Chapter Thirteen

“Are we there yet?” Reese asked the one single question children had probably been uttering since the first horse-drawn cart was invented. Taylor understood. Long car rides got boring no matter your age. Even short ones could be annoying when you were eager to get somewhere. She’d made sure Reese took a book and her tablet so she could read or watch movies during the two-plus-hour drive. The book held Reese’s attention until they hit the interstate. The movie had lasted slightly longer, and a short nap had filled in a good thirty minutes. She’d woken up over twenty minutes ago, though.

Taylor glanced into the back seat. “Almost.” She guessed, anyway. They’d passed a sign welcoming them to the city of Newport. She’d visited only a handful of times, so she didn’t recognize exactly where they were.

“Another ten minutes and we’ll be at my house,” Curt called from behind the wheel. Since he knew the route better, they’d taken his SUV. “We’re going to stop for the pizzas Taylor ordered first.” They passed the Tennis Hall of Fame, and he turned into a public parking lot. Pizza By The Court was right across the street.

“If you want to wait here, I’ll be right back,” he said.

Taylor had her door open before he pulled the keys from the ignition. “I put the order in my name. You wait. I’ll get them.” She left before Curt could mount an argument. The man hated to let her pay for anything when they went out.

True to his word, a short while later Curt punched in a security code and two massive gates opened, giving them access to a private residential community. She watched the gates begin to close after they drove through and waited for Reese to comment.

“Those are cool. How did you get them open?” Reese asked. She turned her whole body so she could peer out the back window. “Do you use a remote like the one for the TV?”

“If the guard isn’t here to open it, I have a special code I type in,” Curt answered. He drove them down the tree-lined road.

“Like Auntie Taylor uses to unlock her phone?” With the gates no longer in view, Reese turned around so she sat properly in her seat.

Special codes and security gates reminded her well with whom she rode. The man behind the wheel was not just some average Joe. She hadn’t thought much about it since learning the truth Monday. Funny how something as mundane as a gate could remind you.

“Same basic idea,” Taylor answered.

They passed two condos, or what he called condos. Actually, each looked larger than her house. He slowed as they passed a particular one. “My cousin and his wife live there.”

“And that’s where the party is tomorrow?” Taylor asked.

“Nope. Different cousin. Trent has a house on Ocean Drive. He’s the one having the party. Derek lives here.” He pointed toward the condo and kept driving. “Several of my cousins have homes in the area. At least for the moment, Derek and his wife, Brooklyn, are the only ones who live here full time. They’ll probably be at the party tomorrow.”

Curt drove past five equally beautiful condos before stopping at the final driveway. With the press of a button the garage door opened, revealing two vehicles parked inside. “How about pizza first? After that we can check out the beach. Or will it be too late?”

She tried to figure out what model of cars they’d pulled in next to. One resembled something she’d seen in a recent James Bond movie. The other was a complete mystery. Whatever they were, they belonged to Curt. She understood why he’d left them here instead of taking them to Pelham. Either of these vehicles would call attention to themselves.

“We should have time,” she answered.

Taylor had left work early this afternoon and got home before the bus dropped Reese off. After Reese ate a quick snack and used the bathroom, they hit the road. Despite being a Friday afternoon, they’d made good time on the drive down. Assuming Reese didn’t linger over dinner, they could take a walk on the beach and still get Reese into bed at a decent hour.

She carried the three pizza boxes inside, while Curt took care of all the bags except for Reese’s backpack. The night before, she’d stuffed it with friends so Peanut wouldn’t be lonely tomorrow when they left him behind. Peanut naturally hadn’t made the backpack. Instead, he’d been strapped in next to her for much of the ride. The rest he’d spent on her lap.

“Make yourselves at home. I’ll bring these upstairs and meet you in the kitchen.” Curt left them standing in the entranceway and carried their things up the staircase.

“Let’s find the kitchen.” Taylor’s comment gave Reese the go-ahead to move around and explore.

A room with a high ceiling took up much of the first floor. Glass doors lined the outermost wall, giving anyone in the room a perfect view of the ocean and beach. A large royal blue sofa faced two extra-large blue-and-white-striped chairs. Two dark coffee tables sat between the sofa and the chairs. Off to the right, a large opening led into an airy kitchen filled with windows. The barstools at the kitchen island matched the coffee tables in the living room. The whole place looked like it’d been plucked straight out of an interior-decorating magazine.

She placed the pizza boxes on the counter. He told us to make ourselves at home. She hadn’t remembered to ask for paper plates when she picked up the food. The glass cabinet doors made locating plates easy. She took three of them down and left them near the pizzas. Glasses followed, although she didn’t know what they’d drink. They hadn’t brought any food or beverages with them, and he’d admitted he hadn’t been at the condo in months. Why someone would have a place with a view like this and not come more often made no sense to her.

“Can I start eating?” Reese climbed onto a barstool and opened the top pizza box. “Yuck. This has sausage on it.” She closed the cover and moved it out of the way.

“You know better, Reese Walker. We’ll wait for Curt.”

“No need. I’m here.” He walked in and went straight to the refrigerator. “What do you want to drink, Reese? Looks like we have apple juice, lemonade, and milk.”

“Apple juice,” Reese answered, pulling open another pizza box for a peek inside.

Okay, how had he managed that? “Did you have a maid or someone go shopping for you?” The place appeared spotless. Not a speck of dust in sight. No house remained closed up for months and dust-free, too. It even smelled clean and fresh. Houses left empty for long periods of time got this stuffy smell to them. Curt’s place smelled slightly of lemons and the ocean.

“Derek. Having a cousin as a neighbor comes in handy. I asked him to fill the refrigerator for me. He got us some hard lemonade as well.” He twisted the caps off two bottles and handed her one. “Whatever we don’t use this weekend, I’ll get rid of when we leave.”

She helped Reese get a slice of cheese pizza, her niece’s favorite. “Did he clean, too?”

“He doesn’t know one end of vacuum from the other. I called the service I always use to come in and touch things up. It handles the cleaning for most of the condos here.”

She vacuumed and cleaned bathrooms because she had to. If she had access to a company that handled it, she’d call them in every week.

Dinner progressed much the same way it did at home. Reese gave them the full scoop of her day at school, and occasionally Taylor had to remind her to not only talk but eat, too. Later, they walked along the private beach she’d viewed from both the kitchen and living room. The ocean water lapping against her feet wasn’t cold, but she needed the air temperature a little warmer before she went swimming in it. Neither Reese nor Curt seemed to mind the temperature. He held Reese’s hand as they waded out far enough for the water to hit her knees before rolling back out.

Although still on the early side, only one other person sat outside enjoying the cool breezes off the ocean. Since Curt merely waved as they passed, she assumed the woman wasn’t his cousin’s wife. A few of the homes even looked empty. No lights appeared on inside, and at two of them the patio furniture on the deck remained covered up.

Before heading back inside, they walked the entire length of the beach in both directions. Reese managed to collect half a dozen seashells and watched the sky above them turn a gorgeous shade of pink as the sun went down. When the stars became visible, Taylor herded her niece inside and upstairs.

“Your bag is in here.” Curt flipped on the bedroom light, revealing a room at least twice the size of Taylor’s room at home.

“I get a TV?” Reese asked, her eyes wide. She walked in, carrying Peanut and the backpack holding all of Peanut’s friends. “What’s in here?” She opened a closed door and turned on the light. “My own bathroom!”

Taylor went straight for the bag and searched for the toothbrush and toothpaste she’d packed. “And why don’t we use it to brush your teeth.” She handed Reese the items as well as her pajamas. “Change while you’re in there, too. I’ll wait right here.” She closed the door and turned. Curt lounged in the doorway, his shoulder against the frame and his arms crossed.

“I put her in here so you’d be close by. My room is right across the hall.” She must have made a face because he straightened up and moved into the room. “There’s a third bedroom if you want it instead. Or you can stay in here, I guess.”

She hadn’t thought about sleeping arrangements when Curt invited them. Faced with the three options, only one appealed to her. “No, I’ll stay with you. I’ll just make sure I’m up in the morning before her.”

Dating a woman with a child brought up issues he’d never considered before, like sleeping arrangements. The few girlfriends who’d stayed with him here or at one of his other homes always slept in his room. There had been no reason for them to sleep anywhere else. Taylor’s hesitation made sense. Reese had probably never seen anyone in her aunt’s bed. And despite her ability to carry on an intelligent conversation, Reese was not even seven years old, way too young to know anything about adult relationships.

“Okay, you’ve got Peanut and the gang. If you need me, I’ll be across the hall. Just come and knock.”

He watched Taylor pull the covers over Reese. The little girl clutched her stuffed tiger tightly. A stuffed penguin and a unicorn rested on the pillow to her right, while a stuffed white-and-black dog and an elephant rested under the covers on her left. He’d been surprised she’d managed to cram so many animals into her backpack. Taylor hadn’t blinked an eye when Reese pulled one animal after another from the bag.

“See you in the morning. I love you.” Taylor kissed Reese’s cheek.

Reese returned the hug. “Love you, too, Auntie Taylor.” She let go and looked over at him. “Can I give you a good night hug, too?”

Before he’d realized it, she’d wrapped him around her little finger. Denying her anything, whether it was a soccer lesson, or in this case a hug, was now impossible. He came forward and took the seat Taylor vacated. What did people say when they tucked kids in? He tried to remember all the times his parents put him to bed.

“Sweet dreams, short stuff.”

Reese kissed his cheek as she wrapped her arms around him. “’Night, Curt. I love you. Thanks for walking in the ocean with me.”

He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the golf ball stuck there. “Love you, too.” Reese, much like her aunt, had crept into his heart and taken up residence there.

Taylor didn’t comment on the words exchanged in Reese’s room as they walked back outside. She must have heard their conversation. Reese wasn’t exactly one to speak in a low voice, and Taylor had been standing close by.

“Between the TV in the room and the private bathroom, we might have trouble getting her to leave Sunday night. She’s been asking for a TV in her bedroom for over two years. And even I’d love my own bathroom.”

He’d brought a bottle of wine outside with them. Curt poured them each a glass and passed one to her as he listened.

“This condo is beautiful and the view incredible. I could get used to seeing this view every morning and night. I can’t believe you don’t live here year-round.”

“The drive from here into Boston every day would’ve killed me. But I try to spend weekends here in the summer. I want you and Reese to come with me when I do.” He sipped his wine and enjoyed the rich citrus flavor.

She didn’t take a drink but instead set the glass down. “I heard Reese tell you she loves you.” Taylor’s fingers moved up and down the stem of the glass, her face a mask of worry and concentration. “And I heard your response.”

Curt interpreted her worry immediately, but she continued before he had a chance to comment.

“I don’t want her to get hurt.” Taylor’s voice contained an uncharacteristic wobble, something he never wanted to hear again when she spoke.

“I meant what I said. I don’t know when it happened. Maybe when she started our soccer lessons. But I love her.” Moving to the edge of his seat, Curt put his wine glass down next to hers. “I love her aunt, too.” He spilled his heart out. It was her turn.

“Really? Do you know when that happened?”

Damned if I know exactly. “Maybe the day we put together my patio furniture. I asked you for an Allen wrench from the toolbox. Instead of asking what it looks like, you asked me what size I wanted. Other women I know would’ve either told me to get it myself or brought over the entire box because they didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“Well, knowing the difference between tools comes in handy. Imagine the disaster if the guy you love asked for a flat-head screwdriver and you brought him a hammer instead. He’d never finish renovating his house. He’d be stuck living there a long time because he couldn’t sell it.”

“I’m not really in any rush to finish. I enjoy doing the work and don’t see myself selling the place anyway.”

“Wasn’t your grand plan to complete your book, renovate the house, and move on?”

Curt shrugged and reached for her. “Yeah, but when I made it I didn’t know a sexy DEA agent who knew her way around a toolbox would be living next door. Now that I do, I changed the plan.” He moved in, ready to kiss her.

“Change is good.” She crossed the empty space between them. “I’m glad you moved next door.” Her last words were smothered against his lips.

Me, too. Her kiss made answering her verbally impossible. So he used his lips to show her instead.