to hear your laugh. Waiting for the next time I can see you…touch you…kiss you.”

She lifted her lips and whispered against his, “You don’t have to wait for any of that, right now.”

And as his lips claimed hers, Marie’s heart soared. She lost track of all the sounds surrounding them except one—the sound of two hearts beating as one.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve enjoyed this story about Reece and Marie and the little town of Marinville on the Oregon coast. If you missed Kylen and Taysia's story, you can find Beyond the Waves
here
. I’ll be writing more stories in this series. Justus and Dakota’s story is next, but before I give you a sneak peek at that book, I wanted to let you know a couple of ways to connect with me and my other stories.

First, check out my website where I'm offering a free download of my short contemporary romance novella, My Blue Havyn, when you sign up for my newsletter. The address is:
www.lynnettebonner.com
. If you’d like to be informed when I release future stories, signing up for my very infrequent newsletter is probably your best bet.