My Sweetest Sasha: Cole's Story (Meadows Shore Book 2) (14 page)

“Happy to do it. She’s a keeper.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Sophie and Alexa came back into the room, and Cole was grateful because it put an end to the probing questions about his relationship with Alexa.

“I invited Alexa to Meadows Shore for Labor Day weekend,” Sophie announced.

The color drained from Cole’s face. “I’m not sure I’m going.”

“You always say that, but you haven’t missed a Labor Day yet. Who’s going to organize the clambake and boss everyone around?”

“It’s different this year. We’re swamped at work. And Christian … ”

“That’s exactly why you need to be with your family,” Sophie said gently. “We love you. And besides, it doesn’t matter if you don’t go, Alexa’s my guest. She can come with us. We’re going to have a girls’ night on Friday. Talia, Ella, Helena, and Juliana will all be there, and I think Alexa will enjoy meeting my sisters.”

* * *

It took everything Cole had not to groan. He gave Sophie a “payback will be painful” look, but she was smiling like the cat who’d swallowed the canary, so pleased with herself … and it seemed that she couldn’t resist adding a touch more fuel to the fire.

“Alexa can stay in the guest room at our house. You know, the one closest to mine.” She was exacting a bit of retribution for the way Cole behaved when Max first visited Meadows Shore.

After they said their good-byes, Max and Sophie fell on the couch, exhausted from the stresses of new parenthood.

“I can’t believe you invited Alexa to Meadows Shore without checking with him. Meddler.”

She smiled. “He likes her. I think he really likes her. He just needs a little push.”

“Meadows Shore can be intimidating. She doesn’t come from the same kind of privilege that we did. She grew up very differently.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying be careful not to overwhelm her. Think about what it must’ve been like for your mom when she visited the Claytons for the first time.”

“Did I make a mistake?”

“Just tread carefully.”

Sophie wiggled on her husband’s lap and kissed his neck. “Mmmm, smart and sexy. How did I get so lucky?”

He groaned. “I don’t know how I’m going to wait six weeks to have you, especially if you keep rubbing up against me.”

“The doctor said six weeks until you could be inside me, but I’m pretty sure I remember a few other ways we can make your wait more tolerable.”

He groaned again, and this time it came from somewhere deep, deep in his chest. “And yours,” he whispered skimming his hand up under her shirt.

* * *

Alexa hadn’t missed Cole’s reaction when Sophie broke the news about inviting her to Meadows Shore. “Don’t worry about Labor Day weekend. I’ll email Sophie and tell her I can’t make it. I never actually committed to going.”

“You obviously don’t know Sophie very well. There’s no way she’ll take no for an answer.”

“I’m sorry. You brought me there to help, but I feel like I’ve ruined your Labor Day plans with your family. What’s that saying, ‘no good deed goes unpunished?’”

He hauled her closer. “Don’t worry about me. I think you’ll love Meadows Shore and my family, although they can be incredibly overbearing.”

“Cole?”

“Yeah?”

“My report will be in by then. You may not feel as friendly toward me as you do now.”

He grabbed her upper arms and swung her to face him. “Look at me. You put everything you need to in that report, Alexa. Everything. I’ve said it a hundred times.”

He brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Don’t compromise yourself or me. I work hard to be a good doctor, a good team member, and a good teacher. If you’re not completely honest, I’ll feel like you believe I have something to hide, something to be ashamed of. Like you need to protect me. That would be hard for me to swallow. It’ll become a burden on our friendship and on any working relationship we have in the future.”

And when we make love, it’ll be in bed between us, eroding the trust, siphoning off the pleasure. I’ll see it in your eyes, and I can’t live with that. Not with you, sweetheart. Not with you.

Her coaching assignment was over, and the report was due at the end of the week. On one hand Alexa was relieved, and on the other she knew she’d miss spending time with Cole. The withdrawal symptoms started even before she left her apartment, and despite the bright sunshine, they didn’t let up on her walk to work.

When she arrived at her office, a floral gift bag with matching tissue paper was hanging by a wide satin ribbon from her doorknob. Hmmm, she hadn’t told anyone about her birthday. With the bag tucked in the crook of her arm, she shut the door behind her. There was only one person who would have done this. A card peeked up from the tissue paper and she opened it first, laughing out loud when she pulled it from the envelope. On the cover was a remarkably flexible woman in a yoga pose called downward facing dog—a forward bend with her hands and feet flat on the mat. Even if she hadn’t already guessed who left the present for her, she now knew for sure.

Happy Birthday! I missed having coffee with you this morning. I’d love to celebrate later, but I don’t know what my day holds—there may be a price to pay for taking a four-day weekend. But I’m looking forward to it. I want to see you. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.

Cole

PS.  You can practice this pose for me any time.

She reached through the tissue paper and pulled out a white pastry bag with a giant, cream-filled lobster claw, a bottle of
Pamplelune
, and a voucher for a plane ticket from Boston to Minnesota. She cradled the gifts he’d chosen close to her heart. It wasn’t his generosity that moved her, but the thought and effort he put into the choices.

An hour later, while she was still savoring the enormous pastry, her phone vibrated. She turned it over, hoping Cole had found a free moment to talk, but it was Max.

“Your mom said it was your birthday, and I could call with good news.”

“You can call me with good news any time.”

“Feed and Grain settled. They voided the contract your father signed.”

“Oh, Max, thank you! You can’t imagine how relieved I am. I’m beginning to think you’re as fierce as Cole said you were. How did you get it done so quickly?”

“You’d be surprised how fast rats scurry when their nest’s been uncovered. I suspect your parents’ situation is just the tip of the iceberg. They can’t afford for it to become public. It would create a domino effect and cause tremendous problems for the company. I’m not done with them yet, though, but this is a good start.”

“My mother must be over the moon.”

“She sounded pretty happy when we finished talking. The negotiations went reasonably well, but I couldn’t get them to agree to return the money they’d taken from you.”

“I could care less about those payments, it’s all in the past. It’s not important to me.”

“Well it’s important to me.”

“Forget it. What about the lawyer? Did you ever figure out what happened there?”

“Ooohhh, yeah. The lawyer’s scum, too. The worst kind. He has deep roots in the community, and took advantage of his position to help Feed and Grain swindle money and property from his neighbors.”

“Ugh!”

“But he does have one redeeming quality. He’ll be sending me a check from his coffers to make amends for the
errors
made when he discussed your parents’ case with you without proper consent, and then accepted your unauthorized payments. He’s making the check out to you. Happy birthday, Alexa.”

“Max, I can’t stop smiling. I’ve only been awake a few hours, and it’s already been the best birthday I’ve ever had. Thank you so much.”

“It was my pleasure. So Cole thinks I’m fierce, huh?”

* * *

Cole’s day turned out to be a disaster, and by the time he left the OR it was too late to celebrate Alexa’s birthday, too late to call her, too late for anything.
Fuck!
He’d missed her birthday. It couldn’t be helped, but it was still reprehensible. He hoped she hadn’t sat around waiting for him, growing more and more resentful as the hours ticked by.

And the next couple of days were more of the same.

* * *

Before Alexa left the hospital on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend, she turned in the report. One hundred and ninety-seven pages, including notes, and the narratives from interviews she’d conducted with patients, staff, colleagues and supervisors.

It also included the disclosure that they’d become friends. Disclosing that information was the ethical thing to do, and she had more than enough documentation to support her recommendation—no one could quarrel with it.

It wasn’t all rosy, but it captured the essence of who he was, warts and all. And she knew she’d be out of a job as soon as Chet read it.

Cole and Alexa arrived at Meadows Shore midday Friday. He wanted her to meet his grandmother and aunts, and to have plenty of time to get comfortable with the place before the crowds descended.

“We’re here,” he said pulling into the long driveway leading to the house.

“It’s beautiful. The view is spectacular.”

She tried to sound casual, nonchalant, but he could hear the nerves in her voice. He’d done his best to prepare her, but in truth, it was impossible to prepare anyone for the beauty, the majesty of the place. He’d grown up here, and the view still took his breath away every time he pulled up.
It was a lot to take in for anyone, especially a young woman who’d grown up on a farm, light-years away from wealth and privilege.

Brady bounded over to the car to greet them, followed closely by Antonio. He was happy to see Brady. No one could lighten a mood quicker than the excitable golden retriever. Antonio and his wife, Rosa, lived in one of the guesthouses on the property. He was in charge of the landscaping and the upkeep outside, and Rosa took care of things inside.

After he got a big, wet welcome from the dog, the two men embraced warmly.

“Antonio, this is my friend Alexa. Antonio and his wife, Rosa, keep us all in line around here.”

“That sounds like a very big job.”

“Best one I’ve ever had. Nice to meet you, Alexa.” Antonio spoke with a heavy accent, which Alexa assumed was Portuguese.

When she kneeled on the grass to give Brady some love, Antonio winked at Cole.

“And who is this?” she sputtered while Brady licked her face.

“That big, slobbering ball of fur is Brady. He’s part of the family, and by the end of the weekend, he’s the one you’ll like best.”

“Where’s Vovó?” Cole asked.

“Inside the house with your aunts and Rosa, getting ready for the big weekend.”

“She works too hard. They all do.”

“They live for this. Sophie’s here too, with the baby.”

Of course she is, filling their heads with a bunch of nonsense that’s none of her business.
“Come on, let’s go in and say hello,” he said to Alexa.

They walked into the house through the front door and followed the scent of food into the kitchen. “Smells awfully good in here,” he said in a booming voice before wrapping his arms around his grandmother, who was thrilled to see him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Sophie winking conspiratorially at Rosa.

Before giving anyone else a hug, he turned to Alexa. “This is my friend Alexa,” he said in Portuguese. “We work together at the hospital. She was there the night Lily was born.”

Vovó Angelina nodded and shifted toward Alexa, taking a step back to admire her, “Ah
tão linda,
so pretty,” she said, gripping Alexa’s face with gentle, but strong hands and placing a kiss on each cheek.

“She will stay next door with your cousins,” she said to Cole, giving him an
and I mean it
look.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cole grunted as he said hello to his great-aunts Mariana and Teresa, and to Rosa, all of whom were scurrying around the kitchen.

His grandmother picked up an enormous wooden spoon and shook it at him. “Do not be like your brothers, sneaking women in the side door and up the stairs. I am old, but I am not stupid. So disrespectful.” She shook her head. “It is about time you brought someone home through the front door,” she said in Portuguese.

“We’re just friends. Sophie invited her.” He leaned over to place a small kiss on Lily’s head. “Such a cute little nose, I hope you’re not going to grow up and stick it into everyone’s business like your mom,” he cooed so only Sophie could hear.

Angelina smiled at Alexa. “You sit, you eat.” She said, taking a plate of food from Teresa and placing it in front of her.

“What about me? I thought the men were served first.”

“We will see if you really are a man, or still a little boy pretending to be one,” she said handing her oldest grandchild a full plate. “I do not know if you understand about being a man yet. Time will tell.”

* * *

Alexa couldn’t understand anything Cole and his grandmother were saying, but from the tone of Angelina’s voice, and the smirk on Sophie’s face when she caught Rosa’s eye, she guessed he was being put in his place for something or other.

The afternoon flew by. Cole showed her around, and they took a long walk on the beach. The house, the property, everything was on a grand scale. She’d grown up surrounded by acres and acres of corn and soybeans, and their house had been plenty big enough for her small family, but it seemed like a miniature dollhouse in comparison to Meadows Shore.

Even setting aside the material wealth, his upbringing had been dramatically different from hers. He grew up in a family that encouraged questions and provided answers, while her family discouraged questions, and the adults rarely provided any answers.

Her family had grown more isolated over the years, especially when the surrounding farmers who’d been family friends for generations began to sell their properties. But some of the isolation had been a conscious choice, her father always trying to keep his dyslexia a secret, all the while growing less content with his life and with himself. And her mother enabled him, kept his secret as though it was something sinister, like he’d killed a man or molested children. It encouraged the pain and the embarrassment to fester and grow until it essentially ruled their lives. They loved her, on some level she’d always felt their love, but the sense of openness and joy here was something she hadn’t ever experienced before.

“Everyone will be here soon. If at any point it gets to be too much for you, say the word,” said Cole.

“Your family’s great. For most of my life I was an only child, and I’m excited about hanging out with a big family for the entire weekend.”

* * *

By dinnertime his brothers, cousins, and Max had straggled in. She’d met them all the night Lily was born, but it was still a challenge to keep everyone’s name straight. The older women had been cooking all day, and everyone sat around the table enjoying the fruits of their labor—a mouth-watering seafood dinner so fresh it seemed like the shellfish had been plucked from the ocean just that afternoon. And they might have been.

She was amazed by how loud everyone was, talking over one another to be heard, but it was all friendly. She also noticed how much they teased, especially Cole and his brothers. The air crackled with all the positive energy around the table.

After dinner everyone who hadn’t cooked pitched in to do dishes. She enjoyed watching Cole with a dishtowel draped over his shoulder, scrubbing the burnt bits off the bottom of the large pots. When every glass sparkled, and all the pots and pans were in their place, the Clayton sisters took her next door for a little wine and gossip.

“We won’t have much time alone, because they’ll be over soon,” Talia warned Alexa.

“When we were kids, we’d have a girls’ night about once a month. We started them to give Cole’s mom a break from all the testosterone next door,” Ella explained. “But the boys couldn’t stay away. Even when my dad and Uncle Nick did something special for them, like a ball game, they’d rush right over as soon as they got back, convinced they’d missed something even more special. When they got to be teenagers, we’d say we were having a girls’ night just so they’d come home early and bring their friends.”

“Did they ever catch on?”

“We like to think they didn’t, but we’re pretty sure they’re not actually as clueless as they seem.”

“Okay, okay, enough time on memory lane. Before they come over, I have to know, Alexa what’s going on with you and Cole? Tell us, tell us, come on spill the beans,” coaxed Juliana, linking her arm with Alexa’s.

“Juliana!” her sisters chided in unison.

“Oh, please, give it a rest. You’re all dying to know, but are too timid to ask any questions.”

“You don’t have to tell us about your relationship with Cole. It’s not our business,” assured Talia, giving Juliana the eye.

“There’s nothing going on between Cole and me.”

“Not even a few hot kisses?” asked Juliana, again out of turn.

“Not even a chaste kiss on the cheek. We work together, and we’ve become friends. Sophie invited me this weekend, not Cole.”

Not one woman at the table believed her. They’d seen the way she looked at him … and, yeah, they didn’t know her, maybe she gazed at men all the time with a dreamy look on her face.

But they knew Cole, and he looked at her in a way he’d never looked at anyone else. Not ever. His eyes rarely left her, but when they did, he always knew just where she was in the room. When he caught her eye, his face lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning. And at other times they’d seen something else in his gaze, something so raw it made them turn away, as though they’d intruded on an intimate moment.

Unlike Alexa, they’d known him all his life, sat front and center through the years while he toyed with one girl or another. This wasn’t the kind of game he normally played, making them wonder if this time he was playing for keeps. Juliana would have pressed on, but, like her sisters, she decided to let the subject drop … for now.

It didn’t take long before Cole, Will, and Max popped in, followed almost immediately by Mark, Drew, Jake, and Luke, asking about food.

“We’re hungry. You always have the best snacks at girls’ night.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, and Ella shook her head at their flimsy excuse for barging in. “You’re all pathetic. Just pathetic.”

But the real show was at the fringe of the group where Cole stood, not quite sure what to do with himself. The Claytons watched their cousin stick his hands in his pockets, fidgeting uncomfortably. So unlike him.

They knew just what he was thinking:
Should I go over to her? Should I say something to her? Should I kiss her until her lips are red and swollen?
They loved every minute of his agony—it was
so
romantic. Nothing would make them happier than Cole in love with a good woman, and they’d already decided Alexa was the perfect match for him.

Max squeezed between Sophie and Helena on the sofa, nuzzling Sophie’s ear. “I was afraid girls’ night was going to turn into a girls-only slumber party.” He kissed his wife like he hadn’t seen her in months.

“Hey! We don’t want to watch you paw her, doesn’t matter how long you’ve been married. It still makes us want to beat your brains out. Get a room,” Jake groaned.

“Maybe we will. It’s getting late, and Lily doesn’t understand the concept of weekend sleep-ins. Good night everyone,” Max said pulling Sophie up with him.

Drew hurled a cushion at the back of Max’s head as he left the room with Sophie.

* * *

Cole was annoyed Max had it so easy. Finally deciding he didn’t really care what any of them thought, he pulled up a chair near Alexa. “Having fun?” he asked quietly.

“Yes. Your cousins are great.”

“They must like you, otherwise great wouldn’t be the word you’d be using to describe them. Don’t be taken in by those angelic faces. They’re tough.”

“You plotting how to sneak her into your room in the middle of the night?” Luke teased, and his brothers snickered.

Alexa swallowed hard, and Cole shot daggers at them. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that.”

He tugged on Alexa’s hand. “Let’s go out on the porch.” Once they were outside, he gave her an extra squeeze. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay. They didn’t mean anything by it. They were trying to get a rise out of you. Your cousins are curious about us, too.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That we’re friends. That’s all.”

“Yeah.”
Friends. Fucking friends, that’s all. He and Alexa understood that, why couldn’t everyone else?

* * *

“It’s a perfect beach day,” said Helena. “There won’t be many more like this. We should get out there soon and take advantage of the last gasp of summer.”

“I’ll change,” Alexa said, retrieving the modestly cut bathing suit she wore the day before from the laundry room where she’d hung it to dry.

“You’re going to have hideous tan lines with that suit if you wear it again today. I have one you can borrow.” Helena returned with a cream-colored crocheted bikini adorned with tiny glass crystals made to catch the light. “This one’s better for tanning,” she said handing the suit to Alexa.

She stared down at the tiny scraps of fabric in her hand, feeling her face warming. “I don’t know if this will fit. It looks awfully small.”

“It’ll fit,” Helena nodded reassuringly. “We’re about the same size. It’s the perfect suit for tanning, and it’ll be stunning on you.”

“I don’t know … ”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like we’ll be on a public beach. You’ll be happy not to have the tan lines. Trust me.”

When Alexa left to try on the suit, Ella’s jaw dropped. “You are
bad
, Helena Clayton. I didn’t think you had it in you.”