Page 26 of Bountiful
Hardly a Sunday lunch with my family went by without someone mentioning the unusual russet color of Nicole’s hair. “Her daddy is a redhead. Must be,” Otto had said more than once, hoping I’d spill thestory.
But Nicole’s parentage was private. Someday when she was old enough to hear the truth, I’d tell her the story of meeting the stranger who became her daddy, and how I’d searched for him when I’d figured out I was pregnant. I’ll tell her he was a good man, but just passing through. Nobody deserved to hear that story before Nicole heard itherself.
And, by then, maybe there would be another good man in my life. A girl coulddream.
“You deserve someone,” Benito would say sometimes. “Webothdo.”
“Then where are my guy and yourwoman?”
“They’re out there somewhere,” he’dinsist.
Most days I didn’t really believe him. Dating wasn’t practical for someone with a toddler. I didn’t even let itbotherme.
As for Benito, he’d been in love once. And I’d wrecked it. If he was right that there was someone out there for everyone, I was sure he deserved it more thanIdid.
In the meantime, Benito was my only confidante. He knew the details of my life-changing hookup, because I’d needed someone to help me search for Dave when I’d learned I was pregnant. Since Ben was in law enforcement, he was a goodchoice.
Also, for all his flaws, my twin was avault.
As the clock ticked toward morning, I allowed myself the briefest memory of Dave’s chiseled face and the feel of his taut muscles beneath myfingers.
Then Islept.
ChapterNine
Dave
“God, I loveVermont.”
I said this as my rental car took another curve along a beautiful winding road. I had the windows down, and, out the passenger’s side, I saw a grassy hillside where honest-to-God sheep were grazing. “Look! Youseethat?”
“Baa-aaa,” my teammate Leo Trevi answered from the passenger seat. “Seriously, this place is like driving through a travel magazine. Who chose this trip,anyway?”
“Me—this time. But two years ago we rented a cabin up here for eight weeks. I forget whose idea it was. Bayer’s, maybe? I saved the card from the rental company so I could find it again.” I slowed down to make the turn toward Marbury and flipped on the turn signal. A reflex—there were no other cars in sight. And the sheep didn’t really care if Isignaled.
Yesterday I’d come back to Vermont for the first time in two years. I’d thought maybe the place wouldn’t look as good as it did in my memory. I shouldn’t have worried. This rugged little corner of New England was just as great as I’dremembered.
Vermont was just the same. Even if I wasn’t. “I needed this vacation, badly,” I admitted. “And last year the guys talked me into going golfing in the Carolinas. So this year I stepped up and made these plans so Castro wouldn’t force me do thatagain.”
The rookie snickered. “Not a biggolfer?”
“Nope. You?” I didn’t know Trevi all that well. He’d joined the team less than six months ago. He was a good guy, and I liked him. But we didn’t have a whole lot in common. He was a college boy from Long Island. I was a ruffian from the wrong side of Detroit. Also, I had seven or eight yearsonhim.
“I’m from Long Island. Everybody golfs. I could take it orleaveit.”
“I knew Ilikedyou.”
“This is going to be great. You said there was flyfishing?”
“Yeah, and I hired us a guide for tomorrow. Can you picture O’Doul in waders? It’s asight.”
The rookie laughed. “I saw those pictures on somebody’s phone. Are we going to have fish fordinner?”
“Depends on what you catch. If nothing’s biting, we’ll go to the barinstead.”
“Tell me about this bartender,” Leo prompted. “This woman—Z…Zoe,wasit?”
“Zara. But she doesn’t work thereanymore.”
