Finding The Way Back To Love (Lakeside Porches 3) (7 page)

“That’s the most delicious compliment I’ve had in a decade.” Gwen’s eyes sparkled.

Joel’s gaze focused on the outgoing chief. “I remember when Chief Barker arrested me after my car slammed into a bowling alley. He knew that, even though I was only fourteen, I was hell-bent on self-destruction. He and my uncle Justin worked their butts off to get me into treatment for substance abuse and into psychotherapy. I hated them for it, but I wouldn’t be alive today if they hadn’t taken the stand they did. Getting away from Tompkins Falls for prep school, college, and grad school helped me make a new life for myself.”

“It must have been hard to come back here, reconnect with people who knew you at your worst. Yet you established a successful business and made a new reputation as a community leader.”

Joel acknowledged the praise with a brief nod, but his face was grim. “I don’t like the sound of Peter’s response to his sister’s alcohol abuse.”

Gwen recognized a trademark Joel Cushman maneuver, to introduce a difficult subject, like alcoholism, in a personal way, and then slam home an irrefutable, uncomfortable point.

“I agree. This is the first I’ve heard about his father. There’s a lot of bitterness and denial when he tells it, isn’t there?”

“Does he know you’re in recovery?” Joel asked.

“Well, of course, he does,” Gwen said, flustered. “He knows all about my practice.”

Joel’s eyes were slits.

The swing tune ended, and Gwen’s attention went to the dance floor. Sam and Peter traded partners just as an old-fashioned jitterbug started up. Since neither couple knew the moves, they stood back with the others to cheer on the masters.

Chief Barker and one of the visiting chiefs rocked the crowd as they twisted with the beat and twirled their long-time dance partners. The number blared to a finish, followed by whistles and deafening applause.

The elder chief yelled to the bandleader, “How about a couple of slow ones now?” He patted his heart and laughed along with his wife. “We’re not getting any younger, you know.”

His wife swatted his arm and planted a kiss on his cheek.

The band obliged with the opening bars of “Getting Sentimental Over You.”

Sam and Sara moved into each other’s arms.

Peter and Manda trailed back to the table. Manda stopped at Joel’s side, then bent down for a kiss and a whispered exchange.

Peter stood behind Gwen and massaged her shoulders. She sighed blissfully and closed her eyes.

Manda’s voice roused her. “Time for us to say goodnight.”

Joel leaned heavily on his ebony-headed cane. “Grand meeting you, Peter.”

“Same.” Peter shook his outstretched hand and waved to Manda. “Fantastic party for a legendary chief.”

Joel beamed.

Gwen stood to kiss their hosts.

When they were alone, Peter asked her, “Dance?”

“There’s supposed to be a moon tonight.” Gwen stroked his arm. “How about a walk down to the garden where Joel and Manda were married a few months ago?”

Peter touched his warm lips to her cool cheek. “Let’s.”

Haley opened the oven and slid out a ceramic baking dish. The aroma of tomatoes, basil, and oregano swirled around her as she carried it to the island and set it on a trivet.

“Lasagna.” Rick’s eyes devoured the steaming pasta. “I’m saved from starvation!”

“You always know how to make me happy,” Haley told him, and her bubbling laugh filled the kitchen.

“How can I help get the meal on the table?”

“Placemats are in that middle drawer.” She pointed. “Dishes and glasses in the cabinets above. Silverware in the bins on the counter.”

Rick set their places, then stood studying the wall of cabinets. “They really knew how to build storage a hundred fifty years ago.”

“Gwen said that was part of the pantry. She knocked down the other walls to open the space, put in the island, and made the kitchen her favorite room. I love the marble countertops and gray paint colors. I’m always relaxed in this room.”

A wireless router blinked over Rick’s head. He spotted a roll-top desk with a padded stool tucked in a nook. “Does she have a laptop in the old desk?”

“She does. Her office—she’s a psychologist—is down the hall, but she does her personal business here.”

He added blue cloth napkins beside the plates. “She’s cool with you being here?”

Haley set the basket of Italian bread next to the salad.

“Haley?” Rick waited a beat before he asked, “You okay?”

She nodded and licked her lips. “We need to talk seriously, but I need to eat first.” Tight lines had appeared around her mouth, and her hands shook.

“Agreed. You sit down, and I’ll do whatever.”

Haley let him pour their iced teas while she made herself comfortable on a stool across from him.

“While we eat,” he said with an easy smile, “I’ll tell you about my summer, if you’ll tell me about yours.”

“Deal. You go first.” She blew on a forkful of lasagna.

Rick got her laughing about his hot, tedious research job on the beaches and wetlands of the Florida Panhandle, while the carbs and crisp salads restored their energy.

Haley regaled him with the foibles of the wealthy patrons at her summer job in Saratoga.

“Good tippers?”

“Very good tippers. And plenty of opportunity to steer them to my prints and posters in the gift shops around town.”

“Your bottom line for May through July was higher than I’ve ever seen. Are you sure you want a career in botany? You’re a fantastic graphic artist, Haley, and you know how to please your clientele.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Haley said with a proud smile. “I do want to finish my degree in botany, but I don’t know where I’m going with it.”

When both of them were full, Rick slid off his stool and gathered their dishes. “I’m cleaning up, and I want you to sit still and keep talking.”

Haley swiveled so she could watch him at the sink. “You can just put those in the dishwasher, you know.”

He flashed a grin back at her. “I could, but I need to do something with my hands while we talk.” He scraped the plates and bowls, put leftovers into the refrigerator, and listened to her talk about everything except her pregnancy.

The garbage disposal interrupted her for a minute. When it finished, he reminded her, “You were going to tell me how Gwen feels about you being here.”

“Okay, I guess it’s time.”

He nodded and began drying the plates and bowls with a watchful eye on her.

She opened with, “Did you know that Ursula got pregnant with me when she was eighteen, and her father made my dad marry her?”

Rick’s lost his grip on a bowl. Haley gasped. He grabbed it before it hit the floor. He set the bowl and the dishtowel on the counter and walked a few paces toward her. “Have you always known that?”

She shook her head. “My mother told me when she threw me out in June. Dad quit college, and it took years for him to get his degree.” She sat tall. “I talked to Dad about it, and he admitted it and told me about slowly becoming an alcoholic, drinking to escape his life with Ursula.” She reached behind her for her glass of iced tea and took a big gulp.

He nodded for her to continue, his forehead creased with worry.

“I looked really hard at how I’d gotten pregnant—forgetting my pills and drinking the eggnog, even though I knew I couldn’t handle anything spiked. Rick, you probably didn’t know I’d had some scary experiences with drinking last fall.”

“Evidently, I wasn’t with you those times?”

“No. I’d gone out with some of the girls from my art class, and it wasn’t good. This summer, when I stopped working at the diner, I had time to think about all of that, and I knew I needed to talk to Gwen. I don’t know if I’m crazy like Ursula, besides being pregnant like she was. And I don’t know if I’m an alcoholic like Dad, or just a potential one. But I know that I’m afraid about what happened.” She licked her lower lip and bit it. “And I’m really scared that you’ll . . .”

“That I’ll what?”

“You’ll feel an obligation to me and the baby that will mess up your hopes and dreams.”

Rick walked the remaining distance and stood in front of her. “I have an obligation. I don’t know what I’m going to do about it.” He pushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. “Yet.”

Haley searched his face. “I’m having a really hard time giving up this baby, but I know that’s what I need to do.”

“So, you don’t want to get married and have us raise the baby together?”

Haley’s eyes widened with fear. “No!” Tears spilled over. “I love you, Rick, but—”

“Come here,” he coaxed.

She slid off the stool and let his arms enfold her. She cried for what seemed like an hour but was probably just a minute.

Rick rested his chin on top of her head and rubbed her back. “Let’s take it a little at a time. We’ll see your new doctor tomorrow. We’ll talk with Gwen. We’ll explore the options. And we’ll talk about it as we go along.”

She nodded against his chest.

“How about a walk right now? The moon should be up.”

“What do you think of our host?” Gwen asked Peter.

“Joel? He’s elegant, there’s no other word for his style. And smart, I think.”

“Yes,” Gwen confirmed. “Shrewd, but with integrity.” She inhaled the warm breeze off the lake and waved an arm in the direction of the garden a hundred yards ahead, nearly to the lakeshore. “That’s where we’re going, by the way.”

“Manda livens him up,” Peter said with a chuckle.

“They’re good for each other.”

“We’re good for each other. Don’t you think?”

“I do.” Gwen stopped on the lush lawn and turned to face him. “The more I know you, the more I think so.” She took his elbow, and they continued their stroll.

After a minute, Peter tugged at her hand and pointed to a lustrous bulge on the horizon across the lake. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Ohmigod, it’s the moon rising. Can you believe how huge and orange it is?”

“You’re sure it’s not Otto the Syracuse Orange?”

“Oh, now, that’s romantic.” Gwen elbowed him playfully.

“A little Syracuse levity. I
can
do romantic.”

“I have no doubt. What new truths did Manda and Sara get out of you on the dance floor?”

“They both think I should have my sister, Bree, come for a weekend, and they’ll show her around. They’ll take her shopping at their favorite thrift shops and show her the best ice-cream places.”

“Take them up on it. I’d love to meet her.” As they continued their stroll to the garden, the moon lifted above the horizon and softened to gold.

“I want her to move here and live with me for a while.” His voice grew more hesitant as he finished the sentence.

“You don’t sound sure about that.”

“I was just thinking it’s hard enough with my schedule for us to spend time together. Tonight is one example, having to cut it short for my shift. Having Bree live with me would make it even harder.”

Gwen mused. “That’s true, especially if Haley stays with me for a while.” She smiled over at him. “It sounds like we’ve both made a decision to see each other again.”

“See each other a lot, I hope?”

Gwen nodded.

With his hand on her waist, he drew her closer to his side and planted a kiss on her neck that sent delicious shivers to her toes.

“So, you think Haley will stay with you?” he asked.

“I’ll let you know. I still haven’t got out of her why she has sought me out, but I think she needs me for a while.”

“You’re not thinking she wants to keep the baby and live with you?”

Gwen’s mouth opened, and no words came out.

“I can tell that was a shocker.” He captured her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.

“That’s a possibility I hadn’t considered.” Gwen let out her breath in a
whoosh
. “And, no, I wouldn’t entertain that.”

“Why?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure, but I need to have an answer ready if she brings it up.”

“Want to talk about it?”

The moon rolled out a shimmering ribbon of gold across Chestnut Lake. Gwen turned to him. “I’d rather kiss you under the full moon, Officer Shaughnessy.” She slid her hands along the shoulders of his jacket.

“Your dress sparkles like silver.” He ran his hands down her sides, over her hips and onto her backside.

She brought her lips close to his.

His hungry kiss made her breasts swell and her nipples pop.

When he let her up for air, she whispered, “Pretty hot first kiss.”

“Want more?”

She traced his lower lip with one finger. “I do.”

The next kiss was deeper, more demanding. Gwen pressed against him, and he wrapped her tight in his arms. Tingles radiated from her core.

“If we weren’t so visible here, I’d undress you and kiss every inch of you.”

Gwen glanced at the moon, with a throaty chuckle. “We’d want privacy for that. And a warm bed.”

“You’re not cold?”

“A little. It’s what I get for not watching the weather report.”

“Then it’s lucky I’m still hot from dancing. Let’s find a private corner, and I’ll share some of my heat with the most beautiful lady at the ball.” Peter circled her shoulders with his arm and held her close as they entered the garden.

After a few steps, he pointed to a shadowy nook on the upper terrace. The fragrance of late-summer flowers enveloped them as they passed—heady lilies, sweet syringa, and calming lavender. Gwen inhaled the aromas and exhaled a sigh.

“Happy?”

“Supremely.”

Peter touched the planes of her face like a sculptor enchanted with his own creation. He planted little kisses along one cheekbone, down to the tip of her chin and up to the other cheek as she laughed with pleasure.

His mouth was on hers, his tongue teasing her lips.

Raking her fingers through the thick waves of his dark hair, she lost herself in the kiss.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as he caressed her hips.

She pressed against his erection and he held her there, tight, and moved just enough to make her exhale with desire.