Page 14 of Dreaming at Seaside
You remembered.“It’s tough on kids to move, especially teenagers. What brought you to Wellfleet?”
“My partner was killed in the line of duty, and it was a wake-up call. I realized that if something happened to me, Ev wouldn’t have anyone. His mom took off a week after he was born, and I haven’t seen her since. Other than my parents, I’m the only family Evan has ever known.”
He was so open and honest, and his words were thick with love. She felt her resolve soften a little more. She wanted to get to know him better, despite her plan to remain distant.
“I’m so sorry about your partner. That must have been very painful.”
When he continued, his voice was thoughtful. “It was. Sometimes it still is, but moving helped.” He smiled, but it wasn’t the easy smile she’d seen earlier. His eyes remained serious. “I knew moving would be tough on Evan, and it wasn’t an easy decision to move away from my parents, but it was more important to me that I work someplace safer. Hopefully, I’ll be around for Evan until he’s old and gray.”
“So you raised him alone?”
“Since the day he was left in my arms.” He smiled again, and this time it was full of love, and his eyes filled with pride.
They stopped to look over paintings, but Bella couldn’t take her eyes off of this man who had changed his life to protect his son.
“What about you? Has the move been tough for you?” she asked.
His answer came easily. “Nothing is too difficult when I’m doing it for Evan.” He shrugged, as if life decisions were that simple.
Bella had made her decision to change her life in a split second as well. Maybe life decisions really were that easy.
“In all honestly, I had to start on the bottom rung here. You know, new department, new city, and all that. It took some getting used to, but hopefully in the long run it will be worth it. What about you, Bella? Have you ever been married?”
She laughed. “Wow. You don’t beat around the bush. No commitments, remember?”
“You mentioned that that was a recent decision.”
What is it about you that makes me want to spill my guts?“It was semi recent. I made the decision not to…”Date? Get involved in a relationship?She didn’t want to stipulate either so definitively with Caden. “I made the decision in the spring, and no, I’ve never been married.” She was feeling too flustered inside toward him. She needed a little deflection. “And I’m not looking to get married anytime soon, so don’t drop to one knee and whip out a ring, either.”
He laughed.Thank goodness. At least he didn’t think she was as crazy as she felt.
“I’m basically starting over, too. I’ll be happy to find a job for the fall, sell my house, and settle into a life that doesn’t rely on someone else’s honesty.”Holy cow. Where did all that come from?She couldn’t stop herself from explaining. “I made a deal with myself that I’d make my life decisions based on me and me alone. Oh geez, that sounds terribly selfish given what you’ve done for Evan.”
“You don’t have children, so it’s different.”
“Either you’re a great liar, or you’re the most understanding man I’ve ever met. I guess it’s different, but what I meant was, I’d make my decisions separate from a relationship. You know, separate heart and mind and all that.”
Caden’s eyes grew serious. “There’s an all that? I thought that when the heart made a decision, the mind had no choice. Huh.”
“I’m hoping there’s a separation of heart and mind, but if I’m not in a committed relationship, it won’t be an issue anyway.”Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Oh my gosh, here it goes…“I have an offer to get my old job back in Connecticut, and I’m trying to build a work-study program here.Thatchoice has to come from what I want.”
He reached for her hand—even after all she’d said. “Well, I think that makes total sense.” He guided her to the next booth, and she was sure her jaw was gaping as she stared at their interlaced fingers. They felt like they belonged together.
“Here’s the hair stuff,” he said.
She should pull away. She knew she should, but she didn’t, despite everything she’d just admitted. She told herself it was curiosity, to see if he would pull away first, but in truth, she liked the feel of him.
She likedhim.
It was that simple.
And that complicated.
She picked up three boxes of ponytail holders. “I’ll take these, please.”
Caden withdrew his wallet.
“I think I can afford hair bands.” She pulled a ten-dollar bill from her purse and paid for the bands. She wasn’t used to men offering to buy anything other than dinner or a movie, and it had never bothered her. In fact, she’d never thought anything of paying for her own things when she was out with a man. Until this very second. She told herself to be careful. Thoughtful, generous, and understanding was a dangerous—and from her experience, uncommon—combination in a man.
