Chapter Eight
It hadn’t taken Noah long to break his promise.
Chuck Colburn was a nice guy. His speech had obviously been affected by his stroke, but she could still understand him just fine. His eyes lit up as he told Anita a couple of stories about early days in the salvage business. It was interesting, but Noah had still left her alone with his family.
After a few minutes, Donna Colburn stuck her head out the sliding screen door. “Anita, I’m sorry to be such a poor hostess. The food is almost ready. What would you like to drink? Beer? Wine? Lemonade? Water?”
“Ice water for now, thanks.”
Donna and Beckett’s daughter, Holly, came out with a glass in each hand. The little girl handed one to her grandfather and sat in a chair on the other side of him. Anita couldn’t tell how old Holly was. She guessed she was somewhere around eight years old.
Anita accepted a glass from Donna, who sat beside her. “Thanks.”
“I knew your mother,” Donna said after taking a long drink of water. “We went to school together.”
She shouldn’t be so surprised people here wanted to talk about her mother. “I met another one of her friends this morning. Oh, Noah said she’s a friend of yours, too? Janet something.”
“Janet Larson.”
“That’s it. It’s a little strange to hear about my mother when she was young. She never talked about growing up here. Janet said my father was here in Lakeside for a while, too.”
“Sure. They met in college, and he spent breaks here. Lived with Dan Larson, did he tell you that? Patty and Tony dated for a while before they eloped and moved to Philly.”
“They eloped?” Of course they did. She was pregnant and her mother didn’t want anything to do with them. What kind of wedding would that have been?
“We thought it was so romantic,” Donna said. Chuck huffed. “Well, I thought it was. But disappointing, too. We all wanted to be a part of their happy day. Instead, we never saw them again.”
“According to my mom, she had to quit school after they got married because she was terribly sick for the entire pregnancy. He divorced my mom and moved back to Spain. We never saw him again.”
“Tony? Tony did that?” The hurt expression on Donna’s face surprised Anita. “I find that hard to believe. He was such a nice guy. A fun guy. We used to do a lot of things with them. The six of us, remember, Chuck?”
He nodded. “How about that time we took the motorcycles out and it poured like holy hell?”
Donna laughed. “We were soaked to the skin. Patty wore new jeans that day and her legs were stained blue.”
Her mom used to ride a motorcycle? Anita couldn’t even picture it. She’d never thought much about who her mother was before her father left them. She probably could find some answers in the bedroom at the top of the stairs. She was going to have to suck it up and open that door.
Chuck Colburn looked tired. “Tony loved Patty, but he was focused. Told me he wanted to be a doctor since his sister died when she was a little girl. Pneumonia, I think. So part of me isn’t surprised he wanted to go back to his family. If Patty didn’t want to go…” He shrugged.
“I never knew anything about his family.” How much family did she have in Spain? Did her father have a whole other family over there? A wife? Children? “I was too young when he left. I barely remember him at all.”
“My mom died when I was a little baby,” Holly said softly. “Daddy showed me pictures of her, but I don’t remember her at all.”
“That sucks,” Anita said. Donna gave a little gasp, but Anita wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. Didn’t matter how old Holly was. “That’s a hard thing, isn’t it? To not have a whole family.”
Tears sparkled in her big eyes as she nodded. “I wish I had a mom.”
“Oh, sweetie, I know. I wished I had a dad, too.” She glanced at Donna and Chuck. “But you’re lucky to have lots of other family, aren’t you? You have your dad. And I bet he’s an awesome dad. And grandparents. And uncles. Look at all the love you have. All the family who’re here for you.”
“Yeah.” Holly grinned through her tears. “I’m lucky.”
Holly didn’t know how lucky she was.
“Uncle Noah likes you. And I like you, too.” Holly got up and threw her arms around Anita. Tears prickled Anita’s eyelids as she hugged her back.
“What’s going on?” Beckett asked. Noah and Carter followed him onto the deck. Anita tried to ignore the little jolt to her heart as Noah walked over to her.
Holly threw her arms around her dad. “Daddy, you’re awesome.”
Beck hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. Anita’s heart hurt as she wondered what it would have been like to have had her father while she was growing up. “You’re pretty awesome, too,” Beckett told his little girl.
Holly threw her arms wide. “My whole family is awesome!” Everyone chuckled.
Noah sat down beside Anita and took her hand. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, except you broke your promise. Left me alone in shark-infested waters.” His parents laughed.
“Sorry. Looks like you survived.”
“I did. Your niece is sweet.”
“She is. I remember when Sarah and Hannah were that age. Before they became moody teenagers.”
“Teenage girls aren’t easy to deal with. I should know. I was one.”
Noah chuckled. “I miss my girls, though. The family doesn’t feel whole when they’re gone.”
What would it be like to have family around like this? Parents. Siblings. Children. Anita couldn’t even imagine. All she could do was sit on the fringes and look on. No wonder Noah would be such a great community leader with family support like this.
She grabbed her phone. “Hey, can anyone post to that village Facebook page?”
“I think so. Why?”
“You and your family have spent your whole life in Lakeside. You’ve employed a lot of people over the years. Supported the economy. Made friends in the community. I think those are all great points in your favor. How about if I take a picture of all of you right now? The mayoral candidate with his family. I’ll post it, and it’ll speak for itself.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Chuck said. “Gather around, everyone. Put Noah right in the middle.”
Anita took a bunch of pictures and spent more than a few minutes swiping through them, trying to pick out the best image to post. She kept pausing, gazing at Noah and the rest of the Colburns. Envying the smiles, the looks, the touches they shared.
How different might her life have been if Aggie Swanson hadn’t made that one snap decision all those years ago?
…
Noah walked hand in hand with Anita as evening fell. She’d grinned like a little kid when she bought two glow-in-the-dark necklaces and snapped one around each of their necks. The twins loved those things, too. This would be the first time he hadn’t watched the Fourth of July fireworks with his daughters since they were born.
They’d called him that afternoon before he and Anita left Mom and Pop’s house. Teased him about the kissing picture.
“Is she your girlfriend, Dad?” Hannah had asked.
“We’ve only been on a few dates, so I can’t really call her my girlfriend yet.” He’d probably never be able to call her his girlfriend.
“She’s very pretty,” Sarah added.
“Yes, she is.”
“Tell us something about her.”
“She’s an artist, and an art professor, but she’s so much more. She’s travelled all over the world. She’s not afraid to live life to the fullest.”
“And she makes you smile,” Hannah said in that dreamy way she did when she was talking about the latest heartthrob on social media.
“How do you know that?”
“We can hear it in your voice, Dad,” Sarah explained.
He was glad his girls weren’t giving him a hard time about it. Of course, their mother was living with the man she’d left Noah for. They were probably used to it.
“I miss you guys.”
“We miss you, too.”
They didn’t know how soon they’d be back up north but had said it wouldn’t be until August. Then they’d be packing for college in Buffalo, living on campus. Not too far away, but far enough to miss them every damn day. Like now.
Right now, he was going to enjoy strolling through the park with Anita and accept the fact she made him smile. They were following the incredible scent of barbequed pork. “Tired? It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, but I’m having fun.” They paused to let a couple with a stroller cross the path in front of them. “Think you’ve talked to every resident of Lakeside today?”
He laughed. “I must have.”
“So you’re off duty now?”
“I don’t think I’ll be off duty any time I’m out in public.”
She stopped on the corner by the barbeque trailer but turned to study him. “You sure that’s the life you want?”
“I can handle it. Gotta take the bad with the good.”
She grinned. “You’re the good, and I’m the bad?”
“I didn’t say that.” But she did tempt him to want to be bad. Right here. Right now. He tugged her toward the food. “Come on. I’m starved.”
Anita grabbed a bunch of napkins while Noah bought their pulled pork sandwiches and colas. They found an empty picnic table and dug in.
“When you said you’d be taking me out to dinner, this wasn’t exactly what I’d pictured.” Her grin let him know she wasn’t complaining.
“I like that I don’t always do what you expect.”
“I didn’t know what to expect at all today. Small-town America is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I’ve had a good time.”
“So we’re different from your norm, all the international spots you’ve travelled to?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
She licked at some sauce that had dripped onto her fingers, and as her tongue flicked over her skin, he went instantly hard. He wanted to grab her wrist and lick the sauce off her fingers. But he had to be aware of all the citizens of Lakeside who were watching them. How many on Ethan’s side were watching them, waiting for him to make a stupid move? He’d never been impulsive, and he couldn’t be starting now.
He’d be willing to bet the other men she’d been with hadn’t had to hold themselves back. They’d probably been wild and uninhibited. Like she was. In some European cities, they could probably have gone at it right here on the table and no one would have blinked an eye.
He didn’t like thinking about the other men she’d spent her Julys with.
The words growled as they came out of his mouth. “What did you do with your other men?” He lowered his voice so no one could overhear. “Surely you didn’t spend all your time in bed.”
A flick of concern sparked in her expressive eyes before amusement took over. “My goodness, you sound like you’re jealous.”
He didn’t want her to be amused. Nothing he was feeling right now was at all amusing. “Call it curiosity. Other places must have festivals, even if they’re not celebrating the Fourth. I can’t imagine Italy or England, or wherever else you’ve gone to every year, doesn’t have things to do. Places to see.” He wasn’t sure why he was so pissed off, but he couldn’t stop the words from barreling out. “If they never took you to festivals or brought you flowers or took you out for barbeque, what did you do besides have sex?”
Anita studied him carefully. Her voice was flat as she began to speak. “Danny wrote me sonnets in Stratford-upon-Avon. Filip took me sailing in Montenegro. I explored Mayan ruins in Mexico with Carlos. Jean-Paul painted my nude portrait in Paris. Do you want me to go on?”
What the hell was she even doing here? With him? In Lakeside? She must have enough money to pay someone else to take care of the renovations and sale of Aggie’s house. She could be off lying on a beach with some Greek god.
When he couldn’t find anything to say, she went on. “I’m trying not to yell at you or shake some sense into you right now because I’m aware we’re trying to protect your image. But I’m about ready to lose it. I don’t know why you’re so angry.”
“I’m angry with myself to think I could compete with all these men you’ve been with. The places you’ve gone to.”
“Compete? There’s no competition!”
“Just like there’s no romance,” he replied in a loud whisper.
“Why are we talking about romance again?”
The anger drained out of him, even as a sad frustration swept in to take its place. Romance meant nothing to her. Love wasn’t a word she could understand. These were simply experiences to her. Places to visit. Men to enjoy. No emotion involved. Simply a way to spend one month out of the year.
While he was experiencing way too many emotions. “I don’t know why you’re here.”
“Because Aggie left me the house, you idiot. You know that.”
Noah grabbed her hands. “Here. I don’t know why you’re here. Now. With me.”
Her gaze swept over him, probably trying to figure out what he was asking. “Because I like you. Because you asked me.”
“It’s that simple?”
“Why does it have to be complicated?”
She was right. It was pretty damn simple. He felt more for her than she felt for him. That was okay. He could fall in love with her so easily. There. He’d admitted it. She would never love him, but he’d just have to deal with it.
Her energy. Her sense of humor. Her intensity. Not only did he love all those parts of her, but by soaking all that in, she was giving him more energy, humor, intensity, too. He’d been burning out. The responsibilities at work. The responsibilities at home with the girls. Adding in the responsibilities he was taking on for the village. He hadn’t realized how much he needed something for himself. Anita had given that to him.
He couldn’t control her feelings toward him. All he could do was embrace what he was feeling. It was that simple.
He’d hope she’d change her mind, but he knew she probably never would at this stage of the game. Still, he’d try. He’d hope. She might not ever love him, but she liked him, liked being with him. If this was possible after only a few days, what might happen by the end of the month?
Noah pushed the empty plates to the side and tugged her across the table to meet him halfway. He didn’t kiss her, even though it was what he ached to do. He brushed his lips along her ear as he whispered, “Ready for that challenge?
She leaned back to look him in the eye. “Challenge?”
“To find an out-of-the-way place to make out?”
She grinned, scooped up the trash, and tossed it in a nearby can before she grabbed his hand. “This way.”
They meandered slowly through the park and the throngs of people who were already claiming their spots to watch the fireworks. They returned waves and smiles to friends and neighbors.
When they reached a huge maple tree in the far corner of the park, Anita tugged him around back, where they were partially hidden behind the wide trunk. Heavy leaves and thick branches concealed them further.
She slipped her hands under his shirt and leaned in to skim her lips over his as she spoke. “I don’t like arguing with you.”
He brushed his lips over hers. Savored her fingertips tracing his spine. “I don’t like it, either.”
She nibbled at his jaw. “I still don’t understand what happened.”
He slid his hands down to cup her buttocks. “I was being stupid. I’m better now.”
She laughed. Bright-green leaves tangled with her hair. “Glad to hear it. But I don’t want to accidentally do something that upsets you.”
“Don’t worry about it. That makes me sound like I’m some kind of emotional weakling.”
“Salvage man, there is nothing weak about you.”
He captured her lips then, pulled her body against his, and drank her in. The shadows from the leaves fell over her face. He wanted to take her home and turn on every light in the house while he made love to her. No. While they had sex.
No. Made love.
They should start heading back to the spot his parents had claimed for viewing. He reluctantly pulled away from her. Through the branches, he could see the sun had met the horizon, sinking in a blaze of the same reds and golds and oranges as the tattoo inked on her back. He wanted to taste every inch of it.
Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turned her to face the lake. “Gorgeous sunset.”
“Beautiful.” She sighed.
He cleared his throat. “The fireworks will start soon. We can make our escape as soon as they’re over.”
“Okay.” She drew her hands out from under his shirt and brushed the fabric smooth. “There. All proper again.”
They stepped out from behind the tree and bumped into Ethan and Helen Bradford, who practically pounced on them. “Well, look who’s making out behind the maple tree,” Ethan chided. “Really, Noah. I’d think your mother taught you better than that.”
Helen held up her phone. “I got a great picture.”
Anita shook her head. “I thought we were grown-ups here, not high schoolers.”
“All’s fair in love and politics,” Ethan said.
“Can I quote you on that?” Anita asked.
If Noah remembered right, Ethan and Helen were in grade school when he graduated from high school. That meant they were only in their early thirties. “They haven’t grown up yet. I doubt Ethan can handle the responsibilities of real leadership.”
“What do you know about politics?”
“I don’t have to know much about politics to be able to lead our village.”
“An election is all about the voters’ perception of the candidates.” Helen waved her phone. “What are the voters going to think about seeing your hands on her ass?”
Noah laughed. “They’re probably going to be jealous. Anita has a great ass.”
Helen huffed.
Noah took Anita’s hand and tugged her gently. “Let’s go. I think my folks are over by the gazebo.”
“Happy Fourth,” Anita called cheerfully over her shoulder. Then she turned back to Noah. “I really don’t like them.”
They found Noah’s family gathered by a large wooden gazebo in the center of the park. Ginny came up to them. “Hey, Anita, let me take you out for a girls’ night while you’re here. It’ll be fun.”
“All right.” Anita sounded a little hesitant. Noah could imagine the trouble those two could get into together, and he had to grin.
Ginny’s phone chimed, and she glanced down to the screen. Her eyes grew wide. “Did you see what Helen just posted?”
Noah couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “I can guess.”
“Do I want to see how big my butt looks?” Anita said, looking over Ginny’s shoulder at the photo.
Holly hopped up from where she’d been sitting on his mom’s big plaid blanket. “There’s a picture of Anita’s butt?”
Beck caught her by the shoulders and turned her back to the blanket. “Come on. Get back in your spot before Uncle Noah claims the whole blanket.”
“I resent that,” Noah said with a laugh at the old complaint. He couldn’t help that his younger brothers were lankier than he was. He caught Anita’s hand and tugged her over. “Come on, we can share the same amount of blanket, and then maybe this guy will stop complaining.”
Anita sat on one corner, and Noah sat behind her, tucking up against her back. She settled in between his legs and leaned against him.
“Comfy,” she murmured.
That butt she was worried about rubbed up against his fly. He had no complaints about her bottom. He’d be watching the fireworks with a hard-on and a smile on his face.
“It’s been years since I’ve watched Fourth of July fireworks,” Anita said. “I can’t wait.”
“Really?” Holly asked. “I get to see them every year.”
“You’re lucky. I’m not usually around where they’re being set off. And I know I’ve never been this close before.”
“It’s so awesome,” Holly told her. She scooched over to sit beside them, smiling at Anita.
When the fireworks started, Anita rested her head against Noah’s shoulder as she gazed up at the spectacle. Noah enjoyed watching her much more than the colorful light display. He’d seen them for more than forty years. He wouldn’t see Anita for even forty days.
And next Fourth of July, he’d remember the feel of her in his arms, her head on his shoulder, her silky hair brushing his cheek, her soft bottom tucked against his arousal. And he wouldn’t be able to help but wonder where she was spending that July, and with whom…