Page 44 of An Unexpected Match

And she’d love to see Brendan in a bathing suit, actually see the body she’d been fantasizing about for weeks.

And spend time with him.

He didn’t refuse immediately, but she could see it coming. Why not just throw herself at him, she thought in disgust.

“Can we, Daddy? Can we?”

Hailey almost bounced in her chair, she was so excited. “We haven’t been to the beach in a long time.”

“I want to go,” Avery said, picking up on her sister’s enthusiasm.

“Not tomorrow,” Brendan said at last.

He looked away.

“I have things to do to prepare for my trip next week. I was planning to work at home this weekend.”

“I can still take them, if you like,” Arden offered.

Disappointment seemed to be a constant with her lately. She smiled at Hailey and Avery.

“I’ll take them tomorrow and you’ll be able to work as much as you want without being interrupted.”

“I can’t ask you to do that on your day off.”

“You didn’t, I’m volunteering. I think it will be fun. If you get finished early, I’ll let you know where we’ll be and you can join us.”

Saturday seemed to drag by. Brendan put in the time on the projections he needed completed for the upcoming trip. Then he wandered around the house, feeling its emptiness.

He’d known last night he dare not join Arden and the girls at the beach. He needed to keep his distance to keep his sanity. And seeing Arden in a bathing suit was a sure-fired way to forget all about distance. But the day seemed empty and long with all of them gone.

As he studied the drawings that Arden had scattered in every room, he was struck by how different the house looked—far different from the immaculate showplace Lannie had kept. Would she have hung up Hailey’s work? Displayed it proudly so their daughter felt cherished? He thought so, if she let Hailey draw something.

He picked up a doll and placed it on the sofa, sitting beside it. Closing his eyes, he leaned back. It was hard to remember what Lannie looked like now. Every time he tried to envision her, Arden’s face danced behind his eyes. Her laughter echoed in his ears.

She was vibrant and had a zest for living that was infectious. He wondered what her paintings were like. And was she truly resigned to go the commercial art route or did she secretly long to paint for the sheer joy of it?

He rose and wandered into the family room. Arden had left her door open. It wasn’t prying if he didn’t go in the room.

He stood in the doorway and studied the changes she’d made.

Two pairs of shorts were on her bed as if she’d been trying to decide what to wear that morning. A large canvas stood facing the window on an easel, where it’d get the most light. He was curious to see what she was working on, but there was a limit to his comfort level in invading her space. On the dresser was a sketchbook, flipped opened. He couldn’t quite make out the figure she’d drawn. It looked like a Viking. Was that for her project?

He leaned against the doorjamb, conscious of the fragrance wafting through the air. It was Arden’s. He studied the bottles on the dresser, wondering which was her perfume and what it was called.

Suddenly, he wondered if he’d been a fool to pass up the chance to spend the day with her. To see her laughing with his daughters, racing them on the sand, and building fantasy castles near the water’s edge.

But what he missed most was the chance to see her in a bathing suit, water glistening on her skin, her hair wet and clinging to her neck. The glow of perfect health radiating from her as she smiled at him.

Next time, if there was a next time, he’d go. He could handle the attraction that seemed to flare between them. She’d done nothing untoward in the presence of his children. A day at the beach would be fun.

It was late afternoon when they returned. Brendan came from his home office just as the girls raced into the house. Their cheeks were rosy, sand trailed behind them.

“Run upstairs and we’ll take a bath first thing,” Arden was saying as she maneuvered inside carrying a beach ball, two soggy towels, and a beach bag.

Her cheeks were rosy as well. The top and shorts she wore covered her, but the damp spots visible let Brendan know she had pulled them over her wet suit.

“Hi, Daddy,” Hailey veered toward Brendan. “We had the bestest time at the beach. We made a gigantic castle and Avery chased crabs. And then Arden said we brought half the beach home with us, but we didn’t. It was a very big beach.”

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