Page 106 of Coming Home to Wishington Bay
He shrugged. ‘I’d have preferred honesty. And there was no chance Bryan was going to shed over her. He stayed well away from the moment we got there. Obviously knew something I didn’t. Besides most of the time she was in a bikini! What’s there to get fluff on?’
‘Oh, you noticed that, did you?’
‘Only in that most surfers don’t wear bikinis, at least not without a rash vest over them.’
‘I think putting something over it might have defeated the object.’
He stopped, catching my arm. ‘Holly. I honestly don’t know why I even said yes when she asked me out. I kind of got caught on the hop and next thing I knew she’d arranged everything for today.’
‘Well, better luck next time, eh?’ I said, trying to make light of it, as I fumbled with my door keys. Even if it hadn’t worked out with this one, there was always going to be another one. You only had to take one look at him to know that.
‘No.’
‘Huh?’
‘No,’ he said, taking them off me and plugging the correct one in the slot after my third miss.
‘Thanks. Bit nervous and excited about the baby! And no what?’
‘About another time. I don’t want there to be another time.’
‘I didn’t mean necessarily with her. I just meant generally. Maybe someone who likes dogs this time.’
‘Definitely needs to like dogs.’
I grabbed my car keys from the bowl by the door and turned straight around again.
‘OK. Well, see you later.’
‘I’m coming.’
‘What?’
‘Carrie and Ned asked me to come.’
‘Why?’ I asked, suddenly on alert. ‘Is there something they might need you for? Something they think might be wrong?’
‘No,’ Gabe sighed. ‘Because we’re friends. And because they know you better than you know yourself. You’ve been trying to open the car with the garage door remote for the last two minutes. And that hasn’t worked in three years.’
‘I wondered what that was for. I just added it to my key ring to look at later.’
‘Do you want me to drive?’
‘Where’s Bryan?’
‘Sophia from the restaurant has him for the evening. Keys?’
Wiping my hands on my dress, I felt the mixture of anticipation and excitement, along with a massive dose of nerves roil in my stomach and I tossed the keys to Gabe.
‘Remember. Bend it, I bend you.’
‘Understood.’
* * *
It had been over five hours now since they’d expected an imminent arrival but there was still no sign of the newest member of our family. My stomach growled yet again.
‘You can’t blame that one on another visitor. We’re the only ones here now. Did you not eat at the restaurant?’
