Page 52 of Unspoken Love

Watching?

His breath caught.

At the base of the stairs stood a blonde woman in a long cream-colored gown. Her hair was half pinned up, half flowing around her shoulders. Was there wind in here?

She looked at him with blue eyes that were so sad that he felt her pain in his chest almost instantly.

When their eyes locked, she turned slightly and motioned to the far wall.

“My heart.” A whisper on the wind.

He took one step toward her, toward the wall, heart hammering against his ribs.

Then—

He jolted awake and sat up in the bed beside Faye, dislodging the blankets from her.

Blinking a few times, he scanned the room. The bedroom door was solidly shut. The wind blew softly through the windows.

The house was completely silent except for the steady beat of the waves outside.

He allowed time for his heart to settle before quietly lying back down beside Faye and pulling her gently next to him.

Just a dream, he told himself as he drifted back to sleep.

Morning light streaming through the windows, warm and bright, woke him the next morning. The scent of coffee drifted in from the kitchen and the bed beside him was empty and cold.

When he made his way into the kitchen, he avoided glancing at the spot where the woman and had been and the wall she had pointed at in his dream. Faye was standing at the kitchen counter in those sexy shorts and his T-shirt. Her long hair was braided to one side, and she had a sleepy smile on her face as she held out a mug to him.

Her eyes ran over him quickly and a slight frown formed on her lips.

“Are you okay?” she asked, handing him the mug.

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “I just had a weird dream.”

He didn’t mention the shadow he’d seen or the woman. Still, all morning long as they ate and got ready for their day, the woman’s voice echoed in his head.

He drove them into town in his truck, Faye’s fingers tapping against her thigh in rhythm with the music playing low from the radio.

“Big day at Brew-Ha-Ha?” he teased.

“Always,” she said. “Everyone’s been wearing red, white, and blue all weekend.” She motioned to her red shirt. “Thankfully, Jessie texted me this morning reminding me.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t implement a dress code,” he joked. “Clover and Lea get way into holidays. Every year for Halloween, they dress up all month long.”

“Really?”

He laughed as he pulled into the parking lot. “Actually, it was my mother who started that tradition. My uncle Nate—who I was named after—loved Halloween,” he said, glancing over at her. He leaned across to kiss her gently. “If you need anything, let me know.”

She nodded and laid her hand on his cheek. “I’m fine,” she said, and he wondered if it was more for her benefit than his own.

“Any pain?” he asked quickly.

She narrowed her eyes as if thinking about it. “Just a little, but the worst part is that my hearing is still muffled. I may not work the register today and stock shelves instead.”

“Good idea.”

She tilted her head. “What happened with the woman?”