AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did it trigger any headaches?”
“Not a bad one.” But he’d lain in his dark bedroom for a half hour after lifting. “I tried reading the electronic edition of Savannah Now.” And ended up back in the dark for another twenty minutes.
They slipped into silence and the grasses of the waterways slid by.
Even though the temperature was in the nineties, Carolina shut off the air-conditioning and opened her window. He frowned, but followed suit. Hot, humid air rushed in.
“Oh, sorry.” Carolina shook her head like she was coming out of a daze. “I always do this when I’m heading home. I love the smell. Would you rather have the air-conditioning on?”
He sniffed and caught the briny, brackish scent of swamp and rotting vegetation. “You like this?”
She laughed. “It’s the smell of home.”
He sniffed again. “It is?”
Her smile grew. “Weird?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
She slowed as they approached the outskirts of the City of Tybee Island. “What does home smell like to you?”
“I’ve lived so many places.” He closed his eyes and saw the ranch. “Hot dirt. Leather. Manure. Branding the calves.” He chuckled. “I guess those don’t sound very appealing, either.”
They laughed and both sighed as their laughter died. She pulled into a residential neighborhood and onto a white, shell driveway.
“Did you grow up here?” he asked.
“I wasn’t born here. I think we moved when I was four.” She stepped out of the car.
“This is a nice.” He climbed out of the passenger seat and stared at the yellow bungalow with a central white stairway leading up to a large screened-in porch. “Why is it built on stilts?”
“Storm surges.”
“Wow. Hard to imagine the ocean coming up this high. Needs a little paint.”
“I know. I…” Carolina’s shoulders sagged.
“I wasn’t suggesting we paint. Just an observation.”
“I’d like to hire someone.” She pushed her hair back and headed up to the door. “But my mother went on a spending spree and I’m trying to dig her out of debt.”
“Hey, hey.” At the top of the stairs, he pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in his chest. “I wasn’t criticizing.”
“I know.” She pulled away and moved into the porch and to the front door. The locks clicked and she walked into the house.
His nose twitched from the stale, hot air.
Carolina didn’t move. She stood there, biting her lip. With her shoulders slumped and her sad eyes, she looked like every world problem teetered on her shoulders.
He cupped her face. “Are you all right?”
“Everything’s closing in on me.”
“Lean on me. Let me help.” He hugged her close, her body molding to his.
“This is what I need. A little downtime. With you.” She pulled away too soon for him.
She stuffed a stack of mail into her bag. “I’m going to look for that dress. I think the only thing to drink is water in the fridge.”
“Do you want one?” he asked, heading toward where he thought the kitchen should be.
“That would be nice.” She pushed her heavy hair away from her face. “I could turn on the air-conditioning.”
“I’m good.” It sounded like she was short on cash and, after he paid his mortgage, he saved most of his paycheck. Would she accept money from him?
He pulled open the almost empty fridge, grabbed bottles and opened the caps.
The bright yellow kitchen matched what he expected a house that someone as loving as Carolina had grown up in. Red roosters decorated a shelf and red towels hung on the oven handle. But heading back into the living room, the leather, steel and glass didn’t have the warmth he expected. The warmth that matched Carolina’s personality.
“I found it.” Carolina came down the stairs with a small duffel and a garment bag. “If Mamá can come to hear me sing, she can wear this dress. I would really like her there.”
Nothing would keep him from Carolina’s opening. “Maybe I can bring her.”
“That would be sweet.”
This not being able to drive was causing problems. He handed her a bottle of water. “Do we need to be back right away?”
She checked her phone. “I’ve got a couple of hours before I need to change for work.”
“As long as we’re here, let’s take a walk on the beach. Is there someplace we can stop for an early dinner?”
Her face lit up. “I’d like that. I don’t know what’s still open, but we can check.”
Walking down the stairs, he grabbed the railing and paint flaked into his hand. Everything needed to be scraped and painted before the wood rotted.
