When Gilly relayed the story to Simon, he took on such a sweet, understanding role that she was certain he was too good to be true. After all, Vaughn had been that way in the beginning.

“Maybe you’re right about your mother’s abrasiveness being medical. Because that sounds a lot like how my Aunt Lorraine started. According to my mom, instead of swiping at bats, Lorraine would freak out at sunset, clawing to get out the door if she couldn’t get the knob to work. She claimed she needed to find her mother, who was always in some type of distress.”

“Did you see it for yourself?”

 “Once when I was home on leave. It broke my heart to see Lorraine act more like a petulant twelve-year-old than the aunt I remembered. She’d always been active, always taking up causes for the underdog. She always loved the water and used to row out in her own skiff with no help from anyone, fearless.”

Simon shook his head. “Not anymore. Alzheimer’s is a strange disease. While dementia totally engulfs Lorraine, my mother, her sister, shows no signs of the disease. My mother’s been tested for the gene. She doesn’t have it. And yet, poor Lorraine gets worse by the month.”

Gilly put her head in her hands. “But the onset has been so sudden. I’m a nurse. I’m supposed to recognize these things. Instead, I went behind her back and talked to her boss. Probably putting her job in further jeopardy.”

“Look, if your mother is suffering from this illness, she can’t perform her duties, even as a receptionist. You already said she’s angry all the time. I saw it firsthand. Maybe the stress of her job is making the symptoms come to light sooner than they normally would and making her worse.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“You need to find out what’s going on. The best way is to have her checked out. The sooner, the better.”

“Wednesday. I scheduled it for this coming Wednesday when I’ll be able to go with her to the hospital.”

“On very little sleep,” Simon pointed out.

“It can’t be helped. It’s either get her into the ER or a regular appointment. But after watching her chase down imaginary bats, believe me the ER is tempting.”

“I have a bottle of chardonnay I picked up at Murphy’s. Want to try it?”

“You read my mind.” Gilly realized he had no idea how much spending the afternoon with him meant to her, how much it helped her cope with the worry. The bat thing hadn’t just unnerved her, the crazy look in her mother’s eyes had sent a chilling fear up her spine. She was afraid things were about to change, felt it in the air. And now, watching Simon open the wine calmed her down.

Simon filled their glasses and went over to the stone hearth, plopped down in front of the fireplace to pick up the guitar leaning against the wall.

Tilting her head to study him, she leaned back on the sofa to get comfortable. “You’re a man of surprises.”

“I taught myself how to play a couple of years ago because I like music and I needed…an outlet at the time.”

“Who doesn’t like music? But I can’t play a tune to save my life…on anything.”

“I like creating different songs using different notes. Delaney seems to like this one.” He showed her what he meant, strumming a few bars of “Catch the Wind.”

“I like it. What did you decide to do about the house in town?”

“Nick suggested I use the weekend to think about it.”

Gilly’s brow wrinkled. “What’s really going on? You were so excited about it Thursday night. Now you’re not.”

He told her about the paternity test.

“That’s normal. Any guy would want to know for certain. No reason to be shy about wanting to get at the truth.”

When Delaney toddled over, he put down his guitar and brought her onto his lap, bouncing her up and down until she giggled.

Watching the affection and the way he interacted with his daughter made Gilly’s heart melt into mush. How many guys out there could morph into an instant dad like he’d done? Not many.

“What?” he asked.

He’d caught her staring. “Um, do you need help starting dinner?”

“Not unless you want to fire up the grill. Are you guys hungry?”

“I wanna hot dog,” Jayden announced, rubbing his eyes like he was sleepy.

Delaney spit out her pacifier, trying to imitate Jayden’s words. Merlin retrieved it by scooping it up in his mouth, chomping down, and then dropping it at Simon’s feet.

“Now that’s what I call service,” Gilly commented, rubbing the dog’s ears.

Simon picked the thing up covered in dog slobber. “Happens a lot around here. I’ll wash it off and then fire up the grill.”

But as soon as he stepped outside on the little patio, Gavin Kendall pointed to the sky and hollered, “Better hurry up. Looks like storms are moving in.”

For the first time all day, Simon realized the sky had turned a bluish black. “Maybe no time for steaks.”

“Not unless you like them rare,” Gavin returned. “Looks like it could open up and pour any minute.”

“We do need the shower, but I wish it would’ve held off a little longer. The one time I use the grill…”

Thunder rumbled, bringing Gilly outside. “Just toss on the package of hot dogs. I’ll go make some mac and cheese. Dinner.”

“You sure?”

“It’s fine. I don’t need steak.”

She had a down-to-earth way about her. It was a rallying point for him. The opposite of Amelia in every way and the realization hit him that her genuineness is what he liked most about her. It caused him to get his head out of the clouds and get busy with dinner.

The first plump splats of rain started falling just as he took the hot dogs off the fire. “This isn’t exactly the meal I’d planned.”

“It’s okay. Betty White swears eating a hot dog every day is what got her to a ripe old age. And she’s nearing a hundred,” Gilly declared with a grin.

“The only reason I bought the package is because Jayden said he liked hot dogs. And I promised him one. Didn’t I, Jayden?”

With his mouth full, the boy merely bobbed his head up and down.

Gilly reached over and cut Delaney’s hot dog into smaller bites that became finger food.

The gesture made Simon smile.

“What are you grinning at?” Gilly wanted to know.

As the rain picked up and pounded the new roof he’d re-shingled last year, he met her eyes. “I don’t know. I guess I’m happy. For the first time in a long time, I’m just…content.”

“You’re still haunted by all the things you saw in the Army though. I can tell.”

He heard himself describing his greatest fears that he’d admitted to no one else. Maybe because she was so easy to talk to, he let down his guard. “It’s faces mostly. That’s what I see sometimes when I try to close my eyes to sleep. All ages. Young. Old. And everything in between.”

His voice was barely above a whisper. But it made her want to hold him like she did Jayden when her boy had a bad dream. But she doubted Simon would appreciate it at the moment. Instead, in her unflappable style, she pushed Delaney’s hair off her face, tossed Merlin part of a hot dog, and adjusted Jayden in his chair so he wouldn’t tumble off the seat. “How is it you don’t have one of those weird accents from back east?”

To Simon, all those gestures she did in one fluid motion garnered her another point in the win column. “My mother claims I lost it in the Army. I don’t know that I ever had it, though. If I did you can bet the guys probably razzed me out of talking that way. I do miss the old homestead at times. Places like Del’s. Best lemonade stand evah. They serve a wicked good slush.”

Merlin sidled up to her for another handout. Ruffling the dog’s fur, she let him gobble out of her hand. “Now see, that time I heard a definite eastern twang, somewhere between heavy New Yorker and Boston.”

“Nah. But I know a guy,” imitating a definite Rhode Island monotone.

She laughed. “There it is again.”

“Wait until you hear my mom. Boston born and raised. Now there’s a twang.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how is it you hooked up with Delaney’s mother on Cape Cod?”

He went into the explanation, not minding the walk down memory lane so much. He felt relaxed and loose around her.

She sat back, listening to the story. He wasn’t aware of it, but that accent slipped in every so often. “How long has the beach house been in your family?”

“Grandparents bought the place around 1940, right before the war broke out.”

“So you’ve always lived around the water, the beach, like here?”

“I guess I have.”

“How in the world did you cope being out in desert conditions for such long deployments? I remember how much I missed the ocean when I lived in landlocked Lubbock with Vaughn for six months. I can’t imagine being away from the water for so long.”

“It was tough. But remember I didn’t want to admit my mistake. That stubborn streak kept me putting one foot in front of the other for twelve years.”

“And your family has owned that piece of beach since before the war? No conflict among relatives about the land?”

Before Simon could answer, Jayden started another kind of conflict by tossing bits of mac and cheese toward Delaney.

Without raising her voice, Gilly took hold of the three-year-old’s chin. “Young man, you know better than that. Tell her you’re sorry for throwing food. Right now.”

“Sow-wy.”

She got up to wet a paper towel to wipe off the toddler’s mouth. “If you’re done, go play with your cars.” She watched as he hopped down and flew into the living room. “Want me to clean Delaney up too while I’m at it?”

It blew his mind that she’d offer. “Sure. I’ll get the tray and wash it off.”

After Delaney waddled off to play, Gilly picked up her wine glass and drained the contents.

“You’re just now beginning to relax,” Simon noted.

“I guess I am. That scene with my mom has me worried and wore me out.”

Simon tipped up the bottle to fill her glass before topping off his. “Then it’s time we both kicked back and chilled out tonight.”

She flashed him a brilliant smile. “On a rainy night, too. Want to pop in a movie? I’ll pop the corn.”

“Now you’re talking.”

“Um, probably not a good idea to sound so thrilled. We’re talking about the animated variety to entertain the kids.”

Simon laughed, realizing she was right. He scratched his chin. “I don’t think I have anything like that on hand.”

She went to the huge bag she’d brought and dug into its depths. “No problem. I came prepared.” She held up three DVDs. “You get Toy Story, Madagascar, or Cars.”

“How many times has Jayden seen Cars?”

“How many fingers do you have?”

“That many, huh? I don’t know. You pick. I’m no expert on any of those.”

“All right. No way we could go wrong with Madagascar. Talking animals. An adventure into the wild. A funny ring-tailed lemur.”

The kids fell asleep long before the credits rolled. It was barely eight-thirty.

“I’m tucking Delaney into bed.”

“Should Jayden and I hit the road?”

“No way. Want to put Jayden in the guest room? I put clean sheets on the bed two days ago because my mother’s coming at the end of the week.”

“Sure.”

Scooping Jayden into his arms, he headed down the hallway again. “There’s a queen size bed. He can spread out.”

With the kids asleep, the house grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They settled back on the sofa.

“When they’re in bed it’s like this calm overtakes everything,” Gilly commented, picking up her wine glass.

“Is Jayden a good sleeper?”

“Mostly. Is Delaney?”

“Seems to be. It’s still coming down out there,” Simon noted. “I’m about to say something that might upset you. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

“It’s a little early in the relationship to sleep together.”

His lips curved. “As great as that sounds, that wasn’t it. You could stay here tonight. Hear me out. Instead of driving home in this downpour…Jayden’s already conked out…spending the night here isn’t that farfetched.”

“I have had a little too much wine.”

“Then it’s settled.” Simon went over to his collection of CDs and began flipping through the selections. “What kind of music do you like?”

“My tastes vary. I didn’t know anyone kept CDs anymore.”

“They’re from my misspent youth. Outdated tunes. But I’d rather listen to them than anything on the radio these days.”

“Then you pick. I’m sure I’ll like it.”

Simon slid in a disc and took a seat next to her. Eddie Vedder’s lilting voice flowed from the speakers.

“Nailed it,” she said with a smile.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. She was so close he could smell her shampoo. It reminded him of that perfect aroma right after a spring shower, when everything is lush and radiant.

He nuzzled her hair. She lifted her chin. Their lips met. He changed the angle, sending the kiss into a searing demand for more. He felt her hand grip his shirt, felt her shoulders relax, felt her drop into the kiss. When he bothered to open his eyes and stare into hers, he recognized arousal and skimmed a finger along her cheek.

“You look sleepy,” he said. “Why don’t you go on to bed?”

“No, I need to help you with the dishes.”

“Gilly, you look exhausted. Go on. Go to bed. I’ll clean up.”

“If you’re sure; I am tired. It’s the wine. Was that my goodnight kiss?”

“Not yet.”

She took that for rejection and let out a sigh.

Her disappointed look amused him. “I haven’t walked you to your door yet.”

“Ah.” She brightened, bumping his shoulder. “A girl deserves a goodnight kiss.”

“Mmm, and you’re not just any girl.” Locking his fingers with hers, he dragged her up, snaked an arm around her waist.

Her arms circled his neck.

With each step they got closer to the guest room with its closed door and little Jayden on the other side asleep.

“I had a nice time tonight,” she began. “Maybe we could do it again sometime.”

His lips pressed hers. “A real date, just you and me. Sitters for the kids.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“You talk too much.”

“Then why are you letting me…?”

His mouth covered hers. The sizzle heated his blood. If the kiss made her tremble in his arms, he wondered what making love to her would be like. There was something so heady about her body responding to his like that, he had to force himself to let her go.

“We’re going to need to finish this…and soon.”

“Yes. Soon.”