Page 26 of Whispers at Seaside
“Wait, did you say this weekend?” Drake asked. “Rick and I are supposed to take Hagen camping. We promised him last month, remember? Or did you and Matt want to make plans with him instead?”
“I think she’d like to make plans with Matt instead,” Serena said under her breath.
“TMI, Serena.” Rick patted Mira’s shoulder supportively as he passed and went into Drake’s office. He ruffled Hagen’s hair and crouched beside him, saying something Mira couldn’t hear.
“I forgot the no-mom-allowed camping trip was this weekend. Yes, of course he can still go. Sorry, Serena. Can I take a rain check?” Her fingers itched to text Matt and tell him they had a weekend alone to look forward to.
“Absolutely. Anytime.”
“Thanks. I’ll remind Hagen today. It’ll be all he thinks about until you leave.”
And a weekend alone with Matt will be all I’ll think about until you leave, too.
MATT GOT UP early and spent hours researching and writing on the deck of the cottage, his two favorite aspects of his teaching position. Even in the short time since he’d left Princeton—including the two weeks of research and writing he’d done in New Jersey before coming to the Cape—he already felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. There was no one to block his progress, no red tape to wade through.
In addition to feeling free of administrative restraints, he’d forgotten how nice it was to wake up to something other than the sounds of the city and to breathe air that tasted of the sea. He’d even forgotten what it was like to have breakfast with friends and family, as he had this morning on Pete’s deck. It was such a simple thing, and it felt like a luxury. Back home, his mornings consisted of a quick cup of coffee in a to-go cup, dealing with student issues, and sitting in the oppressive office he’d worked so hard to obtain. It was only eleven thirty and he’d already gotten more work done on his book than he could have by midnight if he were still teaching. His only distractions were thoughts of a weekend alone with Mira, which was the best distraction of all, the warm sun’s rays on his skin, and the sounds of his niece and the other kids playing down at the pool. Even Kurt Remington, a bestselling thriller author who was once so set in his ways he had a hard time pulling away from his computer for more than a few minutes, had been down at the pool.
Matt hadn’t been sure he could leave teaching behind and just write. But he was quickly learning that writing a book was very different from writing a research paper. There was nojustabout it. It was as exhilarating as it was challenging and offered an entirely different type of intellectual stimulation. And best of all, he had time with Mira and Hagen.
At around noon, Matt walked into his father’s hardware store, and the sound of Mira’s voice brought a smile to his lips.
“It’ll pay for itself in productivity time alone,” Mira said as she came out of the back room.
His father grumbled something Matt couldn’t make out.
“Matt,” his father and Mira said in unison.
Matt kissed Mira’s cheek. “Hi, sunshine. I thought I’d treat you to lunch. That is, if my father can spare you.”
“You’re in town for a few days and you already scooped up the prettiest single woman around?” His father embraced him. “And here I thought you came to visitme.”
“I want to visit with you, too, Pop. How about if I come by the house after you close tonight?” He wanted to see Mira this evening, too, but as much as he’d like to insert himself into her life, he didn’t want to smother her.
“Sounds good to me,” his father answered. “We close at seven.”
“I know. I’ll come by around seven thirty. I take it you don’t mind if I treat Mira to lunch?”
“It’s about time you took this young lady out on a proper date. All those willy-nilly visits were driving me crazy.” His father smiled. “Please, get her out of here. She’s talking nonsense anyway.”
Mira shook her head and grabbed her purse from beneath the counter. “You are a stubborn man, Neil Lacroux.”
“You sound like my late wife,” his father said.
No wonder I like her so much.Matt took Mira’s hand. “No more willy-nilly, Pop. You’ve got my word.”
“For the next three months, anyway,” his father grumbled.
Not for the first time since he’d accepted the book deal and taken the sabbatical, the thought of getting close to Mira and then leaving again made Matt’s gut knot up. When Mira had texted him earlier, they’d made plans to take Hagen shopping for his camping trip Wednesday evening, and he was even looking forward to doing that.
“Get out of here.” Neil waved them toward the door. “Maybe she can convince you it’s time to come home for good.”
Matt’s father had always supported his love of academics, and he knew he was just busting his chops now, though he knew how badly his father missed him and how much he wished one of his children would take over the store.
Matt held the door open for Mira. “I thought we’d go to the Sunbird Café.”
Once they stepped outside, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her properly—slow and deep, with all the emotions that had been building up since the last time they’d kissed.
“Wow,” she said breathlessly. “Will I ever get used to those kisses?”
