Starting Over (Treading Water Trilogy) (29 page)

When Brandon tried to pick up where they left off, Daphne pushed him away. “Let’s go. There’ll be time for that later.”

“I’m not going to make it to later.”

She sent him a coy smile that was full of promises. “Be strong and
behave
.”

“I don’t like your attitude,” he grumbled as he followed her inside.

Chapter 25, Day 74

Brandon reached his limit at six o’clock. He had followed Mike around with her Easter basket while she searched for eggs, played a competitive game of
Wiffle
ball with his brothers, Tommy, and the kids, and put in his time with the family. Now he wanted to take his lady and get the hell out of there. He went looking for Erin and found her loading the dishwasher for the second time.

“Time for Operation Mike,” Brandon told her. “Be subtle, okay?”

“I know what to do. Don’t worry.”

“What’s our curfew in the morning?”

“You don’t have one. We’re taking it easy tomorrow because the kids are on vacation, and everyone will be tired after today—especially me.”

Brandon kissed his sister’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“I’m happy to have her, Brand. She’s such a cute kid. She and Josh are like two peas in a pod, aren’t they?”

“Totally. Mike followed him around all day, but he doesn’t seem to mind.”

Erin took off the apron she’d put on over her lavender silk dress. “Leave Daphne to me.”

Brandon hung back to watch as Erin went outside to join Colleen and Daphne on the deck. They looked over to where the kids were playing on the swings. He saw the exact moment when Erin asked if Mike could stay.

Daphne’s expression became closed and guarded as she shook her head to say no.

Brandon’s stomach fell with disappointment.

Erin reached for Daphne’s hand and spoke quietly to her.

Brandon held his breath while he waited to see what Daphne would do.

She looked over at Mike and then back at Erin. This time she said yes.

Brandon wanted to whoop with relief when he joined them on the deck. The morning’s bright sunshine had given way to clouds, and rain threatened as he sat next to Daphne and put his arm around her.

“Erin invited Mike to spend the night,” Daphne said.

“What a great idea,” he said, feigning surprise.

Daphne rolled her eyes to let him know she wasn’t buying his act and called Mike over to them.

Mike’s yellow dress had held up well despite the busy day, but her cheek was smudged with dirt, and the white shoes and socks had been abandoned.

“What’d you want, Mom?” she asked, annoyed when Daphne tried to brush the dirt off her face.

“Mr. and Mrs. Maloney invited you to spend the night with the kids. Would you like to do that?”

Again Brandon held his breath.

Mike’s face lit up for a brief second and then fell just as fast. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“I think it’ll be okay.”

“You do? Really?”

Daphne nodded. “We even have a bag for you in the car. What a coincidence, huh?” she asked with an amused glance at Brandon.

He shrugged with innocence.

“Did you bring Brandon the Bear?” Mike asked.

“Sure did,” Daphne said.

Mike bit her fingernail, her eyes shifting from her mother to Brandon. “But what if, you know…”

Brandon held out his arms to Mike and brought her close enough to whisper in her ear that Erin and Tommy knew everything and she would be safe with them. “I’d never let you be anywhere that wasn’t safe.”

“Can I call you and Mom if I get scared?”

“Of course, you can,” Brandon said. “I’ll write down my cell phone number for you, okay?”

“Okay.”

The solemn expression on her little face tugged at his heart. He nodded to encourage her.

“Thank you, Mrs. Maloney,” she said to Erin. “I’d like to stay.”

“We’ll have a great time,” Erin assured her. “But Mrs. Maloney is my mother-in-law. You have to call me Erin, deal?”

Mike grinned when she achieved first-name status with yet another adult and shook Erin’s outstretched hand. “Deal.” She hugged and kissed Daphne and Brandon and took off to rejoin the kids.

Brandon waited on the deck while Erin went with Daphne to get Mike’s bag.

“You have a way with that child,” Colleen said.

“She’s my buddy.”

“You love her.”

Brandon nodded.

“Both of them.”

“Right again.”

Colleen studied him. “Good. That’s exactly what you need.”

Brandon laughed. “Says who?”

“Says your mother.” She squeezed his hand. “Cherish it, love. Be careful with it.”

He leaned down to kiss her good-bye. “I will.”

Daphne was quiet as they drove away from Erin’s.

Brandon reached for her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She cradled his hand between hers.

“Are you worried about Mike?”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. She was so excited.”

“Has she ever done anything like this before?”

Daphne shook her head. “Another first.”

Brandon stopped the car and turned to her. “Why don’t we go back and get her? She’s not ready. I shouldn’t have done this.”

“She’ll have so much fun she won’t give us a thought.”

“How about you?” He kissed the palm of her hand. “This’ll be the first night you’ve spent away from her, won’t it?”

She nodded. “Do you know who was the first person to ever put her in a car and drive her away from me?”

“No, who?”

“You. The day you took her to play at Erin’s.”

Brandon sighed. “You must’ve been freaking out the whole time we were gone.”

“No, I wasn’t. I knew she’d be safe with you, just like I know she’ll be safe with Erin and Tommy. If I wasn’t sure of that, I wouldn’t have left her.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I told them, but I knew you’d never go for it if they weren’t in the loop.”

“You handled it perfectly. Thank you for arranging all of this and for sharing your wonderful family with us. This was the nicest day I’ve had in a long time.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping they weren’t overwhelming you.”

“They were lovely. It was so sweet of your mother to bring an Easter basket for Mike, too.”

He shifted the car back into drive. “Let me tell you what—if she likes you, you’re home free with the O’Malleys, and you scored a grand slam with her.”

“I take it that’s good?”

“Clearly, we need to work on your baseball knowledge. Just don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the Red Sox. That could be a deal breaker.”

“We’re still talking baseball, right?”

“
Oh, come on
,” he groaned. “Tell me you’re kidding me!”

“I’m kidding you.”

He smiled. “Good thing. I’d hate to have to dump you off at home after all I did to get you alone.”

“And where exactly are you taking me?” she asked as they left Chatham behind.

“Away.”

Thirty minutes later, Brandon pulled into a gravel parking lot at the end of Rock Harbor Road in Orleans, on Cape Cod’s north shore.

“Where are we?” Daphne asked.

“The Rock Harbor Inn. A friend from my high school swim team owns it.”

Daphne’s eyes were shiny with tears.

“What?” he asked, alarmed. “Do you not want to do this? We don’t have to—”

She silenced him with a kiss that made him want to beg first for mercy and then for more.

“Why the tears?” he whispered, brushing them away with his lips.

“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”

“It was no trouble. I told you I wanted our first night together to be special, and I didn’t want to be too far from Mike, just in case…”

“It’s perfect.”

“How about a walk in the rain? The beach is just down that path over there. Do you mind getting wet?”

“Not at all.”

They walked arm in arm across the inn’s expansive front lawn. At the top of the stairs, Brandon stopped her. “Do you smell that?” He tilted his face into the light rain and took a deep breath.

“What?”

“That earthy smell that comes with the rain. I used to love that smell when I was a kid. I can’t remember the last time I noticed it.”

“I love the smell of the beach.”

“Did you grow up near one?” he asked, helping her down the small flight of stairs to the beach. They kicked off their shoes at the foot of the stairs.

“Stinson. North of San Francisco.”

“I’ve been to San Fran but not Stinson. Is that where you lived?”

“No, we lived in Sausalito, just over the Golden Gate from San Fran. My parents owned an art gallery in town. They carried Randy’s work. That’s how I met him.”

“Where are they now? Your parents?”

“Still living in Sausalito, but they’re retired. They sold the gallery a few years ago. They’re both painters, and I picture them whiling away their days in front of their easels.”

“Did you get any of their artistic ability?”

“No, but Mike did. I can already see it in her painting. I got all the left-brain stuff—math and logic—and none of the creative genes the rest of my family has.”

Brandon walked her to a lifeguard chair and helped her up the ladder. He climbed up behind her and drew her onto his lap.

“What was your name then? Before you were married?”

“
Flemming
.”

“Daphne
Flemming
,” he said, trying it on for size. “When was the last time you saw your parents?”

“Two days before Randy died. Their house was the first place Monroe’s thugs went after we left.”

“Oh, Daph.” Brandon hugged her to him. “You must miss them so much.”

“I do. I have two brothers and a sister, and nieces and nephews I’ve never met. Being with your family today made me sad for what Mike and I are missing with mine.”

“Do you have any contact with them?”

“I get word to them once or twice a year, so they know we’re safe, but that’s it. I have no idea how far the
Monroes
would go to find us, so the less my family knows, the better.”

“Alan will find a way out of this for us.” Brandon prayed it was true. “This week, we’ll figure something out.”

She brushed away the raindrops that had gathered on his face. “I hope you know how much I appreciate your help, but if all I ever had was you and Mike, that would be enough for me. I could hide out with you forever.”

He kissed her then the way he’d been longing to all day. Finally, no one was watching, no one needed them for anything, no one would interrupt. He could take his time to savor every feeling and satisfy every desire. “Do you know what I’ve never done?” He kissed her cheeks, the end of her nose, and her forehead.

“What?” she asked, breathless.

“I’ve never in my life made love.”

Confused, she said, “But, surely you’ve, you know…”

“I’ve had plenty of sex, but never with someone I loved. Will you come with me and show me what I’ve been missing?”

She got up from his lap and offered her hand.

They climbed down from the lifeguard chair, and when Daphne surprised him by dashing for the stairs, Brandon laughed and raced after her.

Chapter 26, Day 74

Colin got home from Erin’s house and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. He’d tried to talk Aidan into going out for a beer, but his brother declined, saying he had a headache and was going to bed. Colin suspected Declan’s engagement and Brandon’s obvious love for Daphne had pushed Aidan into an even deeper depression over losing Clare. Colin could sympathize. Watching his brothers enter into relationships that had “forever” stamped all over them made him feel more alone than ever, too.

He sat down to watch Sports Center but couldn’t bring himself to care about the latest scores or controversies. The restlessness that had plagued him since his last time with Meredith had gotten worse after seeing her in church.
If only I could’ve talked to her
.
Even for just a minute
.

Sitting alone in the dark, quiet house was suddenly unbearable. He grabbed a jacket, went out to the garage, and pulled the cover off his motorcycle. When the Harley roared to life, Colin secured the helmet, rode the bike out of the garage, and closed the door. He took a month’s worth of impotent frustration out on the bike when he hit a straightaway on Route 28 and opened it up. With the tourist season about to begin, there wouldn’t be many more opportunities to let the big bike loose on the Cape’s crowded highways. On that Easter evening, he had the four-lane highway to himself and took full advantage of the solitude to push the bike past eighty-five miles per hour for the first time ever.