Season of Love

by Jill Sanders

  Sitting in one of her favorite restaurants, looking out at the water and the small town around them, she thought about their future together.

  “Ask,” Corey said, breaking into her thoughts.

  “What?” She glanced up at him.

  He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “You have that look you get when you want to ask something.”

  “How do you know?” She narrowed her eyes.

  He chuckled. “I watch you.” He smiled. “A lot.”

  “Stalker,” she joked. “Okay, I’m wondering… kids?” she asked.

  “Two,” he answered smoothly. He leaned forward. “Dog or cat?”

  “Both.” She smiled. “Which reminds me, how is your rescue?” Before they’d left for Seattle, he’d picked up the kitten from the vet’s place. He had even brought it in to her shop a few times.

  “Rosco is fine,” he said with a smile. “Big house or small?”

  “Big. Something overlooking the water.” She glanced out the window. “I have some land,” she said. “All of us do. Jordan land.”

  “Oh?” He smiled. “Anything overlooking the water?”

  She nodded. “Yes, just down the street from my parents. It’s on a hill, overlooking the beach. I always thought—”

  “Good,” he broke in. “Then it’s settled. We’ll build there.”

  “What?” She sat up. “You’d… build a house on my land? For me?”

  He nodded. “If it’s what you want.”

  “More than anything,” she agreed.

  “Anything?” he asked softly and leaned forward.

  “Well…” She felt her face heat. “Most anything.”

  He nodded. “That saves us from looking. Now all we have to do is find someone to design a house.”

  “I actually know someone.” She smiled. “My cousin, of sorts.”

  “Great, he’s hired,” Corey added.

  “She. Rose.” She thought of the last time she’d seen the daughter of her family friend. She’d just finished school and had taken a job in Portland at a firm.

  “She’s hired,” he said. “Anything you want, I want to spend the rest of my life giving it to you.” The look in his green eyes had her heart swelling.

  “Good, then you won’t mind if I drive the rest of the way home.” She laughed. “I may just end up wanting my own i8 down the road.”

  He laughed and handed her the keys.

  16

  He could tell that she really enjoyed driving the car, maybe even more than he did. Not that it wasn’t fun, but he had been thinking about getting a truck, something a little more practical on the country roads in Pride. Carter had already talked about selling the Vette and getting a delivery van for Baked instead. With the both of them, practicality won out over vanity.

  “I can’t wait to tell Riley,” she said, taking a curve smoothly.

  “About?” he asked, resting back. She was a cautious driver and was doing at least five under the speed limit since it had started snowing again when they hit the side highways that led to Pride.

  “About us. Getting married. By the way, I’m expecting a ring.” She glanced over at him and giggled.

  “We’ll pick it out together. How does next weekend sound? We’ll drive into Portland.”

  She smiled. “Perfect. I’ve always wondered what women do when they get a ring they don’t like.” She bit her bottom lip. “I’d tell you.”

  “I know you would.” He reached over and took her hand, then brought it up to his lips.

  Just then, the car jerked forward, his head snapped back and then forward, and he thought he saw stars.

  Lilly screamed and dropped his hand to grip the wheel tightly. She fought to gain control of the vehicle on the slick road before it went over the railing towards the water below them.

  He glanced back and saw bright lights coming towards them again. This time he braced for it. This impact sent them directly into the guardrail. Lilly screamed again, sounding more frustrated than scared, as she jerked the wheel to get the car back on the road and out of the gravel.

  “Punch it,” he yelled. “They’re coming up to ram us again.”

  She made a growling sound and he felt the powerful vehicle surge forward under her control.

  Glancing back, he watched the bright lights fade in the darkness.

  “You smoked them.” He sighed. When the car started to slow, he quickly said, “No, keep up the speed if you can, safely. We don’t want whoever that was to have another chance to catch up.”

  “But, we need to pull over and call the cops.”

  “We will. I’ll call, but we’re not stopping until we are in a more public place. It’s obvious whoever hit us was going to do it again.”

  “You think…” He watched her swallow. “You think they did it on purpose?”

  “Yeah, they were aiming for us.” He pulled out his phone.

  “Call Robert,” Lilly said, handing over her phone. “He’s Pride police, and we’re only about ten minutes out of town.” She gripped the wheel again.

  “Right.” He found Robert’s number easily and punched it.

  “Hi, Lilly, what’s up?” A man’s voice came through clear.

  “Hi, this is Corey Miller, I’m with Lilly. We’re about ten miles out of Pride, and we’ve been hit. We’re still traveling because they were aiming for us again.”

  “Stay on the road. Are you both okay?”

  Corey’s eyes scanned Lilly. She looked okay, a little tired and stressed, but no cuts, nothing broken. “Yeah,” he answered.

  “Are you in Lilly’s car?” Robert asked.

  “No.” Corey relayed the vehicle description and where they were exactly.

  “I’m about ten minutes away. When you see me, keep going into town. Pull into the station’s parking lot. I’ll see who’s behind you and try to catch them.”

  “Thanks.” He hung up and told Lilly what to do.

  He noticed that her knuckles had turned white as she drove.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, and he watched in horror as tears started to roll down her cheeks. “About your car.”

  He ran a hand down her hair. “It’s just a car. Are you hurt?” he asked when she rolled her shoulders.

  “A little sore, you?” she asked.

  He tested his neck. “The same. It could have been worse.” His mind was already conjuring up images of them lying at the bottom of the cliff.

  They continued down the road at a more normal speed now since there weren’t any lights behind them. When headlights hit them coming towards them, she squinted. “That’s Robert.”

  The patrol car passed them without his lights on and Corey hoped that whoever had hit them was still behind them somewhere.

  Lilly slowed as they came into town a few minutes later. When she pulled into the police station, Corey wasn’t surprised to see her parents and his brother already there.

  He sighed. “What a homecoming.” He reached up to run his hands through his hair and was surprised when it came away wet.

  “Well, damn.” He looked down at the blood that turned a deep red under the parking lot’s lights.

  The car jerked to a stop and suddenly Lilly was beside him, kneeling just outside his door.

  “Dad!” she cried as he reached for her.

  “It’s nothing,” he was trying to say, but his mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.

  Lights flickered in his eyes and he could hear mumbled talking.

  “He can’t stand blood.” His brother’s voice shook him out of the fog.

  “Sure, I can, just not my own.” He took a few deep breaths.

  “The cut isn’t deep. Still, we should get him over to my clinic to stitch him up. Do you think you can walk?” Lilly’s father asked him.

  “Sure.” He started to get up, and Aaron’s hand rested on his shoulder.

  “Nice and easy,” he said. “Take my bag.” The man handed a black bag over to Lilly.

&
nbsp; “Just like in the movies,” he said as he stood up.

  “You should have told me you were hurt.” Lilly’s eyes were full of tears now.

  “I didn’t know.” He moved a little too quickly and the parking lot swayed. “Damn, don’t let me pass out,” he whispered to Aaron, whose arm was around him, holding him up. “Not in front of my future in-laws.” He felt Aaron stiffen, then chuckle.

  “A little presumptuous, aren’t you?” Aaron said as they made their way across the street towards the clinic.

  “Not since she’s already said yes,” Corey said. Aaron pulled him to a stop. Corey smiled over at him. “All I need is her family’s blessing.”

  Aaron chuckled. “You have it, if you tolerate the Jordan clan’s third degree after I stitch you up.”

  Corey waved his hand. “Piece of pie.”

  “Would the two of you stop chatting like school girls so you can stitch up my man. I’d like to know he’s going to survive long enough to walk me down the aisle,” Lilly blurted out. Her mother and Carter bombarded them with questions.

  Just as they entered the clinic, Robert caught up with them.

  “I didn’t see anyone following you. I did however, find the spots where you’d been hit. You left your bumper back there. I have David and Simon seeing if whoever hit you left us any clues.” Robert’s eyes scanned over Corey’s head. “That happen when you got hit?” His eyes moved to Lilly quickly.

  “Yeah, I must have hit it.” He hissed as Aaron stuck him with a needle.

  “A local,” Aaron said and went to work putting a few stitches just below his hairline while Lilly answered Robert’s questions.

  “The first person I’d check whereabouts on is our father,” Carter jumped in. “He’s the one that gave Corey that shiner and swollen lip.”

  Corey had forgotten about his black eye and his lip was pretty much back to normal now.

  “Or our mother,” he added and then nodded towards Lilly, hating to say the next words out loud. “She hit Lilly last night.”

  Everyone turned to Lilly and for the next few minutes, they had to relive their entire weekend. Well, not every detail.

  “This is attempted murder,” Carter said to him as everyone continued to talk around them.

  “Alright.” Robert’s voice rose over the crowd that had grown. It was then that Corey realized that Riley and her parents were there, as well as the rest of the Jordan clan. He didn’t know when they had entered the building, but now the small medical room was filled with people as his head throbbed and his hearing buzzed.

  “Corey?” Lilly was beside him, her hand in his. He looked down at her small hand and wondered how long it had been there. His thumb was running over her smooth skin as if on automatic. “You look tired.” She sighed.

  “I am. Let’s go home.” He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted nothing more than to lie in a large bed with her in his arms.

  “Come on, bro, I’ll take you home.” Carter interrupted his peaceful thoughts.

  He realized then that Lilly didn’t live with him yet. Letting out a low sigh, he nodded and moved to get up. “Right,” he agreed. He kissed Lilly. “Are you sure you are alright?” His eyes scanned over her.

  “Yes.” She touched his cheek just under the bandage her father had put on him. “I’m fine. Go on home. Get some rest.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Most definitely.” She smiled and followed them out of the building, her family not far behind them.

  “I’ll have your car towed in to the repair shop down the street,” Robert told him.

  “Sure, thanks.” He shook the man’s hand.

  “I’ll let you know if we find anything,” he called after them.

  “So,” Carter said when they were in his brother’s car, “you stepped in it deep, huh?”

  Corey chuckled, then groaned and held his head. “Damn it, don’t make me kill you.”

  “The way you look now, I could blow on you and you’d fall over,” Carter said as they drove. “Do you really think it was one of our parents?”

  He shrugged. “After the shit they pulled this last weekend, I wouldn’t put it past them.”

  “Do you think that they found out that we had Earl draw up our own wills so that if we die, it all goes to charity and they still don’t get a dime?”

  “Well, I didn’t mention that to them and I doubt Earl did either.” He couldn’t remember if it had been talked about when his father had been in Earl’s office. His head was hurting, and the last half an hour was a blur. He remembered Aaron telling him to take something for the pain but couldn’t remember what or how much.

  Closing his eyes, he rested his head back. “I must have hit my head harder than I thought.” He sighed.

  “He did say slight concussion,” Carter added.

  “Did he?” he asked as they pulled into the driveway of the small house.

  “I might just have to fuck with you,” Carter teased as he helped him out of the car. “After all, if you don’t remember what I say to you five minutes later, this could be fun.”

  “Try it.” He groaned when Carter turned on the living room light. Reaching over, he flipped it off. “And I’ll have to kick your ass later.”

  “Lay on the sofa. I’ll get you that ice pack and pills.”

  “Pills and a beer will do it.” He toed off his shoes and lay back.

  Carter disappeared into the kitchen. When the doorbell rang, Corey groaned and covered his ears until the noise stopped.

  “How’s he doing?” He heard Lilly’s voice and his eyes popped open as he spun his head around.

  He’d just seen her a few minutes ago, but to him, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

  “I’m doing fine,” he answered for himself.

  “Can I come in?” she asked, already walking towards him

  He patted the spot next to him on the sofa. “You already are.”

  “My parents dropped me off here to watch over you.” She sat beside him as Carter handed him a beer and a bottle of pills. “You can’t drink alcohol with these.” She pushed the beer back. “Water,” she said firmly, sending Carter back into the kitchen.

  “I’m happy you’re here, but damn, I really wanted that beer.” He sighed.

  “More than you wanted this?” She leaned closer and ran her lips slowly over him. Suddenly, all of the pain, all of the aches disappeared. His arms wrapped around her.

  “No.” He sighed. “Tell me you can stay with me tonight?”

  She nodded as Carter came back into the room.

  “I’m heading to bed,” Carter said clearly as he walked over and flipped the front door lock. “Welcome to the family, as it is.” He smiled down at Lilly.

  “Thank you.” She smiled back up at Carter, then watched him walk down the short hallway.

  He pulled her closer as she removed her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her.

  “Want to watch TV?” she asked.

  “No. Light and sound hurt.”

  “Want to plan our wedding?” she asked.

  He smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Sounds great. How about next weekend?”

  She gasped, then after seeing his smile, relaxed back. “Five months. That’s how long it takes the Jordan clan to plan a wedding. Sara’s took that long.” She sighed as he leaned back and propped his feet on the old coffee table.

  “Are you sure you want to be part of my messed-up family?”

  She glanced up at him. “You’re willing to be part of mine.”

  “Your family is perfect.” He closed his eyes, then shifted the two of them until they were both lying down. He tucked her under his arm and she rested her head against his shoulder. Her left leg moved over his legs, wrapped around him. It felt freaking amazing, holding her.

  “No, they aren’t perfect,” she said once they were settled.

  “Yes, they are.”

  She made a small sound. “Did
you know that before Aunt Megan married Uncle Todd, she had been married before? Her ex-husband almost killed her.”

  He sighed. “Still, she has three perfect kids, and a grandchild on the way.” He glanced at her. “Plus a successful business, a husband who worships the ground she walks on. Need I go on?”

  She crinkled her nose at him and he smiled, then used his thumb to brush the spot smooth.

  “Okay, my mother…”

  “Is mayor of the town. Your father is the doctor, and your brother is the perfect small-town jock. You… well, the list of your perfections is too long for me to go into while my head feels this bad.”

  She leaned up slightly, then brushed her lips across him. “Soon, you’ll be part of that family.” She smiled. “You’ll fit right in.”

  He chuckled, then winced and pulled her back down to him. Kissing the top of her head, he took a couple of deep breaths.

  “I never thought I’d get this lucky,” he said, half asleep.

  “Neither did I,” he heard her reply before he drifted off.

  17

  Lilly woke with a crick in her neck and a small ball of fur laying directly in front of her face. The small three-legged cat was curled up on Corey’s chest, vying for space since her own head used up most of it.

  “Between you and the cat, it’s a wonder I got any sleep last night,” Corey joked when he saw her eyes open.

  “Does he always sleep like that?” she asked, sitting up and stretching her shoulders. Wincing, she realized it wasn’t just the way she had slept, but probably the soreness from the accident as well.

  “Are you okay?” Corey asked, doing the same to his own shoulders.

  “Yeah, you?”

  “Sore. Really sore.”

  “Mom suggested we get massages,” she said, standing and rolling down easily to the floor to do a few quick yoga stretches.

  When Corey didn’t respond, she glanced up and saw him watching her with hungry eyes. Laughing, she smiled at him through her spread legs. “You should try this, it might help…”

  “Jesus!” Carter walked into the room, then quickly walked out. Causing her to laugh even more.

  “I’m fully dressed,” she called back to him.