Page 13 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
“Hey, do you want to see the lighthouse?” Dylan suggested. “It’s just a short walk down past my cousin Holly’s house, but we could take the kids up in it.”
“Really?” The offer was good enough that it jogged her out of her confused reverie. “It’s okay to do that?”
Dylan let out a little laugh, a rumbling sound that resonated within her own lungs. “Sure. My family has been maintaining it for generations, so it’s not a problem at all.”
“I think the kids would love that, especially Elijah.”
“Lila! Bring the kids down. We’re going to the lighthouse,” Dylan called at the bottom of the stairs.
A moment later, three pairs of footsteps came rumbling down. “The lighthouse?” Elijah asked, excitement illuminating his eyes.
“Yep,” Dylan confirmed. “We can even go inside it.”
“Wow! All right!” Without even asking, Elijah raced through the kitchen and was out the back door. Vivian wentafter him.
Lila came at a slightly more casual pace behind them, but still moving with the energy of youth. “Hang on, guys! It’ll be there waiting for us.”
As the kids walked ahead, each of them taking one of Lila’s hands, Stacey was left to walk next to Dylan down the beach. She was happy to have some time alone with him. After the night before, she definitely wanted to get to know him better. It was just much harder to do that at forty-two than it’d been at twenty. It was a problem her brain was holding onto like a dog with a bone. She knew the best starting point was to get to know him better, but at the moment, she struggled with what to say.
“I had a nice time last night,” Dylan said, breaking the ice for her.
“Even with the unexpected company?” she challenged, easily remembering the horror that’d run through both of them when her mother had walked out.
“Yes, even with that. I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime, actually. I do go to The Dune Stop a lot, but there are plenty of other places I could show you around here,” he offered. “Like my brother Ross’s place up in P-Town, Captain’s Quarters.”
Something inside her was leaping straight at him, screaming “Yes!” at the top of its lungs. It wasn’ta matter of where they went or what they did. It was about being together. “Sure. I’ll talk to Mom and see if she’s available. She probably is, but I never assume.”
“Actually, I bet Lila would be happy to keep an eye on them. If you feel comfortable with that,” he added quickly. “They’re all getting along well.”
It was a generous offer, one that set Stacey’s mind at ease. Dylan wouldn’t have offered the date or the babysitter if he didn’t genuinely want to go out with her again. Another outing with a handsome man who was kind, polite, helpful, and a good father? Who could say no to that? “Sounds perfect.”
They’d reached the foot of the lighthouse, which meant any romantic talk ceased while Dylan pulled out his keys and opened the door. “Make sure you hold onto the railing. There are a lot of steps, but the view at the top is worth it.”
“Neato,” Elijah breathed, and then he laughed. “Listen to my voice in here!” He said more loudly.
Dylan chuckled as they made their way to the top. “This old place has changed a lot over the years. These days, everything is automated. All we really have to do is change out the lightbulb every once in a while or do a bit of painting and refinishing.”
Stacey’s legs burned as they made their way upthe stairs. She’d gotten one hell of a workout over the last few weeks as they’d gone through the lengthy process of moving, and there was still more to come. Carrying in all that furniture with Dylan the day before had certainly contributed, and she could feel the climb straining her thighs. She wasn’t going to complain, though, not when her kids were having so much fun.
“Wow! Look!” The kids had reached the top first, and Elijah had gone straight to the panoramic windows surrounding the lantern room. “You can see everything from here!”
“Just about,” Dylan agreed casually. “Way back in the day, the lighthouse keeper had to climb up these stairs several times a day to make sure the lamp was lit and everything was working properly. It was a full-time job.”
“I want to do that!” Elijah enthused.
Playing along, Dylan nodded. “It sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it?”
Stacey knew there was no way in hell Elijah would actually want to do such a thing. The excitement over the view and the huge light would wear thin quickly, but that didn’t matter. He was happy right now, and that was whatdidmatter. She was enjoying the view quite a bit herself. “This is the sortof thing that makes me wish I had artistic talent. A cell phone picture can’t really capture this.”
Dylan stepped up next to her, their shoulders rubbing. “There’s a lot that can’t really be captured with a photo.”
“Hey, look! A boat!” Vivian’s finger stabbed at the glass, pointing at the water below them.
“Sure is,” Stacey agreed, unflustered by such an occurrence.
Dylan, however, was frowning deeply. His brows furrowed as the boat drew closer to the beach. “Guys, it’s time to go back down.”
“Aww,” Elijah moaned.
