Page 134 of Champagne Nights

“Deal.” She smiled as she held out her hand, and we shook on it.

The feel of her soft skin on mine sent a charge through my body like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, I felt alive again, and in some way, it scared me. We walked a block to a café where we both ordered coffee and omelets. I told Paisley that I had plans for tonight, but I was going to cancel them because I’d muchrather help her shut her family down. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text message to Brady.

“Hey, bro. I’m sorry, but I can’t make it for dinner tonight. Give Linda my apologies and tell her that I’ll make it up to her.”

“Dude, you better have one hell of an excuse to back out of one of Linda’s dinners.”

“I met a girl.”

“That’s good enough. You can tell me all about her tomorrow at the station.”

“Thanks, Brady.”

“You didn’t have to cancel your plans,” Paisley said as she sipped her coffee.

“It was just dinner at my friend Brady’s house. His wife is a really good cook, and she feels sorry for me, so she invites me to dinner occasionally.”

“Your brother, Finn, seems really nice. Do you have any other siblings?”

I looked at her, debating whether or not to tell her about Leah. “I have a half-sister named Leah.”

“Oh. Does she live around here?”

“No. She lives in Texas with her mom. Sixteen years ago, my dad went on a fishing trip with a bunch of guys from the station. He and my mom had just separated, and he met Lindsey at one of the local bars and got her pregnant. It was a one-night stand, and neither one of them wanted anything more. Before she called him and told him she was pregnant, he and my mom worked things out and got back together. Lindsey’s a nice woman, and she’s a good mom. All she asked for was child support for Leah because she’s deaf and she has a lot of medical bills.”

“She’s deaf?” Paisley asked.

“Yeah. I used to go and visit her every couple of months for a weekend. The last time I saw her was when she and Lindsey flewhere for Amy’s funeral. I haven’t been there since Amy died, but we Skype a lot.”

“What about your dad?”

“They communicate through email and sometimes Skype. It’s hard for him because he can’t understand her. When I found out she was deaf, I took a sign language class in school, and I really enjoyed it. I hired a tutor who taught me more and paid for it with the money from my part-time job and grass-cutting money from over the summers. Finn isn’t really interested in getting to know her well, but she’s my sister, and she should know her family.”

“It sounds like you’re pretty close to her.”

“I am. She’s a great kid. I just feel bad that I haven’t gone out to see her since the funeral. It’s just?—”

“You don’t need to say anymore. I know what it is, and I get it.” She smiled as she reached over and placed her hand on mine.

I smiled back at this incredible woman who sat across from me. As soon as we finished eating, we walked back to our vehicles and said our goodbyes.

“Here’s my address. Be at my house around four-thirty, and I’ll drive us to my parents' house. We usually eat at five sharp on Sundays.”

I took the paper from her hand and looked at her address. Her house was only about fifteen minutes from mine.

“Bye, Paisley Logan.” I smiled as I gave a small wave and climbed into my truck.

“Bye, Ben Preston.” She smiled back with a wave.

Chapter Sixteen

Paisley

I didn’t know what to feel as I headed straight to the garage and lit up a cigarette. Surfing and breakfast with Ben today were amazing. It felt great hitting the water and the waves, but it was nice to share the experience with someone other than Keaton. Don’t get me wrong; I love my brother, and I love surfing with him, but it was nice to share my passion with someone else—especially someone like Ben Preston. I smiled every time I thought about him. Guilt was a feeling that was somewhere in the back of my mind. I felt like I was betraying my husband. Even though he was no longer here, it still felt wrong. I took one last puff, put my cigarette out, and went inside the house. Romeo was sitting on the counter by the door, waiting for me. He started to purr as I picked him up and held him close. Shit. I hoped Ben liked cats. Pulling out my phone, I texted him.

“I have a question. Do you like cats?”

“Lol. Yes, I do like cats. Why?”

---