A Place to Call Home

by Jessica Berg

  Lauren’s white teeth flashed. She flicked her long blonde hair behind her and patted Dominick’s arm. “I hope you haven’t become too attached to Dominick. I do plan on killing him.”

  “Hey!” Noah came trotting over from the grill. “It’s good you two could come. I was hoping you’d show up.” He motioned toward Bruce. “You’ve met the instigator of all our high school adventures.”

  Bruce’s sunburned face crinkled. “Were you telling lies about me again?”

  “Nothing but the truth, brother.” Noah slapped Bruce’s shoulder and situated himself close to Phoebe.

  Dominick shook his head. “Anyway,” he pointed to a flaming red-headed woman with freckles dotting her entire body, “this is Lucy, my cousin.” Next to her sat a ferrety-looking man with no neck. “And this is her boyfriend, Kyle.” Lucy smiled politely and extended a hand. Kyle, despite looking like a rodent, burst forth with a huge grin and enveloped the women’s hands in his own warm, strong hands.

  “It is great meeting you. Noah talked of nothing else this morning,” Lucy exclaimed with a wink toward Phoebe. Her thick southern accent fell pleasingly on the ear. Noah ducked his head and blushed.

  Kyle chuckled and patted Lucy affectionately. “Reign it in. You’ll scare these Yankee ladies.” Grace blinked at the deep tone of his rich southern accent.

  “Where are you two from?”

  “Alabama. We’re up for a visit.” Lucy grinned at Dominick. “I need to check on this guy every now and then.”

  “That’s a full-time job, I’m afraid.” Dominick continued the introductions, “The rest are troublemakers, and you need to stay as far away from them as possible.” He pointed to the four men standing around in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops, drinking beer. “Tyler, Cole, Emmitt, and Brad.”

  Everyone found comfortable seats, and Phoebe sat across from Noah. Grace jumped slightly as Dominick bent and whispered in her ear, “They don’t bite.”

  Grace chewed on her lip. His warm breath caressed the back of her neck and smelled like Doublemint gum. “Thanks. I’ll be okay. They seem pretty nice.”

  “Yeah, they’re pretty good people, especially Bruce and Lauren. They’ve been my best friends since high school. I’m the best man at their wedding if I live long enough.”

  “Lauren was serious when she said she’d kill you. I’d get police protection or something.”

  He leaned close and whispered, “I hope you have become attached enough to me to care if she does murder me in my sleep.”

  Tingles traveled the length of her body. She fiddled with the ties on her black shorts.

  “Would you like a beer?”

  “Please.” As soon as Dominick walked away, Grace sat next to Phoebe and pinched her leg under the table.

  “Ow!” Phoebe exclaimed. Heads turned in her direction, and she muttered, “Something bit me.” Turning to Grace, she whispered, “What?”

  “I’m going to hyperventilate.”

  Phoebe glanced over at the grill and spotted the reason for Grace’s panic attack. “I can see why.” Phoebe gave her a half hug and whispered, “Why are you fighting this, anyway?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Phoebe squeezed Grace’s arm with sisterly support and took up her flirtations with Noah again. Grace sat there for a moment, watching the exchange between the two. A blush worked its way up Phoebe’s neck and spread across her face. Noah’s hand reached out for Phoebe’s, and soon the two of them were walking hand-in-hand on the beach.

  Easing herself out of the picnic bench, Grace pulled a lawn chair next to Lauren. “May I join you?”

  “Of course. I’m getting tired of looking at Mohawk boy anyway.”

  “It brings out his eyes.”

  Lauren’s blue eyes shone with humor. “Yeah, it’s no wonder his eyes are brown, the color of you-know-what. He’s constantly getting into it, especially with his sidekick, Dominick. Those two were a pair in high school and especially college. From the way they acted, you’d think they were long lost twins.” Lauren glanced at the figure approaching. “Speak of the devil.”

  Dominick handed Grace a beer. “Talking about me?”

  Lauren smacked at him. “No. We wouldn’t waste our time on such a trivial thing.”

  “Ouch. That cut deep.” Dominick winked at Grace and sauntered off to flip more burgers.

  He’d taken off his shirt, and his shorts hung low on his hips. She swallowed.

  “He’s a good guy, a little cocky sometimes, but he’s got a good heart.”

  Grace sipped her beer. “He seems pretty nice.”

  “Nice? Honey, the way you look at the man, I think you think he’s a little more than just nice.”

  Grace finished off her beer. If this kept up, she’d be drunk in an hour.

  Lauren chuckled. “Sorry. I tend to speak my mind.” She took a drink. “You’ve hired Dominick to renovate the old mansion, huh?”

  “Yeah. Let’s say the house needs a little TLC.”

  “Ah, you had an honest realtor in this whole business. Dickie is something else, isn’t he? Everyone calls him Dickie because he hates it. When we were in high school, he was the driver’s ed. teacher. We all hated him so much that the boys, including Dominick and Bruce, were constantly tormenting him. I especially remember one incident. The boys got word he hated lime Jell-O. One day they bought some and dumped the powder in the defrost vents of the driver’s ed. car. We were all sure he was going to burst a blood vessel when he turned the car on and out came green, lime-scented Jell-O powder.”

  “Clever. What else did they do?”

  Lauren tapped her chin and beckoned to Dominick and Bruce. They sauntered over, cold beers and hot dogs in hand. “Hey, what all did you do to our pal, Dickie, in high school?”

  Bruce sat next to Lauren and draped an arm around her. Dominick scooted a lawn chair next to Grace. He bumped her knee with his and grinned. For several minutes, they entertained Grace with comical stories of Dickie. Him getting himself locked inside the car, driving through the car wash with the back windows open, and not setting the emergency brake and watching the car drive itself into the lake.

  Her side ached from laughing. “Stop, please.” She placed a hand on Dominick’s thigh and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Did all this happen?”

  He turned his head. She didn’t retreat fast enough, and their noses touched. Seconds ticked by, no movement, no sound. Just their entwining breaths, their gazes locked.

  “It’s all true. And they were usually of my doing.” His gaze dropped to her lips.

  Her world rocked beneath her feet. The call for food saved her from inching forward and tasting him.

  Hopping up, Grace got in line next to a blushing Phoebe who had walked back up the beach with Noah. She loaded her plate with a hamburger, chips, and a variety of salads and seated herself next to Lauren and dug into her chips with gusto.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “No, have a seat.” Her chest tightened as Dominick seated himself next to her.

  “Ready for the speedboat after this?”

  She swallowed a bite of potato salad. “I’ve never been on one before, and I don’t swim in water where I can’t see the bottom.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. I’m kind of a sissy that way.”

  Dominick grinned. “What else are you a sissy about?”

  “Do you have all day?”

  “For you, yeah.”

  She ducked her head and concentrated on putting mustard on her hamburger bun. She took a bite, moaned. “This is the best hamburger I’ve ever tasted. Which cook do I need to kiss?”

  “Me.”

  “Oh. I … um …”

  His hand found hers under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go. “You doing okay with everyone around? It’s hard for me to be myself in a new group of people too.”

  Her hand still tingled from his touch. “They are so welcoming. It makes it easier. Thanks for invit
ing us again.”

  “Anytime.” His thigh pressed against hers under the table. She pressed back. “I was wondering if you would like to—”

  “Come with me,” Phoebe said from behind Grace.

  “Where?” She slid a glance at a grinning Dominick.

  “In the water.”

  Grace glared at the rippling waves. Visions of slimy fish waiting to take a nibble on her big toe had that appendage twitching in fear. When she shook her head, Phoebe yanked on her arm. “Come on. It will be fun. We won’t go far, and then we can go take a ride on the speedboat.”

  “I swear, if anything slimy, nasty, or gooey touches my leg, I will beat you with it. Clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  Grace self-consciously peeled off her shorts and tank top, aware of Dominick’s eyes on her. She dipped a toe in the water. “Oh! That’s cold.”

  “Come on. The quicker you get in, the faster you’ll warm up.”

  Grace tip-toed in the water, teeth chattering with the cold. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Phoebe stuck her tongue out and swam off, long arms and legs taking her farther out into the lake. Grace stood, waist-deep in the murky water, sending silent curses at Phoebe.

  Phoebe stopped and treaded water. “Come on, Grace. I know you can swim. The Loch Ness monster lives in Scotland, not in the middle of this lake in the middle of nowhere Kansas.”

  Grace wanted to ask her how she could be sure, but aware of her audience on the sandy beach behind her, she sucked in a shaky breath and swam out until the sandy floor no longer touched her toes when she stretched her leg out. Phoebe swam to her, past her with an “I’ll be right back.”

  The water wasn’t as cold anymore, and for a few blissful moments, she forgot about the beasts lurking in the shadows of the deep. She swam out farther. A speed boat, too close to the swimming buoys, sped past her, churning the water.

  Something wrapped around her leg and nibbled on her big toe. She screamed, and blinded with panic, flailed too far. Her head submerged under the surface, and water poured into her lungs. Coughing and spitting, her head broke the surface. Weak from treading water and going under, she had no strength to fight the speed boat’s wake. Her head slipped under again. She struggled back to the surface, fighting the waves, her panic.

  Strong arms surrounded her. “Hold on to me,” Dominick’s voice commanded.

  She clung to him, caught her breath. The same something nibbled at her other big toe. She kicked her leg. Hard. And connected with flesh. Dominick’s flesh.

  He grunted in pain.

  “Oh my. Did I … just kick … your …?”

  His eyes watered, and he croaked, “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry. A fish tried to eat me.”

  He grunted again. Whether in pain or laughter, she didn’t know.

  “Can you swim back to shore? Do I need to save you this time?”

  Treading water with one arm, he smoothed the hair from her face with the other. “I can manage, as long as you’re okay.”

  “With you, I am.” Breathless from emotion or the near drowning, she couldn’t tell, but she didn’t care. For several moments it was her, him, the water, and nothing between them.

  He traced her lips with his thumb. Jerked his head toward shore. “Let’s get you dry, okay?”

  She swallowed around the lump in her throat and took long strokes back to the shore, where Phoebe wrapped her in a hug.

  Lauren wrapped a towel around Grace. “You okay? Before any of us could react, Dominick jumped in the water. I’ve never seen him swim so fast.”

  “Thanks again—”

  “Dominick? Is that you?”

  The arm he had around her tensed, and he uttered a curse word, but she didn’t have time to decipher the word before the owner of the voice sashayed over to Dominick and planted a sloppy kiss on his mouth. Grace snuck out of his hold. No need to be a third wheel in a kiss. Whatever they had shared in the water vanished like smoke, leaving ashy remains of past betrayals. She had thought Dominick was different.

  “Molly?” he croaked.

  “Who else do you think I am, silly?”

  Grace had several ideas from the cut of the bikini Molly sported, but kept her mouth shut and her glare dead center on Dominick’s back. She ground her teeth at Molly’s voice, sultry and husky. Why couldn’t she have a squeaky voice, or a lisp, or a —

  ” … not now, Molly. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Promise?”

  When Phoebe shot her a look, Grace knew her growl had not been an inner monologue.

  “Yes, I’ll call you tonight.” He kissed Molly’s proffered cheek. His gaze flicked to Grace’s as Lauren linked arms with Molly and sauntered off. Phoebe, probably sensing disaster, trotted off in the direction of Noah. “Sorry, she was—”

  Maybe it was the near-death experience, or the pain at being betrayed again, or the beginnings of lead poisoning from the old house, but she couldn’t stop the words that came barreling out. “I don’t care about notches on your bedpost.”

  His head snapped back as if she’d punched him. “She’s not … it’s not …” He cocked his head, studied her. “Any of your business.”

  It was true, but his words still stung. She knew she deserved them, knew she deserved worse. His eyes shuttered closed, his body steps away from her.

  She wanted to apologize, wanted to hold him, touch his skin, but the words stuck in her throat, and her hands refused to move. For several seconds, he held her gaze before limping away toward his friends. Why do I care anyway? He was just the carpenter she hired to do a job. But no matter how she tried to convince herself, loneliness she hadn’t experienced since signing divorce papers six months ago squeezed around her heart.

  * * *

  Dominick’s body tensed. There she was. Well, he couldn’t run now. Already halfway up the church’s center aisle, he couldn’t leave now. Tongues would wag. Gripping Lilly’s hand in his, he slid into a pew.

  “Daddy? This isn’t our pew.” She tugged on his hand. How did a man explain his own cowardice over a woman to a girl barely five years old?

  “Think of this as an adventure. We’re simply trying out a new pew today. Maybe the angels can hear you better from here.” He winked, relieved Lilly had taken his explanation as Biblical truth.

  His attention was diverted from his daughter when the organist played the opening hymn’s beginning chords. Hoping churchy thinking would keep his mind off Grace, he forced himself to pay attention to the service. His eyes, however, kept wandering to her auburn hair sweeping down her back. Between trying to ignore Grace and making sure Lilly behaved herself, he caught the pastor’s words only in snippets and fragments. Finally, the torturous service ended. If she kept coming to this church, he’d have to switch. Hoping to escape before she saw him, he hurried out of the pew and ran into Annie.

  “Well, hello, little darlin’.” Annie kissed Lilly’s cheek. “You tried a new pew out today. Did the angels hear you better?”

  Lilly grinned from ear to ear. “I hope so. I sang ‘specially loud.”

  “I heard you, and trust me, so did those angels.” After giving Lilly a sucker, she straightened herself to her full height, pinned him with a gaze. Getting twitchy, he thought of an excuse to go. But Annie saved him from another lie.

  “Had some trouble at the lake?”

  He scraped his hand through his hair. He hated small towns sometimes. “Nope. No trouble, Mrs. Wisel.”

  Annie waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Don’t you go telling lies, Dominick Carson. You have w-o-m-a-n troubles on your hands, don’t you? And here she is,” Annie squeaked and waved for Grace and Phoebe to join their little posse.

  He welcomed Grace to church, his words he’d flung at her yesterday pricking his conscience. Why had he said those words to her? In truth, it was her business. If he wanted her to be part of him, she had a right to know. What she must think of him. Her eyes, aloof and refusing to make e
ye contact with him, brightened when she saw Lilly.

  “Well, aren’t you a pretty little angel.” Grace got on one knee and shook Lilly’s hand. “I told my sister, Phoebe, we’d see one today.” Dominick watched as Lilly came to life and chattered with Grace. By the end of their discussion, Lilly had a new best friend and a guest to tea, a very big deal. A very big problem.

  “Daddy, do you think Mommy will be mad I invited Grace to my tea party?”

  He brushed a wisp of blonde hair behind her ear. “Mommy would be glad you’ve found a new friend.”

  “Good. I like her. She’s pretty.”

  Me too. She made him crazy. He had let her into his heart, and now she consumed him. He dreamed of her, smelled her perfume no matter where he was. And now she thought he was a … well, with Molly hanging on his neck, who knows what she thought. He only hoped he dared to change the status quo.

  Chapter 11

  Grace stared at the ceiling at the blinking red light. She dreaded going to the house today. He would be there. Yesterday proved it’d be challenging to share the same space. She wished she could give it all up and go home, wherever that was. Rolling over, she planted her face deep into her pillow and groaned. If only the fluffy material would do her a favor and suffocate her. She’d actually alluded to his sex life. Notches on his bedpost? She slithered out of bed and dressed for an early morning run.

  Ignoring the Tuesday morning traffic, she sprinted down Main Street. The smell of Reed’s Diner tickled her nose, enticing her to stop and order a platter of biscuits and gravy.

  Phoebe jumped when the door slammed. “What in the world?” With a face plastered in a cucumber masque, she peered at Grace. “Did you break the world record?”

  Grace bent over and hugged her knees. Her chest heaved, and her legs ached. “Not quite,” Grace panted, holding up a hand to stem another question and commenced stretching.

  Phoebe experimentally touched the drying masque. She grinned, and the green dried goop crackled around her mouth. “Ding. I’m done.” Phoebe skipped off to the sink and proceeded to peel off the masque.

  Grace jumped through the shower, threw on some clothes, topped it all off with a touch of makeup, and sat on the bed, tapping her foot.