On Wednesday, Gilly brought Connie home from the hospital and dealt with all the friends who stopped by to wish her mother well. Margie brought one of Max’s pies and offered to sit with her friend or help her get around if need be. Neenah Brewer offered to clean the house anytime she needed it. And Emma Colter had knitted her a pink and blue cap to cover up her shaved head.

“There now, you look pretty in pink and blue,” Emma drawled, trying not to stare at the huge bare spot on the right side of Connie’s head behind her ear.

“I’d planned on getting a haircut anyway,” Connie shot back. “I just wish Abby could’ve prettied me up before I came home.”

“You have to let the incision heal,” Gilly said, swatting her mom’s hand away from the bandage. “Stop acting like you’re Jayden’s age. Leave the thing alone.”

“It itches,” Connie complained for the umpteenth time.

Margie noticed Gilly’s frustration and steered her out of the bedroom. “Look, take Jayden and get out of here for a little while. You need a breather. I’ll sit with your mom.”

Gilly looked at the older woman, her hair no longer as red as it used to be. “What about the Diner?”

“Max has things covered. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. Connie is my oldest friend. She once sat up all night with me when I had the flu. That was fifteen years ago, and this is the first time the woman’s been in a position where I can pay her back. Now go home and relax. I’ll stay with her tonight.”

“The entire night?”

“That’s what I said.”

Gilly was so thrilled she grabbed Margie in a hug. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I needed some downtime.”

“I know you do. You’ve been at the hospital almost round the clock. Get out of here and get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

 Downtime meant she could soak in a tub once she got Jayden to bed. But as she started for her mother’s front door, she bumped smack dab into Simon standing on the stoop, carrying a sack of groceries.

“Hey, I thought I’d cook supper for everybody. I have spaghetti fixins in here.”

Margie came up behind Gilly. “Great idea. Gilly’s headed home. You can fix dinner for her and Jayden. I have things covered here.”

The expression on Simon’s face said if he could, he would’ve kissed Margie and spun her into a jig. “No problem. I can cook there as well as here.”

Margie all but pushed Gilly and her boy out the door. “Y’all have a good time.”

After they left, Margie headed back into Connie’s bedroom. “I know you don’t like Simon, but that man has the hots for your daughter.”

Connie leaned her head back on the pillow and sighed. “That was him, wasn’t it? He just keeps trying to worm his way in.”

“A man that good-looking can worm his way into my bed any time.”

“Margie! What would Max do if he heard you talking like that?”

“Probably get me one of them nice romantic dinners and a movie and then an early night to bed.”

Connie shook her head. “I should’ve known you’d make this all about sex. I’m just trying to talk some sense into Gilly,” she pointed out in her own defense. “I don’t want her getting hurt again. That’s all.”

“Have you seen the way he looks at her? If you have, you wouldn’t worry about it. Do I have to remind you that he showed up to make dinner for all of you? What kind of a guy does that these days? Not many. You ought to give him a chance, Connie. Gilly adores the man. I can tell. I’ve known her since she was Jayden’s age and she’s smitten.”

Connie groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

 

Down the block, Simon stood at the stove pushing a spoon through his thick marinara sauce, a recipe he’d begged out of his mother before she’d packed for her trip and headed west.

Gilly stood next to him, dropping thin spaghetti into a big pot of boiling water. “It’s so sweet of you to do this.”

“Cook dinner? I feel responsible for ruining your last batch of Bolognese. That night Delaney barreled in like a tornado and destroyed Jayden’s fort, I thought we might go to war. And I feel like I owe you for pointing me to the house down the street.”

“Does that mean you’ve decided to buy it?”

He nodded, pulling the spoon out dripping with sauce and holding it up for her to taste. “I put in my offer letter, so the paperwork is crunching. Here, try this.” He slid the spoon past her lips.

“Very good. Wow. That might be better than mine.”

As she licked her lips, he moved closer, savoring the moment. “The least I can do is cook dinner. Besides, you’ve been stressed out with everything going on. And we all have to eat, might as well do it together.”

She leaned in and nibbled on the side of his jaw. “You’re making it more difficult by the minute for me to resist you.”

“Why would you want to?”

“Why indeed? I’d better set the table.” After rattling plates down from the cabinet, she grabbed silverware out of the drawer. “We’re having a fundraiser for the hospital the last week of October.”

“I heard.”

“Sydney put me in charge of planning the theme. I had this idea. Tell me if you think it’s corny.”

Simon dished up the sauce and waited. “Well? I have to hear it first before I can make the call.”

“Everyone will be wearing costumes anyway because it’s near Halloween. So instead of tuxedos and formal wear, I thought it would be really cool to throw a masquerade ball, you know, like they did back in the 17th century.”

Simon winced at the notion of wearing a silly get-up with feathers and a mask. But he saw the excitement on her face and didn’t have the heart to shoot down the idea. “Could I dress in all-black and just put a mask over my face?”

“Sure. I guess.” She went back over to the stove and ran her hands around his shoulders and down his arms. “But a really supportive guy would go all in and at least wear a ruffled shirt, maybe a wig.”

“I’m not wearing a wig. That’s non-negotiable. And I’m pretty sure I speak for most of the men in town.”

She batted her eyes. “How about one of those Venetian hats?”

“No. Dressing up like Dread Pirate Roberts is the best I can do. All black. A bandana on my head.”

“Westley from Princess Bride? Deal.” She stuck out her hand to shake.

“You totally maneuvered me into that, didn’t you?” he said, nibbling on her fingers.

“Me? Let’s eat. I’m suddenly starving.”

After wrangling the kids to the table, when they finally sat down, he noticed Gilly picking at her food. “Don’t like it?”

“It isn’t that. It’s probably better than mine.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“I’m just trying to lose a few pounds. I’ve been eating like a horse lately and I want to be able to fit into the ball gown I have in mind.” The last thing she wanted to admit was that she wanted to look her very best when they finally slept together.

“Gilly, you’re not overweight.”

“How would you know? You haven’t seen me…you know…without clothes.”

His eyes locked on hers because he suddenly was ignoring the kids. “As fantastic as that would be, I’m looking at you right now. You’re beautiful. Gorgeous.” He held up his hands. “But you should do what you want to do.”

“Maybe I’ll start jogging or exercising more. I’ve been a slug lately.”

“When have you had the time?” Realizing there was no point to arguing, he changed the subject. “My mom will want to meet you while she’s here.”

“She’ll be here for a week, right?”

“Something like that. And since I want to take you out Saturday night, if you need her to look after Jayden, I think there’s no reason to get a sitter.”

“She can handle two?”

“She used to teach school. She can handle kids.”

Afterward, there were messy faces to scrub, sticky fingers to clean, and runny noses to wipe. With dinner over and cleanup done, they headed outside to the backyard where the kids could run around the sycamore trees and tire themselves out.

Gilly and Simon supervised from the old picnic table, the one she’d dragged down the street from her mother’s house. “My dad built this thing. It has great sentimental value. I carved my name into the wood on the other end the day he finished it. See?”

Simon spotted the name written in block letters. “How old were you?”

“Six.”

There was also a plus sign with another name next to hers. “Who’s Rudy?”

“My first boyfriend. We were eight. He added his name without me knowing it. I came outside one day to swing and there he was, whittling away on the family picnic table. I thought it was cute. My dad wasn’t so understanding.”

“What was it like growing up here?”

“Nothing much happened. Or so we thought. Turns out, we had a scandalous mayor no one knew about. That would be Quentin’s uncle. And a serial killer who used to bury some of his victims up near the old lighthouse. Logan’s sister was one of his victims.”

“Wow. And I thought you were going to say it was like Mayberry. That puts a whole new spin on what happens behind closed doors.”

“There was also a double homicide that happened under the pier. Cooper Richmond’s father was shot and killed by his own mother. She also killed his teacher.”

“This just keeps getting creepier.”

“Every town has its secrets.” Gilly thought of poor Ophelia and decided she needed to stop by and check on her.

When Jayden got stuck trying to go down the slide, Simon got to his feet and went over to help him out, leaving Gilly to stare at the man’s backside all the way across the yard.

Lordy, she thought, he did fill out a tight pair of jeans. She counted the years since she’d had sex and audibly groaned at the number. She started mentally preparing for the day or night when she and Simon could hit the sheets. It couldn’t be Saturday night. What would his mother think of her if she stayed out all night on their very first official date only to do the walk of shame the next morning to pick up Jayden? No way could they sleep together Saturday night. Or could they? Maybe she could bring Simon back here to the house after dinner.

After all, he didn’t have to spend the night. And if she got someone else to babysit Jayden for the entire night, she wouldn’t have to face his mother. It might work.

She sighed as she watched him swing Jayden around in a dizzying circle, then tickle his belly when her boy plopped to the ground in uncontrollable laughter. She couldn’t help it. Her belly slid further into lust. Her heart filled with emotions she couldn’t stop, feelings she’d tried to quash, but couldn’t.

If she had decided to sleep with him, then she’d have to go shopping for new underwear and maybe a new dress for Saturday night. Her mind started spinning with a to-do list. She might not be able to drop a single pound in three days, but if she planned it right, she’d keep him so busy he wouldn’t notice.

Simon caught her zoning out. “You look deep in thought. What were you thinking about just now?”

Your ass, she wanted to say. Instead, she smiled and met his eyes. “We have two sweaty kids to get ready for bed. Just how long have you known that you’re good with kids?”

Simon nipped her around the waist. “About as long as I’ve known you.” He pressed his lips to hers and lingered there until he made her breathless. “If my mother weren’t coming to town… I’m ready for Saturday night to get here.”

She patted his chest. “You aren’t the only one.”