AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She laughed, and he relished the sound of it. “Is that a hint, Tee?”
He rolled the sausages over and checked the hash browns. “Maybe, but can you blame me?”
“Not at all.” The air shifted as she stopped near his elbow, and the delicate flowery scent of her perfume carried to him. “I’d love to make you cupcakes, but I’d need to pick up some ingredients.”
Satisfied everything was cooking properly, he turned his back to the frying pan and reached for his coffee mug, which was disappointingly empty. “There’s a minimart in town. You just follow the road until you reach Surf Street, turn left, and you’ll come to the town square.”
“Good to know.” She tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear and looked away. “Thanks for leaving Trevor with me last night. He was great.”
“He behaved himself?”
She met his eyes again and smiled, drinking from her own coffee, which she apparently hadn’t gulped down like a greedy bastard. “He was a perfect gentleman. It’s so nice spending time around dogs. I always wanted one, but it’s not practical when you live in the city.”
Without thinking, he asked, “Do you want to come on a walk with us later?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Her lips pursed and she looked down and twisted the hem of her shirt. He cursed his thoughtlessness. She hadn’t healed yet, even if she looked okay—more than okay—from where he was standing.
“Maybe another time,” she said so quietly he had to strain to hear. “I—”
“Forget I said anything.” He wracked his brain, trying to come up with something that might erase the awkwardness. “Hey, you said you like experimental baking, right?”
She nodded, appearing as relieved for the topic change as he was to have thought of it.
“You should meet Faith. She’s Haven Bay’s resident ice cream whiz. She has a gourmet ice cream parlor down by the beach and always has a few new flavors on rotation. Some are really bizarre, but most are surprisingly delicious.”
“She sounds like my kind of girl.”
He nodded, stacking sausages and hash browns into a warmer. “Remind me to introduce you sometime.”
“I will.”
* * *
Later in the day,Megan clutched the steering wheel of her car and stared down the driveway, over the bridge, and toward the road into town.
“Just do it,” she said to herself. “Just put your foot on the accelerator and drive to the minimart.”
Every cell of her body protested.
She eased her trembling right foot down. The car shot forward. For one brief, glorious moment, she thought she’d done it, but then her foot jammed on the brake and the car skidded over the gravel, the rear end spinning around. She screeched to a halt just this side of the bridge and switched off the engine. Then, with shaky hands, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She couldn’t do it. At this rate, she’d cause an accident if she even tried. She was simply too scared to leave the lodge. Earlier, when Tione had invited her for a walk, a brick of ice had dropped into her stomach. She’d hoped she could overcome the knee-jerk reaction with logic and the power of positive thinking, but she’d been wrong.
She turned the car around, parked, then climbed out and headed in the direction of the road on foot. She reached the bridge and glanced around to make sure no one was watching. God knew she didn’t need the embarrassment of having someone witness her craziness, but the coast was clear. She took one step, then another. With each step away from Sanctuary, the sensation of being exposed and vulnerable grew. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and her instincts told her that she wasn’t safe out here in the open. She was only safe in her room, with other guests around her and a bull mastiff watching her back. But she forced herself to keep going. If she continued for long enough, surely her confidence would kick in and she’d realize how silly it was to be afraid.
Instead, her skin crawled with discomfort. Every one of her nerves was hyper alert. Every noise seemed amplified. The scuffle of an animal in the bushes. The crash of the waves in the distance. They piled on top of each other, overwhelming her. Her pulse thundered in her ears, and she’d gone less than a hundred yards when she couldn’t take it anymore.
Spinning around, she fled back to the safety of Sanctuary as quickly as her legs could carry her. She didn’t stop until she slammed her bedroom door, slid the bolt home, and dropped to her knees with relief. Her vision blurred and she drew herself into a ball, dragging in long, rough breaths.
It was okay. She’d be okay. But it would take more time.
9
“Hi, can I sit?”
“Of course.” Megan smiled at Brooke as she claimed the seat across from her in the busy dining hall and blew on a mug of tea. “How are you? I haven’t seen you for a couple of days.”
Brooke sipped her drink, then made a face. “Too hot. Yeah, I’ve been busy with the latest chapter of my thesis, which was due tonight. I sent it in half an hour ago.”
